BREAKING: ARMITAGE PROVIDING INFO ON ROVE

[Halliburton]

http://www.thewashingtonnote.com/archives/001399.php

<snip>
Two sources have reported that Richard Armitage has testified three times before the grand jury and has completely cooperated and has been, as one source reported, "a complete straight-shooter" and "honest about his role and mistakes".

Another person with deep knowledge about this investigation called to say that Fitzgerald seems to have abandoned any interest in securing indictments regarding the "outing" of Plame and has invested his efforts in challenging the "white collar cover-ups" involved. According to this source, the information provided by Richard Armitage is -- more than any other information -- what has put Karl Rove at major risk of indictment.

I felt that these other insider perspectives are important as they are so uniformly consistent that Inman's claims are wrong, that Armitage made mistakes and immediately owned up to them, that Armitage has been completely forthcoming in the investigation, and that Karl Rove remains a prime indictment target for Patrick Fitzgerald.
<snip>

...DEVELOPING...

[spanone]

1. k&r

Wouldn't it be nice to see a pig like Armitage bring down a sloth like Rove??
:bounce:

[jn2375]

2. yeah baby!!

[dchill]

I2K&R

[lonestarnot]

3. Alrightie now! Making progress. I knew there was a stir that way!

Wooodamnwhoooo! Yeppity yep! :kick:

[Patsy Stone]

4. Did the lights go out?

Is it getting dark in here? If true, thanks, Richard! :patriot:

[goclark]

5. So Colin must not be far behind~aren't they best friends?

What Armitage knew ,Colin did too.

[Frustratedlady]

6. Virginia, there really is a Santa Claus....

Thank God they have finally located an honest person in/formerly in this administration. So many people, it's hard to keep track.

I keep hoping we will prevail, but the lows can get you down pretty fast. This could be another Friday High.

Go, Fitz!

Off to buy some more Orville Redenbacher stock.

[lonestarnot]

13. Smart stock move!

[Jackpine Radical]

43. That's gotta be the best line of the day:

"Off to buy some more Orville Redenbacher stock."

:rofl:

[stop the bleeding]

7. Fuck yeah - this place is gonna explode today

thank you - this is the best news yet - I knew he was pissed about soldiers being killed for lies. Once a vet always a vet.

[stepnw1f]

10. Military People... the Good Ones

are furious, and rightfully so. Guess who the military men and women can't stand the most?

Ready: the Chickenhawk Republicans that helped push them into that death hole called Iraq.

I say we round these sick neocons up and let the military men and women take their frustrations out on them for public display.

[stop the bleeding]

14. both of my parents are retired active duty Army

I came this close going to VMI, but life has a funny way of working out. :)

Peace!

[stepnw1f]

17. What's VMI? (nt)

[stop the bleeding]

23. sorry

Virginia Military Institute

Wasn't good enough to get into West Point ;)

[stepnw1f]

30. Ahhh...

I myself almost went into the airforce. My father was in the Army for approx. 15 years. Did some Russian translation in Germany during the Cold War. I have a ton of respect for our military men and women. I just don't get into all the jingoism we ussually see from the right wing wannabees.

[stop the bleeding]

34. yep

I hear ya, I often want to drive them to the nearest recruiting station to give them a dose of reality.

Peace to you and your family! :)

[stepnw1f]

40. Same to You and Your Fam

peace

[lonestarnot]

16. Here's to Fight'n for the troops!

:toast:

[Cooley Hurd]

8. The big question is WHEN did Armitage last testify?

If it happened this week, could it have delayed the (as of last Friday) imminent Rove indictment?:shrug:

[enough already]

37. That makes a lot of sense

I think this is definitely it for Rove. Probably today.

[PerceptionManagement]

9. Out--F****--Standing!

[OrangeCountyDemocrat]

11. Who Cares!

I'm tired of getting my hopes up. Someone tell me when rove has actually been indicted. I'll believe it when I see it. Until then, he still is doing his job and screwing up this country's future, while we sit here helplessly.

[femrap]

87. Whine much?

Do something...you don't have sit by 'helplessly.' For Goddess' sake...do you realize how long women fought to get the right to vote? Hell, Cady-Stanton and Susan B. died without getting the vote. Those two women spent their entire adult lives fighting for this.

And you're crying that you didn't get your indictment this past week. No wonder the Dems can't get anything done when their membership considers themselves HELPLESS.

Doesn't anyone remember Watergate or have read about it? The political situation involving corrupt politicians is fluid...No one can predict on Saturday what is going to happen on Wednesday. Shit happens...maybe Armitage started blabbing and now FItz is considering additional charges on Rove. We don't know.

