Fitz!!!

JANE!

This trial represents the only time this administration has ever been held accountable to tell the truth in response to questions it wishes to avoid.

This is related both to the media’s refusal to to perform its public duty as a check on government power, and also to the failure, frankly, of both Republicans and Democrats in Congress to oppose or otherwise perform appropriate oversight over the administration.

Why hasn’t Russert been fired? (among so many others)

Yes Jane, you nailed it. That’s the way it is. It appears to me that 90 percent of the MSM has been forbidden from even reporting on the Libby trial.

Jane,

Also:

Twasn’t a CIA leak case. They betrayed Valerie Wilson!

Not missing a thing, Jane, except maybe a sense of cynicism that would preclude any surprise at the disgusting and irreparable behavior of the guilty.

Best encapsulation that I’ve seen yet.

You’ve missed nothing, Jane, except this great line:

It’s like Tony Blair’s secretary blowing James Bond’s cover.

And I humbly apologize for forgetting who posted that.

Brilliant distillation.

Oops! Did I leave a bold close off? Mods – help me if I did, since I never can get Edit to work.

Pachacutec @
3

This trial represents the only time this administration has ever been held accountable to tell the truth in response to questions it wishes to avoid.

This is related both to the media’s refusal to to perform its public duty as a check on government power, and also to the failure, frankly, of both Republicans and Democrats in Congress to oppose or otherwise perform appropriate oversight over the administration.

Yep, it’s the accountability.

Oh my! Scooter started nodding when Fitzgerald described leaking? Sounds compulsive like a facist tapping his toe to martial music. I hope the jury saw that.

Eureka Springs, AR @
4

Why hasn’t Russert been fired? (among so many others)

Because the corporate media SO doesn’t care about journalistic standards. They are entirely, oligarchically, complicit. I very much did not want to believe this in the early years of the Bush dark ages but the conclusion is inescapable. The media has become a sleight of hand trick = a carny con…look over there, why, it’s Brittney and that poor, poor Anna Nicole Smith…they are waving and Paris Hilton is blowing kisses.

This IS good. It has always (for me ) been about the lies of Cheney and Bush in the lead up to the attack on Iraq. Both these characters are, it seems, vulnerable to eventual prosecution on this issue. I am so pleased we are getting down to the nub of the matter.

And… I don’t take Broder seriously. He’s a whore. As for the MSM? They are irrelevant to the the facts and the truth.

Eureka Springs, AR @
4

Why hasn’t Russert been fired? (among so many others)

Never mind Russert. Why hasn’t Karl Rove been fired? Testimony was given under oath that he leaked V. Wilson’s CIA identity to the press.

Hell yes it is about the accountability, or lack thereof. All these people were under oath, they can’t bullshit their way out, or Fitz will nail them too. Truly a no-spin zone!

I’m getting caught up on today’s posts, and I’m particularly struck by Scarecrow’s observation about just how careless and cavalier Libby & Cheney (and probably Rove) were about the identity of a covert agent. Martin and the CIA guys all had qualms about revealing a covert agent, and Fleischer *maybe* did, depending on whether you believe that he didn’t know Plame was covert.

mui @
12

Oh my! Scooter started nodding when Fitzgerald described leaking? Sounds compulsive like a facist tapping his toe to martial music. I hope the jury saw that.

Well that’s runner up for quote of the day.

7) the administration sacrificed national security by outing key uncover nuclear proliferation intelligence resources as petty payback for those assests not finding the admistration’s imaginary Iraqi WMDs and for being publically called out in their lies.
.

What am I missing?

I was hoping you’d work the poodles in somehow.

It doesn’t seem like you’re missing a thing — either of you.

Thanks and kudos to all for your efforts and insight.

And, Britney Spears in her Sinead O’Connor phase is rilly, rilly, rilly important, y’know?

PLAMEGATE!!

Oh, also – and I can’t remember where I saw this – remember when Dubya said that anyone involved with the leak would be fired?

We’re wai-ting…

The Penguin says its a good sign that the British are pulling out while America sends 20K more troops. Seems the Brits have got their area in the Southern zone prepared to hand off to the Iraqis.

If the Brits’ work is finished there, why can’t they be relocated to Baghdad? What’s the rush? The party’s just getting started.

These guys are really grasping at straws. Last throes, if you will.

The only point I would add to Jane’s narrative summary are the unknown consequences of Shooter’s treason–the exposing of Valerie Plame’s sources and what has happened as a result of her outing.

hackworth @ 25

The Penguin says its a good sign that the British are pulling out while America sends 20K more troops.

I think pulling out our troops would be an even *better* sign.

What am I missing, Jane asks? The future…where cable “news” drowns itself in a sludge of tabloid sleaze on every topic.

From the dimwitted woman on the brief slice of O-Lielly who said she respected conservatives because when they attacked they provided details!!!!!! [blue dress vs. lied us into war, I guess that doesn’t count as a “detail”]

To Dobbs saying it’s a known fact that marijuana causes brain damage [Big Timber destroyed the hemp industry once already with its strawmen]…guess he’s never met a besotted old drunk….

To the endless blonde-in-crises…..just to cite a few examples.

While the blogosphere takes its institutional memory, and its instant liveblogging, and its richness of expertise and experience to show the reality of the world, leaving the MSM chattering to itself within its beltway moat, oblivious to their total obsolescence….

Which is to say, dear Jane, you’ve missed nothing.

ADB HRC

Eli @ 24

Oh, also – and I can’t remember where I saw this – remember when Dubya said that anyone involved with the leak would be fired?

We’re wai-ting…

You really aren’t holding your breath I hope.

AZ Matt @ 29

Eli @ 24

Oh, also – and I can’t remember where I saw this – remember when Dubya said that anyone involved with the leak would be fired?

We’re wai-ting…

You really aren’t holding your breath I hope.

Why…

do…

you…

*thud*

hackworth @ 25

The Penguin says its a good sign that the British are pulling out while America sends 20K more troops. Seems the Brits have got their area in the Southern zone prepared to hand off to the Iraqis.

If the Brits’ work is finished there, why can’t they be relocated to Baghdad? What’s the rush? The party’s just getting started.

These guys are really grasping at straws. Last throes, if you will.

After Keith, Scarborough started covering the WH’s pathetic little spin. I’m not a Scarborugh fan though.

This may distill a few of those points, but, what this shows is that it’s a whole lot easier to lie to the current bunch of slobs in the White House Correspondents Association than it is to a grand jury… and that Scooter and Shooter didn’t know that before, but, they sure as hell do now….

Eli @ 30

AZ Matt @ 29

Eli @ 24

Oh, also – and I can’t remember where I saw this – remember when Dubya said that anyone involved with the leak would be fired?

We’re wai-ting…

You really aren’t holding your breath I hope.

Why…

do…

you…

*thud*

Is there a doctor in the blog!!

pluege @ 19

7) the administration sacrificed national security by outing key uncover nuclear proliferation intelligence resources as petty payback for those assests not finding the admistration’s imaginary Iraqi WMDs and for being publically called out in their lies.
.

Adding to this one, PLame was working on nuclear proliferation specifically focused on Iran, and whose efforts we could greatly benefit from right now.

Eli @ 27

hackworth @ 25

The Penguin says its a good sign that the British are pulling out while America sends 20K more troops.

I think pulling out our troops would be an even *better* sign.

Damn Right. Dubya’s War is a Disaster. Our sons and daughters are stuck in the middle of his Clusterfuck without body armor and he wants more death.

I want Cheney’s and Bush’s asses. Figuratively speaking. If there’s an aquittal, it’s over.

Great & concise elucidation Jane.

It’s about life, death, the rule of law and taking our country back from these liars and thieves.

montag @ 32

This may distill a few of those points, but, what this shows is that it’s a whole lot easier to lie to the current bunch of slobs in the White House Correspondents Association than it is to a grand jury… and that Scooter and Shooter didn’t know that before, but, they sure as hell do now….

Which is tangential to another point that came to my mind earlier:

It never even *occurred* to them that this wouldn’t be successfully covered up. They probably thought they had either covered their tracks well enough that no-one could prove anything, or that the prosecutor would be some crony who would just go through the motions and then give a shrug and a wink.

I would add in the role of the Congress: The Republicans for facilitating Bush Administration criminality, the Democrats for failing to act like an opposition party.

And the media still manage to miss most of the story most of the time

Speaking of “journalistic standards,” Dana Milbank really pissed me off on KO tonight. (I see this was discussed downstairs, but wait! There’s more!)

In addition to a fine round of “whatever happens, it’s good (or at least, not too bad) for Republicans” on either a guilty or not guilty verdict, he stated in response to KO’s question that if Libby is convicted, the time for making a deal is long past. Quoi? It’s bad enough for someone apparently ignorant of legal dealings to be commenting on a trial, but to say this when there are half a dozen prominent Republicans currently providing information based on deals made after their convictions, well, that’s just breathtaking.

Twisted Martini @ 34

pluege @ 19

7) the administration sacrificed national security by outing key uncover nuclear proliferation intelligence resources as petty payback for those assests not finding the admistration’s imaginary Iraqi WMDs and for being publically called out in their lies.
.

Adding to this one, PLame was working on nuclear proliferation specifically focused on Iran, and whose efforts we could greatly benefit from right now.

I have seen the suggestion that this was a bankshot – if you want to drum up fear of nukes about a country that *doesn’t* have nukes, maybe you don’t actually want anyone keeping tabs on them.

Hugh @ 39

I would add in the role of the Congress: The Republicans for facilitating Bush Administration criminality, the Democrats for failing to act like an opposition party.

And the media still manage to miss most of the story most of the time

Yes.

Regarding your two points about the media, one of the things I find most remarkable is that once the establishment journalists were given the identity of Valerie Plame, they completely missed the real story. No one seemed to think that an administration outing a CIA agent to get back a critic was a story that should be followed. It should have been obvious from the beginning that the real issue here was not any possible boondoggle on the part of the Wilsons but the extent to which this administration would go to conceal the fact that the justifications for going to war in Iraq were lies.

In not covering this, mainstream journalists ensured that the American people have never learned just how dangerous and deceitful this administration has been.

The appaling and unprofessional conduct of most political journalists is, in a sense, the flip side of the journalistic role in Watergate. At that time, journalists took tremendous risks to expose wrongdoing by those in power. Now, taking no risk at all, they side with the powerful to conceal wrongs.

One small example: in the trial, we learned that Judy Miller’s reaction to Joseph Wilson’s editorial in the Times: “How was he able to publish this? ” Not: “Was this true? Did the administration know this? Why are they now interested in smearing Joe Wilson?”

This trial has shown just how broken mainstream journalism is and why the internet is now so vital. Vive les blogs!

I think those points are key. In general, too, the case pulls open the curtain on the string-pulling and manipulation of the VP’s office in the march to war and exposes how single-mindedly and ruthlessly this gang will protect its own political interests with no regard for the public good or the law.

Hugh @ 39

I would add in the role of the Congress: The Republicans for facilitating Bush Administration criminality, the Democrats for failing to act like an opposition party.

And the media still manage to miss most of the story most of the time

ditto.

Amongst emptywheel’s paean to Fitz: “getting weedier than I have ever been” . . . . truly a high compliment.

Either way. After the verdict: look out Iran.

mayan @
13

Eureka Springs, AR @
4

Why hasn’t Russert been fired? (among so many others)

Because the corporate media SO doesn’t care about journalistic standards. They are entirely, oligarchically, complicit. I very much did not want to believe this in the early years of the Bush dark ages but the conclusion is inescapable. The media has become a sleight of hand trick = a carny con…look over there, why, it’s Brittney and that poor, poor Anna Nicole Smith…they are waving and Paris Hilton is blowing kisses.

And just to prove your point, MSNBC spent the ENTIRE DAY today LIVE at the Anna Nicole hearing thing – THE WHOLE DAY (until court adjourned for the day)!

Has ANYBODY ever seen them go to a House or Senate hearing for more than a minute or two? They spent a little bit of time on the Alito confirmation, of course – just long enough to obsess over poor Mrs. Alito’s show of tears – but that’s it.

They have all day for Anna Nicole and 2 minutes for the most important issues facing this country – priorities doncha know…

They’re proud of Timmeh boy and they pay him handsomely for pretending to do EXACTLY what he doesn’t do – journalism.

Oklahoma kiddo @ 47

Either way. After the verdict: look out Iran.

If you’re a blonde woman, DYE YOUR HAIR.

It’s the conspiring to keep the truth from the public that I think will resonate the most with Middle America. From the beginning, the talking points of the Right have been that this is no big deal, there was no crime committed. I think the more this particular point is hammered, the more it will be brought into the consciousness of the ordinary citizen. It’ll be the backlash to the “no one was charged with leaking, so what’s the big deal” defense that every mainstream outlet has allowed on air and in print.

You have pretty much nailed it. I was a newspaper editor and reporter for many years and what the news media or MSM has done over the past few years is beyond “reprehensible.”

When I went to the Journalism School at the University of Texas in the the mid 70s there was a lot of talk about the news “must also entertain.”

Many of my brothers and sisters in the media are in the “form over substance” mode or just ass kissing careerists.

