“Thanks for everything,” Domenici chief of staff Steve Bell wrote Rove and two other White House officials, including Rove’s political deputy, Scott Jennings, in a Jan. 8, 2007 e-mail that forwarded the name of a candidate to replace Iglesias.
Buried in Justice Department documents released two weeks ago, the Bell e-mail was not initially noticed by congressional investigators because it was sent to Rove’s political e-mail account—not his more clearly recognizable White House e-mail address….
Asked about the e-mail today, and why Bell was thanking Rove, Domenici’s press secretary, Chris Gallegos said: “We’re not going to have anything to say about that e-mail.” He added that Bell “did not want to discuss a private communication.” White House press spokesman Tony Fratto said the e-mail was "interpreted" by the three White House officials who recevied it as a thank you for considering the names of Domenici's candidates for replacing Iglesias—not for their help in removing Iglesias. Did Rove in fact intervene to have Iglesias removed? Fratto replied: "We're not commenting on that" because of general White House policy not to talk about "internal White House communications."
Yep, it's okay to talk about some things, just not others that might be…shall we say…inconvenient, according to White House policy. Nice that the Rove's White House political shop had a back door e-mail service to use for cryptic political e-mails that they can't talk about because they were…wait, how is it that White House policy applies to non-official e-mails, again?
Making sense of this entire, nasty, intertwined mess is tough, and it gets more hideous every day. Thankfully, there's a great interview with Paul Kiel to tide everyone over until the next docudump. (H/T to RBG for the link.)
As Digby wrote yesterday, the swiftboating of Iglesias has already started. Lovely folks, aren't they? JGabriel had a spot on comment about this nasty bit of work yesterday evening:
From the Igelsias smear campaign (h/t digby):
New Mexicans For Honest Courts:
While he looked the other way on fraud, Iglesias did … find time to take dozens of taxpayer funded junkets around the world.
Dozens of taxpayer funded junkets around the world. Among sane people, that’s actually known as: serving your country as a member of the National Guard.
These people are disgusting.
What they fear the most, they destroy from the shadows, behind someone else's money. (H/T TPM.) Except this time…they left a slimy paper trial, with much, much more to be discovered. Hang onto your hats kids…Mr. Sampson has a date with destiny at 10 am ET. One wonders what he will say, now that he knows the Justice Department has labeled him "Designated Scapegoat #1." My advice, Mr. Sampson, tell the truth — you do not want to go the way of I. Lewis Libby, now do you?
(And yes, I know that was cruel and unusual YouTube. So here is the link to the original Nirvana. And, just for kicks, Crooks and Liars has a video of Rove performing a rap song. Talk about cruel and unusual…as twolf1 said this morning when telling me about this, "It is difficult to watch. You have been warned.")
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LEAHY!!
Morin’ Redd!
ZED?
I assume that the reason the e-mail popped up is because Bell used a govenment account to send it, right?
Good Morning! It’s 46 degrees here in LA (really!) and I must head out into the cold cruel world in a few. Can’t wait for the hearings…
A while ago I asked if the FBI Director Mueller had committed purgery in his Senate testimony when he claimed that the field agent had been misquoted about the Lam firing. Here’s a good followup. FBI agent told to keep quiet over attorney firings
I hope they bring in field agent to testify.
I am leaving for work and when I get there I’ll be checking back here.
What is the link to stream the hearings today?
Many thanks.
Morning all. How is everyone this morning? Fresh pot of coffee here, and getting my fingers warmed up for another day of interesting stuff.
Justice, please!
coffee’s almost ready – ‘morning all…
Was it digby who said that, by trying to be so cute with the non-.gov e-mails, they may have lost executive privilege on all the real dirt. Hoist by..etc
Steve at 9 — Several commenters have said that here, too. I think there is certainly an argument to be made on that point — and I do hope that Leahy and Conyers and company will be making it.
Good morning Christy!
Hope it’s a good one for you.
Washington Journal on C-Span1 will be on US Attorneys from 9:00 – 9:30eastern with open phone calls following.
Does anyone remember the Cookie Monster and how he would say “Coookkkiiee…”? Well that’s kinda how I visualize Redd in the morning only the mantra is Coffeeee…..
Who will be this administration’s John Dean?
It seems to me that it is coming close to the time when one of the bush “insiders” will attempt to save his/her ass and be the first to “come clean” before Congress (I do not mean taking a shower before sex!).
Who will be the first to see that unless their name is Rove, bush or Cheney they will be thrown under the bus?
Today’s hearings should either have Sampson committing perjury or verifying that Rove et al. were the instigators of the purge, either way this whole insidious mess (cancer on the president anyone?) is starting to expose those with most to lose. If it looks to some insider lowlife that they can only save their ass by squealing then look out above.
I can be pretty certain that only those in desperate denial are fully aware that impeachment (or the immediate threat thereof) is inevitable. In the case of Bush et al vs. US the Jury, the American people, have already come in with a verdict of guilty though the trial is not over. It is time for plea bargaining to bear some fruit.
Now for some delicious imagery…. Bring back the stocks!
Yo Christy. Love your political stuff, love reading about The Peanut too. Go FDL! Gonna be another great day for America!
