Fitz/Feingold/firedoglake

no - really? Fitz-em!

Won’t you please?

send us some Rubber Stamps?

jayt — good to see you here. Glad you decided to stick around. :)

Christy - thanks - I put a thing at the end of Pach’s Vegas breakfast thing yesterday - but thanks.

Scottie’s presser on MSNBC right now. Mwee heee

Christy’s typing so fast, that line from the end of a Beatles song is coming into my head: I’ve got blisters on my FINGERS!

WARNING: should be posted…. should not be drinking coffee ….. spue Alert….. Just too funny… Thanks I needed that today….

jayt at 5 — I missed it. I’ve been a little…erm…busy, the last coupla days. *g*

didja hear him say that minority homeownership was at an all time low? or was that my freudian slip?

I finally met Markos on Wednesday at a book signing event in San Francisco.

I shook his hand and the very next day he was shaking hands with Stephen Colbert!

That’s one degree of separation from one hero, and zero degrees of separation from another hero!

OMG — Holden is gonna have a field day with today’s briefing. Bwahahaha. McClellan is just sputtering.

oooh scoootie is twisting in the wind so badly, hard to keep all the lies straight. omg.

Talk about the “Land of Make Believe” where King W, er. Friday, rules over the land.

OT: Larry Johnson has some good stuff on the cowardly Leaker in Chief:

http://www.tpmcafe.com/node/28641

Scotty has his chance at some sort of an all-time press secretary throwing himself in front of a truck award today. This is already a classic!!! And he’s just starting…

Disapproval Ratings Much Higher…
if you are the glass is half full type.

“Bush, GOP Approval Ratings Find New Lows”

Take this poll to see some eye opening results, and just wait until I OPEN the can of worms.

http://patrickjfitzgerald.blogspot.com

Is there a streaming feed of Scottie somewhere?

DELURKING
Hi everyone. Been reading(and learning) here for a long time. I had an idea after reading Crashing the Gate. To make a photocopy of the book jacket and send it back (with no money) To all of the Dem groups begging for money. I left room at the top and side to scribble my thoughts of the moment.

It is a good visual and I don’t have to go into much detail. They will get the message.

Best to everyone–You make my day!!

There’s leaks and there’s leakers and there’s too many leaks. If there is leaks, then there are leak. Isn’t that right, Mr. President? Who are leaking now? Is you or is you not a leaker?

to the best of my recollection, have to go back and check, can’t talk about an ongoing investigation–MOMMMEEEE! CSPAN 1, BobbyG
http://inside.c-spanarchives.o.....hedule.csp

“Fitz Briefs for Dummies”

Great line, but it has nothing to do with Christy’s work product at FDL. This is more like a graduate seminar on “Deconstructing the Libby Pleadings for Non-Lawyers.”

“Fitz Briefs for Dummies†is what Harriet Miers and Abu Gonzales prepare for Chimpy McFlightsuit — using constuction paper cutouts of presnit Cheney and Scooter and the sock puppet preznit and Karl the sock puppet’s brain.

To make sure presnit clusterfuck understands, the cutout show and tell is enhanced with mylar overlays of prison bars — it is rumored that Chimpy started throwing bananas when they put the prison bars over his paper doll.

But at least, they are trying to keep him informed . . .

=====

19 ReneND: I LIKE IT! It is even better than sending them neuticle ads.

“Hi, neighbor.”

“Wouldja be mine?”

Saw Markos on the Repore last night. I’ m not gay or anything (not that there’s anything wrong with that), but he’s cute! (I think Stephen thought so, too). ;-)

And now back to reread the Libby post…

Oh, and maybe Scotty will up and quit in the middle of today’s presser. Wouldn’t that be precious?

Transcript of this morning’s Scotty gaggle (relentless):

http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/ar.....7.php#more

BobbyG

If you go to the C-SPAN home page, www.c-span.org , click “watch” down an inch in the center of the page. On the new page go to the right, and under Watch/Listen live, click your media player choice under C-SPAN.

Armando has a good diary up on DKos about our Right Wing Racism series. If you’re a Kossack please go hit the “recommend” button if you’re so inclined.

My goodness Christy, quoting Roxtar that Mr. Rogers is who we need right now. I am howling at my computer. So true.

I endlessly lurk here, and am thrilled at the intelligence of this community, grateful that the whole group cares as passionately as I do about getting our America back.

Thanks for bringing all of this into perspective.

