While we bide our time waiting for the frogmarch, on occasion we are treated to moments of that rare Fitzgerald wit that neither Scooter Libby nor Karl Rove are probably quite so appreciative of at the moment. Leslie in CA brings up this bit of amusement from the Hollinger case regarding defendant John Boultbee:
Mr. Boultbee, who lives in Victoria, recently asked to be excused from a court hearing in Chicago in order to attend a Canada Day barbecue and dance at the Victoria Golf Club, where he is a member.
The hearing, slated for June 30, is a "status hearing" in the criminal case involving Mr. Boultbee and other former executives of Chicago-based Hollinger International Inc. They face several fraud charges over allegations they stole more than $80-million (U.S.) from the company. Mr. Boultbee and the others have pleaded not guilty and none of the allegations have been proved.
Canada Day "is a time when people enjoy the camaraderie of friends and family," Mr. Boultbee’s lawyers said in a court filing. "As July 1st is a Saturday, Canada Day is celebrated this year on June 30th, the day of the hearing. A party at the defendant’s club [the Victoria Golf Club], for which he has paid in advance, is scheduled for June 30th."
Fitzgerald was remarkably unmoved by Boultbee’s pressing need to barbecue, as he was the crying about undue financial hardship:
In a court filing, U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said defendants are often required to attend these types of hearings to ensure they "appreciate the seriousness of the charges." Mr. Boultbee’s request, Mr. Fitzgerald said, "demonstrates a gross lack of appreciation by this defendant of the gravity of these proceedings."
In the filing, Mr. Fitzgerald also called Mr. Boultbee’s complaints about the trip’s cost "frivolous."
"Obviously, the government did not select the Chicago-based location of the company [Hollinger International] that defendant chose to defraud," the filing alleges.
And as JoyB reminds us, it calls to mind this famous Fitzgerald snark during a press conference on the Hired Truck Scandal:
QUESTION: Given the risk to Mr. Laski’s career and his reputation, his sense of honesty here, it doesn’t seem like a whole heck of a lot of money.
FITZGERALD: I’m not going to disagree with you. If what we allege is true, it’s wrong for people to take bribes — it may also be stupid, but we’re in the business of what’s prosecuting what’s wrong.
I’m always happy when the call goes out across the Plame-o-sphere of "new Fitz filing." He’s always good for a caustic jab or two.
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leisureguy!
Jane – minor typo at the end: “caustc”
Fitzteenth!
FITZFITZFITZFITZ!
Irishmen!
I could have sworn that June 2 was the day that the Fitz/Rove Grand Jury was set to expire. But I have not heard a word about such an expiration this week. Is it not true?
When Fitz indicted Rove, he waited until the last minute, got an indictment just before the GJ expired, then announced it the following week. If today was indeed the day that the new GJ expired, should we not expect an announcement next week, if one is coming at all?
Good evening, spellaise. Or is it editoraise?
Thanks for the Fitz fix! He’s so dreamy . . .
sorry if that was too loud… this is my first real weekend in too long and I’m just bubbling with glee.
feel free to delete #2 now! …for mommybrainaise! (heh)
yeah, dh, could you keep it down? It’s Friday night after all….
re the Ms. Marshall kerfuffle:
Alice Doesn’t Blog Here Anymore
Jim @6 – June 2 was also supposed to be the day of the big boom in the desert, Divine Strake. They’ve called it off onnacounta they didn’t want to disturb all the radioactive dust on the desert floor. Was this Divine Strake madness what they call public diplomacy?
Have you heard the Rush call with Jack, standing in for Mike at callingallwingnuts? Rush goes nuts, swearing that Jack is Mike and says So, you going to Las Vegas soon, hmmm? He’s talking about YKos, I presume. Anyone seen or heard any talk in the red zone about it?
Punaise, have you done lyrics to “When the Frogs Go Marchin’ In” yet? We need an anthem.
Fitz knows what his doing and making sure all the charges stick. He is very good at what he does and Bush/Cheney/Rove will regart they ever heard of Patrick J. Fitzgerald. When Fitz first started this case the media laughed at his clothes and life style now who’s laughing. With a little help with his wardrobe from a true friend and his seeking justice to bring down the evil doers the last laugh is on the media. Fitz is the true example of what every Ameerican should try to be. No he’s not perfect but he’s honest, trusting and believes in justice for all. Just look at him now he is one of the sexist men alive. He will bring all the crooks to justice and you can take that to the bank.
punaise, want some snark to go with that kerfluffle?
Friday Night Feetzer – out here in the hills, only the owls to compete with…
Love Fitz to pieces.
Sorry to say that Fitz lost this one. The defendant is staying home for Canada Day.
