LGF DELUSIONS

I went into the weeds again, this time at Little Green Footballs, and as expected, I found several "alternate reality" posts. I couldn't finish the thread about "Scooter" Libby's indictment but below is a fair sample of BushBot thinking, along with the needed corrections.

#5 mglazer 10/28/2005 12:48PM PDT
A political aide in Washington LIED TO
A REPORTER!

30 years in jail!

It is the Politics of Persecution
(POP) played out by the MSM

FITZGERALD: At the end of the day what appears is that Mr. Libby's story that he was at the tail end of a chain of phone calls, passing on from one reporter what he heard from another, was not true.
It was false. He was at the beginning of the chain of phone calls, the first official to disclose this information outside the government to a reporter. And then he lied about it afterwards, under oath and repeatedly.
This is a very serious matter and compromising national security information is a very serious matter. But the need to get to the bottom of what happened and whether national security was compromised by inadvertence, by recklessness, by maliciousness is extremely important. We need to know the truth. And anyone who would go into a grand jury and lie, obstruct and impede the investigation has committed a serious crime. LINK

#35 BulgarWheat 10/28/2005 01:01PM PDT
# 111 Drool.
Here we're wondering whether or not someone leaked a name
of a un-covert-CIA agent,....

#78 Model4 10/28/2005 01:19PM PDT
Odd, when I listen to the press cover this, they constantly talk as if a spy was outed.

Harlow, the former CIA spokesman, said in an interview yesterday that he testified last year before a grand jury about conversations he had with Novak at least three days before the column was published. He said he warned Novak, in the strongest terms he was permitted to use without revealing classified information, that Wilson's wife had not authorized the mission and that if he did write about it, her name should not be revealed.
Harlow said that after Novak's call, he checked Plame's status and confirmed that she was an undercover operative. He said he called Novak back to repeat that the story Novak had related to him was wrong and that Plame's name should not be used. But he did not tell Novak directly that she was undercover because that was classified. LINK

#146 goodbye_natalie 10/28/2005 01:56PM PDT
#11 drool,
I'm not sure how much the Ken Starr investigation cost, but
it wasn't as much as this one that didn't lead to anything
either:
IRAN-CONTRA

The Iran-Contra investigation cost $47.5 million. The Whitewater and other investigations cost $70 million. LINK After Independent Counsel Lawrence E. Walsh's appointment in December 1986, 14 persons were charged with criminal offenses. Eleven persons were convicted, but two convictions were overturned on appeal. Two persons were pardoned before trial and one case was dismissed when the Bush Administration declined to declassify information necessary for trial. On December 24, 1992, President Bush pardoned Caspar W. Weinberger, Duane R. Clarridge, Clair E. George, Elliott Abrams, Alan D. Fiers, Jr., and Robert C. McFarlane. LINK

#154 acwgusa 10/28/2005 02:01PM PDT
#138
Besides, the Senate Impeaches, the House does the Conviction.

Article. I.

Section. 2.
Clause 5: The House of Representatives shall chuse their Speaker and other Officers; and shall have the sole Power of Impeachment.

Section. 3.
Clause 6: The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments.

LINK

I HEART DAVID GREGORY (NBC NEWS)

It doesn't get much better than this:

Bush watched about 15 or 20 minutes of a televised news conference by special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald about his two-year investigation that led to Libby's indictment.
Later, the president glowered at NBC News reporter David Gregory, when he shouted at Bush, "Are you embarrassed by these charges?" The president had to walk within a few feet of the correspondent to get to his helicopter on the South Lawn, and Bush stared hard at Gregory as he continued to shout questions.

THEY KNEW!

(via Atrios) Joshua Micah Marshall (Talking Points Memo) has a great catch:

Go to page 5 of the indictment. Top of the page, item #9.

On or about June 12, 2003, LIBBY was advised by the Vice President of the United States that Wilson's wife worked at the Central Intelligence Agency in the Counterproliferation Divison. LIBBY understood that the Vice President had learned this information from the CIA.

This is a crucial piece of information. The Counterproliferation Division (CPD) is part of the CIA's Directorate of Operations, i.e., not the Directorate of Intelligence, the branch of the CIA where 'analysts' come from, but the DO, where the spies, the 'operatives', come from.

Libby's a long time national security hand. He knows exactly what CPD is and where it is. So does Cheney. They both knew. It's right there in the indictment.

SOMETHING TO HIDE?

