Posted on 04/13/2006 8:50:45 AM PDT by the Real fifi
The prosecution of Lewis “Scooter” Libby has drama aplenty, though in its pre-trial phase, the action is visible only to those who carefully dissect the complex and dry language of seemingly-arcane filings with the court.
Just before midnight last night Lewis Libby filed a Memo in Reply to the Government’s Response to the Defendant’s Third Motion to Compel Discovery. In what for non-lawyers may generally seem a dry discussion on a dispute about what documents in the government’s possession Fitzgerald must turn over to Libby to assist him in trial preparation, there are a number of blockbusters.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
"For the moment, the pleading suggests what I have argued previously, that this case was a CIA Gambit against the White House, that it was a mediagenic crisis, and that the Special Prosecutor is playing a razzle-dazzle game of making broad charges and then refusing to provide evidence in support of them, asserting that the charges against Libby are so narrow such evidence is not relevant"
It's heating up. Looks like Tenet's goose might get cooked.
Old Slam Dunk should have his goose cooked.
Bush is in a position to punish the real leakers--the rogue element in the CIA. Whether he will do so remains to be seen. The record is not very promising so far, frankly.
Tenet may have actually led the rogue element. But more likely he simply was in ideological agreement with it, because they had already infested the CIA before he became director under clinton.
Why Bush kept Tenet on after 2000 is a complete mystery. It was surely one of his stupidest mistakes, along with the continuation of clintonoid rogues in the FBI.
From NRO: http://corner.nationalreview.com/
FITZGERALD'S FOLLY [Byron York]
I have a story up on the latest in the CIA leak case, in which Lewis Libby says that neither President Bush, Vice President Cheney nor anyone else instructed him to discuss Valerie Plame Wilson with reporters. That's news. But what is perhaps bigger news is not explicitly stated anywhere in the legal papers, and that is that prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald appears to be losing control of the case.
Since indicting Libby on perjury and obstruction of justice charges last year, Fitzgerald has said that he wants to keep the case narrowly confined to the question of whether Libby lied to the grand jury and obstructed the investigation. But actually trying the case -- and we're just in the discovery stage now -- has forced Fitzgerald to put forward a theory of Libby's motive and to try to place Libby's actions in the larger context of an alleged White House plot to punish Joseph Wilson. And doing that has forced Fitzgerald to open the whole pre-war intelligence can of worms and to argue at length about the White House's effort to rebut the arguments of critics like Wilson, which is not specifically part of the charges against Libby.
Yet even as he has fallen into the trap of widening his arguments to include the Bush case for war, making the case seem more and more like a political prosecution, Fitzgerald is still refusing to hand over evidence to Libby -- for example, documents relating to whether Valerie Wilson's CIA status was classified or not -- on the grounds that Libby does not need such evidence to defend himself against the narrow perjury and obstruction charges. So on the one hand, Fitzgerald is increasingly bringing the big picture into the case, and on the other he is desperately trying to keep the case tightly focused on the little picture. It's not going to work. Either through his own errors, or his own lack of insight, or perhaps just the impossible nature of the case, Fitzgerald is moving himself into an untenable position. And the case is really just starting.
That said, besides the obvious, that Fitzy has been on a personal witch hunt from the get go - with the disclosures of his misdeeds coming to light, why can he not be brought up on charges - or at least investigation for conducting a vendetta using "malicious aforethought" zeal - which is, is it not, a crime?
It's time to end this non-story, and dismiss the special prosecutor, who is a hack.
"Tenet may have actually led the rogue element. But more likely he simply was in ideological agreement with it, because they had already infested the CIA before he became director under clinton."
After watching Tenet get torn up by the Senate over WMD Intelligence I don't see him actively undermining the President. I believe this investigation was pushed by the Whitehouse as a means for Bush to display his "new tone" and ethical administration. The Dems and the media ran with it.
They still don't realize the Dems hate him more than Al Queda.
I agree! Fatrick Pitzgerald's case is looking weaker and weaker every day. I'm wondering what the next revelation will be.
It all boils down to this: Russia, France and Germany delayed U.N. action long enough to allow Spetnaz troops to smuggle Iraq's WMD to Syria. Russia turned Iraq into a political quicksand for Bush. Even with a quick military victory, not finding WMD would mean American politics would implode. No WMD guaranteed a very nasty time for Bush. Now the extreme left wing of the Democratic Party will demand a Bush impeachment.
The only way the White House can prevent this is to come out with the truth about Iraq's WMD. Time to expose the dirty truth: Russia really is NOT our friend. China is not our friend either. Every dime we spend on Chinese junk bought in American stores will purchase ten dollars of misery for Americans. Time to wake up and smell the coffee.
Now Iran is playing hardball knowing America has exhausted itself with Iraq and Afghanistan. The Russians were calling the shots all along in the M.E. Putin is free to dictate terms in the region. In the meantime, China controls both ends of the Panama Canal. They bought control in Panama from corrupt officials with millions spent by Americans in store like Wal-Mart. Beijing also has control of the largest container facility in the world located very close to Cuba. Soon the U.S. is going to put our top secret radiation detecting equipment under Chinese control to scan containers. If you thought the Dubai Ports deal was wacky just wait. You ain't seen nothing yet.
That way you don't give that illegal alien hiring RINO the financial benefit that might accrue from a reference from FR.
Did you realize the USA has more carrier "groups" than the rest of the world combined has functioning "carriers".
BTW, carriers don't traverse the Panama Canal.
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