[Ninong]

Originally Posted by schrocat

Really?

I'm not so sure Luskin is done floundering...

You can stick a fork in him, he's done!

You think it's a done deal?

I think the only question now is the number of counts of giving false statements and/or perjury and whether he gets hit with obstruction of justice. Fitzgerald may not charge perjury because of Rove's repeated recanting of previous testimony. Remember, Scooter Libby stuck to his same story throughout but Rove did not. He appeared before the grand jury on four separate occasions, the last three to "clarify" his previous testimony and add new information that he had just remembered. He has an extremely feeble memory for someone who is reputed to have an IQ of 160.

Within the first two or three weeks of his investigation, Fitzgerald was convinced that both Libby and Rove were lying and were concealing evidence. That's why he asked for written clarification from the Justice Department that he was authorized to pursue obstruction of justice, perjury, and other related criminal acts in addition to the underlying crime of outing a covert CIA agent.

Remember that Rove's email to Stephen Hadley was NOT discovered in the initial search of his "records." It was only discovered AFTER Rove found out that Matt Cooper was going to talk. That's when he supposedly called Hadley to ask him about the email. And, isn't it strange that Hadley didn't turn over that email during the initial FBI investigation when all White House staffers were ordered to turn over any and all communications relating to discussions of Valerie Plame Wilson's position at the CIA.

Now that Rove's chief of staff, Susan Ralston, has testified AGAIN to clarify exactly what Rove told her about how he wanted her to handle that telephone call from Matt Cooper to Rove, I guess we can expect Luskin to request that Rove be allowed to make a fifth grand jury appearance to explain this new wrinkle. Ralston has testified that Rove gave her specific instructions to NOT log in his phone conversation with Cooper.

My take on this whole thing is that Fitzgerald knows what happened. He knows because at least two White House insiders have flipped after Fitzgerald threatened to indict them. They have told Fitzgerald everything! Now it's just a matter of what can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. I don't think Fitzgerald wants to bring any weak charges against anybody. He wants to make sure that his case is so solid that the perps will plead out or be convicted at trial.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Rove indicted before the end of next week.

P.S. -- Initially, Rove insisted that he was NOT the source for either Robert Novak or Matt Cooper. That's what he told the FBI and that was his original testimony before the grand jury. He insisted then that he had heard about this from a reporter but he couldn't remember which reporter. He pretended that he was just confirming something he had heard from the press. The truth of the matter is that he was the original source for both Robert Novak and Matt Cooper. We still don't know the name of the other original source for Robert Novak. Remember that Robert Novak wrote that he had confirmed his information with two senior administration officials. I'm sure Fitzgerald knows the name of Novak's other source.

[Ninong]

Fitzgerald is going back before the grand jury this morning to present additional evidence against Karl Rove.

[schrocat]

Karl talks a mean game, and is the embodiment of bullying...BUT!

I can't help but wonder if he isn't going to squeal like Porky Pig if charged.

There are bigger fish to frie BIG TIME bigger fish.
If Karl fries the fish, he gets to see his kid grow up like most of us do, and not through a 3ft x 3ft pane of bullet proof glass.

Karl has never done what is best for his country.
Maybe he'll do what's best for his kid?

Or...maybe what's best for his kid is for his traitorous father to be removed from society for a bit.

[Ninong]

"I'm confident the president knows who the source is," Novak told a luncheon audience at the John Locke Foundation in Raleigh on Tuesday. "I'd be amazed if he doesn't."

"So I say, 'Don't bug me. Don't bug Bob Woodward. Bug the president as to whether he should reveal who the source is.' "

[schrocat]

Originally Posted by Ninong

"I'm confident the president knows who the source is," Novak told a luncheon audience at the John Locke Foundation in Raleigh on Tuesday. "I'd be amazed if he doesn't."

"So I say, 'Don't bug me. Don't bug Bob Woodward. Bug the president as to whether he should reveal who the source is.' "

I was juuuust about to post that... when I thought, "schro ya better hit refresh on the ole browser."

...and there you were!


This is the type of stuff I'm refering to with these damn beltway "whack-a-mole" reporters.

The President knew (and knows) who told Novak... priceless.

Idiots.

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by schrocat

The President knew (and knows) who told Novak... priceless.

Idiots.

The President probably knew way back in the very beginning when he made the statement that we may never learn the identify of the leaker(s). That was when the FBI was in charge of the investigation and people like Karl Rove and Scooter Libby had no reason to believe that the investigation would go anywhere. It's possible that he knew even sooner than that but we may never know that for sure.

If I had to put money on it, I wouldn't want to bet that he knew in advance. He's too hands-off to get involved in the petty stuff like Nixon did. Chances are that this was just another one of Karl Rove's dirty tricks that was cooked up in one of those political strategy meetings that he and Libby hold all the time. I doubt that Andy Card knew in advance but I'm sure that Dick Cheney did because Scooter Libby attends all of those meetings as Cheney's eyes and ears and they discuss everything and everybody in detail.

[Ninong]

I'm predicting a trifecta for T-Blossom:

One count each of making false statements, perjury and obstruction of justice.

The making false statements charge would be during his FBI interview and the perjury charge would involve his first grand jury appearance. The obstruction of justice charge would involve deliberate concealment of evidence.

[Ninong]

You have to occasionaly read the wingnut press just to see what they're up to. I love the way they try to spin the unpleasant realities.

Here is an excellent example of what they're saying about the possibility of a Rove indictment:

"Rove's supporters believe it would be a weak case, a good deal weaker than the perjury and obstruction case Fitzgerald has made against Libby... Still, it's possible Fitzgerald will forge ahead, in part because his much-publicized, two-year investigation has so far produced relatively meager results. After intense probing, and working with virtually unlimited power and discretion, the hard-charging prosecutor has succeeded in indicting one person, Libby, although not for an underlying offense, and disrupting or marring the careers of journalists Judith Miller, Cooper, Woodward, and, most recently, Time's Viveca Novak. Some Fitzgerald watchers find it difficult to believe that he will close up shop and go home with a record like that."



I'm getting dizzy from all that spinning!

Let's see how many spins we can detect in that small sample. Fitzgerald's investigation is "much-publicized," it's a lengthy "two-year" investigation that has produced only "meager results" after "intense probing" by a "hard-charging" prosecutor working with "virtually unlimited power" who has succeeded in indicting only "one person" but "not for the underlying offense" while maliciously "disrupting or marring" the careers of such fine journalists as Judy Miller, Matt Cooper, Bob Woodward and Viveca Novak, who did absolutely nothing wrong and were simply reporting what they were asked to report by their friends in the White House.

[schrocat]

Originally Posted by Ninong

You have to occasionaly read the wingnut press just to see what they're up to. I love the way they try to spin the unpleasant realities.

Here is an excellent example of what they're saying about the possibility of a Rove indictment:

"Rove's supporters believe it would be a weak case, a good deal weaker than the perjury and obstruction case Fitzgerald has made against Libby... Still, it's possible Fitzgerald will forge ahead, in part because his much-publicized, two-year investigation has so far produced relatively meager results. After intense probing, and working with virtually unlimited power and discretion, the hard-charging prosecutor has succeeded in indicting one person, Libby, although not for an underlying offense, and disrupting or marring the careers of journalists Judith Miller, Cooper, Woodward, and, most recently, Time's Viveca Novak. Some Fitzgerald watchers find it difficult to believe that he will close up shop and go home with a record like that."



I'm getting dizzy from all that spinning!

Let's see how many spins we can detect in that small sample. Fitzgerald's investigation is "much-publicized," it's a lengthy "two-year" investigation that has produced only "meager results" after "intense probing" by a "hard-charging" prosecutor working with "virtually unlimited power" who has succeeded in indicting only "one person" but "not for the underlying offense" while maliciously "disrupting or marring" the careers of such fine journalists as Judy Miller, Matt Cooper, Bob Woodward and Viveca Novak, who did absolutely nothing wrong and were simply reporting what they were asked to report by their friends in the White House.

Newsmax or WTimes?

What idiot wrote that?

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by schrocat

What idiot wrote that?

The same idiot who wrote this. Byron York!



The excerpts in my post came from his article in National Review Online preparing the faithful for the possibility that the over-zealous, conservative Republican prosecutor, who was appointed to his post as U.S. Attorney in Chicago, by Dear Leader himself, may have turned to the dark side and is now engaging in dangerously uncontrolled independent investigations that threaten to bring down certain Big Time members of the current ruling class.

This will come as a shock to those folks who get all of their "news" from Fox News Channel, so I think the wingnuts are just preparing the faithful for the possibility that this miscarriage of justice could happen in spite of the assurances of Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity that T-Blossom was home free.

Incidentally, I'm sure you probably knew this already, but I just learned that that particular nickname was given to Rove by the Preznit himself!

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by Ninong

Fitzgerald is going back before the grand jury this morning (Wednesday) to present additional evidence against Karl Rove.

Fitzgerald was supposed to appear before the grand jury Wednesday but he received a phone call early Wednesday from his Chicago office alerting him to developments there in the indictment of Conrad Black. So he flew to Chicago to announce those indictments. He's still the U.S. Attorney for Northern Illinois in addition to his special prosecutor duties.

Anyway, he's back in D.C. now and some cable news channels are reporting that he's meeting with the grand jury right now (Friday). Hopefully they're wrapping up a Fitzmas present for Karl Rove.

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by Ninong

"I'm confident the president knows who the source is," Novak told a luncheon audience at the John Locke Foundation in Raleigh on Tuesday. "I'd be amazed if he doesn't."

"So I say, 'Don't bug me. Don't bug Bob Woodward. Bug the president as to whether he should reveal who the source is.' "

I see where CNN has just announced that after 25 years in captivity, they are releasing Novakula back to his natural habitat -- Fox News Channel.

[schrocat]

Ho Ho Ho!

Somebody's getting a lump of coal!

[schrocat]

Just before the Holidays!!
Foxnews hires Scrooge. !!!!

What incredibly bad timing...

The gifts just keep coming.

Maybe we should gather 'round the Festivus pole? ooops I meant poll.

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by schrocat

Just before the Holidays!!
Foxnews hires Scrooge. !!!!

I saw that and CNN's action troubles me because I always thought that after you have kept wildlife in captivity for a number of years (25 years to be exact), you shouldn't release it back to its natural habitat. What if he caught something from Lou Dobbs or Wolf Blitzer?

OK, so what happens when Novakula disagrees with Hannity or O'Reilly? Does he storm off the set?

Do you think he'll invite James Carville as his first guest?

[Ninong]

...I guess we will have to content ourselves with the latest from Novakula: http://www.nationalledger.com/artman...27262317.shtml

Interesting column from the Prince of Darkness. Could it be that Trent Lott's devil-may-care attitude the past few months is related to his intention to not seek reelection or is he simply maneuvering for more leverage in his quest to regain the Majority Leader's post?

[Ninong]

...for a Fitzukkah present from Patrick Fitzgerald. Fitzukkah doesn't end until sundown January 2nd. I would love to have a Fitzukkah present to add to my Fitzmas present.

The clown on the right in this picture should receive his Fitzukkah surprise any day now. The clown on the left is a Fox News dork. I borrowed the picture from a Fox News website. It was supposedly taken a couple of weeks ago at the White House "holiday party" (Fox's term) for the media.



I think T-Blossom is trying to give rabbit ears to the other guy but he just isn't clear on the concept. Karl, raise your hand above the other guy's head!

[schrocat]

It's the Fox & Friends giggling idiot "mascot"!

That better be a fingertip I see over the gigglin' idiots head.
If not, Karl might be fishing for cocktail weenies with his free hand again.

[Ninong]

I have it on good authority that Karl was the perfect gentleman at the holiday party -- no debriefing sessions!

[schrocat]

Small miracle.