The Libby Verdict: "Where's Cheney?"
Here's the draft of my L.A. Weekly column this week:
Thanks to the work of Washington Post reporter Dana Priest and federal prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, we now have a pretty pair of bookends for the war in Iraq. The Post has revealed just exactly what happens to the young, wounded and maimed soldiers after they come back from Iraq. They wind up in the rat-infested Walter Reed roach motel, abandoned to the care of a privatized staff of former DMV clerks. And the successful work of prosecutor Fitzgerald, winning 4 out of 5 felony counts of perjury and obstruction of justice against Vice-Presidential chief of staff I. Lewis Libby, forces us to revisit the fraudulent origins of this war.
It might be Scooter that will soon be headed for a year or two in the Federal cooler, but the underlying political indictment coming out of his trial focuses on his boss, Dick Cheney and on the deceptions, dualities and outright lies that got us into Iraq in the first place.
Now long buried under a multiple levels of White House revisions of history, we invaded Iraq four years ago because we were told that Saddam Hussein represented a nuclear threat to the U.S. When a few months later former Ambassador Joe Wilson came back from Niger and wrote in the New York Times that the evidence that Iraq was buying yellowcake uranium from Africa was false, now wonder what Fitzgerald called a “hullabaloo†erupted in the White House.
Wilson’s revelations, made on a trip sponsored by the CIA, poured cold water directly on the Administration’s main justification for the adventure in Iraq. And the panicked reaction from the White House was swift, angry and agitated. The top tier of the Bush PR machine tilted into full spin mode, with Karl Rove, Dick Cheney and Cheney’s number one minion, taking the lead in trying to discredit Wilson. The beltway phone lines buzzed and smoked as the official word went out: Critics of the war were unstable and reckless. Wilson was an egotistical publicity seeker. He was an unreliable closet Democrat. It wasn’t really the CIA who sent him to Niger. The mastermind of his junket was, instead, his wife Valerie Plame, And, oh yes, by the way, she’s a covert agent now acting as a rogue.
After years of investigation, five weeks of trial and ten days of jury deliberation, we can now file all the above as just one more skip load of Administration bull. Libby turns out not to be the chief leaker of Plame’s secret identity, but was nevertheless a pivotal piece in the larger White House propaganda strategy to besmirch any and all critics of the Iraq war policy.
Libby, always the fiercely loyal ideological solider, took it right in the shorts for his bosses and without as much as a whimper. His highly-skilled defense lawyers pleaded that Libby – who has remained mum throughout his ordeal-- was but a innocent scapegoat caught up in the machinations of those above his pay grade. And, to a great degree they are right. Libby sat in court and stoically grinned, and then as the verdict was read aloud, he methodically and silently fell on his sword for Rove and Cheney. As juror Dennis Collins told the press immediately after the trial, “We had a lot of sympathy for Libby…and we kept asking ourselves ‘Where’s Cheney? Where’s Rove?’â€
Which, by the why, are two excellent questions. It was Cheney who, we have learned, on a daily basis directed and micro-managed Libby in his anti-Wilson spin sessions with selected journalists. This was established beyond any doubt during the trial. And thanks only to Libby’s refusal to testify was the VP saved further embarrassment.
In his post-trial news conference Tuesday, prosecutor Fitzgerald reminded us all that “a cloud†still hangs over the VP’s office. A touching bit of irony here as this entire sordid episode began with the White House warning of us impending mushroom clouds. What now hangs over Cheney’s door might not be exactly radioactive, but it is most certainly toxic.
The Libby verdict unearths only the newest, most superficial level of administration mendacity. There are still several layers to go to get to the rotted-out bottom of this seemingly endless war which has bankrupted us both morally and financially. The week began with the news that Cheney’s health might be threatened by a new blood clot found in his leg. But it ends with a much more dire diagnosis: he’s got Scooter Libby wrapped ‘round his neck.
March 6th, 2007 at 12:14 pm
Breaking News: Al Capone’s Accountant Nailed On Tax Evasion !!!!!
March 6th, 2007 at 12:31 pm
Wait a minute, Iraq wasn’t planning to buy uranium from Africa? But that’s not what Christopher Hitchens says, and when has he ever been wrong about Iraq? After all, it eventually all comes back to Monica Lewinsky. And did you know that Hitch once rode in a jeep with his Kurdish comrades? Time for another Slate article, right after this next drink.
