Scooter Libby's conviction of lying and obstructing of justice in the CIA leak case could be the corner stone of the historical case against the Bush administration for waging a doomed, corrupt war in Iraq and lead to the restoration of American Democracy - if the remaining stones are put into place by the Democrats who now control Congress.

Once the closest adviser to Vice President Dick Cheney, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby was convicted Tuesday of lying and obstructing a leak investigation that shook the top levels of the Bush administration, according to the AP and every other news organization and blogger in the mainstream media and the liberal blogosphere.

For simpllicity's sake, here's the AP story and the key facts.

Scooter Libby Found Guilty in CIA Leak Trial

Four guilty verdicts ended a seven-week CIA leak trial that focused new attention on the Bush administration's much-criticized handling of intelligence reports about weapons of mass destruction in the run-up to the Iraq war, the AP reports.

Then, the AP reminds us, again:

Campaigning in 2000, George Bush promised he would swear on the Bible to restore honor and dignity to a sullied White House and give it "one heck of a scrubbing." The conviction of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby gave the White House a scrubbing - but not the one Bush had in mind.
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The verdict "does great damage to the Bush administration," said Paul C. Light, professor of public service at New York University. "It undermines the president's pledge of ethical conduct. But the most serious consequence is that it will raise questions about Cheney's durability in office. It may be time for Cheney to submit his resignation."

"But don't count on it," the AP reports. "Bush in the past has repeatedly come to the defense of his vice president."

In fact, Bush may well pardon Libby. It will be up to the special prosecutor and the Judiciary committees in Congress to bring Cheney and Bush to heel in this scandal, in the form of oversight and investigative hearings.

What we want to know is, why is Larry King of CNN booking former White House press secretary Scott McClellan to talk about how he was "setup" and "lied to" by Libby and Karl Rove? Everyone who is anyone who knows the facts knows McClellan was the press secretary who made luvvy duvvy to gay male prostetute Jeff Gannon in the White House and lied to the press and the American people and the press about who knew what, when, in the CIA leak case.

He was in the same room in the same meetings with Bush, Cheney, Rove, Libby, et al.

If there was true justice in the world, McClellan would be under indictment for lying too, not out on the "speaking circuit" - pumping a new book and trying to continue the coverup.

And it is a coverup. A far more serious coverup than Clinton's lying about his sex life - or Nixon denying knowledge of funding for the Watergate burglars.

While trying to create a corporate Republican majority in American politics for a generation, Karl Rove and company came very close to destroying American Democracy. They may have succeeded in the latter - and potentially cost the Republican Party an honest stake in the U.S. national government for some time to come. Especially if the Republicans nominate Rudi Giuliani to run for president in 2008 against John Edwards or Al Gore.

The Christians are already changing the channels from the Clinton-Obama show to Bonanza on bad, commercial cable. They will not be voting in '08 - which is an open opportunity for us educated liberals to take back the big show.

If the national Democratic Party has what it takes to lead: Guts.