Watergate Step 2, 'Insider' named Deep Throat 'leaks' damning info....

[Blackhatjack]

Those who have studied how Watergate originated and grew into a national scandal that caused Nixon to resign the Office of the President, know that were it not for 'deep throat' Woodward and Bernstein would never have connected the dots ultimately leading to Nixon's resignation.

Step 1 is always noticing the end result that appears to have resulted from wrongdoing. For example, the breakin at Watergate and the arrest of the burglars in Watergate.

Step 2 is more crucial than step 1. It is finding a path to some incriminating evidence inside an entity that has almost total control over its existence and exposure. For example, finding the checks that led directly to the Committee to Reelect the President and following the money to the burglars was a major break. However, without more there was no way to get to the evidence that brought Nixon down. It was the doggedness of Woodward and Bernstein that resulted in identifying the characters involved(ie. Butterfield, Dean, etc.), who eventually agreed to cooperate that crashed the gates at the White House. However, Congress was not yet ready to followup without more, and without 'deep throat' directing Woodward and Bernstein, Watergate would likely have ended with the conviction of the burglars and not have reached the White House.

Step 3 is full fledged Congressional and criminal investigation using all the tools at their disposal with riveted public attention, using the 'roadmap' provided by those who were on the inside and who know where the evidence is.

The parallels between the scandals of this Administration and Watergate are remarkably similar, and it is obvious that this White House does not know the history of Watergate as they are repeating many of the same mistakes.

Some lessons they never learned: First, arrogance and a feeling of invincibility is a flaw, not a character asset. Second, if you make enemies among your own people on the inside, those people will gather information against you from inside the gates to defend themselves and their performance. Third, if there is incriminating information that is likely to come out, you should get it all out on your own terms rather than let it 'leak out' showing you are actively trying to coverup wrongdoing, protect wrongdoers, and ruin any remaining credibility you have with the public.

IMHO we are now at Step 2, and Congress is just now beginning to use its tools to investigate. However, without insiders these scandals will die out at the lower levels(ie. Scooter Libby, Kyle SAmpson). If leaders like Waxman and Leahy have hooked up with 'insiders' already, we will move to Step 3 pretty quickly.

And the only thing that will stop that rolling train will be a new war with Iran, or a terrorist attack on the homeland.

[LiberalFighter]

1. There is a difference between Watergate and now

The computer age, super information highway, cell phones.

It would be helpful for insiders to assist voluntarily. But I believe that they can deduce what and where the information can be found. The White House and Republicans can't hide it 100% in the midst of Congress. Democrats should know enough about the operations of the White House and Congress that they can track what they need to track.

[Blackhatjack]

2. True, but there are ways to secret evidence if that is your goal....

Rove left the White House to meet people on the street corner so that they would not have to sign in and be identified as a visitor to the White House.

Rove and others used the RNC email system to preclude creating a perserved Presidential record as required by law.

Emails and docs can be deleted/erased if you take the time to do it.

Individuals can refuse to put certain information in writing.

More so than the evidence itself, you need to first 'connect the dots' between the players and the events in a possible time frame. Once you have that,then you can begin to put the pieces together and see what you are missing.

[Tigress DEM]

11. Cheney & the shredder van.

[LiberalFighter]

12. True.. but they can't delete everything or keep everything oral.

If they have good investigators they can root the stuff out.

Judiciary can and should subpoena RNC email from/to any government employee either directly and indirectly. Checking with ISP for anything they might have.

They should determine when RNC email started to be used by WH and parties involved. They should determine who the "Rosemary Woods" person is in the WH.

The unique thing about email is that what you receive is also at the sender location. That requires an operation to delete at two different locations. It is possible to recover deleted email.

They will need to build a timeline using emails, written correspondence, phone records, diaries, motor pool records, travel records and other records to piece it together.

[Blackhatjack]

17. Plus, a well placed insider can secret and retain docs that were intended to be destroyed

You can bet those who are likely targets to be scapegoated are engaging in just this kind of 'individual protection procedures.'

