The Great WHIG-Out

[ignatzmouse]

Imagine if you will that we had a sitting Democratic president whose staff had served up a covert CIA agent to the world's bad-asses in political payback for her husband's contradiction of official lies.

What would the Right Wing be saying today? What would the politicians, the pundits, and the planted press be saying today?

The screaming dried-up shell of Ann Coulter would need an emergency spittle transfusion. Rush Limbaugh would be so disc-slipping hippity-hopping mad that supplies of Oxycontin would have to be air-lifted in by a suddenly responsive FEMA. Sean Hannity would be so indignant that he would rip out and force Colmes' to eat his own still-beating heart on the air just to provide some solace to average Joe's of America who work hard, go to church on Sunday, live right, and expect their government to do the same. Pat Robertson would be seeing stigmata bleeding in the American flag. The Rove Machine would be churning in engine-smoking hyper-drive to whip up a legion of fund-raising treason barkers. Dick Cheney would be on the Sunday press shows snarling his disgust and calling for swift accountability. Nothing would stop a lynch-mob of Republican led Congressional hearings from extracting the truth for the American people, nor prevent the mob from impeaching the president.

But instead, all that we are hearing from Republicans are rationalizations, invectives against an overreaching prosecutor, outraged and unchecked lies blaming Joe Wilson for telling the truth, feigning fits of sadness for the selfless civil servant Scooter Libby, complaints of the case being noise interfering with the focus of the other corrupt items on their agenda, and charges against Democrats' opportunism over mere legal technicalities without an underlying crime.

The facts of the case are established in the chain of events in the indictments. I'm not going to repeat them. There is something else to address here that is just as vile as the great WHIG-out. It is not just crime and cover-up, it is the Republican response itself, from boss to base.

It is becoming abundantly clear from reading the editorials, from listening to the pundit pulpits, from scouring the blog hogs, and from eavesdropping on the call-in shows, that Republicans are incapable -- let me put that in all cap's -- Republicans are INCAPABLE of putting the country ahead of their party, their agenda, their ideology. For some, the contents of their ideology is theocracy. For others, it is economic hierarchy. For the Neo-Cons, it is a belief in the necessity of strategic dominance and power structures. Whatever mix of the ideological trilogy to which a Republican subscribes, that ideology seems to be blameless and shameless and right at all costs. It is served ahead of liberty, Constitution, and country. No crime or corruption can touch it. No betrayal of public trust, no betrayal of America's security, no betrayal of citizens in service to the country has any merit against it. Ideology contains a belief in infallibility. The marginalization and rationalization of treason by smiling spinners meets that definition.

From Tom Delay to Pat Robertson to Bill Kristol to Karl Rove to Scooter Libby, these guys are full of silly grins. They're painted on like the child who thinks he's getting away with something. But every now and then their parent sees that not-quite-right grin, catches on that their child is up to something, stops them, and disciplines them.

We know who you are. We know what you're doing. We know what you did. You're not getting away with anything. Wipe that silly grin off your face. You've been busted.

[kikiek]

1. The nail is hit on the head. That is the bottom line. That is why we

are in a free fall.

[damntexdem]

2. You're right, but you could have stopped earlier, with:

"Republicans are INCAPABLE"!

[NanceGreggs]

3. You are SO RIGHT!!!

However, as you rattled off all of the things the Repugs would be doing were the shoe on the other foot, all I kept thinking was: Where are the DEMOCRATS who should be doing these things!!!!

I have always had this advice for our current elected Dems -- I wish they'd take it:

Think of what the Republicans would be doing right now if the country was in the same state under a Democrat.

Have you got a picture of what they would fo firmly set out in your mind?

Good. Now go OUT AND DO IT!

[sallyseven]

4. Democrats don't do those kinds of thing

we have morals and scruples. Republicans have neither. They are mean spirited, lying, thieves with out a conscious. bush is the leader of them all. He is not as the pundits want to say a victim of the bad guys.

