Month: October 2005

Somebody needs to dissect Cohen’s dumbass column in detail, so here goes.

The best thing Patrick Fitzgerald could do for his country is get out of Washington, return to Chicago and prosecute some real criminals.

Perhaps if by for his country Cohen actually means for George W. Bush and the GOP this sentence makes sense.  There are plenty of people – well, freepers mostly – who think in this pre-rational manner.  I thought that perhaps if I made that small substitution, the rest of the column  might make some kind of wacked-out sense.

I was wrong.  It only gets stupider.

As it is, all he has done so far is send Judith Miller of the New York Times to jail and repeatedly haul this or that administration high official before a grand jury, investigating a crime that probably wasn’t one in the first place…

Probably wasn’t a crime? Oh, I can feel a good rant comin’ on already.  But I’ll save that one for last.  Let’s let Dick finish his sentence, shall we?

Having just been regaled by news via Jane Hamsher that Judy Miller “will pick up a First Amendment Award at the 2005 Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) Convention & National Journalism Conference on Oct. 18 in Las Vegas,” it was heartening to read A.P. reporter Pete Yost’s latest.

Yost’s article, posted minutes ago at the S.F. Chronicle site, is optimistically titled, “Prosecutor Nears Decision in CIA Probe.”

Yost reveals how Fitzgerald — who “has burnished his reputation as a tough, hard-charging prosecutor” — engineered the personal contact between Scooter Libby and Judith Miller.

It was Fitzgerald’s letter to Libby’s lawyer in September that helped resolve the impasse over Miller, resulting in her testimony.

Yost also sums up how the White House’s strategy has shifted
“[a]s the evidence has emerged.”

Bush now says he will fire someone only if the person committed a crime. Also, lawyers no longer contest that their clients discussed the identity of Wilson’s wife with reporters. Instead, the lawyers are trying to make the case that exposing her covert status was inadvertent and not part of a conspiracy.

About that tantalizing headline — “Prosecutor Nears Decision in CIA Probe” — Yost writes:

…[Fitzgerald] is nearing a decision on whether to file criminal charges after assembling evidence that top presidential aides had numerous contacts with reporters in the matter.

… Fitzgerald has a variety of options as he weighs whether anyone broke a law that bars the intentional unmasking of a CIA officer. Defense lawyers increasingly are concerned Fitzgerald might pursue other charges such as false statements, obstruction of justice or mishandling classified information.

Before those decisions are made, presidential confidant Karl Rove will make a fourth grand jury appearance, as early as Friday. …

Lest we get too elated, there are these sobering words from the ever-angry Moscow Times columnist, Chris Floyd … Below:

Well Advanced Of General Public, Telling Them To Stay Off Subways Even While ‘HomeLand Security[?]’ Were Playing Down Threat!

Terror tip for rich

What’s on your mind?