*hiccup*
March 6th, 2007 at 12:34 pm
Should we start calling him “G. Gordon” Libby ?
March 6th, 2007 at 2:39 pm
Fox News. We Lie. You Laugh….
Not a TOTAL lie, as Irve Lewis “Scooter” Libby, Jr. actually was found not guilty of one of the 5 charges leveled against him. FoxNews.com has regressed from the “fair and balanced” schtick to an even more ridiculous “We report. You Decide.” Now…
March 6th, 2007 at 3:03 pm
Will Scooter talk? Are there schisms developing on the right arond this issue?
March 6th, 2007 at 3:10 pm
And the hits just keep on coming. The testimony of the fired US Attorneys and the confessions of Domenichi and Wilson plus the “Resignation” of the Exec. Director of the US Attoney’s office suggest a big can of worms coming down the pike to a courthouse near you real soon.
George W. Bush need not worry about his legacy. He has combined the financial corruption of the Harding and Grant Administrations with the Political Corruption of the Nixon Years.
He truly is Sui Generis. Worst ever and it is not even close.
No wonder Poppy broke down a few months ago.
March 6th, 2007 at 3:11 pm
And Cheney’s blood clot? I smell a resignation for reasons of health. Don’t you?
March 6th, 2007 at 3:51 pm
“Must see TV” Alert:
Joe Wilson on COUNTDOWN tonite with Keith Olberman.
March 6th, 2007 at 4:47 pm
People who go hunting with Dick Cheney always seem to end up as unintended victims…
March 6th, 2007 at 4:55 pm
You know, I’m not a big Andrew Sullivan fan, as one might guess, but his blog is just really good today. Both on the Coulter “faggot” flap and Cheney/Libby.
March 6th, 2007 at 10:17 pm
Note to Marc: Wilson was sent to Niger well before the invasion. Your chronology sounds confused.
Cheney resigning for reasons of health and then … who would Bush choose for VP? (And who would accept the job? I’m sure Giuliani’s pollsters are hard at work on this question.)
I doubt this verdict hurts Cheney politically, because there’s not much more damage to be done — last I checked, only 16% of Americans have a positive view of him, and that probably represents a True Believer core. Besides, he’s not running for president.
Cheney was always an odd choice for VP, and professes to have been puzzled at the invitation. But perhaps the deal was always this: Bush knew he’d pull off some real nasty shit, and needed a guy like Cheney to be a lightning rod, and to carry the can at the end. I can imagine his response: “Oh, well — in that case, count me in! My diseased heart might give out, but my rhinoceros skin is still impregnable!” With two bodies falling on the sword, the point may never penetrate Bush’s chest. Legally, anyway. And “legally” is what counts here, from now until Nov 2008 — you need a high crime or a misdemeanor to impeach, and if any such infractions are solidly traceable only to Cheney, Bush is in the clear. We can be pretty sure there is no secret tape recorder in this Oval Office.
March 6th, 2007 at 10:57 pm
Jesus Christ ! I clicked on that “LAist” guy’s link and there was a screen shot of FOX’s Brit Hume with a banner across the screen saying “Libby Found Not Guilty of Lying to FBI Investigors” - which is, of course, kinda, sorta true. As noted, he was found not guilty on one count. But what’s up with FOX ? What would drive a news organization to lead with that completely bizarre banner. In fact, what’s up with the apparent lack of any standards among so many on the right ? Don’t people at FOX, or Coulter and the rest who play their games think they will ever cross that line where people are even more fed up with their onslaught of crap than they already are and their adherents will drop to that pathological 16% who still hold Dick Cheney in high regard ? Actually, in this highly segmented contemporary marketplace, a person could get pretty rich pitching to a 16% niche market of the terminally brute. Is that all it’s about ?
March 6th, 2007 at 11:22 pm
The Department of Defense has identified 3,165 American service members who have died since the start of the Iraq war. It confirmed the deaths of the following Americans yesterday:
BRAVO, Raul S., 21, Lance Cpl., Marines; Elko, Nev.; First Marine Expeditionary Force.
YOUNG, Christopher D., 20, Specialist, Army; Los Angeles; California Army National Guard.
