The White House press corpse is dutifully passing on without comment the Bush Junta’s pronouncement that Bush allegedly hasn’t ruled out a pardon for Scooter Libby.
Of course, we know why Tony Snow Job and Company are reciting this nonsense: They want to pretend that Bush, in defying righty demands for a full pardon (which he will), is somehow being a brave steely-eyed rocket man who dares to flout his base.
The reality is, of course, that a pardon – a full no-qualifications pardon – is the last thing that Scooter Libby will get. Why? Because, as Marcy and Christy have pointed out, a full pardon strips away Scooter’s ability to hide behind the Fifth Amendment when asked to testify under oath about Bush’s and Cheney’s involvement in outing Valerie Plame.
Unless Bush and the gang invent some new variation of the full pardon that doesn’t keep Scoots from pleading the Fifth (which is highly unlikely), a full pardon is the LAST thing that they will do in Scooter’s case. The LAST thing.
So, all you righties banging the “Pardon Scooter” drum: Give it a rest. It ain’t gonna happen. It was never about being nice to Scooter, but about being nice to his bosses.
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madness!
I kept getting 404!!!
Even the NY Times is all over the Bush hypocrisy. Look what is up at the top of the front page!
Commuting Prison Term Is Implicit Critique of Sentencing Standards.
Huh?
I got a 404 not found message 3 times trying to get to comments.
I blame Clinton.
Tweety, is on fire tonite! I can’t wait for KO’s SC!!! 8-)
no 404 here
Who says there won’t be conviction after impeachment hearings. If you had said in 2003 that Bush would have a 20% approval rating and the Repugs would be everyone’s idea of what not to do in politics, they’d have laughed and called you unpatriotic.
Not Really. Congress could give Scoot use immunity for his testimony. That would mean that nothing he says could be used against him in any court proceeding. Since he has already been convicted, offering him immunity now would not risk getting him off the hook of a prosecution. How could he argue the government convicted him based on his immunized testimony when he was convicted before he ever testified under immunity?
Hi Phoenix Woman!
you wrapped it up.
i for one think bushco will pardon the convicted felon when this uproar dies down – he pays no attention to the outcry from those who pay attention to the rule of law…..this bunch respects no law….
For us that have Comcast in Atlanta, please, please comment on KO. I already pay more that 50.00 a month but Keith is on another tier.
CTuttle @ 5
Really? Has Tweety learnt something from Schuster?
I think it just makes everything evil about the Bushies public, the stuff that only we lefties new before yesterday.
JPL @ 12
They will have the audio up in a zillion places in a few hours.
My goodness, PW, I didn’t know if you made it through yesterdays stampede smack dab through your wonderful post/thread. Very nice recovery, I think the dust has settled a little. *g*
Phoenix Woman nails it…thanks!
And OT, trifecta — if you’re here…you said something in the last thread about Shuster going to Fox. Please say it ain’t so…
LoudounLib @ 16
I thought that comment just meant Shuster was appearing as a guest on Fox. No?
LoudounLib @ 17
Didn’t he work for Fox before, why would he go back?
Other Pat — I hope that’s the case!
Petrocelli @ 11
It would be nice if Tweety did learn some Journalistic basics from Shuster! I happen to think Tweety has an axe to grind with Clinton’s faux impeachment, versus, the clearly criminal charges that are evident with Shrub’s behavior!!! My $.02!!! 8-)
PW, love ya, but I think for the benefit of the mouthbreathers emerging from the basement that the last little should read “but about covering their complicit, unindicted co-conspiring asses.”
What I wouldn’t give to hear Fitzgerald refer to them as such.
Unindicted co-conspirators.
Petrocelli @ 12
Maybe Tweety is afraid that if he doesn’t watch out, Schuster will get his job!
“Expert” on Hardball, If you believe that Scooter Libby obstructed justice then the commutation is an extension of it.
The latest bullshit from Bush that I just heard is that under the conditions of Bush’s commutation ability/privilege, Scooter may not be placed under probation.
Something about not legally being able to place a person on probation if that person has not served any jail time.
Does that fall under PW’s “invent some new variation”?
SnarKassandra @ 13
The Left have learnt nothing from the Right vis a vis framing the debate …
… they should be drumming it a thousand times every minute …
… Bush & Cheney committed treason and Libby tried to cover it up !!!
Then, get all the Repubs talking heads on record disputing these facts.
Come on Pelosi/Reid, use your political capital or stand back and let more competent minds lead !!!
Hardballs just showed the clip of Tony Snow giving the back of his hand to the reporter while he “apologized” for the betrayal of a CIA NOC.
A disgusting display of – well, the truth of the nature of this admin.
Aw gee, scooter’s reputation is “in shreds”. Jeepers, how that must hurt.
Yeah, it’s in shreds with the american people, but Libby’s reputation as “good guy, great dad” seems to be intact, no?
What are they screaming about? Full pardon? that isn’t in Bush/cheney’s best interest. I wonder who thought of commutation because it just seems too legally clever for bubble boy.
Either Libby will get a full pardon or he will squeal. On or before January 19th. 2009. That is unless the Republicans recapture the WH in Nov. 2008. Then the pardon could come later. Perhaps 8-16 years later. I think Rove, Dick, and the GOP know this. If not then I’m wrong.
Petrocelli @ 25
Yes yes!!
Tony can give me a “Snow Job” any time. I’m just not buying it.
This is what trifecta posted at #170 in the last thread:
David Shuster starting at Fox just amazes me. I always look forward to his reports. NBC should realize what a gem they have there.
neurophius @ 22
I wish Schuster gets Imus’s spot.
Buchanan: Why did the President “interfere in a legal trial”…..
