Bush Appoints His Own Counsel to SC the SAME WEEK He's Implicated in Plame

[Stephanie]

Coincidence? Not being a Coincidence Theorist myself, I don't think so!

Isn't that what this is all about? The FIX is in.


Source to Stephanopoulos: President Bush Directly Involved In Leak Scandal >
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4949886

[nashville_brook]

1. interesting thought

[fooj]

2. Now, let's hope Scalia is good and ready to show Shrub

EXACTLY who is in charge! LOL!!!

Peace.

[BrainRants]

3. Very interesting indeed.

[ThoughtCriminal]

4. I was think about this when Roberts nominated

Bush needs Justices that will back broad definitions of "Executive Privilege" and "National Security" more than he needs an overturn of "Roe v Wade".

[Cats Against Frist]

5. Exactly.

And we can thank the asshats on the right for voting in a more centralized, secretive and unaccountable police/military state!

Thanks, you fucking right-wing authoritarian numb fucks!!! 'Preciate it.

[ComerPerro]

14. Remember back in the 90s, when the right wing

was a bunch of gun-toting, government hating, black-helicopter and space-alien conspiracy theorists?

They hated the government with a passion. Some of them even actively worked against the US government.

Suddenly, they are voting to give the federal government broader scope and more power than it has ever had in the past, and are demanding less accountability.

Amazing, isn't it?

[Stephanie]

6. that's right - and who better than an extreme "loyalist"

A member of his "inner circle" - hell, she's probably involved in the Plame outting herself - at least the cover-up.

[tridim]

7. So if Bush and Cheney are charged with treason

and his SC says "No", then what?

I know what my heart tells me. I'm ready.

[Straight Shooter]

8. Someone needs to argue that she has a potential conflict of interest

Has she advised him on the Plame matter at all? Then off the bench!

Did he tell her not to give him any advice? Same deal. Conflict of interest. As an attorney, she would know that information deliberately not shared is as important a signal as information shared.

SCOTUS is becoming a pathetic joke of an institution. How many ways can bush rig the system.

[Stephanie]

10. BushCO operates exactly like a mafia crime family

They own the judges, they rig the system. We won't get rid of them without international intervention.

[soothsayer]

11. Which country will do the preemptive strike against us, I wonder

[stellanoir]

13. China already has

owning 60% of our treasury bills and probably far more post Katrina. They can pull the plug anytime they want and bingo we're far less than a paper tiger. . .welcome to the Banana Republic of America.

[soothsayer]

19. that, and they're buying up all our mortgages, too. Trace those

little companies that send you better mortgage offers and alot of 'em lead back to China.

[Stephanie]

16. I'm hoping for the Hague

[kestrel91316]

27. Some day maybe some sharp prosecutor like Earle just might

throw RICO at the Bush Crime Family and all their people.

A girl can dream, right??

[proud2BlibKansan]

32. And her conversations with him in her capacity as WH counsel

are NOT privileged.

AWOL?? Let's hope the Dems have some balls during her hearings.

[bunny planet]

9. Yup, my thoughts exactly.

[H2O Man]

12. It's of small concern.

The Supreme Court would only come into play on an appeal. The appeal would not be based upon "guilt versus innocence." Only the procedure. The prosecutors are not going to be making huge errors that would result in the case(s) ever being overturned. More, for the president and vice president, it is unlikely criminal trials would occur -- if it ever came to that -- until after they were impeached. The Supreme Court appointments are very significant in their own right, but not in regard to the Plame case per say.

The only real possibility of their playing a role would be in determining what material a prosecutor may have the right to. However, neither of Bush's appointments are going to change the flavor of the court in that area.

[Stephanie]

18. The Abu Ghraib case could still come before the SC I think

But I feel better knowing that Plame is safe from the rigged SC, thanks!

[H2O Man]

37. Any case she

had involvement in, she would hopefully recuse herself. Rehnquist did in regard to ixon, and I would dare say that Bush will not appoint as criminal or petty a person as Rehnquist.

[yurbud]

15. who is the guy in the tan suit?

[MGKrebs]

21. I think that's Dan Bartlett. Comm. Director.

[juajen]

22. Dan Bartlett?

[bearfan454]

17. The Dems need to zero in on this.

Filibuster if need be.