I fear the interests of big business and the climate of corruption that now dominates our political process will be targeting the interactive media with more intensity in the months and years ahead. We should kick their asses while we can. Interactive media is one of the last places of community discussion and you better believe there are people with money and power that do not want a public forum.

Oklahoma kiddo @ 36

I want Cheney’s and Bush’s asses. Figuratively speaking. If there’s an aquittal, it’s over.

Samurai Fitz played to two crowds, too. The jury.

And the court of public opinion…When even Al Neuharth is proclaiming Bush worst president ever, you know his legacy is sealed for all time. Although there certainly seemed enough meat in that close for some nice impeachment startup….as though Fitz were saying if I can do no more here’s what you/Congress can do….

Jane,
An excellent and cogent outline of the outrages. The only thing missing is acknowledgment that those crimes are multiplied a hundredfold in the realities 911.

hackworth @ 25

The Penguin says its a good sign that the British are pulling out while America sends 20K more troops. Seems the Brits have got their area in the Southern zone prepared to hand off to the Iraqis.

If the Brits’ work is finished there, why can’t they be relocated to Baghdad? What’s the rush? The party’s just getting started.

These guys are really grasping at straws. Last throes, if you will.

Yeah, I wonder if anyone at all is buying this spin. Even if it were true that everything’s great in Basra (read Juan Cole for the reality there), what kind of “coalition” is it where if your piece goes well, you get to go home, even if other regions supposedly need more troops?

The girls both look so beautiful and so honest and home-grown. You’d never think they were such weedwhackers looking at them.

DeeCee TradMed continues to dismiss this case as a story only those “inside-the-Beltway” care about — while offering up their expertise:
1 Plame wasn’t covert
2 Fitz is outta control
3 There’s no underlying crime
4 Armi leaked her name and wasn’t charged
5 Fitz’s work is done

The Libby case breaches both fortifications: CheneyCo’s lies for war AND TradMed’s complicity. Thus the pearl-clutching at our incivility: there ain’t just one house of cards resting on an acquittal on all counts.

Eli @ 38

montag @ 32

This may distill a few of those points, but, what this shows is that it’s a whole lot easier to lie to the current bunch of slobs in the White House Correspondents Association than it is to a grand jury… and that Scooter and Shooter didn’t know that before, but, they sure as hell do now….

Which is tangential to another point that came to my mind earlier:

It never even *occurred* to them that this wouldn’t be successfully covered up. They probably thought they had either covered their tracks well enough that no-one could prove anything, or that the prosecutor would be some crony who would just go through the motions and then give a shrug and a wink.

That’s right. With a complicit media, they’ve successfully covered up all of their sins. Gannon Guckert; Dick, H-burton, Enron, CA energy blackouts, Osama and Saddam switcheroo, Gutting of education, environmental regs, VA benefits, Medicaid, Medicare; massive job losses; tax cuts for the wealthy, higher taxes on workers and poor; and etc. They have not been called out on any of these crimes against the people.

It is time to spotlight this post WIDE.

ccmask @ 55

The girls both look so beautiful and so honest and home-grown. You’d never think they were such weedwhackers looking at them.

Did someone say weedwhackers?

Eli @ 49

Oklahoma kiddo @ 47

Either way. After the verdict: look out Iran.

If you’re a blonde woman, DYE YOUR HAIR.

Or shave your head? *g*

Sexism: The outing of Valerie Plame was done so easily and so carelessly because no one (to borrow Condi’s phrase) could have imagined that a woman was a covert officer with real and deadly ramifications if her identity was blown despite what Victoria Toesuck would have us believe. I love you guys!!!!

hackworth @ 57

That’s right. With a complicit media, they’ve successfully covered up all of their sins. Gannon Guckert; Dick, H-burton, Enron, CA energy blackouts, Osama and Saddam switcheroo, Gutting of education, environmental regs, VA benefits, Medicaid, Medicare; massive job losses; tax cuts for the wealthy, higher taxes on workers and poor; and etc. They have not been called out on any of these crimes against the people.

They may have failed in the coverup, but they still have a chance at the spin and suppression. It’s not exactly getting a full-court press in the media, and it pales beside *real* news like dead/bald Blondes In Trouble.

They’re focusing on the wrong blonde, IMO…

Redshift @ 40

Speaking of “journalistic standards,” Dana Milbank really pissed me off on KO tonight. (I see this was discussed downstairs, but wait! There’s more!)

In addition to a fine round of “whatever happens, it’s good (or at least, not too bad) for Republicans” on either a guilty or not guilty verdict, he stated in response to KO’s question that if Libby is convicted, the time for making a deal is long past. Quoi? It’s bad enough for someone apparently ignorant of legal dealings to be commenting on a trial, but to say this when there are half a dozen prominent Republicans currently providing information based on deals made after their convictions, well, that’s just breathtaking.

Milbank has passed his sell-by date. I’m hoping the Countdown team looks elsewhere — and soon! — for a DeeCee commentator.

After every PoliticsTV video of late, I find myself sighing in relief and satisfaction. This place is alive with truth. Thank you one and all.

AZ Matt @ 60

Or shave your head? *g*

Maybe Brit’s smarter than we thought. I bet she’s staying away from sharks, too.

TeddySanFran @ 63

Milbank has passed his sell-by date. I’m hoping the Countdown team looks elsewhere — and soon! — for a DeeCee commentator.

Milbank = MoDo with a wang.

Eli @ 62

They’re focusing on the wrong blonde, IMO…

Y’mean Bush is an undiscovered blonde joke, eh?

Something else to remember. The current administration (deciders) don’t give a second thought to what we think or say. They lose no sleep over their actions. They are so detached from pain and suffering it is nothing more than a TV show or video game. Chickenhawks have not smelled death.

Best comment I read on Barack Obama yet. Regarding what Obama would have said if he chose not to blow off unions in Nevada and actually attended the AFSCME event, one poster wrote the following:

http://www.mydd.com/comments/200…e; showrate=1#26

“If he had showed up, he probably would have endorsed hope. Maybe take a shot at cynacism. Boldly criticize “old politics” while taking a shot at the Clinton campaign financing in 1995.

But he chose not to come.”

ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

montag @ 67

Eli @ 62

They’re focusing on the wrong blonde, IMO…

Y’mean Bush is an undiscovered blonde joke, eh?

No, just sayin’ there’s an attractive blonde woman that the media should be paying more attention to…

Eli—that’s a mighty fine link on the blog roll.

RBG @ 71

Eli—that’s a mighty fine link on the blog roll.

Yes. Yes, it is. Thanks muchly – I’ve even gotten a few hits from it.

Pretty complete and concise description of what this case means.

I may be misremembering, but wasn’t Cooper’s piece kind of about “why is the administration pumping this story?” rather than “oooh, shiny new object”…. One could only hope somebody was on the ball in the MSM and could discern the outline of the game afoot. Bloggers caught the true scent of the rabbit (not to just mash metaphors together like guacamole).

TeddySanFran @ 63

Milbank has passed his sell-by date. I’m hoping the Countdown team looks elsewhere — and soon! — for a DeeCee commentator.

I would nominate the ladies of the lake, but what can I say? I am selfish. I would rather have Jane and Christy lakeside.
Let see Glenn Greenwald did a pretty good surgical job on that wingnut Gaffney. I think Glenn is the ticket.

The complicity of the so-called mainstream media in supporting lies is astonishing. Our efforts this week to respond to the mendacious piece by Victoria Toensing in the Washington Post have been for naught. Can’t get the owners and editors of the Post to own up. The inner club mentality on display in this trial is but a symptom of a deeper sickness.

Larry Johnson @ 76

The complicity of the so-called mainstream media in supporting lies is astonishing. Our efforts this week to respond to the mendacious piece by Victoria Toensing in the Washington Post have been for naught. Can’t get the owners and editors of the Post to own up. The inner club mentality on display in this trial is but a symptom of a deeper sickness.

Hi Larry.

louisianagirl @ 69

Best comment I read on Barack Obama yet. Regarding what Obama would have said if he chose not to blow off unions in Nevada and actually attended the AFSCME event, one poster wrote the following:

http://www.mydd.com/comments/200…e; showrate=1#26

“If he had showed up, he probably would have endorsed hope. Maybe take a shot at cynacism. Boldly criticize “old politics” while taking a shot at the Clinton campaign financing in 1995.

But he chose not to come.”

ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Some herald a Clinton/Obama ticket for 08. Yuk.

Jane and Marcy, you’re the BEST! Can you give us a wrap-up of the news every night? Don’t stop now – keep it up.

Pachacutec @
3

This trial represents the only time this administration has ever been held accountable to tell the truth in response to questions it wishes to avoid.

This is related both to the media’s refusal to to perform its public duty as a check on government power, and also to the failure, frankly, of both Republicans and Democrats in Congress to oppose or otherwise perform appropriate oversight over the administration.

After reading the first 67 comments this still struck me as the best simple summation of what this is all about. In the prior thread I left a comment about how disturbing it was to read a Russian Daily article on the Libby trial and see a far higher quality of journalism there than in what I have been seeing from the American MSM on this issue. As seriously as I take the damage done to the covert intelligence community by this, the damage that Bushco and the complicit MSM have done to the American way of life is even more serious a matter than the outing itself is.

My hope has been that this will force things to happen especially given the tenacity of Fitzgerald when he is on the path of genuine wrongdoing and abuse of government powers as his history underscores. In the process I am hoping that blogs like this one and many others will be able to force the wider media to start playing more by the older rules of journalism where factual accuracy and impartiality was the rule, and especially where they comfort the afflicted and afflict the powerful instead of the reverse we have seen proven out in this trail as being the norm in Washington D.C. It is for that reason the first amendment was established where free speech was concerned and how it related to a free press, was it not? If the press is not willing to act in such a manner then does it deserve the privileges it is demanding in terms of shield protections? I am not inclined to think so and I am a big believer in the freedom of the press, but I also believe in the civic responsibility of said free press to hold those that hold the power for all in a democratic society accountable for what they do in the names of those that elected them.

Larry Johnson @ 76

The complicity of the so-called mainstream media in supporting lies is astonishing. Our efforts this week to respond to the mendacious piece by Victoria Toensing in the Washington Post have been for naught. Can’t get the owners and editors of the Post to own up. The inner club mentality on display in this trial is but a symptom of a deeper sickness.

As a non-DCer I really want to understand that sickness better.

Larry Johnson @ 76

The complicity of the so-called mainstream media in supporting lies is astonishing.

It’s kind of their job. Their real job, I mean.

Larry Johnson @
76

The complicity of the so-called mainstream media in supporting lies is astonishing. Our efforts this week to respond to the mendacious piece by Victoria Toensing in the Washington Post have been for naught. Can’t get the owners and editors of the Post to own up. The inner club mentality on display in this trial is but a symptom of a deeper sickness.

Where there’s death, there’s hope. The advertising revenue stream of the mainstream media is rapidly shifting to the Internet. They’re having to cut corners and print all the news the cheap to acquire. Their days are numbered.

Larry Johnson @ 76

The complicity of the so-called mainstream media in supporting lies is astonishing. Our efforts this week to respond to the mendacious piece by Victoria Toensing in the Washington Post have been for naught. Can’t get the owners and editors of the Post to own up. The inner club mentality on display in this trial is but a symptom of a deeper sickness.

In a way, no surprise there, since their own fair-haired boy, Booby Woody, was up to his tonsils in the story and still sat on it (although that’s just a symptom of, rather than a cause for, the Post’s willingness to spin this).

In answer to Jane’s question about the mainstream media’s credibility: I don’t watch mainstream news anymore to find out what the news is. I watch it to find out what they have decided to pretend the news is.

Then I read the blogs to find out what is really going on.

The first step toward freedom is to realize that there is a man behind the curtain. Tim Russert, Chris Matthews, Anderson Cooper, etc etc are all avatars of the Great And Powerful Oz. They are means, not ends, and certainly not catalysts. In the vernacular, and quite literally, they are tools.

Our attention is the air in their balloons. But they are pitiful, all puffed up as they are, because if I know they are tools, then millions do and millions more will. They have become court jesters, nothing more.

Oklahoma kiddo @
78

louisianagirl @ 69

Best comment I read on Barack Obama yet. Regarding what Obama would have said if he chose not to blow off unions in Nevada and actually attended the AFSCME event, one poster wrote the following:

http://www.mydd.com/comments/200…e; showrate=1#26

“If he had showed up, he probably would have endorsed hope. Maybe take a shot at cynacism. Boldly criticize “old politics” while taking a shot at the Clinton campaign financing in 1995.

But he chose not to come.”

ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Some herald a Clinton/Obama ticket for 08. Yuk.

I rose from bed with a migraine after I had a dream about it myself. Talk about two candidates who will damage Democrats lower on the ticket.

I love these video clips!

We need to consider aggressive legislation that will force the media to do their duty. The public airwaves are owned by us. We need the Fairness Doctrine or something similar to break the conservative stranglehold on media ownership. It’s also time to break up the media monopolies.

Winning back the White House and Congress won’t accomplish much if the Mighty Wurlitzer can just tear it all down again.

Just pausing in watching the video clip . . . Brilliant, Jane, in going after David Broder with your Al Capone/tax evasion analogy. I truly hope some of the MSM folks in the increased traffic here today note that, and take it to heart.