I think Bush got roped into doing a big no, no. This is going to get bigger.
Keith Olbermann is the Peter Gunn of gutsy journalists. Chris Matthews is a gutless Barney Fife.
Excellent posts from FDL today, & a title we all can appreciate on this one, PW. Always love your “pull no punches” style of hitting the issue…
Just came up for air @ work, read the $$$ appeal downstairs, & hit the ol’ PayPal button.
For all you do, this $$$’s for you :-)
LoudounLib @ 32
I think that he meant he started his career at Fox but since then has been working for MSNBC
Pat Buchanon, “Libby’s Jail time was a potential time bomb, for Bush/Cheney!” Ya think??? *g*
LS @ 33
Oh, most definitely. The fingers you see when Bush opens his mouth are Cheney’s as he works his meat puppet.
I wonder if they are “incentivizing” Bush with alcohol or drugs to perform these days…
LS @ 23
That would be Norman Pearlstine, and he flat out said obstruction of justice and the commutation is an extension of that obstruction.
Norman Pearlstine, former editor of Time Magazine.
The MSM have their teeth in this one now.
KO Special Comment teaser– “Resign.”
SnarKassandra @ 29
I agree. I , for one, totally underestimated the power of media conditioning.
Marie Roget, many thanks!
JPL thanks — a day without Shuster is like a day without sunshine ;-) And if he went back to Faux, well that would just be another outrage.
Question I would like to be asked of shrub, Why did you waste the taxpayers money on the trial???
KO-”Scooter and the Commuter” , gotta love’em!!! ;-)
JPL @ 44
ooooohhhhhh
yeah
Anyone notice the way Bush shook his head when he said, “As for the future, I rule nothing [pardon]in and nothing out.”?
A sign of deception.
Pachacutec @ 42
De rien. The least I can do is send some green your way.
OT for Kucinich fans:
Happy Hour Roundup: Kucinich
neurophius @ 47
he looked kinda weird. maybe he is high?
Re: KO’s dubya clip.
dubya: i r activist judge.
Holy crap. I’m watching Bush give his public statement on the commutation on KO’s show…
He looks like he’s listening to the voices again, the ones in his ear telling him what to say.
Watch the focus of his eyes, and how they blink, and the pauses he takes as he gathers his words. He is listening to somebody else and regurgitating what they are saying.
Jeebus. We still have a meat f*cking puppet in the White House.
My prediction: Scooter will get his pardon after the 2008 elections.
KO
nothing more extenuating than knowing the convict yourself!
hahahaha
Gunga Djinn @ 24
Its been awhile since I practiced law (and never at the Federal level), but there may be some confusion betweren probation and parole. Probation does not require that you have to “pre-serve” time — the sentence is suspended (”put on the shelf”) and as long as you kiss your Probation Officer’s arse, you never have to serve it, whereas parole requires you to actually be serving, then get out.
My questions are (1): if Scooter doesn’t have any time on the shelf, whats the penalty for violating his probation? Usually, the time is suspended, and if you don’t walk the line with your Probation Officer they slam you with the suspended time. In this case, the penalty for violating probation is . . . what? Serving your non-time? Since the fine isn’t suspended, he’s gotta pay that regardless, and they can’t make extra penalties for violating probation — only impose a penalty that was suspended. Fed Bar members, plz speak up on this.
Question (2): Is W gonna NEVER pardon, or pardon in the last few hours? I’ve been cynically assuming option 2, but from the tenor of the comments, y’all are saying no pardon ever.
Rayne @ 52
who’ll ever forget the picture of Cheney looming in the bushes at a Rose Garden press conference
methinks KO has stiffened the backs of other msnbc reporters – i was amazed at kelly o’donnell at today’s presser and david shuster hmmm – wow
How many hours of FDL does that make today? Went over to C&L and saw that the opposition is saying that Wilson lied. Well, that State of the Union speech was rich in lies, and the one that made me walk out of the room was not the ‘yellowcake’ assertion, but the one that came after it.
Bush said that the U.S. was at risk from Iraqi drones filled with biological weapons, as I recall. I had at the time access to a library with a subscription to Aviation Week magazine, and the issue I had been reading that afternoon described the Iraqi drone program. It was fairly primitive, just getting up on the learning curve. Their greatest accomplishment — I haven’t been able to find the article online or in print, so this is out of my fallible memory — was to have a remote controlled aircraft (small, but full-sized; usually piloted) fly a 300 mile racetrack pattern out in the desert.
That was all I needed to know to be sure that Bush was trying to make us all very, very afraid, and it did cast doubt on his ‘yellowcake’ story.
I’ve never seen his bluff called on this point, but, hey, maybe it’s not too late. Who knows: it could be useful.
busboy33 @ 55
If he buys a gun or drinks beer or hangs out with other criminals, can the original judge throw him in jail then?
tw3k @ 51
I r activist judge; I m n ur White House, waitin 4 beer.
a legal showdown is in the works…..so says weasly richard wolfe
Rayne @ 60
Shorter Bush: Judges who strictly adhere to sentencing guidelines are activist judges.
neurophius @ 47
I noticed a lot of eye blinking. Has anyone studied eye blinking and deception?
Bits and pieces as I read through Tony Snow’s inane performance today:
I don’t think that word means what you think it does, Tony.
This is Snow’s “I don’t know what I’m talking about but if I keep talking maybe no one will notice” moment.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news…..703-6.html
There needs to impeachment hearings. What’s difficult to understand about this?
Bush the First pardoned Caspar Weinberger and several others. Why wouldn’t Bush the Lesser pardon Libby for exactly the same reasons?
gah, i go back to ’stuff’ now, just pisses me the f?ck off.