March 7th, 2007 at 1:18 am
Yow, reg, what next from Faux News? “Ann Coulter Didn’t Actually Call Edwards a Faggot”? (Strictly speaking, true.)
“Actually, in this highly segmented contemporary marketplace, a person could get pretty rich pitching to a 16% niche market of the terminally brute. Is that all it’s about ?”
P.T. Barnum didn’t actually say “There’s a sucker born every minute”, but had such appreciation for the publicity he gained by the misattribution that he never complained bitterly about it. So yeah, I guess that’s how it works. At least when you’re in the business of trying to underestimate the intelligence of the American people, and failing all the way to the bank.
[He complains, bitterly.]
March 7th, 2007 at 5:58 am
Well, the media dishoner role on this is long and deep; it would be hard to choose between HItchens, Woodward, Richard Cohen…..
As O’Donnell suggests today, the whole thing may have really only been lost because they assumed Tim Russart would lie. Can you blame them? Easy to forget the atmosphere of just a few years ago; seems to me the White House’s arrogance was encouraged every time they turned on the T.V. or picked up a newspaper….
March 7th, 2007 at 8:14 am
Marc, don’t embarrass yourself by submitting that column, as so many of your “facts” are just plain wrong.
March 7th, 2007 at 8:25 am
Yeah, Marc, your facts are wrong. Didn’t you see the headline on FOX News ? Scooter Libby was found “not guilty” !
March 7th, 2007 at 8:26 am
test
March 7th, 2007 at 8:50 am
Why haven’t two of my posts showed up?
March 7th, 2007 at 8:51 am
Marc, run your article by your buddy Chris Hitchens before you submit it.
I heard on Bill Bennett’s show this morning that one of the jurors in Libby’s case was a retired Washington Post reporter who had worked for Bob Woodward and was a neighbor Tim Russert, both of whom gave testimony, and he went to school with Maureen Dowd. He has also written two books on Iraq. How did this guy not get cut? Do you think that he had any pre-conceived ideas and influence on the jury? Nahhhh. Not a liberal journalist. Libby would have been just as well off having reg on the jury.
March 7th, 2007 at 8:54 am
jcumming, if you are using any html codes, drop them. I unsuccessfully tried to post a comment twice, but then I took out the coding and it went through. That may be luck or it could be the problem. At least you confirmed that I wasn’t the only one who was having posting problems. I thought that I was joining the steve and Mark York club.
March 7th, 2007 at 9:04 am
I’m not using any html codes…Isimply want to post this:
leninology.blogspot.com - you may have to scroll down - best piece on Libby.
March 7th, 2007 at 9:04 am
did you mean htm codes in a url - I removed them from what I was posting and voila, it showed up.
March 7th, 2007 at 9:07 am
Woody, could you please give us the titles of the two books on Iraq that Denis Collins has written. I’d like to order them from Amazon.
March 7th, 2007 at 9:17 am
Incidentally, Collins’ “The Secret History of History”, on famous spies, doesn’t count.
If you “haven’t had time to research this”, no problem.
March 7th, 2007 at 9:21 am
Also, does “working for Bob Woodward” mean you were a reporter on the Post where Woodward, who spends all of his time working on independent projects, has the title “assistant managin editor”. Or has Collins actually worked in any position where he reported to Woodward, assisted him ore Woodward was somehow managing Collins position.
Just a question. Again, if you haven’t had time to do the research on your assertions, no biggie.
March 7th, 2007 at 9:23 am
And was that school Collins went to with Maureen Dowd perhaps high school. College ? Were they friends ? Are they still ?
Just asking. But if you haven’t had time to research this, it’s okay. Really.
March 7th, 2007 at 9:28 am
reg, I don’t know the book titles and I’m not wasting time looking them up. I believe that Bob Woodward was his editor and that he reported to him. That’s incidental. It’s simply enough that someone who is friends with witnesses has a problem with conflicts of interests and should have been dismissed.
What a joke to think that you could defend that guy as an impartial juror, and I can say that without any references.
March 7th, 2007 at 9:30 am
Are Collins and Russert next-door neighbors ? The same block ? The same neighborhood ? Are they friends ? Do they even know each other personally ? Didn’t Libby’s lawyer explore these questions for cause when the jury was selected ? Did Libby’s lawyer perhaps go to school with Maureen Dowd ?
