Where's H2O Man?

[stepnw1f]

If "Fitz's" boss gets replaced, how will it effect the investigation?

[immoderate]

1. Well I'm not the authority that H2O man is, but...

my understanding is that only the president can remove the special prosecutor.

--IMM

[stepnw1f]

3. But What Does the Replacement Mean

What is the Administration's benefit from this action? And did "Fitz's" boss decide to leave on his own or was he pushed out?

[H2O Man]

2. It almost definitely won't.

At this point, there is very little for us to be concerned about. The administration has several people who are very concerned, and for good reason. But the case is now in front of a federal grand jury, which simply means that the federal judge who has been extremely supportive of Fitzgerald has more control than people realize.

People are a little tense. The republican machine will be spitting out more rumors in the upcoming weeks. Between the Plame grand jury, and the Lawrence Frankling & co. indictments (neocon conspiracy case), there is a heck of a lot going on just beneath the surface. But believe that Fitzgerald has prepared things very well, and any supervisor can only interfer if he makes a serious error -- and that ain't happening!

[DistressedAmerican]

4. Those and the Abuse Photos...

Thanks for the info!

[H2O Man]

6. And the horror

that the administration created in Iraq, added to their denial. I think more people are becoming offended by the president's pathology -- his being sure that the real issue of dead soldiers is a test of his resolve. Also, Rice & Cheney being absolute liars about the insurgency. People find them repulsive when they behave so disrespectfully to the families of the soldiers who have died, or who have been injured and hidden from view.

[stepnw1f]

5. I Really Am in Awe of "Fitz"

Talk about integrity... Something which is very rare it seems.

Somebody posted something regarding the other "Neo-Con" case. Are they interferring with the case in any way?

[H2O Man]

7. Yes, he is

an honest man who stands out at a time when honest people are quite a rare find in government.

As for the other case ..... to be able to "destabilize" a legal case, or a politician, or an administration at any level ..... that's an art. Some individuals/agencies are really good at it, from years of practice. Other groups have limited talents in that area.

A bureaucracy tends to "destabilize" by bullying. They can threaten to block a promotion. In an extreme case, they can fire someone. But there comes a time when that doesn't cut it. Let's consider briefly the case with Wilson. Let's assume, for a moment, that the VP wasn't looking to derail a CI investigation involving Plame's circle of influence. They were just looking to crush Wilson, and send a message to others who were tempted to challenge them. Did they do a good job or destabilizing the threat from Wilson? Or did they do far more harm to themselves?

To be able to interfer successfully, the power has to be lined up in a way where one can strike without being struck back. Make sense? You may need to absorb some damage, even have one person "lost" (jail, for example), but you still interfere in a manner that keeps the other side from accomplishing its goal.

Now we have a couple federal grand juries. The executive maintains some control, but it's on the judicial's territory. It becomes very hard to interfere -- unless, of course, a Fitzgerald wants a promotion within the group he is investigating. (We saw, literally, the US Supreme Court destabilize the Florida rule of law in 2000, but to promote their agenda/well-being.)

In the neocon case, the US Attorney, Paul McNulty, is a tough prosecutor. The forces that he is up against (who are very similar to those Fitzgerald is dealing with, with significant overlap) would like to interfere with his cases. At this point, he has the upper hand, and is destabilizing their entrenched position.

I'm tempted to write a little essay, using perhaps Watergate as a model, to try to illustrate what I mean.

[robertpaulsen]

8. Go for it, H2O Man!

I'll look forward to reading it!

[robertpaulsen]

9. Have you read this yet?

The Plame/AIPAC-gate Connection
Swopa cites Mark Kleimen on the AIPAC spy scandal -- who points out that Larry Franklin and his cohorts are "simply charged with giving classified information to those without security clearances, in pursuit of a political agenda" -- and makes the Plame-AIPAC-gate connection:

"Looking ahead to the future of Plamemania for a moment, let's imagine the closest adviser to the President of the United States. And the chief of staff to the Vice President of the United States. Indicted for violations of the Espionage Act.

"I wonder how well they'll be able to spin that."

There's another important factor that links the Plame-Rove-Libby imbroglion with the AIPAC spy scandal, underscored by the news that prosecutor Patrick J. "Bulldog" Fitzgerald is widening the investigation:

"Special prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald has asked not only about how CIA operative Valerie Plame's name was leaked but also how the administration went about shifting responsibility from the White House to the CIA for having included 16 words in the 2003 State of the Union address about Iraqi efforts to acquire uranium from Africa, an assertion that was later disputed."


more...

http://www.antiwar.com/blog/index.php?id=P2270

[H2O Man]

11. I had a survey

on the neocon spy scandal. I'll see if I can locate it. One person who responded said they were eager to see your thoughts on it.

[stepnw1f]

10. Great Insight

Where do you so much of it? Been or are in the field of law?

[H2O Man]

12. I have

always found these topics interesting. I'm going to finish my coffee, then I'll attempt to write a little essay on this general topic. Wish me luck.

[dbt]

13. Goddessspeed to your coffee, H2O Man!

I will make it a POINT to read your "attempt."

:bounce:

[H2O Man]

16. Done!

I just posted it on DU:GD; "Destabilizing The Nixon White House."

[stepnw1f]

17. Excellent...

Just got home from work... and now I have something interesting to read. Thank you H2O Man.

[kohodog]

14. Will William Luti or Glenn Kessler fit into this general topic?

Luti, of OSP and a Cheney operative seems like a pretty pretty noxious guy. Kessler (WP)seems to fit the Judith Miller mold of reporter, with close ties to foreign intelligence sources.

Luti was a big promoter of Chalibi and a US "presence" in Iraq.

The common thread between Luti (tied to AIPAC) and Libby (Plame) seems to be Cheney.

These are a quick response to a short google fishing expedition on Kessler and Luti.

[H2O Man]

15. You are on target.

I'm going to get started in a minute. But for this morning, I'm going to focus on Watergate. I have about four threads on the neocon scandal for the next week or so. DUers will find that the administration is in a tougher position than most people realize. Many within that group we call "neocons" have been overconfident to the point of recklessness. In less than a month, classes are going to open in the school of hard knocks, where Lawrence Franklin is going to be educated in the fact that when you make certain mistakes, you've got to pay your dues. But, before we get to that, I want to talk a little more about a few events from three decades ago .... in part because I believe we will be referencing it in the weeks to come. So at risk of being boring, I'll get started on that this morning.

[Just Me]

18. They can't fire a judge and a jury.

They also can't shake off all those patriotic intelligence fleas.

They are cornered,...and the more they cover,...the more they dig their own political and personal graves.

Well, hell,...think about it. These bastards pitted themselves against our nation and the world,...WE were challenged to be for them or against them,...according to their own tyrannical terms.

Since "they" were never FOR US but rather for themselves, they have created a situation where "they" are the enemies to ALL of our basic human struggles toward hope.

[H2O Man]

19. Good point .....

the grand jury isn't going to go away because some criminals find their efforts upsetting.