I meant Shuster started at Fox. I am sorry for any confusion. Shuster burned his bridges with Fox btw. He has called them hacks.
I don’t think he would be welcome even if he started laughing at Dennis Millers’ jokes.
Prairie Sunshine @ 39
Ding!
This is the outrage in a nutshell.
Somebody lit him up? Good. Let it burn and don’t put it out until he’s a pile of ashes.
Then piss on him.
Keith is coming up with counterpoints to the right wing spin on Libby.
at this point in bushco’s junta – he could care less about his place in history – he just wants to go home imho – wreck the country – a mere trifle in his mind – i.e. what him worry?? nahhhhhh
Rayne @ 60
707, ok i’m really out :)
busboy33 @ 55
Someone had some links a couple of threads ago that Judge Walton has called a hearing for I believe next Monday to hear arguments from both Fitz and the Libby team. My understanding after reading the story was that the probation rules Walton imposed presumed that Libby would have served his sentence as required. By commuting the jail time, it is creating a new level and Walton is holding hearings. And from the tone of the quotes of Walton, he is NOT pleased.
CTuttle @ 37
How messed up are BushCo when Buchanan is to the left of them ?!! *g*
Bush issues a commutation for Cheney’s guy, Libby. Saying that Bush will never issue a pardon for Libby just does not make sense.
I think it took the msm a really long time to “get” this. Partially because they were so upset that journalists (gasp) were being hauled before the GJ, and partially because they were too lazy to take the time to understand it.
But I noticed something shifted when Fitz’ statement on Plame’s covert status was entered into the sentencing phase. When they had to let go of the meme of no underlying crime, they began to see the whole picture.
None of this would’ve ever happened without the bloggers. Schuster and Olbermann would be just as stupid as the rest if the bloggers had not done all the heavy lifting.
Oklahoma kiddo @ 65
While I completely agree with the majority sentiment presented. We must be realistic about impeachment. If there were no tapes of Nixon’s conversations showing his complicity in Watergate, he would not have resigned. He MIGHT have been impeached, but he would have been acquitted. Book it that the Bush admin. has learned all the mistakes that Nixon made – and has complete plausible deniability for the President. We will not find a smoking gun regarding Bush. Under its current make-up there are not enough Senators for a conviction vote – period (think Lieberman)..Impeachment with acquittal is a loss for demos. and America. It doesn’t change anything and will only be used by the right as an example of how Bush was NOT GUILTY, the opposite of what is true. However, impeachment and conviction of Cheney and Gonzo is possible and would help the country and the progressive cause. Let’s do something that might actually get results, not just complain about how we wish things were different.
juslin @ 57
Absolutely. I have emailed Dan Abrams on several occasions complimenting him on MSNBC since he took over — especially with regards to KO and Shuster.
However, I think it’s time to point out the inconsistent standards he tolerates. During the Duke lacrosse debacle and his coverage of it, Abrams was always clear about his being a graduate of Duke and his fealty to the insititution.
Why should he allow Tucker a pass about his daddy’s connection to Scooter?
i hope the blogosphere has KO’s back – the pressure on him must be ENORMOUS!
Judge Walton calls Hearing
dakine01 @ 74
Wheee! Bush and Co. are about to learn what Paris Hilton did . . .namely, you can do any damn fool thing you want to in court, but NEVER PISS OFF THE JUDGE.
juslin @ 71
Well, God took time out of dictating memos on Iraq to tell him to commute poor Scooter’s sentence, so Bush would, of course, be completely at peace.
Rayne @ 52
Hey Rayne, are those Brownies done yet ?!! *g*
… eagerly waits to dollop Vanilla Ice Cream over warm Brownies …
If I were George, I’d be worried about Karl. Except for the fact that my party seems scared stiff of Rove.
dakine01 @ 74
I think the hearing is Walton snark. He has noticed that the Bush commutation was hastily written and not well thought out (likely by one of Poppy’s friends up in Maine, before Cheney could get his paws on it and convert it to a pardon). Obviously the lawyer who wrote that doesn’t get the finer points of the criminal justice system, such as sentencing guidelines.
jane(nyc)@79
i’ve wondered the same re – tucker’s dad’s being the chief in charge of convicted felon’s fundraising…..
Dinnertime … see y’all on Late Nite …
Methinks that Scooter had them by the short hairs and they knew it.
Schuster on KO:
Lack of any other charges-Fitzgerald said Libby threw sand in the umpire’s eyes.
No crime to investigate, Val not covert-CIA and Fitz said she was covert. Another reason the CIA asked for the special prosecutor.
Probation Dept wanted no prison time-the only people asking for no prison time were Libby’s lawyers. WH spin is inaccurate and this was a ticking time bomb for them.
Obstruction-Justices need to look at overarching investigation to determine sentence.
WH changing the facts. (KO)
boxer @ 77
There is a smoking gun. At least five million of them, in the form of emails sent using RNC resources.
It’s only a matter of time before some if not all of them surface since email never, ever dies.
And they took NO pains to be secure in their communications. I would not be one bit surprised if a foreign entity ensured that some of those so-called “missing” emails surfaced, since hosts of network sniffers probably picked them all up.
What if the reason the rest of the world’s leaders don’t think much of Bush is not just because he f*cks up everything at the expense of everyone but himself, but that they’ve seen the emails and they already know what kind of crazy-assed hacks have been running our country into the ground?
juslin @ 79
I think Keith is riding the wave and enjoying it immensely.
The need is for a political settlement. Impeach Cheney.
Jane (nyc) @ 78
When will John Edwards take out a commercial about this latest travesty?