Again, just curious. But if you havent’ had time, etc. etc.
(That Bill Bennet must have one hell of an informative radio show. By the way, wasn’t Bennet’s brother Clinton’s attorney ? Didn’t the high-rolling “virtucrat” once date Janis Joplin ? Isn’t the old “drug commissar” a big Rolling Stones fan ? Have you ever considered the possiblity that his entire career as a bloviating, buffoon has been carefully crafted to make people such as yourself look like morons ?)
March 7th, 2007 at 9:33 am
I would contact Scooter Libby’s lawyer immediately with your information, Woody. In fact, I’m disturbed that Libby didn’t hire someone who knows all the right questions to ask, such as yourself, as his lawyer instead of the obvious incompetent. I mean doesn’t Libby’s attorney even watch Law & Order ? How do Liberals get away with these affronts to our justice system.
Thank God talk-radio and the bloviosphere are on the case.
March 7th, 2007 at 10:22 am
Actually, I think it’s an interesting question as to why Libby’s attorney didn’t either find some “cause” to excuse Collins or else dismiss him out of hand. Perhaps Collins came up late in the game, but I’d assume high-power, high-profile defense teams always do extensive research on thes matters. Is it possible that Libby’s attorney thought that a reporter would have a vested interested in NOT going to hard on Libby and would resent Fitzgerald since he had jailed and threatened reporters for not testifying in this case ? Certainly more likely than Woody’s repetition of the wingnuts’ increasingly desperate and unhinged talking points in defense of the administration they reliably front for.
March 7th, 2007 at 10:25 am
The “cause” for dismissal might have simply been Collins’ working as a journalist at a high-profile newspaper - given the Judy Miller episode - although perhaps that wouldn’t have been enough. Don’t really know.
March 7th, 2007 at 10:34 am
Michael Turner it has been mooted in several circle that Bush would appoint Condi Rice as the new VP, thereby making “History” with the first Female - and Black - VP.
March 7th, 2007 at 11:21 am
reg has gone serial on us again.
rlc, the Republicans don’t have great candidates. Usually the VP is the logical successor to run for President, but, for some reason, not in this case. So, if VP Cheney, steps down, then the Republicans can get another VP with a fresh start and who will be “tanned, rested, and ready.”
BTW, no one on the left considers Condi Rice black. To them, you have to “think black” to be black. Same applies to Justice Thomas.
March 7th, 2007 at 11:56 am
Didn’t say anything about her “Blackness” just how she would be sold.
March 7th, 2007 at 12:01 pm
Woody, you are always looking for excuses, and you constantly embaress yourself.
It used to be great fun to watch, but now it’s just like watching a chimp addicted to nicotine trying to light a smoke with a willow switch over and over.
Keep up the good work.
March 7th, 2007 at 12:03 pm
And remember when Marc asked “Why not Fox News?” when wondering what all the fus was about over them hosting the Dem Debate in Nevada? Well look at their portrayal of the Libby verdict (”Not Guilty”), the Coulter flap (What’s the big deal?”) Pelosi’s plane, Obama’s church, his schooling, and on and on.
Can’t recall where I saw it but someone made the good point that FOX could claim to be a “Conservative” News Outlet when Clinton was President and its slams on the Clintons would be seen as harsh but in the ballpark. And it could support the War and be in the mainstream. But, with Bush at 30% their “Down is Up” coverage looks increasingly like their Managing Editor is “Baghdad” Bob!
John Edwards said he won’t participate. I bet others will follow. Good for them!
March 7th, 2007 at 12:36 pm
“BTW, no one on the left considers Condi Rice black. To them, you have to “think black†to be black. Same applies to Justice Thomas.”
This is garbage. They’re black. Thomas was certainly black enough to qualify for affirmative action his entire life - all the way up to the SCOTUS. But they’re still pretty lame candidates for their respective jobs. Is there some RightWing PC police that say we have to respect half-assed GOPers because they’re black ? Presumably. When the GOP has a prominent black like Colin Powell who rose through the ranks on his own merit, rather than blatant political sponsorships like Thomas and Rice, he’s treated like shit because he’s not subservient enough.