Here’s link:
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/…..fer=canada
op99 – guess I better hop to it.
mommybraise – snarkfuffle!
dh – cheers!
Hilda 19 — thanks for the link. Well if you can’t win them all, I’ll be happy that’s the one in the “L” column.
Mrs. K8 popped back in at the end of the last thread with a question for those knowlegable about critter comfort.
re the Ms. Marshall kerfuffle:
Well, I never heard of the bitch before tonight but she seems to have attracted quite a fan club around here.
sorry to sully a new thread, but acording to raw story:
Well…interesting. Now, I know how everyone around here just “hangs” on the moment Mr. Fitz will indict Rover (personally, I think too many get misdirected on this as it won’t matter much in terms on what I want, to WIN in the Nov. 2006 elections…but that’s another story for another time)
Anyways, perhaps those of you who want to try and predict possible indictment dates might want to try another path…Mr. Fitz’s schedule!. In this article I learn of an upcoming status hearing on 06/30, in Chicago.
Ooook, so what’s the scoop on this Boultbee case? Are there a ton of motions on file? If so, Mr. Fitz may be busy all thru June on this Boultbee matter. Are there approaching deadlines to file/respond to things? Again, Mr. Fitz may be busy all of June on these things.
Is Mr. Fitz involved in anything else? If so, what’s the pre-trial status on these other cases?
So, perhaps one could piece together “windows of opportunity” for Mr. Fitz to indict Rover based on an analysis of Mr. Fitz’s schedule. One thing I feel confident in…Mr. Fitz is always very well prepared, so I would think that he would “get to” the Rover indictment only when he had a nice chunk of schedule time for this.
I really don’t urge anyone to do this…as it could result in a LOT of time being spent on a lot of rabbit trails…but there you have it.
Ghostman
Hilda 19, non-refundable tickets and all, hard to overcome that.
off(line) to watch Capote DVD
catch y’all later
Mommybrain,
As the one-time DJ and teen impresario Bill Ballance used to say, “I’ve been lurking for you.”
Thanks for the Daily Howler link yesterday. What a hoot!
BTW, my wife and I grew up in the SGV and have a ton of fond memories. I still do my book shopping at Vroman’s whenever possible. Glad to that you’re getting the place Driered out.
O! Quaking Earth… http://apoeticjustice.blogspot…..earth.html
What’s interesting is there is a homey sort of Andy Griffith quality to the snarks. In addition to the sarcasim there is also a fatherly warning of “don’t go there”.
I think he is kind of conservative in that way.
I opened my newly delivered “Lapdog” book tonite and I was reading the introduction on page 1.
The second sentence of the book reads the following:
Woodward, of Watergate and Washington Post fame, was the most famous reporter of his generation, and Fitzpatrick, by the fall of 2005, was the most talked-about investigator in America.
snip
Should the name be Fitzgerald here instaed of Fitzpatrick? Is it a misprint?
Sort of reminds me of Tommie Lee Jones remark in MIB when asked if this was some sort of joke.
“We do not have a sense of humor that we’re aware of ma’am.”
BTW, what is the penalty for stealing an election, creating an illegal war resulting in the slaughter of hundreds of thousands, looting the national treasury, shredding the constitution and destroying any credibility we had in the world.
Shouldn’t their be like a fine or something?
I don’t think dictators pay fines.
Here’s some snarky research by Fitz’s crew, in the Bloomberg article:
Ouch!
(I hope I got that coding right!)
ccmask 32 — yes there are a couple of typos in the Boehlert book but well worth reading in spite of them. That one jarred my teeth too, force of habit. But having been down the publishing road before, that’s something that just happens. Not Eric’s fault.
Ghostman 26 — one of the reasons many have been speculating we WON’T see a Rove indictment soon is because Fitz has a small staff working on this case (5) and he’s got a lot on his plate (I think Tom Maguire was over her pointing that out recently). I also think it serves his purposes to get Libby discovery over with first, but seeing how much of that is already over, maybe we’ll hear more soon. And I don’t think dragging things out hurts his chances in this matter at all.
Of course, maybe he’s already incited Rove….
(har har…okay so my jokes aren’t as good as PF’s)
Fitz is so damn cool. Like an action hero. I wonder how those Bush action figures are selling?
That would make a swell halloween costume. Wear nothing but a potato on your “appendage.”
And go as a dicktater.
Jane- yes it blew me away right in the second sentence. I thought if I was the first to blog the error, I’d win a prize or something. You never know. I’m really enjoying the book Eric. Thanks
Know what… I think the situation has went beyond indictments and pleas.
Wups! I keep forgetting Jane is a left coaster and stays up late. Just gettin’ silly over here!