Just watched a PBS show on the Marines [my dad was a WW II Marine in the Pacific]. Part of the show featured the martial arts program they began in 1999. Hoplology–the study of combat behavior and warrior cultures. One Marine talked about the importance of that program and what meant the most to him–character building, the teaching of ethos. Right from wrong.

BushCo Chee-knee are the anti-Marine.
Not fit to shine the boots of real heroes.
The truth is not in them. Nor honor either.

Semper fi, dad.

ADB HRC

louisianagirl @ 86

Oklahoma kiddo @
78

Some herald a Clinton/Obama ticket for 08. Yuk.

I rose from bed with a migraine after I had a dream about it myself. Talk about two candidates who will damage Democrats lower on the ticket.

On the one hand, I was pretty irritated with MoDo’s snarky hatchet job against both of them today (I paid fifty bucks to read THAT???). On the other hand, I’m not a real big fan of their either. I’m not real thrilled with any of the Big Three, although Obama probably has the best chance of mobilizing and exciting people, even if they have no idea what he actually stands for…

Larry Johnson @
76

The complicity of the so-called mainstream media in supporting lies is astonishing. Our efforts this week to respond to the mendacious piece by Victoria Toensing in the Washington Post have been for naught. Can’t get the owners and editors of the Post to own up. The inner club mentality on display in this trial is but a symptom of a deeper sickness.

We gave it a go, Larry. War of attrition. You never know when what appears to be a stable, sturdy opposition may cave suddenly, yeilding much unanticipated ground in spurts. Systems can be quite stable, until, suddenly, they’re not.

But you already know all that.

LindaR @ 85
Well Tweety, Russert et al seem like a sad little puppet show.

Eli @ 91

louisianagirl @ 86

Oklahoma kiddo @
78

Some herald a Clinton/Obama ticket for 08. Yuk.

I rose from bed with a migraine after I had a dream about it myself. Talk about two candidates who will damage Democrats lower on the ticket.

On the one hand, I was pretty irritated with MoDo’s snarky hatchet job against both of them today (I paid fifty bucks to read THAT???). On the other hand, I’m not a real big fan of their either. I’m not real thrilled with any of the Big Three, although Obama probably has the best chance of mobilizing and exciting people, even if they have no idea what he actually stands for…

Or even if he and his mindless handlers have no idea what he stands for.

Great summation here…once again. You nailed it with the big picture issues that will remain no matter what the verdict is…the media is part of the problem…a big part of the problem. And of course the reason they keep non chalantly pooh poohing this whole “perjury” issue and Fitz as No big deal, is because if Fitz wins (and that is a still a question mark) then he is more likely to continue down the path that Libby obstructed. And that road leads to more and more bad exposure of the water-carrying significantly compromised nature of this good ole Washington boys/girls Kewl Kids club. And to them that is what they really are so threatened and afraid of happening..apparently even moreso than anyone getting killed or our national security being threatened because a front company /cia agent was exposed…how sad is that.

oregondave @ 88

Just pausing in watching the video clip . . . Brilliant, Jane, in going after David Broder with your Al Capone/tax evasion analogy. I truly hope some of the MSM folks in the increased traffic here today note that, and take it to heart.

Joe Wilson also made that analogy.

i’m super hoping for a well-deserved conviction and I think there will be one, on at least some counts. But juries do strange things.
Butttt, if there is an aquittal, is this the end of Plamegate?

mui @ 95

oregondave @ 88

Just pausing in watching the video clip . . . Brilliant, Jane, in going after David Broder with your Al Capone/tax evasion analogy. I truly hope some of the MSM folks in the increased traffic here today note that, and take it to heart.

Joe Wilson also made that analogy.

Bears repeating, then. Plant it as a meme in the body politic’s psyche.

Goodness. What a great dialogue. I absolutely love the fact that Irving nodded his head as Fitz recounted Cathie Martin’s framing of a leak; you’re most effective to leak through one person…

Gosh, Irving, how’d an old hat like you get hung out to dry on an age old leak? Too many men on the field?

uptown @ 97

i’m super hoping for a well-deserved conviction and I think there will be one, on at least some counts. But juries do strange things.
Butttt, if there is an aquittal, is this the end of Plamegate?

I wish I could believe. But I fear this is the kind of case where just throwing up a big ol’ cloud of smoke is enough to raise a reasonable doubt, by obscuring the narrative of the events.

Not sure why they would *want* PhD jurors, though. I would think they would want people who are easily confused – or am I being naive about PhDs?

mui @ 75

I would nominate the ladies of the lake, but what can I say? I am selfish. I would rather have Jane and Christy lakeside.
Let see Glenn Greenwald did a pretty good surgical job on that wingnut Gaffney. I think Glenn is the ticket.

Why is it that a no-name radio DJ with zero ratings comes out of nowhere and gets a primetime show on CNN? Who was that twerp that briefly had the WaPoo blogger spot…Domenech? Victoria Toesuck can get front page space to LIE THROUGH HER TEETH. Even Dan Grrrrstein seems to making the rounds all of a sudden. This keeps going on and on, even though there are many obviously far superior choices for the the various Conglomerate Media outlets.

Jane and CHS have been stellar on the appearances I’ve seen or heard, and to top it off, they look great! There is no reason they shouldn’t be regular commentators on TV and radio instead of the same tired, and frequently wrong stable of pundits that have been shoved in our faces all these years.

That is of course, unless the Conglomerates don’t want any other voices to influence the electorate. It’s so painfully obvious to me that it is all a plan by the big stringpullers of the Conglomerates to control the message. Journalism has nothing to do with it.

You ladies are awesome. I’ve really enjoyed your reporting on the trial. You are absolutely right that the mainstream media has abdicated its responsibility by not giving this trial the unbiased coverage it deserved. I don’t trust them, anymore, to report the truth and I, for one, have turned to the internet and bloggers like yourselves for information. Keep up the great work. I look forward to your reporting.

bonkers @ 101

mui @ 75

I would nominate the ladies of the lake, but what can I say? I am selfish. I would rather have Jane and Christy lakeside.
Let see Glenn Greenwald did a pretty good surgical job on that wingnut Gaffney. I think Glenn is the ticket.

Why is it that a no-name radio DJ with zero ratings comes out of nowhere and gets a primetime show on CNN? Who was that twerp that briefly had the WaPoo blogger spot…Domenech? Victoria Toesuck can get front page space to LIE THROUGH HER TEETH. Even Dan Grrrrstein seems to making the rounds all of a sudden. This keeps going on and on, even though there are many obviously far superior choices for the the various Conglomerate Media outlets.

Jane and CHS have been stellar on the appearances I’ve seen or heard, and to top it off, they look great! There is no reason they shouldn’t be regular commentators on TV and radio instead of the same tired, and frequently wrong stable of pundits that have been shoved in our faces all these years.

That is of course, unless the Conglomerates don’t want any other voices to influence the electorate. It’s so painfully obvious to me that it is all a plan by the big stringpullers of the Conglomerates to control the message. Journalism has nothing to do with it.

Usefulness is the most important qualification of all.

Pachacutec @ 91

Larry Johnson @
76

The complicity of the so-called mainstream media in supporting lies is astonishing. Our efforts this week to respond to the mendacious piece by Victoria Toensing in the Washington Post have been for naught. Can’t get the owners and editors of the Post to own up. The inner club mentality on display in this trial is but a symptom of a deeper sickness.

We gave it a go, Larry. War of attrition. You never know when what appears to be a stable, sturdy opposition may cave suddenly, yeilding much unanticipated ground in spurts. Systems can be quite stable, until, suddenly, they’re not.

But you already know all that.

Gave it a go, yes. And, to paraphrase TRex, Attack, Attack, Attack!!! With the gifts that keep on giving . . . your efforts are not for naught here, and we’ll keep spreading the news.

If we had a real media, we’d be watching the video above ON EVERY CHANNEL right now.

Resurrecting I put up earlier today,

Via Froomkin,

The National Press Club had a get together last night with Tony Snow and one of the topics was blogging.

Newsweek reporter Richard Wolffe responded: “There seems to be this sort of – the witch hunt that’s out there. A lot of the blogs are, are, are unduly devoted to media criticism which is itself kind of interesting given all the things you could comment on. . . .

“In my humble view, the press here does a fantastic job of adhering to journalistic standards and covering politics in general,” Wolffe said.

Froomkin links to Glenn Greenwald who had a slightly different view.

It is truly astonishing that the people who enabled the administration to spew one falsehood after the next — and who aided and abetted the worst strategic disaster in our country’s history by mindlessly passing those falsehoods along to their readers, completely failing to investigate any of it, but instead obediently validating it all with journalistic approval — now want to sit around in the most self-satisfied way and pronounce that they are doing an absolutely ‘fantastic job’ and complain about the vulgar masses who disrupt their tranquility by criticizing them for being insufficiently vigilant.

Even Olberman. Why doesn’t he run this video tomorrow night?

Hugh @ 106

Resurrecting I put up earlier today,

Via Froomkin,

The National Press Club had a get together last night with Tony Snow and one of the topics was blogging.

Newsweek reporter Richard Wolffe responded: “There seems to be this sort of – the witch hunt that’s out there. A lot of the blogs are, are, are unduly devoted to media criticism which is itself kind of interesting given all the things you could comment on. . . .

“In my humble view, the press here does a fantastic job of adhering to journalistic standards and covering politics in general,” Wolffe said.

Froomkin links to Glenn Greenwald who had a slightly different view.

It is truly astonishing that the people who enabled the administration to spew one falsehood after the next — and who aided and abetted the worst strategic disaster in our country’s history by mindlessly passing those falsehoods along to their readers, completely failing to investigate any of it, but instead obediently validating it all with journalistic approval — now want to sit around in the most self-satisfied way and pronounce that they are doing an absolutely ‘fantastic job’ and complain about the vulgar masses who disrupt their tranquility by criticizing them for being insufficiently vigilant.

“Some appear to disagree on definition of ‘journalistic standards’.”

Eli @ 99

Not sure why they would *want* PhD jurors, though. I would think they would want people who are easily confused – or am I being naive about PhDs?

I think you are being naive about PhDs. *g*

Hugh @ 109

Eli @ 99

Not sure why they would *want* PhD jurors, though. I would think they would want people who are easily confused – or am I being naive about PhDs?

I think you are being naive about PhDs. *g*

Hey, my best friend is a PhD (actually *in* Philosophy), and I’m not sure he *can* be confused.

Oklahoma kiddo @ 36

I want Cheney’s and Bush’s asses. Figuratively speaking. If there’s an aquittal, it’s over.

Speaking of Cheney and Bush’s asses, you might be interested to know that my state senator, who serves in the legislature of the OTHER Washington, is one of several cosponsors of a measure to petition the U.S. House of Representatives to commence inquiries into the impeachment of both Cheney and Bush. I’m sure Washington State is not unique in this respect, but it’s in the process of happening! Not sure what the current status is, but if the jury convicts Scooter, that would be a good time for the state legislature to go after Shooter!

bonkers @ 100

Jane and CHS have been stellar on the appearances I’ve seen or heard, and to top it off, they look great! There is no reason they shouldn’t be regular commentators on TV and radio

It’s coming. I feel it. And Jeralyn in all her grounded competence. And don’t forget Marcy, in all her hair-blowing glory. It was only a first date, after all . . . and I’ll take that in a heartbeat over all the phonyness we’ve been/are being fed.

Hugh @ 105– I watched that *thing* and became nauseated.

(still am and must say I was quite suprised at Wolffe since I usually like him on KO)

Eli @ 107

Hugh @ 106

Resurrecting I put up earlier today,

Via Froomkin,

The National Press Club had a get together last night with Tony Snow and one of the topics was blogging.

Newsweek reporter Richard Wolffe responded: “There seems to be this sort of – the witch hunt that’s out there. A lot of the blogs are, are, are unduly devoted to media criticism which is itself kind of interesting given all the things you could comment on. . . .

“In my humble view, the press here does a fantastic job of adhering to journalistic standards and covering politics in general,” Wolffe said.

Froomkin links to Glenn Greenwald who had a slightly different view.

It is truly astonishing that the people who enabled the administration to spew one falsehood after the next — and who aided and abetted the worst strategic disaster in our country’s history by mindlessly passing those falsehoods along to their readers, completely failing to investigate any of it, but instead obediently validating it all with journalistic approval — now want to sit around in the most self-satisfied way and pronounce that they are doing an absolutely ‘fantastic job’ and complain about the vulgar masses who disrupt their tranquility by criticizing them for being insufficiently vigilant.

“Some appear to disagree on definition of ‘journalistic standards’.”

You are making the assumption that are really standards out there. Please don’t go holding your breath again!

Just great, you’ve all done a great and inspiring job and created a new media.

AZ Matt @ 114

You are making the assumption that are really standards out there. Please don’t go holding your breath again!

I’m merely suggesting, in Evasive Journalist Passive Voice, that *their* definition of “journalistic standards” is very different from ours.

Hi Jane. Everything in this summation was a duh no shitter to me until number four:

4. The media was complicit in spreading administration propaganda rather than doing investigative journalism, and are now helping to set the table for a pardon.

“The Media” is elected by pleboscite vote. Ratings, subscription, ad revenues related as to cost per thousand, all equates to “freedom of the press”.

There is no such thing as a free press.