(Have you-all received your Pulitzer Prize yet?)
:)
Another day in the necrotic Bush administration…
lisadawn at 12 — And you would be so right. *g* This morning especially, as The Peanut woke up at 5:30 am ET with a nightmare, and she and I got up then and stayed up. Blergh.
G’ morning all,
Heading out the door now. Take good notes so I can catch up on the sordid details tonight.
There’s still plenty of coffee left. Help yourselves!
Gromit @ 16
Does this make Jeff Guckert a dominant gay necrophiliac top? Heaven forfend…
Well, I tried to watch that Rove video but I only got as far as Rove saying, “Yeah, a lot of people want to ask me questions, snicker, snicker. Bush junior should have listened to his daddt about Rove and maybe he wouldn’t be viewed as the worst president ever in the history of these United States.
Rove is like Rat Poison.
BTW TRex gets credit for ‘necrotic’. I just thought it had a nice, succinct ring to it.
Good Morning Christy and Firedogs,
a great day to be a hippie, a great day !
has Gov. Richardson joined the chorus of Iglesias defenders ?!?!? it’s time Bill
commented downstairs that it kinda looks to me like Rove has gotten to Sampson – that he can in fact ‘finesse’ the hearing, they’re just a bunch of vengeful Democrats and he has the ‘facts’ on his side after all – adding another layer of tinfoil to my chapeau, maybe he’s been pumped up so his imploding will be spectactular thereby cementing his Scapegoat #1 status for WH
and y’all know his lawyer Berenson worked in WH Counsel’s office w/ Harriet
No way am I clicking that, Christy. That’s blogging in bad faith.
The news is so thick and fast now I can’t keep up with you guys and TPM at the same time. Crooks and Liars is now down to 1x week. Luckily, there’s no point reading the NYT or WaPo, or I’d have to go crazy.
But this high news environment is so much more hopeful than the one we had before Waxman, Leahy and Schumer and the other boys and girls got the power to subpoena, isn’t it.
It’s pretty scary to commit perjury. It’s also pretty scary to say your boss and his boss and his boss all lied. Either way, it’s news.
Watching those chips fall….
you’d think, with all the things pressing on the administration, that Turdblossom wouldn’t have time for all that clowning around.
Let’s hope some of this turd sticks.
Alison at 22 — Two words for you: Paul Anka. (I swear, I have not laughed so hard in ages. hehehehehe)
leslie @
7
cspan link
Wow, that video. That’s just… a travesty.
I just don’t know whether Cobain is spinning in his grave, or laughing his ass off.
Why can’t I find Sampson’s prepared statement on the Senate Judiciary Committee’s website when the WaPo article this morning reports on “Sampson’s statement, obtained yesterday”?
Because the WaPo is actually doing its job and getting documents before they are released?
Or because the WaPo is providing its normal courtesies to the Bush Administration and running their PR for them?
Where do we figure Sampson is in all this — still a loyal Bushie after Gonzales fired him? Still a Gonzo fan? Or trying to crawl out from under the bus?
Good morning, Christy…so now that we are pretty confident that there are emails and other messages that have not been turned over that fell in the 18 day gap or were carried by non-government systems, is there a point at which a subpoena should be served to extract what hasn’t been turned over, and if so, how would the subpoena be executed?
OldCoastie @ 23
But he’s so important that he answered his phone while rapping. Multi-tasking at it’s very finest.
I think Sampson is still a weasel. There’s a reason he looks just like Rove.
Rayne @ 30
Rayne, I was wondering that too. I was also wondering if there is a contempt charge that could be levelled, as they are obviously not in compliance or recognizing the authority here.
rxbusa @ 27
Even better might be the Judiciary Committee’s own webcast: judiciary link
Gromit @ 16
They definitely have necrotizing facistitis.
ccmask @ 20
Warfarin Rovium?
Dru @ 34
And I’m worried we the American public have an MRSA we can’t be rid of easily short of surgically excising this infection.
it makes me think of an old friend who used to collect such dreck – although he had a copy of Robert Goulet singing The Bitch Is Back , his holy grail was Andy Williams singing Sympathy for the Devil
years ago he financed his child’s college by selling it all to a japanese collector – he must be havin’ a blast with youtube
necrotizing fascistitis!
Oh boy! Popcorn for breakfast?
Oh the perversity! The perversity of the names of these right-wing swiftboat type groups : New Mexicans For Honest Courts!
Why didn’t I listen to the warnings about the Karl Rove video on C&L? I’m physically ill.
Also, 4 times in front of Patrick Fitzgerald’s grand jury and he is calling him Peter?
The fact that the press corp can go to a dinner what in essence is celebrating a CORRUPT administration headed by Miss Piggy Rove speaks volumes to their lack of integrity and uselessness in the world of public discourse.
Prof @ 29
Because I was looking at the Judiciary Committee’s website.
These days, if you want something, you gotta go to McClatchy Newspapers, which has the PDF of Sampson’s testimony.
Nirvana? At first I was confused, then it hurt so much I had to stop.
No way that Sampson rolls over on anyone this morning. They’ve already given him a new job – he’s gonna firmly follow the party line.