Have some faith, would ya? And in the meantime stop being a crybaby and get out and DO SOMETHING...hell, it's campaign season...get out there and start working to get a Dem elected. Write letters to the editor. Call all the Pug Senators and and tell them they care nothing for our great country and have put their stupid ass pug party before EVERYTHING and EVERYONE.

I am sick of DUers pouting, crying, whining, and insulting Leopold. Why don't you get your whney little butts out there, and stop being HELPLESS.

[Peace Patriot]

91. Great rant, femrap! I am so-o-o-o-o-o with you! Stop all the whining!

Go monitor a Bushite election theft machine in your neighborhood! Send Kathy Dopp some money! Help an anti-war candidate get elected? Support an election reform candidate for Secretary of State! (Two good ones running that I now of--Debra Bowen in Calif, John Bonifaz in Mass.) Help us get the massive turnout we need to beat the machines! Take an impeachment resolution, or a transparent elections resolution, to your city council! Picket your county election official's home for purchasing Diebold/ES&S touchscreens! BECOME the leftist cell in your local Dem Party machine! Stop expecting some "white knight" to save our democracy, because it ain't gonna happen. It's up to US--we, the people! Get it? WE have to do it!

[femrap]

98. Thx...I don't mean to hurt people's feelings....

but you're right. It is up to the PEOPLE now.

Oh, and there's a great Sec'y of State Candidate in Ohio....Jennifer Brunner! She is fabulous and intends on cleaning up the mess that Blackwell has made.

I love Bonifaz....I remember him from that Forum that Conyers held in some small room in the basement of Congress....Cindy Sheehan and Ray McGovern were there as well. I taped it for historic purposes. I think John Bonifaz will go a long way in helping our country return to Democracy and restore our Constitution.

[grytpype]

12. This is by Steve Clemons. Not one of those other guys.

If you know what I mean.

[Jackpine Radical]

47. Are you trying to suggest that wherever there's a Jason there's a

chance of being fleeced?

[Nederland]

53. Nice (nt)

[grytpype]

62. Heh, good one.

[ItsTheMediaStupid]

68. Yes, I know what you mean. You're taking a shot at Leopold

WTF is the point in all this shit?

He made a mistake in the timing of the indictment. The substance remains to be seen. Until then, I'll wait. It's been three years already. What's another three days or three weeks for that matter?

[Garbo 2004]

82. Clemons also previously confirmed Rove "enthusiastically" cooperating

with Fitz and had a role in the turning over of 250 pages of emails to Fitz months ago, as previously reported by "one of those other guys." A report Rove's attorney Luskin vehemently denied.

Clemons: "What I confirmed through a source close to Rove is that he was cooperating enthusiastically with Fitzgerald -- and my source says that Rove did help unravel the previoiusly undisclosed email communication in the VP's office."
http://www.thewashingtonnote.com/archives/001360.php

[lala_rawraw]

100. Clemons is confirming me on this... are you trying to imply

Something about my work? If so, please consider using facts to back up your baseless claims.

[Garbo 2004]

108. Just saw your response. No slight intended to your reporting. My point was

that the poster cited Clemons as an authoritative source but dismissed and put down the reporting of the "other guys." At the same time conveniently overlooking when Clemons independently confirmed the reporting of one of the "other guys" as in the article I cited.

And again, the RS report was denied by Rove's defense attorney and yet subsequently was confirmed by other reports and events. So the other point in my post was not to put too much stock in Rove's defense teams' flat out denials.

And by the way, I made no "baseless claims." Facts: you reported, Luskin denied, Clemons confirmed your reporting, and Fitz made reference to the emails only recently turned over to him. I'd say the facts suggest your work was confirmed and validated. Despite Luskin's denials.

You gotta problem with that?

[bdamomma]

15. on thing about Fitzgerald

he is very thorough.

[Chomp]

18. So who outed Plame?

Wasn't that once the important bit?

Does anyone care anymore?

[LSK]

26. the Wilsons will be suing a lot of people when Fitz is done

[okieinpain]

105. sad isn't it. no one cares about national security, or this women and her

family's safety. oh well, at least we don't allow gays to marry...........

[flpoljunkie]

19. ABC's The Note reports grand jury meeting today at 9:30AM.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/TheNote/story?id=156238

They make no mention of Rove, however.

