Is Scooter really the can opener...?

[fastpat]

The the can of worms in neocon-world. Well, maybe.

Dark Clouds Over the White House - Patrick J. Fitzgerald lets the cat out of the bag

by Justin Raimondo

In their whining, complaining, often maudlin closing arguments, Scooter Libby's defense counsel averred that the prosecution had "cast a dark cloud over the White House" – as if that was, in itself, a bad thing, and, in the current context, a very bad thing. Leading prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald, in his rebuttal, was quick to retort:

"There is a cloud over the vice president . . . And that cloud remains because this defendant obstructed justice. There is a cloud over the White House. Don't you think the FBI and the grand jury and the American people are entitled to straight answers?"

Libby, Fitzgerald averred, "stole the truth from the justice system."

Ah, but the truth is still out there, waiting to be recovered: the question is, has the trail gone cold? Well, not quite. We know what Fitzgerald's method is: he goes after the underlings, convicts them, and then gets them to "flip" under pressure from a potentially long and arduous prison sentence. There is no doubt, in my mind at least, that that's exactly what he intends to do in this case. After all, he didn't go after one of the most powerful men in Washington just to get a cut-and-dried conviction on a few counts of perjury and obstruction. He's after bigger game. In the hunt for who outed a covert CIA officer named Valerie Plame, Fitzgerald has lived up to his nickname of "Bulldog" – and my guess is that he's going after the big one. Dick Cheney, call your lawyer ….

Okay, so Michael Isikoff disagrees: but, then again, he doesn't know what Fitz knows, or what Murray Waas apparently knows – and that is the existence of secret grand jury testimony implicating the vice president in the effort to "out" Plame.

"What is this case about?" asked Fitzgerald, in his closing arguments. "Is it about something bigger?"

It's always been clear that something more than mere perjury and obstruction of justice is at the heart of Fitzgerald's investigation. That was stated by Fitz from the beginning, when he went into his famous baseball analogy, and compared what Scooter had done – lied to investigators and a grand jury – to throwing sand in the umpire's face. The vision of investigators was obscured: therefore, they couldn't make a judgement about charging under the Espionage Act, or any other statute.

At the time of his indictment, it was clear, at least in these quarters, that Scooter was covering for his boss. Yet Fitzgerald never directly implicated Cheney, or Bush, as he did in his closing arguments, and this has got to be significant as a possible premonitory rumbling of the political earthquake to come.

It's always been obvious that Scooter – characterized as "Cheney's Cheney" inside the Beltway – acted in concert with Cheney. Through much of the trial the prosecution detailed Cheney's personal involvement in directing the response to former Ambassador Joe Wilson, and there can be little doubt that the two of them conspired to expose his wife and her entire overseas operation. Read the whole darn thing; hint, Cheney's next.

[dd74]

Hmmm...I do know Cheney's looking pretty dour these days.

[Moneyguy1]

I remember all too well the Watergate days...and months....and years....

Sadly, something seems all too familiar.

[fastpat]

Originally posted by Moneyguy1
I remember all too well the Watergate days...and months....and years....

Sadly, something seems all too familiar.

Bush II will lift a page from the Clinton presidential manual and tough it out until end of term unless impeached and convicted.

Still, it should go forward, as should this trial and other investigations.

[Rearden]

I thought Richard Armitage said he was the one who outed Plame. What does Cheney have to do with it?

[lendaddy]

"hint, Cheney's next."

lol, I'll take this wager

[fastpat]

Originally posted by Rearden
I thought Richard Armitage said he was the one who outed Plame. What does Cheney have to do with it?

Cheney and Libby conspired to use Plame for political reasons, that's illegal. Cheney has also committed numerous other crimes for which my hope is he's suitably punished.

[lendaddy]

Best of luck

[Rearden]

Originally posted by fastpat
Cheney and Libby conspired to use Plame for political reasons, that's illegal.

Where did you see evidence of this? What law was broken?

[fastpat]

Originally posted by lendaddy
Len, len, is that you Len?

Best of luck

Right!

[Rick Lee]

Originally posted by Rearden
Where did you see evidence of this? What law was broken?

Exactly! There's nothing illegal about refuting bogus info written in the NYT about yourself, which is what they did. If anyone should be prosecuted, it's Joe Wilson.

[fastpat]

Originally posted by Rick Lee
Exactly! There's nothing illegal about refuting bogus info written in the NYT about yourself, which is what they did. If anyone should be prosecuted, it's Joe Wilson.

Whistling by the "neocon graveyard" won't stop this case.

I, and others, have posted the law and who broke it many times out here, I'm not going to do so again.

I'd suggest you hide and watch this case unfold.

[lendaddy]

I think Pat believes if he hopes hard enough he can make his dreams come true

[fastpat]

Originally posted by lendaddy
I think Pat believes if he hopes hard enough he can make his dreams come true

So, you think that there is no court case involving Lewis "Scooter" Libby? What makes you think that?

[lendaddy]

Originally posted by fastpat
So, you think that there is no court case involving Lewis "Scooter" Libby? What makes you think that?

I am willing to wager money, goods or humiliation that Cheney is not charged by Fitzgerald for anything.

I think it's funny that you believe it will happen.

I think Libby has better than even odds of an acquittal or hung jury.

That's what I think.

[Rearden]

Originally posted by lendaddy
I am willing to wager money, goods or humiliation that Cheney is not charged by Fitzgerald for anything.

I think it's funny that you believe it will happen.

I think Libby has better than even odds of an acquittal or hung jury.

That's what I think.

Yea, but Pat's far-left loonie komrades tell him that this will be worse (better?) than Watergate. So it must be true. He won't bet you, though.

[sammyg2]

Careful Pat ,they're watching. they're probably on the same block, maybe on the same street. They are coming to get you! Run!