Since the publication of the Pentagon Papers vindication by the Supreme court, and the subsequent embarassmenet to the Nixon Administration, the dog whistle call went forth throughout the right wing fringes.

Captains of industry of Corporate America placed their private and home schooled sons and daughters in the finest finishing schools in the land, many achieving double doctorates in Psychology and Marketing–i.e. why people buy.

The spawn of wealth infested the corporate welfare brooding pools of Corporate think tanks as ready-made pundits for congress and the media to espouse the cures that ails America.

Hence the built in push-back for Corporatists agenda was built into the system. This is not something I have truly known, merely felt, prior to my regular haunts of this blog. A deep bow to Pach I render for my continuing ed.

“The Media” is a business, wherein truth is subjective. I am so glad to have the blogosphere’s ability to step in and shine a big light on the gigantic fact sitting in plain sight, and not ber beholden to the “he said, she said” for balanced appearance.

I hope this makes sense.

OFG

Blogs have been able to rise to their current level of influence incredibly fast. This upward trend needs to continue at an even faster pace. The Monkey-Scoots trial has made this really clear, since I bet I can stop most anyone on the street, my co-workers, relatives and so on, and most would have no idea who Scooter Libby even is.

Financial support is crucial for blogs (hope we can start an automatic “subscription” here at FDL!), but we really need to get more and more people to realize how valuable this. You really don’t need the Conglomerate Media outlets anymore. We gotta be talking about it all the time with friends, relatives, co-workers, etc. and literally sitting down with people and showing them. This so crucial now, since they’re starting to act more threatened than ever now. I think FDL’s trial coverage has really crystallized this for a lot of people. Get ready for the pushback!

Larry Johnson @ 76

The complicity of the so-called mainstream media in supporting lies is astonishing. Our efforts this week to respond to the mendacious piece by Victoria Toensing in the Washington Post have been for naught. Can’t get the owners and editors of the Post to own up. The inner club mentality on display in this trial is but a symptom of a deeper sickness.

NBC being owned by GE and ABC by Disney are definitely part of the problem. GE will profit greatly by the administration’s nuclear pact with India. Do you wonder why NBC is in the administration”s pocket?

The Washington Post Corp owns Kaplan Inc., a huge moneymaker for them. Last year the administration and the Republican Congress changed the law so undergrad students could use gov’t loans for the total cost of four year degrees at Kaplan, without ever stepping foot on a college campus. This change in the law is worth millions of dollars to Kaplan, which already was the most profitable of the Post’s many ventures. I think the Rethugs have been very kind to the Washington Post.

Hi Folks,just want to take a few moments to send my thanks and mucho mucho respect to you all for the tireless work you do to show the other side of the coin,as it were.

It could be very easy for a foreigner such as I to gain an entirely unrealistic,almost ignorant view of the US political scene(by reading the press etc).The rise of the “blogosphere” over the last few years has done so much to redress the balance,and if anyone wants to know what is really going on,FDL is as good a place as any to find the truth,and more importantly to see who is not telling it.

Marcy,Jane,Pach,Christy and the rest,I am in absolute awe of your ability to read between the lines and present views founded on facts,rather than mere prejudice or blind acceptance of the Repug talking points,as we see too often in the mainstream press,which,as Pach points out earlier in this thread,seems to see its role as that of falling into step and justifying/propagating any and every piece of imbecility peddled by the entirely loathsome Lord Vader and co.

After a while all this info just becomes a blur to the extent that I cannot recall where I read what,but I did see a post somewhere last night suggesting that History will not forgive a failure to at least try to hold these fascist criminals accountable for their vile deeds,and NO-ONE can say that you people are not doing all you can to bring this about.I have dark fears that these bastards will get away with it,but I am hoping,for all our sakes that I am wrong here.They have to be held accountable and somehow punished for their crimes,not least the warmongering and the deceit which has accompanied and been used to justify it.

There is a nasty and very dark side to me which,(pacifist though I may be) thinks that this will only be over when the lifeless and crowpicked corpses of Cheney/Rumsfeld/Bush(all of them,without exception)/Rove/Bolton(How I hate that man)/Wolfowitz/Rice/Harris(just to show you that I am not a sexist..!!!) and all the rest of them hang from the Liberty Torch/Golden Gate Bridge or wherever(pour encourager les autres).

America needs people like you,dammit,the world needs people like you.For as long as the arm of the US military,with all its attendant profiteers,is extended unwelcomed to other parts of the globe,this concerns all of us.Furthermore,I hope and believe that,very soon now,you will have cause to see the reward for all your fine work,first with Little Irv,and more than this I hope that soon to follow will be the unravelling of all the neocon lies and treachery of the past 6 years(or is it 36,starting with Tricky Dicky,Nixon,that is).

Hopefully this is not the end,this is not even the beginning of the end.It may be the end of the beginning.

Too many words as usual,but I had to chip in my 0.10 worth.My very best wishes and once again my thanks to all at FDL/HuffPo/TNH/The Nation/ThinkProgress/MotherJones/The Left Coaster/dKos and any I have forgotten or not found yet.May you continue to fight the good fight and be an inspiration to your countryfolk,at a time when your country and the rest of the world needs your wisdom.

Take Care,Love and Peace to you all from England(Dammit,even Tony B.Liar seems to have seen a bit of the light lately).

Oh,and Punaise,ref your Tom Waits remarks,I just listened to one I hope will not be a portent,

“The Stiff Is Froze,The Case Is Closed,On The One That Got Away”

Let’s Hope Not,Thank You And Good Night.

For me it is about three things:

1. The October 2005 newconference when Fitz announced the indictments. It was like finding water in the desert.

This is a very serious matter and compromising national security information is a very serious matter. But the need to get to the bottom of what happened and whether national security was compromised by inadvertence, by recklessness, by maliciousness is extremely important. We need to know the truth. And anyone who would go into a grand jury and lie, obstruct and impede the investigation has committed a serious crime.

2. Sexism as referenced by Never forget at #61

3. The quality of news coverage by FDL. I stopped watching cable news last year, turned it on today and saw the Anna Nicole trial. I was dumbfounded. I hope you continue to use video in the future.

Those tools were windbagging about journalistic standards while Jeff Gannon/Guckert sat by nodding approvingly.

What a hoot.

-GSD

Eli @ 115

I’m merely suggesting, in Evasive Journalist Passive Voice, that *their* definition of “journalistic standards” is very different from ours.

And I am laughing cuz it seems many of these journalists skipped class the day the lessons on standards and ethics were taught. 8>)

angie @ 112

Hugh @ 105– I watched that *thing* and became nauseated.

(still am and must say I was quite suprised at Wolffe since I usually like him on KO)

Yeah, but on Scarborough he tends to recite WH talking points without attribution. I have noticed most talking heads have a KO persona when on Countdown, then act different elsewhere. Wolffe is really a chamelian.

Pectopah @ 123

angie @ 112

Hugh @ 105– I watched that *thing* and became nauseated.

(still am and must say I was quite suprised at Wolffe since I usually like him on KO)

Yeah, but on Scarborough he tends to recite WH talking points without attribution. I have noticed most talking heads have a KO persona when on Countdown, then act different elsewhere. Wolffe is really a chamelian.

What about Craig Crawford?

(Have you noticed that if you close your eyes he sounds just like Barney Fife?)

Eli @ 102

Usefulness is the most important qualification of all.

Or is it willingness?

On second thought…I’m guessing most of these “reporters” we’re talking about probably don’t even realize they’re being used, so willingness probably has nothing to do with it after all (except for the Tony Snows of the world…he knows exactly what he’s doing).

It is really amazing that there are no in-depth Libby Trail stories around the internet tonite. All of the big websites are carrying the AP story by Michael Sniffen

This one: http://www.guardian.co.uk/worl…..30,00.html

But this story has a great pic:
The GOP lurches rightward
McCain, Romney, and Giuliani are all morphing into extremists — and that can only benefit the Democrats

The Republican presidential-nominating process exerts such a powerful conservative tug, that the candidates — as self-serving as we know they are — have steered even further rightward than could have been expected. And it’s a whole year before the first votes are even cast.

John McCain now wants to overturn Roe v. Wade and ensure abstinence-only sex education; Mitt Romney has U-turned on abortion, joined the National Rifle Association, and renounced his 1992 primary vote for Paul Tsongas; Rudy Giuliani has back-pedaled on late-term abortion, promised to name “strict constructionist” judges — right-wing code for anti-abortionists — and distanced himself from his own successful gun-control policies. And all three support George W. Bush’s escalation of the Iraq War.
snip
As Democrats in Congress try to find some way to wound Bush for this mangled war, the Libby trial may do what they cannot.

Recent speculation holds that, if Libby is convicted, special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald will try to bargain with him to reduce his sentence in exchange for his testimony against Cheney, perhaps on conspiracy charges relating to Libby’s untruthful grand-jury testimony.

Such charges would be among the most serious ever leveled against a sitting vice-president, and would force the White House to confront and suffer for its own lies and deceptions — a fate this administration well deserves.
http://www.thephoenix.com/article_ektid34234.aspx

Clown in Chief Bush loses another South American country.

Argentina’s Kirchner said Chavez is his brother and shuns Bushcos efforts to sideline Venezuela.

Wait’ll Bush visits South America again.

-GSD

I was extremely unsatisfied with Wolffe on Olbermann earlier. I could become angry with what he said. I am usually in accord with his view. But not this time.

This corporate media is jest plain rotten.

Here I’m watching the dem forum @ AFSME again and an article comes out by the AP and it is so skewed toward the “superstars” and ‘controversy’ (not apparent in the actual forum, btw). Kucinich gets the biggest response from the audience (but that’s not mentioned, either). It is putrid.

sigh.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200…..7XXbXMWM0F

Well, that explains it Pectopah @ 123– I don’t watch Joe S ;)

bonkers @ 125

Or is it willingness?

On second thought…I’m guessing most of these “reporters” we’re talking about probably don’t even realize they’re being used, so willingness probably has nothing to do with it after all (except for the Tony Snows of the world…he knows exactly what he’s doing).

Willingness helps, but laziness and gullibility are sufficient.

JANE! You poked my launch button! Don’t buy into the MSM framing of “The CIA Leak Case”. The CIA most emphatically did NOT leak anything! This is the “LIBBY Leak Case” and let us not forget it!

Have not read the comments yet so maybe this has been mentioned. Just a friendly amendment to Jane’s Overarching Narrative #2:

“Scooter is the firewall to Shooter.”

Of course, he’s that. But the evidence publicly available suggests very strongly (as EW e.g. has noted on more than one occasion) that he was also the designated firewall to Rove, and IMO he can be most accurately be said to be the firewall to the entire conspiracy.

TeddySanFran @ 56

DeeCee TradMed continues to dismiss this case as a story only those “inside-the-Beltway” care about — while offering up their expertise:
1 Plame wasn’t covert
2 Fitz is outta control
3 There’s no underlying crime
4 Armi leaked her name and wasn’t charged
5 Fitz’s work is done

The Libby case breaches both fortifications: CheneyCo’s lies for war AND TradMed’s complicity. Thus the pearl-clutching at our incivility: there ain’t just one house of cards resting on an acquittal on all counts.

So…what do you think the role of the ex WaPo reporter is going to be in deliberations? Do you think he/she’s going to argue that govt officials leak to newspapers people all the time and Fitz is just criminalizing politics? Or will he/she be someone who is totally disgusted with the way this corrupt administration has compromised the media (a la Goebbels).

Carl Berstein speaks out – I wish he was on the jury…

http://www.rawstory.com//news/….._0214.html

Eli @ 116

I’m merely suggesting, in Evasive Journalist Passive Voice, that *their* definition of “journalistic standards” is very different from ours.

And, that’s a fair assessment of the problem–those in the trade are naturally reticent to compromise paycheck, status and authority in the eyes of the public for the opportunity to make a rude assessment of their profession.

When the inside-the-Beltway elite suffer for their sins, they’ll be more open about the situation. Until they do suffer–in demonstrable terms–it’s futile to expect them to make dispassionate estimates of themselves and their employers.

I think the Judy Miller/NY Times debacle should have been enough to prompt a wholesale reassessment of the role of the press in enabling the worst elements of the Bush administration (including Bush himself), and yet, it did not. Judy, Judy, Judy may be gone, but Michael Gordon goes on taking stenography and the paper’s editors continue putting that administration crap on the front page.

Ed Herman and Noam Chomsky said in Manufacturing Consent that it took a propaganda model to understand what was going on in the media, and they were right. The media elite have progressively and successfully reformed media to be part of a process of propagandizing the public.

The problem here is that every journalist in Washington smells the smell, but only a few don’t hold their noses when reporting it….

My grandmother told me that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Bush has his political operatives everywhere!

They are in:

his administration
tv media
radio media
churches
schools
health institutions
court house
supreme court
battlefield

How many are in this cell, I wonder?

Oklahoma kiddo @ 128

I was extremely unsatisfied with Wolffe on Olbermann earlier. I could become angry with what he said. I am usually in accord with his view. But not this time.

The Wurlitzer will be going into full “heal the nation” mode if Libby is convicted.

All of those try ‘em and hang-’em Republicans will suddenly see the miraculous powers of forgiveness as the key to preventing the nations’ dissolution.

So fucking predicatble.