So – this hearing could turn into a real fist fight.
I’m a fight fan – this could be good.
Gromit @ 16
Does this make Jeff Guckert a dominant gay necrophiliac top? Heaven forfend…
LOL
oh yeah, removing the Geneva Conventions has consequences
I wasn’t touchin’ that one with a 10ft mouse cord – hell everytime I see that old one of Powell
notdancing, I wish I was another species – lower primates my ass !Franco @ 43
I don’t mean to be a spoil sport but over 3,000 dead from their pointless war, tens of thousands injured and receiving no care from corrupt and broken VA hospitals, but yuk it up. Dance. War, an economy in tatters, our justice system turned on it’s head–it’s all just really funny.
Sorry. Good morning everyone! That Karl video really set me off.
Jane S. @ 49
Excellently said. I cannot understand not only how those in the MalAdministration can look at themselves in the mirror (assuming they reflect), but also how the press can do anything other than call them out as the murdering bastards that they are.
I can’t bring myself to watch it. And I can’t say ‘I haven’t the stomach’ for it, because the Blood Clot With Legs VP always uses that phrase.
I find it disgusting that correspondents, who are supposed to be the watchdogs of these terrible people are instead their lapdogs. I would like to see a video clip of all the terribly inappropriate laughter from these stenographers in response to the clowning of this criminal administration. If I were the parent or loved one of a soldier killed or injured or in current servitude in Iraq I would be outraged. Physically sickened. Laughing about “no WMD’s here, maybe over here…they must be somewhere” was beyond the pale. The performance last night was no less insulting to the Wilsons, evidently. They should be held up to public scrutiny. Howie?
#52 Via–Don’t watch it; not worth it. Trust me.
nomolos @
14
Goodling, maybe? Didn’t Dean get immunity before his testimony bringing down the Nixon WH?
Granted, she seems a little young — but Dean wasn’t exactly elderly when he testified either. The thing is, I don’t think she was high up enough in the administration for her revelations to be as powerful as Dean’s were.
The problem is, it takes intellectual integrity to reach and act upon the conclusions that compelled Dean to testify. And integrity of any sort — but especially intellectual — is not highly prized in Bush’s administration. He doesn’t trust anyone smarter than him.
mui @ 41
I think there is a tendency to downplay the importance of George Lakoff’s framing argument. New Mexicans for Honest Courts, on the surface of it, sounds like an organization with a noble cause to people who don’t check facts. And that’s the bulk of the population.
So, kaboom! They’ve positioned themselves as a credible org, merely seeking to do good. It’s extremely clever, and the Republics are masters at this stuff. So tremendous damage is done right off the blocks.
And when someone finally gets around to saying something about that in the press (LTEs or some such), the damage has been done.
I’d LOVE to believe people are too smart to buy this garbage, but most of them aren’t interested in digging deeper.
Where the hell is Richardson???
Jane S. @ 50
——————————————-
ME TOO!…….David Gregory dancing on stage with Rover…..if EVERYTHING isn’t clear about the press relationship to this corrupt administration,… after seeing this video…then…..well nothing will be able to convince them
Read somewhere where Sampson was not likely to blow the whistle because he’s been set up with a cushy new job. Is this true? Link if U know?
Hey, I got quoted! Thanks, Christy, I’m glad you too thought it was a point worth addressing.
I wonder which parts of the Iglesias swiftboating are showing up on hate radio. I watched some of Stephanie Miller and Ed Schultz (along with two wingers) on Larry King the night before last, and it was pretty painful. (Ms. Redshift was annoyed because I kept yelling at the TV.) But the one useful thing was learning which talking points are apparently still active, the main ones being:
1. Clinton fired all 93, which is the real scandal that the media isn’t talking about and no, Reagan didn’t do the same thing and I can prove it, really! (Dennis Praeger) and,
2. The president can fire anyone he wants for any reason (Praeger) and, they refused to investigate clear evidence of voter fraud in the WA governor’s race (Larson).
I thought the “93 prosecutors” one had bitten the dust, at least, but I guess no amount of reality can affect what a wingnut already knows is true.
I refuse to watch the video due to it being in violation of the Geneva Convention policy of showing [future] prisoners on television.
Via @ 52
I’d like to see a video of the press corps laughing juxtaposed with images of our war wounded and dead.
hope someone is gonna liveblog the Sampson hearing today. cant get any video here (not allowed) from CSPAN or Judiciary comm. site. gonna take my coffee break at 10!
Prof @ 44
And in that testimony we find that Kyle Sampson does not tell us what is his current employer or job assignment.
Inquiring minds want to know.
As for the testimony itself, anyone find this interesting?
The President (or his assistants) made a personnel decision in this matter?
Also, note that Sampson says that a US Attorney may be fired if he or she “loses the confidence of important constituencies in . . . government. That would be a certain Senator Domenici in the case of New Mexico.
And a US Attorney who “cannot work constructively with . . . governmental constituencies in the district” may be fired. That would presumably also be a certain Congresswoman Heather Wilson.
In other words, politicians direct the activities of US Attorneys, regarding who to prosecute — or at least to keep the politicians informed on whether indictments are in the pipeline, etc.
