More fun with Uncle Dick … and other topics

Well, the groundhog says we’ll have an early Spring [and a happy Imbolc/Candlemas, to you all.] I’d never seen a groundhog until I came to the Midwest … it looked like a hundred-pound Guinea pig … kind of like a SciFi version of a rodent [I get them confused with woodchuck's ... but I don't think I've seen one of those either.] They’re pretty impressive when they lumber across your yard — awe-inspiring, but without the cuddly cuteness of a beaver [I've seen plenty of those, here.] Anyhow, this is the first time in recent memory that Punxsutawney Phil has predicted an early thaw … wonder if he’s read the newest global warming study.

I was sabotaged by an automatic update of a new version of Windows, today — Bill Gates truly IS an evil man; and his new operating system [Vista is it?] has managed to make me even more obsolete than I was before. Capitalism … good for those with capital, I s’pose. Anyhow — I’m creeping along this morning, trying to figure out the “new features.” Add that I’m feeling a little achey and it’s only 11 degree’s outside — and this may be the only post of the day. My bed is calling.

I’m annoyed today by [most everything but especially] the newest BushWar revelations … the grinding, regular “HA! Gotcha!” crap that illustrates that government lies continually and we’re the last to know. Today we hear that Dubby’s “20,000″ is actually 50,000 … a good many of them are already there … and that he has a Plan B. I shudder to think. He wants another $245 Billion for his surge … I think he should pass the hat among his uber-wealthy oil-jock friends. Dem’s will probably give it to him.

But — I digress. This is a post about frolicsome Uncle Dick, our happy-go-lucky Veep. There’s a brilliant Jon Stewart and Mark Fiori to get us started … sarcasm is the best, cuts to the bone with a nod and a wink [it's Molly-esque.] Then an update on the Libby trial … and some good reads.

At least, with Dick, we aren’t picking on somebody who hasn’t the intellectual capacity to defend himself … Dub’s “commonsensical” Bushism yesterday left me hanging my head in [verbal] Shock ‘n Awe.

Jude

The Emboldened Terrorists — Jon Stewart

Chat
Mark Fiore

FBI Agent Testifies Libby First Heard About Plame from Cheney
E&P Staff and The Associated Press
February 01, 2007

WASHINGTON The “CIA leak” trial resumed today, after two critical days of testimony from reporters Judith Miller and Matt Cooper. As in past days, E&P will provide running updates here.

After a long day or legal wrangling and no witnesses, an FBI agent took the stand shortly before 3 p.m. She is Deborah Bond, a 19-year veteran, called into the probe of who may have leaked name of classified agent.

She described the bureau’s interview with I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby on Oct. 14, 2003. Asked where he first learned of Ambassador Joe Wilson’s wife, Valerie Plame, he had told the FBI then — from the vice president, on or about June 12 that year, in a telephone conversation.

Vice President Cheney had also said that she worked in “CP” or counter-proliferation at the agency. How did Cheney know this? From someone at the CIA — possibly director George Tenet, but Libby wasn’t sure.

How to explain Libby originally claiming he had first heard about Wilson’s wife from NBC’s Tim Russert in July? He had simply forgotten he had actually heard it from the vice president a month or more earlier. But Libby’s notes, produced by prosecutors during this testimony, did show notations from June 12 regarding Wilson’s wife. And Libby later confirmed this in a second FBI interview.

But he said it seemed like news to him — he’d forgotten all about it — when Russert asked him if he knew that Ambassador Wilson’s wife worked at the agency and, allegedly, other reporters knew this. Then Libby told other reporters who might not know about it, including Glenn Kessler of The Washington Post and NBC’s Andrea Mitchell.

Libby in that 2003 FBI interview also said he had not mentioned Plame in his July 8 meeting with Judith Miller — or the lunch with Ari Fleischer that Fleischer testified about earlier. This contradicts their testimony.

And he claimed that in his chat with Time’s Matt Cooper he had closed by warning Cooper that what other reporters were saying about Plame working at the CIA might not be true.

He also described other conversations relating to all this with Cheney.

Cross-examination then began, with defense suggesting that Libby, in that first 2003 interview, had not been given fair chance to refresh his memory via notes etc. When he did have that chance, he changed his story, and then stuck to it: He simply forgot about the June 12 chat with Cheney.

The trial broke off before 5. It does not convene again until Monday. The FBI agent will return. Eight hours of Libby’s grand jury testimony will be played for the jury. Then Tim Russert will testify, with the prosecution likely to rest around Wednesday.

As always, we will base our updates here mainly on nearly minute-by-minute blogging from the courthouse by the women at FireDogLake.com, which has proven extremely accurate so far, along with other bloggers and wire service reports as they come in.

EARLIER TODAY

The trial had re-convened this morning about 10:30 a.m. Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald appeared at first to be losing his fight to get the judge to allow him to enter tapes of White House spokesman Scott McClellan saying in 2003 that Karl Rove was not involved in the Plame leak but not making the same claim about top Cheney aide, “Scooter” Libby.