[NanceGreggs]

8. Agreed, we DON'T DO STUFF LIKE THAT ...

But the gloves should have been off years ago, when this admin started. But don't bring a knife to a gun fight and expect to win. Sometimes you have to get as down and dirty as your opponent.

I'm not talking about the spinning and fact-twisting that Repugs are famous for. I'm talking about Dems pointing the finger -- publicly, loudly, and EVERY DAY -- at this Admin and what it's doing to the country.

People, unfortunately, have short attention spans. By the time the next election comes around, it's too late for Dems to say to voters, "Oh, yeah, and remember way back, years and years ago, when this administration did such-and-such."

You've got to GET on their case and stay there every minute of every day!

[goju]

5. About wet my pants on this

The screaming dried-up shell of Ann Coulter would need an emergency spittle transfusion. Rush Limbaugh would be so disc-slipping hippity-hopping mad that supplies of Oxycontin would have to be air-lifted in by a suddenly responsive FEMA.

After the first sentence, I was expecting a dry analysis. Then you hit me with this???

You owe me a keyboard, and a pair of shorts.

[ignatzmouse]

7. You got it ...

... but I can't guarantee they're leak-proof.

[Octafish]

6. Well said, ignatzmouse.

"Republicans are INCAPABLE of putting the country ahead of their party, their agenda, their ideology. "

These aren't Americans, they're power-hungry hypocritcal theocratic greedheads. Traitors, too.

[leveymg]

9. Octafish, what's your take on Rove not being indicted?

Is there something going on behind the scenes that we haven't been told? If so, here's a shortlist of possibilities for discussion:

1) Rover has already made a deal with Fitz - Karl ratted out the otheers and will be called as Prosecution witness #1 - there are further indictments in the works, and they're now looking to snare the really big fish (Cheney and Dubya). There will be trials and this is Administration will fall.
2) Fitz is still working on Rove, and ran out of time - there may be further indictments. There'll be no pre-trial plea agreement with Libby, and he and some others are going to jail, as did several figures in Watergate. The Republicans will be severely wounded by this.
3) Fitz came to agree with Rove's lawyers: there is legally insufficient evidence to prove Rove was aware that he was breaking the law and that Plame was undercover, so he can't be indicted. There likely won't be further indictments. Libby will be tried and there will be considerable political fall-out, but the damage will be controlled. The Republicans lose seats but retain control of Congress in 2006. The Democrats win a narrow victory in 2008 - divided government, again.
4) Fitz's mandate is exceedingly narrow - determine the source of the leak and identify the leakers, but minimize the prosecution. No further indictments, and a lenient plea sentence after trial. Libby is pardoned before he does much time. The public grows bored of an under-reported trial with a anti-climactic conclusion. The Republicans maintain firm control of both Houses and regain the Presidency with a "moderate" McCain-Rice ticket.
5) This is just another Iran-Contra style cover-up and investigative botch job. There'll be a lenient plea deal that avoids a public trial. Libby will be pardoned. The Bushites are going to counter-attack and go on to consolidate a One-Party dictatorship in America. This is the end of the Republic.

Note that all the above are not mutually exclusive.

[Octafish]

10. I'm hoping 1 + 2.

I'm also hoping Fitz has the goods on these turds and he's working to squeeze the squealers.Fitz couldn't indict because he needed proof beyond a reasonable doubt. Thanks to Novakula and the rest of the unctuous presstitutes involved in this, there's no telling what may've been said to whom.

Regarding your #5 scenario: Fitz, from his associations with other counter-terror investigations, may be tainted.

http://valis.cjb.cc/index.php?name=News&catid=5

However, he doesn't have the profile for BFEE, so I believe the guy's on the up and up. If anything, based on background and reputation for moral rectitude, I bet the guy's a secret JFK Democrat.

A ray of hope: Fitz said he plans to continue investigation of Herr Roverer. That may mean -- I haven't found it in black and white yet -- that he will use a new Grand Jury. That means there will be leads to pursue and more rocks to turn over.