More food for thought: I read the article referenced by Hilda. Looks like the hearing on 06/30 goes forward, it’s just that the defendant doesn’t have to be there. Ok…..so ARE there a pack of motions in this case? The defendant looks to be some sort of rich guy; thus he’ll have top dollar lawyers filing ALL sorts of motions. Any filing deadlines in this Boultbee case?
And, according to the article, the Boultbee case is set for trial March, 2007. Welllll….isn’t Libby set for trial 01/07?? Will Fitz need to spend his Summer and Fall getting ready for Libby AND for Boultbee??? Does this mean that a Rover indictment is a long ways off? Isn’t it possible for a grand jury to have it’s tenure extended by a number of months? I SEEM to recall this happening with the Libby GJ?
There’s some questions, and obviously I have no answers.
Ghostman
oilfield- I can’t be;lieve you! After I typed dictator, I thought of a dick and a potato too! What are you drinking? Same as me?
Janes right about them typos. You proof and proof but as soon as it’s printed the typo is all you see. Has happened to me back when I was a writer.
#39.
My favorite costume is to wear nothing but a bowl of custard pudding tied to the end of my penis.
People say: “What are you?”
The answer is: “I’m fucking dis-custard”.
-GSD
#37, Ms. Hamsher…..yep, I agree. This Rover indictment could very well be a ways off. And, I forgot to mix into the equation that he has a small staff. Well, stay tuned everybody….but you might want to take your shoes off while you wait.
Ghostman
Suppose you have a situation where a responsible person goes to a Prez (after pudgeboy agrees to all this) and sez: We have a sealed indictment against Cheney. We are telling you this because the consequences of broader investigations may be seriously problematic for our national security.
And then dead eye doesn’t budge.
I don’t usually pry – it isn’t polite, don’tcha know – but after reading this post, I’ve just got to ask:
punaise, are you Fitz’s love child?
Or, so as not to be judgmental about anyone’s ages around here:
punaise, is Fitz your love child?
Or perhaps punaise and Fitz are siblings, separated at birth.
Or maybe, just maybe, punaise is Fitz. Come to think of it, I’ve never seen punaise and Fitz in the same place at the same time . . .
punaise is fine as long as you kep him away from phone booths.
ROTL at Atrios …
“Wanker of the Day
Byron York.
I’ve been in the same room with my buddy Byron a couple of times. His hair truly has supernatural powers.
-Atrios 11:29 PM”
I wonder what kind of superpower his hair has? Perhaps it disrupts all coherent thought in it’s immediate vicinity. That may explain some of the posts at The Corner, anyway.
Ghostman 42
The GJ that Fitz is using in DC is a sitting GJ, for use by any US attorney. There is no expiration, unlike the first GJ, which was more “special”. Mary or lhp or Christy or one of the FDL lawyer types will have to provide more info on this, but I believe that’s the case.
This currect GJ may expire, as all do at some point in time, but Fitz could then use another sitting GJ. Of course, he’d have to get them up to speed a well.
As for typos, may I remind all that “you go to press with the typos you have, not the typos you wish you didn’t have”.
#37, Ms. Hamsher…..yep, I think you’re on target. And, I forgot to add into the equation the small-staff issue.
Well folks, while you’re awaiting this Rover indictment, you might want to take your shoes off and get comfy.
Ghostman
#44
Ol’ Grandad (it’s like turpentine, only not as smooth)
test
that’s strange….I made two seperate comments and both vanished….NOT put into embargo (or whatever it’s called)…but I clicked “submit comment” and they vanished. Oh well.
Ghostman
peterr 47 — now that you mention it…
now it all seems to be working…sorry to clutter up things, Ghostman
Ghostman — no idea why that happened, like I say, sometimes we don’t know why our mysterious software does what it does.
This is not phunny. No more wise cracks as per GSD!
“This IZ Chief Inspector Clouseau speaking on the pheaun”
#44- Amaretta
#50-”you go to press with the typos you have, not the typos you wish you didn’t have”. Now that’s good.
37, Ms. Hamsher: I think you’re on target. And, I forgot to add into the equation his small staff.
Folks, for those of you awaiting a Rover indictment…you might want to take your shoes off and get comfy.
Ghostman
EPU’d from the last thread . . .
Ghostman @10:23
It seems that when there are comments placed in moderation, they don’t automatically appear (once cleared by the goddesses) when you “refresh comments” but only when you reload the page. Perhaps Jamie could investigate and (if I’m correct) figure out how to clean this up . . .
[I’m running Firefox on a PC with Windows XP]
Vanishing posts–that’s why they call you the ghost, man.
KEEP THE FITZ AND PASS THE FAITH, RAH RAH RASS, KICK EM IN THE OTHER KNEE!
