L.A. Times: CIA Probe Moves from Leak Source to Perjury, Obstruction

[Newsjock]

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-leak23jul23,0,3075904.story?coll=la-home-headlines

By Douglas Frantz, Sonni Efron and Richard B. Schmitt, Times Staff Writers

WASHINGTON -- The special prosecutor in the CIA leak investigation has shifted his focus from whether White House officials violated a law against exposing undercover agents to determining whether evidence exists to bring perjury or obstruction of justice charges, according to people briefed in recent days on the inquiry's status.Patrick J. Fitzgerald, the special prosecutor, and his team have made no decision on whether to seek indictments, and there could be benign explanations for differences that have arisen in witnesses' statements to federal agents and a grand jury about how the name of Valerie Plame, a CIA agent who had worked undercover, was leaked to the media two years ago.

The investigation focused initially on whether administration officials illegally leaked the identity of Plame, the wife of former Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV, in a campaign to discredit Wilson after he wrote an op-ed article in The New York Times criticizing the Bush administration's grounds for going to war in Iraq.

According to lawyers familiar with the case, investigators are comparing statements to federal authorities by two top White House aides, Karl Rove and I. Lewis Libby, with testimony from reporters who have acknowledged talking to the officials.

The sources also said prosecutors are comparing the various statements to the FBI and the grand jury by Rove, who is a White House deputy chief of staff and President Bush's chief political strategist. Rove in his first interview with the FBI did not mention a conversation he had with Time magazine reporter Matthew Cooper, according to lawyers involved in the case. The White House aide has been interviewed twice by the FBI and made three appearances before the grand jury, they said.While no one has suggested that the investigation into who leaked Plame's name has been shelved, the intensity of the inquiry into possible perjury charges has increased, according to one lawyer familiar with events, , who spoke on condition that he not be identified because he did not want to anger Fitzgerald.

more

[kestrel91316]

1. Oh, I suspect it has moved ............................

WAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY past perjury and obstruction of justice. I am thinking all the way to conspiracy, RICO violations, espionage, and maybe even (dare I hope) treason. A girl can dream, right?

[wli]

11. RICO vs. the GOP

That might put a dent in their 2006 election fraud aspirations.

[henslee]

2. Booyah!

[shraby]

3. I smell a rat in the woodpile with this sentence

"and his team have made no decision on whether to seek indictments, and there could be benign explanations for differences that have arisen in witnesses' statements to federal agents and a grand jury about how the name of Valerie Plame, a CIA agent who had worked undercover, was leaked to the media two years ago."

Benign explanations my rear end! Also I seriously doubt if there is a question of whether to seek indictments after reading the judge's comment when deciding to jail Miller.

[leveymg]

41. It wouldn't have gotten this far if they didn't have a solid case.

This is LAT spin. CYA in case of the unthinkable. An appearance of objectivity in the face of uncertainty. Don't worry - they're going to indict.

[WCGreen]

46. It's a news story....

You are suppose to cover all the angles in order to present a clear picture of what is going on with every aspect of the story....

[ClintonTyree]

48. Look how far the Starr investigation went...........

with NO CASE! Of course, the Republican controlled Congress had a fair bit to do with that now, didn't they? :eyes:

[ClintonTyree]

47. That was my immediate reaction as well............

let the whitewash begin! "Well, we really don't have anything to charge them with. It was a series of unfortunate circumstances, none of which constitutes a criminal act".
I swear to freaking god, if I hear something like that come out of this investigation I will have lost ALL faith in our country and move northward to a more honest, humbler nation, Canada.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

60. Consider the source of the comments....Fitzgerald and his staff are...

...not the source of those comments. Anyone else making those comments is operating on sheer hope and guesswork, nothing else.

In short, nobody but Fitz, his staff, and the judges know where Fitz is going with this case.

[wrate]

67. Is it possible to move forward to perjury and obstruction of justice if no

crime was committed? I was also bothered by that part of the report, which is why I ask.