March 7th, 2007 at 12:40 pm
Dadgum it. I should have learned to copy my comment before posting, as some don’t post.
bob p, if you write that I constantly embarrass myself, wouldn’t it be smart for you to spell embarrass correctly?
rlc, I watched Couric on CBS last night to see how she handled the Libby trial, and it took only 45 seconds for me to puke. But, she doesn’t care as she has been quoted as “quality” is more important to her than high ratings. Funny, I thought that the first always resulted in the second.
March 7th, 2007 at 12:41 pm
reg, if Condi Rice were a Democrat, we wouldn’t have heard the end of her being the first black woman as SOS.
March 7th, 2007 at 12:44 pm
Why would anyone in their right mind watch Couric ? Or any television “news” for that matter, other than the Lehrer Newshour which rises head and shoulders above the rest - not because it’s liberal, which it isn’t. It’s almost pathologically “centrist” and has far more centrist, right and “center-right” commentators than it does even moderately liberal or left, but at least they have long enough stories, discussions and interviews that avoid sensationalist crap so you don’t feel insulted.
March 7th, 2007 at 12:48 pm
She’s the first black woman Secretary of State ? I’ve never seen that mentioned ? Do you have any evidence of this ? Why is the liberal press covering it up ?
Why don’t they treat her with the same subservience they offered to her predecessors Madeline Albright and Colin Powell - and make the fact of her being black AND a woman more important then her job performance or her policies ?
March 7th, 2007 at 12:58 pm
Incidentally Woody, are you aware that the Washington Post has been a consistent voice AGAINST the Libby trial ? They’ve never supported the indictment and have hosted serial op-eds opposing Fitzgerald’s actions.
So I’m trying to figure out how the narrative that Denis Collins couldn’t possibly be a fair juror fits into those facts.
Oh, wait a minute. All it needs to fit into is the passing of gas by the bloviosphere as they throw scraps of garbage to feed the hungry pack.
March 7th, 2007 at 1:33 pm
Remember, it takes only one jurror to vote guilty to convict a defendent. Oh wait.
March 7th, 2007 at 1:59 pm
A post I dug up proposes an alternative charge for Rove and Libby. About 30 seconds reading time, elegant conclusion: http://posix4.blogspot.com/2005/10/on-politca.html
March 7th, 2007 at 2:27 pm
Another good account…
http://counterpunch.com/donahue03072007.html
March 7th, 2007 at 3:10 pm
jc I sympathize with the COUNTERPUNCH writer but the point is the Conservatives wanted the law and they were stung by it. I rather like that. Also go over to THE NEXT HURRAH and read “The Strange History of the IAIPA” which gives some interesting details on the law and the difficulties of prosecuting anyone under it.
Woody and Reg. The WaPo predictably, denounced the verdict today. Damn those liberal media!
And, finally, for Woody. We’ve got a “Democratic” Rice. Here name is CONNIE and she is a first cousin and former head of the LA branch of the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund. Heard her on Marc’s program and other radio spots and saw her at the LAT Book Fair. Some of us call her the “Good” Rice.
March 7th, 2007 at 3:12 pm
And I really don’t care what Couric said but I’ll be interested in the comments of Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert. They’re bound to be far more insightful.
March 7th, 2007 at 3:24 pm
It is sort of interesting this guy ended up on the jury…. mistrial insurance? Or, since Libby has been able to count on Woodward…why not his underling?
I love that the Woodster points to people like Mo Dowd and Bob Woodward as evidence of liberal bias. After spending years libeling Clinton, Mo towed the line for a solid two years after 9-11 before finally turning on W. Woodward? two fawning books before a critical one. The N.Y. Times? Judy Miller went to jail for these people…. Tell ya, you gotta bat 1.000 with that Woody.
March 7th, 2007 at 3:41 pm
Incensed All-American pundit, Mr. S. Colbert, on the dubious judgement of the Libby jury: “How smart could these people be if they couldn’t get out of jury duty ?”
April 5th, 2007 at 12:53 am
Excuse, and what you think concerning forthcoming elections?
April 9th, 2007 at 2:41 am
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April 15th, 2007 at 11:08 pm
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April 18th, 2007 at 12:03 am
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June 29th, 2007 at 8:47 am
financial accountant…
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