According to this story from MSNBC, Socks the Cat was euthanized after a long battle with cancer.

Yes, it seems that Sock's 19 years on this earth ended at the Three Notch Veterinary clinic in Washington, D.C. on Friday. The story is pretty cut and dried, right? Is it really? Hmmm.

Socks, of course, was adopted by Bill and Hillary Clinton back in 1988 when Billy was governor of Arkansas. Socks -- by far the member of the Clinton family who subscribed to the highest moral standards of the lot -- traveled to Washington with the Clintons and has remained with Billy's personal secretary, Betty Currie, since 2001.

It's no surprise the Clintons would leave someone loyal to them behind, of course. Just ask the folks in the Arkansas Delta what years of supporting Clinton got them.

What is curious, however, is how people who get too close to the Clintons tend to vanish, wind up in prison or end up dying under mysterious circumstances. Could it be that Socks knew too much? Could it be the word got back to the Clintons that the cat had started having lunch with a Washington Post reporter?

Rumor had it that Socks was critical of Billy's constant catting around and disapproved of Hillary's catty behavior, too. Could it be that years of resentment and an embarrassing abandonment finally drove Socks to blab secrets to the press and he had to be silenced?

Oh, I hope not!