Love how you trust Novak content when convenient, and call him a liar in the same breath

Novak’s column ties into a comment Sara made over the weekend, recalling the GOP’s main concern (and what tipped them) about Nixon was â€can he govern?â€

With more and more Republicans recognizing the fundamental incompetence of the Bush â€Administration,†this is going to be the point that tips them against Bush.

Remember that Karl Rove’s strong suit was supposed to be winning elections, but he booted the last one. And dirty tricks are coming back to haunt candidates. More than one GOP House candidate didn’t want the ads that the RNCC foisted on them. If they come to believe that Bush/Rove are not only incompetent but can’t help them win (and may even hurt), it is going to be a long 22 months for Bush.

And I am one of those who thinks that Pelosi took impeachment off the table so as not to allow the GOP to characterize everything as partisan vindictiveness, but also to say to Bush that if things went forward cooperatively form here, the past would be more or less overlooked. But if things got worse, all bets were off. Well, it has not been three full months yet, and already things look much, much worse. I wouldn’t think it is off the table forever if Bush keeps on his present course.

windansea

It’s a little concept you may have heard of: evidence.

You see, all the evidence in the case suggests strongly that Novak lied his ass off in any statement post October 1 2003 on the CIA Leak. At some point, that evidence adds up enough where inteligence people can only conclude that Novak is lying.

The pardon question? Again, evidence. THe thus far strong evidence suggesting Bush is in favor of a pardon.

So why trust the â€don’t trust the President†point? Well, first of all, because any sane Republican wouldn’t–he failed to get them re-elected in November, and right now Republican party identification is hemmoraging. Then there are a number of peopel who are, publicly, calling for GOnzales’ ouster. That’s new. While not evidence in and of itself, one logical explanation for it is that they don’t trust their president. And then there’s the weight of history. When a president starts leaking scandals like this, it’s generally a good idea to create some distance (unless the scandal is a consensual blow job with another adult).

You see, when one applies logic, one can deal with Novak. Otherwise, one is swimming helplessly in his murky waste products.

John B

No. Because, first of all, OVP really was the architect of this smear. Yes, Rove was a willing participant. But he was not the guy who dug out the info on Plame’s covert status, nor was he the guy who did a month’s worth of research before the smear.

So while Libby could take down Cheney, in a second, he can’t take down Rove. And if they got in a pissing match and Rove wanted to be completely forthcoming (a big if, I know), Rove might be able to bring down Cheney, too.

Interesting insights. I’d love to see Libby turn around and get back at his masters who sent him to the slaughter but I doubt it will happen. The prosecutor’s case doesn’t seem strong enough and the pardon seems like it will go through. Is there any other way to pressure Libby into talking?

Man, to really be able to see under he belly. We get some of it, but there must be some deep muck of malfunctioning personalities under that. If I were Libby, I’d be singing like a canary right now. I’d be scared. Especially if there is a bit of tension between Dick and GW. One thing GW is is hard headed, if he gets pissy and doens’t want to pardon, he won’t. This thing hasn’t played out yet, Libby may hold out as long as there is a possibility of appeal. But I think that’s a fool’s journey for him – because if I were him I’d worry about turning up dead. Sorry I’m going on with wild speculation here. I’m just trying to think my way through his situation. Now – If Cheney knew no pardon would come, that puts Libby in a VERY DANGEROUS place. You have to know Libby is evaluating this each step of the way, evaluating his risk. My gut feeling is that Cheney is, and always has been running GW, I don’t believe these â€no pardon†comments. However, if that’s not entirely the case, Libby needs to think very very hard about his future in… breathing. Cheney ain’t gonna let Libby put him in jail. This story may have a big twist left in it yet.

So, uh, what about all those emails in the RNC mail server (Trespassers W, indeed — how dare they crib from Winnie the Pooh?). Interesting twist of fate that Rover’s almost universal use of RNC email for official WH business is now known.

Doesn’t this also create a possibility of new evidence — and with that revealed, does it change Scooter’s role as firewall, put the likelihood of a pardon further away and give him more reason to start thinking about cooperating?

God bless Henry Waxman, Pat Leahy, John Conyers, and Barbara Boxer — and every other committee chair who is proving that â€elections matter.†And grateful thanks to all those folks in Justice and GSA who have had enough and are making sure those committees have the facts they need.

Nobody conspiracizes as entertainingly as emptywheel!

In any event, where did Milbank back off of his account of what Libby’s wife said about expletiving somebody?

well, all that is very interesting…
I wonder if anything will turn up pre 911 knowledge…

Well, I for one favor getting Conyers to move on impeachment of Gonzales, soon after the Easter/Passover recess. Even if Gonzales were to resign, he could still be impeached, and unlike the normal committee hearings, Executive Privilege carries much less weight in an impeachment investigation; i.e., Conyers could get to Rove easily.

To get there, our Democratic Congresscritters need to get ginned up to begin dropping impeachment resolutions into the House Hopper, in much the same way that a hundred or so were dropped after the Saturday Night Massacre. The â€Why†can be easily framed — â€We don’t want a liar running the Justice Department.†And now that we have a Fifth Amendment Bushie on leave from her job as DOJ-WH liason, Conyers could force testimony by offering some very limited testimonial immunity, which might just result in more facts on the table.

I don’t want to see any effort to impeach Bush — but Gonzales is a different matter. I think it is getting more clear cut day by day that the AG — the Chief Law Enforcement Officer, is a liar. I think that is an excellent clean matter on which to have some House and Senate voting.

Libby is pretty much fucked. His value to Fitz is virtually nil in the absence of any supporting evidence. He is, after all, a convicted perjurer. His word against Cheney’s (or Rove’s) isn’t enough for an indictment, not to mention a conviction. And I tend to believe Novak on the â€No pardon†rumor. Even a half-wit like Bush can see the irony in pardoning Marc Rich’s lawyer. Don’t get me wrong, I think he was PROMISED a pardon, probably by Cheney, but I think there’s a very good chance that Cheney never cleared it with the Decider.

I think he was PROMISED a pardon, probably by Cheney, but I think there’s a very good chance that Cheney never cleared it with the Decider.

That’s my hunch, too.

The really interesting thing about this is how narrow the timing could come out for Libby. If an appeal takes a while, you could end up in a situation where Bush’s term is coming to an end, yet Libby’s fate is undecided. Now that’s entertainment! I wonder if some cash and prizes instead of the pardon would satisfy Libby in the case of a short stint.

There are few cases on pardons. What’s there says that a pardon requires acceptance, which is an admission of guilt. A pardon removes liability for the crime(s). So instead of being a convicted felon, Libby could become a hairdresser or barber, or keep his license to practice law and his right to vote.

Lots of folks think the acceptance-admission argument was unsound. They argue that a pardon is free-standing, the Constitution places no limits on the president’s authority to issue one, that it takes affect when issued, does not require acceptance, and is not an admission of guilt.

If facing three years in a cell with Bubba, Libby won’t hesitate. He or Addington will write a signing statement, anyway, telling us exactly what they tell the President he thinks it means.