"He threw sand in the eyes of the FBI. He stole the truth of the judicial system. You return guilty

[understandinglife]

... you give truth back. - Patrick Fitzgerald, 20 Feb 2007.

http://www.firedoglake.com/2007/02/20/libby-live-fitzgeralds-rebuttal-two/#comments

Precisely.

[bleever]

1. Eloquent, precise, and powerful.

Recommended. It's a good day.


:hi:

[understandinglife]

2. Agree!!

:hi:


Peace.

[SalmonChantedEvening]

19. It is indeed bleever

:hi:

Well done Fitz!!!!!!

:kick:

[Qutzupalotl]

3. This after Wells sobbed to "give (Libby) back to me"

That was how Wells closed. Fitz took that and shoved it down his throat.

It's like Wells was arguing that Libby > (is greater than) the truth. Fitz basically said it's the other way around.

[fooj]

4. I know that time will tell...

I believe he is going after Bush. IMO, he is aiming for the top tier. We'll see.

[Flarney]

5. Does he have the authority to bring new charges after this trial?

I'm pretty foggy on how the justice dept. works...

[Redbear]

7. Yes. And the most likely target is Cheney

[understandinglife]

9. Any doubt that Shooter is the 'target' is now resolved. Irrespective ...

.... of whether Scooter flips, if he's convicted he is of no value (or worse) to a Cheney defense.

So, be Scooter a 'decoy duck' or merely some "brush that needed to be cleared," Mr Fitzgerald has Shooter where he needs him and the only remaining issue is whether Cheney will throw Bu$h under the bus.


Peace.

[understandinglife]

14. "#9, p.5: "On or about June 12, 2003, LIBBY was advised by the Vice ...

... President of the United States that Wilson's wife worked at the Central Intelligence Agency in the Counterproliferation Division. LIBBY understood that the Vice President had learned this information from the CIA."

Link:
http://www.dcd.uscourts.gov/04ms407-I.pdf

This is just beginning .....

Link: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=5205585

... In_Deed, and, as with how Fitzgerald began with a single count indictment in Chicago and subsequently has convicted over 50, including an ex-Governor, we're barely emerging from act one, scene one ....


Peace.

[mod mom]

29. slam!

[understandinglife]

32. Jane Hamsher: Big Close

The courtroom was packed today and the theatrics did not disappoint. Patrick Fitzgerald came right out and said that Shooter had his dirty fingerprints all over the crime. As in the liveblog:

There is a cloud over the VP. He wrote those columns, he had those meetings, He sent Libby off to the meeting with Judy. Where Plame was discussed. That cloud remains because the defendant obstructed justice. That cloud was there. That cloud is something that we just can't pretend isn't there.

<clip>

At one point Fitzgerald started down a road I thought he wouldn't — mentioning that Libby would most surely remember information regarding Valerie Plame because anyone would when there were lives at stake, identities that might be exposed. I expected Wells to leap out of his chair but he never took his head out of his hand, and Jeffres looked like he was about to have a conniption fit. As the second attorney on the case it wasn't his place to object, but even if Fitzgerald was on completely solid ground based on arguments that they themselves had opened up, at the very least they needed to stop his momentum. He had the jury in his hand at that moment and Wells was in a coma, so Jeffress timidly asked if they could approach the bench. Which Fitz did, but Wells did not. Fitz wound up backtracking a bit, emphasizing that this went to Libby's state of mind and should not be considered a discussion of whether Libby leaked classified information because that's not what he was charged with. But during the chat with the judge, Libby leaned over and had a few words with Wells, and I'm only guessing here but most likely something along the lines of "this is what I get for my eight million bucks?"

Link:http://www.firedoglake.com/2007/02/20/big-close/

What you get for your 8M Scooter is a choice - the same one you've had from the day Fitzgerald indicted you: roll on Shooter or spend even more time in the slammer with Shooter.