[lonestarnot]

25. They've been meeting for 2 hours then?

[AverageJoe]

55. Re: ABC's "The Note"

I'm reading Eric Boehlert's book, "Lapdogs: How the Press Rolled Over for Bush" right now and Boehlert seems to think The Note is about as bad as it gets for right wing shilling. He would probably have predicted that The Note wouldn't mention anything bad about Rove until the slimeball was actually in prison.

By the way, "Lapdogs" is a fantastic book. I highly recommend it.

[ItsTheMediaStupid]

64. Fabulous Book

Thanks for reminding me about the Note.

According to Lapdogs, the Note is the Beltway media insiders guide about what to cover, etc. If the Note is talking about Armitage, then maybe some more coverage will be coming from other M$M outlets.

[robbedvoter]

20. can somebody remind me briefly who Armitage is in the players set?

I misplaced my evil deck of cards:evilgrin:

[lonestarnot]

28. Here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=1225915&mesg_id=1225915

[grytpype]

67. Deputy SoS under Powell and one of the less-evil guys.

[robbedvoter]

96. Thanks!

[Recursion]

103. More specifically,

The guy the neocons put in State to keep an eye on Powell, but he pulled a Souter on them and didn't screw his boss over nearly as much as they wanted.

He's also the guy who leaked Plame's name to Woodward.

[Emit]

84. Here's an old thread that discusses Armitage in relation to Cheney

and some other players:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=364&topic_id=370469#373290

Starting at robertpaulsen's post #110 and following are some comments and info about how he relates, but, in a nut shell, he has clashed with Cheney, Rumsfeld, Bolten, etc. and may have been speaking out against them for some time. Technically, as I recall, his involvement in the Plame scandal relates more to the June 10th memo, as discussed here:

~snip~

June 10, 2003: Undersecretary of State Marc Grossman asks the Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR) for a briefing on the Niger uranium issue, and specifically the State Department's opposition to the continuing White House view that Iraq had tried to buy yellow cake. The resulting memo is dated the same day, and drawn from notes on the February 19 meeting at the CIA on the Wilson mission and other sources. Befitting the sensitivity of the information, the memo is classified "Top Secret," and contains in one paragraph, separately marked '(S/NF)" for "Secret/No dissemination to foreign governments or intelligence agencies, " two sentences describing in passing Valerie "Wilson's" identity as a CIA operative and her role in the inception of the Wilson trip to Niger. This June 10 memo reportedly does not use her maiden name Plame.

June 12, 2003: The Washington Post reports that an unnamed "former US ambassador" was sent to Niger to look into the uranium issue and found no evidence of any Iraqi purchase.

At the State Department, Deputy Secretary Richard Armitage asks INR to prepare a memorandum on the background of what the Post is reporting, and INR sends to Armitage that same day a copy of the June 10 memo to Grossman. The memo is also sent to Undersecretary for Arms Control and International Security (and future UN Ambassador-designate) John Bolton.

July 6, 2003: Outraged by continuing references to the Nigerien uranium, Wilson breaks his anonymity with a sensational New York Times op-ed disclosing his mission to Niger sixteen months before, and the fact that he found no evidence of an Iraqi purchase of ore. "Based on my experience with the administration in the months leading up to the war," Wilson writes, "I have little choice but to conclude that some of the intelligence related to Iraq's nuclear weapons program was twisted to exaggerate the Iraqi threat." He tells "Meet the Press," "Either the administration has information that it has not shared with the public or ... they were using the selective use of facts and intelligence to bolster a decision that had already been made to go to war."

Later in the day, Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage calls INR Assistant Secretary Carl W. Ford at home, and asks him to send a briefing memo to Powell about the Niger uranium issue. Ford simply pulls out the previous June 10 memo with its reference to Wilson's wife (her name now corrected from Wilson to Plame), addresses it to Powell, and forwards the memo to Rice to be passed on to Powell, who is due to leave the next day with the Presidential party on a trip to Africa.

~snip~

http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:RajaUXFaeDcJ:www.counterpunch.org/morris07272005.html+Armitage+Plame+scandal&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=7

[LSK]

21. no indictments in the actual crime?!?!?!

:grr:

[grytpype]

65. I'll bet Fitz can't prove they knew she was covert.

I bet that's the problem with charging for the leak itself, they really didn't know. They were negligent as hell, but they didn't know.

[LSK]

76. the CIA should know she was covert

I dont think thats a problem.

[Garbo 2004]

97. But proving that the leakers knew she was a NOC and they were knowingly

committing a serious national security breech/crime might be a problem.

[ItsTheMediaStupid]

66. If the coverup is effective, this can happen

It's okay with me if the perps all go to prison for perjury, obstruction or spitting on the sidewalk, so long as they get some real time.

