Kudos.

Tnx for transferring that over, Phoenix Woman! It was a work of total genius! I actually am old enough to have just missed having him for a Math Prof at Harvard, and to have gone to a Lehrer concert in Boston’s Symphony Hall (IIRC). My late father-in-law was then recovering from surgery (appendicitis) and had to leave before Lehrer finished — he was laughing so hard it was damaging his sutures (plus it hurt)!

“And Irving Lewis “Scooter” Libby Junior is his name. Oy!” I’m dyin’ ovah heah! Thx again. :)

May you live long and prosper Mr. Fitzgerald.

*WARNING* SEXIST COMMENT COMING

Lipstick.

Let me deconstruct some things about this report as it has seemed to get lost in the shuffle and contains some things that Josh and eRiposte may have even missed

cinnamonape @
17

Here’s an article that has passed under the radar…and might be interesting especially for the fact that Tamara Lipper was one of those reporters on the side of the road that ARI approached to leak Plame’s identity to. Lipper DID walk away about the time he squealed…but perhaps David Gregory or Dickerson said something to here afterwards.

Blame Game

The Blame Game Between Bush and the Brit

by Richard Wolffe, Mark Hosenball and Tamara Lipper, Newsweek, 17 March 2003

“They have been the closest of allies. But under the intense pressure of a diplomatic crisis at the United Nations and an imminent war in Iraq, the friendship between the United States and Britain is beginning to fray. The most recent strain emerged when U.N. nuclear inspectors concluded last week that U.S. and British claims about Iraq’s secret nuclear program were based on forged documents. The fake letters supposedly laid out how Iraqi agents had tried to purchase uranium from officials in Niger, central Africa.

Who was to blame for undermining the case against Saddam? One Bush administration official told Newsweek that the uranium story was promoted by the British…” [So here we have the first effort at a “leaker stepping away from the SOTU address’ 16-words and placing blame…even saying that the British intelligence WAS based upon the fiorgeries]

“U.S. intelligence has always been skeptical,” said one official, saying there was “no corroboration” for the British report.”
‘

[ALWAYS?!!! Well there goes the assertion that the NIE actually supported the Niger Uranium claim]

“However, the British government never named Niger as the potential supplier for Iraq’s nuclear program. The Brits carefully said in September that Iraq had sought “significant quantities of uranium from Africa.” [Except that THEY HADN’T SOUGHT or BOUGHT…unless you spin those early 1980’s purchases from..NIGER..as being the source of these assertions. The British claims were based on the same forgeries, and extrapolations therefrom…that the US had already decided were conjectural and unfounded.]

“London claimed several sources linking Iraq to a number of African states, but never named Niger. It was the Bush administration that NAMED Niger in mid-December, when it listed dozens of omissions in Iraq’s weapons declaration to the United Nations….”

So the Brits never NAMED Niger…but the Bush Administration used as fact…the “transaction” established as a forgery by INR back in Oct 2002 (and a report sent to the WH Situation Room) and that the CIA had repeatedly told the National Security Director (Condy Rice) and her assistant (Steve Hadley) to exclude from “matters of fact” in statements by the Administration.

This seems to be very important. I remember reading it back then; thanks for bringing it back into light!

Christy…Please forgive the long post, but I matched the indictment with the testimony in summary format to show that Fitz has all but made his case!

Count one: obstruction of justice

The grand jury charges that Libby did “knowingly and corruptly endeavor to influence, obstruct and impede the due administration of justice… by misleading and deceiving the grand jury” about when and how he learned that covert operative Valerie Plame worked for the CIA. He is also accused of misleading the grand jury about how he disclosed that information to the media.

* Libby’s own statements to the FBI and his GJ testimony are convicting him on this entire bill.

Here’s the story he tells the FBI and the GJ:

- Around July 10th, Russert asks Libby if he ‘knows that Wilson’s wife works at the CIA?,’ and then
- Russert says that ‘all the reporters know it.’

Libby for his part tells the Feds he was ‘struck’ by what Timmeh was saying. In fact, Libby tells the Feds this is the first he’s heard about Wilson’s wife!