SCENES FROM TWO PRESS CONFERENCES.

Double Trouble

by Ryan Lizza

EXCERPT...

After Fitzgerald leaves, I ask Samborn for a little help decoding the indictment. He agrees to reveal the identities of officials mentioned by specific title but not those left purposely vague. He exits the room and returns with a booklet that he keeps close to his vest. It appears to be a sort of teacher's version of the indictment with all the puzzles solved. Samborn seems to think that giving reporters information is some kind of betrayal of his profession, so he insists that I and other reporters guess the identities. He'll confirm or reject our guesses. We start with Undersecretary of State: "Grossman, right?" We get it on the first try. Next up: Libby's Principal Deputy. I suggest Mark Hannah. Nope. A chaotic back and forth eventually produces the name Eric Edelman. Finally: Assistant to the Vice President for Public Affairs. "Millerwise?" Wrong. "Catherine Martin!" shouts a reporter from the fringes of the scrum. Bingo.

Later, over at the White House, Scott McClellan reveals the first outlines of the Bushies' post-indictment strategy. The first step is to treat Libby like some kind of leper. Libby holds the highest title in the White House, assistant to the president, and was of course one of Bush's--not just Cheney's--most important aides. McClellan is quick to point out that Bush did not exactly wish Libby a fond farewell. "Scooter Libby submitted his letter of resignation earlier today," the spokesman explained. "It was delivered to White House Chief of Staff Andy Card. It was--his resignation was accepted. Andy Card informed the President. He--Scooter Libby left the White House a short time after his resignation." Harriet Miers got to march into the Oval Office Thursday morning and place her withdrawal letter on Bush's desk. Poor Libby had to go through Card.

In case the point was lost, McClellan responded this way to a question about when Libby last spoke to Cheney: "You can direct those questions to the Vice President's Office. The President did not see him today." The White House now wants us to believe that the president's and vice president's staffs are completely separate entities that just happen to share some office space. And McClellan pointedly noted, "White House staffers should not have any contact with Scooter Libby about any aspect of the investigation." Apparently, Libby will not be back for the staff Christmas party. "He has left the White House and I do not expect him to return," said McClellan.

McClellan also gave the first indication of how Fitzgerald's own investigation may actually help Bush and the Republicans prevent the scandal from spinning out of control. Fitzgerald expressed no interest in the origin of the phony documents from Niger, and he hinted ever so slightly that an indictment of Rove is unlikely. If that is the case, the White House may use Fitzgerald's reputation for integrity and thoroughness to halt any further inquiries. When asked about the possibility that the justifications for the war would become part of Libby's trial, McClellan pointed to Fitzgerald's remarks that his investigation has nothing to do with the debate over Iraq. When asked about the possibility of a congressional investigation, McClellan insisted, "I think that those issues have already been addressed." If the special prosecutor's investigation is basically over and Congress remains unwilling to look into the broader matters raised by the case, Fitzgerald may prove to be the White House's best friend.

But then again, maybe we haven't heard everything from Fitzgerald. One intriguing possibility is that he has accepted guilty pleas from other officials but has kept them under seal. I asked Samborn, Fitzgerald's famously close-lipped spokesman if anyone in the case has pleaded guilty. He thought for a second and then told me that there is no "public record" of any guilty pleas. Hmm.

Source:

http://www.tnr.com/doc.mhtml?i=w051024&s=lizza102905

What I hope: Libby and a bunch more will squeal like stuck pigs. Doubt it, but there may be enough of a buzz from his trial to light a fire under America's couch-potato wrinkle arse. If so, perhaps there then will be enough sane people in Congress to stand and demand to know the answers to the central question: Why did Bush lie America into an illegal and unnecessary war?

May Fitz be the best guy to head the investigation. He's show the guts to be able to stomach and confront the Bush stench.

[bloom]

11. That is an interesting illustration

1911, huh.

It makes us look conservative - by comparison.