[Burried News]

4. And from the heartland a photo of Rove and Novak.

http://www.ftimes.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=28384&TM=32713.35

[ClintonTyree]

49. There two of God's own turds..............

if I've ever seen them. Tweedle Dick and Tweedle Douche!

[Media_Lies_Daily]

5. IMHO, the only "shifting" here is the way this article is written....

...the perjury and obstruction charges are in ADDITION to finding the source of the leak because that is by far the worst of the charges.

The only people that should be afraid of the presecutor for leaking information are the people that are the focus of the investigations and their legal counsels. My money is on Luskin, Rove's counsel, as the source for this story...he's been leaking a lot lately.

[jsamuel]

7. EXACTLY, This article is badly headlined. IT WAS ADDED, NOT SHIFTED

[SlowDownFast]

8. Yep. You got it right.

IN ADDITION are the missing keywords.

And I'll place my bets on a Luskin leak, most definately...

he's ever-so-slightly twisting this tale...

[Pachamama]

12. I agree...I think it's Luskin & the "Cleanup Crew for Rove" trying to do

their damage control, spin and throwing people off from what is going on. Then one has to ask why they would even mention the obstruction of justice charges et al, but my hunch is that they realize how far along this whole mess is or they are "fishing" for feedback as to what Fitzgerald knows and is seeking.

From all I can tell, Fitzgerald is running a real tight ship and a quiet one at that....The only rats squeeking are the ones on the dock who are worried.....

:hi:

[DURHAM D]

6. Rove wrote this article. eom

[wookie294]

9. The fact that they committed perjury is proof they knew she was undercover

The reason Rove lied to the grand jury is because he knew he knew he committed a CRIME by giving reporters the identity of Plame. So, why not file treason charges against Rove?

This LA Times story makes me think Rove will get off easily. We will all be disappointed in Fitz, who is a Republican, by the way.

[oioioi]

13. Whitewash?

"there could be benign explanations for differences that have arisen in witnesses' statements to federal agents and a grand jury"

Rove could claim that he based his original statements regarding the nature of his conversation with Cooper on his calendar or diary records.

Cooper said that they were scheduled to discuss Social Security and that it was Cooper, not Rove, who introduced the subject of Wilson and the op-ed.

Couldn't Rove's story be that he was relying on the administrative records of his schedule on the day he spoke to Cooper and had no recollection of the discussion re Wilson. Of course this very probably bullshit, but how could anybody disprove it? Would this "honest mistake" in Rove's recollection of his conversation with Cooper rise to perjury or obstruction?

They keep saying that "Rove has cooperated fully" - this could mean that he handed over his administrative records of the conversation with Cooper indicating say a 15 minute call re "social security" as per his diary schedule.

Cooper had to fess that he and Rove had actually discussed Wilson because of the email to his boss which had nothing to do with social security and implicated Rove in outing Plame. Rove's lawyers went into a huddle when Cooper's email came to light, hence the "last minute" decision by Rove to release Cooper from his confidentiality commitment to testify.

Judith Miller could probably tell a great deal more than we currently know and it's surely damning -- so we'll never know.

In Cooper's case, they have a strategy to manage the damage and it's starting to play out via leaks like this.

To get mainstream attention on this matter, there must be an unequivocal source of the leak from the WH and attention to the real motives for Plame's outing (which are supposedly much more than just discrediting Wilson's op-ed). To take this story at face value, the investigation is apparently nowhere near a serious indictment concerning the source of the leak, and there will be no mainstream coverage of motive unless there is an indictment and a prosecution, not for obstruction of the investigation, but for the leak itself.

As amazing as it seems, the whole Plame thing could conceivably be swept under the rug and amount to nothing.

[MadisonProgressive]

30. Exactly the fear I have

Bushco may have had complete control of this 'investigation' from the beginning. Nothing would surprise me anymore.