-GSD

P.S. NH’s newest Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter is kicking some ass.

TheCatWhoWalksByHimself: I pointed out earlier today that I think the most appropiate Tom Waits song right now would be “Innocent When You Dream.” Would love to play it as lullaby for ‘ol Scoots, since that’s the only place he’ll be innocent – his dreams that is.

El Matachin @ 68

Something else to remember. The current administration (deciders) don’t give a second thought to what we think or say. They lose no sleep over their actions. They are so detached from pain and suffering it is nothing more than a TV show or video game. Chickenhawks have not smelled death.

Exactly my thoughts, here is Cheney barking his “you help Al Quaeda” routine at the dems again. I cannot help and see this in connection with what those people stand for: the oil. The Iraq Oil Laws are supposed to have been passed by now, no MSM talks about that (Iraqi people to be given only 25 percent of profits). Is the Iraq Oil not the intent of the intelligence fabrication from a few years back? And without the US Army, the multinationals cannot harvest it. I said a year ago that Iran will be next.

And, I cannot thank you ladies from FDL enough; without alternative media, it would have been impossible to make any sense of any of this.

montag @ 134

Eli @ 116

I’m merely suggesting, in Evasive Journalist Passive Voice, that *their* definition of “journalistic standards” is very different from ours.

And, that’s a fair assessment of the problem–those in the trade are naturally reticent to compromise paycheck, status and authority in the eyes of the public for the opportunity to make a rude assessment of their profession.

When the inside-the-Beltway elite suffer for their sins, they’ll be more open about the situation. Until they do suffer–in demonstrable terms–it’s futile to expect them to make dispassionate estimates of themselves and their employers.

I think the Judy Miller/NY Times debacle should have been enough to prompt a wholesale reassessment of the role of the press in enabling the worst elements of the Bush administration (including Bush himself), and yet, it did not. Judy, Judy, Judy may be gone, but Michael Gordon goes on taking stenography and the paper’s editors continue putting that administration crap on the front page.

Ed Herman and Noam Chomsky said in Manufacturing Consent that it took a propaganda model to understand what was going on in the media, and they were right. The media elite have progressively and successfully reformed media to be part of a process of propagandizing the public.

The problem here is that every journalist in Washington smells the smell, but only a few don’t hold their noses when reporting it….

Nothing will change until the media lose their credibility, and it hasn’t happened yet.

The dilemma is… who’s going to report on media malfeasance? Yes, there’s the liberal blogosphere, but its readership is tiny in the grand scheme of things.

Sorry, to clarify my Comment #132:

I meant to suggest that Libby was the firewall for both conspiracies — that to out Valerie Plame, and that to cover up the outing.

bonkers @ 138

TheCatWhoWalksByHimself: I pointed out earlier today that I think the most appropiate Tom Waits song right now would be “Innocent When You Dream.” Would love to play it as lullaby for ‘ol Scoots, since that’s the only place he’ll be innocent – his dreams that is.

Nope, disagree. The prevailing Tom Waits tune is “Step Right Up.” :)

AZ Matt @ 122

Eli @ 115

I’m merely suggesting, in Evasive Journalist Passive Voice, that *their* definition of “journalistic standards” is very different from ours.

And I am laughing cuz it seems many of these journalists skipped class the day the lessons on standards and ethics were taught. 8>)

In my college days at the newspaper, we had an occurance that our instructor/editor felt was a teaching moment for journalistic ethics.

Prefering the Socrates method of teaching, the editor/instructor decided to address the issue by guiding the discussion with questions.

I concluded the conversation by saying it would be best if I wrote the story since I have no goddamm ethics, That is for the reader, not the teller of the tale.

Ah…home after long day…time to turn on the tv news and……no wait!!! I mean time to dial up firedoglake on the intertubes!!!

Excellent reports chock full of information!
thanks a million.

Trex, are you here?

The Carol Shea-Porter smackdown of the NH GOP chairman.

-GSD

Hugh @ 105

Resurrecting I put up earlier today,

Via Froomkin,

The National Press Club had a get together last night with Tony Snow and one of the topics was blogging.

Newsweek reporter Richard Wolffe responded: “There seems to be this sort of – the witch hunt that’s out there. A lot of the blogs are, are, are unduly devoted to media criticism which is itself kind of interesting given all the things you could comment on. . . .

“In my humble view, the press here does a fantastic job of adhering to journalistic standards and covering politics in general,” Wolffe said.

Froomkin links to Glenn Greenwald who had a slightly different view.

It is truly astonishing that the people who enabled the administration to spew one falsehood after the next — and who aided and abetted the worst strategic disaster in our country’s history by mindlessly passing those falsehoods along to their readers, completely failing to investigate any of it, but instead obediently validating it all with journalistic approval — now want to sit around in the most self-satisfied way and pronounce that they are doing an absolutely ‘fantastic job’ and complain about the vulgar masses who disrupt their tranquility by criticizing them for being insufficiently vigilant.

Funniest of all: as Gregory and Wolffe suck up to Tony Snow about how wonderful teh White House gaggles and briefings are, there’s an audience shot — and there’s Gannon/Guckert right in the front row!!

GSD @ 145

The Carol Shea-Porter smackdown of the NH GOP chairman.

-GSD

Whoo-HOO!

By the way Jane, my best manners and deepest respect for keeping the spotlight of heat on Scoots and shit, but dammit grrrrl, how are you?

TeddySanFran @ 147

Funniest of all: as Gregory and Wolffe suck up to Tony Snow about how wonderful teh White House gaggles and briefings are, there’s an audience shot — and there’s Gannon/Guckert right in the front row!!

Did he have his credit card imprint machine on his lap?

Oklahoma kiddo @ 128

I was extremely unsatisfied with Wolffe on Olbermann earlier. I could become angry with what he said. I am usually in accord with his view. But not this time.

Really? I never liked the guy. He always appears to hedge his bets in favor of Bushco. Always offers up an unhealthy dose of the ol’ devil’s advocate (administration apologist POV) even when gently pressed by KO. Plus, he looks like the alien cartoon character from the Flintstones (hat tip to somebody). I’m surprised that you can stomach him atall.

guys like david broder are just naked little gossips beneath soot-covered longcoats scurrying from marie antoinette photo op to von Bismark moustache waxing to smothering official portraits of nixon with kisses.

really so passe

like begging an onion for information. why would anyone listen to him anyway?

[Mod Note; if you’re going to use them, please remember to close them.]

Missing?

0) Bush and his cohort wanted to make a permanent change in the social fabric of America. They wanted to push through an agenda that featured a strong position against abortion and reformed all social programs in the country. They looked back fondly at what Margaret Thatcher had done in England after the Falklands war and what Bush, Sr. hadn’t gotten done in America after the first Gulf War. They reasoned that they needed the successful execution of a popular war as a launching point for enacting this ambitious agenda. They were trying to find a way to attack Iraq when 9/11 dropped the perfect excuse right into their laps.

The war was never the end goal, but merely the means to an end.

I guess Jane and TRex are offline at the moment. My crushing workload prevents me from spending much time seeking them out. If anybody sees them out and about, tell them I’m looking for them.

4. The media was complicit in spreading administration propaganda rather than doing investigative journalism, and are now helping to set the table for a pardon.

5. The journalistic standards that have been exposed in the case (witness Tim Russert, Judy Miller, Andrea Mitchell, Robert Novak and others) are reprehensible, and have undermined the public trust in the media.

You are correct about the media helping to set the table for a pardon. They haven’t learned a thing – they still think that protecting their sources is not only their right, but their duty. After all, you’d think that Ms. Judy went to jail for 85 days for nothing if you listen to her whining. She went to jail to protect Scooter. Any idea what that’s about? Why did she want to protect Scooter so desperately?

Never have we seen an administration that has used the media to do so much harm by leaking, lurking and lunging at the world from the shadows. The key, in my opinion, is that we who demand the old style concept of the responsibilities of the press in a democracy must find the way to bring back journalistic ethics. Ethics? How do we do that? We can start by taking corporate money out of politics. For example, why would NBC/MSNBC want to speak to truth about war and war profiteering when GE has benefited immensely as a defense profiteer?

Click on this URL to get a clear glimpse of the above:

http://www.makethemaccountable…..ussert.htm

In 1992, shortly after being named moderator of Meet The Press, Tim Russert was having lunch with a broadcast executive. The mealtime conversation was about the pros and cons of working for General Electric’s NBC subsidiary. Russert expounded on how being employed by GE had brought him to the realization that things functioned better when Republicans were in charge.

Interesting, eh? We can start by continuing to do what you, Christy, Marcy and the others are doing. I believe we should read and pass on David Sirota’s book, Hostile Takeover, as we work for progressive candidates. The fight is not an easy one, but look at the progress we made between 2004 and 2006. We did elect some great candidates and we did take the majority even though the majority of Democrats still don’t understand the difference between people-powered politics and the Clinton, Obama, Edwards DLC-style politics. Until that happens we have the Republican Party and the Democratic Party as Republican Lite.

Jane, I agree with you about the journalistic standards that have been exposed in this case, but I don’t agree that this case has undermined the public trust in the media. Why? It has undermined our trust in the media because we have followed it with passion. However, the average American has not followed this case nor does the American public have any idea that what goes on in Washington DC comes back to hit them in the face as they attempt to deal with daily life. Jane, the American people are simple minded: they think that it’s okay for Bush to decide to nuke Iran! After all, they are Muslims, they want to kill Americans, and we can keep them off our shores by “fighting them over there.” You know the story Jane.

Until people like us gather up our friends and family to educate them, you can be sure that the American people will continue to allow people like Dick Cheney and George Bush to take away their rights and their constitution until they’re gone. Jane, they don’t care because they don’t know what a democracy is and what it means to be an American.

hackworth @ 25

The Penguin says its a good sign that the British are pulling out while America sends 20K more troops. Seems the Brits have got their area in the Southern zone prepared to hand off to the Iraqis.

If the Brits’ work is finished there, why can’t they be relocated to Baghdad? What’s the rush? The party’s just getting started.

These guys are really grasping at straws. Last throes, if you will.

Goddess of the House Pelosi had a brilliant response for Cheney on that one:

As for Cheney’s assertion that the partial British pullout is a sign that things are going well in Iraq, Pelosi said: “If it’s going so well, we’d like to withdraw our troops as well.”

More Pelosian rhetorical goodness at the link–she didn’t let Deadeye get away with impugning her patriotism, either.

OFG TRex should be up shortly. If you have to go now, should I to tell him to contact you?

Suzanne @ 156

OFG TRex should be up shortly. If you have to go now, should I to tell him to contact you?

I’ll hang for a bit.

conniptionfit @ 131

JANE! You poked my launch button! Don’t buy into the MSM framing of “The CIA Leak Case”. The CIA most emphatically did NOT leak anything! This is the “LIBBY Leak Case” and let us not forget it!

No, I’m sorry but you’re both wrong. It is the Valerie Plame Betrayal Case starring:

Hmmm…it might be quicker if I named the parts of the Administration that didn’t participate like:

The Postmaster General
The Head of the Bureau of Weights and Measures
The Head of FEMA – Heckuva Job Brownie was too dumb to participate per Deadeye’s orders.
And that’s about it, I think.

Hi, OFG!

Safe traveling!

angie @ 129

Well, that explains it Pectopah @ 123– I don’t watch Joe S ;)

I don’t either, except he follows KO and sometimes gets interesting long enough to take my finger off the remote.

Tonight he did something Hilary should do: he admitted he supported the Iraq War and that it was a mistake!

speaking of TRex, upstairs :)

Why Wait ’til “08? Pelosi ‘07!

seriously though…

EvilDrPuma @ 155

hackworth @ 25

The Penguin says its a good sign that the British are pulling out while America sends 20K more troops. Seems the Brits have got their area in the Southern zone prepared to hand off to the Iraqis.

If the Brits’ work is finished there, why can’t they be relocated to Baghdad? What’s the rush? The party’s just getting started.

These guys are really grasping at straws. Last throes, if you will.

Goddess of the House Pelosi had a brilliant response for Cheney on that one:

As for Cheney’s assertion that the partial British pullout is a sign that things are going well in Iraq, Pelosi said: “If it’s going so well, we’d like to withdraw our troops as well.”

More Pelosian rhetorical goodness at the link–she didn’t let Deadeye get away with impugning her patriotism, either.

A most excellent rejoinder! Pow! Right in the kisser! More of this please.

Saw the movie “Breach” yesterday. Robert Hanssen, traitor for 22 years, does 23 out of 24 hours a day in solitary in a Florence, CO prison. How is his story that much different than this Cheney/Bush cabal? And why aren’t they there with him and the others? I mean talk about seen the needle and the damage done. THe Hanssen case was the Soviets/Russians as late as 2001. The Plame outing was Iran/Iraq operatives compromised during the War on Terror. Inquiring minds want to know.

Thanks yet again to the FDL folks who’ve been providing such wonderful coverage and analysis these past weeks. I’ve checked in whenever possible and have greatly appreciated your work.

Jane, if you get a chance, see if you can find the mailroom at the courthouse. There may be a useful piece of mail waiting for you. :-)

You folks are going to go down in history as people who changed the way the public got their news. God bless you both.

My eternal thanks to both of you,

John O

That was a spectacular episode of PoliticsTV, ladies!