[LiberalFighter]

20. Anyone in government would be wise to protect themselves

by having "individual protection procedures" in place.

[Blackhatjack]

22. The Scooter Libby verdict and treatment by the White House upped the ante for insiders...

Whenever an underling like Libby is allowed to take a bullet for the people at the top, and that individual is actually convicted by a jury, the anxiety level among some very smart people still working in the White House and this Administration must be going straight up.

Smart people know that the first to cooperate get the best deals, and the last to cooperate get the shaft.

[LiberalFighter]

28. I wonder if the small fish figure it is to their advantage to blow the whistle now

or get the major shaft?

[LiberalFighter]

29. Don't you just love the Spring in the air? The smell of stink from the WH?

[KittyWampus]

6. Another difference, IMO. A LOT more pissed off people in federal govt. & military

I believe there are many people who have damning info that they are waiting to share at the right moment.

In fact, this has been happening all along... but now with Democratic lead Congressional hearings it will become more damaging and helpful to restoring our Constitution.

[LiberalFighter]

14. Isn't that a crying shame with so many po people?

It sure is contrary to Bushwads demand on control of information.

If they had been smart and honest they would had operated ethically. Then they wouldn't had to worry about a mess like this. I guess they figured they could control the elections enough to maintain control of Congress.

[KittyWampus]

21. when you play dirty pool, eventually you will get dragged out and beaten

[PhilipShore]

3. Good article...

But, whom would the whistleblowers of today go to - in the Bush Administration?

Perhaps, the liberal/ progressive blogs should put up ADS, all over the place seeking "insiders" or "outsiders" (people already fired), whom would speak up.

Years ago, the "news media" at least -- went through the motions to investigate scandals; if the general public no longer has that tool, then what are the alternatives? Bloggers?

[Blackhatjack]

4. The only reliable safe harbor today would be a Democratic Congressman....

I certainly agree that it is unlikely a MSM outlet is trustworthy enough to handle such information.

But there are Democratic congressmen who are investigating, and that would be the logical entry point.

[PhilipShore]

8. Wikipedia has excellent info for whistleblowers

Whistleblower
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whistleblower">Link

A whistleblower is an employee, former employee, or member of an organization, especially a business or government agency, who reports misconduct to people or entities that have the power and presumed willingness to take corrective action. Generally the misconduct is a violation of law, rule, regulation and/or a direct threat to public interest -- fraud, health, safety violations, and corruption are just a few examples. For instance, Jeffrey Wigand is well-known in the United States for exposing the Big Tobacco scandal, revealing that executives of the companies knew that cigarettes were addictive and that they added other carcinogenic ingredients to the cigarettes.

Sibel Edmonds, a former FBI translator naturalized American citizen of Turkish descent who was fired in 2002 by the FBI for attempting to report coverups of security issues, potential espionage, and incompetence. She has been gagged by the State Secrets Privilege in her efforts to go to court on these issues, including a rejection recently by the Supreme Court of the United States to hear her case without comment. She is now founder of the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Security_Whistleblowers_Coalition">National Security Whistleblowers Coalition (NSWBC) that is looking to lobby congress and help other whistleblowers with legal and other forms of assistance.

[loudsue]

23. We've got one: SIBEL EDMONDS!!!

And when congress FINALLY turns to her, and starts bringing the perpetrators UNDER OATH into the investigations, the entire republiCON house of cards is going to fall. Permanently.

:kick::kick::kick:

[Blackhatjack]

25. I do believe that this White House fears Sibel more than any other possible witness...

... because it is likely she can give a clear view of the bigger picture, and their ultimate involvement in all of it.

[peacetalksforall]

5. I recently read that the players in Iran-Contra who are back in

this administration sat down not long ago to analyze their mistake in Iran-Contra (ostensibly to avoid the same mistakes?). I enjoyed and learned from the Watergate comparison - I would like to read how you make a similar comparison. In general, I feel that Congress failed there and joufnalists still dished out journalism then, not public relations, cover, excuses, drama, slant, and propaganda for the Republican Party and PNAC plus CEO's, stockholders, and barons.

