Wednesday, June 13, 2007

A Crucial Decision for Libby...and Bush




Thursday is D Day for Scooter Libby--and George W. Bush.

Federal district court Judge Reggie Walton, who last week sentenced Libby to 30 months in jail and a $250,000 fine, scheduled a hearing for Thursday to consider Libby's lawyers' request that Libby remain free on bond while his attorneys appeal his conviction. At last week's sentencing hearing, Walton indicated he was not sympathetic to Libby's arguments on this point. To win over the judge, Libby's attorneys have to demonstrate to him that their appeal involves significant legal issues. If they fail to do so, Libby will likely have to report for jail time in the next month or two. (No doubt, if Walton rules against them on Thursday, Libby's lawyers will try to appeal that decision quickly.)

Should Walton rule against Libby, that will put pressure on Bush. Already, the neocon-dominated Libby Lobby is calling on Bush to pardon Libby. And neocons view Bush's refusal (so far) to intervene as an act of profound betrayal. If Thursday's hearing makes clear Libby is off to jail soon, the cries for a pardon will increase--and so will the cries of betrayal if Bush does not accede. This could get ugly.

Posted by David Corn at June 13, 2007 11:54 AM

12 comments:

Gerald said...

Judge Walton will let Libby roam free in order to exhaust the appeals process.

A brilliant move would be to put Libby in jail and let us see what Hitler Bush does.

capt said...

CORN: Calling for a Wider, but Smarter War



The American public should lobby for a limited military action, but a wider "war" that will really neutralize terrorism -- a crackdown on weapon sales, support of internationl courts, beefing up public health plans, support of solar power and much more.


Air strikes. Anthrax. Anxiety. Alerts. "America Strikes Back."

The war is here.

Eerie green images of static punctuated by popcorn-bursts of light filled the screens in our living rooms -- proof that American forces were rocking Kabul. Was there anything symbolic in the fact that the first reported civilian deaths were of four Afghans who worked as security guards for a United Nations mine-clearing project in Afghanistan? An errant US Tomahawk cruise missile killed individuals involved in a humanitarian project. An acceptable cost? That depends on what one acquires in return.

A nation's use of force is justified when a foe massacres 6000 or so of its citizens. But because a course of action is justified does not mean it is wise. It will be difficult to evaluate the wisdom of the current strikes and the subsequent military actions. The full results -- and consequences -- may not be discernible for years.

The Bush Administration can offer BDAs (for non-cable-news addicts, that's bomb damage assessments) showing destroyed terrorist camps, pulverized Taliban infrastructure. It can note the number of Taliban and Al Qaeda leaders "neutralized." But, most probably, the true effectiveness of this assault will not be readily determinable, since the target is a murderous band that only mounts attacks every few years. (So far, that is.) All may appear well with President Bush's war on terrorism -- assuming it doesn't spark unrest in the region and the outbreak of other wars -- until the Sears Tower is leveled in 2003 or a human-bomb takes an orchestra seat at the 1000th performance of "The Producers" or New Orleans is nuked during the next presidential campaign.

With that in mind, it is best to wish for and to urge a limited military action. Not a war, but a modest use of force that does not spread by design (as the let's-get-Iraq hawks in the Pentagon crave) or by accident.

In fact, it was a mistake for Bush to label this endeavor a "war on terrorism" and pitch it as a battle for freedom. "Terrorism" has long been a loaded word; used in this manner it creates an overly broad target. "War" raises expectations here, and in other lands fuels suspicions among those wary of U.S. intentions. And who believes that Bush is fighting for freedom, as he cuts deals with autocratic and repressive regimes to entice them into joining his anti-terrorism coalition?


More HERE

*****end of clip*****

Three pages from the "way back machine" (October 12, 2001)




capt

capt said...

I have always maintained a pardon will be given.

I hope I am wrong - completely wrong.



capt

capt said...

Tommy Chong vs. Cuntessa Brewer

OMG - you have to see this for yourself.


capt

capt said...

Then Tommy Chong on the Colbert Report:

HERE

Too funny!


capt

Anonymous said...

Walton will decide there is no close question on appeal.

Libby will ordered to report to US marshals within 60 days.

Libby's only prayer is a quick pardon and frankly I don't care if he gets it. Libby is a convicted felon. If he gets a quick pardon he'll be a convicted felon with a quick pardon.

David B. Benson said...

Aluminum foil lamps?

on Live Science today...

capt said...

