If the end result is a mess like this, then someone leaked inappropriately. Perhaps Libby was put out on a raft at the end of the boat, tied to a long rope, a sacrifice to the gods. Somehow believing this man would turn into Jack Ruby for their sake, just as Abramoff and Cunningham begin long sentences… you might as well write up all this to the true differences between organized crime and national politics over time, there aren’t nearly as many murdered rats and there’s practically no one involved from top to bottom in the DC machine, not wearing a military uniform, who won’t cop to their crime in five seconds once the whiff of a possible deal enters the interview room.
Let’s not tiptoe around this thing… these are not the kind of men best suited for prison life. Not to say that Libby is going to be bunked with a horny 300 pound Samoan, but his days of feeling proud of himself are most likely over. Instead of the cyborg programing Tom Delay is operating on, most of these guys have absolutely no stomach for that aspect of the public life. Delay on the other hand, ex-aides insist that his body actually extracts nutrition from public criticism, showing not only in his mood and demeanor but during his most combative periods in Congress, his cholesterol level would drop.
Of course, I’ve heard a lot of this second hand, and for five days it’s been a nonstop frenzy of beepers, cell phones, reporters all the way from Moscow to Miami calling with the same blathering idiot tone, a fax machine that runs out of paper a mere 4.5 hours after the shit storm first descended on all the poor schmuck reporters who had planed on having fun hundreds of miles away this weekend. Instead of that, it’s a frantic explaination of why the trip is suddenly over, resulting in 34 threats of divorce already, hundreds of speeding tickets, and bouts of deep and serious depression having descended on the Capitol, only to find tumbleweeds, tears and two double cheeseburgers for a buck at McDonalds.
And they’re not the only ones hurting, you can be sure of that! As a couple people have mentioned to me the reality that once in jail, when a minister “saves” them again, redeems them, it’s only half as strong as the first time… and some of these crooks have diped their bucket in that well once too often already for it to even matter. And this brings me to my closing point, the most important thing to remember in all of this, and that’s to slow down with accepting Christ as your personal savior when you’re young, because you never know when you’ll need that juice in the future. A society of overindulgence we’ve become, indeed… what could be the only thing worse than that is if we become habitual liars at the same time. No courpses, but in terms of blatant ignorance and total dishonesty, this caper puts us right around ‘China or Russia on a good day’.
This is showing signs of being a nothing issue, in that the President has the authority to declassify what he feels is necessary. Since Joe Wilson’s and Valerie Plame’s fraud was damaging to National Security Bush was right to out these political activists. Even if Libby get’s convicted I imagine a pardon is already signed with his name on it.
Wilson and Plame, however, go scott free.
Right, IF Wilson and Plame were guilty of anything, I’m quite sure they’d already be charged.
This is Nixon redux.
Right:
Early on Bush said he would punish who ever leaked this info. Now he is saying it was OK to leak it, and in fact it looks like he is the leaker and chief. If he had the authority to leak the info and the leak was for a good cause, why did he deny it for so long?
Plus, the only thing Joe Wilson did was say that the Niger uranium claim was not credible. Since that time even Condi Rice has admitted that Joe Wilson was in fact correct. So even if Bush did have the authority to leak the information he did it for petty political reasons.
From Raw story:
STUDENT: First let me say thank you very much for being here. And thank you for taking questions. I know we appreciate that. My name is Ben Dearing (sp). I’m a second-year Masters student studying international energy policy.
PRESIDENT BUSH: International — ?
Q Energy policy.
PRESIDENT BUSH: Oh, good!
Q Sorry. (Laughter.) My question, sir, is — well, as Anthony eluded to earlier, and as you’re aware, we have many students at SAIS who are currently working for or considering working for the State Department, the various intelligence agencies, and such. And how do you respond to the recent report by Prosecutor Fitzgerald that there is, in his words, “evidence of a concerted effort by the White House to punish Joseph Wilson,” who himself has a distinguished record of government service.
PRESIDENT BUSH: Yeah. No. I — this is — there’s an ongoing legal proceeding which precludes me from talking a lot about the case. There’s also an ongoing investigation that’s a serious investigation. I will say this, that after we liberated Iraq, there was questions in people’s minds about, you know — about the basis on which I made the statements, in other words going into Iraq. And so I decided to declassify the NIE for a reason. I wanted to see people — people to see what some of those statements were based on. That’s what I wanted to see. I wanted people to see the truth. And I thought it made sense for people to see the truth, and that’s why I declassified the document.
…And I felt I could do so without jeopardizing, you know, ongoing intelligence matters, and so I did. And as far as the rest of the case goes, you’re just going to have let Mr. Fitzgerald complete his case, and I hope you understand that. It’s a serious legal matter that we’ve got to be careful in making public statements about it. (Chuckles.)
The right-wing had their best days when it was all about whether or not Plame was “undercover” at the time. I quoted the judges who ruled on Miller and Cooper’s appeal to protect their sources, but nobody on the right-blogs would budge.
So as the thing proceeds, the question of whether or not Plame was “undercover” is dead and buried for all intensive purposes. Now it’s got to be about “if the President decides to declassify something, that’s his perogative”.
How does one then deal with the question of, “So if the President decides to go after someone’s family, you’re alright with that? What does that say to every other government worker out there?”
It’s a no-win for Republicans, and that’s why most reps and senators will stay inside with the shades drawn until Fox News can uncover a story about a child abducted somewhere by a child molestor out on parole.
I’m very curious to know exactly where this president’s authority ends.
Does he have the authority to knock on your door in the middle of the night, and put a .45 caliber-size hole in your head because he deems you a “terrorist”?
Is there anything that the president isn’t authorized to do in this war against “terrorism” (which could theoretically go on for decades)?
I also enjoy that this isn’t about wrong and right, lying and truthfulness to conservatives. RT apparently thinks this is simply another media talking point. Nevermind that the president completely misled and lied to Americans (both Republicans and Democrats) about this issue. And he’s still doing it. Heck of a job George.
Is there anything the President cannot do? menace, that’s the million dollar question! Some Americans would like a king rather than a President.