Josh Marshall has it SO nailed: Total WHIG-out at White House Iraq Group

[johnfunk]

[Quoting tomorrow's Wall Street Journal] "Lawyers familiar with the investigation believe that at least part of the outcome likely hangs on the inner workings of what has been dubbed the White House Iraq Group. Formed in August 2002, the group, which included Messrs. Rove and Libby, worked on setting strategy for selling the war in Iraq to the public in the months leading up to the March 2003 invasion. The group likely would have played a significant role in responding to Mr. Wilson's claims."

First of all, it did play a big role. That's where the push back came from.

If this description is accurate, it must have many folks at the White House in cold sweats.

If Karl Rove goes down in this investigation it'll be a disaster for the president, both in terms of the damage occasioned by such a high-level White House indictment and, frankly, because he needs the guy like most of us need legs.

But this WHIG thing is a whole 'nother level of hurt.

This group was the organizational team, the core group behind all the shameless crap that went down in the lead up to the Iraq war -- the lies about the cooked up Niger story, everything. If Fitzgerald has lassoed this operation into a criminal conspiracy, the veil of protective secrecy in which the whole operation is still shrouded will be pulled back. Depositions and sworn statements in on-going investigations have a way of doing that. Ask Bill Clinton. Every key person in the White House will be touched by it. And all sorts of ugly tales could spill out.

That's right, fans -- Fitzgerald's indictments present the possibility of a total WHIG-out of the Executive Branch.

Add to that rumors that there is a civil war in the White House (the Cards vs. the Roves) and this is certain to spill out into the broader GOP, some of whom are likely to want the entire regime removed.

Worse than Watergate. Get the corn-popper fired up... :popcorn:

ON EDIT: Atrios' four-word reaction to Josh: "Talk dirty to me." ROTFLMAO :rofl: Yeah, bay-bee!

[hang a left]

1. It is beyond my wildest dreams.

Surely someone will give up *. We know Cheney is a goner.

[LonelyLRLiberal]

2. We can only hope the whole gang goes down in flames.

Let's see, who is about the twentieth-ninth person in the chain to succeed the President?

[johnfunk]

9. Twenty-ninth in succession -- Laura Roslyn, maybe?

Sorry -- that was a gratuitous Battlestar Galactica reference.

Not Laura Roslin (played by the amazing Mary McDonnell) but the babe-a-luscious Cylon chick Sharon, played by the incredible Grace Park, a major cutie but IMNSHO one of the best young actors I've seen on TV in years.

[Hardrada]

26. Ann Coulter

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

3. That actually gave me the shivers

It's too exciting to think about...oh the pleasure...

Ah, just saw your edit. LOL - so true!

[Oilwellian]

4. Wow.

That gave me the chills. :D

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. pass some of that along

:popcorn:

Oh and brought some :beer: too

[babylonsister]

6. OMG! From the WSJ?

My heart is happy and I hope they finally got it right! Night, all! :) :bounce: :toast:

[johnfunk]

10. From their consistently reliable NEWS section, NOT...

... from their Neocon-coddling, woman-beater-shielding, born-again-new-agey-loon-hiring, slander-mongering "Opinion" page.

[TahitiNut]

7. GMTA

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=1843621&mesg_id=1843647

I've been saying "W.H.I.G." for months and months! There's absolutely no question whatsoever in my mind that group orchestrated both the HOAX and the RETALIATION.

[johnfunk]

11. A Cosmic WHIG-out if there ever was one, TahitiNut

Now, it's time to eject WHIG out for good -- preferably frog-marched out in cuffs with plenty of cable newsmodels on hand to report on the "horrible blow to the leader of the free world and his hopes for spreading democracy."

[TahitiNut]

16. Their imprisonment would be a good appetizer ...

... and whet my appetite for the lifetime imprisonment of Smirk, Sneer, Gonzales, and a couple dozen other members of the criminal cabal.

[Sydnie]

8. Que the Downing Street Minutes!

Here we go! We are now on the path of exposing the true meaning behind "fixing the intelligence to fit the policy"!

The pieces of the puzzle are fitting together nicely. I am starting to think that even those that haven't made the connection yet can begin to see the picture developing ... right before their eyes!

[Ikonoklast]

12. Can you say

"...and all of the following named are federally indicted as part of a criminal conspiracy perpetrated at the highest level of the Executive Branch of the United States, with the fore-knowledge and under the guidance of the Vice-President of the United States, Richard Cheney....."



How about, ".....and today, unindicted co-conspirator, President George W. Bush said....."


Damn, this is gonna be fun!