In the eyes of empire builders men are not men but instruments : Napoleon Bonaparte : (1769-1821)

=
In all history there is no war which was not hatched by the governments, the governments alone, independent of the interests of the people, to whom war is always pernicious even when successful : Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy : Russian author, 1828-1910

=
The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground: Thomas Jefferson: 3rd US president, principal author of the Declaration of Independence, 1743-1826.

=
Justice in the life and conduct of the State is possible only as first it resides in the hearts and souls of the citizens : Plato : Ancient Greek philosopher (428/427-348/347 B.C.)

=
As long as we hate, there will be people to hate: George Harrison: Musician, producer and composer, member of The Beatles, 1943-2001


===

Thanks ICH Newsletter!

capt said...

The Siege of Baghdad



[…]

The American surge is the latest in an attempt to stave off defeat; the moral battle was lost long ago. The political battle a stalemate, between the forces of timid stupidity verses the forces of entrenched insanity. The greatest megalomaniac’s of the 20th century had drawn up battle plans for the conquest of England and one of the cornerstones of operation sea lion was in avoiding London. Even a madman knew a large metropolis would swallow an army, and as the tide turned at Stalingrad the mad man began to cashier his own generals.

For in his madness it could only be the generals who were not following his orders not the fatal flaw in his own tactics. The mad man brooded over his scale model of the new Berlin much like the current mad man broods over his scale model of what the Iraqi’s call Bush’s palace, the Vatican city sized embassy in Baghdad which will probably never be occupied or at best be used a last redoubt.

Von Paulus pleaded for permission to withdraw and was advised that where a German foot stood a German foot stayed. The politics of cut and run verses the personal pride of the leader, the madness of leadership who view military tactic’s as personal affronts. As Nathan Bedford Forrest succinctly observed "getting there firstest with the mostest." In regards to our own current surge without the firstest the mostest becomes a mute point the mostest with the latest is a pointless exercise.

As the siege continues the US forces will become more dependant on helicopters for re-supply and will begin to lose them in greater numbers like Von Paulus they will assume a defensive position more interested in holding positions rather than taking. Will the US then call in B52 strikes on Baghdad to try and break the siege? Or will it try sending a reinforcing column to break the siege or will they finally admit the inevitable and withdraw?

A new and perhaps last chapter has begun, new in the names and places but as old as war itself. The military is well aware of the coming checkmate and are fired for their candor in saying so only the media and the madman soldier on. Fighting on not to achieve victory or even to forestall defeat but to sacrifice the blood of innocents on all sides but to preserve protect and defend the fragile ego of the leader.


More HERE

capt said...

How the Neocons Misread Machiavelli



[…]

This state of affairs is not the fault of our troops, but of the tacticians and sponsors of this war, rather. Why are we wasting resources on a war in Afghanistan, for example, which this administration either considers already lost, or has no intention of winning. What else are we to conclude when the Taliban is on the march, the heroin harvest reaches record highs, and yet the president reduces our presence in Afghanistan, transferring troops for the surge in Iraq? In this case, not only are we toiling for naught in Afghanistan, but we are actively constructing an image of incompetence. Those poor troops remaining in Afghanistan must accept the indignity of losing to the Taliban -- and barely hanging on in Kabul-- with the whole world looking on.

In his typical cynicism, Machiavelli asserts that it is perfectly natural and normal for princes to yearn for conquest, and they are praiseworthy when they succeed in conquest, and blameworthy when they fail. In other words, if you go to war, make sure you win, for if you don't, you lose a lot more than the war, but also your honor and security. Concretely, this means that we must henceforth refrain from halfhearted efforts in either of the present wars, and dedicate ourselves wholeheartedly to one or the other. Or alternately, this means that we must remove our soldiers, our contractors, our humvees, our camps and fortresses--anything emblazoned with the American flag--from the carnage in Iraq and Afghanistan that is televised across the globe (especially on Al Jazeera), transmitting our disgrace and weakness to any and all potential aggressors.

For, it is not so much hatred and anger that inspires enemies to attack the prince, Machiavelli maintains, but the perception that he is weak. In fact, such a perception multiplies the prince's adversaries, for it emboldens those who are merely greedy for power and attention. Simply put, the great offense of the present wars is, ironically, that they undermine this nation's dignity and fearsomeness--precisely what the Neo-Cons purported to reclaim and defend in the first place.

More HERE

Pandemoniac said...

I think this oughta just about do it. All caught up.