Watch him say it live, soon. (CSPAN3 is still on a history matter.)
c-span has a webpage set up with links to some of the documentation, legislation, and video: ‘ATTORNEY FIRING INVESTIGATION“
and c-span (washington journal – with open phones) has a discussion on this that just started.
Interesting background on Sampson here
link
And his new job info is here
thinkprogress
ccmask @ 20
Yeah and he’s about as funny as a preppy on acid.
These are classic Pelosi/Bush photos.
link
Terry Olson @
67
excellent! Nancy needs to administer a spanking!
Such festivities. Such frivolities. Such fun. Watching clips from the dinner, I wonder if anyone there knew that this nation is at war? On the other hand, for them the idea of war may be just a convenient political construct.
More from Sampson’s prepared testimony:
We want all copies, Mr. Sampson, with handwritten notes on them, etc.
All copies for the past two years.
Let’s see, do we have all copies of the list on which Karl made notes?
Terry Olson @ 67
AH HA. Very Funny!
nomolos @ 14
You know judging by his writing, John Dean sounds like a smart decent man. I am probably taking it too literally, but I find it hard that Goodling or anyone in ChimpCo could ever be someone comparable.
Jane S. @ 41
That little bit is deliberate as hell. It’s his way of calling Fitzgerald a d*ck, in public.
He so needs to be removed from our payroll. IMMEDIATELY.
Further on Sampson’s opening statement.
“US Attorneys . . . may be asked to resign for almost any reason with no public or private explanation.”
Yes, as a legal matter, mostly they can. But we are now in the realm of abuse of power, which sometimes takes place even when it is legal.
By the way, does the fact that Washington Journal on C-SPAN is covering the US Attorney firing mean that they might upgrade the hearing coverage to televised C-SPAN? One could hope.
New York Times piece on Rove is very polite.
OK Redd, that’s the money quote. Darlin’ it was downright poetic.
On a related topic, I actually watched the Rove rap in real time last night. Then I got drunk. I don’t get drunk often, but the whole thing was so revolting, and I wll never be able to look at David Gregory again without havinga flashback.
THIS IS MY COUNTRY IN CRISIS, NOT SOME FUCKING JOKE YOU MORONS!
I don’t know why, but the yuck fest last night really got to me. I am rumored to have an actual sense of humor, and I am a big fan of things like the GridIron Dinner and the Al Smith Dinner and the like.
These are times that call for serious a=men who are cabable of serious thought and self sacrifice, nor guys who celebrate “gaming the system”
I don’t know why that bothered me so much, but it really did
Rayne @ 73
I am reminded by the NYT piece that Peter Fitzgerald called for Pat Fitzgerald’s appointment. So maybe that was Rove’s way of telegraphing to him that we’re coming after you.
Badwater @ 69
Oh, it is. Read Joe Conason’s It Can Happen Here.
I learned about it on FDL’s Book Salon.
Progress in Iraq? Last March we lost 31 soldiers. This March we have already lost 79 soldiers.
Rover was “yucking it up” because he thinks he is going to get away with his CRIMINAL behavior AGAIN….we must insist to out Reps that this time he goes down…all the way!!!
This is worth watching– a new JibJab that was premiered last nite at that yuck yuck fest.
http://www.jibjab.com/what_we_call_the_news
(the fest was disgusting)
Jane S. @ 76
Could be…but here’s a telegraph to Karl Rove.
WE’RE COMING FOR YOU.
AND YOUR LITTLE DOG, SAMPSON, TOO.
Revenge Attacks Continue In Northern Iraq
RealWorld @ 6
The guy is not some minor “feild agent” he is a SAC (Supervisong Agent in Charge) the FBI counterpart to a US Attorney. I fact becasue some FBI field offices cover more than a single judicial district sometime a single SAC handles the turf of more than one USA. So, a SAC is a bigger fish within the FBI than a USA is within DOJ.
This is not some minor guy, this is a major guy
In Sampson’s prepared statement, he apologizes to his “former DOJ colleagues.”
So he definitely is out of DOJ. But where is he? Some cushy right-wing emote-tank?
LHP, I was right there with you. Fortunately for me, a bedtime to-do raised its fussy little head and I had to step away before the spectacle got really ugly.
I second RagingGurrl’s (61) idea about someone with talent & resources making a powerful video that juxtaposes that obscenity with pictures of what they’ve all wrought — Repug leadership & their enabling press lemmings.
This, imho, is our version of Nero fiddling. Wretch.
ccmask @
20
Yes, but the comedian got a perfect setup line, and didn’t use it. My paraphrase of how it *should* have been performed:
(Note for those who didn’t see the skit: Yes, Rove actually said the line about small animals. I can’t believe the interviewer passed on a setup like that. Instead, he just made some pop-culture Silence of the Lambs reference. Totally lame.)
OldCoastie @ 32
Visions of weasels: Pack of Weasels; Head-Weasel in charge; Run with the Weasels . . .
more coffee
any word on Webb’s “Don’t Attack Iran” bill? things are getting bad with the boarding crew in Iran’s custody… sounds like we are down to Britain just saying, “oops, we’re sorry” and that would take care of things… but, of course, they won’t do it.
So the Evil Radar O’Reilly’s up at 10 AM ET, eh? Pass the popcorn!
You know what else bothers me about Rove, besides the systematic undermining of our democratic processes that have been admired by the rest of the world?
The fact that he has not only personally breached our national security, but has set a model that encourages others to do so. I know I read yesterday that staffers have now stopped using their RNC-paid for email and are texting messages via cell phones.
What in God’s name are they texting, so that the entire world can listen in???
I would love for the sales records of disposable cell phones in the area surrounding the White House to be subpoenaed and traced back to purchases; this is another avenue that needs to be followed as soon as possible.
leinie @ 33
Why do you say they are not in compliance. They have to actually search for and review the emails to see if they fall within the request from Congress (they are not turning over all meails on every topic, only the emails requested) plus decsions have to be passed through a review process about redactions, this requires actual legal analysis.
Each week they produce a pretty big amount of work product, so you know somebody was working hard all that week. So, where is he contempt?
It takes time and hard work to produce documents. I uoghtta know. that’s abig part of what litagators do.
Good story in the NY Times on Gonzales’s meetings with USA’s around the country. Sounds like he has gotten an earful including in Chicago at a meeting hosted by Patrick Fitzgerald.
Link
I was lucky enough to read some of the comments about that video of Rove, so I did not click the link.
I can only imagine how many FDLer’s lurkers and commentors alike, are now stuck with that image imprinted forever on their already wounded psyche’s.
I have steadfastly refused to ever log onto the websites showing those beheadings, no matter how morbidly curious the lesser regions of my brain remained, and this sounds almost as repulsive…
If anyone now suffering post-RoveRap-distress-syndrome can call 1-888-555-1212 for immediate counseling…
Just one question for the day:
Did the Iranians grab those Brits as a pre-emptive defense against that threatened attack from the U.S.? And were these naval manuevers by our own carrier groups planned BEFORE the Brits were captured?
Is this just one more profane move in that international poker game, and Iran decided to grab onto some sort of trump card before the last hand was dealt?
Now, if we attack, (so much scuttlebut about Good Friday) they (the Iranians) figure it will appear as if the U.S. is doing Englands’s international policework for them?
The typical Machiavellian military logic would be, the American public would question “why would the U.S. attack Iran because Brits were captured?”
The original excuse was that Iran was seeking WMD, but this put tthat all on a back burner, on the eve of what many, right or wrong, believed was an imminent attack by American Naval forces launching cruise missles and other exhorbitantly expensive, tax-financed ordnance.
I hope others agree with me, when you scratch the surface of this administration, you don’t have to dig very deep to see a gleeful mob of war profiteers who are re-distributing our commonwealth even more egregiously to the top end.
Kind of like an economic mushroom cloud?
SO MAYBE THAT’S WHAT THEY MEANT ALL ALONG!!!
Who would’ve thought the nondescript cocktail weenie would rise to such stature that the press would sell their soul for. It’s the food of the devil I’ll tell ya.
OldCoastie @ 89
The folks holding the sailors were careful to get them on video confessing to have done it.
I was thinking that they might already be released, but now I suspect that the Revolutionary Guard will hold onto these sailors until the US naval exercise is over and/or the ships steam out of the Persian Gulf. In fact, don’t be surprised if they actually park the sailors at places they think the US will be shelling — and make sure that God and everybody knows that they’re at those places.
Good Morning Christy et al.
And it will be a good morning to watch Sens. Leahy, Schumer, Kennedy, Durbin, Feinstein, Feingold et al continue to chip away at the firewall that the Bushies are hiding behind.
And we get to see the repug. senators act like the whores they are and try to deflect the blows.
A good morning indeed.
Josh Marshall at TPM had an excellent analysis last night of questions that Sampson has to answer this morning.
cbl @ 22
I’m hoping that one of the first questions Sampson is asked will be: Have you discussed your testimony today with Karl Rove or anyone else from the White House, its counsel or counsel’s office, or anyone from the political offices?
As for Bill Richardson commenting on the Iglesias matter — I agree that he should probably speak out at this point, if he has anything of support or relevance to add (he might not, since Iglesias was a Republican appointee), but it is awkward.
Clearly, anything Bill says would be attacked by the Mainstream Republicans: “Well, of course Richardson would defend Iglesias, it’s Richardson’s political machine Iglesias was defending when he didn’t prosecute those mean, illegal, liberal stem-cell eating, gay, fraudulent Democratic voters.”
Phoenix Woman – I think the dick-waving “exercise” ended yesterday afternoon.
Millineryman @ 95
I got a whole package of them in the fridge waiting for the next gathering of the Roots posse. No press invited.
epu’d from the last thread:
some easy viewing .jpgs — all
highlighted — of the “torpedos
that sunk the good ship sampson,
and snapped the mast of the clipper
karl rove”. . . see below:
they already have started! — take a look
at these three images of juicy-select portions
of e-mails kyle sampson wrote, just two
months apart, that directly contradict
the “karl rove wasn’t involved in the
appointment of tim griffin as u.s. atty.
meme” — a meme sampson apparently
ALSO co-authored. sheesh!
these come from the new 300-some
pages of e-mails released late today
[h/t to josh marshall, as ever]. . .
tomorrow [today!] will be a bloodletting
for the gonzales-rove-cheney-bush chain
of stealth-government-by-ideologues. . .