[MGKrebs]

20. I think I just heard Daniel Schorr all but implicate him too.

On All Things Considered, he said that Rove and Libby were involved, and asked "How high does it go? No one PUBLICLY knows if the President is implicated, but during the Watergate investigation, when the grand jury was told that the President could not be indicted, they named him as an un-indicted co-conspirator."

That is a pretty close quote, and the emphasis on "publicly" is his.

[MGKrebs]

25. Audio link:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4934477

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

23. It's absolutely astonishing to me that Bush would pick someone

from his White House staff inner circle with pending indictments hanging over any number of them. Since Miers probably read each and every document that Bush has read, and since she has been involved in coaching him on what to say and not to say at press conferences about the Plame affair, I find this nomination very disturbing, as I can't see how this woman would not be involved in Plame, at least to the point of knowing who the leaker was.

[MGKrebs]

24. Not just Plame, but Abu Ghraib also.

it seems like a slap in the face of Justice itself. I would think she should recuse herself from any case that reaches the SC in which the DOJ is involved, or anyone in the White House. But if she were going to do that, she wouldn't even have accepted the job to begin with.

[kestrel91316]

28. Well, if Clinton could be forced to testify about a private sex act,

I see no reason why a SC justice (Miers, hypothetically) could not be forced to testify in court about what she advised Bush about Plame while she was WH atty. No atty/client priviledge, right?

[FreedomAngel82]

26. More than likely

So maybe this is why Reid came out in favor so they can try to get answers and papers and whatnot?

[wakemewhenitsover]

29. Wishful thinking.

[journalist3072]

30. First thing I thought after the Miers annoucement!! I'm covering it...

on my blog at http://progressiveminds.bloghi.com

[Stephanie]

38. Good questions!

So what did Harriet Miers know about the outing of Valerie Plame, and when did she know it? When Bush was interviewed for an hour and 10 minutes by federal prosecutors investigating the Plame case, did Miers help him prepare his testimony?

[journalist3072]

42. Thank you! I mean, think about it...

She's White House Counsel, and one of Bushie's closest friends. There is no doubt in my mind she was right in the thick of the Valerie Plame debacle.

[mzmolly]

31. Yeah, that pesky SCOTUS nomination stuff is more important than some

thought unfortunately.

Very interesting connection you've made.

[The Backlash Cometh]

33. He obviously needs friends in high places.

[Nothing Without Hope]

34. Very interesting thought. I was thinking he knew he couldn't get away

with picking Gonzales - but of course he would put his own safety first. From the sound of comments I've read, this woman is a follower, not a leader. I'm betting she'll follow Scalia and Thomas. And she has said she believes Bush is a genius! And extreme, blind Bush-no-matter-what loyalist with no judicial experience.

Bush is putting his own behind first, as usual.

[annabanana]

35. "Coincidence Theory"

heh heh

(Those insane coincidence theory nuts are at it again!)

It just rolls right off the tongue....

[Stephanie]

39. "Coincidence Theorist" was coined by Minstrel Boy

He has an excellent essay on the subject, if I could find it.

[OneGrassRoot]

36. I posted the same thing yesterday.........

I don't know legalese, but it certainly seems like conflict of interest since she's WH counsel and the WH is under investigation.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

40. I am really starting to wonder if the foxes haven't outfoxed themselves

You see the picture that is in the opening post. Appointing Harriet Miers HAS to open them up on all kinds of embarrassing topics. I am wondering if this is like the mistep of the Governor from (I think, I may be wrong) Kentucky who is himself under fire for cronyism run to its most criminal extent who took the pre-emptive step of pardoning his apple-polishing co-horts BEFORE they were charged with anything, not realizing that this would actually COMPEL their tstimony in any future trial of his because they no longer had a fifth amendment umbrella. I am wondering if this is a blunder on that same level.

[mom cat]

41. Bingo...And a lot of "Dems" fell for it."...or perhaps they are just

dancing to the same piper.Roberst is a silver tongued devil who shills for the power elites that are in charge and will use his position to advance their stranglehold on all of us.

[LittleClarkie]

43. Who's the person to Meiers' left (our left, not hers)?

The one who looks like he just smelled a rotten egg.