(Via Atrios)

Cheney, Libby Blocked Papers
To Senate Intelligence Panel
By Murray Waas, special to National Journal
© National Journal Group Inc.
Thursday, Oct. 27, 2005

Vice President Cheney and his chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, overruling advice from some White House political staffers and lawyers, decided to withhold crucial documents from the Senate Intelligence Committee in 2004 when the panel was investigating the use of pre-war intelligence that erroneously concluded Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, according to Bush administration and congressional sources.

Among the White House materials withheld from the committee were Libby-authored passages in drafts of a speech that then-Secretary of State Colin L. Powell delivered to the United Nations in February 2003 to argue the Bush administration's case for war with Iraq, according to congressional and administration sources. The withheld documents also included intelligence data that Cheney's office -- and Libby in particular -- pushed to be included in Powell's speech, the sources said.

At the same time, however, administration officials said in interviews that they cannot recall another instance in which Cheney and Libby played such direct personal roles in denying foreign policy papers to a congressional committee, and that in doing so they overruled White House staff and lawyers who advised that the materials should be turned over to the Senate panel.

Administration sources also said that Cheney's general counsel, David Addington, played a central role in the White House decision not to turn over the documents. Addington did not return phone calls seeking comment. Cheney's office declined to comment after requesting that any questions for this article be submitted in writing.

Both Republicans and Democrats on the committee backed the document request to the White House regarding Libby's drafts of the Powell speech, communications between Libby and other administration officials on intelligence information that might be included in the speech, and Libby's contacts with officials in the intelligence community relating to Iraq.

AN ATRIOS DAY!

Each day, I first check my e-mail and read my local paper, the Tucson Daily Star, for interesting things to post here. After that, I go to Atrios' site. I have often gotten great tips from him or his great group of commenters and I'm sorry about not always giving them credit. Today, Atrios has put together a "Sunday Times" set of posts and I encourage you to read them.

Speaking of the Liberal Media
It's still conservative.
-Atrios 7:48 PM

Nice Catch
Digby has a great catch from one of Rove's advisers.
-Atrios 7:41 PM

Too Many Liberals
Your liberal media at work:
-Atrios 6:32 PM

Big Time Coverup
Let's see those documents:
-Atrios 5:58 PM

Noe Indicted In Bush Money Laundering Case
-Atrios 2:57 PM

UPHILL BATTLE

Most of my fellow citizens are a bit behind the times.

Poll: Majority Reject Evolution
NEW YORK, Oct. 23, 2005


VIEWS ON EVOLUTION/CREATIONISM
Now
God created humans in present form 51%
Humans evolved, God guided the process 30%
Humans evolved, God did not guide process 15%

Nov. 2004
God created humans in present form 55%
Humans evolved, God guided the process 27%
Humans evolved, God did not guide process 13%
NOTE: The results were not much different between the answers to that question and those given when a specific timeline was included in the final alternative: God created human beings in their present form within the last 10,000 years.

The anti-scientific attitude seems to have reached a high, based on past polls:

Gallup Poll on Evolution and Creation, 1982-2001

God created people in present form within last 10,000 years

'82 44%
'91 47%
'93 47%
'97 44%
'99 47%
'01 45%

PELOSI WAS CORRECT

During the Katrina fiasco, Nancy Pelosi reported this exchange with Pres. Fredo and her opionion of it:


At a news conference, Pelosi, D-Calif., said Bush's choice for head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency had ''absolutely no credentials.''
She related that she had urged Bush at the White House on Tuesday to fire Michael Brown.
''He said 'Why would I do that?''' Pelosi said.
'''I said because of all that went wrong, of all that didn't go right last week.' And he said 'What didn't go right?'''
''Oblivious, in denial, dangerous,'' she added. LINK

Thanks to FireDogLake for pointing me to Dan Froomkin who pointed me to a Lou Dobb's transcript:

MALVEAUX: While one White House insider says losing Karl Rove would be a devastating blow to the president, Mr. Bush thinks that his own ability and authority derives from his policies; that Rove is an extension of the president, not a puppet master, that the administration can move forward on its long-term agenda, including tax reform and immigration.

THE NEXT STEP BY THE WHITEHOUSE...

SWIFTBOAT FITZGERALD!

