Bushwhacking the prosecutor

If you're a prosecutor who's brave enough to indict -- or even think about indicting a Republican -- you'd better wear some protective gear.

Ronnie Earle, who is handling Tom DeLay's case, got the full attack treatment from DeLay and his allies.

Now they've turned it on Patrick Fitzgerald, the special prosecutor handling the investigation of the CIA leak, which could bring some indictments against top White House officials.

The NY Daily News:

W pals bushwhack CIA leak prosecutor

WASHINGTON - As the White House and Republicans brace for possible indictments in the CIA leak probe, defenders have launched a not-so-subtle campaign against the prosecutor handling the case.

"He's a vile, detestable, moralistic person with no heart and no conscience who believes he's been tapped by God to do very important things," one White House ally said, referring to special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald.

It wasn't long ago -- but before Karl Rove and Scooter Libby looked like targets of the probe-- that President Bush praised Fitzgerald on the "Today" show.

"The special prosecutor is conducting a very serious investigation. He's doing it in a very dignified way, by the way, and we'll see what he says," Bush said. Indeed we will.