It's called TREASON, Dude, and you and Shooter and, perhaps even the Shrub himself are going to be taught the consequences of destroying US National Security assets and, more importantly, endangering and destroying the lives of those who actually serve the Constitution and the People of our dear Republic.


Peace.

[understandinglife]

43. LC Johnson: Now I will write this in big block letters: VALERIE PLAME WAS STILL UNDER NON OFFICIAL

... COVER (NOC) WHEN NOVAK PUBLISHED HER NAME."

<clip>

Here is the irony? If Valerie had been an overt employee or a covert employee not covered by IIPA then Scooter Libby would not have had to lie to FBI agents because there would not have been an investigation. But Valerie was a covert agent. Dick Cheney, Scooter Libby, Karl Rove, Ari Fleischer, and Richard Armitage, among others, put her name in circulation with members of the press. They harmed a covert agent and in the process did serious damage to our nation's security. This may not be relevant to the charges Scooter faces, but it is relevant to our nations security. We now know that the Bush White House was as cavalier with the identity of a CIA officer as they have been of late with the medical care for wounded Iraqi war vets at Walter Reed. And in both cases people have probably died because of their carelessness.

Link: http://noquarter.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/02/was_she_covert.html

Repeat after me: IT IS TRIBUNAL TIME IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA -- for so many crimes I've long ago lost count.


Peace.

[GreenZoneLT]

47. Yeah, but they can't charge Cheney

Bush, and by extension Cheney, are not subject to the laws covering misuse of classified information, since the president is the ultimate authority of what is classified and what isn't (and you can guarantee he's granted carte blanche on that to Uncle Dick). And there's no indication yet that Cheney participated in the coverup that Libby got nailed for. Libby wasn't charged with outing Plame, because there's no indication yet that any laws were broken in doing so. He was charged with lying about outing Plame, no doubt for political reasons rather than fear of prosecution.

I'd like to see Rove, Cheney and Bush in the hoosegow as much as anyone, but there's nothing impeachable in the Plame case, unless more evidence of a criminal conspiracy to perpetuate the coverup comes out.

[Caretha]

51. You are absolutely wrong

Possibly you are listening to RW radio too much?

[understandinglife]

53. "The evidence shows that Cheney and Libby were not merely negligent; they were reckless in how ...

... they treated classified information.

From

<clip>

And finally, Karl Rove showed his concern for Plame’s possible security status by total indifference. He and Libby discussed their leak week’s efforts on Friday afternoon, but Libby’s GJ testimony on that conversation doesn’t reveal a word on either side expressing concern about whether they might have just exposed a CIA agent or compromised her work.

If you missed it, check out last nights amazing video in which summarize yesterday’s closing arguments. It’s a keeper.

Arrogant traitors, nothing less.


Peace.

[WinkyDink]

36. Awesome possibility.

[fooj]

8. Fitz has another grand jury ready to go...

[wiggs]

34. May not need one. There's no new evidence, unless Libby cuts a deal and gives

Fitz something he didn't already have. Remember the rumors that the previous grand jury issued a sealed indictment for someone...seems to me there was more than enough info out there to indict someone for spilling the beans on Plame. Maybe the previous jury already handed out an indictment....

Even if no further indictment through Justice Dept...it should be easy for congress and MSM to see that at least four senior administration officials were involved in trying to discredit important war-related information, de-classify reports and identities in support of a lie, use the press in an unseemly manner, lie to the American people (Scotty and B*sh), endanger an operative and everyone associated with her, ruin a carerr, compromise security and intelligence, and destroy traditional relationships between administration and intelligence agencies and the press. THERE'S NO REASON WHY BRINGING THESE ISSUES TO LIGHT HAS TO RELY ON WHETHER OR NOT AN INVESTIGATOR CAN GET AN INDICTMENT. THERE'S PLENTY OF INFORMATION OUT THERE FOR CONGRESS TO INVESTIGATE IN THIS MATTER, RIGHT NOW. AND THERE ARE A YEAR'S WORTH OF OP-EDS FOR PAPERS TO WRITE CONCERNING THE DECEIPT, DISHONESTY, RUTHLESSNESS, AND DANGEROUS ARROGANCE OF THESE GUYS.