He has to keep in front on all these issues.
How’s EE ?
RevDeb @ 88
That about takes care of it.
Whoa. That advertisement for The Nation during KO’s show is very in-your-face about its liberal bias.
Phew. My head’s spinning, almost like slipping into an alternate reality and back in mere seconds.
Can the Judiciary Committees offer a reward for missing emails from the RNC and GWB email servers?
Rayne @ 90
Bush can’t operate a blackberry or send an e-mail. The only evidence against him would be hearsay, and that will not be enough to convict a sitting President.
Rayne @ 95
tell me more..
Petrocelli @ 93
John did issue a statement yesterday but imagine they are busy today celebrating Elizabeth’s birthday. *g*
boxer @ 78
No. We must be realistic about our responsibility to our constitution and our posterity. What kind of precident does it set if we fail to attempt to right the wrongs that have been done to us? Impeachment with acquittal (if the evidence is actually brought out in the Senate) is not necessarily a “loss” for democrats. It would be a stain on those who voted against, and would remain in history books forever.
Rayne @ 95
We are making our own alternate reality as we go along. The question is how long will it take for the rest of the country to catch up to us and dive in?
Petrocelli @ 32
What about morning Joe, and Mika.
Oklahoma kiddo @ 92
hey kiddo, now your getting the hang of it.
NY Times links:
Sentencing guidelines and Bush’s confusion.
Reggies Confusion.
boxer @ 97
Don’t need Bush’s fingerprints. Remember that there has already been a reference between White House folks and DOJ folks about a decision on U.S. Attorneys, referring to “the boss” and what they think.
Who’s the boss? Sara Taylor? Harriet Miers? Karl Rove?
Or Bush?
And that’s just one email.
KO doing a great job setting up for his special comment on Libby/Bush/Cheney. Everyone have their popcorn?
I believe that Libby was the liaison between Cheney and the neocons and their outlets.
Scarecrow @ 106
I’ve switched to wine for this special occasion…after having called many family and friends priming them to watch. *g*
Scarecrow @ 106
No TV, need the play by play!
boxer @ 103
?
Independence Day, July 4th, 2007:
Grill a Republican for God and Country Day.
Why wait for Schumer and Waxman to “grill” Republicans before a congressional committee…grill a Republican on Independence Day about the rogue Republicans in the White House who are obviously out to destroy our democracy. Grill a Republican on Independence Day from “sea to shining sea.”
Hmmm, I wonder what barbecue sauce goes best with “grilled” Republicans? Neo-con Spicy Honey? Mesquite Smoked Traitor?
no popcorn but a nice bottle of bubbly ;o)
JPL @ 98
Wish I could quote it for you, JPL; the magazine covers alone would convey to any American that much of their content is not favorable to Bush (like the cover of Bush as Alfred E. Neuman). The ad referred to The Nation’s liberal bias that readers have known and enjoyed, as well.
In this day and age, it’s revolutionary to even admit to liberalism on cable.
yellowsnapdragon @ 100
Read what I psoted carefully. We don’t fail to attempt if we get Gonzo and Cheney. We do cut off our nose to spite our face if we go after Bush with no chance of conviction. Wisdom is a virtue, pick battles you can win, life is not always fair or just. Bush will have to wait until has is reincarnated as a roach.
Jane (nyc) @ 99
Please wish her A Very Happy Birthday from my side as well.
Cancerians are very strong, but they tend to internalize other people’s pain, which is not helpful to their health.
Are you on Facebook as yet?
Rayne @ 105
You don’t understand hearsay.
Jane (nyc) @ 108
I was in panic mode. The cable box went kaplooie at 7. Called Comcast got it reset in time for some of Wilson’s interview.
Whew!!! (wipes brow)
can’t wait for recess to be over – pelosi and waxman have much to work with…. here’s hoping chmn conyers has sharp minds at work
KO, why didn’t Bush give the outright pardon? Fewer pardons than any governor.
TURLEY:
5th Amendment issue-Libby can still be given immunity by Fitz or congress.
KO, why no Cheney during trial?
Turley, defense said they would make Cheney the focus of the trial. Suddenly changed. Adopted a passive defense. Walked Libby into conviction. Many thought the pardon had been promised.
Hello, everyone!
Petrocelli @ 12
That would be a shocker!
The Oracle @ 111
Open Pit.
It’s the only one I use.
I had to step away from the TV. Has Keith done his Special Comment yet?
boxer @ 77
Much as I’d like to see all of them impeached (actually the fantasy is war crimes trials in the Hague), I just don’t think it’s going to happen. Dems are too spineless and too scared of taking the media attention of their next campaigns.
So, our focus has to be on containing these criminals and neutralizing their ability to cause more harm. Investigation of DOJ re “obstruction of justice” is important. Doing everything we can to keep from attacking Iran is critical. Stop the killing in Iraq NOW!
sure, we can all be pissed off and disgusted as Dear Leader shows his true nature. No reason to be surprised.
bushco learn? doesn’t compute
Libby WILL probably be given a full pardon- on the way out the door.
KO, commuted sentence during presidency.
Turley, founding fathers did put impeachment on the record. Clinton abused his pardon powers.
Phoenix Woman @ 121
I loved Schuster smackdown of Carlson … I thought F*CKER was gonna cry …
neurophius @ 122
No. It’s probably the closer.
neurophius @ 122
It’s coming up in a few.
neurophius @ 123
No, bet it’s coming up now.
Here’s how bizarre Bush/Cheney’s move is:
In order for a sentence to be “commuted”, a criminal actually has to start serving it.
I am so pissed off! I am really fed up with this shit. COMPLETELY fed up with it.