(You both looked and sounded beautiful and so smart, too!– no suprise there:)

Nora O’Floinn @
164

Saw the movie “Breach” yesterday. Robert Hanssen, traitor for 22 years, does 23 out of 24 hours a day in solitary in a Florence, CO prison. How is his story that much different than this Cheney/Bush cabal? And why aren’t they there with him and the others? I mean talk about seen the needle and the damage done. THe Hanssen case was the Soviets/Russians as late as 2001. The Plame outing was Iran/Iraq operatives compromised during the War on Terror. Inquiring minds want to know.

I hope I live long enough to see an assessment of the damage done by the outing of Brewster Jennings, the cover firm used by Valerie Plame and others. Any agent who had Brewster Jennings on his resume is blown, along with every other bit of corroboration.

trex up above….fyi

Great post. Only thing I would add is that the players showed a careless & cavalier attitude toward classified info (including NIE) generally, but Libby asked enough questions of the lawyers to show conclusively that he KNEW he was leaking classified info.

I mention that to refute the rightwing machine pounding out that there’s no crime here…

What marvelous PoliticsTV. Gawd I so love smart women! Been married to one for 43 years… but may I say, after watching Jane and Marcy tonite, and with all due respect…

Three-Wayyyy! :)

Well OK, I remember ReddHedd and many many others… so…

3-plus-N Wayyyy! :)

Can’t wait till the next installment. Please Gawd, after a GUILTY verdict.

I now return my tray table and fantasy life to their normal locked position.

while at the WashPost to read Broder I ran into this. wonders never cease

“The Cloud Over Cheney

By Dan Froomkin
Special to washingtonpost.com
Wednesday, February 21, 2007; 2:12 PM
http://www.washingtonpost.com/…..01033.html

“What is this case about?” special counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald asked in his rebuttal to the defense’s closing arguments yesterday in the Scooter Libby perjury trial.

“Is it about something bigger?” “

tell me he hasn’t been reading this blog.

Joseph Campbell left off with Bill Moyers by saying: “follow your bliss”.

Thank you so much Blogateers, for sharing so much of your bliss with the rest of us.

Mahalo to you on your journeys.

It’s been 20 minutes since I watched the video capping this thread, and then read all the comments, but I think it was WaPo’s David Broeder that Jane and Marcy addressed toward the end. But regardless of which water-carrier:

My hope is that when someone like Marcy is so incredibly well informed on a subject, that we will see amore and more “Janes” who recognize their talent and give them progressively more prominent platforms.

And when they have those platforms, they won’t hold anything back about where the most serious media problems are.

Just like Jane and Marcy said. I hope it becomes a growing trend, and with a growing audience. It has to be said loudly, and said often, and to a very wide audience. Expertise should earn one the right to make those charges. That these two also have charm, good looks and good camera presense will I hope launch them to even greater things.

In the mass media market there is the notion of North-South news flows. What we need is a whole lot more of this great “South-South” variety.

Jane and Marcy –

You are heralds of truth!

And with so much class, brains, and beauty. These news pieces have been excellent in all respects.

Thank you again, for everything you do.

(And Jane — I’m still praying for you every day. You’re still my model of courage and strength.)

Eli –

Now that you mention it, you’re right about Craig Crawford/Barney Fife!

Here’s another one:

Listen to Norm Coleman sometime with your eyes closed. He’s the spitting voice-image of ELMER FUDD.

Mainstream media and invesigative journalism are now mutually exclusive. All I know from the mainstream media is that Brittany Spears balded herself and can’t decide whether to go into rehab. A women with big breasts is still dead and hasn’t been buried. And Mr. Geffen says Clinton isn’t a good candidate.

Wow, the Assistant to the Vice President is on trial for obstruction of justice relating to the outing of a CIA agent during the sliming of someone who correctly questioned the basis for a foolish war and all I hear about is bad haircuts and dead bimbos.

I don’t know if anybody will ever get this far down the comment list to read this but I’ve got to say this anyhow-It seems obvious to me that Fitz etal could have pointed out in response to the defense contention that Scooter had so much important stuff on his plate that he forgot-that these guys had committed treason. Hundreds of thousands of people are dead because of the events that were set in motion by these bastards’ lies, and the Valerie Plame business was just one in a string of treasoness acts they perpetrated on the country. Treason is a good enough motive to lie to cover up. There-I feel better now.

Oh by the way -thank you, thank you, thank you guys for all the reporting. Bloggers may be the way our country is saved.

Bravo, JH. If the media had given the same kind of effort they currently devote to Anna Nicole Smith’s circus, the public would have better served at a time of true critical need.

from the WashPost Froomkin article i cited above

” Josh Gerstein of the New York Sun, who was sitting right next to me in court yesterday, was possibly the only print reporter …… spotted an even wider critique of the White House than I did: “Broadening his attack on the White House, Mr. Fitzgerald took a shot at President Bush, indirectly criticizing him for not firing officials implicated in the leaks about the CIA officer, Valerie Plame. The prosecutor noted that in 2003 the White House press secretary, Scott McClellan, said Mr. Bush would immediately dismiss anyone involved in leaking Ms. Plame’s identity.

“‘Any sane person would think, based on what McClellan said in October 2003, that any person involved in this would be fired,’ Mr. Fitzgerald said.

“The prosecutor’s clear implication was that Mr. Bush failed to keep his word. Mr. Bush’s top political aide, Karl Rove, is still working at the White House despite having served as a source for two press accounts about Ms. Plame.”

Gerstein concludes: “Mr. Fitzgerald’s pregnant statements yesterday about Messrs. Bush and Cheney may have been intended to bolster the chance of convicting Mr. Libby by tying him to the unpopular political figures atop the executive branch. Another possibility is that the closing statements offered the prosecutor who has headed the investigation for more than three years his last clear opportunity to opine on the actions of the president and the vice president in the case. While prosecutors appointed under the independent counsel law were permitted to file reports on their findings, there is no such provision for Mr. Fitzgerald, a U.S. attorney who was appointed by the Justice Department after senior officials there recused themselves because of the political sensitivity of the case.” “

Where’s the MSM? I wonder.

LA Times has a sizeable piece today by Richard Schmitt and Greg Miller on A10 (4 columns, nearly half a page) — I’d post a link but don’t know how to post a link!!! Anyway, the article reviews highlights of the closing statements and reiterates something Jeralyn said in her Huffpo post re: Fitz’s closer: viz, that he began with zeal, thereby awaking the jurors, but then spoke too quickly. Schmitt & Miller aver that the jury’s attention subsequently “waned as Fitzgerald spent an hour reviewing evidence, often talking so fast that it was hard to make out his words. Several jurors began to allow their eyes to wander, and one seemed to have trouble keeping her eyelids open.” Jane, Marcy: did you notice this?

Too bad this will be so far down the list of responses. But here’s one thing you missed, which I think it started the entire Cheney attack on WIlson: that Shooter nor Scooter knew that a former ambassador actually went to Niger, and that it happened to be a former ambassador who was NOT a Bush supporter?! I’m sure Shooter/Scooter were bemazed when Wilson emerged as an actual former ambassador who made the teip and actually brought back evidence. This is the missing puzzle piece which explains all of their el bizarro behavior. I suspect they initially thought there was no ambassador and no actual trip to Niger, it was merely another ‘plant’ probably from Rove or one of the other expert administration planters. Then when info was revealed that it was not a lie, that someone actually went to Niger, they naturally beleived it was a former ‘Republican’ ambassador, god forbid it would be someone neutral, or (horrors) a Democrat. So acting on the assumption that there was never an actual fact-finding trip to N iger, or if there was, surely it was a Republican operative who made the trip, Shooter/Scooter made some moves designed to smooth over the entire story of “no yello cake purchase plan in Niger”. Not in their wildes dreams did they imagine the ‘ambassador to Niger’ story was real.

Terrrific summary. One quibble. You write:

The administration lied us into war and tried to abuse its power to punish the whistleblower who told the American public the truth.

Shouldn’t that be:

The administration lied us into war and abused its power to punish the whistleblower who told the American public the truth.

I mean, they succeeded in their abuse, in that Plame was outed, yes?

Sometimes its just fun to go back to old articles like this one talking about OVP stovepiping and brow-beating.

Glad you are still on the Fitz thread!

Question: Sorry if this has been beat to death….I have been at Mardi Gras so have not been able to read all the comments on every post.

I was poking around on Fitz’ site and the Document called Q Cheney from the 12th…what exactly is that? How was it used in the trial. I missed this somehow. Sorry if this is a dead horse. I just can’t stand not knowing.

I feel like those hungry little buggers in Oliver Twist. I am so starved for the truth. Now, please Jane and Marcy, could i have some more.

MsAnnaNOLA @ 185

Glad you are still on the Fitz thread!

Question: Sorry if this has been beat to death….I have been at Mardi Gras so have not been able to read all the comments on every post.

I was poking around on Fitz’ site and the Document called Q Cheney from the 12th…what exactly is that? How was it used in the trial. I missed this somehow. Sorry if this is a dead horse. I just can’t stand not knowing.

Not sure. Marcy will know. But maybe they are Woodward’s questions for Cheney.

missing the jury tampering that cheney did before he left the country. as always since november 2000, the fix is in.

Dificult but not impossible to bring IIPA charges, just look at a couple of Libby compadres
http://www.fas.org/sgp/news/se…..007.html#1

Lucy Acorn @182 – Wilson was an envoy for Bush’s father at one point and, I believe, even voted for Bush in 2000. He did not get actively involved with the Kerry campaign until after his trip to Africa. I am pretty sure my recollection is correct here; if nbot, someone will correct me.

Zhiv @ 134 (read the full comment)

“I think we’re all going to look back quite fondly at the PoliticsTV clips with emptywheel’s hair blowing all over her face, like she was on an early bad date in her relationship with destiny.”

mmmm . . . not quite . . .

We are the Furies; Marice is the Muse . . .

OK, one more detail I left out—when Shooter wrote in the margin “why should one (Scooter) be sacrificed for the mistakes of others?” ‘Others’ = whatever idiots sent a non-Republican operative on a fact-finding mission to Niger on the yellow cake purchase. B/c Shooter knew, if there were an actual trip to Niger, any idiot Bush loyalist would send a Republican loyalist operative who would confirm the yellow cake purchase attempt, or AT LEAST keep his/her mouth shut if they discovered contrary info.

bmaz you are right! thanks!

The David Broder comment of “no underlying crime was committed bc no charges were brought,” is a republican talking point. In Fitzgerald’s press conference of October 28, 2005 this is addressed in the Q&A session…..Excerpts:
QUESTION: Mr. Fitzgerald, the Republicans previewed some talking points in anticipation of your indictment and they said that if you didn’t indict on the underlying crimes and you indicted on things exactly like you did indict — false statements, perjury, obstruction — these were, quote/unquote, “technicalities,” and that it really was over reaching and …..
FITZGERALD: That talking point won’t fly. If you’re doing a national security investigation, if you’re trying to find out who compromised the identity of a CIA officer and you go before a grand jury and if the charges are proven — because remember there’s a presumption of innocence — but if it is proven that the chief of staff to the vice president went before a federal grand jury and lied under oath repeatedly and fabricated a story about how he learned this information, how he passed it on, and we prove obstruction of justice, perjury and false statements to the FBI, that is a very, very serious matter.
FITZGERALD: And I’d say this: I think people might not understand this. We, as prosecutors and FBI agents, have to deal with false statements, obstruction of justice and perjury all the time. The Department of Justice charges those statutes all the time…..Any notion that anyone might have that there’s a different standard for a high official, that this is somehow singling out obstruction of justice and perjury, is upside down.
If these facts are true, if we were to walk away from this and not charge obstruction of justice and perjury, we might as well just hand in our jobs. Because our jobs, the criminal justice system, is to make sure people tell us the truth. And when it’s a high-level official and a very sensitive investigation, it is a very, very serious matter that no one should take lightly.

QUESTION: The indictment describes Lewis Libby giving classified information concerning the identify of a CIA agent to some individuals who were not eligible to receive that information. Can you explain why that does not, in and of itself, constitute a crime?

FITZGERALD: That’s a good question. And I think, knowing that he gave the information to someone who was outside the government, not entitled to receive it, and knowing that the information was classified, is not enough.
FITZGERALD: You need to know at the time that he transmitted the information, he appreciated that it was classified information, that he knew it or acted, in certain statutes, with recklessness.
And that is sort of what gets back to my point. In trying to figure that out, you need to know what the truth is.
So our allegation is in trying to drill down and find out exactly what we got here, if we received false information, that process is frustrated.
But at the end of the day, I think I want to say one more thing, which is: When you do a criminal case, if you find a violation, it doesn’t really, in the end, matter what statute you use if you vindicate the interest.
If Mr. Libby is proven to have done what we’ve alleged — convicting him of obstruction of justice, perjury and false statements — very serious felonies — will vindicate the interest of the public in making sure he’s held accountable.
It’s not as if you say, “Well, this person was convicted but under the wrong statute.”
FITZGERALD: I think — but I will say this: The whole point here is that we’re going to make fine distinctions and make sure that before we charge someone with a knowing, intentional crime, we want to focus on why they did it, what they knew and what they appreciated; we need to know the truth about what they said and what they knew.
Transcript of Special Counsel
http://www.washingtonpost.com/…..01340.html

It seems to me that in order for the special counsel to charge either Libby, Cheney, etc.., with leaking the idenity of a CIA agent that Fitz is forced to start with the GJ 5 count indictment of Libby, Libby trial, and if convicted Fitz moves on to the next stage. In the transcript: “FITZGERALD: That’s the way this investigation was conducted. It was known that a CIA officer’s identity was blown, it was known that there was a leak. We needed to figure out how that happened, who did it, why, whether a crime was committed, whether we could prove it, whether we should prove it.” And given that national security was at stake, it was especially important that we find out accurate facts.”

