Another reason I can't get too happy about the Libby conviction, besides the fact he'll be pardoned, is that he truly is the fall guy for Cheney, who skates.
My retrospective, with selected excerpts:
2/9/2006: Cheney Ordered Libby to Blow Plame's Cover:
Betraying the country for political gain is like mass murder for a pack of smokes. Dick Cheney, Lewis Libby and their co-conspirators should be occupying cells near Aldrich Ames'.
Still think so. This isn't like locking up Al Capone for tax evasion as much as like locking up Aldrich Ames for taking bribes.
6/30/2005: Time Magazine Caves
7/23/2004: Frogmarch!
10/11/2003: CIA Leak Scandal Recap:
Bush and his cronies will do anything, including harming the security of the United States, if they thought it would advance their agenda.
10/3/03: Geniuses from Alternate Universes:
She thinks the crime is using Plame's name in public. Is there anyone in the world who blogs about American politics who thinks the crime is using her name? Quite possibly, there are large numbers of stupid, simpleminded people who don't realize that the crime is identifying her as an undercover CIA agent.
No wonder these people vote Republican.
10/2/03: Slander and Stonewall:
Ogged at Unfogged thinks the leaker is "Scooter" Libby and once he's gone, it's over.
Yes and perhaps.
9/30/2003: Glenn Reynolds: Objectively Pro-Treason
Criminal, Wrong and Counterproductive
Wriggly fishes from his table, so juicy sweet!
Step Back, and Keep Your Hands Where I Can See Them
What Will We Find at the End of This Road?
I put $5 each on Rove and Ari taking the fall, and then $5 on Nobody, just to make sure I covered the bases.
Whoops.
9/28/03: Rationalizing as Fast as They Can:
What would motivate a high-ranking official to commit a felony to discredit Wilson and the CIA? The White House believed that Wilson was close to finding information that could bring down the Administration.
I was wrong here, too. I overestimated the moral seriousness of the Bushies. I couldn't believe anyone would commit treason for the trivial reason of silencing a critic.
Given that John Ashcroft is Attorney General and Congress is controlled by people so feckless and partisan that they couldn't tell you the time of day if it might help the other side, it's not a straight shot from this to resignations or indictments.
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2004/01/plame200401
http://www.glocom.org/special_topics/eu_report/20031201_eureport_s64/index.html
'Aznar's resolve seems unshaken by the bloody 24-hour period that has witnessed the killing of seven Spaniards, two American, two Japanese, two South Koreans and a Colombian. However, the Spanish public has been greatly disturbed by recent events. With an election on the horizon, there may soon be some shift in Spanish policy towards Iraq.'
The Madrid bombing happened after this where Joe's operations officer father diplomat worked and Joe grew up.
Plame was confirmed as an operations officer, paramilitarily trained, by Larry C Johnson just before the Iran desk at State(CIA) came out and Jim Marcowki(sp) back to their farm days training.
Posted by: HRF | March 06, 2007 at 06:28 PM