In the course of discussing this (with jury out), Libby attorney Ted Wells appears to say that if Vice President Cheney testifies he will confirm defense claim that Libby was concerned about being “scapegoated” in this matter — not that he lied to save his job.

Still at issue: Will Fitzgerald be allowed to play for the jurors Libby’s several hours of testimony before the grand jury — during which he allegedly lied about his role in the leaking.

The wrangling between lawyers last all morning, ending with a debate over whether it can be introduced that Libby had signed a “non-disclosure” agreement meaning he could not release any classified info (such as that involving a covert CIA agent) — and that he was concerned about this after the Plame outing.

Then they broke for lunch.

Legal wrangling continued afterward. Finally the ury came in after 2 p.m. Fitzgerald was allowed to show parts of transcripts concerning McClellan/Rove/Libby. He’d barely begun when another break for discussion arrived.

Finally, the FBI agent took the stand.

The current AP backgrounder follows:

Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald appears to be saving NBC newsman Tim Russert as his last witness in the perjury trial of former White House aide I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby.

Fitzgerald has said he plans to play excerpts from Libby’s grand jury testimony at trial, and the government’s next witness, FBI agent Deborah Bond, appears to be Fitzgerald’s opportunity. That would give jurors the chance to hear for themselves the testimony that Fitzgerald says is a lie and that Libby says is a product of faulty memory.

The perjury and obstruction trial hinges on whether Libby lied about his conversations with reporters regarding outed CIA operative Valerie Plame .

Fitzgerald spent the first week of the trial presenting witnesses who said they talked to Libby about Plame, the wife of prominent Iraq war critic Joseph Wilson. Some witnesses, such as officials from the CIA and State Department, said they told Libby about Plame.

Others, such as former White House spokesman Ari Fleischer and journalists Judith Miller and Matthew Cooper, said Libby talked about Plame to them.

Fitzgerald contends Libby concocted that story to avoid embarrassment, prosecution and possibly losing his job.

Libby, ex-chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney , is on trial on charges he lied to the FBI and a grand jury about his conversations with reporters about Plame and obstructed the investigation into how her identity leaked to the public in 2003. No one has been charged with the actual leak.

Fitzgerald says he expects to call Russert to testify on Monday or Tuesday, a plan that would make the well-known journalist the last witness jurors hear before the government rests its case. Russert says he did not discuss Plame with Libby, a recollection that is directly at odds with the former aide’s testimony.

The Cheney ‘Impeachment’ Trial
Craig Crawford, NYT and Congressional Quarterly
January 31, 2007

The perjury trial of Vice President Dick Cheney’s former chief of staff, I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, is surely a pitiful substitute for the legal fantasies of White House foes such as House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers, the Michigan Democrat who ominously said at last week’s anti-war protest that Congress “can fire” the president.

But at a minimum, independent prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald is doing what Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid described this morning to radio host Don Imus as “putting the pieces together” to showcase “the tremendous power the vice president had” in outing a CIA agent.

Indeed, the Libby trial seems destined to serve as an unofficial impeachment of Cheney’s integrity. And count on Democrats like Reid and Conyers to keep a close watch on what the prosecutor proves.

After all, Democrats in the midterm election campaign promised not to impeach the president — but they did not close that door for the vice president.

Craig Crawford is a news analyst for NBC, MSNBC and CNBC.

Let’s play the Dick Cheney game
REG HENRY, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Thursday, February 1st, 2007

Hello, kiddies. Today my column is written specially for you.

Let’s pretend that I am the teacher and you are the students in the first grade class, being cute as little buttons. (For my part, I shall suppress my natural resentment, because being cute is the one thing you can do that I can’t.)

Isn’t this fun? Let’s play a game.

The name of the game is Vice President Cheney.

You have a question, Johnny? Put up your hand, please. That’s better.

“Mr. Henry, does this mean we can shoot ducks?”

No, Johnny.

“But Vice President Cheney shoots ducks.”

Yes, he does, Johnny. That is because the vice president doesn’t have much to do and has to fill in his time somehow. He flies around the country shooting ducks when he is not manipulating something called intelligence. Besides, he believes shooting ducks protects the American people from the feathered evildoers of al-Quacker.

“Is that a bad joke, Mr. Henry?”

Yes, Johnny, and let me just say that you are obviously a smart little fellow. If it doesn’t damage your self-esteem, why don’t you sit in the back of the classroom now and perfect the art of silence. Anyway, Tommy has his hand up to ask a question.

“Mr. Henry, if we can’t shoot ducks, can we shoot attorneys?”

No, Tommy, we are not going to shoot attorneys, either.

“Why not?”

Because attorneys could sue you. Do you know what “sue you” means, Tommy?

“Sure. This is America. I sued my baby-sitter once.”