/bad Norske
Well, I agree with Ms. Hamsher’s comment above in the thirties. And I forgot to add into the equation his small staff.
Folks, for those of you awaiting a Rover indictment….you might want to take your shoes off and get comfy.
Ghostman
For some reason the fact that Ann Coulter has had to hire some big gun lawyer in that felony voter fraud case does not strike me as bad news, punaise. It means she’s having to take it seriously.
Dear Ann,
The pie may have missed, but the FELONY VOTER FRAUD CHARGES won’t.
And it’s going to hurt you a whole lot more than it does us.
ok, my #59 above is what I kept trying to post. Oh well, it made it thru.
61, ccmask: chuckle…one can disappear with the right skills.
Ghostman
What are the chances of getting an Ann Coulter mug shot? If not from FL, how about from darkblack?
Voter fraud is pretty serious for Anne isn’t it? You never know what they’re going to find…….of course, voter fraud is serious for all of us, as Kennedy Jr. points out.
Tell it to Mr. Casper.
That’s how come only Casper’s friendly posts appear.
One year back in my wild youf, I went out for Halloween in a t-shirt with the state of Alaska drawn on it in black Sharpie with the word ALASKA. “What are you supposed to be?” people asked.
“Baked Alaska,” I replied.
I wonder if Ms? Coulter will be wearing a Rush/Delay smile for her mugshot?
65, peterr…chances are 100%. Mug shots are public record.
Ghostman
Every time Ann Coulter smiles, a kitten dies.
ccmask @#65
IOKIYAR
TRex
Are you throwing rocks at my blog title?
Ghostman @ 72 –
Yes, but I’ll bet darkblack can capture her image better than the state of Florida.
Oilfieldguy, better rocks than combat boots (retreating quickly back into lurker mode)
TRex 71
LMAO. To further extend the OT – one year, long ago in my “youf”, I dressed for Halloween in a blue leotard and tights and pinned tampaxes (tampum?) all over me. What was I? Picasso’s Blue Period.
Back OT: If the Froomkin article quote was reliable, then it’s high time Fitz indict Rover and Co. It’s plenty damned hot here in Texas and I promise I’m not expecting it.
Oilfieldguy, I was not aware that was your blog title. But yes, I think I have to say that the title of your blog is almost as bad as my own.
After I posted that comment, I wondered if I should indicate that no actual kittens were harmed as I made it.
oilfield: MTFBWY
Looks like Libby didn’t get much bang for his buck with his greymail specialist.
As for Rove, I think the indictment will be sooner than later (but I’ve been wrong on this once already, so take it for what it’s worth). Libby’s bag of tricks is pretty much empty. If he’s not going to cut a deal now, I think Fitz is just going to move on without him. That means indicting Rove on his own set of perjury charges. He won’t bother with conspiracy charges. He wants the two trials to be completely separate.
Who was it a coupla years ago, when Ann Coulter was 41, pretending to be 39, and he had this running gag, every time he used her name he wrote it like “Ann Coulter, 41, got a pie in the face” or whatever? It was hilarious.
ROTFL, Hilde! Tampum or Koti!!! Jeebus!
I had a good friend who painted himself all green and wrapped a white sheet around him– a booger in a hanky!
Glamour Shots oughtta consider opening branch locations in police precincts.
Here’s how the legislative-aide-turned-lobbyist game is played, folks. Laid bare by the NYT in a lengthy profile of Congressman Jerry Lewis’ Queen of All Earmarks. (via TPM):
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06…..r=homepage
I no longer give a crap about the Rove indictment because it’s a statistical impossibility for me to win the pool.
Fitz has a way with words, but I think my favorite is from the May 24th filing: “. . . the government has not represented that it does not intend to call the Vice President as a witness at trial. To the best of government’s counsel’s recollection, the government has not commented on whether it intends to call the Vice President as a witness.”
Let’s see: who speaks for the government, and who does not?
As icing on the cake, Fitz puts his own “no comment” right into his brief – priceless! “Don’t tell me what my spin has been.”
Of course, all this is as of today. The phrase “Earlier today, a grand jury in the District of Columbia voted an indictment against Karl Rove” could easily supplant the above mentioned snark for tops on the “Fitz’s Hitz” List.
For that, alas, we still have to wait.
It’s all in the same spirit as:
The Clean Air Initiative
The Healthy Forest Initiative
No Child Left Behind
and other words that don’t go together:
Military Intelligence
President Bush
Good God. Looks like Peter Baker of the WP is tryiing to out do ‘pool boy’ Jim VanderHei.
Bush Venturing From Bubble:
White House Opens Door To Dissenters
Aversion to Criticism Appears to Be Fading
http://www.washingtonpost.com/…..01700.html
This is a f**king joke, right? Or some kind of sick parody? No WH reporter could possible be this stupid. Arrghhhh.
Oops – possible should be ‘possibly’. Anger does not help my grammer or spelling.
#87, maryann….and everyone: watch out! This is part of a well-crafted, step-by-step process for the WH to get the poll #’s up, and for the WH to actually be a POSITIVE influence for the November elections.
I continue to criticize Democratic leadership for continuing to sit on their hands…just waiting for Bush to foul up more. The “R” team is NOT going to “go gently into the night”. Unless the “D” team hammers them, over and over and over between now and Nov., that ugly snake will bite again.
Ghostman
…but there is still the issue of Ann Coulter’s adams apple…when you look at her you think: what is wrong with this picture? …and do the Bushies know?…some wierd stuff going on here tonight…here I am typing along and all of a sudden the word Rumsfeld appears next to my last word and I NEVER typed it…twice this happened…am I spooked?
Time for bed. Nite all
Re: the Canada day hearing, that was almost a guaranteed loser. As a matter of fact, it would usually get a bye or a reschedule without motions – just calls all around and someone submitting an order. Either things are on very adversarial footing, or the USAO expects more delays and timing nonsense in the future and wants to start papering the file to nip it in the bud as it tries to blossom, or there was stuff in the motion that was so clearly contrary to real world facts (like the costs of flights) they just felt compelled to snit back as a ‘don’t pull that crap, we won’t let you get by with it’ or else he is just very hardass. I may have missed a few possibilities. ;-)
Ghostman – it is a part of the Hollinger/Conrad Black case, and yeah – that is a big one. [Isn’t there one of the neoconmen that is on the Hollinger board - Perle???] IIRC, Black did something lovely like had Paul Newman served at a party they were both attending – I may be misremembering, but he’s not a lovely man (Black)(Newman’s pretty darn lovely even now).
OT – but I am still trying to not get too excited over the Michigan case. It’s not just that the Judge did not immediately go ahead and dismiss on the state secrets, she’s going ahead with oral argument on the Plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment on legality of the program. Plus gov kept hemming and hawing and not filing a response on illegality, despite two extensions, and instead just plopped down the state secrets motion— so she’s pretty much made it sound like while they can show up and argue at oral argument, she might not accept their (now late) brief if they file it b4 argument.
I’m sure they’ll file something and probably get it accepted, but man I love that whipcrack!
well 91, I also had a few comments just vanish. Not to worry…the lads at NSA are just readjusting their software. Just a hiccup.
Ghostman
Now who was it who posted that white collar criminal defendants seem to handle their predicament with a great deal of equinimity? Oh….yeah…..that was me.
And yes, I do keep score. :)
Thanks so much thepoetryman for your links to the apoeticjustice site. I followed one of your links the other night and was entranced.
‘Nite Pups.
Peterr 49 – I’ve met the esteemed Punaise and he’s better looking than Fitz … so no relation
my new indictment fantasy – Fitz announces Rove’s indictment Friday 9 AM EST – just in time for the CIA panel at YKOS!
equinimity
Does that mean they horse around?
Race from justice.
Make up tails?
Mary – Actually, if you want to put off a criminal court date, always go with a religious holiday excuse of some type. It may actually help to be observant, since the judge might ask, in some religion with a lot of week holidays – both christianity and judiasm fit the bill well.
You know, I was going to go with insoucience rather than equinimity (but didn’t b/c regardless of their affect I like to believe that at least part is only an act), and also b/c it is harder to pun with. Although I am sure Punaise will take that as a challenge.
siun 102 — That’s my worst nightmare come true! I’m supposed to sit there and talk while all I want to do is be on the computer, sitting in front of the TV and reading indictments? OMG! That would be HELL!!!
Heck, civil dates you can almost get put off on excuse of great weather and a possible shot at a getting a tee off slot. *g*
And just having the lawyers show, and the client available by phone, is done more often than not. I was surprised that there was even an objection, esp getting the request this far ahead of time.
Funnier still if they had attached an affidavit from William Shatner. He’s got *equinimity* and cheap flights both covered. *g*
Jane dear – everyone is hoping for tons of live blogging so you could live blog while sitting on stage – a new performance art form!
ps Jane – did you get the email from us yesterday? one of the senders got a bounce on the mail to your address and I wondered if it got through.
One halloween in my youf I cut the bottom out of one of those plastic potty trainers for little kids so that it rested on my shoulders.
What was I? a shithead.
Are you averse to a-vowel tonight EPU?
