Newsday: Libby Trial Could Show How Bush Sold War

[Hissyspit]

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/ny-uslibb145053375jan15,0,7228617.story?coll=ny-nationalnews-print

Trial could show how Bush sold war

BY TOM BRUNE
Newsday Washington Bureau

January 15, 2007

WASHINGTON - A federal trial starting tomorrow of a former top vice presidential aide on charges that he lied in the CIA leak probe could shed new light on how the White House sold and defended its invasion of Iraq four years ago.

Beginning a week after President George W. Bush ordered an increase in U.S. forces to secure violence-ridden Iraq, the four- to six-week jury trial of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby here in U.S. District Court could touch a raw nerve as the White House tries to sell a skeptical public on a new war strategy.

Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald's case has a narrow focus on perjury and obstruction of justice, accusing Libby of lying to the grand jury to stymie the probe of who outed covert CIA officer Valerie Plame in 2003 in what some call an attack on her husband, Joseph Wilson, for criticizing Bush's rationale for invading Iraq.

- snip -

As a result, the trial itself could quickly expand to cover a much broader range of issues through the introduction of classified documents and testimony of an undisclosed list of witnesses called by both sides.

The most anticipated witness will be Libby's former boss, Vice President Dick Cheney, called by the defense. Libby also has said he will take the witness stand. Other witnesses are likely to include Washington journalists such as NBC's Tim Russert and former New York Times reporter Judith Miller, who was jailed 85 days for protecting Libby as a source.

MORE

[luckyleftyme2]

1. WHY WASTE MONEY

WHY WASTE MORE MONEY?we all know the results probably exonerated,if not a year in a plush resort. I MEAN WHY DO THEY FIGHT TO GET THEIR JUDGES SEATED? ANS. FOR TIMES LIKE THIS!

[EST]

2. "Scooter's" notion of defense is to threaten to overturn the boat

if they don't leave him alone. That overturning is in the form of demands for classified information to prove that he was so busy that anything he said in the Plame outing was purely incidental; that it was of so small a moment that it was beneath him to remember and note to whom or from whom he communicated.

This approach will probably work pretty well even though it has been fiercely resisted by Fitzgerald and company.

Cheny will back up Libby and refuse to reveal any really incriminating classified stuff but "take my word for it" he was so busy there's no reason to dig any further.
It will be very interesting for those who love the battle, but for the rest of us, results will be glacially slow and the agonizing pace that will subsume the unfolding conflict may well put many of us in need chemical patience.

Although he has prosecuted some pretty high value cases before, this is Fitzgerald's most nationally prominent and far reaching.

Libby is really small fry here; the real battle is Cheny vs Fitz. I suspect Cheney will prevail and Libby will get some small slap but will drag that out with appeals and contesting until * is ready to leave office and then Cheny-through *-will pardon him in all aspects.

[Hissyspit]

3. .

[seemslikeadream]

4. Cathie Martin

What will Cathie Martin say when called as a witness?

[Hissyspit]

5. .

[KoKo]

6. Amazing....not a peep in the TV Media about this. If it had been Al Gore

asked to be a witness in a lying cover up by his deputy....Well we know the media would have been laying the groundwork all weekend with their guest legal scholars and panel discussions on whether Gore was involved and would he testify.

Media Lock Down....because it involves their own.

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.