If we move to impeach the administration then it won’t pass the Senate and it will be labeled another failure on the part of the Democrats to change anything. The result = no votes for Democrats because they can’t bring about change,
and we get another 8 fucking years of Republican bullshit pissing us in the face.
- or -
If we don’t push impeachment, we still get labeled as scared to take a stand against the obvious corruption and again Democrats are labeled as weak. We spend the next 8 years saying “what if” we had at least tried?
Republicans walk all over every single last constitutional law while we spit and scream
from the sideline.
I have a lot of anger. Much more than before and I am tired of playing by their interpretation of the rules. This administration taught us how to lie, cheat and steal, and I say we show them just what they taught us by shoving it right back down their throats whichever way possible.
Special comment after commercial.
boxer @ 117
I suppose that’s why Tricky Dick quit, right? He didn’t understand hearsay either?
This crowd, like Bush, live in the Neo-Con– Fascist bubble echo chamber where they clink their glasses and dismiss reality and the outrage of the American public and military.
However, they are doing the Democrats a great favor by slitting the throat of the Republican party— or what is left of it.
They are the enemy to America’s way of life and the safety and security of our children.
They are happy to sacrifice and exploit the deaths and injuries of American troops.
Fascist, corrupt, anti-democratic, anti-constitution, anti-American foreign policy interests.
Petrocelli @ 128
Did Iddle Baby Bow-tie CRWWWY when that mean Schuster mentioned Bow-tie’s DADDY being one of Scooter’s money men?
Yes, Cheney and Gonzo should be impeached and removed as well, but there is no virtue in setting your standards low just to spare your ego of the burden of “losing”. Bush is at the top of the chain and his actions have damaged us. Impeach him.
Again, I disagree with this argument. John Conyers can grant Scooter Libby full immunity and compel his testimony. Marcy’s explanations of the Plame affair have been brilliant, but she’s wrong about this point, in my opinion.
I think they did the commutation instead of a pardon in an attempt to lessen the political impact but still keep Scooter out of jail. Bush likes playing Solomon, even though he’s bad at it.
Sounds like Andrea Mitchell has started to see the light.
Rayne @ 134
He quit because his voice was on tape. Which is what your going to need (or something analogous) to impeach a sitting President. Hearsay won’t do it.
Winner in worst president ever contest.
Interferring in a criminal case for his own staffer.
This is not the special comment.
Petrocelli (128) — is there video on line of that Schuster-applied smackdown of anoxic Carlson?
Cheney is the real president, not bush. Impeach Cheney first along with Gonzo and than go after bush.
What are we going to do tomorrow. Big doings at the ranch. Food, food and family. And we are going to watch “Born on the Fourth of July” and “Forrest Gump”. And some new movie I don’t know about.
When the guys running the roulette wheels fix them so that their friends can win, it’s time to get new c*s*no owners. Keith.
~~~ModNote: Edited for content to clear filters.~~~
WPITW:
Bill Kristol !
Gonzo’s behavior before Congress left me with the impression that it has become his job to get himself impeached…
this would serve several purposes:
1) impeaching Gonzo would suck the life out of any other serious investigations into bushevik malfeasances.
2) it becomes a standard around which the puke/neocon ‘troops’ can rally and direct the compliant SCUM to tell their story.
3)it further damages impeachment as a tool of accountability, neuters it ever more.
4) it becomes the bright, shiny object with which to distract the attention of the ‘press’–and thereby the people–from other pressing issues, including those camoflaged by Gonzo’s misdeeds.
yellowsnapdragon @ 136
Again, impeachment doesn’t change anything. Only a conviction will remove Bush from power. Please understand this distinction
RevDeb @ 145
That was a funny picture of him, too ;-)
George A. @ 143
1. Gonzo; 2. Cheney; 3. Bush.
wgg: tokin lib’rul @ 145
Sounds like Gonzo is to Bush as
Scooter is to Cheney.
LoudounLib @ 148
he’s not a real human anyway
RevDeb @ 146
Ding!
boxer @ 78
So, is that what the leadership is planning?
Somebody explain this to me:
Bush said today that he thought the conviction should stand–Libby gets to keep his probation and fine. At the same time, he said he would not rule out pardon.
If the conviction should stand, why ISN’t that ruling out the pardon? What is different about a conviction worth standing now and one 10 months or ten years from now?
Special Comment should be coming up next.
Impeachment hearings directed toward Cheney might change something.
Oklahoma kiddo @ 145
Hey OKK, have fun at the ranch, and have a cold one for me…I’m working tomorrow :-(
boxer @ 140
They has nothing material in regards to the matter Ken Starr was investigating when they impeached Clinton — only lies about his personal sex life.
I can see we’re going to have to agree to disagree. The footprints lead all around and right up to Bush’s desk in a plethora of scandals already; if we do not have evidence adequate for criminal prosecution, we still have adequate evidence for a political solution to Bush’s repeated gross failures to uphold his oath of office.
And impeachment is a political solution, not a criminal prosecution.
edit: as Kagro X pointed out at DailyKos earlier today:
Bolding mine.
So, can we please, for the love of God, impeach now? Can we put some shit back on the table, Speaker Pelosi? Bush’s approval rating is 3 points above what Nixon had when he fled. Stop being scared of the little bastard. I would like to remind the Democratic leaders, that when you launched impeachment proceedings against Nixon, you ran the table at the next election. Gains in the House and Senate, took the White House, everything. It is both NECESSARY and a political winner to impeach crooks. If this rancid toad does not deserve impeachment…hell, who does? Why is there even such a thing as impeachment?
RevDeb @ 122
It’s the only one I use.