[fooj]

62. IMO, Waxman will have his day.

I'm in full agreement. There is more than enough to work with...

[Missy Vixen]

6. Here's to Patrick Fitzgerald

and the truth, which we all deserve.

:toast:

Julie

[SlowDownFast]

10. K&R

That's beautiful.

[DemReadingDU]

11. video - David Shuster update on Hardball

Closing arguments at Libby trial
http://video.msn.com/v/us/msnbc.htm?g=54d3ef06-e21a-4c2e-bec0-44aef8607c44&f=00&fg=email

[understandinglife]

12. Thank you!!!

Peace.

[mod mom]

13. Ah...I just finished. GIVE TRUTH BACK!

(chauffering the kids during Fitz's summation just doesn't fair :)

Wells was horrible.

[understandinglife]

15. Amazing fellow that Mr Fitzgerald ... simply amazing ...

:hi:


Peace.

[flyarm]

37. hey UL great thread!! Fitz was roomate of a friend of hubby's as undergrad

at Amherst College...hubby's golfing buddy and BEST friend though died young..41.. a couple yrs ago..but his wife said Fitz is the most honest man with the utmost integrity!! and as young man in college he was a very serious fellow..hard working!!

The integrity words resounded loudly!!

fly

[understandinglife]

41. "The integrity words resounded loudly!!"

IN_DEED!!!

:hi: my friend!
Bob


Peace.

[EFerrari]

16. K&R

[Me.]

17. If Anyone Doubted Where Fitzgerald Stood On This

Those words made it clear. That fool Isikoff was blowing the whole thing off on Hardball. For sure, he;d have us believe, FitzG. wasn't going after Cheney and of course there would be a pardon. How did he get a career? He didn't even listen to Franks who was on the show with him who said as far as a pardon goes, he thought (and he knows Cheney very well) that Cheney would stay out of it. H20Man said in a thread a few weeks ago that if Cheney had the juice he would have gotten Libby a pardon in December when everyone was pushing for it. Also, Isikoff, that fool, is forgets how much Rove hates Libby now.

[bleever]

18. Thanks, I was hoping someone would mention Isikoff's loony

take on things. I watched it twice, and it was at least as grating the second time!

[speedoo]

27. Isikoff really is an idiot, isn't he.

It's like he can't see the forest for the trees.

[Straight Shooter]

33. Your impression of Isikoff is the same impression I got.

I had to look twice at the screen to make sure Isikoff's hair wasn't on fire when Matthews began theorizing how Fitz may have Cheney in his sights. Isikoff did everything but scream, "No, no, dear God no!!" Then he began talking so fast, and nonsensically, about the futility of going after Cheney.

Isikoff's weakest argument? That we should move on because, "This has been going on for four years, at great taxpayer expense." (paraphrased)

Well, duh, whose fault is that?

[Garbo 2004]

46. The same Isikoff who thought a stained dress warranted a $70 mil investigation. n/t

[Bozita]

39. Isikoff lacks much of his enthusiasm displayed during Monicagate

Maybe he was on steroids back then.

[Garbo 2004]

48. H20 Man has an excellent post on the pardon issue in another thread

emumerating why it's not necessarily a given, as some think, that Bush will pardon Libby if he's convicted.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=247002&mesg_id=250808

[alcibiades_mystery]

20. That's good fucking reading

Helluvan argument.

If Libby is acquitted I will be shocked as hell. He may as well pack a toothbrush at this point, cuz that fucker's going to federal prison.

[texpatriot2004]

21. It's my truth and I want it back now...GUILTY! Guilty all the way to

the top.

