Did you advise Mr. Libby to leak information about
Mrs. Wilson’s work in the C.I.A. to journalists? Mr.
Libby flew with you on Air Force Two on July 12, 2003,
and according to the indictment, one of the issues Mr.
Libby discussed onboard the plane (with you?) was how
to deal with the news media. Within hours, the
indictment charges, Mr. Libby told two reporters that
Mrs. Wilson worked in the agency.

When Mr. Libby made his statements in the inquiry —
allegedly committing perjury — were you aware of what
he was saying? Mr. Libby rode to work with you almost
every morning, but this topic never came up?

Was Mr. Libby fearful of disclosing something about
your behavior in the summer of 2003? Mr. Libby is
renowned for his caution, yet he is alleged to have
suddenly embarked upon a high-risk campaign of leaks
and lies. If he did do that, was it a misguided
attempt to protect you? The alleged lies shielded you
by indicating that the information you gave him about
Mrs. Wilson instead came from reporters.

Would the truth have been so potentially damaging to
your position that Mr. Libby chose perjury instead?

My guess is that there was no malevolent conspiracy to
”out” Mrs. Wilson. Rather, my hunch is that you and
Mr. Libby were enraged at what you perceived as false
suggestions that you had been personally responsible
for sending Mr. Wilson to Niger and had then ignored
his findings.

I’m speculating that you may have thought that you
were just knocking down unfair exaggerations and
rumors — and then Mrs. Wilson’s identity was
disclosed to suggest that she was more responsible for
sending him to Niger than you were.

And once a criminal investigation began, perhaps Mr.
Libby didn’t want to acknowledge that you were
knee-deep in actions that at a minimum looked petty
and unseemly.

Whatever happened, Mr. Vice President, the American
public deserves some reassurance. If you had nothing
to do with any of this, then say so. But don’t cower
behind your lawyers. As it is, you’re pleading ”no
contest” in the court of public opinion, and that’s
painful for all of us who want to believe in the
integrity of our government.

When Richard Nixon was a candidate for vice president
and embroiled in scandal, he addressed the charges in
his Checkers speech: ”The best and only answer to a
smear or to an honest misunderstanding of the facts is
to tell the truth.” (Mr. Vice President, any time a
columnist quotes Nixon to you in an exhortation to be
honest, you’re in trouble.)

Even when Spiro Agnew was embroiled in a criminal
investigation, he tried to explain himself,
repeatedly. Do you really want to be less forthcoming
than Dick Nixon and Spiro Agnew?

We don’t need to try to turn this into Watergate, and
we don’t need gloating from the Democrats. But we do
need straight talk from you. The indictment has left a
cloud that impedes governing, and if we’re to move on,
we need you to clear the air.