Posted on 10/28/2005 12:22:42 PM PDT by West Coast Conservative
Newsweek magazine reporter Howard Fineman, who's been at the forefront of recent media speculation that top White House official Karl Rove would be indicted, has pronounced Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald's decision to indict only Cheney aide Lewis Libby "a victory" for the Bush White House.
"Given the expectations that have evolved around here in the last week or so, if it turns out that this phase of the grand jury ends with only Scooter Libby being indicted," Fineman told MSNBC's Joe Scarborough last night, "that will be seen as almost be seen as a backwards kind of victory here."
Scarborough agreed, saying that the indictment of Libby without Rove would be, "a huge political win for the White House."
Fineman said Rove, not Libby, was Fitzgerald's "big fish."
"Karl Rove is a big national figure and as close to the president of the United States as you can get without being a member of the president`s family," he told Scarborough. "And so, politically, Karl Rove is the much bigger fish here."
That Libby lied to the GJ.
Only according to the counter testimony of Russert.
But several reporters say they learned of Plame from Libby - Libby says he learened of Plame from reporters, and independent notes indicate that Libby knew of Plame before he talked to reporters.
Libby never denied he told Russert about Plame. He said he told Russert he wasn’t sure about his information because he learned that information from journalists. Russert says he didn’t tell him that.
Where are you getting evidence, independent of what Russert says, that Libby’s statements were inaccurate?
It's not a Bush Victory it's a national disgrace.
This high-powered prosecutor has spent two years and over $700,000 taxpayer's dollars to investigate "the outing of a covert CIA agent." It should have taken about twenty minutes to determine that she was not a covert agent. A couple of hours if somebody were out of the office at the time.
This is like investigating a murder where the supposed victim is alive and well, sitting at home watching coverage of the investigation, and the DA never bothers to find out if the "victim" was ever attacked much less dead.
Okay Fitz....what does BOB NOVAK HAVE TO SAY?????
How do we know if Russert lied? That's the point..we don't . It's one memory against another.
Libby took the spear. This is the end of it unless the Democrats have Congressional hearings. The chance of this on a scale of 1 to 10 is -10. Fitzgerald will be home for Christmas.
Don't forget they are STILL AIMING FOR BUSH, and have not given up!!
Please show us those notes. When was the first time Libby talked to reporters BTW? These notes must be fascinating; they indicate when Libby first became aware of Plame (an irrelevant fact since she was not a covert agent for nine years prior to "Novak's outing") and the first time Libby spoke to a reporter. (about anything in particular or just in general?)
Especially now that the entire US population "jury pool" has been tainted by leaks from the leak investigation to believe he's guilty of charges that haven't even been articulated.
What upset me is that some on our side like to spin this endlessly and try to make all the doom and gloom from it and that President Bush is in big trouble, blah, blah, blah…. Instead of looking at it as a “victory” for us and an “utter defeat” for the left and their media whores. The Left and their media were waiting for their great Fitzmas gift, a nice big car (Rove) and all what they got is a matchbox (Libby) and Libby was charged on things not related to the “Leak itself”.
What leak?
Agree 100%.
Read the indictment.
When Libby is first aware of Plame IS relevant, but under this indictment, only to the matter of the version of events he told investigators. If he'd said to the investigators, "I learned of Plame by asking the CIA, but feigned surprise when Russert told me" the case boils down to only he-said she-said (did Russert bring up Plame? or did Libby?). Instead, Libby told the investigarots that he heard of Plame from Russert, and was surprized at the NEWS (from Russert).
It's more than that. Read the indictment.
No. Not only according to that.
Libby told the GJ that he (Libby) was surprized at learning of Plame from Russert - that at the time of his conversation with Russert, LIBBY was surprized to hear that Wilson's wife worked for the CIA.
In fact, he couldn't have been surprized at that time, because he'd looked it up himself in the very recent past, and had discussed it with others.
Expressing the presence of surprise at that time is a lie of it's own right.
He can make inaccurate statements to anybody he wants, but not to the GJ.
I'm just drawing from the indictment for facts - and for the sake of discussion, assume them to be true.
I wasn't trying to bust your huevos I just wanted to keep it straight...there wasn't any "leak." The investigation is as phony as a three dollar bill. Investigation of a crime that never happened.
Common FReeper courtesy is to provide a link when you bloviate.
The "indictment" (or links to it) can be found here: Fitzgerald Documents on his Website
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