I’m an Ed Morrissey fan, but he has not distinguished himself with the post that Cliff alludes to. According to Captain’s Corner:

Fitzgerald took the case on September 26. If this book is accurate about its dates, the DoJ and Fitzgerald would have known about Armitage’s role as the source of the leak five days later. Instead of either charging Armitage or closing down the investigation, Fitzgerald went on a witch hunt. He didn’t even talk to Scooter Libby until two weeks after Armitage’s confession. …

A very cursory check establishes that Fitzgerald did not get the case until December 30, 2003 – two months after Ed claims “Fitzgerald took the case.” That is, the “witch hunt” Ed says Fitzgerald went on on October 1 couldn’t have happened, since it would be nearly two full months before Fitzgerald had anything to do with the case.

Read the indictment. By the time Fitzgerald got the case, Scooter Libby had already been interviewed twice — on October 14 and November 26, 2003. Is it really a stretch to think that by the time Fitzgerald came on, there was already reason to believe — regardless of whether the espionage act or covert agent ID act had been violatied — that Libby had tried to mislead the investigators? And if we take that as a given, is it not possible that, when Libby appeared in the grand jury on March 5 and 24, 2004, he made things worse? The indictment certainly indicates that this is the case.

We now know that Richard Armitage and Karl Rove failed to disclose some press contacts about Plame early in the investigation. Fitzgerald thoroughly investigated both and opted not to indict, giving them the benefit of the doubt. Libby, to the contrary was indicted. I don’t know, but I am betting that was done because Fitzgerald concluded the evidence that Libby, a public official, was intentionally lying was overwhelming. It certainly was not done for political reasons. Whether it should have been done or not will not be known until the trial. I know Pat very well, and I can assure you that no amount of prodding will move him to try his case in the press. He will hold his fire until the government is supposed to try its case — in court.

To be clear, I hate this case. My own sense — not knowing everything Pat knows — is that Joe Wilson is the villain of the piece, and that if he could not be indicted, no one should have been indicted. Nevertheless, Scooter Libby was a high public official, and if he lied — I said IF — that is not something that could be ignored.

Libby is presumed innocent. Fitzgerald has to prove the case, and if he can’t he will deservedly be criticized bitterly. It’s silly, though, to attack the case before we’ve heard it.