[snappyturtle]

22. Fitz-tabulous! n/t

[Rex]

23. Bravo!

Patrick Fitzgerald is a class act, one of the few who works for the people and not special interest! Thank you, sir!

:toast:

[Peace Patriot]

24. Some great moments today in Fitzgerald's closing argument--he really laid it

laid it on Cheney. I am more convinced than ever that we are going to see, at the very least, a GJ report naming Cheney as "unindicted co-conspirator"--and possibly even a GJ submitting a bill of impeachment to the US House, which we have learned is possible under Jefferson's Rules. (A state legislature can also do it--and New Mexico's impeachment resolution has been reported out of committee).

I think a GJ report naming Cheney will happen whether or not Libby is convicted of lying/obstruction. Fitzgerald has made a brilliant case for conviction--but who knows what a jury will do? They might figure that Libby was under orders of the effective "commander in chief" in time of war, and shouldn't be convicted of lying with Darth Vader as his boss--and his "commander" getting away with it, thus far. But my guess: They will convict.

He clearly lied and made things up, to cover his ass and his boss'--and what he was lying about--which Fitzgerald also makes very clear--was the endangerment of a CIA agent's life, and the lives of those in the worldwide network that she headed.

Here are some notes I took, from reading Emptywheel's fast transcription at Firedoglake today (what incredible work those folk are doing--bringing this trial to us live at a blog):

-------

"Wilson’s wife wasn’t a person, but an argument…”

Fitzgerald says that's what they "reduced" this person, Valerie Wilson, to--"an argument," and he apologizes for using their terminology of "the wife" (when he is forced to quote them). He said it is not believable that this was a trivial matter to them--which the defense tried to show. Libby had been informed that lives could be lost--in outing her CIA network--and this is what was on his mind when he lied to the FBI about who told him of Plame's identity. (He said newsman Russert told him--but other evidence clearly shows that Cheney told him--and Russert contradicted Libby--said no, he did not tell Libby who Plame was.).

Gist: They reduced a top level CIA agent–-not to mention her network of deep cover agents/contacts around the world, who were protecting us all from illicit movement of dangerous weapons–-to “an argument”-–an argument in which the arguers were telling lies–-and they reduced the head of this network to “the wife.” But all this trivialization of someone's life and career, and of the great potential harm of what they did, was just more "dust in the umpire's eyes." Fitzgerald had carefully laid out Cheney/Libby's obsession with Wilson and with "the wife" --so that Libby's defense that it was unimportant, or that he "forgot" what he had said to reporters (when in fact, he INVENTED conversations to get himself off the hook, and to hide the fact that Cheney had told him) evaporates. It was VERY important. They knew what they were doing. They did it anyway, and then Libby lied about it.

Fitzgerald gets it all in--the whole story--in the course of explaining WHY Libby lied. Magnificent, really! An incredible presentation!


—–


“There is a cloud over the Vice President.”


Yup.


—-


“DONT YOU THINK THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE ENTITELD TO ANSWERS….When you go in that jury room, your common sense will tell you that he made a gamble. He threw sand in the eyes of the FBI. He stole the truth of the judicial system. You return a verdict of guilty– you give truth back.”


—-


“Turns off overhead. I’m going to flip through my book as if I’m organized.”


—-


“…When you go in that jury room, your common sense will tell you that he made a gamble. He threw sand in the eyes of the FBI. He stole the truth of the judicial system…”


I was very impressed with how Fitzgerald laid this case out, very crisp and straightforward. And devastating. He’s also a great storyteller (the Irish in him?). He brings us down to “the moment”–-what the pressures on Libby were, what his choices were, what he knew, as he faced agent Bond (that, if he could just get his story past her, the threat of prosecution for what he had done would go away). He shows what the temptation was, and very clearly shows how Libby yielded to the temptation to lie.


And THAT took–-to get to that moment took–-GREAT ORGANIZATION, untangling the web of lies and cover stories he was presented with when he started this investigation.


