Busted
Well, the other shoe has finally dropped. After waiting with bated breath for the last couple of weeks, folks inside the Beltway finally learned who Fitzgerald was targeting in his investigation of the Plame leak. By now, you know that I[rving] Lewis "Scooter" Libby has been indicted on charges of perjury, obstruction of justice, and making false statements during the grand jury proceedings. [if you have time to kill, here's the indictment (PDF file); you can also see it on The Smoking Gun as well]
Although Libby is the only one indicted so far, I would venture to say quite a few other people, Karl Rove among them, should continue to hold their breath-- in the press conferences of the last couple of days, Fitzgerald has made it clear he's not done yet. While I'm happy to see that *someone* is finally being taken to task, I'd rather see more indictments/investigations into the leak itself, rather than perjury raps. Still, based on what we know so far, I'd say Rove is definitely involved ("Official A" in the indictment is already as I type this, being identified as Rove), and looks like Scowl is too. As I pointed out the other day, I wouldn't say Smirk is entirely in the clear either. At this point, it's all about the cover-up; but if you ask me, for the cover-up to be treated as a crime means the original reason for the cover-up is equally serious. None of this, "But they didn't do anything!" crap. I really don't see how anyone can justify revealing classfied information of this kind.
So far all the hubbub has been on the leak regarding Valerie Plame, but what I'd like to see is a widening in this whole case, so we can maybe get to the whole reason behind the leak: the pre-war intelligence and its credibility (or rather, lack thereof!) in "persuading" people to support the war. It appears the whole reason behind the White House's vendetta against Wilson is its fear that its case for war would be damaged by Wilson's article stating the evidence behind yellowcake manufacturing was highly suspect. If the administration was so confident in its intelligence and evidence, why fear one man? Wouldn't the evidence gathered be so strong that even if one part was found to be circumstantial or shaky, the rest would hold up? The fact that Libby, Rove, their staff, and most likely their superiors, found it necessary to confront Wilson, and then attempt to smear him by exposing a CIA agent tells me that the whole house of cards on which the Iraq invasion and occupation was built is mighty flimsy. I've already felt that way, of course, and so have thousands of others, but it seems that thus far we haven't had much of a public discourse over how we got here, and perhaps it's time we do so.
While the byzantine connections of Watergate aren't replicated here, there's still definitely a cast of characters, and it helps as we enter the weeks and months ahead to have a scorecard of sorts. Here's one I found that is pretty good-- it can take a few minutes to fully load, but it gives you a map of sorts to who's who in this mess.
My take on all of this is that Karl Rove is eventually going to face the music, one way or another. Most likely, others will be implicated as well. I'd say Scowl is definitely not off the hook either (in the indictment, Cheney apparently told Libby about Plame; so the original person responsible is Scowl. It doesn't help that Scowl has remained silent, and certainly there's been nothing about his "upbraiding" Libby, as there was about Smirk chastisting Rove), and I suspect Libby is trying to cover up for his boss. Assuming that the heat gets way too warm for Scowl (for example, in the event the Democrats actually take back Congress), look for him to "resign" for health reasons. The man's had numerous heart attacks, trips to the hospital, and other health woes, so this will be relatively plausible; after a short testimonial by Smirk & Co. in honor of Scowl's "statesmanship" (*cough cough*), look for a top GOP stalwart to be chosen for VP as part of a maneuver for 2008. I think this actually could happen, regardless; it certainly would help the anointed to be in a position to marshall forces for the election. My bet is it'll be someone along the lines of Frist, who could certainly use some help now that he's embroiled in his own scandals; he's more or less indicated he's going to throw his hat in the ring anyway.
As far as the investigation goes, there are quite a few things left unsaid, several loose ends. While no one has been charged with the actual leak yet, I think that's due to two main reasons: 1) the laws governing leaks as crimes are so narrowly written that even if a crime was intentionally committed, it's going to be difficult to prove it; and 2) the fact that a number of other officials, including Scowl, are named in the indictment means the game's probably not over and this is just Act 1 of the whole shebang.