Bolton on CNN being threatening.
looseheadprop @ 92
I think leinie suspects as I do that there are responsive documents missing; an 18-day gap is pretty suspicious.
It’s not the first time we’ve seen missing documentation, and not a reflection on the members of the DoJ who are responsible for finding this material. Remember the 250 or so missing emails in the Plame affair that were later recovered? Can’t remember how Fitz put it…something about emails having been archived in a non-standard fashion.
Yeah. They have an established M.O.
Rayne @ 91
I have a few friends who are Feds.
One of the first things new Feds are taught is to never, EVER pass along secret information by cellphone. Period.
But of course Rove’s people aren’t really Feds — they’re Republican political appointees and political hires, which means that they are violently opposed to any shred of true professionalism in government.
Prof @ 74
I hope Leahy or another of our people asks him whether he understands that there are things that are wrong that are not spelled out in legal language. We need to get this out of the realm of legal powers and into the realm of right and wrong and abuse of authority where it belongs.
Josh Marshall put it best on KO a couple of weeks ago, but almost no one has picked up the framing: There are things that are wrong that aren’t illegal because they’re so obviously wrong that it was thought no one would every try them.
OldCoastie @ 99
Oh, good. Then there’s an actual chance they might be released this weekend.
Got my old laptop hooked up to the teevee so I can watch the hearings on a bigger screen. I assume CSpan will be replaying them on air some time this weekend, but nothing beats real time.
Popcorn for breakfast? Ewww.
Rayne @ 82
rayne,
You are making me feel better. thank you
RE: Peter vs Patrick Meme
Nothing these guys say is unintentional, at least not when they expect to be overheard. Let’s not forget about that ‘ole Democrat party.
and why the hell not ? this is the same gang that produced the so called spooks caught in Italy b/c they weren’t smart enough to take the batteries out of their cell phones and one of ‘em actually tried to claim her air miles at a hotel :)
110 LHP/Rayne–
I loved that! Emailed it to my husband but felt like emailing that one to every person in my email address book.
Apparently, Gonzales had a meeting with prosecutors in Chicago after that abbreviated press conference. A pretty heated one. Patrick Fitzgerald hosted, and other US Attorneys from WI, IN, TN, and Washington state attended:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03…..ref=slogin
Rayne @ 73
Hmm . . . Who in MSM could be enticed to play that video? I am sure that 70% of the public would just love it. (/snark)
Nola Sue @ 86
You know, you are genius. That would be a great campaign ad.
“The last week in March 2007, THIS is what happened in Iraq. and THIS is what GWB, Karl Rove and the rest of the republican establishement did about it”
With scenes cuting back and forth, maybe some split screens? Jane would know.
egregious @ 12
Amazingly good questions from Ds on this call-in.
looseheadprop @ 109
Good. We’re still working on a simplification of that bit you read yesterday, may need your assistance to approve the “de-techified” version; if you understand it, then so will the white hats and Congresspersons. The ePM folks acknowledge it’s tough sledding to read for non-techies.
One question for you, since there is so damned much material to go through these days. Has there been a situation in NM with regard to judiciary of which you have heard?
The Washington Post is up on my computer on another tab and every time I click over there to check headlines, they’ve got a new picture of Rove dancing. It is like a nightmare but I’m awake, 2 cups of coffee into the morning!
OH, pardon me, I see the link at 93 already. I’d searched and didn’t see it the first time.
Redshift @ 106
To Rove and Co. that’s an invitation.
mui @ 114
CNN has played MCRove video a couple times already this AM
OldCoastie @ 89
The amendment is listed as being considered by the Senate as of yesterday. (There’s also a standalone bill introduce earlier to accomplish the same thing, which is in the Foreign Relations Committee.)
Jane S. @
42
To be fair, that’s not as werid as it sounds. The Senator who got Fitz appointed was named: Peter Fitzgerald.
looseheadprop @ 115
Calling Thad Beier…paging Mr. Thad Beier…please pick up the Production Office white phone, thank you…
jGabriel at 99:
“I’m hoping that one of the first questions Sampson is asked will be: Have you discussed your testimony today with Karl Rove or anyone else from the White House, its counsel or counsel’s office, or anyone from the political offices?”
absolutely spot-on, someone send this to Waxman…
Or if one of his staffers is looking in, pass this along, just make this Rove toadie tell alie right up front, because we all know it is provbably true and we also know Sampson can never admit it…
From that point on, he’ll be reeling furiously inside that sneaky little manipulator’s mind, knowing full well he’s already been fried.
cbl @ 110
And this is why we alwys win and they lose in the end: They eventually get so mentally flabby that they can’t even cheat right.
twolf1 @ 121
How embarrassing for them. CNN, I mean.
Then again, they have no shame.
