Did you know that Mrs. Wilson was a covert officer? The indictment states that you knew she worked in the CIA’s counterproliferation division. You would think that anyone as steeped in intelligence issues as you are would know that meant she worked in the Directorate of Operations and was perhaps a spook’s spook.

Did you advise Mr. Libby to leak information about Mrs. Wilson’s work in the CIA 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 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?

Here’s the $64,000 question:

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?

The answers to these questions could be (or less charitably, almost certainly would be) embarrassing to Cheney, but that’s no reason to withhold the truth from the public. Nor is is reasonable for an elected official to hide behind the excuse that his public statements would jeopardize the case against Libby if he spoke freely. That would only be true if Cheney’s public answers were at odds with answers he gave to Fitzgerald or his investigators. If Cheney told them the truth but decides to lie in a public statement, he could damage his credibility as a witness against Libby. If he tells the truth to the public, he does nothing that would interfere with, or harm, Libby’s prosecution.

So let’s hear it, Mr. Vice President. You aren’t a private citizen who can decide to keep quiet until subpoenaed to testify. You’re a public servant. You work for us, and we’re entitled to know what role you played in your office’s leak of Valerie Plame’s identity as a CIA employee.