I still strongly feel that if the administration wanted to try to discredit Wilson, they could have attempted to do so without bringing Valerie Plame into the picture. I also think too many people are seeing the forest for the trees-- the larger issues at stake here are 1) national security; why is the White House even bandying about the name of a NOC? For an administration that supposedly prides itself on "ethics" and "integrity", the act of blowing a CIA agent's cover is grossly irresponsible and unnecessary, at the very least, if not treasonous. National security is a concern that should be non-partisan; instead, Rove and gang have politicized it. 2) The pre-war intelligence on Iraq that was the raison d'etre for trying to deal payback to Wilson. Lying to Congress and the American people is a very serious crime, and warrants a full, clear, and public investigation-- which we haven't gotten yet. The revelation of Plame's identity is just an offshoot of the larger picture, and it's a scenario that should be fully exposed. [If there's anyone who's still insisting "nothing serious has happened," Here's a partial list of refutations of apologist talking points.]
What will be interesting to see is how Libby handles all of this. Will he keep his mouth shut, accept the penalty, and do the time, and hope he gets pardoned? Will he try to plea bargain (probably not likely)? Will he attempt to stretch things out as much as he can until the winds shift favorably his way (not a good idea; you don't want to keep your name, and by extension, your bosses', in the news like this)? The other possibility is that he pleads "not guilty," and the whole thing goes to trial. I doubt the White House gang wants this; it means at the very least that Scowl is going to have to give testimony of some sort, and all kinds of things may come out that they really really really don't want anyone to know. While the war and the lead-up won't become the center of any trial, enough questions will be raised that there will be pressure for a deeper, more thorough investigation.
Another question: why did Libby felt the need to lie to and mislead Fitzgerald and the grand jury? There must be some very compelling reasons to do so (and possibly some other people that are more actively forthrightly sharing what they know), or he could have just sat there and took the Fifth. Sure, it would look highly suspicious, but there wouldn't be a whole lot anyone could do about it. Libby could have walked. Instead, he's indicted, and that opens up a whole can of worms. Even the Corporate Media can't exactly ignore this.
It's been pretty clear for the last month now that Libby was screwed; the big question is, does Omerta keep these guys hanging together, or will Libby decide he doesn't want to do 30 years and pay through the nose in fines?
As a historian of sorts, this is all very interesting from a more abstract point of view-- it's the first time since the Grant administration that a sitting White House official has been indicted. Considering the Grant administration is counted along with the Harding and Nixon administrations as among the most corrupt in our country's history, that's hardly comforting, I would think.
Stay tuned. This is a story that's not going away. So far Libby's been busted; who's next?
Although Libby is the only one indicted so far, I would venture to say quite a few other people, Karl Rove among them, should continue to hold their breath-- in the press conferences of the last couple of days, Fitzgerald has made it clear he's not done yet. While I'm happy to see that *someone* is finally being taken to task, I'd rather see more indictments/investigations into the leak itself, rather than perjury raps. Still, based on what we know so far, I'd say Rove is definitely involved ("Official A" in the indictment is already as I type this, being identified as Rove), and looks like Scowl is too. As I pointed out the other day, I wouldn't say Smirk is entirely in the clear either. At this point, it's all about the cover-up; but if you ask me, for the cover-up to be treated as a crime means the original reason for the cover-up is equally serious. None of this, "But they didn't do anything!" crap. I really don't see how anyone can justify revealing classfied information of this kind.
So far all the hubbub has been on the leak regarding Valerie Plame, but what I'd like to see is a widening in this whole case, so we can maybe get to the whole reason behind the leak: the pre-war intelligence and its credibility (or rather, lack thereof!) in "persuading" people to support the war. It appears the whole reason behind the White House's vendetta against Wilson is its fear that its case for war would be damaged by Wilson's article stating the evidence behind yellowcake manufacturing was highly suspect. If the administration was so confident in its intelligence and evidence, why fear one man? Wouldn't the evidence gathered be so strong that even if one part was found to be circumstantial or shaky, the rest would hold up? The fact that Libby, Rove, their staff, and most likely their superiors, found it necessary to confront Wilson, and then attempt to smear him by exposing a CIA agent tells me that the whole house of cards on which the Iraq invasion and occupation was built is mighty flimsy. I've already felt that way, of course, and so have thousands of others, but it seems that thus far we haven't had much of a public discourse over how we got here, and perhaps it's time we do so.
While the byzantine connections of Watergate aren't replicated here, there's still definitely a cast of characters, and it helps as we enter the weeks and months ahead to have a scorecard of sorts. Here's one I found that is pretty good-- it can take a few minutes to fully load, but it gives you a map of sorts to who's who in this mess.