However, Frank Luntz, Republican pollster and strategist. said: “If [Fitzgerald] indicts, they [the White House] will have no choice but to attempt to demonise him. I think that is going to be really, really tough.” LINK


CARLSON: He should have done this a long time ago. I think this White House made a tactical error. Maybe not a moral error, maybe the White House did the right thing, but I think politically they did very much the wrong thing by saying nice things about Patrick Fitzgerald some months ago. He‘s a man of integrity, he‘s a good guy, you know, we have completely confidence he‘s going to do the right thing, et cetera, et cetera, making it now almost impossible for the White House, even on background, to attack the guy. And who knows, we‘ll find out in a couple of days, but it‘s possible that attacks on him are unwarranted. Maybe he‘s doing the wrong thing. But they can hardly say that at this point.
So I don‘t know what they do, other than accept the resignations of those who are implicated in whatever he submits this week, and sort of apologize and move on. But I think they should—at least have kept the option open to attack him, and I just don‘t see that they have that. LINK

MORE CRUMBLING

Conservatives Escalate Opposition to Miers
Web Sites and Ad Campaign Seek Nominee's Withdrawal

By Michael A. Fletcher and Charles Babington
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, October 25, 2005; Page A02

Conservative activists intensified their opposition to the Supreme Court nomination of Harriet Miers yesterday, launching two Web sites and planning radio and television advertising aimed at forcing her withdrawal.

"We've had three weeks here to try to sort out what kind of judge she is going to be," said Brian Burch, vice president of Fidelis, a Catholic antiabortion organization urging Miers's withdrawal. "We really do want to support the administration, but we just feel like we've reached a situation with this nomination that is beyond repair."

While right-leaning columnists and publications, including George Will and the National Review, have called for her withdrawal, the new efforts are the first direct attempts at turning grass-roots conservatives against Miers.

A coalition of conservative groups that includes the Eagle Forum, the Center for a Just Society and ConservativeHQ, have launched WithdrawMiers.org, as part of its effort to force Miers out.

Conservative stalwarts David Frum, a former Bush speechwriter, and Linda Chavez, meanwhile, are among those supporting BetterJustice.com, another site seeking Miers's withdrawal. The group also has promised to launch radio and television ads to support their call.

"The sense is that she is not well versed in constitutional law. It is not to say she is not a good lawyer, a smart woman or had good careers," said Chavez, president of the Center for Equal Opportunity, which opposes race-conscious affirmative action programs. "But she is not someone who has spent time in the world of ideas."

Mark Smith, vice president of the New York chapter of the Federalist Society, who attended the Roberts swearing-in at the White House just last month, said Miers does not even deserve hearings. "If Miss Miers were truly a conservative, she would withdraw her nomination," he said. It is "certainly harming the Republican Party and the conservative movement," and she should pull out "if for no other reason than the good of the cause."

BUSH LIES AGAIN

Bush says military action against Syria "last resort"
Tue Oct 25, 2005 5:36 AM ET
DUBAI (Reuters) - President George W. Bush said military action was a last resort in dealing with Syria and he hoped Damascus would cooperate with a probe into the killing of former Lebanese premier Rafik al-Hariri.
"A military (option) is always the last choice of a president," he told Al Arabiya television in an interview aired on Tuesday when asked about a U.N. investigation that implicated Syrian officials in the killing of Hariri.

It wasn't with Iraq.

A VISIT TO FREEPERVILLE

The "even if" defense makes a comeback:

In addition, Cheney wouldn't have been dumb enough to blow an undercover agent. And even if he did, it's a tiny scandal.

AN EXAMPLE OF HIGH CHURCH WINGNUTTERY

Via Atrios, Arthur provides some excerpts from a NY Sun editorial that attempts to defend Judith Miller.

Here are some that gave me a chuckle:

As for the charge that Mr. Chalabi purveyed phony pre-war intelligence, well, let us just say that Secretary Powell and the director of central intelligence, George Tenet, reached the same conclusions he did by their own means.

Huge amounts of intelligence conveyed by Mr. Chalabi and, for that matter, the Bush administration about Iraq was essentially correct...

CHALABI RESURFACES

This guy is amazing.

From Laura Rozen at War and Peace:

Chalabi is coming to meet with Steve Hadley, Reuters reports:
...Ahmad Chalabi, the Iraqi leader accused of giving the Bush administration flawed information about Saddam Hussein's weapons program, will visit Washington in November amid speculation that U.S. officials view him as an acceptable candidate for Iraqi prime minister...

The November visit was first reported by Time magazine, which said in its October 31 edition that Chalabi is due to meet with national security adviser Stephen Hadley.
Time quoted unnamed administration officials as saying Rice and Hadley both view Chalabi as "a plausible and acceptable" candidate for prime minister in the next round of Iraqi elections due December 15.