Although the subject of Marcy’s most recent TNH post is off topic in this thread, I think it is something to think about another time:
Cheney Does NOT Have Authority to Declassify at Will
mui @ 72
Could it be Harriet Meirs? I read where she would tell all if under oath.
Rayne @ 105
Oh, I think they are holding back some docs too. But until they say,”OK that’s all of them we have produced everything” they are not YET out of compliance.
Welcome to laywer world
Presumably one reason for the swiftboat ads running this morning is to remind Sampson what can happen to people who cross Rover.
twolf1 @ 121
Should be a crowd pleaser. It’s a country club knee slapper. Rove is really good at pleasing a crowd of toadies.
i couldn’t watch much of the correspondents dinner last night either. sad to say, it just embodies a smug and insufferable beltway mentality, with so-called reporters bending elbows and breaking bread with out and out criminals.
i’d say yukking it up with them as well, but does no one have a decent sense of huumor anymore? what little i saw was painful in its intent and execution. just bad tv.
and christy, if you insist on posting offensive material, i’ll have to respond in kind. merely in defense, mind you….
ladies and gentlemen, my candidate for the absolute worst cover ever.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=FONt47Z0KZg
RevDeb @ 120
Yes, and to a large majority of the country who aren’t sociopaths that’s just evil, which is the reason we need to make that idea as ubiquitous as “pleasure of the president.”
New Christy thread.
Which Kyle?
Rove rapping: Hannah Arendt’s banality of evil. The rapping is even worse than sausages and quail wings for reporters out in the cold in more ways than one.
Finally caved and watched Rovenstein dance. And you know what? Disgusting though it may be (and it is), that little clipperoo is going to come back to haunt him big time. Not sure when or how, exactly, but I’m thinking this is not something he’ll be linking to his resume.
Fresh thready goodness, in advance of testimony this morning. Trying to get all the news in that’s fit to read before the fireworks begin.
old gold @ 79
It’s called Bush’s FAST BLEED strategy.
All You Ever Needed To Know About David Gregory
please note the source on url
I didn’t think anything could be worse than Tori Amos covering the same song. Leave it to Paul Anka to slither under that low bar.
OT:
This admin is so incompetent, they just fined themselves. No, really!
I saw this last night on our “postal tv” in-house network as I was going into work, and laughed my ass off. Thought maybe I’d hallucinated it, but, no, I was at Americablog this morning and they had the same story.
C-SPAN just reminded of Jeffords change of voting. In retrospect, that was the first brick removed from the R wall.
LHP @ 130 – IANAL. And my memory might be bad – haven’t had much coffee. But I had a sense that the committee had made more than one request – could be wrong, sorry if I am – and that, combined with the MO of holding back (thanks, Rayne)is why I got there. That sense of “how many times do I have to ask you people for this?”
I’ll go back to lurking now.
Why didn’t someone on the Larry King show say (in response to the claim of Clinton’s replacements of attorneys upon taking office) something like…”Bullshit! You’re incredibly dumb or a lying twit! You know that every new president appoints a new slate of US attorneys upon taking office as did Clinton and every other new president. NO president since Truman dismissed more than ONE US attorney — not 8 — during their term and none were dismissed for political reasons! What rock did you crawl out from under?”
(Did I get the facts correct there?)
Phoenix Woman @ 106
But of course Rove’s people aren’t really Feds — they’re Republican political appointees and political hires, which means that they are violently opposed to any shred of true professionalism in government.
PW I will go you one better: They are Politcal operatives collecting a salary for what inessence is a no-show job, while they do politcal campaign work on government time.
Oh, and Pups? THERE is a long history and a ton of caselaw why that is fraud against the government. It’s a nice plain vanilla public corruption case. Fun to prosecute. Easy for a jury to understand.
You know, in case anyone wanted to do a little la enforcement.
Yeah, I guess he’s decent, but as I have been following him since reading Worse than Watergate right after it was published, he has, at best, a mediocre command of the obvious. Never read anything by him that taught me anything new.
Unfortunately, there’s no one even close to as-good-as him in W’s admin. Nope. Not even a John Dean in sight.
sonate @ 144
Except for Clinton dismissing one guy for biting a stripper and another for… What was it again? I know it was more than one.
Get ready for this upcoming explanation of why the government has been run so badly during the Bush years. “Bush kept the best of Clinton’s people while skimming over the rank amateurs.” So damn funny. It’s all Clinton’s fault.
dmg @ 133
Oh come on, now, you gotta’ give it up for the girl who can do the guitar hop wearing 4 inch heels and not fall off the stage…
I disagree with your selection, too; clearly William Shatner’s Rocket Man is the most craptacular cover, ever. Bar none.
Sally @ 148
Works both ways as a talking point. Kept Clinton’s folks because they couldn’t find anyone better! What does that say about the R bench?
dmg @ 133
I’ll respond in kind.
Rayne @ 118
Good. We’re still working on a simplification of that bit you read yesterday, may need your assistance to approve the “de-techified” version; if you understand it, then so will the white hats and Congresspersons. The ePM folks acknowledge it’s tough sledding to read for non-techies.
One question for you, since there is so damned much material to go through these days. Has there been a situation in NM with regard to judiciary of which you have heard?
