The Politics of Lies ....

[H2O Man]

Random Thoughts on Spiro Cheney & Scooter Libby

{1} "....he had contacts with reporters in which he disclosed the content of the National Intelligence Estimate ..... We also note that it is our understanding that Mr. Libby testified that he was authorized to disclose information about the NIE to the press by his superiors."
-- Indy Star; 2-10-06

Interest in the case of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby was focused on the possible defense strategy, including speculation that the role of VP Dick "Spiro" Cheney would be central to the case, after the contents of a letter from Patrick Fitzgerald was made public. The letter notes that Libby "disclosed the content of the National Intelligence Estimate to ... reporters in the course of his interaction with reporters in June and July 2003," and that he caused at least one other administration official to discuss the NIE with journalists. (Chicago Tribune, 2-10-06)

Fitzgerald's investigation originated as the result of an article Robert Novak wrote in July, 2003, which was in response to Ambassador Joseph Wilson's NY Times Op-Ed article exposing the Bush administration's lying about the Iraqi "nuclear threat" to the United States. Novak wrote that two senior administration officials had told him that Wilson had been sent to Niger by his wife; Novak's article exposed the identity of Valerie Plame.

In his book "The Politics of Truth," Wilson documented that the campaign to discredit him began in March of 2003, several months before Novak's article. On page 452 of his book, it is noted that in March, 2003, "a decision was made at a meeting in the Office of the Vice President -- possibly attended by Dick Cheney, Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Newt Gingrich, and other senior Republicans -- to produce a workup on Wilson to discredit him." Despite administration claims that the leak to Novak was in response to Wilson's July Op-Ed, Fitzgerald's investigation has clearly documented that it was part of a larger conspiracy involving the WHIG, and run by VP Cheney. For more information, see:
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/020906J.shtml

{2} "Libby had three formal titles. He was chief of staff to Vice President Cheney; he was also national security advisor to the vice president; and he was finally an assistant to President Bush. It was a trifecta of positions probably never before held by a single person. Scooter was a power center unto himself, and accordingly, a force multiplier for Cheney's agenda and views."
-- Bob Woodward; "Plan of Attack"; page 48

There has been interest in who exacly qualifies to be considered Libby's "superiors," as noted in the Fitzgerald letter. Clearly, in the three positions Libby held, they are Cheney, Cheney, and Bush. However, President Bush is not the person referred to in Fitzgeral's plural "superiors." Rather, it is former White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card, who technically was Libby's superior. Those who recall Fitzgerald's interest in the President's trip to Africa in the summer of 2003 will appreciate the significance of Card's role. For more information, refer to the July 25th, 2005 editions of both TIME and Newsweek.

{3} "The notes, and my subsequent e-mails, go on to indicate that Rove told me material was going to be declassified in the coming days that would cast doubt on Wilson's mission and his findings."
-- Matthew Cooper; "What I Told the Grand Jury"; TIME; July 25, 2005; page 40

Fitzgerald's letter to Libby's lawyers indicates that Scooter caused at least one other White House official to discuss the still highly classified NIE with a journalist. This is important, because it shows that VP Cheney was in control of the overall strategy of the WHIG's effort to discredit Wilson; Cheney instructed Libby to leak classified NIE information to the press, and Libby passed the instructions on to at least one other. That is what Cooper's testimony also documents.

For more information, see:
http://nationaljournal.com/about/njweekly/stories/2006/0209nj1.htm

{4} Much of the speculation about Libby's potential defense strategy results from his hiring of John D. Cline, who helped Oliver North in the Iran-Contra scandals. Cline is known as a "gray mail specialist," because he tends to try to put pressure on the federal government by demanding massive amounts of classified material. This caused Lawrence Walsh to opt not to follow through on several potential charges against North, because he could not get the requested materials declassified.

Special prosecutors like Walsh and even Ken Starr are limited in this area. In large part, it is because they were appointed in a manner that involved a three judge panel. In the Plame scandal, Fitzgerald was appointed by the Attorney General's office. This is significant, because it allows Fitzgerald the power to determine what should be declassified. It is highly unlikely that the White House could successfully challenge Fitzgerald's decisions in this area.

