So I had an opportunity to chat with Congressman John Dingell this weekend about the Libby case (okay, I admit it, I had just given him a copy of my book! But he had just served us a really nice lunch, just ask Rayne!). The conversation went like a lot of our conversations do–he's like a kind but cautious grandfather about a lot of things. He warned that perjury charges were hard to convict. He reminded me of how unfriendly the Appeals Court would be in this case (can anyone say Laurence Silberman?) Mostly, it seemed like Dingell wanted to offer words of caution, to tamp down any expectations. (I was sorely tempted to ask him whether John Conyers, from the district next door and Chair of the House Judiciary Committee, felt the same way.)

But then–just before someone came and interrupted, the conversation started to get interesting–Congressman Dingell started talking about how much more dangerous Dick Cheney will get as legal attention closes in on him.

So, as we wait for a verdict (and wait, and wait), as we read Sy Hersh's latest, as we read about the Taliban's attempt on Dick's life (hey Cheney–how come your Sunni allies are shooting at you, if they are?), it's worth thinking about what we do with this wounded beast. We need to keep coming after this guy. But we also need to think about how to avoid loosing him in a way we don't intend to. As Andrew Sullivan notes (hat tip Stephen Parrish):

But Cheney's going down. And people who know they're doomed can do crazy things.

BTW, the close circuit is on, and Walton is saying, "You can't convince not to be a criminal if they don't want to."

Only he's not referring to Libby, btw.