[emulatorloo]

26. Fitz is not a republican -- do your research

Here's a snip, but read the whole article. The guy prosecutes whoever deserves to be prosecuted. Doesnt care if they are repugs or dems.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A55560-2005Feb1?

<snip>

Fitzgerald is careful to be apolitical in his targets and his public life alike. He registered to vote as an Independent in New York, only to discover, when he began receiving fundraising calls, that Independent was a political party. He re-registered with no affiliation, as he did later in Chicago.

<snip>

[Tinksrival]

43. Is Fitz a hero

The drum beat for war with Iran has been silenced. As long Fitz is persuing these assholes they can't exactly sell their next war. Hopefully it's big enough to rewrite *ush destiny and save us all. Godspeed Fitzgerald!

[mikelewis]

45. Isn't it ironic that this story is breaking now?

Wasn't it Richard Clarke who said Bush had ordered our forces to be ready to attack Iran by June or July? This scandal sort puts a damper on those plans for sure.

[JDPriestly]

27. If Rove lied or stated he could not remember

key facts, the prosecutor might have to piece his case together based on circumstantial evidence. That is hard to do in "he said, she said" cases. The possibility of perjury and obstruction charges warns witnesses that they need to get serious about cooperating. I also think that the leaker is Luskin. His leak strategy holds the wolves at bay for the moment, but it is very risky because his leaks are feeding the news stories and our curiosity.

Even if there are no more leaks, even if no charges are brought, the seamy side of the the Bush/Rove regime has been unbared. The Rove dirty tricks are out there for all to see. The damage has been done. Bush is on the defensive on this as he is on Social Security.

Remember how when the press talks about Clinton they so often mention the impeachment or Lewinsky's name. The very thought of Clinton conjures up the scandals associated with his presidency. Forgotten are the economic prosperity, peace, etc. Well, Bush and Rove now have their own Lewinsky. Regardless of what happens next, when we hear the names "Bush" and "Rove," many, many of us will all think "Plame" and "Wilson" and "leak." The neural pathways between these names have been traced and retraced so many times and in contexts that are so interesting to us that they are strongly enforced in our brains. Bush and Rove will never escape the workings of those neural pathways. This doesn't just apply to us Dems. The Free Republic types are also building some real durable neural freeways in their brains on this.

The irony is that the more Bush and Rove try to subvert and confuse the investigation by holding out and claiming to have forgotten information, the more prominent the story is in the news. Bush would be better off giving in and simply suspending Rove, Libby and anyone else associated with the story until they cooperate and tell the whole truth and until the prosecutor has done his job. There is no honorable way out for any of them. Whether the prosecutor indicts or not at this point is immaterial. Either way, the huge controversy, the suspicion that Rove is the mastermind behind Plame's outing, will continue until the end of Bush's tenure and be uppermost in people's minds. Nothing can change that. Bush and Rove have been harmed by their own cleverness.

[MadisonProgressive]

31. I agree with this statement with a qualification:

Regardless of what happens next, when we hear the names "Bush" and "Rove," many, many of us will all think "Plame" and "Wilson" and "leak."

(we will think this sometime after - lied to enter into an illegal war, war criminal, slimebag)

[Uncle Joe]

32. Is there not a 1917 law on the books that covers leaking classified

information that could apply here that is broader in scope, as well as the 1982 outing law that I keep hearing about?

[lancdem]

29. That's because the sources for this story

are not with the prosecutor's office. His people aren't talking. The only ones blabbing are attorneys for people under the gun, like Rove. Notice the line about angering Fitzgerald.

[SlowDownFast]

10. kick!

[Newsjock]

14. WP: Testimony By Rove And Libby Examined ... Prosecutor Compares Accounts

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/22/AR2005072201830.html

By Carol D. Leonnig and Jim VandeHei
Washington Post Staff Writers
Saturday, July 23, 2005; Page A01

... Lawyers involved in the case said there are now indications that Fitzgerald either did not initially know or suspect that Rove was Cooper's primary source for the reporter's information about Plame. That raises questions about how much Rove disclosed when first questioned in the inquiry or how closely he was initially queried about his contacts with reporters. Rove has testified before a grand jury and been questioned by FBI agents on at least five occasions over the past two years.

... Two lawyers involved in the case say that although Fitzgerald used phone logs to determine some contacts between officials and reporters, they believe there is no phone record of Cooper's now-famous call to Rove in the days before Novak's column appeared in July 2003. That is because Cooper called the White House switchboard and was reconnected to Rove's office, sources said.

... The prosecutors have appeared keen to see if they can fill in some gaps in Rove's memory about how he learned about Plame, and they have repeatedly asked witnesses if Rove told them how he knew about Plame. Rove testified early in the investigation that his information about Plame came from Novak, his attorney said. Rove testified he also may have heard about her from another reporter or administration official who had heard it from a reporter, but he could not recall the second source of his information, his attorney said.

[osaMABUSh]

15. Perjury or Obstruction of Justice works for me! n/t

[Media_Lies_Daily]

16. IMHO, that will be in ADDITION to other charges for exposing Plame.

[Lord_StarFyre]

17. Same here...

As long as Turd Blossom spends some time (ie years) as some Sex Crazed Lunatic's Love Bitch, I'm good with that...

Add Scooter, Bush's Gay Whore Gannon, Oily Dick, Ari the Empty, and the Dubya Christ himself to the list of folks going to the slammer, hey, life would be sweet...

[merwin]

20. Only sucky part is that it will be a federal prison, and not a state one.

[kestrel91316]

19. Espionage and treason works for me nt

[RagAss]

18. Oh Brave New World...

We have lived to see an administration spin Treason.

[DeepModem Mom]

21. The SC nomination did NOT get Rove off the frontpage. nt

[magellan]

22. Makes ya wonder what they'll try next

I'm pretty sure it won't be the truth.

[maddezmom]

23. nope...seems like it's picked up steam

:D

[Swamp Rat]

24. The press is sharpening their new set of teeth...

:D

[Supersedeas]

53. perjury is a long way from the WMD discussion this scandal deserves

[Jack Rabbit]

25. Didn't Rush tell his minions a week ago that this story was over?

Oh, well. Rush didn't have any credibility to lose.

[msanthrope]

28. I wonder how Tim Russert likes being made Scooter's Libby's

bitch...oh, I meant, alibi......

[ticapnews]

33. There are still plenty of apologists out there...

My LTTE RE: Karl Rove ran yesterday. On the opposite page, one of the editors wrote a piece criticizing the Loony Left for attacking President Bush and Karl Rove. I had 238 words to make my point, he had half a page, above the fold. His column was filled with lies and mischaracterizations, such as President Bush only said he would fire people who had been found guilty when he originally said anyone involved would be fired.

The Spin Machine is still out there, repeating GOP talking points. This is not Watergate 30 years ago. This is a whole new era of partisan politics. The GOP remembers what happened after Watergate: They lost the White House and Congress had huge Democratic majorities as Republicans were swept out of office. Republicans are not going to allow that to happen this time. As long as they can keep 40% of the electorate drinking the Kool Aid they can Diebold the other 10% they need to keep winning elections.

Wish it wasn't so, but that's reality. I'll believe otherwise when I actually see Karl Rove frog-marched out of the White House or into a federal court.

[Bumblebee]

34. An additional tidbit from the Guardian

which can potentially be of great interest:

Meanwhile, a parallel investigation is under way into who forged the Niger documents. They are known to have been passed to an Italian journalist by a former Italian defence intelligence officer, Rocco Martino, in October 2002, but their origins have remained a mystery. Mr Martino has insisted to the Italian press that he was "a tool used by someone for games much bigger than me", but has not specified who that might be.

A source familiar with the inquiry said investigators were examining whether former US intelligence agents may have been involved in possible collaboration with Iraqi exiles determined to prove that Saddam Hussein had a nuclear programme.

[buddha8]

35. no way

Sorry, it would be nice but I still don't see much way that either Rove or Bush get taken down by any of this. Apparently yesterday as he was walking to his helicopter to leave for the weekend along with Rove the bush-turd just brushed aside a press question about Rove. It was the same kind of nonchalance he showed in the face of the enormous voter turnout and pro Kerry exit polling on the eve of the 2nd stolen election. They know something we don't, for sure. No way he or anyone really important goes down on this. If I begin to see him sweating in public or visibly nervous or agitated more than normal than I will have hope. These are fixers. They make their own reality. They are unconcerned with how the rules are played since they never have any intent to follow them. And they are most often several steps ahead of the rule players. Most progressives are gloating now but they miss the boat once again on this. These people will simply move the goal posts around until they win. It is why they have won on every single score since he stole office in December 00'. You simply cannot bet against odds like that. If need be they will simply stage a terror event and declare martial law and summarily suspend normal processes and deploy the military upon executive order into the street. They will do whatever is necessary simply because they can. They figured out the way to pirate a vulnerable democratic system and they have done it quite easily every step of the way.

Again I emphasize that all rule-based arguments however cogent are nearly irrelevant to these people. They do not play by any rules whatsoever. They are revolutionaries who beleive that they make their own reality. It doesn't matter to them how failed their 'policies' are. If you do not play by rules you are never accountable. I suspect they may just as easily be attempting to reach Fitzgerald via a backroom. OR they may have the goods on Fitzgerald. People are wrongly assuming the Press is acting in a new and robust way now. It will take very little to set in force intimidation and access bribes to silence them again and I am quite sure that Rove will fill August with a host of very hot news stories as a diversion.

[Bumblebee]

37. I am sometimes worried that we are raising our hopes and expectations

way too high. This does feel like the euphoria many of us went through just before the election when it did look like there was no way for Bush to be there for the next four years... But, on the other hand, it would be totally depressing if we did not get excited like that now and then -- so what the heck, as long as we keep telling ourselves that there is always a chance, etc, etc, etc. It would still hurt A LOT, of course, if it all comes to nothing

[CAcyclist]

57. Nixon Thought That Too

He got taken down.

Rove is not all-seeing, all-knowing. He's made a lot of enemies on the way up - he and the Bush admin. now have made enemies of the CIA - it's just a matter of time now.

The problem with creating your own reality is that you still have to live in our reality.

[liberalismresurgent]

36. This is a pro-Rove story leaked by Luskin

You can tell by reading this fragment from a recent Lawrence O'donnel commentary in the huffington post:

Luskin has gone undercover and now rarely attaches his name to the defense briefs he dictates to reporters, all of whom would love to use a source other than Luskin but no one in the prosecutor's office is leaking, so they're stuck with Luskin. The Washington Post usually identifies him as a source familiar with Rove's grand jury testimony, but Luskin has managed to negotiate a more indirect label with the Times where he appears as a source who has "been briefed on the case."

now note the last paragraph of the LA Times article:
the intensity of the inquiry into possible perjury charges has increased, according to one lawyer familiar with events, , who spoke on condition that he not be identified because he did not want to anger Fitzgerald.

*The motive is to shift the focus from Outing Plame to perjury, since perjury sounds cuter.

[RagAss]

38. It's Clear to me Now..

The reason this is going on for two years is because that's how long it's been taking Fitzgerald to convince this Grand Jury NOT TO INDICT !!!

Let's wake up folks. These people "invented" a war, do you think they're going to let some little Grand Jury stop them??

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

39. Has the word "treason" officially appeared anywhere yet?

It really, really needs to be there somewhere.

[leveymg]

40. Watergate was the coverup. This is structuring to avoid law - conspiracy.

They're going down, and BushCo with them - otherwise, what's the point in bothering to prosecute them. Now, what do we do?

I'd suggest we all tell our Party leaders to push a defining difference between Us and Them - they stand for permanent war, and we'll make the peace plain and simple.

That's the choice in 2006 and 2008.

[jurassicpork]

42. THIS is the sentence that kinda worries me:

"According to lawyers familiar with the case, investigators are comparing statements to federal authorities by two top White House aides, Karl Rove and I. Lewis Libby, with testimony from reporters who have acknowledged talking to the officials."

If you think the WH Press Corpse and the MSM in general has been too timid since this story broke, imagine how much of an incentive this investigation and making the reporters part of the story will give them.

JP
http://jurassicpork.blogspot.com

[usregimechange]

44. kick

[buddha8]

50. the Slush Fund

It is high time that the White House Iraq Group formed to spin the War 3 years ago and headed by heavies like Karen Hughes,Hadley,Rove,Libby,Wilkinson,Andrew Card, the usuals, be investigated. I assume their is an illegal slush fund like there was in Iran-Contra that funds this very,very busy and nefarious propaganda operation. You find the money trail and its over for them, end of subject. The source could be Afghan heroin,the 8 billion missing in Iraq,whatever but this group is not funded by the Congress so where is it getting its money and how is it distributing it? Could be upwards of 200 participants. It is the most important organization in the white house if you assume that the Information War on America is as important as their fictious War on Terror. They are all about propaganda dissemination. So where is the money trail? Show me the money? Even payouts to the x-felons who participated in the software for the vote controling companies would be operational out of the WHIraqGroup.

I say people ask reporters and newslines to investigate this and uncover the dirt. Once they found the trail under Nixon and in Iran-Contra it was all over for their operations. These are some of the very same people here. Its time that people get this question out to as many news outlets and real investigative reporters as possible. I myself have written Greg Palast,Robert Parry and several others this morning. Rovegate is just the pimple on the ass of the WHIG.

[PatsFan2004]

51. This is an exciting read, but we might want to tread carefully because

there is an extemporaneous email that was sent from Rove to another WH aide to give a heads-up on a possible welfare reform story right after the Cooper phone call. I am not saying this is "proof" for Rove. But here we have an electronic email versus a lack of recollection from Cooper over the contents of a phone call. What would a jury believe: a document written right after a phone call or someone stating "I don't recall". This is more than reasonable doubt.

[gkhouston]

63. email headers can be spoofed

and since Cooper's notes/email (also allegedly done immediately after the phone call) don't indicate that welfare reform was discussed during the phone call, I don't think Rove's email is significant. It could have been deliberately concocted at the time as a smokescreen.

[PatsFan2004]

64. Agreed!

We would have to have testimony from others on the authenticity of the email from the recipient (not necessarily trustworthy) and the data security folks at the WH. Some local networks have all sorts of protections against spoofing for the most obvious of reasons. Since the WH local area networks have daily backups, the exact date of the email could be ascertained from the backups. As I recall there was a lot of digging for emails in backups in the Clinton administration.

But as I mentioned, this is still a case for a jury to decide upon an email or a person's recollection.

[realFedUp]

52. better include both crime and perjury....

I smell a rat too.

[skip fox]

54. Article implies no indictments on leak or breach oother security laws.

But that's not necessarily the case. Even the best reporters jump to some conclusions. That the investigation is now focused on perjury (and who better to coordinate a "perjured story" as cover than ROVE?) does not mean that other potential charges against administration officials have been determined invalid, i.e., indictments may be already "in the bag."

In fact the more we know, the more it seems that there will be multiple indictments for "high administration officials" in Fitzgerald's final report including at least two for Rove. (If not indictments, we'll have notifications of non-indictable wrongful activities--or some such--in the prosecutor's final report).