RevDeb @ 150Sounds like Gonzo is to Bush as
Scooter is to Cheney.
Gonzo and Scooter are two key firewalls who Bush and Cheney must keep schtum at all — and I mean ALL — costs. And they are quite willing to take down, not just their country, not just the Constitution, but their own Republican Party (which they value above both country and Constitution) in order to guarantee their own evasion of jail time.
Olbermann is doing the lifting. Again. ;0)
this just occurred to me:
in the country like the one to which the busheviks apparently aspire, and towards the making of which they direct the whole power and treasury of the State, they themselves could be taken out and shot if they were caught in a mess so toxic as the one that threatens to envelope the sitting regime.
CTuttle @ 20
I agree with the suggestion that Big Dick will not leave office without having Little Dick sign a full pardon for Irving Lewis Libby. Shrub takes the heat, Cheney gets street cred for protecting his network, and Scoot gets the slate wiped clean and may even get his law license back (so he can leave the AEI and go back to a lobbyist/law firm).
The pardon may remove the jeopardy that would allow Scoot to plead the Fifth. But if done just before Shrub leaves office, I think the reasoning will be that the new admin/Congress will have too many other things to do. And by then, if called before Congress or a federal prosecutor, Lewis could more credibly claim faulty memory. (I hear his is actually close to a photographic memory.)
Special Comment:
Quoting John Wayne re JFK
“I didn’t vote for him but he’s my president andI hope he does a good job”
There is an illustrated contrast here.
Schuster smackdown at C&L’s
boxer @ 147
Having our congress look seriously at the crimes committed by the administration against us is vital. We need to be represented. There is a distinction between defeatism and duty.
KO:Bush stabbed this nation in the back.
LoudounLib @ 158
Wish you could be here. ;0)
Rayne @ 157
Let me clarify. I should have said that is what you’ll need to impeach and convict. Impeachment without conviction only helps the right. Bush will be proclaimed “NOT GUILTY”. Then what?
Go Keith!
this distraction of bushco’s commutation of the convicted felon has kept iraq off the front pages…. and how IS the war going??june was the 3rd highest deathrate for american gi’s…in a month if i’m correct… why who knew? and still that fuckery goes on and on
KO really is emotional. He almost cried right before he turned his head the other way.
KO:
Paraphrased:
Every decision has been for political reasons. Not what’s good for country
KO:
I accuse you of lying
I can’t wait for C&L to have this..
KO!
J’accuse
Holy freeking shit
Olbermann. Whew!!!
AZ Matt – thanks for the link, will check out the smackdown.
Wow. KO: J’accuse. J’accuse. J’accuse, monsieur le president.
JPL @ 176
Should be up in an hour or less.
yellowsnapdragon @ 150
No, no, no. Bush first. Aim high. The Nixon impeachment started with Nixon. Convict underlings. Impeach President.
boxer @ 172
boxer,
I think part of the problem is you have shown up here in the last day or so and your comments come across as exceedingly condescending, as if we are mainly functional idiots who have not been trying to thrash these things out for months now on how best to get rid of these people. We are not idiots. We may not be lawyers but we understand history, many of us actually having lived it. We have life experiences and knowledge that you do not have. Your tone has been very much unappreciated by myself and I would wager by many others.
Keith: J’Accuse!
RevDeb @ 180
tee he
I hope millions of people are watching this
dude @ 153
you think he’s going to start making sense or trying to be consistent now?
Keith is calling the commutation Bush’s Saturday Night Massacre.
Olbermann sizzles!
The man’s on fire. I hope it’s not only the choir that hears the sermon.
yellowsnapdragon @ 167
How is facing reality defeatism. You arguments about duty are analogous to the arguments made by the right to stay in Irag. Looking seriously at the crimes and then finding Bush NOT GUILTY only validates their side. e.g. Bush, after all this investigation did nothing wrong.
Keith: It Stinks!
“It stinks”
solai @ 190
Well, I know *I* am! Man, he’s righteously on fire!
busboy33 @ 55
Understood. But the bit I heard tonight addressed Libby’s penalties specifically. Wish I could repeat it verbatim, but I can’t. Can’t even ref. the source, as I sweep several news channels between 5 & 6pm.
Whatever the case, the statement suggested that Libby may not even get the supervision/probation under Bush’s commute. [may have been a reporter quoting a district judge? if so, he may have twisted words; if from a judge, we’ll hear it again]
Oh wow. KO pulls out the big guns.
This was a Saturday Night Massacre, the same kind of obstruction of justice.
You know they seriously toyed with replacing Fitz; they knew they couldn’t get away with it.
But they thought by letting Libby get prosecuted with a faint defense, they could commute his sentence to keep him quiet and still obstruct justice.
And even Richard Nixon knew it was time to resign, says KO.
Best Special Comment to date…wow!!
Keith to Bush and Cheney: resign.
KO has had it up to HERE!!! and me also – J’ACCUSE – woooooo KO holding nothing back CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP!!!!! i must send a thank you email to msnbc for keeping him on and allowing him to speak freely – BRAVO KO!!! words fail me…thanks KO
solai @ 188
I will once it’s on the toobz … don’t do tv …
beautiful.
from conyers via mcjoan:
Olbermann: Good Gawd! ;0)
BRAVO KO!
Wow! He was visibly angry. That was fanfuckingtastic! If only we could see more of that type of outrage from other leaders or media types.
wow wow wow wow
but
i am confused
Don’t kings have any rules? Even the kings and queens they have now? Like in England?
Dan Abrams is going to take up the Scooter topic as well. At least before he wanders into Nancy Grace tabloid territory with the Benoit story.
