Luntz Suggests White House Will Retaliate After Indictments

[JABBS]

President Bush has praised Fitzgerald's deft handling of the inquiry, which could deflate any later attempts to paint him as a partisan prosecutor over-reaching his mandate.

However, Republican pollster Frank Luntz told Financial Times: "If (Fitzgerald) indicts, they (the White House) will have no choice but to attempt to demonize him. I think that is going to be really, really tough."

***

This item first appeared at Journalists Against Bush's B.S.

[NashVegas]

1. That Would Be Really Stupid

All they'd be doing is giving the nation another demonstration of what they did to Wilson.

[Lerkfish]

6. ipso facto, since it is the stupidest thing they could do, it will be done

I have no idea if I'm using "ipso facto' correctly, but figured latin terms would the mode d'jour.

[Jackpine Radical]

24. Quid erat demonstrandum.

[librechik]

30. you are so right

:popcorn:

Fitzgerald: Veni, Vici, Indicti

(I came, I saw, I indicted)

[kestrel91316]

43. You mean like: "Sic semper tyrannis"??

[Leopolds Ghost]

53. More like: "Sic temper moranis" :^) n/t

[Leopolds Ghost]

45. Cui bono?

That is what you should be asking yourself.

[Politicub]

61. What an ugly room

I know that's shallow to say, but it looks like this photo was taken in one of Sadam's kitchy palaces. Is this the look of the George and Pickles Bush white house?

[LondonReign2]

51. Caveat Emptor

I wish a lot of November voters would have heeded this one.

[Leopolds Ghost]

52. Caveat Imperator

Fitzgeraldus Sanctus Succedit.

[Lochloosa]

57. This is an English Only Site

:sarcasm:

[Auntie Bush]

28. Well, since he IS stupid! He's doing what you'd expect..Something stupid.

[ewagner]

2. No question about it

This is what they do...it's their only trick....Fitz, however, is above reproach.

[Jackpine Radical]

31. You grossly underestimate them, Ed.

They have three tricks. Demonize, create straw men, & forge documents. (e.g. the Rather TANG trick).

Edited to add--

Oh, and assassinate people. I forgot assassination. Hatfield, Carnahan, Baxter, Wellstone...

[Matariki]

35. and you forgot 'threaten their families'

and also maybe whatever they did to Libby's foot.

[ewagner]

50. I guess I'm not

devious enough to think of those thing.....

[ananda]

3. like deGuerin is demonizing Ronnie Earle..

.. with pestboy whining about the politics of personal destruction?

Bring em on!

Sue

[DeepModem Mom]

4. They may have to deal with DU's Stephanie if they do that --

and, I don't know her, but I'd guess she could take out Luntz with one hand tied behind her back.

[Skinner]

5. I like how they say the White House "will have no choice"

He makes it sound as if 1) the White House really doesn't have a choice, which is absurd, and 2) there actually existed a possiblity that the White House would not try to demonize Fitzgerald, which is also absurd.

[ourbluenation]

14. Luntz? The rightie pollster? Just file it under "spin".

They wouldn't be that stupid...or??????

[bloom]

23. They have to keep the base deluded....

If they let the truth in - people might suspicious about a lot of things.

[highplainsdem]

39. Right. "Fitzgerald made them do it."

[NYC Liberal]

7. Just keep replaying Bush's comments on how Fitz was handeling it!

:)

[electropop]

12. OMG, that picture is scaring me!

Is it from some crappy Halloween movie?

[napi21]

8. Of course! That's SOP for them!

I'm not sure it will work this time though.

[Coexist]

9. It will only be successful if the MSM allows their assassins air time

to run their smear campaign. Let's wait and see if they whore out or not.

[cynatnite]

10. I heard someone trash the grand jury proceedings...

I can't remember who it was, but they were saying how only the prosecuter is in there and controls the proceedings.

I wondered if that's how they're going to attack if they can't go after Fitz.

[sunnystarr]

17. I've now heard that the GJ is comprised of Dem Liberals

mostly women and mostly black and that they'll indict anything including the proverbial, often referred to "ham sandwich."

This is really gonna get very ugly very fast.

[Tamyrlin79]

33. uh, yeah...

drawn from the DC regular population as Washington juries are, one should expect that it would be heavily black. Though, I would have expected some gender parity.

Still, I'm not complaining. :-)

[Jackpine Radical]

37. If I had any photoshop skills at all, I'd do a big poster

of Rove, Scooter & Cheney as ham sandwiches.

[Catherine Vincent]

11. BRING IT ON!

[bluedawg12]

13. The politics of personal destruction- but it won't work

Fitz is squeaky clean and it would back fire.

[DoYouEverWonder]

15. Maybe that's why Fitzgerald let Libby know

he was going to be indicted and let Karl hang out in the breeze for a bit longer? That forces Rove and the WH to go into their typical Swift Boat mode and if they do they will play right into Fitzgerald's hands.

[sunnystarr]

27. I may be wrong but I think Fitz was ready to indict Rove

on perjury, lying to a GJ, and obstruction of justice ... I even read that he offered Rove a deal of pleading guilty to perjury and it was declined. But new information has emerged over the past week and it could be that since it looks like a new GJ will impanelled Fitz will have more time to develop more serious charges against Rove.

Or Rove ticked off Fitz and he's gonna leave him waving in the breeze before he closes in with an indictment.

[bloom]

32. That's an interesting theory.

I was hoping they would hurry up and indict Rove to shut him down. He's certainly done enough already. And he's awfully good at getting away with it - for the most part.

[DoYouEverWonder]

40. Many of the things that Fitzgerald has done

since he put Judy in jail was meant to divide and conquer. Seems Fitzgerald has been very successful so far.

[Gman]

16. That would be most incredibly stupid

go after a no nonsense federal prosecutor who has a-hold of your ass with an iron claw grip. The best thing Bushco can do is fall on their knees and beg forgiveness. But we all know that isn't going to happen.

[AlCzervik]

18. Was that Luntz speaking or the roadkill he wears on his head?

[MrBenchley]

19. LOL!

Maybe they can tie Fitz to Cindy Sheehan....

Wow...at long last, they have nothing at all but Joe McCarthy's bogus list!*


*For those too young to recall, McCarthy claimed to have a "list" of 158 or 273 or 319 (the number changed every day) "avowed Communists" in the State Department, and from time to time he would produce the "list" and wave it in the air.....it turned out to be an unpaid hotel bill.

[leftofthedial]

20. that statement, if true, constitutes obstruction of justice

threatening a prosecutor, a judge or a juror is illegal

[kurth]

41. But not if spoken by a GOP lawmaker on the floor

Legislators can say ANYTHING they want, and it's absolute privilege.

Expect a lot of vile theatrics from the right wing in the coming weeks.

[leftofthedial]

62. the vermin will be spouting more lies than ever

hard to believe they *could* spout more lies, but they will

[Marr]

21. "No choice"? How the hell does he figure that?

Of course they have a choice. They may choose to demonize people rather than deal with problems, but it *is* a choice. It'd be intensely stupid, since their smear campaign style is what got them to this point in the first place. Then again, the Bush Administration has become known for making intensely stupid choices.

[cassiepriam]

59. They do have another choice, Called DO THE RIGHT THING.

When in doubt, do the right thing. Take the high road.
An option the repugs have ever considered.

[LeftHander]

22. Obstruction of Justice....

If the White attempts to derail pre-trial investigation and subsequent trial.

[Coexist]

25. is a character assassination included in this?

That would be sweet.

[LiberalEsto]

26. I hope Mr. Fitzgerald's relatives are in hiding

with bodyguards.

[porphyrian]

29. Ooooo, I'm sure he's really scared... - n/t

[lovuian]

34. Bring it ON!!! the more he demonizes Fitz the more he will

go after them!!!

[arwalden]

36. Who Has The Authority To Fire Fitzgerald?

[kurth]

44. Alberto Gonzales

or a Gonzales designate. Fitzgerald can also be dismissed by any Bush designate.

[bklyncowgirl]

38. Let's see, what "grass roots" group will attack Fitzgerald?

Most of the people who really hate this guy happen to be serving time in one of this country's many fine penal institutions.

We could have:

Al Queda Money Launderers for Truth
"Patrick Fitzgerald put innocent businessmen like me who were only collecting money for innocent Islamic charities behind bars."

Mafia Soldiers against Overzealous Prosecutors
"Hey, we wuz just minding our own business...."

Crooked Polticians speak out
"I used to be Governor of Illinois...."
"I'm still the Mayor of Chicago but not for long if Pat Fitzgerald has his way..."

Or they could put up a picture of Sheik Omar and describe how Fitzgerald went after this kindly old gent who looks like Santa Claus like he was some sort of evil terrorist or something.

I'd love to see it.

[deadparrot]

42. I would LOVE to see them try. nt

[Double T]

46. The White House Corruptors will always attack anyone that......

questions their 'divine' authority.

[Generator]

47. Memo to Frank Luntz

Plame changed everything.

Katrina changed everything.

You will be a footnote in the worst admin in history.

(for those that don't know-this is the propgandist who made sure this memo was drilled in every Republicon's brain since "9/11-it changed everything")

[leesa]

48. "... will have no choice but to demonize him." They are so vile. Why is

that even a choice. They are just 6th grade bullies who have never grown up.

[BurtWorm]

49. No choice?

Republican "ethics." :nuke:

[SoCalDem]

54. Duh!

They are vindictive to the nth degree on everything, why would this be different?

[Norquist Nemesis]

55. Well, Luntz should know

He's probably already finished up work with focus groups for branding phrases and brainstorming with alliteration exercises. Check's in the mail Frankieboy!!

[notadmblnd]

56. oh? so he's sayng they might wasnt to add

obstructing justice to the charges? At this point I think the Wh might want to tread lightly.

[kentuck]

58. The White House won't do it personally..

They have Rush, Hannity, O'Reilly. Ingraham, etc... They can simply say, "no comment"...no big deal

[berni_mccoy]

60. The WH hasn't learned from it's past mistakes

Why should they learn from this one?

Ironic isn't it? That they would backlash against the attorney who is prosecuting them because they backlashed...!