And by the way, Capt. sends me to Youtubeland and I get caught up in a web of video funnies. Youtube is broadband crystal meth. Just say no to Youtube.

"Yesterday at the G8 Summit, President Bush had a meeting with rockstar Bono. There was an awkward moment when Bush praised Bono and his band 'YouTube.'"
--Conan O'Brien

"A low-level researcher at Yale University has been arrested for a scam he was running out of the Yale Law library. The guy claimed to be a lawyer and was charging illegal immigrants $5,000 a piece to get a greencard. They say this is the biggest scam pulled off at Yale since, I guess, George Bush got his diploma"
--Jay Leno

Jon Stewart: Last night in Manchester, New Hampshire, the 10 Republican candidates prepared to take the stage for their party's third 2008 presidential debate ... of 2007. ... This debate wasn't about policy discrepancies. It's about America and the imminent death of its people if one of these people isn't elected
On screen: John McCain calling the war 'a transcendent struggle between good and evil'.
Stewart: A transcendent struggle between good and evil? They're going to pull out all the stops. There is nothing that they would not do to win and fight this war.
On screen: GOPers unanimously opposing openly gay soldiers.
Stewart: Apparently, the only thing worse for these candidates than another terrorist attack would be a gay hero stopping it. ... I don't want to say anything, but there are 10 candidates on that stage and the law of averages says one of these guys is a little Barney in the Franks.

Daily Show correspondent John Oliver, on lightning striking Rudy Giuliani while he was speaking about abortion at the GOP debate: "No, it was not a coincidence. That was divine endorsement. Or, in this case, God saying, 'Vote for anybody but Rudy Giuliani.' And God said unto the people of New Hampshire, 'a thrice-married New York City cross-dresser, oh, for the love of Me.'"

"Earlier today, a federal judge sentenced Scooter Libby to 30 months in prison for lying. I believe prison is not the place to be when your nickname is Scooter."
--Jay Leno

"The third Republican presidential primary debate was in New Hampshire tonight. This is a very important debate ... because the election is only one year, four months, three weeks and six days away. There are 10 Republican candidates. ... There are now, I think, more Republican candidates than there are Republican voters remaining."
--Jimmy Kimmel

"Scooter Libby, former aid to Vice President Cheney, was sentenced to 30 months in prison. Afterwards, Scooter said, 'I just hope I have the chance to clear my incredibly stupid name.'"
--Conan O'Brien

"Some speculate President Bush will pardon Libby right before he serves jail time, while others ... know he will."
--Jon Stewart

"He received a ludicrous 30 months in prison. 30 months? He only obstructed justice for a couple of hours. Now Scooter, I do have some advice for you when you check into the graybar hotel. ... The second you arrive, punch the first guy you see, then stand over that sucker and shout, 'You've been scootered.' ... Next, find Duke Cunningham and start your own prison gang. Call it 'Los Elephantes.' In the next few months, you're going to get a lot more members"
--Stephen Colbert

"This week, President Bush is at the big G8 Summit in Germany. Many Germans are protesting his visit. See, that's when you know things are bad ... when the Germans think you're invading too many countries."
--Jay Leno

"Vice President Dick Cheney said today the surge policy is working. In fact, gas prices have surged almost $4 a minute."
--Jay Leno

"During last night's Democratic debate, all the candidates said that if they were elected, they would get rid of the military's 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy for gay soldiers. 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' will be replaced by the new policy, 'Don't Tell Me You're Wearing Those Boots With That Gun.'"
--Conan O'Brien

"How about that thing over the weekend? The authorities busted that plot. They were going blow up the pipeline to JFK. ... Here's the scary part: it turned out the guys doing this ... were called homegrown terrorists. And who says President Bush hasn't created new jobs?"
--David Letterman

"President Bush is off to Europe for the big G8 Summit ... and his approval rating is very low. Right now, he's less popular than that tuberculosis guy."
--David Letterman

"Last night, CNN hosted the second in a series of infinite Democratic debates. ... Most people feel candidates should get more time to answer the questions than contestants on 'Deal or No Deal' get. ... What is with the raising the hand thing? From now on ... the only question candidates can answer by raising their hands should be 'Are you happy?' and 'Do you know it?'"
--Jon Stewart

"President Bush is in the Czech Republic right now, and today he met with Czech Republic Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek. Or, as Bush likes to call him, 'Hey, slugger.'"
--Conan O'Brien

capt said...

New Thread