Coincidence?

I tend to believe that in Washington, as in Neptune, there are no coincidences. Check this out, compliments of Salon's Tim Grieve, and judge for yourself:

July 19, 2005: On the heels of news that, despite prior White House denials, Karl Rove was very much involved in the outing of Valerie Plame, the Washington Post reports that George W. Bush has backtracked on his pledge to fire anyone involved in leaking Plame's identity. Later that day, the president announces that he's nominating John Roberts to replace retiring Associate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.

Sept. 5, 2005: Amid mounting criticism of the Bush administration's handling of the response to Hurricane Katrina, the New York Times reports that the White House has put Karl Rove and Dan Bartlett in charge of trying to control the "political damage." Later that day, the president announces that he's nominating John G. Roberts to replace the late Chief Justice William Rehnquist.

Oct. 2, 2005: As Washington awaits Judy Miller's testimony before Patrick Fitzgerald's grand jury, the Washington Post reports that it is becoming "increasingly clear that two of the most powerful men in the Bush administration were more involved in the unmasking of operative Valerie Plame than the White House originally indicated." Early the next morning, the president announces that he's nominating Harriet Miers to a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Oct. 26, 2005: As all of Washington watches, Patrick Fitzgerald meets for three hours with his grand jury and then with the federal judge overseeing his case, leading the Los Angeles Times to speculate that one or more White House officials may be the subjects of sealed indictments. Early the next morning, the president announces that he's withdrawing Harriet Miers' nomination.