I'm sure everyone and their mother is blogging it. One thing I would point out
WASHINGTON – Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, was convicted Tuesday of lying and obstructing a leak investigation that reached into the highest levels of the Bush administration.
Libby is the highest-ranking White House official to be convicted of a felony since the Iran-Contra scandal of the mid-1980s. The case brought new attention to the Bush administration's much-criticized handling of weapons of mass destruction intelligence in the run-up to the Iraq war.
The verdict culminated a nearly four-year investigation into how CIA official Valerie Plame's name was leaked to reporters in 2003. The trial revealed that top members of the administration were eager to discredit Plame's husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, who accused the administration of doctoring prewar intelligence on Iraq.
After nearly four years, the best they could do was perjury and obstruction of justice, which also happen to be what Clinton was charged with. The Big C also had subjorning testimony, too. Not one person has been charged with actually leaking her name in violation of the Intelligence Identities Protection Act. And, according to the story, not one one person will be charged with leaking her name. Uncle Fitzmas delivered a My Little Pony instead of an actual equine.
And there is not one mention in the story, unsurprisingly, that Wilson's NY Times op-ed was complete mule fritters, and that Cheney had nothing to do with sending a career State Dept. gofer on an intelligence mission.
"It's about time someone in the Bush Administration has been held accountable for the campaign to manipulate intelligence and discredit war critics," Harry Reid (Defeatocrat-NV) said.
Yawn. Apparently Reid is unfamiliar with what Scooter was being tried for. Especially since it was Dick Armitage was the person who actually leaked the name, which Fitzpatrick actually knew about within a few months of starting the investigation.
Furthermore, I don't remember Dingy Harry having an issue regarding Sandy Burgler. Nice little double standard. See my previous post.
And, from Editor and Publisher (via Tammy Bruce)
NEW YORK A spokesman for the jury that convicted "Scooter" Lewis of four counts today of perjury and obstruction of justice today in a federal courtroom told reporters immediately afterward that many felt sympathy for Libby and believed he was only the "fall guy."
Denis Collins said that "a number of times" they asked themselves, "what is HE doing here? Where is Rove and all these other guys….I'm not saying we didn't think Mr. Libby was guilty of the things we found him guilty of. It seemed like he was, as Mr. Wells [his lawyer] put it, he was the fall guy."
Asked about Vice President Cheney not testifying, he said, "Having Cheney testifying would have been interesting." And when the defense opened the trial by suggesting that Libby was scapegoated by the White House, "I thought we might get to see President Bush here." But Collins said Libby not testifying was not such a big deal since they'd listen to nine hours of tapes of his earlier testimony.
Collins, a journalist who has written for The Washington Post and other newspapers — and is author of the 2004 book, "Spying: The Secret History of History"– described the jury's painstaking deliberations. He said there were several "managerial types" on the jury and they spent many days just assembling post-it notes in some kind or "buildings blocks" fashion. They did not take an immediately straw vote.
Sounds like bias to me.
A few others: Flopping Aces, Michelle Malkin, Sister Toldjah, Hot Air, Blue Crab Boulevard, Tammy Bruce, Captain's Quarters, Outside The Beltway, and many, many others
will Libby roll over on others to save himself from prison ? or is he sure of a pardon?
Richard Armitrage leaked the name of Plame to Novak and Novak published it. Libby leaked the names to other journalists and they did not publish it — were these other journalists allowed to know this information? You say Plame was not covert and offer no evidence — Fitzgerald (appointed by Bush) and the CIA says she was covert and offer proof — who would you believe?
[…] Pirate's Cove follows Scooter's verdict. […]
John, roll over on what? The Bush admin defending themselves from a liar, Joe Wilson? Why was a former state department flunky sent on a covert mission in the first place? It wasn’t at the behest of the Admin.
Drew, if a law was broken in outing Plame, why is Armitage not charged? Why is Fitzpatrick not planning on charging anyone else, or continuing the investigation? Because she isn’t covered by the Intelligence Identities Protection Act. She did not work in an undercover posission during the 5 years prior to her being “outed.”