[Tigress DEM]

13. Would that be the blood sucking Negroponte?

He was involved in all kinds of bad in Honduras, never got convicted and now where is he? Poised to step in if Alberto Gonzales gets canned.

[NightWatcher]

7. I'm waiting for the moment

from Watergate where a staffer, name forgotten, told the Congress that "he tapes everything in the Oval Office, I mean, uh oops" (paraphrasing)

I cant wait for the lightbulb moment. With all of the email and phone records that exist now, you know that there is a silver bullet somewhere out there. I cant wait for it.

[Blackhatjack]

9. The gun may have already been fired, and the White House just does not know it yet...

... or the circumstances have not yet evolved to the proper time for the insider to step forward.

I believe strongly that the Congressional Committees engaged in investigating corruption leading to this White House are sitting on a lot of information they have not disclosed.

It is really important to ask the White House and Administration officials the key questions, and let them answer untruthfully BEFORE they know you have the goods on them.

What must be driving the WH up the wall is wondering what incriminating information people like Waxman, Leahy, and Conyers already have.

[LiberalFighter]

15. I hope so... I would love to see those scumbags saying shit shit shit

what am I going to do now? Having bowel trouble. Nervous breakdowns. Talking in their sleep. Being wary about what they are saying and then slipping.

[Tigress DEM]

10. What about Downing Street Memo & the email w/Blair?

Isn't that something out there in public knowledge?

The Niger Forgeries the US first looked at and the ones Blair said were good, were the same documents. Bush didn't tell Congress that piece.

The "fixing the facts around policy" I think was how they worded it...is evidence that the pRes got us into a war by lying to Congress about WMD...
TWICE.

The outing of Valerie Plame.. obvious coverup for said wrong doing.


At least in my DIY Impeachment, that's where I'm starting.. Oh & the fact they were bombing Iraq months before they asked for permission. In my mind and in the Iraqi's opinion, acts of war before anyone asked anyone.


Maybe those of us who have saved evidence as it came up on pg 25 of some Newspaper can pull a coherent case together or at least a solid outline that citizens can get behind and put it together for ourselves and show at least 100 of our neighbors this information to spread the solid word.

The media isn't going to get the facts out, maybe it's up to us.

[Blackhatjack]

16. You are correct, there is a lot out there, but to place it at the door of the Oval Office...

... you have to have direct evidence of knowledge and participation.

There are so many underlings that the WH can hang wrongdoing on to create 'plausible deniability' that you need someone close with direct knowledge who can refute the myriad of defenses based on ignorance and diversion.

[Tigress DEM]

19. An email between Blair & Bush was found, though, wasn't there?

The problem is I hear about it on DU, then some other imminent crises happens and has to be dealt with. As a citizen I understand how the dots connect and what are fact that can be brought to bear, but I wasn't hanging on to each piece of documentation to prove the case for impeachment. Just building the resolve on my own opinion.

However, there are people out there who made copies, I'm sure.

[Tigress DEM]

18. We DO have Valerie Plame, Joe Wilson & Siebel Edmonds.

Their cases & testimonies may dig up some info.

Also I watched with great interest CSpan's hearing on the FCC Oversite committee's lack of oversite. You could say by their silence they let *ush get our phone records and violate our civil liberties.

Course there is the investigation into the FBIs direct participation as well.

When some lower level heads start rolling, someone will dig up the info needed to see that the top guys who really are responsible go down as well.

[ArmchairMeme]

24. NSWBC - Hurray!

This is a great start. Providing a coalition for whistleblowers. We now know that the m$m is not the avenue it once was for what is now being uncovered. Perhaps a democratic congressperson but.....

[kath]

26. It's your last sentence that really gives me the creeps...

:scared: :scared:

[Babel_17]

27. "speaking on the condition of anonymity"

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=2773126&mesg_id=2773126

"The reference to Fitzgerald is in a portion of the memo that Justice has refused to turn over to Congress, officials told The Washington Post, speaking on the condition of anonymity because Fitzgerald's ranking has not been made public."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/19/AR2007031902036.html