Politics: What do you mean, team player?

A federal judge wondered why the White House wants so desparately to end the inquiry into Dick Cheney's energy lobbyist circle-jerk. Even through the case was moving forward normally, apparently, the White House appealed to the federal panel midway through the case and asked that the case be blocked. Apparently, leaning on these judges wasn't a workable strategy, though, since one of the judges flatly told a government attorney, "you have no authority" to ask the appeals court to intervene in the middle of the lawsuit, according to the article.

A federal appeals court Thursday questioned the Bush administration's request to stop a lawsuit delving into Vice President Dick Cheney's contacts with energy industry executives and lobbyists.

Appeals Judges Harry Edwards and David Tatel suggested the White House had no legal basis for asking them to block a lower court judge from letting the case proceed.

The Bush administration took the unusual step of coming to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in the midst of the case.

U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan has ruled that the Sierra Club and Judicial Watch may be entitled to a limited amount of information about the meetings Cheney and his aides had with the energy industry in formulating the White House's energy plan.

These judges better be careful, or they may end up with a horse's head in the bed soon.