Scott McClellan keeps saying, “no, that’s not what I’m saying”, and “no, I didn’t say that”…Scotty, just what the %@*# are you trying to say? If the public can’t see through this sham, we’re beyond hopeless.

Abbott and Costello’s ‘who’s on first’ comes to mind…

Essential Snotty McFelon:

“…there is an ongoing legal proceeding, and our policy has been that we’re not going to comment on it while it’s ongoing. And that remains our policy. there is an ongoing legal proceeding, and our policy has been that we’re not going to comment on it while it’s ongoing. And that remains our policy. there is an ongoing legal proceeding, and our policy has been that we’re not going to comment on it while it’s ongoing. And that remains our policy. there is an ongoing legal proceeding, and our policy has been that we’re not going to comment on it while it’s ongoing. And that remains our policy. there is an ongoing legal proceeding, and our policy has been that we’re not going to comment on it while it’s ongoing. And that remains our policy. there is an ongoing legal proceeding, and our policy has been that we’re not going to comment on it while it’s ongoing. And that remains our policy. there is an ongoing legal proceeding, and our policy has been that we’re not going to comment on it while it’s ongoing. And that remains our policy. there is an ongoing legal proceeding, and our policy has been that we’re not going to comment on it while it’s ongoing. And that remains our policy. there is an ongoing legal proceeding, and our policy has been that we’re not going to comment on it while it’s ongoing. And that remains our policy. there is an ongoing legal proceeding, and our policy has been that we’re not going to comment on it while it’s ongoing. And that remains our policy. there is an ongoing legal proceeding, and our policy has been that we’re not going to comment on it while it’s ongoing. And that remains our policy. there is an ongoing legal proceeding, and our policy has been that we’re not going to comment on it while it’s ongoing. And that remains our policy. there is an ongoing legal proceeding, and our policy has been that we’re not going to comment on it while it’s ongoing. And that remains our policy. there is an ongoing legal proceeding, and our policy has been that we’re not going to comment on it while it’s ongoing. And that remains our policy. there is an ongoing legal proceeding, and our policy has been that we’re not going to comment on it while it’s ongoing. And that remains our policy. there is an ongoing legal proceeding, and our policy has been that we’re not going to comment on it while it’s ongoing. And that remains our policy. there is an ongoing legal proceeding, and our policy has been that we’re not going to comment on it while it’s ongoing. And that remains our policy. there is an ongoing legal proceeding, and our policy has been that we’re not going to comment on it while it’s ongoing. And that remains our policy…”

proc snotty;

do whil .not. endoftime();
call proc snotty;

run;

Dang, Christie, you sure do know how to put pressure on a guy.

ROFL BobbyG, you only left out one part:

“…there is an ongoing legal proceeding, and our policy has been that we’re not going to comment on it while it’s ongoing. Democrats are using crass politics. And that remains our policy. there is an ongoing legal proceeding, and our policy has been that we’re not going to comment on it while it’s ongoing. Democrats using crass politics” whaaaaaaa

Finally figured out how to logon to Kos and recommend! Sorry to miss the EssEff Kos soiree, but the fotos sure made it look like fun.

For the “Mr. Preznit chat” delegation of GOPers to the White House, I recommend Katharine Harris and Ted Stevens.

In the 10am gaggle, McC was asked about Libby being at the WH last Thursday-

QUESTION: Scott, on March the 30th, I believe, last Thursday, Mr. Libby was spotted at the White House Mess. It just seems unusual that he would be coming back to the White House in this situation. Any ideas why he –

Scott McClellan: I don’t know anything about that. I don’t think so.

QUESTION: You don’t think what?

Scott McClellan: I don’t think he was here.

QUESTION: What would you do if I –

Scott McClellan: You spotted him?

QUESTION: I have a pretty good source I trust that did.

Scott McClellan: I’ll check into it, John, but I don’t think that’s –

QUESTION: Alan Greenspan was here Thursday, March the 30th.

Scott McClellan: I don’t think so, but I’ll check. I’ll check. I wasn’t camped out at the Mess.

http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/000317.php

Take An Indicted High Ranking Official to Work Day?

Just read the Snotty McFelon transcript.

Man! I’d panhandle on interstate off-ramps were that the only other gig available in the world. How demeaning.

Folks:
Sorry if this has been mentioned, but Emptywheel alludes to a statement in Fitzgerald’s filing that reads as follows:

“During this time, while the President was unaware of the role that the Vice President’s Chief of Staff and National Security Adviser had in fact played in disclosing Ms. Wilson’s CIA employment, defendant implored White House officials to have a public statement issued exonerating him.”

