Holy shit! Check out the WSJ article re: Fitzerald!

[fooj]

http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB114443407090120247-e9XMcD7TTAyKnsZ5CRdxjcZIA_E_20060507.html?mod=tff_main_tff_top

Libby Prosecutor
Outlines Effort
At High Levels

Fitzgerald Aims to Show
An Organized Plan Led
To Leak of CIA Agent's Name

By ANNE MARIE SQUEO
April 8, 2006; Page A6

WASHINGTON -- The special prosecutor trying the case against former vice presidential chief of staff I. Lewis Libby will try to show that the leaking of a CIA agent's name grew out of a highly organized administration effort that commanded high-level attention, a court filing this week shows.

Pretrial filings by Mr. Libby's defense team indicate they intend to argue that any misstatements made in Mr. Libby's testimony to investigators and a grand jury were innocent mistakes because of his focus on more pressing national-security issues. They are seeking a wide array of classified and sensitive information they say is necessary for trial, including secret daily intelligence briefings given to the president.

This week's filing by Patrick Fitzgerald, the special prosecutor, was intended to convince the judge to deny the defense's latest request for information. In doing so, the prosecutor also attacked Mr. Libby's bad-memory defense by introducing new information about the attention -- including by President Bush -- placed on responding to Joseph Wilson, a former ambassador and critic of the Iraq war.

Lawyers say in a high-profile legal battle like this, where the judge already has warned both sides not to try their case in public, pretrial motions become a critical element in the public-relations campaign.

"Mr. Libby's defense, as we understand it, is that because of his 24-7 national-security responsibilities, he just forgot his conversations with reporters," says Scott Fredericksen, a Washington defense attorney and former prosecutor. "And what Mr. Fitzgerald is telling the judge here is that Mr. Libby was expressly authorized to go have these conversations with reporters by the vice president and authorized to release classified information by the president. That is a unique situation and not very forgettable."

<snip>


YESSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!
:bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[BattyDem]

1. Oh Fitz ... please stay away from small planes!

:scared:

By the way .... thank you, sir! :patriot:

[fooj]

2. He is my hero.

He is the hope that sustains me.

Peace.

[BattyDem]

8. I agree. I love the man!

He has been a ray of hope in BushCo's never-ending darkness ... but I fear for him. :-(

[enough already]

45. I keep thinking that Fitz may be all we have left to stop Bush

I'd pray for him every day if I were the religious type.

[Lena inRI]

62. Fitz is our relentless warrior. . .

who is slaying the Satanic BushCo to set us free.

AWESOME JOB, MR. FITZGERALD.

We can't thank you enough!
:yourock: :loveya:

[stepnw1f]

3. May Our Forefathers Guide Fitzgerald (nt)

[fooj]

6. They are.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

:patriot:

Peace.

[Erika]

4. The issue was about Wilson, the Plame leak was a by-product

It is rumored that W will sacrifice Cheney for this mess.

I blame the idiots who voted for W. They've screwed this country royally.

[snowbear]

7. Speaking of Joe Wilson, he'll be on Big Ed Schultz on Monday..

I'm wondering if he'll be on any of the talk shows over the weekend?

If not, the interview of him on Ed Schultz will be on his site if anyone wants to catch it, but can't tune in..

[dweller]

18. that should be a great show

i'll be tuned in.

Ed has always given a voice to Joe Wilson, and this will be a great time to hear his pov again.

dp

[capi888]

66. Joe Wilson on "This WeeK" Sunday

He is on with George Stephenopolus...tune in.

[smoochpooch]

12. They should all be in Tikrit right now

There's no excuse.

[Independent_Liberal]

5. Fitz! Fitz! He's the man! If he can't do it, no one can!

:)

[flyarm]

9. i want more , i want more , i want more!!..ahhh fitz..are you going to

give us a rover on a platter?? pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeee???????????

or a yellow and dying tumble weed bush??

or a orange suited pig ..chain eyed ??

ahhhh lets get those aspens turning!!


i am not greedy..but i sure want more!!

fly

[fooj]

22. The aspens HAVE turned.

What a trip. It WAS code.

Peace.:pals:

[alfredo]

10. Oh make it so!!!! Pleeeeaase!!!!

I am writing a letter attacking this scandal from a different direction. I am pointing out that to get revenge against Wilson, they attacked his wife, his family. I pointed out that this is as low as it gets and that a man that does such a thing is a man without honor.

