Fitzmas Fizzle

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Fitzmas Fizzle

Postby Jerky » Thu Nov 03, 2005 5:44 pm

The much-anticipated political holiday that many in the bloggosphere were calling Fitzmas has come and gone, and you can color yer old pal Jerky distinctly unimpressed. I think a pale shade of grey should do it. <br><br>It was one week ago, after two weeks of speculative clit-flicking by America's buffoonish journalistic establishment, that Special Prosecutor Patrick "the Bulldog" Fitzgerald revealed the fruits of his two year investigation into the outing of CIA operative Valerie Plame by White House officials. And what spectacular fruits they were! "Big" Dick Cheney's Chief of Staff Irving "Scooter" Lewis Libby Junior indicted on two counts of perjury, two counts of making false statements (which, to yer old pal Jerky's untrained legal ear, sounds a lot like perjury), and one count obstruction of justice. <br><br>I don't know about you, but yer old pal Jerky didn't exactly shoot hot loads of mansap down his pants-leg over the slim pickings Uncle Fitz left in our collective fireside stocking. Yeah, sure, it's great that Scooter -- a typically perverse neoconservative who spends his free time writing novels about ten year old girls getting raped by bears in Japanese brothels -- was forced to resign. Future historians will no doubt have a swell time memorizing how this most corrupt of presidential administrations was the first in 135 years to have a sitting White House staffer be indicted for federal felonies. <br><br>And yet, even despite assurances that the investigation goes on, I can't help but feel as though we've just been shuffled from Purgatory to Limbo. It's like we've all been standing in line for two years, only to find out that our destination was the ass-end of (SURPRISE!) another fucking line. <br><br>If there's anything more pathetic than watching the journalistic Big Boys break in to their regularly scheduled programming to breathlessly report on three-year-old news, I can't imagine what it is. You say Dubya told Arab leaders that God ordered him to invade Iraq?! You say this administration is sabotaging its own intelligence agencies for some nefarious reason? You say there's a chance that the White House might have knowingly led the nation into a disastrously mismanaged invasion under false pretenses?! <br><br>Hey, thanks for blowing our minds, Anderson Cooper. <br><br>Meanwhile, tucked away in a shadowy hyper-dimensional vortex some call TEH OBVIOUS!!1!!, some of us have known all this for years. Just like we knew that Scooter was involved in outing Valerie Plame since February of 2003, when the Preznit gave his word that he wasn't. <br><br>Which brings us back to Patrick Fitzgerald, the Ashcroft-appointed Republican prosecutor who suddenly found himself in the curious position of bearing all the hopes and dreams of America's shell-shocked liberals on his shoulders. Even if the guy was as clean as his reputation, he was still given a Sisyphean task, akin to transferring two tons of dog turds from a public beach to a faraway composting center, using nothing but a rickety old shopping cart. Don't ask how that analogy works; you're gonna have to trust me on this one. The point is, it's all theater. <br><br>Look at how he handled Judith Miller. He put the New York Times' star reporter in jail for a few months, and now she's out, free to write a book about her "principled stand". By now, it has become all too obvious that she opted for a short sit rather than revealing the part she played in the closed circuit conspiracy that helped shepherd America into the Shadow of the Valley of Death. How brave and noble is that?! <br><br>Sadly, the futility of the exercise hasn't stopped some hopelessly optimistic observers from trying to discern possible future impeachment routes in Fitzgerald's indictment. Stirling Newberry's Talmudic parsing of the documents provide one example. And then there's the Times' own Frank Rich, squealing: "Here it comes, maaan! Just you wait and see! They'll be getting theirs soon enough, maaan! This whole rotten pumpkin is about to be kicked wide open!" <br><br>How soon they forget the Enron debacle, and Cheney's secret Energy Taskforce meetings, and the manufactured California energy crisis that resulted from those meetings, and the ongoing censorship of the Abu Ghraib Picture Show, and the two stolen elections, and a couple dozen other theoretically administration-toppling scandals that have all been successfully pantsed and shoved head-first into the toilet by these cackling throwbacks to every nerd's worst high school nightmares. <br><br>The pathetic truth of the matter is that this criminal cabal has been getting away with murder for years, and they're probably going to continue getting away with it. <br><br>So what if Fitzgerald uncovered the fact that Libby first learned of Plame's CIA status from Dick Cheney in the weeks before Bob Novak outed her? Both these comic book villains had full intel clearances at the time, so no crime was committed. Nyah-nyah! <br><br>And who cares if, as has long been rumored, those notorious forged Nirgerian uranium documents were the work of rogue elements within the American intelligence community? US District Judge Reggie Walton -- a right-wing Reagan appointee who dutifully followed Cheney and Ashcroft's orders to gag 9/11 FBI whistleblower Sibel Edmonds -- has already been assigned to the case. Thus, the Mighty Right Wing Media Wurlitzer has every reason to feel confident as they continue spewing lies into the gaping mouths of their fish-like disinformation consumers. <br><br>And Hank can continue to link to them, even though I suspect he knows better. <br><br>No, nothing happened on Fitzmas worth getting excited about. You'd only be setting yourself up for a fall. Even if Karl Rove's mysterious last minute maneuverings hadn't succeeded in temporarily extricating his fat neck from Fitzgerald's dangling noose, Thursday's announcement would have been anti-climactic. <br><br>Ahab didn't give a shit about Flipper. He would settle for nothing less than thrusting a razor-sharp harpoon into the vast, thundering heart of the Great White Whale. And me? The only thing that would satisfy me now was if Fitzgerald got out a butcher's knife, hacked and slashed his way through flesh, flab and bone, and at long last exposed the black and shriveled heart of the criminal conspiracy currently occupying the Captain's Quarters of America's ship of state. <br><br>Because (and I mean this sincerely) that's probably the only way we'll ever get to find out who really killed JFK.<br><br>(longer, links-filled version available at my blog, www.dirtfiles.com) <p></p><i></i>
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Fitzmas Fizzle