This is on page 27 of Fitz’s filing. This identifies Condi Rice as one of the disseminators of poison information regarding Plame. This statement, by itself, does not indicate criminal activity — but it certainly does not preclude criminal activity on Condi’s part either. This is also a huge disclosure, and a nice catch by emptywheel.

BobbyG 36 –

If Bushonomics are allowed to continue without an intervention, we all will be panhandling on interstate off-ramps.

the bushbots and scotty in particular are masters of the circular argument (intentionally obtuse or deviously evasive).

his argument:
there is a distinction between leaking classified info and “disclosing” non classifed info to the public in the “public interest” (they get to choose what that is btw)

democrats engage in crass politics because they leak classified info.

the president has the authority to declassify, therefore any “disclosure” (leaks) to the public authorized by the president is automatically non classifed info, and therefore does not fall into category of leaking classified info, so is automatically distinct from any other leaks.

so don’t bother asking whether bushy can leak for political gain.

scotty kept going on about how info in the NIE was declassified and provided to the public. i wish the reporters asked whether he means by that if the pres authorizes a leak, or when it was declassified and publicly presented (later i believe than when libby leaked it).. so was the declassification when it was leaked or when it was publicly announced. important distinction.

also, is fitzgerald pronounced FITZ-gerald. is that the new NUKE-ular. anyone else find that a little jarring?

I’m watching Scottie right now…he’s willing to spin anything except Brian Doyle…they are really worried about him…he just bails and doesn’t go back.

Poor Scottie, He soo reminds me of Bill The Cat. AAAck AAAck Thbbbbbbbpt Fsssst.

You know Teddy… since Chief FuckEmAll is such a mama’s boy the one name that hasn’t been mentioned today for a healthy ear pincher is none other than Sandra Day O’Connor. She gets the dictator dangers and could give him a supreme spanking.

Sonate at 37 - I read that particular notation as the VP’s national security advisor — which is what Libby was. Fitz is very careful to use full titles wherever necessary, and I think he was referring only to Libby with that. But I could be wrong…

Re: Sonate 37

Oh no, not Condi! Is that a smoking gun? Condi’s hair resembles a mushroom cloud.

From Howard Kurtz at the WaPo, citing the national press reactions…

“It was Bush himself, answering a reporter’s question in Chicago after speaking with business leaders at the University of Chicago, on Sept. 30, 2003, who said: ‘Listen, I know of nobody — I don’t know of anybody in my administration who leaked classified information. If somebody did leak classified information, I’d like to know it, and we’ll take the appropriate action. And this investigation is a good thing.

” ‘Leaks of classified information are a bad thing,’ Bush said then. ‘And we’ve had them — there’s too much leaking in Washington. That’s just the way it is. And we’ve had leaks out of the administrative branch, had leaks out of the legislative branch, and out of the executive branch and the legislative branch, and I’ve spoken out consistently against them and I want to know who the leakers are.’ ”

Hey, no fair, using the guy’s own words against him!

With this resurgence of Fitz fireworks I’m notalgic for one of Me’s patented “St. Crispian’s Day” rants.

I’m not predicting Fitzmas, but man, it feels like things are really building toward soemthing.

Plano tex -

Condi Baby may have to again pick up the Cross. Hey, it’s almost Easter, hmmm…

http://www.bgladd.com/Bush_Mal.....e_Rice.jpg

As this country moved to war, I hoped that the loving spirit of Fred Rogers, liberated from this earthly plane of existence on 27 Feb, 2003, would overcome the dark forces working for death. But stuff like that only happens in the movies.

sonate 37, Christy 43, and Plano tex 44 –

My reading aligns with Christy’s — the “and” between “Vice President’s Chief of Staff and National Security Adviser” joins CoS and NSA togeher as modifiers of “Vice President’s.” While it could be a backhand reference to Condi, Fitz probably would have used the phrase “President’s National Security Adviser” if Condi was being fingered.

my two cents . . .

=====

Where has that sniveling little shit Robert Novak been in all this????? Why don’t we ever hear anything about his involvement - his source, his role, etc.?

43 Christy Hardin Smith says:
April 7th, 2006 at 10:46 am

Sonate at 37 - I read that particular notation as the VP’s national security advisor — which is what Libby was. Fitz is very careful to use full titles wherever necessary, and I think he was referring only to Libby with that. But I could be wrong…

At least one of the comments in that Next Hurrah thread that sonate mentioned made the same point; it appears, if I am not mistaken, that it refers to Libby.