[blossomstar]

11. I do believe that Fitz is going to save our America!

[mirandapriestly]

14. He's the kind of man (woman) who should be in Washington

representing us. How did we end up with these abominations? People like him are rare.

[fooj]

24. Too rare...

A sad truth...:cry:

[Tigress DEM]

17. All I want for Fitzmas is my country back!

Anyone know how to contact Fitz?

I want to thank him.

[Clarkie1]

13. I don't think there is much new here.

"There is no suggestion by Mr. Fitzgerald that either President Bush or Vice President Cheney told Mr. Libby to leak her name. Mr. McClellan dismissed as "crass politics" the suggestion from some Democrats that Mr. Bush sanctioned or engaged in a scheme to disclose sensitive information that would presumably include releasing Ms. Plame's identity."

[fooj]

25. The headline works for me...

Libby Prosecutor
Outlines Effort
At High Levels

Fitzgerald Aims to Show
An Organized Plan Led
To Leak of CIA Agent's Name

:hi:

Peace.

[lyonn]

15. Wouldn't you think that Libby had a Daily Docket?

He claims he needs the PDB and such to check what he was doing? How about his e-mails, letters, phone calls? Guess he didn't want a paper trail. We know how they hate paper trails.

[Tigress DEM]

16. Let WSJ know "the whole DEMunderground is watching"

I did!


email --
[e-mail]



Subject: Thank You for covering Fitzgerald's heroic battle to derail the lies and get to the truth!


http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB114443407090120247-e9XMcD7TTAyKnsZ5CRdxjcZIA_E_20060507.html?mod=tff_main_tff_top


Great story! Need more of this kind of MEAT in the Fourth Estate.

I am so sick of FAUX news and propoganda. It's nice to see real journalism again.

Keep up the good work!

[fooj]

23. Excellent idea...

:kick:

[Peace Patriot]

19. The way to save this country is to remove Bushite voting machine

corporations and their "TRADE SECRET," PROPRIETARY programming code, highly insecure, unreliable, hackable computers, and the lack of transparency and lack of verifiability, from our election system now.

There is a REASON that majority views keep losing elections and votes in Congress. We DON'T HAVE a representative Congress, nor a president who is beholden to the people. We DON'T HAVE a transparent, verifiable election system. In essence, we lost our sovereignty as a people, when private partisan interests took over our election system in the 2002-2004 period, prompted by Tom Delay's and Bob Ney's "Hack America's Vote Act," a $4 billion electronic voting boondoggle for Bush's buds at Diebold and ES&S, that thoroughly corrupted our election system, as intended.

We cannot depend on one prosecutor and one case to save our democracy. We have to save it ourselves. And restoring our right to vote is Step One.

---------

A word about WSJ: One thing businesspeople and corporatists must have is accurate, good information about items like the Fitzgerald prosecution and other news, with which to judge trends and make informed business decisions. They will not tolerate being misled. The WSJ editorials may be wacko. The news section is not.

So, although neither Fitzgerald nor Libby has stated that Bush or Cheney actually ordered the Plame outing, I think we should pay close attention to the wording of the opening sentence of this article. I think that Fitz may in fact have the goods on Bush and/or Cheney. He just hasn't disclosed it yet.

WSJ: "The special prosecutor trying the case against former vice presidential chief of staff I. Lewis Libby will try to show that the leaking of a CIA agent's name grew out of a highly organized administration effort that commanded high-level attention, a court filing this week shows."

"...grew out of highly organized administration effort that commanded high-level attention."

This reporter is doing quite a dance with words to broadly hint that Bush and/or Cheney are now in Fitz's sights, without disclosing all that she may have learned (because she may not be 100% sure of it yet, or it's confidential).

[fooj]

26. Absolutely!

So, although neither Fitzgerald nor Libby has stated that Bush or Cheney actually ordered the Plame outing, I think we should pay close attention to the wording of the opening sentence of this article. I think that Fitz may in fact have the goods on Bush and/or Cheney. He just hasn't disclosed it yet.

Peace.

[sundancekid]

39. my sentiments eggsactly; fitz is one hell of a 3-D chess player, checkmate

is what we need as the final act ... while we all wanted this to break open B4 the 2004 election, in the end, we want that "checkmate" to be enduring, and we want the American people to continue to rise up so as to not repeat this bushevik history - EVER again.

