So. We have indictments against Libby. That, in and of itself, politically speaking, is a good thing for us, because it means that there may be a trial, and a chance to drag more dirty laundry out into the open.
Also, there is the uncertain status of Karl Rove, and the fact that there may be further developments in this case. Also a good thing.
However, we DO want one thing that we may not EVER get: a narrative.
From the comprehensiveness of the indictments, and from his confident manner at the press conferences, I have the sense that somewhere, there is a mountain of evidence, of dialogs and testimony, of diagrams and a cast of characters. I think that Fitzgerald carries, behind those blue eyes, an "official version" of DU's own Plame Indictment threads. This version is closer to the truth than we could ever be, because Fitz, with the power of the law, has gotten original documents and spoken to witnesses. In short, he's got the narrative.
Is he going to give it to us?
Maybe not. Maybe he can't. If there is a trial, it might not be in open court. There might not BE a trial. Scooter may cop a plea.
So where does that leave us?
Well, let's think about what's IN the story. When it all boils down to the essentials, there are two ways this could be told:
#1 The administration cherrypicked the evidence to lead the country to war with Iraq.
#2 The administration cherrypicked the evidence, lied, fabricated, and otherwise committed crimes to lead the country to war with Iraq.
Now, #1, although it is no way to run a railroad, let alone a country, is, technically speaking, not a crime. #2, by definition, is.
The interesting thing about the whole indictment of Scooter Libby is that I think it will have the effect of getting the idea of #1 even further out into the mainstream of the country's political thought. The poll numbers show us that the majority of the country is already heading in this direction. I believe that "The administration cherrypicked the evidence and misled us into war" could soon be a truism among the non-politically aware, the man on the street, Joe Barcalounger. The kind of person who doesn't have the time and/or the inclination to think deeply about politics, but who cares enough to become sort of informed (reads an article or two) and go vote when elections roll around.
But -- and here's where the action comes in -- I think we need to be pushing this idea in as many areas as we can over the coming months. Letters to the editor, conversations with friends, calls to radio stations and talk shows, freewayblogging, etc. Tell everyone: "This Administration misled us into a war. Look at Scooter Libby. What is he on trial for?"
So. ACTION POINT #1--> Let's all start working the media about this! This is something DU is good at. You know what to do!
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Now, let's return to the idea of "the narrative." C'mon, you know you all want to know. This is better than a spy novel. Who forged the Italian memo? What other false intelligence did we rely on? Who was involved? Was there a criminal conspiracy at the highest level of government? We would all like to see the Augean stables cleansed, to see every crime, every ugliness, every unpleasant thing, dragged out into the sunlight and lie glistening on the ground, muddy and squishy and stinking to high heaven. We would like to read the book, starting with page 1. There would be a list of people, a flow chart or two, some action scenes, and it would finish with a satisfying, poetic comeuppance and a nice thick set of footnotes at the back. An OFFICIAL narrative, one with weight and formality, something we can point to and say: "There! The Truth, with a capital T."
BUT. let's be realistic. Even though Fitz might LIKE to give us such a thing, right now he can't, and he may NEVER be able to. He said, at least this is what I heard, is that we have to look to Congress to give us a real investigation of the war. Quote from the Press Conference:
FITZGERALD: This indictment is not about the war. This indictment's not about the propriety of the war. And people who believe fervently in the war effort, people who oppose it, people who have mixed feelings about it should not look to this indictment for any resolution of how they feel or any vindication of how they feel.
This is simply an indictment that says, in a national security investigation about the compromise of a CIA officer's identity that may have taken place in the context of a very heated debate over the war, whether some person -- a person, Mr. Libby -- lied or not.
The indictment will not seek to prove that the war was justified or unjustified. This is stripped of that debate, and this is focused on a narrow transaction.
And I think anyone who's concerned about the war and has feelings for or against shouldn't look to this criminal process for any answers or resolution of that.
Now. If we want the entire narrative, if we want the Augean stables cleaned, we will have to have a congressional investigation. Are we going to get one with the Republicans in power? Well, we can certainly pressure them to do so, and I will get behind any campaign to do so. But realistically speaking, probably not. So this leads me to my second conclusion. We MUST retake control of Congress in 2006. This will be the stepping stone that will lead us to the downfall of the whole wretched cabal.
So. ACTION POINT #2--> Retake Congress!
Before I end this I want to address every political junkie here on DU. If you are reading this, I mean YOU, personally. I hope that you will take both of these action points to heart. Coming here to DU and discussing the events of the day is NOT ENOUGH for us to retake our Democracy out of the hands of these thieves. I am asking each and every one of you to do MORE than you usually do. Many of us write Letters to the Editor, email our representatives, and call people. That's wonderful, but it's not enough. We are coming up on 2006, and we will have 11 months to lay the groundwork for a successful victory in November of that year.
You need to find out who your Precinct Chair is, and ask that person if they need any help organizing your precinct. You need to get involved in a local Democratic club and meet activists in your area. You need to go to your Homeowner's Association Meetings, your PTA meetings, and network with people around you and MAKE THEM INTO DEMOCRATS! You need to contribute to your LOCAL Democratic party and help them help the candidates. They are recruiting candidates NOW. Can you run? Do you know someone you can encourage to run? Can you work on a campaign? Look at local offices too. We need to get good Dems in, up and down the ticket.
Many of you did this in 2004. Thank you. Now it's time to do it again. And if you didn't? Now is the time to begin, learn and enjoy!
Roll out. The train is leaving the station. And it's going to flatten those Bush bastards.
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