My take on all of this is that Karl Rove is eventually going to face the music, one way or another. Most likely, others will be implicated as well. I'd say Scowl is definitely not off the hook either (in the indictment, Cheney apparently told Libby about Plame; so the original person responsible is Scowl. It doesn't help that Scowl has remained silent, and certainly there's been nothing about his "upbraiding" Libby, as there was about Smirk chastisting Rove), and I suspect Libby is trying to cover up for his boss. Assuming that the heat gets way too warm for Scowl (for example, in the event the Democrats actually take back Congress), look for him to "resign" for health reasons. The man's had numerous heart attacks, trips to the hospital, and other health woes, so this will be relatively plausible; after a short testimonial by Smirk & Co. in honor of Scowl's "statesmanship" (*cough cough*), look for a top GOP stalwart to be chosen for VP as part of a maneuver for 2008. I think this actually could happen, regardless; it certainly would help the anointed to be in a position to marshall forces for the election. My bet is it'll be someone along the lines of Frist, who could certainly use some help now that he's embroiled in his own scandals; he's more or less indicated he's going to throw his hat in the ring anyway.
As far as the investigation goes, there are quite a few things left unsaid, several loose ends. While no one has been charged with the actual leak yet, I think that's due to two main reasons: 1) the laws governing leaks as crimes are so narrowly written that even if a crime was intentionally committed, it's going to be difficult to prove it; and 2) the fact that a number of other officials, including Scowl, are named in the indictment means the game's probably not over and this is just Act 1 of the whole shebang.
I still strongly feel that if the administration wanted to try to discredit Wilson, they could have attempted to do so without bringing Valerie Plame into the picture. I also think too many people are seeing the forest for the trees-- the larger issues at stake here are 1) national security; why is the White House even bandying about the name of a NOC? For an administration that supposedly prides itself on "ethics" and "integrity", the act of blowing a CIA agent's cover is grossly irresponsible and unnecessary, at the very least, if not treasonous. National security is a concern that should be non-partisan; instead, Rove and gang have politicized it. 2) The pre-war intelligence on Iraq that was the raison d'etre for trying to deal payback to Wilson. Lying to Congress and the American people is a very serious crime, and warrants a full, clear, and public investigation-- which we haven't gotten yet. The revelation of Plame's identity is just an offshoot of the larger picture, and it's a scenario that should be fully exposed. [If there's anyone who's still insisting "nothing serious has happened," Here's a partial list of refutations of apologist talking points.]
What will be interesting to see is how Libby handles all of this. Will he keep his mouth shut, accept the penalty, and do the time, and hope he gets pardoned? Will he try to plea bargain (probably not likely)? Will he attempt to stretch things out as much as he can until the winds shift favorably his way (not a good idea; you don't want to keep your name, and by extension, your bosses', in the news like this)? The other possibility is that he pleads "not guilty," and the whole thing goes to trial. I doubt the White House gang wants this; it means at the very least that Scowl is going to have to give testimony of some sort, and all kinds of things may come out that they really really really don't want anyone to know. While the war and the lead-up won't become the center of any trial, enough questions will be raised that there will be pressure for a deeper, more thorough investigation.
Another question: why did Libby felt the need to lie to and mislead Fitzgerald and the grand jury? There must be some very compelling reasons to do so (and possibly some other people that are more actively forthrightly sharing what they know), or he could have just sat there and took the Fifth. Sure, it would look highly suspicious, but there wouldn't be a whole lot anyone could do about it. Libby could have walked. Instead, he's indicted, and that opens up a whole can of worms. Even the Corporate Media can't exactly ignore this.
It's been pretty clear for the last month now that Libby was screwed; the big question is, does Omerta keep these guys hanging together, or will Libby decide he doesn't want to do 30 years and pay through the nose in fines?
As a historian of sorts, this is all very interesting from a more abstract point of view-- it's the first time since the Grant administration that a sitting White House official has been indicted. Considering the Grant administration is counted along with the Harding and Nixon administrations as among the most corrupt in our country's history, that's hardly comforting, I would think.
Stay tuned. This is a story that's not going away. So far Libby's been busted; who's next?
posted by Mr. Sandman | 6:59 PM
<< Home