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![]() Just Above Sunset
October 30, 2005 - A Liar Indicted, Resigns from the White House, But No Fat Lady Sings
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All day, Friday, October
28, the headlines were screaming about this (NY Times) – I. Lewis Libby Jr., Vice
President Dick Cheney's chief of staff and one of the most powerful figures in the Bush administration, was formally accused
today of lying and obstruction of justice in an inquiry into the unmasking of a covert CIA officer. And he resigned. Basically, the charges
are that Libby consistently tried to mislead both the FBI and the grand jury about how he had learned of Plame's status. On
multiple occasions he told investigators that he had learned about it from reporters in July, but the truth was quite different.
In reality, Libby actively sought out information about Joe Wilson's trip to Niger starting in late May; learned from both
State Department and CIA sources in early June that Wilson's wife worked at the CIA; and received the same information from
Dick Cheney shortly after that. Libby subsequently discussed Plame with quite a few people within the White House, at one
point admitting to his deputy that "there would be complications at the CIA in disclosing that information publicly," an indication
that he knew perfectly well that the CIA didn't want Plame's status disclosed. He later told Ari Fleischer that the fact that
Joe Wilson's wife worked at the CIA was "not widely known." Yes
he did. You can imagine Libby and Rove explaining to Cheney, and to the president,
that, yeah, they did this – but the press will never, ever give up their sources.
They never do. They're too frightened about losing the insider access
that gets them big scoops. No problem.
We're safe. Deny it all. We
have the press in out pocket. And
the president reminded the press of just that, on October 8, 2003 - I have no idea whether we'll find out who the leaker is, partially because, in all due respect to your profession,
you do a very good job of protecting the leakers," he said. "You tell me: How many sources have you had that's leaked information
that you've exposed or had been exposed? Probably none." Yep
– remind them to keep quiet. He knew. There's
much more on that idea, from Digby at Hullabaloo here. Well,
Patrick Fitzgerald got his subpoenas, the Miller woman went to jail, and the press gave up their sources. That
nailed them, or Libby so far. It should have worked. Fitzgerald, however, got around the scam. But this was not the big
story everyone was expecting. The indictment mentions
some "Under Secretary of State" who helped Libby track down information about Wilson's trip to Niger. Patrick Fitzgerald said
that wasn't his topic today. One assumes that's John Bolton, our current UN ambassador. Patrick Fitzgerald said that wasn't
his topic Friday. Vice President Cheney told
Libby about Wilson and his wife, which implies he might have set up the whole thing. Patrick Fitzgerald said that wasn't his
topic Friday. Was Libby guilty of any
underlying crime in the case? Fitzgerald himself wasn't saying. Kevin Drum suggests Fitzgerald
did have the goods on Libby but just decided not to bother trying to prove it in court - the idea there is that "the
public interest in punishing the leak is served regardless of what charges are brought, so why waste time trying to prove
a complex and precarious case of espionage or mishandling classified data when there's a nice easy perjury case to be made
instead? Either way, the bad guy does the time." Senate Minority Leader
Harry Reid said the CIA leak case is about how the White House both "manufactured and manipulated intelligence'' to boost
its case for the Iraq war. But that wasn't what Fitzgerald
was dealing with. He said it wasn't his business. Note this from Jerry Bowles – Like all fair-minded
Americans, I'm disappointed that Karl Rove didn't get his comeuppance today, too. But, let's be honest. Scooter Libby is a
much bigger fish than Rove. Libby's been at the epicenter of the whole let's invade Iraq movement since Bush Senior was booted
out of office. He's a wall-to-wall neocon with real power to make policy. Karl is a bush (pun intended) league thug who got
lucky, a Colonel Parker who found his Elvis and rode him into the big time. His symbolic worth in the eyes of us fair-minded
Americans exceeds his true importance. And, cheer up; he may very well provide another occasion for celebration. Watching
the prosecutor's news conference just now on CNN, I wouldn't want to be left to twist slowly, slowly in the wind with this
guy Fitzgerald holding the rope. One senses this is far
from over. |
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This issue updated and published on...
Paris readers add nine hours....
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