His remark about pretending to be organized is the coup de grace. To catch these liars, he had to be very organized, indeed. And that subtle implication, that if only they had told the truth to start with, all this effort to track their intricate web of falsehood and misdirection would have ben unnecessary.


Patrick Fitzgerald NOT organized? Har-har.


Reading Wells' final defense of Libby today, I’m tempted to think that Wells threw this game. He did so many things to alienate the jury–-even insulted them, implying that some of them would convict Libby because of their political party affiliation. Like a sleazy preacher, he urges them to "help" the other jurors who might do that. He also tried to intimidate them with Libby’s importance. It was almost a veiled threat. (--implying: 'I'm an important lawyer, and this is an important man, and you had better watch out what you do.') And throwing in that bit about “protecting” Libby. Jeez. Fitzgerald took that right apart. (Who was protecting Plame?) If I was on that jury, I would feel insulted, demeaned, and angry at both Libby and his attorneys–-most of all for their contempt for the truth. Fitzgerald’s final line about the truth upon which the justice system is based, and the answers that are owed to the American people was the perfect answer to “the sand” that has been thrown “in the umpire’s eyes.”

Wells went into histrionics--and actually produced tears, about how Libby was "under my protection." "Give him back to me!" he cried. (No kidding.) And Fitzgerald came right back with, who was protecting Plame?

It was beautiful.

His meticulous indictment of Libby for lying/obstruction, his indictment of Cheney, and his plea for the truth--were delivered with restrained passion that could only have contrasted wildly with Wells' emotionality and lack of a defense case.

--------------

One caveat: The blogger who is typing all of this AS IT HAPPENS (Emptywheel--Marci) was obviously getting a bit tired and overwhelmed, during the beginning part of Fitzgerald's presentation, and you have to know trial details to understand her shorthand, and what Fitzgerald is doing (dismantling Libby's defense). The best parts of further on in the blog. Read the comments also. They clarify things.

--------------

I think Dick Cheney is going down. That's my read on it.

See: http://www.firedoglake.com

[WinkyDink]

38. I like your read. That would be the best political event since 1974.

[speedoo]

49. I agree. Fitz is definitely after Cheney.

Great post!

[northamericancitizen]

25. Kick & R. Dear understandinglife,

Your pleas for ``We the People`` always moved me.
Most of the time your posts focus on the basic Rights of the American People.

I am not an american, (I am French-Canadian) but I can relate...

[understandinglife]

26. Very kind of you. Thank you!

Peace,
Bob

[northamericancitizen]

28. I did not have many contacts with the ``undeclared`` group...

re: your profile vs your last answer.

Maybe I am guilty of being sexist... I feel happy that you are a man.

It would have been so easy to deduct you were a female.. on this end anyway. The intensity and deepness of your (pro) reactive posts were so upfront that I thought only a female could have brought it to our collective attention.

6 months ago, you were posting a lot more. I followed every thread you started. Mostly the ones dealing with the historical references to the American founding figures and their vision.

Wouash, I am not happy with the last few sentences: frustration is a regular companion for those who use english as a second language.

[puebloknot]

31. K&R Thanks for shedding a bit of light in the darkness.

And thanks for the work you're putting in to do the research on this, and post. It's much appreciated.

[understandinglife]

44. Very kind of you, my friend!

Peace,
Bob

[Catherine Vincent]

40. Thanks for this thread, Bob!

Can I call you Bob now? ;-) :hi:

[understandinglife]

42. Always!

;)

Peace, my friend,
Bob

[mod mom]

30. Yes, we here at DU are fortunate to have many gifted and passionate writers,

and Understandinglife is definitely one of them.

:patriot:

[CrazyOrangeCat]

35. This is awesome.

K&R

[understandinglife]

45. HuffPo Headline: "Prosecutor: Leak Of Plame's Name Has Cast A Cloud Over The White House"

As of 2243 PST, 20 February 2007.