Whoa!!! I just checked my email, and found a spam from “Scot Mcclellan” pitching “viagra granular” — do you think he could be moonlighting some new career opportunities?

Renend-Good idea & welcome!

ck says:
April 7th, 2006 at 10:41 am

BobbyG 36 –

If Bushonomics are allowed to continue without an intervention, we all will be panhandling on interstate off-ramps.

Under those circumstances, who will be able to purchase gasoline? *g*

Ya gotta love it. Twist on the rope, Scotty, you disingenuous prick:

…Helen Thomas, that old-time press-corps bomb thrower, asked McClellan: “The president denounced leaking in a couple of statements, and so forth, once at a news conference. He knew the truth. He allowed this charade to go on … He knew who was doing the leaking. He knew why he declassified … He knew about the exposure of a CIA agent … I’m asking why did the president in his own domain, he didn’t ask anyone why?”

McClellan’s answer was classic. Even though seconds before he’d vowed not to discuss anything in Fitzgerald’s brief because doing so would violate a bedrock White House principle, the press secretary told Thomas, “Go back and look at the filing. Look at what Mr. Fitzgerald says in his filing. Mr. Fitzgerald in a filing — Mr. Fitzgerald in his own words in his filing contradicts what you just said.”

– Farhad Manjoo, Salon.com

We have to assume that the WH implictly affirms the veracity of Libby’s testimony, I would think.

35 Deborah L says:

April 7th, 2006 at 10:37 am

Take An Indicted High Ranking Official to Work Day?

QUESTION: Alan Greenspan was here Thursday, March the 30th.

They finally popped his ass too!!!!! ;-)

Gaggle video now up at C-SPAN.org.

ReneND # 19 excellent idea !

Lurkers, come out come out wherever you are !

Some of the brightest and most enjoyable comments you see on these threads are being made by folks who, once like yourselves, were too intimidated, shy, self concious, etc.. this site has yet to attract any ‘clunkers’
so come on in, this lake’s waters are fine

ck -

“Under those circumstances, who will be able to purchase gasoline? *g*”

Only those 1%’ers driving by in their tinted-window armored SUVs in convoy to/from their gated communities escorted by Blackwater Security contingents.

We’ll have one up near Summerlin called “The Green Zone”.

Double Whoa!!!

NPR just led their top of the hour update with a Snotty McCrapper audio clip, where he says that “the NIE info was declassified, and Democrats are crass political leakers.”

Man, talk about torching the wrong side of the firewall . . .

=====

Take An Indicted High Ranking Official to Work Day? too funny…….lol Deborah

White House Declines to Counter Leak Claim

WASHINGTON - The White House on Friday declined to challenge assertions that President Bush authorized the leaks of intelligence information to counter administration critics on Iraq

But Bush’s spokesman, Scott McWeasel, appeared to draw a distinction about Bush’s oft-stated opposition to leaks. “The president would never authorize disclosure of information that could compromise our nation’s security,” Bush’s spokesman said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200.....MlJVRPUCUl

Slightly edited lol

I love this comment from the WP online chat with Broder.

Clearwater, Fla.: What is your opinion about Bob Woodward’s comments last year about the Valerie Plame case … When “all of the facts come out in this case, it’s going to be laughable because the consequences are not that great.”

David S. Broder: Subsequent events do not appear to be supporting that forecast.

Scotty moving the goalposts again. So now it’s okay to leak classified information as long as it doesn’t hurt national security. Is that why the Bush administration is classifying documents again that were declassified? Give me a break.

Let me give everyone a heads up:

Congress leaves for an Easter break Monday. That means senators will be back in their home districts again next week.

If you have the wherewithal to do so, please begin to form small groups, by state, of people who can visit local senators’ offices to talk with staff about censure.

Our Massachussetts contingent did this with success during the last recess, and next week, it will be time to fire up the roots project again. Censure gains new momentum in the wake of the Leaker in Chief story.

It’s time say “No more!” and hold lawbreakers accountable.

A good day for Haiku:

Shrub unites us all
Could never ever divide
Division too hard.

http://www.irregulartimes.com/haiku.html

Watching Snotty on a CSPAN stream.

These people are not smart enough to keep their lies straight. He’s getting immolated.