Anyone who didn’t get to see it live, you must see it for yourself. He was brutal toward Bush and Cheney. Brutal.
Damn, KO! Bravo!!! 8-)
Olbermann was on FIRE.
If only more people truly felt the rage fueling that “Special Comment.”
That was rage folks. Our side needs to express more rage.
If KO were in Turkey or Egypt with a report like that he’d be in the dungeon by now. That was intense. Chimp and Shooter have no shame.
KO with a GRAND SLAM!
Of course, you are correct. If you need further proof, here it is. DOJ guidelines require inter alia that the defendant complete or relinquish all appeals prior to a commutation of sentence. Why was this not insisted upon by the President in Scoot’s case? The answer is obvious: so that Scoot’s Fifth Ammendment privilege persists during the pendency of the appeal.
“… and tell ‘em Big Mitch sent ya!”
How the hell does Dan Abrams follow that?
Keith Olbermann for President!
Holy crap, Dan Abrams also offering a statement.
Asks why not abbreviate the sentence rather than abolish it, that the sentence was to the guidelines, found guilty by a jury.
SEND A THANK YOU NOTE TO DAN ABRAMS, PEEPS.
KO had the leash taken off altogether because Abrams is also pissed off about this commutation.
Who is the guy on MSNBC now? Is he a MSM or liberal?
RevDeb @ 182
After all the comments, you can bet that I’ll be checking every 5 minutes…
WOW!!! Keith was hot. What a slap down on both bush and cheney.
Interesting Internet truth . . .
did Yahoo search for Crooks and Liars (looking for the website.)
Yahoo helpfully suggested “see also: President Bush”
well now – dan is bringing the noise following a strong comment by the MAN of the hour…. nicee
KO ROCKS!!!!!
How many armies are warring? You’ve got Cheney-and-minions, you’ve got Poppy-Bush-and-Old-School-Ties, you’ve got, what, CIA-USA-people-who-care. How many are there? Who’s fighting whom and how?
Alan Johnston has been freed.
Olbermann ignites me. He is saying what we have been saying. On national TV for all the world to see.
Man, Dan Abrams is no slacker either. Good on you MSNBC!
Abrams on fire!
Embrace the rage. Express the rage. Civil discourse has no place in this fight.
Not that I give a farthing but Judy Miller must be once pissed off .. whatever.
Think about it. She took the lead of the lying press corpse for these clowns to bring on their farking war. She got the inside dope (in more ways than one) on the “Flame” game. For all that she went to jail for months and then had her career tanked. Maybe she’s got some high paying job as a flunky somewhere but I doubt it and it probably doesn’t have the long term security of the NYTimes. Aspens turning indeed.
But Libby, facing one day in the cooler, has Bush doing another Terri Schiavo revival dance.
Is ‘ratfucking the bitch’ the correct Republican term for this?
At least she’s got the satisfaction of knowing she was “proved fucking right.”
dakine01 @ 184
I apologize sincerely. It is difficult to be precise and concise without sounding like a jerk. I completely respect and value everyone’s opinion on this site and do not ever mean to hurt someone else’s feelings. Again, sorry.
Dan Abrams just did another number on the communtation, showing what Bush did against the guidelines, which were “ignored.”
Now he has a guy on who’s just flat lying: “Libby was not involved in leaking Plame’s name.”
But he also has Liz Holztmam, NY rep during Watergate.
“J’accuse!”
With that word, the modern Zionist movement was born in 1898. (The Dreyfus affair.)
FYI, Eli is upstairs
Cassie — Dan Abrams is a big cheese at MSNBC (managing editor? somebody correct me on this). He’s also a lawyer, used to be on CourtTV.
And he knows this commutation is pure bullsh*t (I’m sure you’re old enough and smart enough to hear that straight up, unsugarcoated).
New Thread by Eli!!!
http://www.firedoglake.com/200…..s/#respond
I disagree entirely. Having the Senate acquit on the evidence that is already publicly available would only serve to destroy the reputations–in perpetuity–of those who voted against.
Eli has a new post too.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19588942/
Keith
Sorry to get in so late to this, but I, I have a day job.
Anyway, kaleidescope at 8 and Joe Buck at 139 have the correct line on this. Congress, in the context of an investigation into illegal actions in the VP’s office, could grant Libby some sort of immunity from prosecution, thus preventing him from asserting the Fifth. He would have to answer questions truthfully, lie, or set mute and be held in contempt. The grant of immunity would have no effect on his recent conviction. There are still a whole lot of legs on this one, folks.
busboy33 @ 224
that’s too much …
FYI:msnbc.com has the transcript up already.
Olberman was great. There are some great threads of reasoning in this special commentary that should be read and re-read carefully and woven into the daily political debate. Outstanding!!!
I think he was right to ask for resignation rather than impeachment…Keith Olberman is brilliant.
New thread by Eli.
SnarKassandra @ 221
He now runs MSNBC
Boxer, I think people (even those I respect and usually agree with) might be a little more sensitive than normal right now.
My emotions are certainly runner a bit hotter than normal.
The Scooter verdict was such a big F*** you, that I’m beside myself.
doran @ 242
The democrats in congress are too gutless to do it. They don’t feel the rage. THere needs to be a LOT of rage.
tw3k at 67 says:
“gah, i go back to ’stuff’ now, just pisses me the f?ck off.”
make some art……..
snarkassandra @ 59 ??? don’t know
dakine @ 74 thank you, sounding more like what I heard.
Oh damn but Holtzman RAWKS!!!
She groks it, she knows that very-important-very-busy-man Libby took time out of his important-busy schedule to handle the Plame case, implying that somebody ordered it.
