Rove walks? I don't believe it, quite...

Announcement from Rove's lawyer (Luskin) this morning that his client has been "formally advised" that he/Rove will not be charged. Luskin has refused to provide any details, or to produce the actual communication. Christy over at firedoglake thinks it possible that the letter itself contains critique/accusation from Fitzgerald that Luskin doesn' t want public. I think that's likely.

But I also notice Rove's entirely disinclination to talk, much less crow, about his "exoneration." And I notice that the White House has also been remarkably tight-lipped about this, where normally we would expect Tony Snow to be leading the gloating. Why no celebration?

This smells like constrained behavior. It smells like both Rove himself and the WH as a whole have been muzzled by something.

I think there was a deal; a plea-bargain, the terms of which included "no comment" from Rove/WH. What could Rove give up in return for walking? And what kind of offenses might he have been charged with that would make him roll? Upon whom might Rove be able to roll to such an extent that he could save his own ass? [Note: as of 11:45CST Fitzgerald also has not commented; this is ominous for someone]

Couple that with Junior's "surprise" visit to Baghdad today, for a mere five hours, with so little advance warning that he lied about it yesterday, and the Iraqi president didn't even know Bush was coming. Why the sudden collosal urgency to get Junior out of Washington? It almost has to be in order to distance him from something going down there.

Or some-ONE.

Anybody heard from Dick Cheney in the last 12 hours?

I dunno. But something is in the air, and Fitzgerald has another shoe to drop.