Almost immediately after it became obvious that Karl Rove, Harriet Miers, and other Bush confidants needed to testify in the prosecutor purge investigation, there was a standoff. Congressional Dems wanted Rove & Co. to appear before the Judiciary Committee(s), to answer questions. The White House wanted them to be “interviewed,” in private, with no transcript and no oath. That was in March. Dems have shown some willingness to budge, but the president’s team has not — so nothing’s happened.

As far as Dems on the Hill are concerned, their patience is just about gone.

The House Judiciary Committee is prepared to use subpoenas to compel the testimony of Karl Rove and other White House officials, Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) and subcommittee Chairwoman Linda Sanchez (D-CA) warned White House counsel Fred Fielding [yesterday].

“We are today writing to express our extreme disappointment in the White House’s rebuff of efforts by the Judiciary Committee to obtain voluntary cooperation with our investigation concerning the firing of at least nine U.S. Attorneys in 2006 and related matters,” they wrote. “We write to make one last appeal for such voluntary cooperation.... If the White House persists in refusing to provide information to the House Judiciary Committee, or even to discuss providing such information, on a voluntary basis, we will have no alternative but to begin to resort to compulsory process in order to carry out our oversight responsibilities.”

It’s possible the Bush gang thinks Dems are bluffing, and they won’t have the guts to issue subpoenas. Or just as likely, the White House just doesn’t care. Either way, subpoenas appear all but inevitable now.