NEWSWEEK: WH reluctantly concluded that the jury had reached a reasonable Libby verdict

[sabra]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19649910/site/newsweek/

<snip>

Behind the scenes, Bush was intensely focused on the matter, say two White House advisers who were briefed on the deliberations, but who asked not to be identified talking about sensitive matters. Bush asked Fred Fielding, his discreet White House counsel, to collect information on the case. Fielding, anticipating the Libby issue would be on his plate, had been gathering material for some time, including key trial transcripts. Uncharacteristically, Bush himself delved into the details. He was especially keen to know if there was compelling evidence that might contradict the jury's verdict that Libby had lied to a federal grand jury about when—and from whom—he learned the identity of Valerie Plame Wilson, wife of Iraq War critic Joe Wilson. But Fielding, one of the advisers tells NEWSWEEK, reluctantly concluded that the jury had reached a reasonable verdict: the evidence was strong that Libby testified falsely about his role in the leak.

[librechik]

1. kabuki

are we supposed to believe it was a surprise to them to discover Scooter really lied? Give me a BREAK!

[aquart]

3. Yeah. Thank you.

[Xipe Totec]

4. They knew he lied

The surprise was how thoroughly Fritz pinned Libby to the lie.

[bleever]

2. So now the executioner wants to be judge and jury too.

No respect for the justice system and its extensive and thorough protocols.

[seafan]

5. Did you see Marcy Wheeler's take on this piece? "Scathing" is too kind.

Marcy clearly disbelieves Isikoff here.


From July 8, 2007:

Isikoff's Worst

by emptywheel

Wow. When I railed on Mikey Isikoff's horribly conflicted coverage of the CIA Leak case while on Sam Seder's show today, I had not yet read Mikey's latest blowjob to Karl Rove. But this is truly shameful stuff. First, Mikey provides tons of details that make it clear that the White House has scrupulously tried to pretend no one influenced Bush in untoward manner ... even while a lot of pressure came to bear.

Libby's allies pressed their argument with White House aides but got nowhere. George W. Bush's senior staff was under strict instructions: listen politely, but give away nothing about what the president might ultimately do.

Uh huh. They carry out that strategy furthest with Cheney.

Cheney did not directly weigh in with Fielding, but nobody involved had any doubt where he stood. "I'm not sure Bush had a choice," says one of the advisers. "If he didn't act, it would have caused a fracture with the vice president."

Cheney made the decision, of course, but there was no quid pro quo. Nope, no obstruction here. Now move along...

Mikey nods to Bush's false claim of respect for the verdict, as if it were sincere.

But Bush didn't clear Libby entirely. He said he respected the jury's verdict and described special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald as a "professional prosecutor."

... When any sane observer would say Bush couldn't have said "fuck you" to Fitzgerald and the jury in any clearer language.

And of course Mikey couldn't turn down the opportunity to smear the Clintons--it's mother's milk to Mikey, after all.

But the Democrats' outrage lost steam when Hillary Clinton came forward to scold Bush for not respecting "the rule of law." White House aides were all too happy to remind the country about Bill Clinton's own questionable pardon of fugitive financier Marc Rich.

A journalist, Mikey, might have mentioned Marc Rich's lawyer. Guy by the name of Scooter Libby. You've heard of him, I presume? But I guess you're just in the business of fellatio today, huh?

All of that was terrible. Really, really bad. But the worst, IMO, was Mikey's creative picture of "conflicted Bush."

Behind the scenes, Bush was intensely focused on the matter, say two White House advisers who were briefed on the deliberations, but who asked not to be identified talking about sensitive matters. Bush asked Fred Fielding, his discreet White House counsel, to collect information on the case. Fielding, anticipating the Libby issue would be on his plate, had been gathering material for some time, including key trial transcripts. Uncharacteristically, Bush himself delved into the details. He was especially keen to know if there was compelling evidence that might contradict the jury's verdict that Libby had lied to a federal grand jury about when—and from whom—he learned the identity of Valerie Plame Wilson, wife of Iraq War critic Joe Wilson. But Fielding, one of the advisers tells NEWSWEEK, reluctantly concluded that the jury had reached a reasonable verdict: the evidence was strong that Libby testified falsely about his role in the leak.

Look at the way Mikey piles on the modifiers. "Intensely focused ... discreet White House counsel ... reluctantly concluded" Just like a novel, huh? There's a reason for the similarity, I assure you.

But no journalist--not one with any kind of self-respect--who had actually paid attention at trial could write that paragraph with a straight face. Mikey. They told you Bush was reading through transcripts directly. You know, the transcripts where Libby's lawyers said Bush made Libby stick his neck in a meat grinder? The transcripts where Libby's own defense lawyer said:

The prosecution has focused on this July 8th meeting with Judith Miller at the St. Regis Hotel. They said, could Mr. Libby, how, if he was so busy, did he have two hours to go out and have lunch with Ms. Miller on July 8th. The reason he took two hours to have lunch with Ms. Miller is that Mr. Libby understood that the Vice President of the United States had directed him to go meet with Ms. Miller and that the President, President Bush was behind it too.

(snip)

I mean this is basically a secret mission that three people in the world know, President Bush, Vice President Cheney and Scooter Libby. Because he goes and does what he is asked to do by the President and the Vice President and meets with her for two hours, suddenly they're trying to find something bad in that because, in Ms. Miller’s notes at the lunch, she’s got the word WINPAC.

Do you remember that trial, Mikey? The trial where Libby's team spent the entire first day of the trial and then some pointing big accusing fingers at the White House? Because if you did, then you would be utterly ashamed to pretend that Bush was really interested in whether Libby was guilty or not. If you did, you'd know that Bush didn't need to consult a transcript to know that Libby lied, badly, and for clearly obstructive purposes. If you did, you wouldn't pretend that Bush doesn't plan on pardoning Libby, when it comes time.

It's a nice picture, Mikey, "conflicted Bush." But if you really believe that, then you are impossibly stupid, particularly given that you attended the trial and saw the way it implicated Bush and Cheney.

Me, I happen to believe you're just good at stenography and blowjobs. Now wipe your chin, Mikey.

Whew. She's spot on.