So, it’s crucial that Fitz first prove and convict that Libby lied about where he first learned about Plame’s identity. If convicted I think the next stage will be intent. As Fitz states in the transcript: “It’s critical that when an investigation is conducted by prosecutors, agents and a grand jury they learn who, what, when, where and why. And then they decide, based upon accurate facts, whether a crime has been committed, who has committed the crime, whether you can prove the crime and whether the crime should be charged.”

Amb. Wilson was a career Foreign Service Officer, with high ranking positions under Bush I and under Clinton. He was in Iraq at the beginning of Gulf War I. He is an African expert, and served in the Clinton White House as part of the NSC staff.

I also vaguely remember that he said he voted for Bush II in 2000.

7. The blogs (in particular, this blog) have given those ignorant and incurious outside-the-beltway types a heady glimpse of what it truly is to be a “fly on the wall” in the halls of power, finally relegating the MSM to the backbench, where they belong.

RockPaperScizzors @ 194

So, it’s crucial that Fitz first prove and convict that Libby lied about where he first learned about Plame’s identity. If convicted I think the next stage will be intent.

Yes, I believe this too. Sure, I also ~want~ it to be true, but I believe it primarily because of that exact language we have heard from Fitzgerald, which you took the trouble to select and post.

Marcy said in the video she believes Fitzgerald can only move forward with convictions against Libby on some of the charges – although I’m not sure I agree completely about that being a necessity.

But assuming the investigation is moving forward, then intent is going to be where this will get even more interesting. And the “interest” level will reach “intense” when it gets past Libby and reaches into Cheney’s intent.

Another great quote from Fitz (don’t have time to find it right now) was from one of the first paragraphs of his opening statement when he talked about how very serious the charge was that Wilson was making on that 4th of Jly weekend: Wilson was suggesting that they had lied the United States into a war.

The proper response should have been to rebut the argument with facts. But it seems they had no facts to fight back with, and so they turned to a malicious defense instead.

If the suspicion becomes that Cheney was trying to cover up the Big Lie then this will most ~definitely~ be MSM, frontpage news, every day, blow by blow trial coverage. People will be riveted by it. They will absolutely demand it. Everyone is looking for a scapegoat to target at this point – even the original koolaid drinkers. The possibility that the case was fabricated will drive a LOT of people to distraction if that gets charged as part of the intent!

Was that a Blackberry going off in the video, or was that the long-distance plaintive wail of the defendant? Couldn’t tell…

Now I’m sure that I love you, Marcy! You too, Jane. What a terrific job you’ve all done!

Jane: What am I missing?

Nothing. As usual, you’ve said everything that needs to be said with the least amount of words, the maximum amount of clarity and the perfect amount of focused passion.

I love Firedoglake, but I really have problems with discussion which essentially eliminates comment from those not trying to make a zed or are always early on, and apparently constantly tuned on, to actually engage in argument. EPU is a nice way to reference it, but that is actually dismissive.

The question is does anyone have a reasonable platform type position as to how to “reform” the main stream media? I do, and I’ll put it up tomorrow or the next day on The Next Hurrah, just as I posted my long thought out solution to campaign finance matters there, perhaps ten months ago. (My solution, use the constitutional authority of congress to coin money to issue Electorial Dollars, (electronic cash) to all registered voters on Jan 1 of all even numbered years, and then totally forbid the use of any other sort of currency in paying for any election or campaign expense by any candidate. Each Secretary of State would maintain a system that would create the accounts, and register and transfer the donations. But no citizen would be more wealthy than any other, and yes, if citizens wanted to donate to special interests to bundle, fine. But it would all have to be done by candidates asking for very small contributions. My system eliminates the alliance between lobbyies and campaigns, and it also empowers local political and issue organizations.

So tonight or tomorrow I plan to post my utopian approach to Media at The Next Hurrah.

Utopian ideas are meant as what Max Weber called Ideal Types. You use them as something off of which you riff.

I really appreciate Jane’s summary. I am one of Firedoglake’s earliest readers – Jane found me in the early days of her blog, I started visiting here when many of her posts *got no comments at all.* That didn’t last long, however! I am Jane’s fan and her sister, too, in more ways than I want to admit to in public.

That said, I just don’t follow the details of the Plame case/Scooter trial the way FDL regulars do. I just can’t. I am grateful for the service FDL is doing by keeping such a close eye on it, but I just don’t want to and can’t follow it. So I don’t read the posts.

It’s really, really important that you keep giving us the executive summaries, Jane. THe MSM needs it. Regular folks, people who pay even less attention than I do, need it. I at least could tell you who Fitz, Plame, Wilson, Scooter, and Shooter are, and I could give a three sentence summary of the whole thing from Wilson column to Plame outing to Judy MIller prison to Scooter trial. There are many millions of decent, intelligent Americans who are not aware of even this broad-brush outline.

So keep giving us these “big picture” updates, Jane. And be well! I saw that video of you on the News Blog – you look terrific (as do Christy and Empty Wheel – good work ladies. But take a cue from Jane and do that television thing of looking at the person who is speaking, not at the camera)

Keep up the great work, all of you at FDL.

Um, I’m not her blood sister. I’m just her soul sister – we have college and some other life experiences in common, and our birthdays are one or two days apart.

Eli @
17

I’m getting caught up on today’s posts, and I’m particularly struck by Scarecrow’s observation about just how careless and cavalier Libby & Cheney (and probably Rove) were about the identity of a covert agent. . . .

Me, too. Its outrageous, and probably in violation of Executive Orders. But they all thought they were basically above the law… or maybe that they WERE the law. Their anti-Constitutional arrogance and hubris must be slapped down but good, by the Courts, and/or by Congress via impeachment.

Bob in HI

I am fairly new to Firedoglake…especially with catching up on the Libby saga, but just wanted to say what incredible work and writing you do.

I have read from every imaginable angle and so many perspectives here – it is fascinating, insightful and informative. You cover this story like a camera and I feel I am there in court and you summarise so well that I can wade through the peripheral chatter and get to the heart of the matter with ease….and most of all, you report and write like fellow human beings (rare) that see flesh not just issues, smell fear as well as consequence and take the sights, sounds and scents of the day and put them into words.

Thank you so much.

Namaste,
Tina Louise
http://www.armsagainstwar.info

everhopeful on # 48 said

And just to prove your point, MSNBC spent the ENTIRE DAY today LIVE at the Anna Nicole hearing thing – THE WHOLE DAY (until court adjourned for the day)!

Has ANYBODY ever seen them go to a House or Senate hearing for more than a minute or two? They spent a little bit of time on the Alito confirmation, of course – just long enough to obsess over poor Mrs. Alito’s show of tears – but that’s it.

They have all day for Anna Nicole and 2 minutes for the most important issues facing this country – priorities doncha know…

I saw some of this while waiting at the Bank. Man, was it boring. Somebody’s sense of news judgement is seriously out of whack.

beth meacham @
15

Eureka Springs, AR @
4

Why hasn’t Russert been fired? (among so many others)

Never mind Russert. Why hasn’t Karl Rove been fired? Testimony was given under oath that he leaked V. Wilson’s CIA identity to the press.

It seems like Rove must of lied to the grand jury too unless he squealed on Libby. Why did Fitz elect not to prosecute Rove? Also, concerning the tantalizing suggestions that Fitz might still pursue Cheney, what criminal charges could he still pursue against him? Cheney was not under oath at the time he spoke to Fitz, so perjury is not an option, even if the statute of limitations is not a problem. And the statute of limitations would need to be inordinately large since it’s now 4 years past Libby’s misdeeds.

beth meacham @
15

Also, concerning the tantalizing suggestions that Fitz might still pursue Cheney, what criminal charges could he still pursue against him? Cheney was not under oath at the time he spoke to Fitz, so perjury is not an option, even if the statute of limitations is not a problem.

Patrick Fitzgerald had to imprison a reporter to get her to testify to a Grand Jury, and go to court to get Russert and Cooper to testify. He had to settle for an Obstruction charge to get Libby in a courtroom. It took him over three years to get us this far. Hasn’t he done enough?

It’s not his job to go it alone, and he has to work in a system not designed to handle treachery at the top of our government.

We the people did the best we could too. We elected a Democratic Congress. It was the only thing we could do put a stop to this madness, madness, madness.

If Libby’s convicted, the next step in impeachment proceedings against Dick Cheney. The House has the power to do that, and the investigative tools to bring the evidence out in the open. Congress is not restrained by the checks and balances of the criminal legal system – by design. The only block is that we don’t think the Senate Trial would convict him. We don’t know that for sure. Such concerns didn’t stop Fitz. And the evidence is still largely hidden.

Patrick Fitzgerald did his best. We did too. It’s Congress’s turn.

Thank you, Larry Johnson for telling the truth on Kos and trying to get wapo to publish your rebuttal of truth.

I emailed the two perps you listed and had hoped that there would be enough pressure on the complicit in war crimes washington post to tell the truth about the details of the cheney regime treason.

I am glad they did the story on Walter Reed and the treatment of our wounded soldiers but it seems like they did this to coverup/make up for their lies about Treasongate.

Oklahoma kiddo @
36

I want Cheney’s and Bush’s asses. Figuratively speaking. If there’s an aquittal, it’s over.

If there’s an acquittal, meet me at Norske’s place.

Schieffer on Imus just said that this case means that any time any reporter talks to a government official means that the reporter can be hauled up in front of a grand jury.

He finds this all “very troubling.”

That it may signal the end of an “independent press” in this country. I have no idea whether he has followed the case, but it really seems to kinda important to note that this case has demonstrated that the DC press is not always all that independent.

Earlier in the segment he talked about Dana Priest and Walter Reed, noting that unlike the Soviet Union, the US has an independent press that can publish stories that the government would never put into a press release.

But he never connects the dots–that the press can be complicit in delivering a government message, and when that happens, allowing government officials to use the press as a shield against investigation of their illegal actions is a serious problem.

wigwam @
83

Larry Johnson @
76

The complicity of the so-called mainstream media in supporting lies is astonishing. Our efforts this week to respond to the mendacious piece by Victoria Toensing in the Washington Post have been for naught. Can’t get the owners and editors of the Post to own up. The inner club mentality on display in this trial is but a symptom of a deeper sickness.

Where there’s death, there’s hope. The advertising revenue stream of the mainstream media is rapidly shifting to the Internet. They’re having to cut corners and print all the news the cheap to acquire. Their days are numbered.

The dead-tree media are loosing $ but it doesn’t matter, they will continue to run at a loss in order to have the soapbox. If they are so worried about losing $, why don’t they try a new approach? Not being done, same-old, same-old. OK, they try to blog but just don’t get it.

Jeesh. Isn’t printing lies at least against some law?

unless [Rove] squealed on Libby

Presumably he did.

perjury appears to be overblown. Ask Martha Stewart. A person can be prosecuted and convicted for allegedly just plain lying to a federal agent in a vanilla interview, on a collateral matter, even when NOT under oath.

Sara @
200

… just as I posted my long thought out solution to campaign finance matters there, perhaps ten months ago. (My solution, use the constitutional authority of congress to coin money to issue Electorial Dollars, (electronic cash) to all registered voters on Jan 1 of all even numbered years, and then totally forbid the use of any other sort of currency in paying for any election or campaign expense by any candidate. Each Secretary of State would maintain a system that would create the accounts, and register and transfer the donations. But no citizen would be more wealthy than any other, and yes, if citizens wanted to donate to special interests to bundle, fine. But it would all have to be done by candidates asking for very small contributions. My system eliminates the alliance between lobbyies and campaigns, and it also empowers local political and issue organizations.

I like it. I really like it!

Dan Rubinson @ 161

I hope I live long enough to see an assessment of the damage done by the outing of Brewster Jennings, the cover firm used by Valerie Plame and others. Any agent who had Brewster Jennings on his resume is blown, along with every other bit of corroboration.

rest east, my man, back when Libby was indicted, Bob Woodward appeared on Larry King and assured us that according to the CIA there was no damage done.

you believe him, don’t you?

I mean Dan Robinson @ 168

sorry

Thanks Jane and Marcy…the video blogging is superb; great job you have done and continue to do!

I’m reminded of Simon & Garfunkel’s lines when I think of MSM and what a botched job they do ad nauseum.

I get the news I need on the weather report.
I can gather all the news I need on the weather report

However, I can’t go a day without FDL!