ReddHedd (#43)
Thanks. I think that the ambiguity helps explain why more was not made of this (potential reference to Condi). I agree, however, that the reference is ambiguous. I wonder if THAT (the ambiguity) was also purposeful.

new thread - TL2

Thanks Pach! I knew there was something else I heard while listening to C-Span, that they are getting 2 weeks spring break off. Now more than ever we need to organize as many state by state FDL groups we can come up with to pay them a much needed visit.

Re: 44. I am so tired of the recent orgy of handwringing about the appearance of African/American women’s hair. In particular, Cynthia McKinney, and you know what was said. Please let us not descend into the pit with the racist knuckledraggers who think this sort of discussion is witty.

Or, we can start judging men of all colors by their hair, and I don’t think most of them will like it.

Every so often we need to remind ourselves about what the l”authorized leaks” were (apparently) about. Scotty’s statements make it sound as though the WH wanted to get the sanitized version of the NIE exec summary out to inform the debate about the merits of whether Iraq had WMD. This is a lie and a distraction.

By July 18, when the sanitized NIE doc is “outted,” The WH had already conceded that the 16 words about Niger yellowcake should not have been in the State of the Union. CIA’s Tenet, in a statement mostly crafted in the WH, had already taken the fall for not getting these 16 words out of that speech (though it’s never been explained why, having succeeded in removing these words in another speech in Ohio the year before, Tenet should be held responsible for not reminding the WH what it had already told them once before.) The point is, by mid July, there was no dispute that the claim that Iraq tried to purchasehe Niger uranimum prucahse was not supported by reliable intelligence.
What was at stake, as Libby was spinning Judy Miller, Rove was spinning Time, and Condi was pointing reports to find the office at the CIA where Plame worked, was whether the President and Vice President knew that the facts were wrong when they made this Niger claim and the claim about aluminum tubes. Murray Waas’ early article this week exlains that the purpose of the Libby/Rove spinning was to prevent the public from concluding that WH knew it was lying/misleading and/or selectively cherry-picking pro-war intelligence and suppressing intelligence that undermined the case for war.
Libby’s efforts were part of a coverup to conceal the larger coverup about what false information the President and VP knew and when they knew it was false (but kept using it in speeches).

The trad press still hasn’t got this story right. They’re still focusing on the fact that the pre-war intelligence was wrong. But the whole point is that the WH knew it was wrong.
The authorized “leaks” of selective NIE information, and the continued classification and concealment of counter information, were intended to hide this coverup, not to contradict the Wilson claim about uranium.
Wilson was a threat because he was implying a coverup, directly by Cheney, indirectly by Bush; he wasn’t just challenging the veracity of the intelligence.

And everytime anyone gets close to saying, “the President and Vice President knowingly, deliberately lied,” then and only then does Scotty drop the “we won’t comment on an ongoing investigation” and fight back with Fitz’ transripts and any other diversion they can find.

The sound track seems to be skipping. I keep whacking my computer, but I hear the same thing over and over…

I’m back, after a few months off to deal with life issues. Did I miss anything? Psyche.

So, if I am hearing Scottie McMuffin right, it would have been perfectly cool for, say, Harry S Truman,to spontaneously declassify the Manhattan project and its intended use because “there are a lot of misconceptions out there that we don’t have the will or the way to win this war with the Japanese.”

And if Lincoln decided to let the media know about Grant’s batttleplan? Probably a bad idea, but no real consequences. “The public needed to know that we have smart generals after all,” he might have said, according to Scottie.

His arguable rights and his inarguable responsibilities ought not to be confused here. It is grossly irresponsible, if not illegal, to ignore all processes in place, mislead the public about what you have done and then have the audacity to claim heaven’s side of the argument. He thinks can leak or take a leak right in front of us without anybody noticing how it all stinks. He is, again, wrong.

Our gracious hosts need a little Troll-Be-Gone graphic — an icon that can replace a troll post. A simple trex-o-matic thingy . . .

=====

oops! meant to post that on the new thread . . .

Sigh! Maybe one day we will officially learn that Condi shot herself in the foot with that “smoking gun”.

Hold off on the open discussion on it. I am in the last 30 pages of Richard Clarke’s book and want to finish that before I dive into Crashing the Gate.

Jane #27

I posted a comment linking to the project I am working on. Hopefully he adds it to the main post.

I recorded the 10:30 am rerun. Markos was great–self-effacing, funny and clearly committed. Great guest for Colbert’s character as well.