[T]he line between gossip and intelligence is too-often thin, as we've seen the past few years. With that caution in mind, Washington buzz today focused on reports of a three-hour grand jury meeting (presentation?) by Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, with no witnesses called.  Our legal advisors confess no inside information, but say this sort of an event usually precedes an indictment being handed down.

If so, who...whom...might be the lucky winner this time? The afternoon betting line is White House political guru Karl Rove, who's earlier "exoneration" was very much exaggerated by Republicans eager to have the whole Wilson/Plame case "closed" with the indictment of VP Cheney's then-chief of staff, Lewis "Scooter" Libby.

Subsequent stories revealing earlier "leaks" on the CIA's Plame, especially those involving Washington Post reporter/superstar Bob Woodward, have added to the sex appeal of the whole thing, but really add up to more confusion, rather than settling the various theories about Rove's role, and thus any legal vulnerability for anyone else involved.

And, of course, the whole thing today could be a false alarm, or a misunderstanding of Fitzgerald's modus operandi.