Postby sunny » Thu Nov 03, 2005 9:46 pm

Right-O, Jerky, I went from initially optimistic when I realized the investigation wasn't over, to feeling betrayed all over again. There is no justice in this world. How could there be when these horrible criminals never have to pay for one damned despicable thing they do, not even at the ballot box?<br>How long can this oppressive, demoralizing, hideous state of affairs continue before people completely blow their tops? How long can they continue to push us into a corner, killing our children, lying to us, stealing from us, making us sick, and hiding their crimes?<br>The only hope I have is that Karma can be one mean mother-effing bitch and she never fails to deliver, even when we can't see her justice. <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p216.ezboard.com/brigorousintuition.showUserPublicProfile?gid=sunny@rigorousintuition>sunny</A> at: 11/3/05 6:49 pm<br></i>
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It's not over till it's over.

Postby banned » Thu Nov 03, 2005 10:33 pm

Fitzgerald's investigation wasn't Santy Claus time.<br><br>It's chess.<br><br>You don't win at chess by sitting down at the board and sending your queen after your opponent's king.<br><br>But you can still end up with checkmate.<br><br>Libby may have been the sacrificial pawn, but that gambit doesn't always work.<br><br>The only thing that fizzled was the enthusiasm of a lot of people who didn't understand what was going on anyway. <p></p><i></i>
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Re: It's not over till it's over.

Postby antiaristo » Thu Nov 03, 2005 10:38 pm

banned,<br>Some of us are enjoying the subtlety of it all.<br> <p></p><i></i>
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anti, it could still fizzle of course....

Postby banned » Thu Nov 03, 2005 10:48 pm

...one never knows what the PTB have up their sleeve, if we did we wouldn't always be playing catch up ball. <p></p><i></i>
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The fat lady is not singing yet

Postby Prac » Thu Nov 03, 2005 11:00 pm

<br><br>We just don't know what Fitzgerald is doing.<br><br>The question that I'd like him and others to ask of Wilson is why he waited till after the war started to drop his Op-Ed bombshell.<br><br>Wilson was quiet until the war started and then spoke out.<br><br>Why?<br><br><br><br>The story just doesn't add up... and<br><br>___________ <p>What's done in this world is what's paid for...<br>...Who's had the Money</p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p216.ezboard.com/brigorousintuition.showUserPublicProfile?gid=prac@rigorousintuition>Prac</A> at: 11/3/05 8:03 pm<br></i>
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Re: anti, it could still fizzle of course....

Postby antiaristo » Thu Nov 03, 2005 11:06 pm

banned,<br>I agree, depending on initial expectations.<br>But as far as I'm concerned we've already had more than most would have expected only a month ago.<br>Many forces are in play, and for the first time they have lost the initiative.<br>If there are no more indictments I'll be surprised, but overall, I won't be disappointed.<br>The POLITICAL impact, on top of the Downing Street Minutes, is enormous. <p></p><i></i>
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conspiracy indictment

Postby dbeach » Thu Nov 03, 2005 11:16 pm

<!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://p216.ezboard.com/frigorousintuitionfrm10.showMessage?topicID=1800.topic">p216.ezboard.com/frigorou...1800.topic</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br><br>ANTI <br><br>I agree with ya..only WHY did Fitgerald not ask for a conspiracy count?<br><br>Reading that article from the attorney from Maryland <br><br>makes me think a few times about Mr. Fitzgerald.<br><br>I am pleased that libby is caught BUT the depth and ubiquity of the fascist grib on power is intense..<br><br>Unless bush and/<br>or cheny is removed from power and the USA returns to some form of political sanity then nothing changes.<br><br><br>I realize we are still miles from the grand finale BUT.... <p></p><i></i>
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Re: anti, it could still fizzle of course....

Postby chiggerbit » Thu Nov 03, 2005 11:22 pm

What you have to remember is Fitz's patience, as demonstrated by his investigation/prosecution of Ryan, the ex-governor of Illinois, which began in 1998 I believe, and has only now progressed to bringing Ryan to trial. How many years is that? Patience, patience. As Fitz said, perjury, ostruction have impeded this serious investigation. This could go on for years. First he has to get the impediments out of the way.<br><br>What did you expect, the prezzie all tied up in Christmas paper with glittery bows? <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p216.ezboard.com/brigorousintuition.showUserPublicProfile?gid=chiggerbit@rigorousintuition>chiggerbit</A> at: 11/3/05 9:16 pm<br></i>
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My guess is he didn't go for conspiracy...

Postby banned » Thu Nov 03, 2005 11:42 pm

...First, because it's hella hard to prove when you're only indicting one person. Conspiracy isn't masturbation, you gotta have at least two people. <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :p --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/tongue.gif ALT=":p"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> And right now all we have is Scooterpie.<br><br>Second, just because of the WORD.<br><br>Seriously! The rightwingnuts are bleating anyway that this is a leftist fantasy of conspiracy at the top.<br><br>I think keeping that word OUT of play at least for now is a case of discretion being the better part of valor.<br><br>If he indicts somebody else he can add conspiracy to Scootie-poot's list of tsuris. <p></p><i></i>
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Re: conspiracy indictment

Postby antiaristo » Thu Nov 03, 2005 11:51 pm

dbeach,<br>I can't see any advantage to bringing a conspiracy indictment prematurely. He's a stickler for truly finding the big picture and he won't show his hand until he's sure he's on top of it.<br><br>He didn't HAVE to put all those facts in the indictment. He did it for a reason. They are facts, he believes the American people should know them, and they demonstrate a conspiracy to further a criminal enterprise.<br><br>But thet are not the WHOLE of the conspiracy.<br><br>Can't you see? The White House is falling apart. The interests of the parties are rapidly diverging. They don't know what to do. Bush's ratings fell by about six points in October. <p></p><i></i>
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Gene Lyons, Arkansas Democrat Gazette, sez...

Postby banned » Fri Nov 04, 2005 12:41 am

"Basically, Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald’s got him by the—well, Scooter’s in an extremely vulnerable position, and the prosecutor’s squeezing him. Either he rolls over and tells the unvarnished truth about the White House scheme to leak the covert identity of CIA operative Valerie Plame or he’s looking at serious time in a federal penitentiary.<br><br>Fitzgerald’s running the thing like a classic organized crime investigation."<br><br>Squeeze the capo to give you the Don. Or in this case, the Dick. <p></p><i></i>
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analogies

Postby Homeless Halo » Fri Nov 04, 2005 1:27 am

I'm not the least bit suprised. I should also say, that just because we haven't seen the "big" players indicted, doesn't mean that we haven't seen the "big" players indicted. I can tell you, that for my money, I'd pay to see "scooter" in jail before I'd go for Rove. Cheny and his people always keep the game as close to them as possible. Bush's people are being ignored, NOT because he's the evil president ringleader (ala Nixon) but because he is an irrelevant tool of the PNAC (which the FBI has been watching since the late nineties at least), who themselves are calling the shots here. Long story short: Scooter is scarier than anyone standing next to W. He has to be a "big" dog himself, regardless of the fact that Joe and Jane Middletown have never fucking head of him, otherwise Cheny wouldn't even talk to him.<br><br>Bush has been slipping for awhile. The only danger he can represent to us now is in the possibility of a panic manuever. Failing that, we should just keep an eye on which rats make it off this ship. <p></p><i></i>
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Ok peter pessimist

Postby OnoI812 » Fri Nov 04, 2005 4:00 am

and we should believe you ...why?<br><br>because you give us the authoritative facts such as <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>Just like we knew that Scooter was involved in outing Valerie Plame since <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>February of 2003</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--></em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> and <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>Which brings us back to Patrick Fitzgerald, <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>the Ashcroft-appointed</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> Republican prosecutor who suddenly found himself in the curious position of bearing all the hopes and dreams of America's shell-shocked liberals on his shoulders</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--><br><br>sorry but I n I no deal with nuh negitive vibrations...deal with it that fascion and yuh done. You got nothing comin sep a hole heap of dread.... <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p216.ezboard.com/brigorousintuition.showUserPublicProfile?gid=onoi812>OnoI812</A> at: 11/4/05 1:05 am<br></i>
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Reply

Postby Jerky » Fri Nov 04, 2005 4:13 am

When I wrote: "Just like we knew that Scooter was involved in outing Valerie Plame since February of 2003", I rounded it off by saying that it was because that was when Bush said he wasn't involved. Bush always lies, 100% of the time, so we could know with 100% certainty that Libby was involved. I was being facetious, but also serious. Al Franken calls it "kidding on the square."<br><br>And when I wrote that Fitzgerald was an "Ashcroft-appointed Republican prosecutor who suddenly found himself in the curious position of bearing all the hopes and dreams of America's shell-shocked liberals on his shoulders", I was merely stating fact. Unless you care to refute them.<br><br><br> <p></p><i></i>
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