The longtime Iraqi exile began attracting U.S. attention as a potential prime minister after Washington decided Iraq's current premier, Ibrahim Jaafari, had discredited himself by seeking overly friendly relations with Iran, Time said, quoting unnamed administration officials."...I can see the bumper sticker now, 'Chalabi -- less Iranian backed than Jaafari!'

Update: Here's the Time piece.
Posted by Laura at October 23, 2005 07:12 PM

MORE EVIDENCE OF INCOMPETENCE

I've written before (here and here) about the lack of a post-war plan in Iraq and now there's a third source to back up this claim:

There was simply no plan, other than humanitarian assistance and a few other things like protection of oil and so forth, with regard to post-war Iraq. There was no plan.

Larry Wilkerson, State Dept. chief of staff, 2002-05
(Use link on right side of page)

BUSH IS DRAGGING DOWN THE PARTY

A popular wingnut meme about Bush's low poll numbers is the claim that they don't matter because he's not running for re-election. This ignores that fact that all of the House and 1/3rd of the Senate seats are up for election next year but the question is, how far down does the disenchantment with Bush extend?

My local paper suggests that it may go all the way down to city councils:

Council incumbents soft-pedal GOP
By C.J. Karamargin
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
Published: 10.24.2005

When are Republicans reluctant to let voters know they're a Republican?
When they're running for office in a Democratic city like Tucson.
Republican City Council members Kathleen Dunbar and Fred Ronstadt are carpet-bombing Tucson with mailers asking voters for support on Nov. 8.
"Working hard. Making a difference for Tucson," Ronstadt's says.
"Effective leadership. Real results for Tucson," proclaims Dunbar's.
But nowhere on either mailer is the Grand Old Party mentioned.
Dunbar declined to comment on the omission. Ronstadt explained in an e-mail that he didn't need to mention his party affiliation.
"I am running on my record and on my commitment to Tucson as an entire community," he wrote. "I think the press does a good job identifying my party, as does the ballot."

KUDOS TO THE TUCSON DAILY STAR

The Sunday, October 23, 2005 edition was chock-full of interesting stories. I usually can finish the Star in about 10 minutes but today was special. Here are some of the stories I liked:

LOCAL:

Rape victim: 'Morning after' pill denied By Carla McClain
$200K to teach voters about road plan almost gone By Tim Ellis
(NOTE: this plan will raise taxes to make more money for developers)
Bias in academia By Eric Swedlund

WORLD:
One Sunni area clearly rejects Iraqi charter CHICAGO TRIBUNE
Hughes errs on Saddam's gassing toll THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Afghan vote tally: big win for Islamic leaders, ex-fighters By Carlotta Gall
THE NEW YORK TIMES
Rumsfeld: 'Urgency' on body-burning case THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON:

Influential but invisible: 'Scooter' Libby, Cheney's chief of staff, could face indictment
WIRE REPORTS
Miers got 10 times value of land By Jack Douglas Jr. and Stephen Henderson
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
Analysis: Prices Pentagon paid far above norm: Shopping Pentagon-style By Lauren Markoe and Seth Borenstein KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
N.Y. Times, writer joust over her candor THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BUSINESS:

U.S. pension plans' future is precarious By H.J. Cummins
MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL STAR TRIBUNE

WILKERSON TIDBITS

"So you’ve got this collegiality there between the secretary of Defense and the vice president, and you’ve got a president who is not versed in international relations and not too much interested in them either."


"And if something comes along that is truly serious, truly serious, something like a nuclear weapon going off in a major American city, or something like a major pandemic, you are going to see the ineptitude of this government in a way that will take you back to the Declaration of Independence."

"For so long I said, yeah, Rich, you’re right – Rich being Undersecretary of State Richard Armitage – it is a dysfunctional process. And to myself I said, okay, put on your academic hat; who’s causing this? Well, the national security adviser. Even if the framers didn’t envision that position, even if it’s not subject to confirmation by the Senate, the national security advisor should be doing a better job. Now I’ve come to a different conclusion, and after reading Packer’s book I found additional information, or confirmation for my opinion, I think. I think it was more a case of – in some cases there was real dysfunctionality – there always is – but in most cases it was Dr. Rice made a decision, she made a decision – and this is all about people again because people in essence are the government. She made a decision that she would side with the president to build her intimacy with the president."