Libby Indicted

[Commissar]

http://news.yahoo.com/fc/us/bush_administration

 

WASHINGTON - The vice president's chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby Jr., was indicted Friday on charges of obstruction of justice, perjury and making false statements in the CIA leak investigation, a politically charged case that will throw a spotlight on President Bush's push to war.

 

Rove hasn't been indicted, but he's still under investigation, apparently.

 

And it doesn't look like Libby's getting tagged for the actual leak, either. Wonder if that's ever going to get resolved.

[><FISH'>]

Does anyone here remember the Fast Food Rockers? That song was a crime to music everywhere. Even Kylie herself would be appalled at how cheezy it was. I wouldn't participate in the making of that god-awful song for any amount of money.

 

Thoughts people...?

[SteveThaiBinh]

Wasn't there a muppet called Scooter?

 

Within reason, anything that's bad for Bush is good news. I just hope we don't get incessant exhaustive coverage of every moment of it on every news programme.

[Surreptishus]

Does anyone here remember the Fast Food Rockers? That song was a crime to music everywhere. Even Kylie herself would be appalled at how cheezy it was. I wouldn't participate in the making of that god-awful song for any amount of money.

 

Thoughts people...?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You are a fool.

[Enoch]

And it doesn't look like Libby's getting tagged for the actual leak, either.  Wonder if that's ever going to get resolved.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Oh, he did leak the information. It's just that the law in question is very hard to break. It has a very tough intent requirement-- to violate it you pretty much have to know that you're illegally divulging classified info, and then do so with the intent of hindering or harming the United States.

 

If Libby had simply cooperated with everything the special prosecuter wanted, and told him the truth about everything, there never would've been criminal charges. (The same was true for Martha Stewart.)

[Whitemithrandir]

Sounds like a good thing.

Never liked him anyway.

I guess Rove is next?

[Commissar]

And it doesn't look like Libby's getting tagged for the actual leak, either.  Wonder if that's ever going to get resolved.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Oh, he did leak the information. It's just that the law in question is very hard to break. It has a very tough intent requirement-- to violate it you pretty much have to know that you're illegally divulging classified info, and then do so with the intent of hindering or harming the United States.

 

If Libby had simply cooperated with everything the special prosecuter wanted, and told him the truth about everything, there never would've been criminal charges. (The same was true for Martha Stewart.)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You listening to NPR, too?

[Enoch]

And it doesn't look like Libby's getting tagged for the actual leak, either.  Wonder if that's ever going to get resolved.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Oh, he did leak the information. It's just that the law in question is very hard to break. It has a very tough intent requirement-- to violate it you pretty much have to know that you're illegally divulging classified info, and then do so with the intent of hindering or harming the United States.

 

If Libby had simply cooperated with everything the special prosecuter wanted, and told him the truth about everything, there never would've been criminal charges. (The same was true for Martha Stewart.)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You listening to NPR, too?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Not at the moment. I just remembered reading a pretty non-biased account of the law in question a couple of weeks ago.

[metadigital]

Sounds like a good thing.

Never liked him anyway.

I guess Rove is next?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

He's under continued investigation for the next six months.

 

More importantly, Fitzgerald, his existence and success so far, are the best reason to hold democracy in general and the US in particular up as role models for the way different parts of the society can check and balance each other.

[metadigital]

Actually, I believe the neo-cons are not gunning for a hardline neo-christian fascist for the Supreme Court (well, that's not their primary goal, anyway); more that they are aghast at the completely un-Republican behaviour of their President.

 

To wit, I read an accountant's audit of the cost of Dubya's spending so far, not including the Hurricane clean-ups, and (in adjusted dollars) he was already deeper in red ink than JBJ and his now infamous guns AND butter opening gambit.

 

So, Here we have a Republican that has blown the surplus (that was ironically earned by the Democrats) AND burnt a hole in the federal treasury larger than any in history in an attempt to bring in socialist reforms that a democrat would blanch at, whilst fighting a elective war that now has no clear evidential support ...

 

And meanwhile Tony Blair is doing a better Margaret Thatcher impersonation than anyone in the Conservative Party could even dream of ...

[Commissar]

Actually, I believe the neo-cons are not gunning for a hardline neo-christian fascist for the Supreme Court (well, that's not their primary goal, anyway); more that they are aghast at the completely un-Republican behaviour of their President.

 

To wit, I read an accountant's audit of the cost of Dubya's spending so far, not including the Hurricane clean-ups, and (in adjusted dollars) he was already deeper in red ink than JBJ and his now infamous guns AND butter opening gambit.

 

So, Here we have a Republican that has blown the surplus (that was ironically earned by the Democrats) AND burnt a hole in the federal treasury larger than any in history in an attempt to bring in socialist reforms that a democrat would blanch at, whilst fighting a elective war that now has no clear evidential support ...

 

And meanwhile Tony Blair is doing a better Margaret Thatcher impersonation than anyone in the Conservative Party could even dream of ...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Good post, though I suspect it was meant for the Miers nomination thread.

