While even I don’t think Cheney shooting Whittington is a classic Rove-ian triple bankshot, it sure has knocked the story of Bush’s illegal warrantless domestic surveillance program off the front pages. Of course, the need to impeach Bush for his criminal acts is a hard story to tell, especially since there’s no blow job involved, modulo any professional services offered by Jeff Gannon, of course. WaPo:

Congress appeared ready to launch an investigation into the Bush administration’s warrantless domestic surveillance program last week, but an all-out White House lobbying campaign has dramatically slowed the effort and may kill it, key Republican and Democratic sources said yesterday.

So much for the moderate Republicans. So much for Olympia Snowe (R-ME) , member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

As Maine goes, so goes the Constitution. Right down the tubes.

NOTE For those unfamiliar, Maine Republican Senator Margaret Chase Smith’s Declaration of Conscience was instrumental in bringing Senator Joseph McCarthy to heel. Too bad today’s Maine Senators don’t have her spine.