From MSNBC.com's First Read:
Will the White House introduce its SCOTUS nominee during the thick of the Plame leak investigation? The Washington Post reports that President Bush may announce his pick as early as this week, rather than next week. That would be a big effort to change the subject -- and might well succeed. It would also "prove" that the White House is not distracted by the Rove controversy, and possibly force Senate Democratic critics to tone it down in the interest of having that much talked about, dignified confirmation debate. Presumably, it would also be a sign that the White House is confident that no other memos or damaging material about the Plame leak will come to light during the SCOTUS debate.
First off, the Plame leak was news 2 years ago, and it's news now. That proves it has staying power, no matter how long it runs under the radar. Bush's SCOTUS nominee might prove to be a short term diversion, but the Plame investigation will go on. To assume anything different is to insult our intelliegence. Yes, the SCOTUS nominee could have one of those country-splitting effects, but it will not dominate the news cycle forever.
One has to assume that where there's smoke, there's fire. Just because a second fire might break out somewhere else, that doesn't mean the first fire won't be fought.