Can someone make me feel better about all this please?

[garybeck]

Everyone seems to be spinning it all one way or the other. I'm trying to focus on what Fitzgerald said, and it sure seemed like he was giving the impression that this whole thing is going to be over soon. The "sand in the baseball umpire's eyes" analogy made me think that he just feels he can't prove anything one way or another. Is there any other way to read the umpire analogy?

I didn't get the impression that he's continuing the investigation, following new leads, going after the Niger doc forgeries.

Maybe I just didn't have enough coffee today. Can someone make me feel better about this? Tell me it was all a smokescreen and he is about to issue a bunch more indictments. !? Tell me there's a new GJ opening to continue the investigation (i've heard differing reports on this).

And what the heck happened with Rove? two days ago he was about to go down and so was Cheney. now he's showing up in public and smiling.

[dweller]

1. take a break, tune in to Big Eddie Schultz

he's rockin and ranting right now.

dp

edit: he's live in Columbus OH, had Paul Hackett on earlier.

[NervousRex]

2. I hear you....

I got the impression that Libby's lies successfully effed up the leak investigation, so Fitzgerald is throwing the book at him. I hope this is not the case, but that baseball analogy sounded like that's what he was trying to say....time will tell.

[KoKo]

4. That's what I got, also. Sounds like we won't know until Libby is found

guilty or innocent. If he's found guilty then we still might not know.
:shrug:

[mod mom]

11. I fear the p word. the saddest thing is the repukes just don't get it.

They are willing to expose life long dedicated cia agents to protect their PNAC agenda. He can throw the book at him, but without a fair court and the chance of pardons, I fear treasonous business as usual.

It appeared that MSM saw the light, but now seeing that the damage is not as bad as hyped, they appear to climb back in bed with the TREASONOUS THUGS.

[goodhue]

3. I agree with your impression

I think Rove is off the hook.

[BikeWriter]

13. IMO, we have two choices...

1. We can be upbeat about this, take the victory we got, and hope for more.
2. We can be defeatists, say Rove is off the hook, and some pressure is immediately off our enemies.
I choose the first.

[goodhue]

15. I'm not being defeatist. I'm pretty pleased with Libby indictment.

I never expected such idiotic bold-faced lying to the grand jury! So I'm feeling pretty upbeat about it really. Certainly, I hope Rove is indicted. I also hope the US military pulls out of Iraq ASAP. But hope doesn't preclude realism about likelihood.

[BikeWriter]

22. The thing I'm most realistic about is...

we have to defeat * and soon if America is to survive as anything but a third world country.

[LittleClarkie]

5. Look at the words you're using

"seemed like he was giving the impression"

No concrete words.

You are interpreting what YOU think is going on. Try to open your mind to other possibilities, and also realize that we will know more as we go along.

Fitz is one closed-mouth son of a bitch. Give it more of a wait and see.

[Kralizec]

6. The sand analogy was in reference to what

Libby did. He threw sand in the Umps (Fitz) face, when Fitz was trying to figure out the right call. In other words, the Ump has cleared his eyes, charges the player with throwing sand in his face, and will now continue to figure out why the hell the pitcher hit the batter in the head.

[johnnie]

10. That's what I got out of it. n/t

[Lannes]

7. A recap of what Ive posted earlier

Hope it helps.It was reported that Fitz was investigating the Italian Embassy/Niger forgery connection and its relation to the White House.

He made a point of saying that if he discovers a possible crime its his duty to prosecute regardless of whether it has anything to do with the original charge which is what happened with the indictments handed out today.

Maybe he has found something bigger and needs more time to check it out.

Its was also reported that he just leased a larger office across the street from where he is now.If things were wrapping up why does he need the extra room? I dont know if it will lead to anything but it shows that there is still a chance that it could go higher.

edited for clarity

[garybeck]

9. the story about the office lease has been dubunked

that's my worry. if we take him on his word alone, he is wrapping up the investigation and he's almost done. He did not say anything about "needing more time" to investigate more leads. At least I didn't hear him say anthing like that. Maybe I missed something. People keep saying here that he said he "needs more time." I didn't hear that at all. I think a lot of the rumors and leaks we've been reading over the last 2 weeks have turned out to be false, from the office lease to the 22 indictments. To me he really seemed like a man who was finishing up a 2-year investigation, and glad to be almost done.

one other thing that was bothersome - he said specifically that Libby's indictment is a good message to the world - that here in the US people are accountable to the law and we do have justice. To me, the Libby indictment alone is anything but that. The real criminals are still walking. If this is all that happens the message to the world is that we have some thugs running our country and there's nothing we can do about it.

sorry if I'm being negative. I hope I'm wrong. I hope he's got a dozen more indictments coming. But he really seems like a straight shooter and he was giving the message to all of us that there's going to be a trial for Libby's indictment, but not much more than that.

[gkhouston]

8. the "sand in the eyes" analogy is used to justify the obstruction

charges and also to explain why no one has (yet) been charged under the Espionage Act or the IIPA. The "sand" has made intent difficult to discern. I did not get the impression that things are over. He would like for things to be over soon, but he made noise on more than one occasion that made it sound like he's still going to need to have a grand jury handy "just in case". You don't need that if all you're doing is finishing some paperwork.

As for Rove, I don't gauge his situation by his actions or his lawyer's words/actions. It's all for show. Ditto Cheney. They're still in deep shit, or somebody is. If not, Fitzgerald could have definitely said he was folding up his tent today and he did not say that. Today was a somewhat arbitrary deadline, dictated by how long he could hold the current grand jury, so I think Fitzgerald went for the most rock-solid indictments he had and intends to leverage off of those. I think he may have intended to indict Rove today as well, but has not. There must have been some last-minute plea deal-making and Rove is going to testify against others in the White House.

I won't believe it's over until Fitzgerald says he's completely done and he didn't say that today.

[meganmonkey]

12. YES!!! From the transcript:

QUESTION: What can you say about what you're still working on then?


FITZGERALD: I can't. I don't mean that fliply, but the grand jury doesn't give an announcement about what they're doing, what they're looking at, unless they charge an indictment.FITZGERALD: I can tell you that no one wants this thing to be over as quickly as I do, as quickly as Mr. Eckenrode does. I'd like to wake up in my bed in Chicago, he'd like to wake up in his bed in Philadelphia, and we recognize that we want to get this thing done.


I will not end the investigation until I can look anyone in the eye and tell them that we have carried out our responsibility sufficiently to be sure that we've done what we could to make intelligent decisions about when to end the investigation. We hope to do that as soon as possible. I just hope that people will take a deep breath and just allow us to continue to do what we have to do.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I lean toward optimism. That last sentence says something, and we know this guy doesn't give up info. He is not saying one way or another, he is leaving all doors open. That's how I read it anyway. I guess we won't know for a while (yikes!!).

I just hope that people will take a deep breath and just allow us to continue to do what we have to do.

[garybeck]

14. funny how two people can read the same thing and

have completely different impressions of the intent. I read that over and over and it really seems to me that he's wrapping it up.

[meganmonkey]

16. He clearly says it isn't done and he won't stop until it is

and he is one persistent dude. In one of his previous cases which grew in scope and indictments over time, he eventually got a former governor indicted:

"The investigation, dubbed Operation Safe Road, initially focused on bribes exchanged for licenses for unqualified truck drivers when Ryan was secretary of state. It expanded into a broader investigation of political corruption that snared several of his top aides and associates.

Ryan became the 66th person charged in the investigation; 59 people and his campaign committee have been convicted so far. "

http://www.nbc5.com/news/2710256/detail.html

He doesn't seem to give up easily. But really, only time will tell...

[mzmolly]

17. That remark was ONLY in relation to motive ie. outing a CIA agent

deliberately. He didn't have the evidence to charge on that ONE issue.

Chill

[charlyvi]

18. Less than one year ago.....

Shrub was re-elected and claiming a mandate. He was on the verge of screwing Social Security, at least half the nation felt he was an honest, moral, upright true Christian who would bring "integrity" back to the WH.

Today, his numbers are circling the bowl. His mandate is over (although we always knew how fictional that "mandate" crap really was); he can't even get his hand picked SC nominee in committee, let alone voted on. The chief of staff of his VP has been indicted; the war is groaning on and on--and people are in rebellion against it. His christofascists are showing their hand publically. Heating oil this winter will probably be exhorbitant costwise and his Senate just vetoed a help bill for the elderly and poor. People are definitely realizing this so called conservative movement is nothing but greed, selfishness and corporate welfare.

All of this in just 11 months. How could you not feel better?

on edit: and I've probably left out a shitload of other ways his administration is failing.

[BikeWriter]

23. A great post! The bastid's have screwed themselves. ;-)

[European Socialist]

19. I feel the same way. Better than nothing, But won't bring Bush/Cheney down

[CatWoman]

20. Are you Hans Moleman?

[Marr]

21. Here's how I interpret Fitzgerald's comments:

Some of the additional charges that deal directly with the leaking of classified information speak to the motivations of the person who passed on the information, and what that person knew at the time the information was imparted. Those aspects would be very difficult to prove legally, however suspicious the situation seems.

What *is* provable is that Libby 'threw sand in the umpire's eyes', or tried to misdirect the investigation, and so he faces some very real legal consequences.

That's how I interpret Fitzgerald's comments. Now, Libby may offer up more information in an attempt to lighten his legal burden, and he may not. I suspect he won't, since the trial won't get underway for months, and will last for some time- even without any amazing stalling on the part of Libby's lawyer.

It's reasonable to think that Bush will simply pardon him on his way out of the WH. His own father did something similar for Reagan's criminals without even suffering much public criticism- and unlike the old man, Jr. will be leaving politics for good anyway.