What day of the week is the 30th Siun? Apparently that just freed up on a calendar somewhere. I’m hoping that nothing happens until after the NSA hearing/briefings in the Michigan case wrap, so looking to next month.
And when is it we learn if Gonzales will be resigning or not(oh, com’on, it COULD happen)? Mid-July? July could be a hot month.
glad Muzzy did not trickortreat at my house … oh my!
one year on Halloween my son was @ 10 (and this was completely his own idea)- he made an enormous cardboard check … and at each house he “bounced” up and down like crazy!
shoulda known then he’d end up a Burner!
Hey Mary … 30th – let’s see…
6/30 is a Friday
7/30 is a Sunday
Siun — yes I got it. Thanks much.
The A’s and the a recently aligned themselves with the Italics*G*
We think by tomorrow they’ll be back, no longer leaning to the right.
The A’s and the a’s recently aligned themselves with the Italics*G*
We think by tomorrow theyll be back, no longer leaning to the right.
Much better.
…Punaise is a “he”? …
(spied-er-pause)
Peterr @ 69, 78:
How kind..Ta
I’m waiting for the real ones, myself.
Imagine the possibilities
;>)
Please make the italics stop.
G’nite.
I made them stop – another victory for the forces of freedom.
Gee, I missed all the fun….
Peterr 47
Or maybe, just maybe, punaise is Fitz.
I’m actually his evil twin Binkie.
(and having met siun at the Vegas-Schmegas West Coast FDL Pre-Convention Power Breakfast in March – attendance, two – I can report that her charm matches her wit and wisdom :~)
buenos gazpachos, todos!
spiderpaws – unintentional ambiguity!
mr. punaise
‘night all.
Muzzy #110– You could also have been a “potty mouth”…
curtsy to punaise
I *may* have been using the masculine as the generic gender of course
and I too must run … stocking up on sleep while I can
sweet dreams FDL!
…all you young chickens actually ‘run’ off to bed…and do what?… Just when web spinning is at its best…doesn’t anyone drag themselves off exhausted anymore? …so early…are any old bloggers still up? …guess I’ll go make a giant dagwood with extra pickles and finish Kunstler’s horror story ‘The Long Emergency’…
Ciao
Hasher: Your faith in the U.S. jurisprudence system surpasses my own by miles, and miles more.
But, if, by your own lights, that faith hits a corrupted brick wall, what then for you?
It’s an unfair question (though not by much). But what if Fitzgerald’s people tank, intentionally? National security, and all that. What then, Ms Padilla?
Maybe he was using that rare wit when he objected to Chicago’s efforts to combat the police state?
Get off him, Jane. He’s one of “them”. Stop being such a useful tool of theirs.
I know it’s unintentional, but still, take a day off will you and examine the evidence yourself. What good has Fitzgerald done for this country? Talk, no action. Wishful thinking doesn’t make dreams come true.
I also think it serves his purposes to get Libby discovery over with first, but seeing how much of that is already over, maybe we’ll hear more soon.
This sounds about right to me. The procedural issues involved in a Rove case will be pretty much the same as with the Libby case, and being able to cite precedent established in the Libby case will make the post-indictment process against Rove much easier.
Question for the lawyers in the room — it is my understanding that an indictment against Rove could be assigned to a judge besides Walton. Could Fitz request that Walton hear that case as well, arguing that assigning it to another judge creates a small but unnecessary risk of disclosure of vital national security secrets that a new judge will have access too?
The good guys typically have a better sense of humour! I’m glad that Fitz can have a little fun, though. Dealing with people who constantly lie must get tiring. Better to laugh at them than get burnt out.
If this court is like most others Fitz could request that the Rove case be assigned to the same judge on the ground that it’s a related case, but asking and getting are two separate things.
I would hesitate to say in writing that I think another assignment would create ANY increased risk of disclosures/leaks, because it would be a commentary on the judges. I wouldn’t go there, regardless of the accuracy of the perception of risk.
Not only is it frivolous, I don’t think what he’s saying is even really true. I’m pretty sure all Canada Day celebrations of any official nature will still be on July 1st. I’m in Ontario and the statutory holiday because July 1 is a Saturday is Monday July 3.
To Mary (et al.)
Mary, I want to thank you again for the referral yesterday (comments 47 & 72 at Roots CtG: Pop Quiz) to the article on Judge Keith and his Case at http://www.mied.uscourts.gov/_…..spdf/Court Legacy 11-03.pdf. I couldn’t get through to the blackprof piece on hizzoner’s other pithy quotes, but at least now I can heartily second your reco of the pdf. Ye gods, how that whole story resonates these days — JUST the noise we need for deafening “the uninvited ear,” wot?
