I'd just like to go on record with a prediction.

Starting with today and going forward, no Bush Administration official at the Assistant Secretary level or higher will ever be punished in any meaningful way for the various crimes committed during the Bush Administration. Some lower-level functionaries and stooges might get some trouble, but the main dirtbags are going to retire rich and happy, secure in the knowledge that they made the country great again.

For this purpose, "meaningful punishment" means actual imprisonment for at least one month, and/or a fine substantial enough to cause actual hardship. It does not mean a millionaire is fined $10k, or that someone is merely humiliated. Humiliation means very little to someone with no conscience. So hearings and truth commissions don't do the job. There has to be an actual trial and conviction.

I will further predict that once "the country" has "healed" and "we" have "moved forward," within 20 years we will see yet another Republican scandal which we will be expected to forgive in the interests of not making Washington Democrats feel awkward when they go to work. And finally, I predict that, if I am wrong and someone is actually convicted and punished, that conviction will not be a bar to employment in any future Republican administration, if there ever is one.

I think that if we want to see these people get theirs we will have to hope that they accidentally go to Spain or something. Personally, I'd like to see Powell go down first just to establish that your reputation won't save you.