When will we see the Saturday Night Massacre?

[quaoar]

It looks as if someone is going to bite the big one in Plamegate -- likely Rove and probably Libby.

The Republican Hate Machine has tried to stop this by piling lies on top of more lies, but it hasn't slowed the wheels of justice.

It looks like the only way to halt indictments is going to be a Watergate-style Saturday Night Massacre like the one Nixon pulled on Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox.

Does anyone think that Bush wouldn't at least consider firing Fitzgerald?

[madeline_con]

1. An option...

Found dead of "suicide"... documents missing, blah blah blah...

[givemebackmycountry]

2. Please, Please, Please, Please.....

I hope he does something stupid like that.
The more outrageous their actions or inactions...the better for us.

[quaoar]

6. They'd have to concoct a real whopper of a lie

to fire Fitzgerald. They'd find someone who would swear he heard Fitzgerald in a restaurant talking about how he was out to get Rove or some such shit.

[Arbustosux]

15. Lawyers For Truth!!

they have to be forming that group as we speak!! :)

[FreedomAngel82]

12. I think so too

If they do fire him it would show a bad sign to the public. Especially since he was appointed by Bush.

[LibDemAlways]

3. I hope Fitzgerald stays off of small planes

and hires good bodyguards because given the history of the BFEE, he's more likely to be offed via a suspicious accident or "suicide" than he is to be fired.

[FreedomAngel82]

14. He has dealt with the mafia before

and survived. I remember reading another post that had some information on Fitzgerald and he had to stop getting mail at his house because he was being threatned with bombs. He's also dealt with the GOP before in Illinois so I think he'll be able to handle these folks.

[mcctatas]

4. Hee Hee

Saturday night massacre always makes me think of Arlo Guthrie and Alices Restaraunt. But getting rid of Fitzgerald is a scary thought, and I don't think even the bushies are bold enough to do something so blatantly self-serving...of corse I didn't think chimpy would fly back to sign the Schiavo bill either.:banghead:

[unrepuke]

5. Bush is not the architect - whatever happens

will be by Rove's plan.

IMHO

[napi21]

7. I don't think they will do that. It didn't work with NIxon.

If it had worked, I'd say, sure they'll try it, but it didn't.

I've met several US Attorney's during business investigations. I found each of them to be nasty, arrogant, very serious, and out for blood! I doubt, even if Shrub fired Fitz, he'd be in any better position that he is now, and probably worse!

[wli]

8. word was he couldn't be fired

Though I forgot the justification, it had something to do with the GAO or similar.

Anyway, I really hope beyond all hope they don't succeed in assassinating Fitzgerald. I really hope he's got bodyguards and is doing something to keep them from bombing him like John O'Neill. I'm truly afraid that there is no hope left for democracy if they assassinate him.

[barbaraann]

9. Did you see this thread?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4124218

[punpirate]

10. There's no question that if...

... Bush wanted him fired, Gonzales would do it for him.

However, they're the most publicity-conscious administration in history (which is how Rove ended up in the mess he's in, trying to launch a counter-attack to bad publicity). I think they all know what an incredibly bad move that would be.

My guess is that they're now trying to get Gonzales to insert complicating or mitigating items into the investigation, to tie up the grand jury and Fitzgerald until the grand jury expires, because that's a win for them they can publicize, i.e., "the grand jury spent eighteen months examining the evidence without issuing any indictments." I think they're hard at work on something like that.

Their best option right now is to use the DoJ to help them run out the clock.

Of course, when you start hearing leaks like, "indictments are imminent," all bets are off--at that point, they may get desperate.

Cheers.

[DWolper]

11. We won't see it

I think that Bush is looking at his legacy now. It was a disaster for Nixon and Bush knows this. If anything, he will fire Rove, Libby and others and "restore" America's faith in honest government and (of course) George W. Bush. What comes of Fitzgerald's Grand Jury then is old news, unless of course, Bush himself were implicated. I could be all wrong, but at any rate, it will be interesting. As an old man I urge the younger members here to remember that history is not a 'was' it is an 'is'. We are living it right now.

[quaoar]

16. Bush cannot fire Rove

Rove knows too much.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

13. It would put the Republicans running in 2006 in an interesting position

And the Democrats running against them would have a great issue to run on if their opponents DIDN'T condemn the removal of Fitzgerald. But depending on what Bush's moles on Fitzgerald's legal team are telling him, he may have no choice, especially if this leads right to Cheney's door.

[Stirk]

17. Honestly, I think they missed their chance.

I'm surprised they didn't pull something like that soon after getting that ass-kisser Gonzalez into the Attourney General's seat. They could've pulled the plug on the investigation and the corporate media would've been able to look the other way.

Too late now.

[Algomas]

18. I think negotiations are under way right now...

as to the opulence of Karl's golden parachute. And of course there will a back chanel available to him to continue the working of Bu$h's strings.

Too bad for Smirk! His due date has arrived and he will go down. If I were him, I would stay away from all aircraft, Sneer may order Plan B on his sorry ass.
After all, he has been expendable all along. Talking like a hick and looking good in a cowboy hat is his sole purpose. I don't think that persona will cut in anymore and if it looks like disaster for them, they are capable of anything, such as a phony regicide to trigger martial law.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

19. Can't fire Fitzgerald....he has special legal powers that place him....

...outside Herr Busch's chain-of-command. In fact, his powers are almost identical to the powers of the now-defunct "Independent Counsel".

Special Counsel and Permanent Indefinite Appropriation, B-302582, September 30, 2004
<http://www.gao.gov/decisions/appro/302582.htm>

QUOTE:

"For the reasons discussed below, we do not object to the use of the permanent indefinite appropriation to fund Special Counsel Fitzgerald's expenses. Unlike the expired independent counsel law, the permanent indefinite appropriation does not require that a Special Counsel be appointed from outside the government. The Department, in appointing Special Counsel Fitzgerald under "other law", has afforded him independence by delegating all of the Attorney General's authority with respect to the investigation and instructing him to exercise that authority independent of the control of any officer of the Department. Finally, the Part 600 regulations are not substantive and may be waived by the Department."