Note to anyone wanting to check it out, 6 of the 12 pages are end-matter. I bet you’ll savor the whole thing, but if nothing else, for an excellent distillation of why we all — well, except for maybe y’all at 126 and 127 — find ourselves at FDL in June of 2006, zip directly to the three block quotes on page 6
Is Judge Keith on the bench to this day (I dearly hope)? Highly persuasive argument in favor of human cloning, that one.
Whoops, that link didn’t print here the way it’s spozed to, and I didn’t help matters by forgetting to leave space below it (need. more. tea.).
Anyhow, instead of clicking on it, how ’bout you drag© — that works fer sher.
Good morning doggers. Before I head out to work, I thought I’d share this blip from the SF Chronicle. I work across the street from this place, and it makes me happy to see it. Heeeee.
“The newish Marc by Marc Jacobs store has three big glass window panels facing Fillmore Street at the corner of Sacramento. The latest window display went up about a week ago: Three-dimensional letters, 7 or 8 feet tall and spray-painted blue, spelling out one word in each window: “Worst President Ever!” The windows were ordered up by the visual department of Jacobs’ New York office, which tells me they were specified only for San Francisco. Store manager Moe Salimi said that no passer-by has complained.”
Meta 133,
Put that sign in a store window – if it isn’t out of business – in East Bumfuk, Jesusland, and see what happens.
(Please tell me the name of that store really isn’t Marc by Marc Jacobs!)
My followup to 132 seems to be off on the same circle tour as everything else right now …
Anyhoo, shorter me: that pdf link didn’t arrive as sent; for best results, copy&paste.
Just thinking, will Fitzy be taking vacation time this summer… we could ask him to throw
out the first ball in a Red Sox/Yankees hookup
in August… The dust in his eyes will be
cleared by then…. I hope.
The Bay State Librul
Sonoma @ #126
The judicial branch is the only remaining check against the Bush crime family, even though they are desperately trying to pack the courts with right-wing idealogues. It is a hope the idea of the law being king in America will prevail and protect even name calling trolls such as yourself.
The arrogance of these white collar criminals is something else, isn’t it?
These guys are probably the same ones with the “lock ‘em up and throw away the key” mentality for all other criminals.
Seems ol’ Marc has t-shirts on Bleeker with the same theme:
jacobs has voiced his political opinions on various anti-war t-shirts ($20) with messages such as “worst president ever” and “where is the outrage?” printed on them. they seemed to be popular with tourists and out-of-towners wanting a piece of marc without spending a fortune
where are all these creepy “blog verification” posts coming from? NSA spyders gone phishing?
Yeah. What medaka said.
Anyone have a picture of Letitia White, lobbyist. Can’t seem to find one.
Wow– If you get a chance, watch Maury and Connie– the publisher of Harper’s, Rick McArthur, nails the MSM and the administration’s lies and propaganda like I have not heard! How refreshing.
thankYouPatrickFitzerald.org
lotuslander – I had a kind of long post that seems to have disappeared. As best I know or can find, Judge Keith is still on the bench but is on Sr. status. The blackprof articles seem to only be available through cached – sorry it’s a bad link. Lots of bios if you google Judge Keith or Judge Damon Keith.
The link that won’t work is mostly quotes from Judge Keith’s decision (not the S.Ct. decision) and includes the following:
In the instant case the Government apparently ignores the overwhelming precedent . . . and argues that the President, acting through the Attorney General, has the inherent Constitutional power: (1) to authorize without judicial warrant electronic surveillance in “national security” cases; and (2) to determine unilaterally whether a given situation is a matter within the scope of national security. The Court is unable to accept this proposition. We are a country of laws and not of men.
. . .
The contention by the Government that in cases [**9] involving “national security” a warrantless search is not an illegal one, must be cautiously approached and analyzed.
. . . if the President is given power to delegate who shall conduct wiretaps, the question arises whether there is any limit on this power.
The rest was about the Michigan ACLU case and a rant on why the courts shouldn’t be leaping to give deference on state secrets.
thankYouPatrickFitzgerald.org with a “g”
thankyougrokgovat49!
Billmon’s journey up the Nile
http://billmon.org/archives/002461.html
The Gift of the Nile
The Egypt we see on the map – the irregular rectangle with the Sinai hanging off one corner, like a stumpy tail – is a fraud, existing only in some colonial boundary commission’s imagination. The real Egypt is shaped like a sinuous snake, with its fangs clamped firmly into the bottom of the Mediterranean. (Indeed, one of the ancient symbols for upper Egypt, above the delta, was the cobra.)
To the west, a string of oases – the snake’s ba, or soul shadow — follow the parallel line of another ancient valley, which once marked the river’s course to the sea. Beyond that, only sand and wind and the faint sound of scorpions, scuttling across the dunes.