I say this because in learning about multiple leakers for the six reported contacts and multiple confirming sources, it becomes apparent what occurred. One administrative official discovered the Plame-Wilson-Niger relationship, took it to the White House Iraq Group, turned it over to Rove, who on the spot assigned tasks to different primary leakers/sources assuring no source called another source's contact (so as not to appear too eager), that no source's "pitch" was exactly the same but that their information was all given in an "off hand" manner (e.g., "Don't go too far out on this Wilson thing, I don't want you burnt").

Simply "doing the numbers" has told me this all along, but as new information comes out my analysis is being confirmed. We knew there were at least 6 initial leaks/contacts. Now we know that there were at least three different initial leakers (Fleicher Rove, Libby) and of the 6 reporters 4 are confirmed as Miller, Novak, Cooper, and Pincus. We also realize that there must have been a number of other confirming sources (because you cannot assure who the reporter will call for confirmation).

A master-mind would have been necessary to coordinate all these calls by different people AND would have to insure that a number of other officials were ready and willing to confirm the initial leaks.

They would have gone to Rove immediately and he, probably in an emergency of the White House Iraq Group, assigned the roles, the stories and the stances, etc.

So he not only leaked by was the mastermind of a conspiracy to leak.

We can only hope he lead a cover-up and committed perjury as well.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

61. Andrea Mitchell and Chris Matthews were the other two reporters....

...I believe Mitchell has already testified before the Grand Jury.

[skip fox]

62. Russert's deal was made explicit this weekend. He would tell what

he told the source, but not what the source told him (which means Libby didn't give him a specific waver like Rove did to Cooper!!!! Why not, I wonder?)

[warrens]

55. They've called that nazi THREE TIMES?

I love it. I don't think I've ever heard of someone testifying three times. Indicates to me that they didn't believe him and kept getting more information about him.

I really, really want a frogmarch this time. Then immunize him and get him to testify against his boss.

[skip fox]

56. 2 visits by FBI and 3 visits to grand jury were reported

:toast:

[CAcyclist]

58. No, Convict Him OF Treason And Have Him

shot by a firing squad.

I have finally found an exception to my opposition to the dealth penalty.

[skip fox]

59. Correction:

"I have found one big fat exception to the opposition of the death penalty."

(a friendly linguistic amendment)

[caligirl]

65. need your opinions on this qoute that all roads lead back to the CIA

I've said before, and I'll venture farther out on the limb in saying again: there are going to be some very unexpected shoes dropping in this case, and they're going to drop in ways that surprise and disappoint the anti-Bush Moonies. An investigation into CIA attempts to influence the 2004 presidential election--through leaks of classified information to the press----would indeed be worthy of a serious special prosecutor, and I predict that is where this all leads. A prescient article from the WSJ, nearly two years ago:
Quote:
The real intelligence scandal is how an open opponent of the U.S. war on terror such as Mr. Wilson was allowed to become one of that policy's investigators. That egregious CIA decision echoes what has obviously been a long-running attempt by anonymous "intelligence sources" quoted in the media to undermine the Bush policy toward Iraq. Mr. Bush's policies of prevention and pursuing state sponsors of terror overturned more than 30 years of CIA anti-terror dogma, and some of the bureaucrats are hoping to defeat him in 2004.
http://www.opinionjournal.com/edito...ml?id=110004089

I'd also remind you Moonies of this fascinating statement by one of President Bush's former Harvard Business School classmates:
Quote:
By reputation, the President was a very avid and skillful poker player when he was an MBA student. One of the secrets of a successful poker player is to encourage your opponent to bet a lot of chips on a losing hand. This is a pattern of behavior one sees repeatedly in George W. Bush’s political career. He is not one to loudly proclaim his strengths at the beginning of a campaign. Instead, he bides his time, does not respond forcefully, a least at first, to critiques from his enemies, no matter how loud and annoying they get. If anything, this apparent passivity only goads them into making their case more emphatically.

[janx]

66. Denial, denial, and more denial.

:shrug: