Awfully Nervewracking for the Fish
So far today...no news is no news on indictments. But the fish are getting jumpy, here on the internets, in the media and, I'm sure, awaiting a call from their attorney as to whether or not a target letter or some other notification has been received.
While we wait, a bit of other news, because the rest of the world isn't sitting back and holding its breath along with the rest of us.
Dan Froomkin's always excellent White House Briefing contains some great links and a round-up of the set-up stories that have hit the wires the last couple of days. One thing that Froomkin included was aome analysis on how cost-effective Fitzgerald's investigation has been compared to prior special counsel's. Very interesting stuff -- and more fodder for the Fitz is a responsible grown-up argument as opposed to the partisan hack crap that was floated over the weekend.
According to Reuters, the Preznit called the Fitzgerald investigation a "very serious matter," with Rove and Libby sitting right there in the cabinet room with him while he said it. That must have been a little awkward for everyone. Ahem.
Maybe he should let Kay Bailey Hypocrite know he thinks that lying to a federal investigator is serious? Sure wish these people would pick a page and stay on it, instead of trying to let the President play good cop to the moronic Senator's bad cop in the media. And I sure wish the MSM would start calling all of them on this, because it's incredibly dishonest. (And on that note, as I was typing this, Chris Matthews from MSNBC just called her on the carpet for her statements past and present. Thank goodness someone has found a spine, whether its ratings induced or not.)
One amusing quote from the Reuters article:
Lawyers said one possibility was a "split decision" in which Libby is indicted and Rove is spared.Hmmmmm....shouldn't Luskin stop before he gilds the lilly (or Libby) right into fingering his client?
An amusing piece of mail seems to have been recieved by the Witlist.
On other fronts, looks like Sen. Bill Frist is a big liar. At least, according to the WaPo -- he's been telling everyone that he had a completely "blind" trust with his stocks, and it turns out that he's been getting regular stock updates. Oooops! Guess the SEC will be expanding its look-see. There goes that 2008 rubber chicken circuit plan.
Condaleeza Rice may be picking up that 2008 plan from Frist. Don't really buy her comparison of Iraqi democracy attempts being analogous to the civil rights movement here in the US, but hey! Those sure were purty shoes she was wearing with those cute little school girls, weren't they? WHo cares if her portfolio is nowhere near domestic policy. Or that she was using Britain's Foreign Minister as a prop.
Or that she hadn't been back to her hometown since she was in the sixth grade, and was using all of these folks as photo props. Her staff even brought along an American flag to use as a backdrape for pictures and film shots just in case things weren't photogenic enough. Nope. Not a planned photo op at all. I mean, it's a whole week filled with hypocrisy already for the GOP, what's a little more?
And then there was this:
The FBI has conducted clandestine surveillance on some U.S. residents for as long as 18 months at a time without proper paperwork or oversight, according to previously classified documents to be released today.Well, that's a bit chilling, isn't it? Having been a prosecutor, and a criminal defense attorney at different points in my legal career, I have a broad understanding of the need for surveillance in a lot of cases. And for the need for proper procedures being followed to prevent abusing that power.
This article is a fascinating, and frightening, glimpse into how things have expanded under the Patriot Act. It's a must read. And a good argument for why oversight in Congress is a necessary function, as well as having competent and dedicated people in oversight executive branch jobs as opposed to political cronies.
UPDATE: Don't know how I missed this in my review. There was a substantial attack in the heart of Baghdad today on a hotel used by a large number of foreign journalists, and calculated as a strike that would be filmed for news reports around the globe. At least 16 casualties being reported at this point. Further casualties of US military personnel as well, bring the number to 1998 as of the last hour.
Thoughts go out to folks in the path of Hurricane Wilma, or folks with friends and family dealing with its aftermath.
CNN broadcasting a bit on the Traitorgate investigation. No news, other than reporting on both sides of spin management while we wait for a yay or nay on indictments. Will update as I hear more. (And, unfortunately, no toddler and dachshund yogurt photo. Was trying to minimize the mess and didn't even think about grabbing the camera. Wish I had now, because it was hilarious -- had to run off the phone with Jane.)
UPDATE #2: Raw Story is reporting that David Wurmser was Libby and Rove's source on Plame Wilson's CIA connection. Wonder who Wurmser's source was? Isn't it funny how all these people hang out with Dick Cheney? Hmmmmm...it just gets curiouser and curiouser. If Fitzmas doesn't come soon, I may explode.
UPDATE #3: Arianna is on fire today. This is a must read column, if I ever saw one. My only quibble, there is nothing wrong with STNG. Ahem.
posted by ReddHedd @ 10/24/2005 12:16:00 PM
<< Home