What It Is / What It's Not
No one yet knows completely whether Lewis Libby will be indicted, and if so, for what.
But there is a real distinction over whether he is indicted for violations of Intelligence Identities Protection Act of 1982 (i.e. "outing" Valerie Plame) and lying to the grand jury. Yes, both are serious -- but they are substantively different. An indictment on just the latter will show there was no basis for all the left's caterwauling over the last several years. It will mean only that Lewis Libby either made a mistake before the grand jury in his testimony, or that he attempted to lie. The latter's a bad thing, and objectively unacceptable, but it means only that Libby got ensnared in the process . . . that there was no real underlying reason for him to have been there in the first place. Note also that that the independent counsel has his hands full -- he'll actually have to convince a jury that the alleged "lie" was both intentional and about a material fact. We'll see what happens.
As for Karl Rove -- well, I know that everyone has sung this prosecutor's praises. But the fact is that he's had two years to look into this case, and -- in distinction to the behavior of the Clinton White House -- he's been given full access to and cooperation by everyone. Whatever decision Fitzgerald makes, he needs to make it, bring his investigation to a close, and permit the country to return to dealing with the real and major problems it faces (which doesn't include whether or not Karl Rove is accused of having lied to a gand jury).
But there is a real distinction over whether he is indicted for violations of Intelligence Identities Protection Act of 1982 (i.e. "outing" Valerie Plame) and lying to the grand jury. Yes, both are serious -- but they are substantively different. An indictment on just the latter will show there was no basis for all the left's caterwauling over the last several years. It will mean only that Lewis Libby either made a mistake before the grand jury in his testimony, or that he attempted to lie. The latter's a bad thing, and objectively unacceptable, but it means only that Libby got ensnared in the process . . . that there was no real underlying reason for him to have been there in the first place. Note also that that the independent counsel has his hands full -- he'll actually have to convince a jury that the alleged "lie" was both intentional and about a material fact. We'll see what happens.
As for Karl Rove -- well, I know that everyone has sung this prosecutor's praises. But the fact is that he's had two years to look into this case, and -- in distinction to the behavior of the Clinton White House -- he's been given full access to and cooperation by everyone. Whatever decision Fitzgerald makes, he needs to make it, bring his investigation to a close, and permit the country to return to dealing with the real and major problems it faces (which doesn't include whether or not Karl Rove is accused of having lied to a gand jury).
posted by LadybugUSA at 8:34 AM
5 Comments:
Five felony counts on Scooter. Obstruction of Justice, Perjury, Making False Statements to the Grand Jury.
Karl Rove not indicted yet. Sources claim he was offered a plea on perjury but turned it down.
Contrary to Carol claims that two years have been plenty, the report is that three additional witnesses have flipped, and Fitzgerald is working on integrating their testimony into a more definitive set of indictments.
Merry Fitzmas.
Libby indited! Resigns.
Let me be the first to urge an immediate presidential pardon for Libby, all staff members of the VP office, and all members of the WH press office.
Ken Starr spent a lot more than two years digging up dirt on Clinton and he couldn't come up with anything until he planted a mole (Trippy) who in the guise of being Lewinsky's friend, entrapped them both and illegally recorded the phone conversations.
I'll be glad to go toe-to-toe with you Carol if you want to start comparing Patrick Fitzgerald to Ken Starr (a man who apparently crawled back under the rock from wence he came).
Libby's getting what he deserves. Rove (apparently by choice)will continue to twist in the wind and is hopefully shaking in his Johnston & Murphy's. And of course, the King(pin) remain protected.
I only wish this investigation forced the disclosure of Cheney's infamous energy report. That would undoubtedly outline the true reasons for attacking Iraq.
Ken Starr's "rock" is Pepperdine University's School of Law, where he is the dean.
"Whatever decision Fitzgerald makes, he needs to make it, bring his investigation to a close, and permit the country to return to dealing with the real and major problems it faces..."
Carol, prosecuting governmental corruption takes time. It took what--two years or so--between the time Patrick Fitzgerald filed his first indictment in an Illinois corruption case naming a mysterious "Official A" and the official indictment of governor George Ryan as Official A?
The mills of the Gods grind slow
But they grind exceedingly small.
"...(which doesn't include whether or not Karl Rove is accused of having lied to a gand jury)."
George Bush could end this distraction immediately by keeping his word to the American people. Scott McClellan speaking for the White House said in August odf 2003, "If anyone in this administration was involved in it [the Plame leak], they would no longer be in this administration."
We now know the Karl Rove was involved in the Plame leak. Why is he still with the administration distracting us from all the important issues we face?
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