A day or so later, July 12th, Libby says that he told Matt Cooper that ‘other reporters are saying that Wilson’s wife worked for the CIA,’ but that he cautioned Cooper he wasn’t sure this assertion was true. Later the same day, he claims to have told Judith Miller the same things he told Cooper, including that he can’t be sure the assertion is true.

As of Feb. 1st, the testimony from Miller and Cooper does not corroborate Libby’s statements to the FBI and the GJ.

- Miller says Libby never mentioned ‘other reporters are saying that Wilson’s wife worked for the CIA’ or that he wasn’t sure the assertion was true.
- Cooper says Libby never mentioned ‘other reporters are saying that Wilson’s wife worked for the CIA’ or that he wasn’t sure the assertion was true.
- Golly, could you guess what Russert’s going to say about Libby’s story next week?

HE’S BUSTED! GUILTY!

AND RUSSERT GETS TO FINISH HIM OFF NEXT WEEK!

SWEET JUSTICE!

Count two: false statement

The grand jury charges that Libby “did knowingly and willfully make a materially false, fictitious and fraudulent statement” in an FBI investigation. Specifically, the indictment says Libby misled FBI agents in response to questions about a conversation with Tim Russert of NBC News in July 2003.

* Libby told the GJ that he first heard Plame’s name from Timmeh on July 10, when in fact the evidence admitted in the trial already shows he knew her name AND job in early June, and on multiple, multiple occasions came to re-know her name and job before his exchange with Russert.

BUSTED! HE’S GUILTY!

Count three: false statement

Libby is charged with misleading FBI agents about his July 2003 conversation with another reporter, Matt Cooper of Time Magazine.

* Libby told the FBI that in his conversation with Cooper on July 12th, he told Cooper that ‘other reporters are saying that Wilson’s wife worked for the CIA,’ but that he cautioned Cooper he wasn’t sure this assertion was true.

Cooper’s testimony in the trial is that Libby never said to him ‘other reporters are saying that Wilson’s wife worked for the CIA,’ or that Libby cautioned him that he wasn’t sure this assertion was true.

BUSTED! HE’S GUILTY!

Count four: perjury

After taking an oath to testify truthfully, Libby knowingly made a “false material declaration” about his conversation with Russert, the grand jury alleges.

* Libby told the GJ that Timmeh asked him if he was ‘aware that Wilson’s wife worked at the CIA?’ And then he said Timmeh told him that ‘all the reporters know it.’ Libby told the Feds he was struck by this – it was the first he’d heard of Wilson’s wife at the CIA!

It’s been the testimony of five government witnesses that they made known to Libby the fact that Wilson’s wife worked at the CIA in the area of WMDs – before Libby had his exchange with Russert.

HE’S SO BUSTED! HE’S GUILTY!

Count five: perjury

Also under oath, Libby is accused of knowingly making a “false material declaration” about his conversation with Cooper.

* After lying to the FBI, Libby followed it up by lying to the GJ, and saying that he told Cooper that ‘other reporters are saying that Wilson’s wife worked for the CIA,’ but that he cautioned Cooper he wasn’t sure this assertion was true.

Cooper’s testimony is that Libby never tells him that ‘other reporters are saying that Wilson’s wife worked for the CIA,’ or that he cautioned Cooper he wasn’t sure this assertion was true.

BUSTED! BUSTED! BUSTED! HE’S GUILTY!

There is no reasonable expectation that a ‘memory defense’ will overcome Fitz’ case.

Libby is going to do hard time, partially because he is taking the rap for what should OBVIOUSLY be Rove’s charges – obstruction, false statement and perjury related to the Cooper conversation.

Let’s hope Libby falling on his sword, alone and incompetently, won’t frustrate our quest for Justice against a corrupt administration!

my only hope,and what is keeping me sane now,is the thought that this might well be a race…between justice and war.

If the sealed indictmentis what I think it is…Fitz is hunting big game…not cheney..not rove..BUSH.for.treason

Tom

Nice job…but what have you done with Jeralyn?