[janx]

70. He'll get there. But first he has to bust the people who have

been covering up the crime. He has to weed them out.

[Snivi Yllom]

22. yesterday the same author, same blog said Armitage was the target

these guys are guessing, just like Leopold and Truthout

[11cents]

60. He said he was *told* Armitage was the target ...

...by Bobby Ray Inman. Clemons (a middle-of-the-road guy), said that he hoped Inman was wrong because he respects Armitage.

The fact that Armitage has been involved in the investigations isn't news, BTW.

[lala_rawraw]

101. He was told by an NSA official whom he named and then

he cites what that NSA official said... that is not guessing, that is conveying info on a converation. good god, if you are going to discount someone, please do so for real reasons, not from imagined reality.

[carolinalady]

24. I'm having a problem with Armitage getting out of trouble for

being "forthcoming". They destroyed a woman's career!!! :grr:

[myrna minx]

27. Very interesting.

I suspect we'll be moving to DU level three soon.

[lonestarnot]

29. Defcon 5 Blue!

[myrna minx]

32. I popped a video into the VCR

to record all day while I'm at work, just in case. I wouldn't want to miss any press conferences or anything. :evilgrin:

[lonestarnot]

33. VCR? What's dat?

:evilgrin: sorry, you're better off than I. Mine broke, and I have a 2" screen TV. LOL

[stop the bleeding]

36. I am predicting at least a 5-10 level if something breaks

VCR whats dat LOL - I still don't own a cell phone :D

[lonestarnot]

38. Wish I didn't!

[myrna minx]

46. Heh. I finally joined the 20th century and got a cordless phone.

"The better to hear you with, my dear." --NSA.

A 2" screen? I can't even imagine. I guess it would be easy to perform the Kids in the Hall "I crush your head" while watching C-span. :rofl:

[lonestarnot]

52. ewwww nice!

[myrna minx]

59. I purchased my first DVD player a year ago.

I'm totally behind the times. :blush:

[lyonn]

78. DVD player, yup, got one, call my grandson if we

decide to try to use it, hook ups and all ya know. I was worried that the same grandson might have taken my VCR machine since we have all these plug in gadgets that husband and I ignore and wouldn't miss. Of course he didn't!! What a joke. He is eyeing the DVD. Got all these old VCR tapes that are precious, can't touch that.

Going to throw out a question I know has been aswered many times here but not real clever in finding them and that is, is this current Grand Jury going to be disbanded today? If so, is that possibly why there might be sealed indictments since Fitz may request a new GJ?

[lonestarnot]

93. Not sure if this is the last day for this GJ, but I'm sure someone knows.

Let's ask.

[Catherine Vincent]

57. I have to laugh at that.

I've been recording dead cable air this whole weeks. I just can't miss one of Fitz's press conferences! :hi:

[myrna minx]

71. Haha. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one.

:hi: Go Fitz! :loveya:

[grytpype]

31. Armitage is OK I think.

Armitage always struck me as a not-very-evil guy. I mean by comparison to the Bush/Cheney/Rummy people.

I would be thrilled if he had the goods on the BCRs and spilled his guts to Fitzgerald. That would be just about the best news in the case to date.

[kstewart33]

35. Clemons is top notch as a source.

I read his TWN site every day. His reputation in policy circles is impeccable. And his characterization of Armitage is right on.

This is the best news I've read about Rove's status in weeks.

[Coexist]

39. yet he was wrong yesterday when he said that Armitage was the target

from RawStory:
"Steve Clemons, editor of the popular foreign relations blog "The Washington Note," revealed Thursday that former NSA chief Bobby Ray Inman has repeatedly said former Undersecretary of State Richard Armitage is a target of the investigation into the outing covert CIA officer Valerie Plame Wilson. While saying he has no knowledge of the veracity of Inman's claim, Clemons notes that the nation's top spy chief might be privy to insider information.

"What Inman shared with some of us," Clemons writes, "is that the person in Patrick Fitzgerald's bull's eye is Richard Armitage."

So when do we roast them non-stop??

[Halliburton]

48. read the actual post

he's just reporting what the former NSA head was telling people. he said that it was just a rumor as he couldn't confirm it.

<snip>
What Inman shared with some of us -- and this was a repeated assertion from comments that I have confirmed that he made in Austin -- is that the person in Patrick Fitzgerald's bull's eye is Richard Armitage.

I have written about Armitage many times in the past and hope that this rumor is incorrect.

