Guess WHY Ari was eager to hit Fitz up for immunity

[Rose Siding]

Slate's live blogger relates this nugget, occurring after Libby's lawyers insist that the jury be made aware of Fleischer's deal with the prosecution-

And here Fitzgerald makes a nice little chess move: Fine, he says, we can acknowledge that Fleischer sought immunity. As long as we explain why. Turns out Fleischer saw a story in the Washington Post suggesting that anyone who revealed Valerie Plame's identity might be subject to the death penalty. And he freaked. Of course, if Fleischer was this worked up about it during the time period in question, that suggests Libby would have been, too. (Which again undermines the notion that Libby had much bigger fish to fry.)

http://www.slate.com/id/2158157/entry/2158330/

The public face of the White House was so freaked about being EXECUTED that he sought immunity? That's pretty freaking HUGH!!!!1!, if you ask me.

The blogger's parenthetical observation is also fascinating. If the comparatively lowly press sec was thinking that way, how much more might veep's CoS be, not only aware of, but (contrary to Libby's chief line of "gosh I was too busy to care" defense) consumed by the whole situation?

[Beetwasher]

1. Why Isn't There A Front Page Screaming Headline

To the effect of: "Plame Leaker Subject to Death Penalty"?

Damn liberal media.

[Rose Siding]

5. Well, the Post did write about it. At that point it would have just

been analysis. Then, the penalty sort of became moot once bush made a big to-do about how he'd declassified some of the information -in a very unusual way as I recall. That could ALSO have been in reaction to the real penalties for the crimes.

[EVDebs]

2. Ari isn't alone

Chalabi 'boasted of Iranian spy link'
Iraqi accused by CIA made claim in 1997, says former inspector

Julian Borger in Washington
Wednesday May 26, 2004
The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1224717,00.html

and this quote by Pat Lang:

""Patrick Lang, former head of the CIA's Middle East desk, told Newsday that the U.S.-funded INC "intelligence collection" program had essentially functioned as an Iranian spy network:

"'They knew exactly what we were up to,' he said. Lang described it as 'one of the most sophisticated and successful intelligence operations in history...I'm a spook. I appreciate good work. This was good work.'" ""-- from

The Interrogation of George W. Bush
The Plame Affair, Chalabi's lies, and the Niger uranium forgeries: connecting the dots
http://www.antiwar.com/justin/?articleid=2876

shows us that many in the Pentagon and the WhiteHouse face treason charges. To make matters worse for the WH, just start digging into a company called Ptech (now known as GoAgile) and 9-11's wargames, the FAA and AirForce software infrastructure.

[aquart]

4. So we rewarded Chalabi the Iranian spy?

And now we want to invade Iran...but Iran knows all about our Air Force SOFTWARE???????????????????

Which is used to .... what? Write letters? CONTROL BOMBERS?

Well, what a fun invasion that will be.

[EVDebs]

12. Related DU posting about that FAA, Air Force software...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3221#3234

Saudi AND Iranian intell ? You scratch mine, I'll scratch yours ?

[kineneb]

7. ahh, lesson time for upstart empires

Never, Never, assume that countries that have had continuous governments for 2,500+ years are simple, backward people. They had sophisticated spy agencies while people in Europe were still stealing cattle and whacking each other with iron swords.

:evilgrin:

Persians not dumb.

[aquart]

3. What a pretty little nugget.

I'd like to find it a setting and wear it as jewelry.

Is it POSSIBLE that BushCo did NOT have a meeting where they discussed the possible outcome of having committed treason?

Bush flat out lied to the country about the Plame investigation. Was he in the habit of lying without knowing exactly why he had to?

"George, Ari wants to quit and find a lawyer because he's worried about being executed."

"Did you tell him it's cool, I can pardon everybody?"

"He seems not to trust you anymore, George."

"Dump him. Does he travel in small planes?"

[Old and In the Way]

6. GHW Bush says that outing a CIA is the most treasonous act one can commit.

Now that was probably said to cover his own tracks, but I wonder what he has to say about outing an entire CIA network devoted to tracking WMD in the Middle East? If that's not treason, I don't know what it.

[tanyev]

8. Ari should have watched what he said and watched what he did.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

9. Oh NO YOU DIDN'T! Snap

[PDittie]

10. .

[Patsy Stone]

11. The article said the Judge was fed up at the end

Did I miss the part where the Judge decided what would and would not be admissible? IOW, was there a final decision?