As I finished the video, tears came my eyes as I was overcome with the realization that what you have been doing is to help preserve OUR democracy. You should all be so proud of the service you are providing here, to help shine light onto the inner workings of OUR government. Few of us will ever have the opportunity to serve our country in the truly meaningful, and significant way you have, regardless of the verdict. What you have accomplished is true patriotism, and stands in stark, naked contrast to the tawdry demagoguery that often passes for such. Henceforth, the rats who would do our country harm will know there are a group of dedicated individuals “manning” the watchtower, and woe be to those who would choose to tresspass on our constitution. And, I just went to PayPal, and put my $ where my heart is. Thank you so very much.

Jane and Marcy rock!!!!!!!! You guys are just incredible. I am blowing kisses at the screen and snail- mailing a donation. XXX

Eli @
24

Oh, also – and I can’t remember where I saw this – remember when Dubya said that anyone involved with the leak would be fired?

We’re wai-ting…

Remember he changed that–I think, to anyone convicted or accused.

thanks so much for this coverage. you all do a great job.

great to see real people delivering news with knowledge, enthusiasm, commitment, and charm.

Mickey @ 207

beth meacham @
15

Also, concerning the tantalizing suggestions that Fitz might still pursue Cheney, what criminal charges could he still pursue against him? Cheney was not under oath at the time he spoke to Fitz, so perjury is not an option, even if the statute of limitations is not a problem.

Patrick Fitzgerald had to imprison a reporter to get her to testify to a Grand Jury, and go to court to get Russert and Cooper to testify. He had to settle for an Obstruction charge to get Libby in a courtroom. It took him over three years to get us this far. Hasn’t he done enough?

It’s not his job to go it alone, and he has to work in a system not designed to handle treachery at the top of our government.

We the people did the best we could too. We elected a Democratic Congress. It was the only thing we could do put a stop to this madness, madness, madness.

If Libby’s convicted, the next step in impeachment proceedings against Dick Cheney. The House has the power to do that, and the investigative tools to bring the evidence out in the open. Congress is not restrained by the checks and balances of the criminal legal system – by design. The only block is that we don’t think the Senate Trial would convict him. We don’t know that for sure. Such concerns didn’t stop Fitz. And the evidence is still largely hidden.

Patrick Fitzgerald did his best. We did too. It’s Congress’s turn.

First, the statement by beth meacham that “Cheney was not under oath at the time he spoke to Fitz, so perjury is not an option,” I believe is inaccurate. According to Section 1001: “Section 1001 of Title 18 of the United States Code(1) is a frequently used and extremely far-reaching(2) statute that criminalizes false statements made directly or indirectly to the United States federal government.(3)…The statute has evolved to criminalize a variety of deceptive statements….II. ELEMENTS OF THE OFFENSE
In order to convict a defendant under [sections] 1001, the government must prove five elements: (1) the defendant made a statement; (2) the statement was false; (3) the statement was material; (4) the statement was made “knowingly and willfully”; and (5) the statement falls within executive, legislative, or judicial branch jurisdiction.(11)
AND Section 1001 covers all statements, whether oral or written, sworn or unsworn, voluntary or required by law.(12) Such statements include:…..(20) false information given to federal investigators;(21) and a wide variety of statements falsely made to other governmental entities, usually in attempts to profit under false pretenses.(22)…..” The link below also sheds light onto Section 1001.
http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?…..5001262436

In other words, You don’t lie to the FBI and it doesn’t matter whether you’re under oath or not.

Quoting from the article, “1. The administration lied us into war and tried to abuse its power to punish the whistleblower who told the American public the truth.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

All I can say is: Bush Derangement Syndrome
is real. You people are delusional.

God help us.

Jane and Marcy rock!!!!!!!! You guys are just incredible. I am blowing kisses at the screen and snail- mailing a donation. XXX

Help please — I cannot seem to get the video either here at FDL or at Politics TV — I have already downloaded the Adobe Flash player I appear to need (and which I am sure I had yesterday) but I still can’t get the video. I have never had this problem before and I am in serious Libby trial video-blogging withdrawal.

I am able to view videos at other sites so I have no idea what could be going on. Any ideas about how I can fix this would be appreciated.

I’m mostly a lurker, but I have to break form and add how much I love you guys and appreciate the hard work. Love watching your video recaps. Hope you keep doing them on various topics once this trial is over.

The Fitzgerald transcript of October 28, 2005 is a roadmap laid out by Fitzgerald. The destination of this trip; criminal indictments of leakers. Instead of taking an airplane we are driving crosscountry. And on this trip Fitz has encountered detours. Libby’s lies and obstructions were set in place hoping the trip would end the investigation by going over the cliff. Fitz’s analogy is to baseball. “And what we have when someone charges obstruction of justice, the umpire gets sand thrown in his eyes. He’s trying to figure what happened and somebody blocked their view.
As you sit here now, if you’re asking me what his motives were, I can’t tell you; we haven’t charged it.
So what you were saying is the harm in an obstruction investigation is it prevents us from making the fine judgments we want to make.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/…..01340.html

If Libby is found guilty I believe the next step(s) are motive and intent. Libby is one of the leakers and according to the transcript it’s OK to discuss Plame within the government to government officials, “The indictment alleges that Mr. Libby learned the information about Valerie Wilson at least three times in June of 2003 from government officials.
Let me make clear there was nothing wrong with government officials discussing Valerie Wilson or Mr. Wilson or his wife and imparting the information to Mr. Libby. ….FITZGERALD: So that at least seven discussions involving government officials prior to the day when Mr. Libby claims he learned this information as if it were new from Mr. Russert. And, in fact, when he spoke to Mr. Russert, they never discussed it.
But in addition to focusing on how it is that Mr. Libby learned this information and what he thought about it, it’s important to focus on what it is that Mr. Libby said to the reporters. In the account he gave to the FBI and to the grand jury was that he told reporters Cooper and Miller at the end of the week, on July 12th. And that what he told them was he gave them information that he got from other reporters; other reporters were saying this, and Mr. Libby did not know if it were true. And in fact, Mr. Libby testified that he told the reporters he did not even know if Mr. Wilson had a wife.
And, in fact, we now know that Mr. Libby discussed this information about Valerie Wilson at least four times prior to July 14th, 2003: on three occasions with Judith Miller of the New York Times and on one occasion with Matthew Cooper of Time magazine.

My guesstimate of where Fitz is taking us is to Cheney but how to get there is through Libby who set the roadblocks and detours. The big question is how Cheney ‘the hand that rocked the cradle’ will be implicated? Did Cheney ‘instruct’ Libby to inform reporters of Plame? What was the motive? Was there malicious intent? Did Cheney knowingly instruct Libby to damage national security in the outing of Plame? Transcript: “FITZGERALD: The fact that she was a CIA officer was not well- known, for her protection or for the benefit of all us. It’s important that a CIA officer’s identity be protected, that it be protected not just for the officer, but for the nation’s security.”
In Cheney’s self-serving mindset of ‘the ends just the means’ commit treason? The question that arises is whether Cheney was ‘instructed’ to declassify, manipulate, and deliberate endangerment of national security to obfuscate the truth. Cheney may not be the final destination of our trip. The Drama continues if Libby is convicted and we continue on Fitz’s roadmap.

RockPaperScizzors @ 226

The question that arises is whether Cheney was ‘instructed’ to declassify, manipulate, and deliberate endangerment of national security to obfuscate the truth. Cheney may not be the final destination of our trip. The Drama continues if Libby is convicted and we continue on Fitz’s roadmap.

I am impressed that Fitz got as far as he did and certainly hope he progresses until we have the full truth of the matter.

But it is very diffcult for me to imagine that Justice will be able to reach as high as the Pres, even if that’s where the trail in fact leads.

Convicting Cheney would be difficult if it relies mostly on Libby’s testimony, and convicting Bush even harder, if that relies mostly on Cheney.

Like others have commented, it may be a political matter at this point, something only available to our week-kneed Congress. The exec branch’s claims of privilege would seem to render senate subpoenas mute, and so impeachment proceedings would be the only course and I just don’t believe anyone has the stomach for it, especially since time’s running out on this admin anyway.

They may well get away with it, is what I am resigned to.

Wasn’t the whole CIA outing orginally a coverup for yellowcake uranium that didn’t exist?

It is easy to fool a lot of people, especially with something as nonsensical as a coverup of something that didn’t exist.

In this case, the yellowcake uranium was all over the news and was one of the main reasons that the war on Iraq started.

Since there really wasn’t any uranium, the Bushites needed to cover up its nonexistance.

Still, i think the story became more conveinient as a distration for the bloggers. We could have really shone light on the Repugs corruption, but we were still calling for “Fitz” to fix it for us.

Fitzpatrick is every bit as much of a republican special attack prosecutor as Ken Starr. They were just much more clever about the packaging this time, since it was their own sins that were upon indictment.

stingray @ 227

RockPaperScizzors @ 226

The question that arises is whether Cheney was ‘instructed’ to declassify, manipulate, and deliberate endangerment of national security to obfuscate the truth. Cheney may not be the final destination of our trip. The Drama continues if Libby is convicted and we continue on Fitz’s roadmap.

I am impressed that Fitz got as far as he did and certainly hope he progresses until we have the full truth of the matter.

But it is very diffcult for me to imagine that Justice will be able to reach as high as the Pres, even if that’s where the trail in fact leads……They may well get away with it, is what I am resigned to.

I understand the frustration of how slowly the ‘wheels of justice’ move. But you must have faith and patience. It may be that Fitz moves like the tortoise but in the end he will cross the finishline. When Gov. Ryan was convicted recently, it was due to the slow, long, drawnout process over many years. From Daily Kos:
“U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald took over the investigation into corruption in the Governor’s office in 2002, indicting him in December of 2003 (Fitzgerald indicted some 73 Ryan administration officials before he made his way to the top). “I submit that the citizens of this state expect honest government from the secretary of state or the governor,” Fitzgerald said at the time. “They deserve nothing less.” For those not familiar with Illinois state politics, George Ryan was a Republican who was governor from 1999 to 2003. Before that, he was Secretary of State, from 1990 to 1998. A Republican powerhouse, his actions mirror those of Republicans on the national scene: cronyism, rewarding campaign donors, free trips to Jamaica, accepting gifts from lobbyists, and more….prosecutors pointed to what they called the “tangible consequences of corruption.” In November 1994, six children (all of one family) died when a piece of a semitrailer truck fell off and hit their van, causing it to explode. The driver of the truck was not qualified to drive that vehicle, but he had paid a bribe to get his license under the Ryan administration. It was also alleged that the Ryan’s Attorney General sought to squash an investigation into the crash. “
http://www.dailykos.com/storyo…..132349/646

The chain of events that began in 1994 was the death of six children from one family and was the jumpstart to the unravelment of Ryan’s criminal activities. This excerpt is from Department of Justice:
“WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft and United States Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald of the Northern District of Illinois today announced that a federal grand jury in Chicago issued a 22-count superseding indictment against former Illinois Governor George H. Ryan, Sr., and businessman Lawrence E. Warner.
The indictment charges Ryan with racketeering conspiracy, mail fraud, and other crimes alleging public corruption, official misconduct, and fraudulent conduct during his terms as Illinois Secretary of State and Governor of Illinois.”

Fitzgerald is methodical and deliberate. He is reminiscient of the ancient seafaring voyaguers. Time is inconsequential to him.

RockPaperScizzors @ 229

I understand the frustration of how slowly the ‘wheels of justice’ move. But you must have faith and patience.
… Fitzgerald is methodical and deliberate.

Yes, I agree OVP and the WH do have serious cause for concern if Libby is found guilty, perhaps especially on the obstruction charge.

On the one hand I think it would be a very difficult task to pursue. And yet on the other, Ken Starr was able to get to BC on a far less significant matter, although he had Monica singing.

Starr was given more judicial power than Fitzgerald, since Starr was acting as a Special Prosecutor.. Right?

I am too young to know, but to me this has much more of a Watergate feel to it than the much simpler Monicagate. W-gate took a while to develop too, is my understanding. And that one also exploded only once the MSM finally got fully on board.

All this 3-inch page A16 crap so far may be a prelude, as well as a harken-back. I sure hope so, because the size of the issue is potentially far greater even than the W-gate break in and subsequent coverup. This thing could very easily mushroom-cloud.

It’s good that the jury seems to be taking this seriously. The evidence would seem to weigh in on Fitz’s side.. Fingers crossed ..

Eli @
38

montag @ 32

This may distill a few of those points, but, what this shows is that it’s a whole lot easier to lie to the current bunch of slobs in the White House Correspondents Association than it is to a grand jury… and that Scooter and Shooter didn’t know that before, but, they sure as hell do now….

Which is tangential to another point that came to my mind earlier:

It never even *occurred* to them that this wouldn’t be successfully covered up. They probably thought they had either covered their tracks well enough that no-one could prove anything, or that the prosecutor would be some crony who would just go through the motions and then give a shrug and a wink.

They thought that because the same tactics have already been successful so often.

This is an abberation, caused by a truly treasonous action by Cheney and probably Bush, followed by the amazing appointment of Patrick Fitzgerald as Special Prosecutor.

YOu can add Matt Cooper’s name to your list.

His role was clear-cut, and it came up in your own coverage. And in mainstream media coverage, as well as that of other blogs.

Cooper received leaks; Cooper knowingly published false stories; Cooper refused to testify about what he knew. Until he had to. Like Russert, Miller, and others, Cooper’s role was to distribute false information, and deny his readers the real story.