[pauldp]

13. Great a new acronym! The WHIG-OUT! can we stop saying "plamegate"?

I hate the "gate" thing. It puts it in comparison to watergate and there is NO comparison!:bounce:

[me b zola]

14. Fitz is accustomed to going after gangsters, he knows the deal

I have been hopeful that the investigation would go deep, I remain hopeful for indictments with teeth.


Hey Fitz! :patriot:

[Oilwellian]

15. WHIG and OSP are also intertwined

This is the crux of their lies that took us to war. It IS beginning to smell a lot like treason.

[Kagemusha]

17. If WHIG isn't protected by executive privilege, nothing is.

So this is going to be very big fireworks if it goes any further into WHIG. And we never did find out who advised the energy task force, did we?

[johnfunk]

18. Executive Privilege has been weakened enormously in the last decade

Right-wingers, ironically, weakened executive privilege during the Clinton years to the point where Congress, John Q. Sixpack, the (believe it or not) press and Pat Fitzgerald ain't gonna let that dog hunt. Not even Emperor Chimpy is going to be able to use it as a CYA.

[Kagemusha]

23. But he'll try. And you see, then the press will know it's BIG.

So I'm rubbing my hands together waiting for that as The Signal.

[Carla in Ca]

19. I am so ready...bring it on!

So, everybody, just WHO did forge the Niger documents? That is the question I want answered.

Today, from Current Events:

Attention mainstream media (I know you read this site): Along with Who, What, and Where, remember to ask WHY Plame was outed.
It wasn't revenge. The White House crew was trying to discourage the media from reporting on Joe Wilson's knowledge of the Niger Yellowcake Hoax. Actually, they were suckering you into killing the story and boy did they ever swindle you but good! Now is your time for some payback. The real story isn't Valerie. The real story is the forged documents used to sell the lie to the public that Iraq was buying uranium. The existence of forged documents proves the lies that tricked this nation into war were deliberate. The outing of Plame proves the White House KNEW the claim was a lie and were trying to protect it.

THAT is the real story. THAT is 'What Really Happened'!

[The_Casual_Observer]

20. The whole truth about the lies leading up to Iraq

might be publicized? Mr & MRs bush voter are going to be mighty pissed.

[bluedawg12]

21. They won't go quietly- this is great and also a disaster

uncertainty is no way to run a country- and this could destabilize us even more.

And if does, it will all, and always, be on, their over reaching, corrupt, anti-American heads.

[longship]

22. White House Iraq Group - The Conspirators

These are the conspirators:
The WHIG Group
* Karl Rove, Bush's brain
* I. Lewis Libby, chief of staff to Crashcart Cheney
* Condoleeza Rice, national security advisor
* Stephen Hadley, deputy to Kindasleezy
* Karen Hughes, counselor to Chimpy
* Nicholas E. Calio, Asst to Chimpy for legislative affairs
* James R. Wilkinson, Deputy director of communications
* Mary Matalin, assistant to Chimpy and counselor to Crashcart

[enigmatic]

24. I'll echo Aravosis at AMERICAblog

I think I just peed my pants:)

Seriously, if half of what's hinted at in today's WSJ comes to pass, W and this stench-filled administration is finished. If Fitz gets Cheney, then I'll be beyond overjoyed; it'll be the Scandal to end all Washington Scandals.

[SlavesandBulldozers]

25. I'll fire up the popcorn when the feature starts.

maybe even after I see the opening scene. otherwise, I'll eat it all when we are watching nothing but enigmatic previews.

[autorank]

27. johnfunk, You got rid of my headache! This is on target.

Rove is Bush's legs, who is Bush's ass? Dunno.

Thank you. This does make a lot of sense. We've heard about this odd ball group for some time, but NOOOO corporate media couldn't hunt it down, do a few stories. Now they're all bothered. Well good.

I love the Atrios line you added...pure humor.

[tavalon]

28. I just notified my readers in my LJ

Short and sweet.

Buy popcorn. Trust me. :):popcorn:

[Neil Lisst]

29. That's why I think Rove, Libby, and Hadley are all going down.

johnfunk,

Great analysis by Marshall.

This team had been working for months to sell the war, and part of that was combatting any arguments against it. In the course of that, the stories started appearing that were secretly sourced to Wilson.

That put Rove and Libby in motion to find who the person was who was leaking and then stopping them or undermining them. That means conspiracy that started no later than June, and involved Condi's aide, Hadley. That is why Rove sent the email that alluded to his conversation with Cooper to Hadley, while Hadley was working for Condi, who was the Natl Security Advisor.


http://www.webcomicsnation.com/neillisst/

[soleft]

30. I know the site is websita-nongrata

But I find it interesting that the Voice of the White House has disappeared from tbrnews.org