Justice Dept. Investigating!

[Brotherjohn]

http://msnbc.com/news/973047.asp?0cv=CA01

Not that Aschcroft will do anything, but it is a strong sign that this is registering. If they've caved this soon, it may be hard to resist the pressure for an independent counsel without looking REALLY BAD politically.

Mods: I hope this isn't a dupe. Someone posted a reference to the picture (Bush fuzzy in foreground, Rove clear in background) on Yahoo. But they didn't mention the story...

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. Well boys and girls

pass the popcorn

[DulceDecorum]

2. And some

fava beans and a nice chianti.

[GCP]

3. YEEEEHHAAAWWWW!!!!!

Bush, you're going down :bounce:

[buff2]

4. *yawn*.......

Doesn't it make you feel safe and secure with asscrap and his band of thugs doing the investigating? And isn't it just wonderful they are all repukes who do nothing but cover each other's asses? What a freakin sham. :boring:

[Rebellious Republican]

5. Any DUers want to turn up the heat?

Send an email to all the members of the ethics committee. Let them know that you believe that this crime of treason during wartime needs a special independent investagation. Ashcroft and the DoJ can not be trusted with a matter so closley related to his very powerful boss! I have also emailed key leaders of both parties!
Heres the link http://congress.org/congressorg/webreturn/?url=http://ethics.senate.gov
:kick:

[central scrutinizer]

6. this way they can manage it

and keep everything under the rug - it there was an independent investigation, it might start looking under the rocks and see what slithers out.

[sonias]

7. Woo hoo - the story has a stong pair of legs

We have Tom Brokaw on record as saying that Andrea Mitchell was called and that they decided not to disclose Valerie's name. So I guess that means Brokaw and Mitchell both know who at the WH was shopping the story.

(snip)
"NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw said Monday on the "Imus in the Morning" show that White House officials had called Mitchell, the network’s chief foreign affairs correspondent, with the information, but he said that it was decided not to broadcast the allegation."
(/snip)


Sonia

[Bucky__Badger]

8. OK NOW!

Nofacts seems to have an out. But could this be the secondary confirmation we need???

On the subject of this thread, though, I'll bet my house and car that Asscrack reports back that there was "no wrongdoing uncovered in this extensive investigation" or something of that nature.

[Brotherjohn]

12. I agree. but as I said, if they've caved into (at least a prelim)...

...investigation this quickly, it means the pressure is REALLY on. It means this is serious. It makes it all the more likely that an Independent Counsel will be appointed. That the pressure is so great also,I think, demonstrates that if an Independent Counsel is NOT appointed, it will be severly damaging to the Bush White House. Either way, the end result is good.

(ON EDIT: I know the Independent Counsel statute has lapsed, but it can be re-activated and/or Justice can appoint one at their discretion)

Remember, this is the man who ran with the promise of bringing honor and integrity to the White House, and his reputation on that count is already close to being in the toilet with most Americans due to the no-WMD fiasco. This would flush it.

Remember also, the country is used to the idea of Independent Counsels. Hell, we had one a week under Clinton! If they resist calls for one in this affair (which, so far, seems to dwarf all of Clinton's in terms of whether it merits one or not), people will say "If it was good for Clinton, why isn't it good for you, huh George?"

[gratuitous]

9. The extent of Ashcroft's investigation

Will be a half-assed attempt to find out: Anybody here do any leaking? No? Okay, sorry to bother you. Go back to whatever you were doing. Don't mind us.

His office will then announce that after an "exhaustive" or "thorough" investigation, they were unable to find any wrongdoing by anyone. The mighty Republican Wurlitzer will creak into action, deny that there's any case, start screeching "witch hunt" and the whole matter will be done and over with by Halloween. Thanksgiving at the very latest.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

11. It would be like getting Ken Lay to investigate Enron

[David Zephyr]

21. - - Or Even Worse Harvey Pitt, of All People, to Investigate Ken Lay!

n/t

[symbolman]

10. Hmmm..

if the CIA has the goods and I guess they wouldn't make a case unless they had NAMES --

then WHO in the White House SPILLED THE BEANS?

WHY won't the CIA say who the SUSPECT/S is/Are?

THAT's what I want to hear.

[jimshoes]

13. If this investigation gets stonewalled

I wouldn't be surprised in the near future if we started hearing about some dirty little secrets popping up here and there. ;)

[Nottingham]

14. Lets see Aschcroft has had this for two weeks and has not

requested ANY papers or tapes or phone logs!

:bounce: Now I ask ya is that investigating!!

[karlschneider]

15. More like NINE weeks!

:eyes:

[Nottingham]

17. Ok 9 weeks! Sheriff of Nottingham would say Off with his head

We got rid of traitors easily back in the old days!!

:bounce:

[Stephanie]

19. DU has been following this since JULY

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=75967

http://www.nynewsday.com/news/ny-uscia0722,0,2289800.story?coll=nyc-topnews-short-navigation
Columnist Names CIA Iraq Operative
By Timothy M. Phelps and Knut Royce
Washington Bureau
July 21, 2003, 9:48 PM EDT

Washington -- The identity of an undercover CIA officer whose husband started the Iraq uranium intelligence controversy has been publicly revealed by a conservative Washington columnist citing "two senior administration officials."

Intelligence officials confirmed to Newsday Monday that Valerie Plame, wife of retired Ambassador Joseph Wilson, works at the agency on weapons of mass destruction issues in an undercover capacity -- at least she was undercover until last week when she was named by columnist Robert Novak.

Wilson, while refusing to confirm his wife's employment, said the release to the press of her relationship to him and even her maiden name was an attempt to intimidate others like him from talking about Bush administration intelligence failures.

"It's a shot across the bow to these people, that if you talk we'll take your family and drag them through the mud as well," he said in an interview.<more>

[Lindsay]

16. Nothing wrong with making BushCo

squirm and twist in the wind for awhile before another shoe drops.

I'm starting to like this stuff!

[UpInArms]

18. here's some stuff

that I found while digging around:

http://markarkleiman.blogspot.com/2003_07_01_markarkleiman_archive.html

The story: A Novak column Monday outed Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame, as an undercover CIA operative, though that fact, if true, had little or no relevance to the story itself. The information was attributed to "senior Administration officials," which one of Kevin's commentators says means people at the Deputy rank. Two people at that level doing something isn't free-lancing: that's a decision made at, or at least cleared by, a higher level even that theirs.

and this was an interesting read also:

http://www.calpundit.com/archives/001679.html

[stlsaxman]

20. Condi sez: The Ashcroft will dispose of this...."

yup, he already has, i'm sure...