Libby won't argue Bush ordered leak of agent's name - 18 minutes ago

[helderheid]

y Andy Sullivan 18 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An indicted former White House aide does not contend that
President George W. Bush and Vice President
Dick Cheney ordered him to leak the name of a
CIA officer whose husband criticized the administration's
Iraq policies, the aide's lawyers said.
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A court filing by Lewis "Scooter" Libby's defense team argues that CIA officer
Valerie Plame was not foremost on the minds of Bush administration officials as they sought to rebut charges by her husband, Joseph Wilson, that they manipulated intelligence to make a case for invading Iraq.

"Mr. Libby plans to demonstrate that the indictment is wrong when it suggests that he and other government officials viewed Ms. Wilson's role in sending her husband to Africa as important," said the filing late Wednesday night.

Wilson investigated for the CIA an administration claim that Iraq had tried to buy uranium, a potential nuclear-weapons ingredient, in Africa, and he later wrote that the charges could not be substantiated.

More>>

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060413/pl_nm/bush_leak_dc_1

[xultar]

1. They are thinking there is a differnece beetween order & Implied order

[helderheid]

2. yes, the name just slipped in there - their intentions were good, honest!

[stop the bleeding]

3. the longer this stays in the MSM the better - screw Sen Roberts and

Phase II - Now we will have Phase II played out in the MSM now that this case has twisted and turned to the point on the road that we are currently on.

as H2O Man would say

"Things are Good"

[BR_Parkway]

5. Things are good indeed

[stop the bleeding]

there you are - we need some eagle eyes

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x920067

I want to see if there is anything that the media has missed on this, let me know

[Vinca]

4. Well . . . duh on 2 counts.

First, he's charged with lying to the grand jury, not leaking. Secondly, he won't be first in line for a pardon if he ticks off the upper levels of the regime.

[Duer 157099]

9. Exactly. Perfect example of straw man argument

[stepnw1f]

6. Oooops... White House and RW Pundits Lie Again

I love this new found strategy or squashing the propaganda as soon as it gets aired. We didn't see this pre-Iraq Invasion.

[Atman]

7. This is a distinction without a difference...purely "legal"

I give the Cabal News guys credit, they have all managed to point out, at least on the various reports I've seen, that this is really a meaningless distinction and is purely a legalistic thing. IOW, Libby is not trying to use "they made me do it" as his defense. He isn't trying to say it didn't happen, but he has to indicate what his defense will be. "I'm stupid or I was too busy or I've never actually read any law or I was only following orders."

All this apparently states is that he isn't going to use the "following orders" route as a defense, but the story itself stands.

Personally, I think it appears to be just another way to completely confuse the people, and get the right-wing echo chamber to repeat the "he didn't do it!" meme which the red-state ignorati will trumpet endlessly, right along with "but they found mobile bio weapons labs!" This is like the lie on the front page that only gets retracted four days later in the back of Section F.

[RufusEarl]

13. I agree, muddy the waters, it's the same old trick!

[FormerOstrich]

8. Seems maybe Libby didn't stick to the script...

I happened upon this comment the other day. Notice how it's a disappointment if Libby said he was ordered to leak not a disappointment. I guess you are expected to fall on the sword.

Talk invariably centered on the news of the day - I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby saying he was ordered by President Bush to leak Valerie Plame's identity to the press - with Mr. Kissinger pausing to comment cautiously that he was "very disappointed - if that's what he said." Like many of the guests, former Undersecretary of State R. Nicholas Burns preferred focusing on Mr. Abshire, calling him "one of the great Washington gentlemen."

D.C. sings praise of CSIS's Abshire.(LIFE)
The Washington Times; 4/10/2006

[H2O Man]

10. Gosh no.

They really don't want to even hint that PRESIDENT BUSH ORDERED CHENEY TO FORCE LIBBY TO LEAK THE NIE. Don't even try to get Scooter to mention that. It's a secret.

[xultar]

11. Nice to hear from you H2O Man!

[H2O Man]

12. And good to see you here!

But -- a word of warning -- forget getting Scooter to talk about BUSH'S ROLE IN ALL OF THIS. His lips are sealed.

[H2O Man]

14. One more time .....

just like Liddy put a lite cigarette to his arm, Scooter put one of Karl's candy cigarettes to his arm. The guy is solid. That's why their Reply makes so many mentions of BUSH'S ROLE IN THIS.

[Disturbed]

15. Who leaked Brewster Jennings to the Press?

I can understand how V.Plame aka V. Wilson got into the mix in the attempt to debunk Joe Wilson's report regarding Niger and the Yellowcake. How and why and by whom Brewster Jennings was exposed is more important in my view.

[BR_Parkway]

17. My read was that he mentions Bush enough to call out "Hey, pardon

needed over here" just to make sure they aren't forgetting him. He may be solid, but he's also worked with these folks for years and knows that they will screw him over to save their own butts every bit as quickly as they would Hillary's.

[napi21]

16. Libby was indicted for LYING to the Feds! What has all the symantics

with ordered, implied, first in minds BS got to do with THAT?

Has EVERYONE forgotted the actual charge?????