But I do believe that Armitage was possibly a key source for Dana Priest and Mike Allen early in the Plame outing story and wrote such in November 2005. I don't have more information on whether Armitage was Novak's source or not -- and what legal consequences there might be, if any, if that was the case. I always assumed that Armitage was cooperating closely with Fitzgerald and would not be in any legal jeopardy.

After all, Armitage was recently knighted and a new oil firm board member.
<snip>

http://www.thewashingtonnote.com/archives/001398.php

[kstewart33]

51. The mistake is with Inman, not with Clemons.

The point is that Inman is mistaken in his often-state view that Armitage is the target. Clemons is simply reporting what Inman said.

[LouisianaLiberal]

41. We should start a pool....

How many of those who signed the PNAC document will end up in jail?

Looks like Armitage might weasel away, and the right wing pundits who signed will not be indicted, but how many of the others will?

[bunny planet]

42. I'm going to consider it a very good sign that I can't get on

firedoglake.com right now.
Could it be something's up.
We could really use a praying smilie.

[Jersey Devil]

45. Same here, been trying it the past 15 min or so, no dice (edited)

They've been on top of it all along so I figure if anyone would have some info that they would be the ones.

[Jersey Devil]

50. PS - got thru to firedoglake.com - nothing there - nada (nt)

x

[stop the bleeding]

54. thanks guys

this is very exciting - now missing that nap doesn't seem like a bad idea after all! woopeee!!!

[bunny planet]

85. rats,

I still can't get on but now I guess there's nothing to see......

yet.

[leesa]

44. I certainly HOPE he hasn't abandoned the actual outing crime.

Don't everybody get too sweet on Armitage, the guys a thug just like the rest of them.

[WiseButAngrySara]

49. Thanks! KNR and WHERE'S FITZ? ....N/T

[stop the bleeding]

56. good question

too bad we can't check the passenger boarding lists for flights between Chicago and DC :(

[WiseButAngrySara]

58. I wish! If it could be done, I'm sure that certain DUers would have

already done so!

[Botany]

61. Songbird?

[Mr.Green93]

63. Another 'Business Day' special?

How many hours till this one?

[Minnesota_Lib]

69. While I disagree with his politics, I always had Armitage pegged as a ...

..straight-shooter (he is also a very likable, no-nonsense big bear of a guy).

[Penndems]

72. Sounds like Rove tried to throw Armitage under the bus during

his numerous appearances before the grand jury.

Now Dick's making sure that Rove is the one with tread marks on his back.

[DoYouEverWonder]

73. This is not surprising

Armitage is very close to Powell and neither one are members of the Neocon club. I think Armitage doesn't like the raw deal they got at the State Dept from BushCo.

Just for reference, anyone remember Bush going to Colin Powell's for dinner a few months ago? Then they both came out smiling for the cameras? Wonder why Bush suddenly needed private time with his old 'friend' Colin?

[lyonn]

80. You have a good point,

why would Powell and Armitage do Any favors for bushco and especially outing a CIA agent & company?

[DoYouEverWonder]

104. Powell is one of the wild cards

Powell was one of the WHIGS and this whole Plame outing was a WHIGS operation. Powell was with Bush on the trip to Africa. Powell brought the memo, so Powell is in deep do-do himself. I wouldn't be surprised if we find out Powell & Armitage have been cooperating with the prosecution for awhile. Especially if it meant saving their own butts. That's the beauty of how Fitzgerald has played these guys. Divide and conquer.

[grytpype]

74. Steve Clemons on Jason Leopold!

Have you been able to confirm/refute what Jason Leopold reported last week about Rove being indicted? If so, can you tell us when the Rove indictment will come down?
Posted by: Sylvia I at May 19, 2006 11:15 AM

sylvia -- i have not been able to confirm jason leopold's story. all that i have been able to find is that there was quite a lot of activity at patton boggs -- but i don't know whether fitzgerald was there -- or whether this implied rove indictment -- or whether it was about luskin's own role. but the highly specific points offered by jason are things i have been unable to get at.

steve clemons
Posted by: Steve Clemons at May 19, 2006 11:42 AM

[grytpype]

75. So what happened is...

... Jason heard (like a lot of people) that there was a lot of activity at Patton Boggs and filled in the rest from his imagination, so if he guessed right and Rove was in fact indicted, he could take credit for breaking the scoop.

[stepnw1f]

88. Nobody Knows

nobody...

[Jack Rabbit]

77. Armitage could probably tell a lot good stories

The House Judiciary Committee would like to hear some once the Democrats have power and start the overdue investigations.

[Humor_In_Cuneiform]

79. What I remember Armitage for was when he was sent to testify at the 911

commission when Condi was refusing to testify publicly at first.

I remember thinking at the time that he seemed "too" candid, by the current administration's standards. I was thinking they might regret sending him.

Anyhow I searched and found a transcript from the hearings that day, March 24, 2004.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A20349-2004Mar24.html

His testimony starts way, way far down on a very long page. Use the find (on this page) item on the edit menu in IE to locate it.

[Quixote1818]

81. I felt the same way. He seems to be one of the good ones. nt

[autorank]

83. Terrific post. Thanks. This outlines the "management" civil war.

Armitage is the quintessential "management" operative at the very highest level. He's bright, tough, loyal, and he gets things done. I do not doubt that his work on the India-Pakistan conflict defused what could have been a nuclear confrontation (for my friends in the Elections Forum, Blackwell is a lower level Armitage, which is quite formidable btw).

One of the many things we are seeing is the power structure at war with itself. There are rational people with huge interests who know that * risks the franchise. They are not pleased and now they're moving to get the guy some serious R&R in TX. After all, what else could this testimony mean. If Rove is indicted, that's it for *. He goes from 31% to about 22% and with Cheney below that, there is no reason for them to be around at all. That's the goal, put them at maximum disadvantage THEN launch a massive attack (we've seen nothing yet) that devastates them.

Where do you think all these stories in the press are coming from; the stories about malfeasance and bizarre behavior? The press is still loyal to their feudal lord, *, but factions are not and the stories come out on a regular basis. I think Fitz is an honest man and not involved in anything other than his investigation. I think he was put in charge because the "sane" faction of "management" knew he'd do exactly this.

[pinto]

99. Interesting analysis. I agree, we're watching a bureaucratic civil war.

While most of us are focused on this Administration's reckless disregard for the public trust, as I am, it may be their challenge to the basic internal *mechanics* of government that has a longer impact.

ie. the wholesale realignment of government agencies/responsibilities and under the cover of Homeland Security, the flood of presidential signing statements on Congressional legislation, the politicization of virtually all federal departments, etc.

I hope we all have enough common sense to give some of the career guys their do. They see the erosion of checks and balances, as well as the internal power struggle from an up close and long established perspective.

We will retake the House and Senate. We will retake the White House. Some of the structural rebuilding may take a while, though.

And to be blunt, I don't think it will ever be the same again. That's not necessarily bad, just worth considering, imo.

Thanks for the post.

[autorank]

106. Bonus round...

End Game: Bush is Finished

It's hard not to focus on the * administrations total disregard for civility, decency and intelligent actions. They're world class.

In a moment of impulsive :tinfoil: compulsivity, I posted this a while ago. If Rove gets it soon, I'll repost it;)

I'm not at all happy this is taking so long. There is a great deal of damage being done, almost daily. It's got to stop very soon.

Cheers, the good news is that we can probably fix things quicker than it might seem right now, I hope;)

[truth2power]

86. So, can this still be a good thing?...

that they've abandoned interest in Plame and are going for the white collar cover-ups?

[stop the bleeding]

89. IS THE GRAND JURY STILL MEETING?

sorry for the caps, but I am trying to find this out, they were suppose to be in session at 9:30 this morning as reported by abcnews, but I have not heard from any MSM or DU'ers on the ground if the GJ is out or if there has been a Fitz sighting at the very least.

1) is the GJ still meeting?

2) what is going on with Will and Leopold's silence on this.

It's quiet out there almost too quiet.

Thanks in advance!

[Peace Patriot]

90. "...abandoned any interest in securing indictments regarding the 'outing'

of Plame???

"...invested his efforts in challenging the 'white collar cover-ups' involved."

I puzzled over this for some minutes. I recall Fitzgerald stating at his Libby press conference that perjury/obstruction were like "throwing sand in the eyes of the umpire," in this case on a matter of grave national security. He stressed his goal of cracking the case BECAUSE the national security implications are so serious. And Libby was preventing him from SEEING the crime and its perps.

My read on the pending Rove indictment has been that, if it's for perjury/obstruction, it would be a kind of failure, on Fitzgerald's part. It would not necessarily be a good thing. It would mean that he had TWO second-in-command perps "throwing dust in his eyes." My feeling was that he WOULDN'T WANT a second perjury trial, but was sweating Rove in particular, and others, to open the case up. (On known facts, I'd say he has Rove by the short hairs on perjury.)

So the statement that Fitzgerald has "abandoned interest" in the 'outing'--the main crime--is startling. It doesn't fit what Fitzgerald has said, nor what the judge has said and done, nor my gut feelings about Fitzgerald's purposes.

Then I thought about "the 'white collar cover-ups' involved." And here may be the key. Cover-ups of WHAT? If not cover-ups of the Plame outing, WHAT were/are they covering up?

I have felt all along that the Plame/Brewster-Jennings outings were a cover-up of something else--that Traitorgate was not the main crime but the coverup. The junta needed to be rid of Plame/BJ for some (or several) reasons. DUers who are following this case are probably familiar with the WMD-planting theory of Traitorgate. This is a possibility for WHAT is being covered up--although the phrase "white collar" gives me pause. The theory goes like this...

--the Rome 2001 meeting of Neo-Cons, Ghorbanifar and Italian gov't fascists was not just for cooking up the "crude" Niger forgeries; it was also for arranging to actually plant nukes in Iraq, after the invasion; the crude forgeries (easily detectable) were for drawing the CIA into an open no-nukes-in-Iraq position; the CIA would then be thoroughly discredited when the planted nukes were "found" (by NYT war propagandist Judith Miller?), with the additional benefit of enormous political cache for Bush/Blair.

--part one succeeded (the "crude" Niger forgeries drew the CIA out); part two did not--the planting of the nukes was foiled by someone

--two good candidates for who foiled this highly deceitful plot: someone in the Brewster-Jennings worldwide WMD counter-proliferation network, or the Brits chief WMD expert David Kelly

--here's the timeline on Plame/Kelly:

late May 2003: Kelly begins whistleblowing anonymously to the BBC on the "sexed up" prewar WMD intel (surprising, since Kelly supported the invasion); the hunt beings within Blair gov't to ferret out the whistleblower

mid-June 2003: Meetings of Libby/Judith Miller, know to be about Plame (Miller an old friend of David Kelly's; she used him as a major quoted source in her book "Germs)

late-June 2003/1st week of July; Kelly is mysteriously outed to his bosses, interrogated at a "safe house," and threatened with the Official Secrets Act

July 6, 2003: Wilson publishes his article about the Niger/Iraq nukes non-connection

July 7, 2003: Blair is informed that Kelly "could say some uncomfortable things" (Hutton report) ("could say," not "HAD said")

July 14, 2003: Plame outed, by Novak.

July 17, 2003: Kelly writes an email to Judith Miller, saying he thinks the controversy around him will blow over, that he is looking forward to his daughter's wedding in the fall, and returning to Iraq, but expressing concern about "the many dark actors playing games" (email later released by his family, not my Miller)

July 18, 2003: Kelly found dead, under highly suspicious circumstances; his office and computers are searched.

July 22, 2003: Brewster-Jennings, the entire CIA WMD counter-proliferation network that Plame headed, ADDITIONALLY outed, also by Novak, putting all of its covert agents/contacts at risk of getting killed, and disabling all projects.

----------

So, if you think of Bushites/Blairites as more or less acting as one during this period (lots of evidence for it), "they" (B/B) were so panicked by Kelly's whistleblowing (the non-news that they'd "sexed up" the intel) that they were grilling him at a "safe house" during the SAME PERIOD that they were planning their move against Plame/BJ--PRIOR TO Wilson's publication. They expected Wilson's publication on July 6 (and possibly even baited him to publish; but, if nothing else, you can be sure that the NYT editors apprised them of it). But what they may NOT have expected are the "uncomfortable things" that Kelly "could say" that Blair was apprised of, on July 7.

What could the "uncomfortable things" have been, that Kelly had not yet gone public with? This theory posits that Kelly--an old hand at WMD inspections in Iraq, and a known "tough guy" with a strong commitment to counter-proliferation--either, a) had learned about the plot to plant nukes in Iraq, from his friends in Iraq--very dangerous knowledge; or, b) had himself helped to foil it (say, had tipped off covert agents/contacts in the BJ network, who would automatically move to stop illicit weapons movements, perhaps not even knowing who had initiated the movement).

The actions of the Bushites during the week of July 7-14 point to panic and haste. They may have had a conspiracy going to destroy the CIA, and to get rid of the CIA counter-proliferation project (because it stood in the way of their desire to manufacture war in Iraq, Iran and other Mideast countries). And they certainly wanted to get rid of Wilson--discredit him, "swiftboat" him. These things converged in the week of July 7-14, but the WAY they went about it--contacting SIX reporters (six journalist witnesses to treason)--was highly risky, and very stupid and blundering. Why would they be panicked about Wilson's article? They surely knew it was coming; it may even have been part of a longer-term CIA plot (to draw the CIA out on no-nukes-in-Iraq). Why the HASTE to "punish" Wilson and to out Plame/BJ? Why didn't they do it more quietly, more carefully--taking their time?

Their haste, panic, blundering--involving so many reporters and top Bushites--needs a trigger. And Wilson's article is simply not sufficient trigger for it.

So that's the theory, in essence. It successfully explains a lot of mysteries in this cloak-and-dagger event. And it MAY be what Traitorgate--as we know it, the outing of Plame/BJ--is a cover up FOR. (The outing was meant to terrify the BJ network--and even get some of its covert agents/contacts killed--for foiling their nifty scheme to plant nukes in Iraq.) (Note: There WERE some news reports from Islamic sources of a foiled US plot to plant WMDs in Iraq, but there has been no follow-up. Maybe this is why--the people who were reporting it are dead.)

But this--what is outlined above--is not a "white collar" crime, exactly. It is yet another Bush war crime. How to account for Fitzgerald "abandoning any interest" in the Plame outing? Maybe the extensive lying and deceit that he is running into has his nose in a twitch: something here, but what?

It isn't necessarily a plot to plant nukes in Iraq. That is still just a theory (although a pretty good one). Fitzgerald DOESN'T KNOW what the coverup is OF. But he definitely smells one, and wants to get to the bottom of it. WHY are they all lying so much?

Another good candidate for WHAT is being covered up--what the Plame/BJ outings was covering up--is Cheney's dirty arms dealings, and/or money tracks to 9/11. Also, it has recently been disclosed that Plame/BJ was working on counter-proliferation re Iran--and, given that the Bush junta wants to nuke or invade Iran, a successful counter-proliferation effort would remove their excuse (so they got rid of our counter-proliferation project).

And there is also the possibility that this Washington Note report is wrong about what Fitzgerald is thinking and doing.

[speedoo]

92. Fascinating. You have my brain exploding.

I don't put a lot of credence in the claim/speculation that Fitz has "abandoned" anything. His track record belies that notion.

As for the rest of your post....wow.

[marions ghost]

95. very interesting...

I had to read this quickly but I get the gist.

I am watching this case not just to see Rove get <something> by way of punishment for his role but also to see just how effective the judicial system really is against such government hijackers. We certainly can't say that we've seen anything but the best possible effort in Fitzgerald. But I want to know, as it plays out, if this kind of multiple obstruction of justice results in a legal quagmire that effectively stalls, thwarting any approach to the real truth...ie. the possibilities you are suggesting. When you have a whole culture of corruption, with no effective controls, is it really possible to get to the bottom of any of these cases? There are so many ways the perps can slip through the noose and just "get off" for high crimes and misdemeanors. I think this outcome will tell a lot about how functional our existing tools to fight any of this kind of treasonous activity are.

[Catrina]

107. Two great posts ~ there are so many angles to this story ~

July 7, 2003: Blair is informed that Kelly "could say some uncomfortable things" (Hutton report) ("could say," not "HAD said")

I wonder who informed him of that? Could it have been Judith Miller? Or someone to whom she passed on information given to her by Dr. Kelly? Assuming she was in touch with him before the email he sent her on July 17th. Has anyone ever asked her about her relationship with Dr. Kelly up to the day before his death, something she did not reveal when she wrote about his death?

I am glad they are reopening the case on Dr. Kelly, maybe there will be some answers ~

Your other theory, that even before Joe Wilson published his op-ed, the conspirators were trying to stop Valerie Plame's operation, if true, would completely change the story we have been told. Is it possible that they were concerned that Plame and BJ actually did send Joe Wilson to Niger, not on a 'junket' but because, possibly they were concerned about A.Q. Khan buying uranium from Niger?

I know that's pretty far-fetched, but as you said, the effort to out her and her operation and the risks they took to do so, doesn't make sense if it was just to 'get back' at Joe Wilson. There were many ways to get back at a guy who writes an article you don't like, they had become experts at that.

Excellent post, there are so many twists and turns in this story it's mind-boggling.

As far as Fitzgerald giving up on the underlying charge, I doubt that ~ and I do think he may want Rove's testimony to get to Cheney ~

[Patrick J Fitzgerald]

94. Dick...

is a good egg.

[BlooInBloo]

102. I'm not familiar with "The Washington Note" - anyone know em well?

Given the previous evidence-free happyhappy claims that have been made, hopefully I'll be forgiven for not immediately jumping on the newest happyhappy bandwagon...

What's the Note's history like?

[Imagevision]

109. Isn't Amitage currently employed or on the board oF directors for Carlyle?