I do not know a soul in NM. To my knowledge, I also don’t know anyone who knows anyone in NM. I get zero gossip from there and wouldn’t know where to dig to look for some. No help from me on that. Got no sources at all.
Rayne @ 149
we’ll just have to agree to disagree. i would say shatner/rocket man is nestled safely under the “camp” defense.
My 11 year old stayed up late last night to finsh her homework and caught the Rove rap skit. Her review: “That was disturbing.”
I don’t know if it was because he admitted to being a sociopathic small animal killing stamp collector or whether it looked like he was really enjoying himself the night before a major investigation that should lead to his dismissal.
Either way, the man has no conscience. Disturbing indeed.
looseheadprop @ 152
Keep your ears peeled, thanks. This bit — New Mexicans for Honest Courts — bothers me, seems like it’s not only a character assassination but innoculation.
And for what?
nomolos @ 65
Amazing. Shameless Bastards. Thanks nomolos.
AAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGHHHHH. Plague to the Hague.
dmg @ 153
“Camp.”
Mental-scar inducing camp.
Heh.
I wonder if Media Matters would take this on?
RagingGurrl @ 61
LJ/Aquaria @ circa 147
Thanks. (I thought that one was in Bubba’s first term and the other in his second.)
From the WSJ (I believe excerpted from Rolling Stone)…”The Republicans hire better political consultants than the Democrats and do so for less money….while Republicans [charge] a flat fee, Democratic media consultants profit on commissions…If the Democrats had channeled some of what they spent on consultants to Ohio, it might have changed the outcome of the election.”
Yes, we all know this, but since it’s in the WSJ maybe someone in the DLC will notice it and take corrective action…finally.
New thread
mui @ 151
this is an ad — so hampered by its intentions.
i would submit that to be truly bad, you can’t actually want to go out and BE bad. true badness has to be produced by folks who think they are producing something GOOD.*
*using the conventional sense of good and bad.
or as has been said: “good and bad i define these terms, quite clear no doubt, somehow.”
Phoenix Woman @ 105
thank you.
Does anyone know who is paying for Sampson’s defense? We know DOJ is still employing him, and Brad Berenson is not just any Washington lawyer but a true believer who worked for Gonzales when he was Bush’s White House Counsel (and clerked for the odious Laurence Silberman). Conflict much?
link
portia.vz @ 154
Amazing insightful kid!
leinie @ 143
No,no no, don’t lurk. That wasn’t meant as a smackdown, just as an expalianation.
Lawyerworld is a little counterintuitive sometimes
Rayne @ 155
There is also a campaign finance issue. They are PAC. They are using PAC $ to run an oppo ad against a guy WHO IS NOT RUNNING FOR ANY OFFICE.
Tsk tsk tsk. Naughty naughty
Leahy getting set to begin.
Terry Olson @
31
Remember Karl sent those leftover quail wings out to the reporters while entertaining Mr. and Mrs. President?
I imagine nothing stops him from answering his phone or email messages – hey, it might be another fine political opportunity on the line.
dmg @ 161
Hmmm, I guess my point is: Look what happens when a bunch of country club folks get together and do “humorous” “rap”, it comes out like ye old minstrel show (re: Karl Rove), a disgusting class/race statement with plenty of chuckles all round from the in-bunch (Washington correspondants). Even if tea partay is making fun of country club folks, there’s an awful grain of truth to it, re: Karl Rove video.
looseheadprop @
84
Even more to the point I think. No?
mui @ 169
dmg @ 161
this is an ad — so hampered by its intentions.
i would submit that to be truly bad, you can’t actually want to go out and BE bad. true badness has to be produced by folks who think they are producing something GOOD.*
*using the conventional sense of good and bad.
or as has been said: “good and bad i define these terms, quite clear no doubt, somehow.”
Hmmm, I guess my point is: Look what happens when a bunch of country club folks get together and do “humorous” “rap”, it comes out like ye old minstrel show (re: Karl Rove), a disgusting class/race statement with plenty of chuckles all round from the in-bunch (Washington correspondants). Even if tea partay is making fun of country club folks, there’s an awful grain of truth to it, re: Karl Rove video.
well, if you’re going to get all serious and insightful and on-point when i’ve been frivolous and off-point, i’ll simply have to agree and note that you’ve pretty much articulated that unspoken disgust i was feeling about the correspondents dinner.
dmg @ 171
Sorry. It started out as a light-hearted battle of the bad videos for me too, but the more I started to think about the MCRove, the more disgusted I got. It slipped. I hate what ChimpCo does to my sense of humor.
Quickie response ad –
Same voice-over: “While he looked the other way on fraud, Iglesias did find time to take dozens of taxpayer funded junkets around the world.”
New graphic – Turdblossom huffing down runway, with folder of oppo research clippings. Trying to get the attention of one out of hundreds of soldiers carrying their packs up the ramp of a transport plane. Plane leaves, change to NYT conclusion that the charges of fraud were fraud themselves.
Super-freakin’ hilarical……..my family and I do shit like that all the time.
You should check out the LP’s that Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner and yes………Jim Nabors aka. Gomer Pyle did back in the day…….now there’s some great comic material!!!