stingray @ 10:48

My speculation is that Cheney had to assume Libby would come clean at some point and tell Fitz that it was on Cheney’s word that he thought Plame was de-classed. And so Cheney’s fallback position became that he was authorized to do it by Bush, and did do it, legally.

I’m not sure that even the President had legal authority to declassify her covert status; I don’t see any justification for it, even in Executive Order 13292. Has a covert agent’s status ever been declassified? If so, what were the circumstances that supposedly permitted declassification of what is supposed to be a very closely guarded secret?

It also brings up the possibility that Dick let Libby lie his ass off to the GJ trying to protect him, when Dick had already gone much further to the FBI.

What do you think he said to the FBI and/or to Fitz? If his statements contradicted Scooter’s statements to the FBI or Scooter’s grand jury testimony, I can see why neither Dick Cheney nor Scooter could take the stand.

I know there’s a new snark upstairs, but this thread is too good to drop.

What you’re all missing here is that Team Libby never raised Executive Order 13292 as a justification. What Marcy wrote elsewhere is that the justification they used was Navy v Egan, which is a lot worse, and shows the imperial mindset of the Cheneyites. I think it was Addington’s testimony. Their actual attitude is that they’re above the law. Law is something that applies to the little people, not to them.

Bob in HI

This 48-page Opinion from Judge Walton is a beautifully-crafted stonewall that will surround and help to protect a potential conviction if and when it reaches the Court of Appeals. I’m very glad Judge Walton (and his departing clerk) took the time to carefully and thoroughly spell out in writing these important and well-judged evidence rulings that Walton made from the bench at trial.

egregious @ 98 – I enjoyed your eyewitness account of some of these vigorous arguments in action.

OldCoastie @ 175

I think jurors will be in their Sunday best tomorrow.

Unfortunately, they will be in any case, bc they know they’ll be brought into the courtroom for an instruction. Recall that last week, they asked not to be brought into the court room for an instruction, because they weren’t in their Sunday best.

They likely saved their questions till the end of the day on Friday because they were wearing jeans.

Sadly, your speculation seems completely on target. Look at the bright side, though — being all dressed up they might actually decide that they have someplace to go.

There are several conversations for which, as EW has often said, there are no notes. I don’t know if Fitz has other confirmation of these notes, but it’s very possible Ms. Mayfield knows that those notes were destroyed.

Es geht weiter.