Good gravy, I wish she was on the House Judiciary Committee.
Kris the “Boneheaded Gratuitous Winger” Kobach throwing up all kinds of smoke and mirrors to obscure where Abrams and Holtzman are going. “why aren’t they investigating the national security problem?” he asks.
Hello? Obstruction of justice, you stoopit winger moron, sand in the umpire’s eyes thrown by Libby. Good God, they are still trying to ignore the crime already prosecuted.
At least Judy Miller had to go to prison. She deserved even more time for helping Scooter sell their Genocidal War. Miller is also a worthless journalist because she is a neo-con.
As I look forward to KO’s special comment, I can’t help but hope we are at the long sought for tipping point. Not for action on these high crimes and not so misdemeanors. But that everyday folks in some form might wake up and take some interest in how this government is run. It’s all well and good to like a leader, but they must have ethics, intelligence, and compassion, I think we have all had enough of the lowest common denominator, look what a neat government dad and his friends bought me, mess we have now.
Yes! Dakine01 @ 81 That’s it, before being snipped for the newcaster blurb.
Thanks!
Loo Hoo. @ 120
LooHoo has nailed the money quote .
And the next major talking point
– “commutation ain’t insulation, cause Scooter can be immunized”
Scooter, Shooter and the Commuter are all co-conspirators, so the commutation may be a seperate count of Obstruction.
That was so much fun to type!
Karma @ 133
Which is why we have to play this smart
and determined.
Nothing worth having comes easily.
Did you see Christy’s post about converting your anger to activism?
Didi you see barbara’s brilllinat idea about flooding Congress with photos of tables with “impeachment” in them.
Baby, don’t get mad, get even!
RevDeb @ 146
Uh Deb? Pardon my ignorance, but what is WPITW?
lhp – KO’s worst person in the worllllld
If I could link, I would. But if you go to whitehouse.gov, you’ll see the saddest picture that pretty well captures what this administration is doing to the promise of tomorrow for returning soldiers. Just take a look at the blankness in that young man’s eyes.
Sad beyond words, and Bush only gives lip service to caring.
Olbermann: Bush, Cheney should resign
“I didn’t vote for him,” an American once said, “But he’s my president, and I hope he does a good job. That—on this eve of the 4th of July—is the essence of this democracy, in 17 words. And that is what President Bush threw away yesterday in commuting the sentence of Lewis “Scooter” Libby. Special Comment Related
SPECIAL COMMENT
By Keith Olbermann
Anchor, ‘Countdown’
MSNBC
Updated: 52 minutes ago
Video
http://video.google.com/videop…..mp;q=keith olbermann&total=2214&start=0&num=100&so=1&type=search&plindex=0
transcript
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19588942/
Gunga Djinn @ 24
I think the issue relates to WHEN does that probationary period BEGIN…as proation generally initiates when the convicted individual is released from detention.
I would think that, since Bush explicitly said that the commutation ddn’t apply to his fine or probation, upon either the date of Scooters sentencing or the end of his appeals.
Which could mean that Walton would review Scooters behavior during his 2 year probationary period sometime in the Spring of 2009.
At which time Reggie might consider Scooter’s cooperation with Fitz..and his remorse ;-)
And Bush will have been out of office for some 6 months!
Hugh @ 64
Actually someone should tell Tony that it would have been permissable under the sentencing guidelines for Walton to issue consecutive sentences.
In fact, he was “generous” in issuing concordant ones! Libby got off very lightly.
The sentence was hardly “excessive”, especially for a non-cooperating felon who has yet to demonstrate remorse, guilt or an awareness of the severity of their criminal behavior.
boxer @ 173
But the RIGHT will say that all the assertions of Bush criminal and Unconsttutional behavior were lies if Congress DOESN’T IMPEACH.
So they win that way, too.
Plus they get to say that “Clinton was impeached…Bush wasn’t”.
One possibility is to start the investigations, issue Bills of Impeachment, and start the trial…then suspend it late in his term.
Then when a new Congress is elected…one restarts the trial and convicts or censures him.
Many wll say that this will be moot since Bush will have left office…but it will show that Congress is sincere about protecting the Constitution from “Imperial Executives”. It will place on Bush the onus of being the only President impeached and convicted (if the new Senate actually finds him guilty).
Furthermore, as part of an impeachment conviction one can remove one’s emoulements of office…pension, office space, secret service protection, ability to use the title of President (for example on the “Presidential library”), franking and office privileges…and powers to keep documents and papers secret (under Bushes own Executive Order).
Do it prior to the inauguration of the new President and pardoning power can be removed.
boxer @ 195
And they were continue to say that Bush did nothing wrong if you DON’T IMPEACH and INVESTIGATE.
They will say that al of this is just “politics” since ush was never impeached at all…
Look, boxer…even if Bush was CONVICTED the Riht wing would still claim that it was all “politics” since Bush was never criminally convicted of anything.
Look at how they are reacting to the Libby case…here’s a guy convicted of four felonies, including obstructing the nvestigation of who divulged a covert CIA officers identity to the Press and their motives in doing so. Yet these folks still consider him a saint!
IF an impeachment will expose the unConstitutional actions of Bush or Cheney to the public, and compel the Republican Senators to DEFEND those actions as simply “politics”…then it will serve it’s purpose.
Because impeachment also places Congressional Representatives under scrutiny. If they protect a Presidents Unconstitutional behavior for partisan reasons this will be made apparent to the public. Likewise an impeachment that s irrelevant to a Presents Constitutional mandate will also impugn those Congresspersons who force it!
That was what the Republican Senators feared when Nixon was on the verge of being impeached…that they would have to defend the indefensible.