Last night: Tim Russert, Andrea Mitchell, David Gregory, Pete Williams

[Tennessee Gal]

Last night I watched a discussion on the Libby indictment and the Fitzgerald investigation with Tim Russert, Andrea Mitchell, David Gregory, and Pete Williams. It was quite interesting.

Tim Russert pondered why Libby would flat-out lie about a conversation he had with Libby. He said that the conversation in question was one in which Libby called him to complain about a program on MSNBC and that Valerie Plame and Joe Wilson were never even mentioned. He could not understand why Libby would tell the FBI that they had discussed Wilson or Plame since the truth would surely come out. Russert's comment: "What was he thinking?"

Andrea Mitchell said that as a result of the Libby indictment and the Fitzgerald press conference the question of whether or not Plame was "covert" is no longer in doubt. Plame was "covert" and an outing took place, but Libby and others questioned in the investigation lied so much that it has been impossible to date to determine if all aspects of the laws that apply to outing a covert agent can be applied - thus no indictment for the "outing" so far. Fitzgerald cannot determine the depth of knowledge held by Libby and others regarding Plame's status when they called people not entitled to classified information if they do not testify truthfully.

Pete Williams said that the Fitzgerald investigation is definitely continuing and that there definitely will be another Grand Jury - that there are always sitting grand juries and that transcripts of testimony heard by the previous grand jury will be read to them and bring them up to speed rather quickly.

[Cha]

1. That article you

brought over by Seth Abramson gives a clue as to possibly why ignoble libby was lying..

"UPDATE: I neglected to mention that there is, in fact, an explanation for what Scooter has done which has nothing to do with covering up crimes committed by those above him on the food-chain. Specifically, one must consider the primary effect of Scooter's lies, which was, as Fitzgerald said yesterday, to delay revelation of the intricacies of the Plamegate scandal until October of 2005--instead of October of 2004. The primary effect, then, of what Scooter did was to hand Bush the Presidency of the United States, as no one can possibly doubt that had this scandal hit the public consciousness just a week or two before the November 2004 election, Bush would not have been re-elected."

http://sethabramson.blogspot.com/2005/10/time-to-talk-like-grown-ups.html

[donsu]

2. kicking Zidzi as this is an important point

nt

[Tennessee Gal]

3. Thanks!

That is an important update. I am glad to get it.

[Jose Diablo]

4. Sounds like 'Obstruction of Justice' to me

As for the talking heads, it's too bad they cannot be held responsible also. They are part of the propaganda mill that deceived the people into an needless war.

Worthless dickheads.

[Cha]

5. I want the "talking heads"

to be held responsible, too. After all, Dan Rather was!

[cry baby]

7. Of course, *slapping forehead* it becomes so clearly obvious

when I read that paragraph from Abramson. I'm having a "why didn't I think of that" moment.

[grasswire]

6. last night's discussion thread

...FYI for more commentary.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x5220115