The discomfort that is resulting from the recent events is causing members of the House and Senate to look closer at VP Cheney and the WHIG's activities. For more information, see:
http://www.tedkennedy.com/journal/670/cheney-authorized-leaks

[Toots]

1. "We will fuck him like he's never been fucked before"

:shrug: You have the mob investigating the mob any clue what the outcome will be?

2. It will be interesting to see how Cheney handles this

he is one tough character.

[H2O Man]

3. "Rove at War"

(Newsweek; 7-25-05; pages 30-1):

"....Now Wilson was getting in the way ... essentially accusing the administration of having blundered or lied the country into war.

"How do you publicly counter a guy like that? As 'senior adviser,' Rove would be involved in finding out. .... he used his heavyweight status to push the message machine run by his Texas protege and friend Dan Bartlett. Press Secretary Ari Fleischer was sent out to trash the Wilson op-ed. ... Then, on a long Bush trip to Africa, Fleischer and Bartlett prompted clusters of reporters to look into the bureaucratic origins of the Wilson trip. How did the spin doctors know to cast that lure? One possible explanation: some aides may have read the State Department intel memo ...

"Meanwhile, in transatlantic secure phone calls, the message machinery focused on a crucial topic: who should carry the freight on the following Sunday's talk shows? ..... Condi Rice ... was on the African trip with the president, though, and wouldn't be getting back until Saturday night. To allow her to prepare on the long flight home to D.C., White House officials assembled a briefing book, which they faxed to the Bush entourage in Africa. The book was primarily prepared by her National Security staff. It contained classified information -- perhaps including all or part of the memo from State. The entire binder was labeled TOP SECRET."

[EFerrari]

4. You know, I don't scare very easily but Cheney with nothing left

to lose scares me.

Scares me a great deal.

[H2O Man]

9. Good point.

I think it is worth seeing much of this within the context of the Cheney-Rumsfeld "shadow government." That includes not only the Plame scandal, but certainly the domestic spying as well.

[im10ashus]

17. This is a great thread.

Thanks for posting! I am a little afraid of what Cheney's reaction will be as well. I hope he doesn't have the code for the red button. Honestly.

[centristo]

10. i always sleep with the lights on

just in case Cheney is hiding underneath my bed or in my closet. That guy's like the Blair Witch man, seriously.

:scared: :scared: :scared:

[G_j]

19. and that is frightening

considering Cheney is already one of the most dangerous men on the planet.

[KharmaTrain]

5. What's Scarier? What We Know Or What We Fear?

Once again, things we knew were going on within this evil regime have come to light. It took a prosecutor with more repsect for the law than the money and power to pull the covers open just enough to show those of us who've been watching this regime closely proof of what we had long suspected.

It appears Fitz has a lot more in his deck than he's showing and IMHO, Libby's move is a signal to the White House that this is the case and be prepared. Libby's defense appears to rest on making this trial as hard to bring...and to stonewall and delay as long as possible in hopes of playing this game into 2008 and then let the chips fall where they may. We know on January 19, 2009, there'll be a pardon with his name as booshie boy packs his bags.

[H2O Man]

8. It's possible

that there could be one or more pardons in January 2009. I do not think there will be. However, either way, it's probably better to concentrate on the potential benefits from the process of convicting the criminals in the administration.

[Just Me]

6. Frankly, I found it surprising Libby's atty would assert that defense.

"My superiors made me do it." :shrug: However, if Card was considered his direct superior, it makes more sense to me. No way either Cheney or Bush are gonna' risk being sacrificed in this scandal notwithstanding they are responsible for intentionally deceiving everyone in order to push their war.

[H2O Man]

7. Libby's defense

is being handled by some of the best attorneys that money can buy. Their goal is to do the very best that they can for Scooter, no matter how that impacts others.

What is interesting to me is that it is Fitzgerald who is apparently calling their bluff on the defense team. Libby has testified that his superiors told him to share information from the classified document to reporters; there is testimony that Rove and Libby discussed Rove's conversing with Novak; Rove appears to be the person directed by Libby to share the classified information with Cooper; and Fitzgerald has evidence documenting that Cheney was the first person to tell Libby that Plame worked for the CIA. Now, of course this doesn't mean that Cheney told Libby to expose Plame, but it surely looks that way .... and it is Patrick Fitzgerald who made that apparent connection in his letter to Libby's attorneys. I think, Just Me, that we are going to see some fireworks soon.

[Me.]

11. We May Be Seeing The Beginning Of The Great Unraveling

Libby pointing the finger at Cheney, Rove hiding behind any skirt he can find, Brownie pointing the finger at the admin. The important point I read in your OP is that FitzG. is not hamstrung as others were. How, I wonder, did that letter from him to Libby's lawyers make it's way into the hands of reporters? If that was/is their defense, which they now deny, that option is seeming to fall off the table.

[H2O Man]

15. The court

apparently made it public.

[Me.]

16. Ah, But Why

and why now? An Irishman's version of Hardball? And when you say court, who exactly do you mean, the judge?

[H2O Man]

21. Let's hope

it sets the tone for a public trial.

[TheModernTerrorist]

12. I call it "Nuts in a Vice" Syndrome

MY guess is that they have Scooter's nuts in a vice, and the only way out is to roll over on his superiors.

[Beetwasher]

13. Slowly But Surely

Fitz is closing in on his prey. Every step is a good one, solid, w/ firm footing.

[Me.]

14. Good Waas Article On This Matter

http://nationaljournal.com/about/njweekly/stories/2006/0209nj1.htm#

[bleever]

18. Is it too greedy to hope that Gingrich also be found culpable?

I didn't think so.

:)

[H2O Man]

20. I'd like to see

the role he played be exposed by the corporate media. I had hoped that Mr. O'Reilly from Fox would pick me as one of the common folk to debate on his show, but I never heard back after applying for his contest. I wanted to ask about Fox using Newt, and the need for him -- like Woodward -- to be honest with his audience about his role. Perhaps DU could "lobby" with Hardball and/or CountDown to address this issue. It would, of course, be ideal to have Mr. Fitzgerald address it!

[Me.]

23. Perhaps The Newt Will Continue With His Hallucination

of being president. That would make it so much easier to target his role in the WHIG group.

[EVDebs]

22. Operation Northwoods came about public knowledge because

it was passed along in such a FOIA during the Oliver Stone post JFK film, slipped into the deck, possibly by a whistleblower:

""Ironically, the documents came to light, says Bamford, in part because of the 1992 Oliver Stone film JFK, which examined the possibility of a conspiracy behind the assassination of President Kennedy.""

US Military Wanted To Provoke War With Cuba
http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=92662&page=3

Should Mr. Cline's request ask for such voluminous amounts of classified documents, hopefully alert whistleblowers will be inside willing to 'spike' the process. We can only pray for this to happen and backfire/blowback beautifully on the bastages.

If there is a God in heaven and truth has a fighting chance in this country ever again, let us pray to our respective gods (Micah 4:3-5) that this happens and happens soon. Be not afraid, God is not mocked

"God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that will he reap" (Gal. 6: 7-10)

There will be much weeping and gnashing of teeth for lying Vulcans. Behold, God is not mocked. Just because Al Qaida is bad doesn't mean an American administration must follow suit.

Yet another kick and vote for 'greatest page', H2OMan.

[Me.]

24. I Wish Northwoods Was Common Knowledge

It's important for the American people to know just how tenuous our hold on "democracy" has been. Most wouldn't dream that our military came up with a plan to attack it's citizens in order to make a case for war. Even now they don't understand the lengths the PNAC group and this admin have been willing to go. And listening to Brownie today, my admiration for Blanco grew, for her holding her own against B***co and their plans to federalize NO. I think, given the way these felons plan, this was an "opportunity" they would have used as a toehold and precedent to commit even more egregious acts against the citizens of this country.

[Catherine Vincent]

25. Sheesh!

I don't understand it all but I recommended this anyway since it's from Waterman. That alone assures me it's worthy of a recommendation. :-)