Ben Stein: Fitzgerald is a "thug," Libby is victim of "horrible, Stalinesque persecution"
On the November 8 edition of MSNBC's The Situation with Tucker Carlson, Fox News contributor and former Nixon speechwriter Ben Stein referred to special counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald as "a thug" and lamented the indictment of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, as a "horrible, Stalinesque persecution." Libby's indictment came as part of Fitzgerald's investigation into the alleged outing of CIA operative Valerie Plame.
From the November 8 edition of MSNBC's The Situation with Tucker Carlson:
STEIN: The real bad thing that's happened has been this horrible, Stalinesque persecution -- not prosecution, persecution -- of Scooter Libby, this putting the White House on trial for politics as usual, criminalizing defense of the president's policy in Iraq. It's just shameful. You could --
CARLSON: But it looks bad, though. I mean, it looks bad. Here you have a prosecutor who apparently --
STEIN: Of course it looks bad.
CARLSON: -- is holding out for hard time. You have him claiming he's caught Scooter Libby in seven separate documentable lies.
STEIN: You know something? You know something? If you -- I hope I'm not an excessively criminal person, but if you -- if you were giving me 30, 40, 50 phone calls a day, conversations with people, then called me in before a grand jury and said to recount what happened in each of those conversations two years later, I'm sure you would catch me in 700 inconsistencies. That is just standard business as usual. It is standard business as usual to pass out leaks to reporters in Washington. This prosecuting business as usual in Washington is just a way to break the political process down and make it into an illegal, criminal process. It doesn't have any role in the Constitution. This guy is a thug. This Fitzgerald is a thug.
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Please. I've read and heard from people on both the left and right about how fair Fitzgerald is. "Stalinesque"? Anyone who says that can't be taken seriously.
It is silly, but I can't say I didn't see it coming. Look for more attacks and acrimony aimed at Fitzy. It is the last defence of scoundrels.
So what if Libby may have lied AND obstructed justice, Fitzy is just being a bully! I guess some conservatives have difficulty holding one of their own to the same standard they held Clinton. More partisan logic.
The conservatives are really becoming unhinged by all of this. They can't seem to agree how to counter-attack. Victory Toensing/Sean Hannity are pushing the conspiracy theory that the CIA was out to get the Whitehouse and sending Wilson to Niger was just part of that elaborate rouse. It is funny to listen to. Many callers apparently take this stupidity seriously. Of course, we all know how gullible some people can be. These are the faith-based people. No evidence is needed in order to establish a firm belief.
It's funny listening to conservatives call people thugs particularly after the Wilson, Kerry, Cleland, Clinton and Gore character assassinations over the past several years.
"Anyone...Anyone..."
Saw the interview. Ben is an intellgent person, but his stand on this is garbage. Fitzgerald is about as fair a you can get. Ben is only proving a variation on an old axiom, "If you do as stupid people do enough, you become a stupid person." Very stupid Ben, surrendering indepedent thought for political ideology. Maybe he is just flashing back to his time in the Nixon administration.
ufleirx,
I don't think the Nixon crew ever came to terms with that fact that what they did was wrong. Buchannon still refers to it as the time "they brought down a president". Nixon brought himself down. .
Once again we see a ridiculous opinion unanswered on Carlson's show. With Carlson and Scarborough distinctly on the right and Hardball continuing to skew its panels rightward, all we have is Keith Olbermann to give a modetate left-of-center perspective. MSNBC might as well be called FoxJunior.
Fitz, a thug? Hilarious. Maybe Ben should return to Comedy Central with a new show.
Win Ben Stein's Brain Cell.
More like "Find Ben Stein's Brain Cell." The contestants could travel all over the world, as in "The Amazing Race."
Too bad the outcome will always be a scoreless draw.
Sounds to me as though the Right hopes to intimidate Mr. Fitzgerald into not bringing any more indictments, whether against Mr. Rove or some other top administration official. And I do find it somewhat interesting that Dr. Rice is apparently quite determined to keep herself out of the country as much as possible these days.
Sounds to me as though the Right hopes to intimidate Mr. Fitzgerald into not bringing any more indictments, whether against Mr. Rove or some other top administration official. And I do find it somewhat interesting that Dr. Rice is apparently quite determined to keep herself out of the country as much as possible these days.
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That's gonna be kinda tough to do with the tape of shrub praisin' him for the dignified way he's conductin' himself and the investigation. Then again, this bunch has never been concerned with little things like facts, evidence or reality.
Who thinks Ben Stein is sane?
Bueller? ... Bueller?
hillarious!
it's nonsense to call libby's lies "inconsistencies". fitzgerald said he told an elaborate tale that was completely contradicted by the evidence. he claimed to learn of plame's identity from reporters, but the testimony of other bush officials made clear that he already knew before he talked to the reporters.
If Fitzgerald is a "thug," What was Kenneth Starr?
Mr. Stein has one thing correct.
Character assassination, smear, lying, obstructing justice, and covering up corruption and wrongdoing ...
... is "just standard business as usual" for this Administration.
Fitzgerald ? A Thug? Yeah,ok.If Fitzgerald is a thug then I guess Judge Judy is a terrorist.Ha Ha
Funny that we never heard bad things about Fitzgerald before the indictments.
You know things are getting bad when the Republicans attack one of their own, or am I the last surviving person who remembers that Fitzgerald is a Bush appointee?
Stein needs to stick to his gameshow.
Stein: "if you were giving me 30, 40, 50 phone calls a day, conversations with people, then called me in before a grand jury and said to recount what happened in each of those conversations two years later, I'm sure you would catch me in 700 inconsistencies."
EMPATHY! Wow, I am totally blown away. I thought Ring-Worm Pundits lacked the ability to put themselves in another person's shoes. Now if only they could extend themselves a little further and think about how it must feel have your career thrown down a toilet by being outed, we might be getting somewhere! Woot!
C'mon guys--take it easy on Ben. He might simply be signalling Dubya that he is open to being nominated to SCOTUS.
WTF is Ben Stein anyway? Isn't he a game show host or something? This moron is irrelevant.