Explain to the rest of the class what suing means, Tommy.

“It’s like someone does something to you that you don’t like. So you get an attorney and you go to court and then they send all the bad guy’s money to you in big trucks and you can have ice cream and stuff.”

That’s right, Tommy. And we don’t want to send money for ice cream to any attorneys.

Now, is that you again, Johnny? In the back? I see you have your hand up and your self-esteem doesn’t seem bruised by keeping quiet for all of 30 seconds.

“No, Mr. Henry, my self-esteem is very bruised and I’ll be suing you after school. But while we are waiting, couldn’t we play a President Bush game instead of a Vice President Cheney game?

We are Gifted in this class, you know, and my mom will be mad if we don’t play superior games.”

Johnny, playing the Vice President Cheney game is actually more interesting than playing the President Bush game. Playing the President Bush game has become very boring.

I am sure you hit a pinata at a birthday party when you were the last kid in line. President Bush has been that pinata for so long that there’s nothing left inside the poor man. It’s sort of pathetic.

Mean critics swing at him and only bits of newspaper fall out - and he doesn’t even read newspapers. You could say he was a lame duck but Vice President Cheney might take a shot at him.

“So how do we play the Vice President Cheney game?”

Thank you for asking. The aim of the game, boys and girls, is to speak in a sort of cool code. All you have to do is say the exact opposite of what is real. For example, if something you hear is perfectly reasonable, you say “it’s hogwash.” If it’s objectionable, you say it’s fine. This game is just like “today is opposite day.”

Tommy, you look confused. Do you have a question? If the vice president were here, he would say you would be “out of line” to ask the question, which means it’s perfectly OK.

“My Dad says we must never tell lies. Shouldn’t we hire public relations people to tell lies for us so that we can grow up and become good corporate citizens?”

That’s very admirable; Tommy, but you don’t understand the game. Vice President Cheney doesn’t tell lies. He just tells the truth in a backwards way so that those he doesn’t like - liberals, Democrats, ducks - won’t understand.

Let’s practice together by saying: The insurgency is in its last throes! Tommy, can you tell the class what that means?

“Yes, Mr. Henry, it means it isn’t. Also, I don’t need to go to the bathroom.”

Excellent, Tommy. I am so proud of you. You may go to the bathroom right now.

Save Junior, Impeach The Surging Dick
poputonian, Hullabaloo

How about “IRAC” as an acronym for “Independent Republicans Against Cheney?” This would be a new example where my enemy’s enemy is my friend:

Washington insiders report that the Bush family may be the critical factor in getting rid of Cheney, a scenario which is being mooted in the media.
…

In an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, when asked about the Senate resolution against the “surge,” which had just been passed by the Foreign Relations Committee, Cheney boasted, “That won’t stop us . . . we are moving forward . . . the President -has made his decision.”
…

… with the opening statement by Special Counsel Fitzgerald in the Libby trial, on Jan. 23, in which he alleged that Cheney issued a hand-written memo to Libby on discrediting Wilson, the situation changed. Not only did Fitzgerald disclose the existence of the memo, but he charged that Libby had “wiped out” that incriminating piece of evidence.

However, reportedly through the combination of computer memory recovery methods, and the testimony of witnesses who also knew about Cheney’s memo, Fitzgerald was able to introduce the matter in his opening remarks.
…

On Jan. 25, Keith Olbermann, the host of the popular “Countdown” show on MSNBC, did a five-minute spot called, “Should Cheney Go?” He pointed to longtime Bush family operative, James Baker III, as the person who tried-and failed-to save G.W. Bush from the Cheney disaster.

Olbermann opened his show saying, “Piece by piece testimony at the Scooter Libby trial is dismantling the already tattered reputation of the nation’s Vice President, portraying him as consumed with retaliating against a serious credible critic of his attempts to sell the war. . . .”

Later in the program, Olbermann said, “Another friend of this show, Craig Crawford, reported today that Jim Baker not only led the Iraq Study Group, he was also leading a kind of a private attempt to wrench the President away from Mr. Cheney’s influence and ideology, and ultimately failed in that, judging from what the President is trying to do in Iraq now, in light of the Baker Commission. . . .”

The phrase being increasingly heard in the halls of Congress and around Washington is, “the time is now.” It is being used in the appeals from Republicans to the Bush family to save the Party and the Bush legacy-by getting Cheney out.

Take us there, Republicans.

What’s right and good doesn’t come naturally. You have to stand up and fight for it - as if the cause depends on you, because it does. Allow yourself that conceit - to believe that the flame of Democracy will never go out as long as there’s one candle in your hand.
~ Bill Moyers

(In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.)

wireless gambling credit card merchant accountcasino vegas las queens 43dice code casinoaladdin casino septembercasino online 7sultansacoma city sky casinoonline site casino top 10ameristar city kansas and casino hotel Map

1 comment February 2nd, 2007