Richard Armitage has finally emerged from the cover-my-backside closet, "apologizing" on CBS for keeping quiet for almost three years about being the original source for Robert Novak's July 14, 2003, column stating that Joe Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame, worked for the CIA and had suggested him for a mission to Niger. He disingenuously blames his silence on Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald's non-legally-based request--any witness is free to talk about his testimony--not to discuss the matter.
Put aside hundreds of thousands of dollars of taxpayer funds squandered on the investigation, New York Times reporter Judith Miller's 85 days in jail, the angst and legal fees of scores of witnesses, the White House held siege to a criminal investigation while fighting the war on terror, Karl Rove's reputation maligned, and "Scooter" Libby's resignation and indictment. By his silence, Mr. Armitage is responsible for one of the most factually distorted investigations in history.
There is a reason the old Watergate question--What did he know and when did he know it?--has become part of our investigative culture. It provides a paradigm for parsing a complicated factual scenario.
You know Fitgerald is from Chicago don't you?
Since I've lived in the Chicago area my whole life, I actually "know" that Fitzgerald is "from" New York. Indeed, he was selected for U.S. Attorney of Illinois in 2001 precisely because Fitzgerald was NOT from Chicago (Fitz said that he had visited Chicago only one day -- for a wedding in 1982 -- before being selected) and therefore had NO connections to the corrupt political establishment there. As such, Fitzgerald was appointed by Bush on the advise of a conservative Republican Senator, and vigorously opposed by the Daley machine (my guess is you have no idea who that is) and the combine (ditto) because they COULDN'T control him.
Thanks to having an independent outsider to oppose the Chicago machine, Fitzgerald has proven to be extremely effective at exposing Obama's gang here in Chicago and has indicted dozens of top-ranking Democrat officials, including James Laski, then the second highest ranking elected Chicago official (city Clerk), Tony Rezko (the top Democrat fundraiser in Illinois), and of course, Rod Blagoejevich. Not to mention just about every paid official in the HDO (Hispanic Democrat Organization) for the Hired Truck scandal (which is a major issue here in Illinois, but unheard of outside our state). NONE of which would have occurred if a Chicago insider had been appointed.
But thanks for proving my point that Fitzgerald haters on FR are ignorant of Chicago politics. Getting rid of Fitzgerald would be Obama's wet dream.