Egypt, in other words, is the Nile, and the Nile is Egypt – a 500-mile miracle that exists only because the highland forests of central Africa happen to drain north, through the Sahara, instead of west, into the Congo basin, or east, into the Indian Ocean. It’s hard to imagine a country more completely defined by an accidental quirk of geography – or, as the high priests at Karnak probably would have argued, that represents such a unique gift from the Gods.
There is, in short, no place like it on earth.
…
Having experienced a Cairo summer the first time I was in Egypt, I really can’t imagine how life goes on in Baghdad now that the power is down to an unreliable hour or two a day. It’s closer to hell than any human being who isn’t Dick Cheney or Donald Rumsfeld should ever have to go. Thanks to the high Aswan dam and generous government subsidies, electricity is cheap in Egypt, which means air conditioning is more common than you might expect in one of the world’s poorest countries. …
EPU @ 105 – Susie’s Aunts do not like horses.
To Hilde Gostman et al
1)The Conrad Black case will be large, a likely very labor intnsive. Black is an English Lord, owns a internatioanl media empire (including IIRC the Chicago Times? I think it’s called) and is a nasty vindictive type who has launched a series of personal attcks on the tall man.
2) Ghostman is right,there are several big cases (not to mention thre regular adminstrative and oversight duties he has running (I think 2nd or 3rd largest) USAO in the country. In addition to Conrad Black. PJF has a high stakes city hall hiring scandall case ON TRIAL RIGHT now (trial team led the the tireless Patrick Collins) and a 25 defendat case against some Chicago mafia guys called “the outfit”. He’s just a little busy.
3) Each GJ even regular GJ sit for a defined term. Remeber, the jurors are regular people with lives and jobs.
Any ASUA can use any given GJ (assuming you can book yime with them), but whichever on youstart with, you continue with. If that particular GJ expires before you are done, you have to “re-present” to a successive GJ.
It is usually frowned upon to start with a particular GJ if you don’t think you can finish before it expires b/c you are wasting everyone’s time. Letting that happen is the not the hallmark of a good prosecutor. Sometimes unexpected things happen and there’s nothing you can do about it, but it is not considered a good thing so in the last days of particular GJ’s term, there is always a big rush to finish presenting.
Also, supeonas are tied to the term of the GJ which was sitting when you supeoned the particular documents. If you have not taken steps to resove enforcemnt of a subpeon before the issuing GJ expires, the subpeona expires.
Which may be part of the backstory of the Jefferson Cong. office search?
Gotta go. I’m gonna be late for a surprise party. catch ya all later.
One last thing. In the beginning of the Conrad Black case. Fitz was his usual gentlemanly self and generously agreed to let these guys have bail conditions that allwed them to reside outside the US. This was very risky b/c is the violate, the marshall’s can’t summarily arrest them.
This was a HUGE accomodation on his part. Instead of acknowleding that they have gotten a sweet treament from him, I think they have taken it as a sign of weakness and are now going to keep pushing the envelope.
A) That is a big mistake, Pat always give’s people the chance to have the utmost freedom if they will behave honorably, but if they abuse that —-Well thin about Lynn Stewart. She brought that down on her own head after he gave –I think–3 chances to rectify.
B) I really wonder about this flaky judge. I cannot imagine whatshe was thinking. I completely agree with Fitz that if you make a eal that has conditions, you are supposed to live up to those conditions. The barbeque thing was a freakin’s insult to the dignity of the court itself.
While Mary is right that in civil practice a party’s appearance is waived or adjournd all the time, Crimnal Defendants are something else altogether.
This guy is out on bail and out of the country, there was a big discussion at the bail hering about how the court was not inclined to let him out of the country and the the prosecutin unexpectedly said it was OK with them.
This wanker would be living in a sublet in Chicago during the hot part of this summer if Fitx had not been a nice guy and now this asshole is trying to make the USAO look impotent? Screw that!
Boultbee’s bullshitting here.
Canada Day is always celebrated on July 1st, unless it falls on a Sunday in which case it is observed the following day.
He must be another one of those ‘Connie Black Canadians’…“Only when convenient, eh?”…Arsehole.
new thread
Canada Day is always on July 1, but if it falls on a weekend, then either the Friday or the Monday is the stat holiday. Poor Jack (that’s what he’s called by the society columnists) will have to appear on a stat – I guess that’s in time worked in lieu of extra pay.
I like wit an humor and all that. However, I am confused by these endless, time is of no essence, appearances. Occasionally a flare up, a notice some filing or another is coming down or going up or being brought against someone or another. Then, nothing. And my attention wanes, like the setting sun…