And, the HuffPo folk link that headline to:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/21/washington/21libby.html?ref=washington

Interesting synopsis, HuffPo "editors" - I'd say the nature of 'the cloud' is more like what one would observe from a radar image of a Category Five Hurricane.

Those of us who realized what Novak did, the moment we read that treasonous article of his, also realized that he would have never been able to write it and avoid being arrested, immediately, if the President of the United States of America wasn't, ultimately and immediately, shielding his sorry ass.


IT IS TRIBUNAL TIME IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA -- and the list of crimes is currently uncounted but likely to be vast.

[DearAbby]

50. At this moment

I am so proud of Patrick Fitzgerald. :patriot:

[Olney Blue]

52. "He stole the truth of the judicial system." Powerful.

[understandinglife]

54. Remarkable what someone of Fitzgerald's skills can do with 8 words!!

:thumbsup:


Peace.

[donkeyotay]

55. Does anyone know the date that POTUS declassified the NIE?

I'm looking at the WH press briefings on July 14, 2003 regarding the 16 words in the SOTU. First Fleischer says:

"In 1991, after the Gulf War ended we realized that Iraq was much closer to getting nuclear weapons...flash forward then to the late 1990s, this, then, became the source of what the CIA concluded in the national intelligence estimate...This is the history of Iraq. It is this history based on the reporting from the 1990s that led the CIA to that conslucsion that Iraq was seeking uranium. and that's how it made it into the speech."

Later, after discussing the apples vs oranges argument that the Cinncinati speech and SOTU speech were different, a reporter asks how it got into the NIE just 3 weeks after being taken out of the Cincinnati speech. Fleischer doesn't answer directly but claims that it got back into the SOTU "Based on additional information from the NIE."

A reporter says, "You just said it was because it was contained in the NIE. The NIE had a footnote saying this information was highly dubious. Who on the President's staff would let him say something that the State Department had said was highly dubious?"

Fleischer says "The reason the British were cited is because the British had a public document."

From the July 22nd briefing, now with Bartlett:

"We obviously had at that point two separate data points or source points in order to reference. One was the intelligence underlying in the NIE, or the British government...one was very sensitive and was part of the NIE, and they preferred, based on that discussion, to cite the British government report."

Now Mr. Hadley (who claims responsiblity for the "mistake") talks about the memos and phone call they received from CIA regarding the reconstituting nuclear weapons claim. He admits that the CIA had told the Congress about concerns about the British claim, and the fact that Iraq already had 500 metric tons of uranium oxide. Tenet sent a second memo with "additional rationale for the removal of the uranium reference." It described "some weaknesses in the evidence," and also stated that the "CIA had been telling Congress that the Africa story was one of two issues where we differed with the British intelligence."

Question: "This memorandum is classified?"

Hadley: "Yes."

Again Bartlett refers to the administration's reluctance to cite "sensitive sourcing of the National Intelligence Estimate," yet they have already admitted that the CIA tried to warn them and Congress off the British intelligence.

Then we come to a reference to Scooter Libby:

Question: US News & World Report this week said there was a meeting in the Sit Room three says before the State of the Union by senior officials vetting the intelligence on WMD, that Scooter Libby led a presentation there that became the basis for Powell's presenation...Libby's paper he presented to Powell did not include any Niger reference, and that was put together three days before the SOTU.

Hadley: there were two processes going on at this time...there is a separate, but related process associated with getting Powell ready for his UN speech.

Later,
Q: Steve, part of the story I still can't get my head around is the NIE comes out October 1st....you got a call from the Director between the 5th and the 7th saying, we've got problems in the Niger element of this. And the NIE we are told is the gold standard of your intelligence assessment. Less that a week after it's published the Director is walking it back? And then on January 24th, four days before the speech, you get another member from the CIA quoting the NIE, presumably without some of the caveats, suggesting that it's back in...

