1.31.2007: Mayberry Machivellis

Early into the Bush administration, a high-profile policy wonk resigned and criticized the administration as a group of "Mayberry Machiavellis" dedicated more to political schenanigans than to serious policy work.

The recent trial of Scooter Libby gives an inside look at Ang, Opie, Barney and the rest of the White House gang.

Scooter Libby was VP Dick Cheney's top aide who is on trial for covering up his outing of a CIA agent. While the plot line and cast of characters is more complicated than any episode of "Andy Griffth Show," Libby's defense has resurrected the Mayberry Machiavelli label.

Libby claims that he is merely the scapegoat in a widespread effort to protect Karl Rove (a.k.a. Bush's Brain) from legal harm.

Rove has been the President's top policy advisor since W's days in Texas and, as it turns out, Rove also leaked the name of the then undercover CIA agent in an attempt to discredit her husband's criticism of Bush's decision to invade Iraq.

But regardless of how you look at this show, it's hard to miss the political plotting the White House used to discredit its opponents.