[metadigital]

Hmmm. I must be tired ...

[Calax]

I wonder if we'll kick another public face out of office (I'm american and Californian... we kicked our governer out of office last year)

[Surreptishus]

2 years ago.

[Calax]

Guess that tells you how much I pay attn to the news and date doesn't it?

[metadigital]

Heavy sedation.

[taks]

So, Here we have a Republican that has blown the surplus (that was ironically earned by the Democrats)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

actually, i've always assumed it was earned because we had a split legislative and executive branch. i.e. democrat clinton couldn't get his spending ideas (uh, healthcare anyone?) passed in republican house and senate.

 

this is the sole reason i favor a democratic president now. however, should the senate republicans continue to implode as well, we'll end up needing a republican president next time to counter the soon-to-be democratic controlled senate.

 

oh well.

 

taks

[taks]

damn. i must be under the same level of sedation.

 

taks

[Commissar]

actually, i've always assumed it was earned because we had a split legislative and executive branch.  i.e. democrat clinton couldn't get his spending ideas (uh, healthcare anyone?) passed in republican house and senate.

 

this is the sole reason i favor a democratic president now.  however, should the senate republicans continue to implode as well, we'll end up needing a republican president next time to counter the soon-to-be democratic controlled senate.

 

oh well.

 

taks

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Really? I would've figured you'd favor a Democratic president now because you're a fiscal conservative, and I doubt whoever the Democrats throw up could possibly spend more money than Bush.

 

And you've got to believe that if Rove can stay out of jail, he's going to find a way to turn this around. Hell, he managed to turn the 2004 presidential election into a referendum on boys kissing, the indictment of a White House advisor will be a cake-walk.

[Lucius]

- I'm SO indicted, and I just can't hide it...

[Commissar]

- I'm SO indicted, and I just can't hide it...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Doesn't look like he's going to be at the moment.

 

However, a theory I heard this morning runs as follows:

 

Libby's the only guy with whom the prosecutor has a case he's convinced could not possibly end in acquittal. Libby's obviously not the end of the chain, but right now the evidence against, for example, Rove or even Cheney or Bush, is too thin to guarantee conviction. So he's putting the squeeze on Libby (and I'd imagine a potential 30 years and a million dollar plus fine is some kind of squeeze), and is going to let his legal team realize that he's going to lose no matter what, and then offer him some sort of plea bargain in exchange for testifying against the higher ups.

[metadigital]

- I'm SO indicted, and I just can't hide it...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Doesn't look like he's going to be at the moment.

 

However, a theory I heard this morning runs as follows:

 

Libby's the only guy with whom the prosecutor has a case he's convinced could not possibly end in acquittal. Libby's obviously not the end of the chain, but right now the evidence against, for example, Rove or even Cheney or Bush, is too thin to guarantee conviction. So he's putting the squeeze on Libby (and I'd imagine a potential 30 years and a million dollar plus fine is some kind of squeeze), and is going to let his legal team realize that he's going to lose no matter what, and then offer him some sort of plea bargain in exchange for testifying against the higher ups.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Reminds me of the end to Quiz Show ...

[Plano Skywalker]

President GW Bush has not vetoed a single appropriations bill to date.

It seems that the Bush/DeLay Republican coalition is pragmatic on the issue

of pork-barrel politics and tries to coopt Republican and independent voters with foreign policy and/or moral issues.

 

The ironic thing is that it is precisely because the Framers gave us divided government as a matter of constitutional law (they were afraid of over-centralizing government) that it is so easy to slip pork into legislation and so hard to stop the practice.

 

The early Republican Congress passed a Line Item Veto and Clinton actually used it but the Supreme Court struck it down. It will take a full-blown constitutional amendment to give the President a line item veto.

 

I am convinced that a line-item veto is the only hope the American system of federal government has to reign in pork spending. It just isn't going to happen without it.

[taks]

Really?  I would've figured you'd favor a Democratic president now because you're a fiscal conservative, and I doubt whoever the Democrats throw up could possibly spend more money than Bush.

that's kind of my point. well, a two-parter: a) democratic president can't spend as much as bush because of republican congress and b) republican congress can't get anything passed because of democratic president.

 

bush is allowed to spend like mad because of a republican congress.

 

And you've got to believe that if Rove can stay out of jail, he's going to find a way to turn this around.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

given that two years of investigating resulted in nothing more than an indictment for false testimony to a grand jury, i'd say it is likely rove won't go to jail. it seems they did nothing wrong.

 

i saw a good breakdown of the generally accepted "trail" for this whole thing the other day... good read, not really politically biased, either.

 

taks

[metadigital]

...

Bush is allowed to spend like mad because of the Republican congress.

...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Doesn't bode well for good government if even the "fairest nation on Earth" is still too partisan to legislate for a better country, rather than line the pockets of their own groups of special interest ...

 

 

Is there any reason that J Gordon Liddy rhymes with Libby?