Steal This Indictment

H2O Man

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Wed Jun-14-06 05:26 PM
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Steal This Indictment

"Steal This Indictment"

Scene One: Yale Newman

In his book "Soon to Be a Major Motion Picture," Abbie Hoffman told of a "kid named Yale Newman that everyone picked on in my grammer school because he was always trying to brown-nose the teacher." (page 197) We have all known a Yale Newman. They become more annoying as they reach junior high school, and transform into Young Republicans by their senior year.

Consider, for a moment, that Yale and seven of his friends get caught in what their republican parents might consider a mere prank, but which is actually a dangerous stunt that put the safety of their classmates at risk. At first, the principal does not want to address the "prank" -- because boys will be boys. But enough teachers complain that the principal calls the eight lads into a room, and lets them know that he is going to have to call the police.

While he is calling the police from his office, some of the eight lads in waiting attempt to create a cover story. They agree to place all responsibility on the victims of the prank, a tactic they have used many times in the past. However, when the police officer arrives, they begin to get nervous. It is not the local officer who is pals with their pops. Instead, it is someone from the state police.

Yale recognizes that he may be in real trouble. He begins to blame two of the old gang, Scooter and Dick, for getting him into a fine fix. The investigator calls a few students and faculty in to find out what happened that day. He notices that Yale is growing anxious. He decides to call Yale in. Then he calls in a couple other boys. Then Yale again. Then Scooter. Then Yale again. Then Dick, followed by Scooter for a second time. Then Yale again.

The seven boys begin to get nervous when Yale is in the office for a long time. "Looks like Yale is in trouble," one says. "That's his problem," says Dick. Scooter begins to giggle. But he stops when both Yale and the investigator come out, and the investigator says, "Scooter, your story doesn't add up. I've called your parents, because you are facing suspension. You go into the 'in-school detention' room until your mother gets here."

A few students who can't stand that ole' gang of Yale's are hoping that all of them get kicked out of school. They go into the front office to try to overhear what is going on, and they hear bits and pieces. They hear the investigator tell the principal that the boys aren't telling the truth, but that he knows the "prank" had been planned by Scooter and Dick.

They are moved to joy when they see Yale being called into the principal's office for a 5th time. And who can blame them? None of us liked Yale in grammer school. We grew to dislike him deeply in jr. high, and to hold him in utter contempt by high school. We all want Yale to get not simply suspened, but expelled.

So when the investigator comes out and says, "Okay, Yale, you can go back to class now," we are not happy. Some of us may try to blame the kids who snuck in the main office, to try to overhear any information they could. Others might blame the investigator. And others will pound their fist on their desk and say, "That diaper-faced Newman never seems to get caught for his crap! It's just not fair!" And, indeed, it's not.

Scene Two: How did Yale escape?

It may be worth looking back on the effort to have the US military invade and occupy Iraq, and the roles of Karl "Yale" Rove, Scooter Libby, and Dick Cheney, in order to determine how Karl escaped being indicted. Let's start with the end of the first Gulf War, when Presdent Bush1 decided to stop short of invading Baghdad. A group of neoconservatives were upset. They advocated the US take over the country, to create a US base and to access Iraq's natural resources.

They continued this effort during the 8 years of the Clinton administration. Some neoconservatives attempted to get Israel to invade Iraq. Most pressured Clinton with letters from "PNAC." Dick Cheney and Scooter Libby were among the leaders of this group. Karl Rove wasn't. Neither was George W. Bush.

The neoconservatives recognized in 1999 that George W. Bush would be a "useful idiot" in promoting their agenda, and so they began promoting him in his quest to become president. This included coordinating efforts with Bush's good friend Karl Rove. It should be remembered that President Bush1 had fired Rove for "leaking" information to journalist Robert Novak.

Karl Rove was and is a vicious, cut-throat political operative. His strengths and skills are in the area of party organization and media manipulation. He was not noted as a deep thinker as far as domestic policy, and like Bush, had zero experience in foreign policy. Thus, when the Supreme Court placed Bush in office, Karl's responsibilities did not include planning military strategy for the invasion of Iraq. There are no indications that Karl visited the CIA headquarters, and tried to intimidate analysts who said Saddam posed no threat to the US. The intelligence end went to Dick, Scooter, and the OSP.

Instead, Karl's focus was with the WHIG, which was geared towards media manipulation. The WHIG was geared to sell the war to the American public. That was right up Karl's alley. Karl didn't think up the Niger forgeries, for example, but he was involved in convincing the public that Saddam was preparing to attack the US with WMD.

When Ambassador Wilson began to challenge the Niger yellow cake lies, it concerned the boys from the OSP and OVP. From Wilson's book, we know three important things that are worth mentioning again:

{1} "After my appearance on CNN in early March 2003, when I first asserted that the US government knew more about the Niger uranium matter than it was letting on, I am told by a source close to the House Judiciary Committee that the office of the Vice President -- either the vice president himself or, more likely, his chief of staff Lewis ('Scooter') Libby -- chaired a meeting at which a decision was made to do a 'workup' on me." (page 441)

{2} "According to my sources, between March 2003 and the appearance of my article in July, the workup on me that turned up the information on Valerie was shared with Karl Rove, who then circulated it in administration and neoconservative circles." (page 443)

{3} "Apparently, according to two journalist sources of mine, when Rove learned that he might have violated the law, he turned on Cheney and Libby and made it clear that he held them responsible for the problem they had created for the administration." (page 444)

The operation to damage the Wilsons involved both intelligence (OSP) and media (WHIG) involvement. Scooter Libby's attorneys have attempted to spin it as purely a media event, with the biggest dispute being what reporter brought Valerie Plame's identity to Scooter's attention. By focusing on the media aspect, they attempt to put the ball in the WHIG/journalists' court.

But the truth is that journalists like Novak, Cooper, Matthews, and Russert didn't know about Valerie until the WHIG started spreading her name and identity among journalists. And Karl Rove, the head of that end, couldn't have known about Valerie Plame unless the boys from the intelligence end gave him the information and told him to do his thing.

Scene Three: The Grate Escape

The law that is supposed to punish people for exposing CIA agents in the manner that Cheney, Libby, and Rove did Valerie Wilson is difficult to enforce. Thus, as stated in his press conference last October, Patrick Fitzgerald found other charges to press against Scooter Libby. There seems to be a very good chance that Scooter Libby will be convicted of all five counts that Mr. Fitzgerald
has charged him with.

It seemed likely last fall that Karl Rove would also be indicted for his role in the scandal. Like Libby, it seemed that he was most at risk for being indicted for his attempts to cover up his role. However, because of some work by his attorney, Rove escaped without being charged.

However, Mr. Fitzgerald continued to investigate Rove's role. He testified in front of the new grand jury. Reports by Murray Waas revealed that FBI investigators had been convinced Rove and Novak had engaged in a coordinated effort to "cover" for Karl. Sources close to the investigation, usually defense attorneys connected to other people who testified before the grand jury, were confident that Rove would be indicted.

In early May, Jason Leopold of Truthout reported that Rove would be indicted. This was something that other journalists and people interested in the case had heard. I had been told something similar, and told a few people I was confident he would be indicted. At the approximate time that I had been told that Mr. Fitzgerald would sum up the case for the grand jury's consideration, TO reported that he had been indicted. I also wrote an essay about a Frog March in May, and posted other things on DU that expressed my belief that Rove would be indicted.

David Shuster of MSNBC reported that he believed there was a good chance that Rove would be indicted. Another internet source reported that Dick Armitage faced indictment. There apparently was some activity involving Mr. Fitzgerald's office, Rove's attorneys, and others involved in the case. TO reported Rove had been indicted, and that it was a sealed indictment.

However, Karl Rove is not facing indictment at this time. And there is no reason to expect that will change anytime soon, if ever. And there is no question that this is a victory for Rove. All other things being equal, not being indicted by Mr. Fitzgerald certainly beats being indicted. But that does not mean Rove is an all-powerful genius who came out on top.

The Wilsons' attorney has noted that they may bring a civil suit against Rove. And Congressman Waxman has called for a congressional investigation into how Rove spread classified information. More, the general public is aware that the White House was caught lying when they claimed Karl wasn't involved in the scandal. And the administration is aware that Karl may be called as a witness in the Libby trial.

Finally, some insightful sources believe that Karl Rove may be cooperating with Mr. Fitzgerald. It appears from reading the documents filed in the Libby case that Mr. Fitzgerald is aware that VP Cheney played a more active role in the operation against Joseph Wilson than has been previously disclosed. Although Rove's attorney and spokesman have denied that Karl has made a deal with the prosecutor, Luskin has previously stated that Rove is cooperating with the investigation.

Scene Four: Curtain Calls

The White House is saying that Mr. Fitzgerald's decision not to indict Karl allows Rove to put the scandal behind him. Abbie Hoffman described Yale Newman as "slightly uncouth, with pants that always looked like there was a load hanging in the back." That's the image of Karl Rove that we need to promote. And the load in his trousers is his involvement with Libby and Cheney in the Plame scandal.

He was cleared of nothing.