[Peace Patriot]

20. Here's the other thread on this--but this thread has the most

discussion.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=2215325&mesg_id=2215325

[NVMojo]

21. I love Fitz!!

[rodeodance]

27. Scott: says Democrats are engaging in "crass politics"

On Friday, the White House didn't challenge the assertion that Mr. Bush declassified intelligence information to counter war critics. White House spokesman Scott McClellan spent nearly an hour drawing a distinction between the leaking of information judged to be "in the public interest" and the willful disclosure of information that could endanger national security.

At issue are portions of the previously classified National Intelligence Estimate the White House made public on July 18, 2003 -- some ten days after prosecutors allege Mr. Libby discussed the information with a New York Times reporter. In that conversation, Mr. Libby also disclosed the identity of Mr. Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame, a Central Intelligence Agency official, according to his indictment. (Leaking the identity of a covert official can be a crime, but Mr. Libby isn't charged with that violation.)

There is no suggestion by Mr. Fitzgerald that either President Bush or Vice President Cheney told Mr. Libby to leak her name. Mr. McClellan dismissed as "crass politics" the suggestion from some Democrats that Mr. Bush sanctioned or engaged in a scheme to disclose sensitive information that would presumably include releasing Ms. Plame's identity.

The case against Mr. Libby, who is charged with five counts of lying and obstructing a federal investigation, isn't expected to go to trial until next January at the earliest. He has pleaded not guilty.

[magellan]

28. Every time the truth reverberates against their thick heads

...the Rethugs whine about partisan politics. It used to annoy me, but I've started smiling whenever I hear it because in every case so far it's meant they're caught by the short hairs.

[Fovea]

46. a republican whining about crass politics

is like a skunk holding its nose when a rabbit hops by.

[mzmolly]

36. I guess Fitz would be engaging in "crass prosecution?"

:P

[eppur_se_muova]

53. This from a WH that adopted a policy of "crass warfare"... nt

[rodeodance]

29. Fritz: Bush "was unaware of the role" that Libby played in outing Plame.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0407/dailyUpdate.html
posted April 7, 2006 at 12:54 p.m.

Did Bush misuse presidential powers?

Experts: Leaks are probably legal but 'amount to using sensitive intelligence data for political gain.'

By Tom Regan | csmonitor.com

The news that President Bush authorized the disclosure of classified information to certain reporters has set off a debate on whether or not Mr. Bush misused his national security powers. FoxNews reports that papers filed Thursday by Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald disclose that I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, the only person indicted so far in the investigation into who 'outed' CIA agent Valerie Plame, told a grand jury that Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney had authorized him to discuss with reporters the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) regarding Iraqi weapons systems.

Nothing in the papers indicate Bush or Cheney told Libby to reveal the name of CIA analyst Valerie Plame, nor do they suggest that either the president or vice president did anything illegal. But the documents do hint at more problems for the administration since some may show a plan to punish one of its critics, Plame's husband, Amb. Joe Wilson.

The Associated Press reports that the picture painted by the court papers is of a hesitant Mr. Libby, who had "qualms about leaking classified information to the press, but was quickly persuaded to drop them" after coming under pressure from Mr. Cheney, "who advised him that the president had authorized Libby to do so."

In his court filing, Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald asserted that "the president was unaware of the role" that Libby "had in fact played in disclosing" Plame's CIA status. The prosecutor gave no such assurance, though, regarding Cheney.

[DemReadingDU]

30. K&R

[Minnesota Libra]

31. This guy better not be taking any trip any time soon!! nt

[eauclaireliberal]

32. God bless the Irish

From Fitz to my adopted dad and my friends over the years. They never cease to posses my admiration.

[Reader Rabbit]

33. As much as I take pride in my heritage...

...we should remember that it has given us folks like Sean Hannity and Joseph McCarthy as well.

[eauclaireliberal]

48. Yeah, well

mine brought about Carlo Gambino, but I do pretty good at marking these things as irrelevant.

When I finish RN school I'm thinking of working psych/AODA. McCarthy was a drunk from my state, One of the few drunks I won't feel sorry for: Cirrhosis took him and his is a legacy of hate.

[leesa]

34. I wonder if "expressly authorized" means 'ordered'. That would put a

different twist on things. Libby was being a good soldier following orders from the Prez and Mr Vice.

[mzmolly]

35. Wow.

This is going to be an amazing thing to watch unfold.

[Douglas Carpenter]

37. this story could get really big

[lonestarnot]

38. April showers bring May flowers!

Woooodamnwhoooooooooooooooooooooooo!

