Lewis Libby was a HIGHLY EXPERIENCED ATTORNEY

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

Sorry to shout but Dick Cheney praised Libby on television for having given up a lucrative law practice to come into his administration. Libby reputedly had a mind like a steel trap and an attention for minute detail. Is such a person likely to forget important details? Is such a person likely to not weigh the importance of his testimony and the potential risks involved in lying every time he speaks? Is such a person likely to not be prepared to give testimony before a Grand Jury or to Federal Investigators? Obviously, an experience, highly trained Officer of the Court, Lewis Libby knew exactly what he was doing and weighed the risks involved in lying. Whatever he is covering up was apparently worth the risk of prison, of being disbarred, of losing his lucrative career, and of taking the fall for this administration.

[valerief]

1. You mean he lied because he was made an offer he couldn't refuse?

[springhill]

17. No, he lied because...........

he is protecting Cheney, Bush, or both. Why make up such obvious and provable lies? Because he had to in order to protect someone other than himself. And he would only do so to protect higher-ups. That's my take on it anyway.

[valerief]

19. Right, but why did he protect them?

He may have been made an offer by them he couldn't refuse. (Haven't you ever seen The Godfather?)

[springhill]

21. You know what?

I haven't sen the Godfather. Guess I'll have to do that!

[valerief]

23. Do that. Then you'll get my meaning.

Plus you'll enjoy a doggone fun movie.

[Jersey Devil]

2. Abe Lincoln: "A lawyer who represents himself has a fool for a client"

No matter how experienced he might be (and I don't think his experience is in criminal law), he could never look at the case with the same objectivity as a lawyer with no personal stake in the case.

[redacted]

5. So his own lawyer had no control over him? He had to tell him the risks.

I mean look at the number of people who would have had to lie for Libby to get away with it. And all those documents?

[Jersey Devil]

9. Since he is now "shopping" for a lawyer I don't think he had one

He represented himself and listened to his "friends" in the White House. You get what you pay for.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

7. His very career and his very nature would put him on high alert

as to exactly what he did in every moment during the investigation. Whether he's trained in criminal law or not, every lawyer of Libby's stature is going to be extremely aware of details, keep records, and weigh the risks of what he does. And I also assume he was represented by counsel as well during the process.

[Jersey Devil]

11. He couldn't let go of the power

If he didn't talk he'd have to give up his power. So he gambled for that power and lost. Really stupid, but as they say, "power corrupts"

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

14. Not very likely at all - Libby is a legal professional

I'm not saying that a highly experienced lawyer wouldn't be foolish thinking that he could get away with perjury and obstructing justice. But it's not likely.

No, I think Libby lied intentionally to protect others, not just to protect his own power. In fact, Patrick Fitzgerald hinted that it was his lying and obstruction that prevented the investigation from digging deeper into the transmission of Valerie Plame's name to the press. I think that Libby lucidly assumed the risk, because a lot more was at stake.

[Jersey Devil]

25. So am I

and I have seen many of my fellow lawyers think they could get away with lying and wind up in jail. It ain't that uncommon at all.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

27. And so am I - licensed in California

And I know that every attorney I've worked with or had any contact with has had a sainted fear of getting caught up in legal problems and certainly would at least devote the same level of attention to detail as they do to their own cases. And remember that Libby was an attorney working at a very high level in Washington.

[Jersey Devil]

29. It doesn't matter what "level" he reached in Washington

Did he ever tangle with the FBI or a US Attorney's Office investigating one of his clients? My money says no.

I don't care how "accomplished" he may have been. Unless he knew the ropes as a criminal lawyer he probably had no clue what was going to happen to him.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

30. By the way, Libby has had legal counsel

Joseph Tate has been representing Libby throughout. Tate is a prominent Philadelphia lawyer who used to work in the USDOJ. It does matter as to the level of ability Libby has as an attorney. This is not some personal injury attorney running a accident mill and using cappers and runners or taking doctor kickbacks, working on the edge of the law. This is a very accomplished and experienced attorney. The statements I have heard about how Libby was a very busy man in Cheney's office and was confused as to dates, times, and facts won't fly with me. Going before a Grand Jury is a big deal for any attorney, especially one who has reached a high pinnacle of success and power. I cannot believe that Libby's lies were accidental, unintentional, or due stress, overwork, or poor memory. If he gave inconsistent statements, I think he knew exactly what he was doing.

[redacted]

33. I agree with you -- nobody is THAT cocky, unless they are insane.

Which I suppose is a possibility. I just don't know enough abt the man. But others in the admin obviously have some psychological issues, and birds of a feather . . .

[Jersey Devil]

34. Yeah, yeah, "very accomplished"

Listen, I've been around the block a time or two and anyone who lets their client testify before a Grand Jury is a total idiot. "Accomplished" means he went maybe to an Ivy League law school and got a job with a prestigious firm and he married right and went to the proper cocktail parties and maybe his daddy was a member of an eating society at Princeton. So was Bush (though not a lawyer) and just look at how smart he is.

I spoke to a lot of my friends today and every lawyer I know thinks this guy is an asshole for letting him testify.

[Samantha]

38. You have it straight

I just made this point to a friend.

Libby has a reputation for being extremely smart and extremely detail oriented. But in this case, Libby lied but not very well. Deliberately so.

There were four significant people who might take a fall. Bush, Cheney, Rove and Libby. If you were the one who planned the strategy from the beginning and knew you needed to sacrifice one to save three, who would you have sacrificed? Libby, the lawyer. Bush* will pardon him as he leaves in 2008. He will be funneled money for his family.

And besides, it is not as if being convicted of a crime in Washington prevents one from ever working again. Check out the current day jobs of the Watergate and Iran Contra cast of characters. They are working (if they have not expired), and most are doing extremely well.

Those who end up being shunned in Washington are those who in a time of crisis talk or negotiate. That's why Karen Hughes and Mary Matlin end up with committees to work, and people like Libby insulate the top dogs. They don't talk, they don't deal, they suck it up and rebound another day to collect their reward.

Yes, Libby told clumsy, egregious lies and he knew he would be caught. He put his finger in the leak investigation and stopped Cheney and Bush from being swept up by Fitzgerald's prosecutorial hunt for the "real" leaker.

[redacted]

3. Makes you wonder . . . hubris or hiding something (someone) bigger than

he. Something he passionately believes in?

Or was he just so cocky he thought he could get away with it.

I think both are plausible.

[peacetalksforall]

4. It proves their arrogance - they thought they were kings of the hill and

were going to rule the world. We must start fighting the second ranks of young punk right wingers who are going to attempt to carry on after Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfkowitz, and the older Fed Society and Tri-Lateral Comm gangsters.

[Liberal Dose]

8. YES! Arrogance is the exact word I was looking for. Thank you. n/t

[Liberal Dose]

6. Was he so sure of his attention to detail that he got tripped up?

I would guess that Scooter would've gotten away with it if it weren't for those meddling kids, AND Carl (I AM INFALLIBLE) Rove. Rove is the one who screwed up. Libby's just the first to pay for it. :shrug: Just speculating here.

[The_Casual_Observer]

10. He didn't want to take the treason rap he mistakenly thought he was

destined for. So he figured he could soft shoe the deal and nobody would be the wiser.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

12. I agree. Actually Tweety brought this up too. Except that he

said that maybe Libby didn't think the reporters involved would ever reveal their sources.

He probably doesn't even mind going to prison - he could write some books from there.

[cassiepriam]

13. Wouldn't he know exactly how and when to lie to his best advantage?

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

15. That's exactly my point - he intentionally lied and obstructed justice

This wasn't a confused witness forgetting dates or his previous inconsistent statements. It was a calculated effort to obstruct justice, made by an individual who knows full well the implication of his lies. My point is that this was a burden he took upon himself because the truth would have opened this case wide.

[cassiepriam]

18. yes it looks like he he fell on the sword, deliberately and with full

knowledge of what he was doing.

[C_U_L8R]

16. His feet were broken

That's the way the Bush Crime Family
sends a message out to any potential squeelers.

(kidding... but not really)

[melissinha]

20. thanks for the tidbit

it will be very usefull to debunk those, he can't remember what he said last year BS...


My brother-in-law is a lawyer and one that remembers EVERY detail, it woudl be hard for me to argue that he would in any way not be able to recall what he did or said 2 years ago.

[Neecy]

22. it's a puzzle...

It's hard to believe that an experienced lawyer would tell obvious lies, deliberate lies, easily disproven lies to the FBI and the GJ.

He's either covering for Cheney knowing that he'll get a pardon long before his little ass lands in prison or he was planning on these reporters remaining silent. I'm guessing he was putting his money on Miller, Russert and Cooper - and he probably had good reason for doing that, given that our "media" are little more than presstitutes for their corporate masters.

[Disturbed]

26. All of the reasons.

"He's either covering for Cheney knowing that he'll get a pardon long before his little ass lands in prison or he was planning on these reporters remaining silent."

He took a risk and will lose his license to practice law. Even if he makes a deal, it will mean prison time and I doubt if Fitz will settle for Libby's silence and a guilty plea of one or two of the charges.

[bloom]

24. That is a good point... and he should be disbarred... eom

[savemefromdumbya]

28. Libby had fingers in lots of pies

Val Plame was about to discover something that he was into. Hence the legal risk of outing her.

[Elidor]

31. But also a VERY POOR LIAR.

He doesn't have a degree in dishonesty, though he merits an honorary one.

[Blue-Jay]

32. Libby's downfall was his own self-image.

He's (reportedly) always considered himself to be an untouchable force behind the administration's foreign policy decision making process. And up until today, that was indeed true. He's a PNAC founder who has pushed for war in Iraq, dating back to the Clinton administration. (everybody here knows that, though)

"Scooter" has a James Bond fixation. The secret agent man mover & shaker. The backroom dealer. The devil on the shoulder of powerful people. Slippery. Sly. Invisible.

His massive ego tripped him up this time, and it's a huge blow to him and to the administration.

Don't allow the Bushbots to downplay this. This is a huge (HUGH!!!!11) public fuckup for all the nasty neocons. They won't be able to explain this one away. No spin, no blaming Clinton. They just got fucked, and they know it. Rub it in their faces. They deserve it, the shitheads.

[grasswire]

35. The WH set a "reverse" perjury trap

He blatantly lied to the GJ and FBI so that he would be charged with the "process" charges instead of the substantive charges -- and did so with the plan to plea, which would end the matter for the WH.

I believe Rove and Libby have gamed the investigation.

If Fitzgerald accepts a plea and doesn't indict someone else, the underlying crimes will never see the light of day. They'll all go unscathed.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

39. I think your theory is extraordinary

Whether true or not (we may never know) it is certainly something this White House would have considered doing, among all of their options.

[Guaranteed]

36. Great, great post. nt

[Tomee450]

37. I was thinking the same thing.

Libby is just too smart, from all I've read, to allow himself to get into such a predicament. I wonder what would be so important that he would risk indictment to keep it from being revealed.