But do we have this right, don't we, that a week later the director of Central Intelligence is walking back one of the central facts that he put in the summary of the NIE that you've declassified, and then it comes back to you again, three months later.

Bartlett: The information that you're referring to in this memo was actually information that was provided for a parallel process that was going on --

Q: For the Powell speech...That information was included, re-citing what was in the NIE --

Hadley: The NIE is the NIE. We put out a declassified version of it. And what the Director said was that the central case was that Iraq was reconsitution its nuclear program, that this natural uranium was not one of the things on which they relied for that judgement, but they included it in the NIE for reasons of completeness.

And in closing Bartlett repeats: "There was classified, sensitive information, which there was not a comfort level citing."

My question is this, when/why did the preznit declassify the classified version of the NIE? Why was it considered "sensitive?" Was it because they knew it was bogus, or because of the Plame aspect?

We know that yellowcake reappeared in the December 19, 2002 State Department "fact sheet." We know that the NIE contained several false claims, among them: aluminum tubes, UAVs, and mobile mobile labs. we know that the caveats about these stories were buried in the classified version of the NIE, something that most of congress did not see thanks to the administration starting an FBI investigation into leaks the previous summer. As Patick Langs states in Drinking the Kool-Aid, "the classified NIE was made available in its entirety to only a select few members of Congress. Thre were verbal briefings and an elaborate process to access the document in a secure location. But it was never clear that the 27-page unclassified version that was available to every office was missing any crucial information."

Someone went to a lot of trouble to deceive the Congress with this document, yet this is the same "sensitive" document that Bush declassifies later in an attempt to discredit Wilson. Was it sensitive because it was full of lies or sensitive because it would lead to the outing of Plame and the whole operation?

After keeping the documents out of the hands of the IAEA, the very agency who should have been apprised of any evidence of nuclear activity, ElBaradei finally sees the evidence in March, 2003, and says, "these documents, which form the basis for reports of recent uranium transactions between Iraq and Niger are, in fact, not authentic." He goes on to say that a staff member had used "Google to determine, within hours, that the Niger douments, which had been passed on to the US embassy in Rome through an anonymous source, were fakes."

March 7, 2003, ElBaradei spoke before the UN Security Council," One, there is no indication of resumed nuclear activities in those buildings...second, there is no indication that Iraq has attempted to import uranium since 1990....third, there is no indication that Iraq has attempted to import aluminum tubes for use in centrifuge enrichment...fourth, there is no indication to date that Iraq imported magnets for use in a centrifuge...After three months of intrusive inspections, we have to date found no evidence or plausible indication of the revival of a nuclear weapons programme."

But Dick, the Shooter, said on March 16th:

"We know be has been absolutely devoted to trying to acquire nuclear weapons. And we believe he has, in fact, reconstituted nuclear weapons."

We never see any factual basis for these and all the other claims the Shooter made has he took our nation to war, but his President dutifully carried out his desires on March 17, 2003.

"They have 48 hours to get out of town." said the Popular Wartime President. He totally ignored all the contrary evidence in favor of Dick Cheney's secret knowledge. They both belong in orange jumpsuits.

[Annces]

56. Guilty guilty guilty

[RobertSeattle]

57. Pardon Me?

--- Scooter Libby Feb 20, 2007, after clearing his throat.

[mdmc]

58. unless there is a CHIMPEACHMENT

he will be pardoned

[RobertSeattle]

59. I don't think there is any suspension of pardon authority

while an impeachment is proceeding so Shrub could pardon everyone up to Cheney until the votes are cast.

[Marie26]

60. Ah, Fitz

*swoon*

[understandinglife]

61. "But never forget--it was all set up when Zeidenberg, not on anyone's radar as the alpha male in ...

... this trial, forced Ted Wells to defend himself, rather than defend Scooter Libby.



by emptywheel at dKos

Excellent analysis of the way Zeidenberg triggered Wells.


Peace.