[Neil Lisst]

40. Fitz quietly blew away all the other weekend news stories.

The MSM is finally looking at this and seeing how logical the whole thing has been for 3 years.

People are remembering how Bush convincely sold his ignorance and desire to find the leaker and kick him out of the White House.

All a big scam.

I think this is the one that really finishes any chance Bush had to avoid becoming a punchline in history.

[EVDebs]

41. Gotta love Libby's "the dog ate my homework" defense ! Sounds like Reagan

and his memory problems are becoming 'contagious' in Republican circles.

[bluhoodie]

42. Or does "expressly authorized" mean it was declassified "expressly

for the purpose" of undermining Wilson and revealing the
info that would lead to the outing of Plame (the purpose to
which it was put)?

[annabanana]

47. yes.. apparently

Whilst Scottie talks about "good" leaks and "bad" leaks..and claims that the ad hoc declassification of the document in question is a "good" leak... It is clear that the only purpose was to try and undermine Wilson's article

The consequences included not only the exposure of Plame, but the destruction of the entire Brewster - Jennings operation and a major set back in our National Security, since Brewster Jennings was busy tracking the movement of nuclear materials to and around Iran at the time.

This "good" leak was, in fact, treason.

AND... Welcome to DU! :toast:

[npincus]

51. "good" leaks, "bad" leaks and it depends on what the meaning of "is" is...

the Bushies parse their words more on a bad day than Clnton ever did... Hyp-o-ctries.

[killerbush]

43. I'm impatient as hell, get on with it.!!!

[DoYouEverWonder]

44. We are on with it

As a matter of fact we are in the middle of it. This is the 'good' part. This is the part where it all falls apart.

[countryjake]

49. This being found in the WSJ is what is very telling.

Why would an article like this even be in there, if this was really "nothing" as all the pundits are spinning?

"High-ly organized crimes and misdemeanors" is what it's hinting to the business world.

[SharonRB]

50. I can't wait for Fitzach!

Any day now, would be fine with me.

[twaddler01]

52. Please please find link and impeach * !!!!!!

:D

[madrchsod]

54. rico act...interesting

more to the point--some people here at du doubted Fitzgerald's ability to prosecute this affair.those of so little faith should have read up on what his crew is doing to illinois.

[understandinglife]

55. Good to see this on the DU Homepage!

George W. Bush willfully violated National Security to cover-up his willful launch of a war of aggression and illegal occupation of Iraq.

[AX10]

56. If Fitz can prove his case, he will DECIMATE the Bush Regime.

:bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick::bounce: :kick:

[Time for change]

57. A ray of hope -- Thank God for Patrick Fitzgerald

:wow:

[Keseys Ghost]

58. They must fix it now

or we will fix it for them.

God bless America.

ONWARD!

[mzmolly]

59. IF Bush is censured or impeached I think it will be about the false Niger

claim. Though Bush has had many a reason to be fired/jailed - few are as solid of a case as the faux niger fiasco.

[Endangered Specie]

60. Fitzmas in April?

:)

[blue cat]

61. Bush flip-flopped

He is not going to fire the leaker. Bwhahaha! I'm going to love bringing this up again and again at every conceivable chance that I get to throw it in a conversation, with anybody, anywhere.

[Catherine Vincent]

63. Can't have a Fitz thread with no Fitz....

:bounce: :patriot: :bounce: :patriot: :bounce: :patriot::bounce: :patriot::bounce: :patriot: :bounce: :patriot: :bounce: :patriot: :bounce: :patriot:

[foreverdem]

68. cat_girl 25, you never disappoint me...

you always have an incredible Fitz picture.

I don't believe Fitz will disappoint any of us!

[Catherine Vincent]

70. Why thanks, foreverdem!

I have so many Fitz pics that I purchased a separate jump drive just for saving his pics. :hi:

[Marie26]

64. Fitz, I'm so sorry

I ever doubted you. :bounce:

[Skittles]

65. you are no longer in need of an ass-kicking, Marie

oh how I love Fitz :)

[Demeter]

67. Organized Plan? Well, As Organized As BushCo Ever Gets

It's more like a free-for-all vendetta, with a prize for the one who got the job done (who is it got those bogus Medals of Freedom, Hmmm?)

So many crimes, only a handful of prosecutors (unless we flip the House and Senate and Impeach!!!)

[mrgorth]

69. Can Fitz

get Bush or Cheney to testify under oath?

[Up2Late]

71. Nice!

:applause: