Spinonymous sourcing: NY Times cited anonymous Republicans on "clinical" Libby deliberations
In a July 4 New York Times article on the "long debate" the White House claimed to have engaged in before President Bush commuted former vice presidential chief of staff I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby's 30-month prison term, reporters Sheryl Gay Stolberg and Jim Rutenberg reported that the process "was almost clinical" and involved a "detailed focus on the facts of the case," citing "the accounts of two Republican allies of the White House" who chose to remain anonymous "[b]ecause the deliberations were so closely held." The article quoted one of the anonymous Republicans saying: "They were digging deeply into the substance of the charges against him, and the defense for him." But Stolberg and Rutenberg offered no explanation of why a Republican ally of the Bush administration should be granted anonymity simply to back up the White House's claims regarding the Libby commutation.
Stolberg and Rutenberg quoted Bush's July 3 claim that he "weighed this decision carefully," and reported that "[t]he White House deliberations in the case of Mr. Libby, a key architect of the war in Iraq who served as chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, were scattered throughout Mr. Bush's regular business over the past several weeks, an administration official said." The article went on to report:
That description, along with the accounts of two Republican allies of the White House, illuminated a process that was almost clinical, with a detailed focus on the facts of the case, which stemmed from an investigation into the leak of a C.I.A. operative's identity. Mr. Libby was accused of lying to investigators and was convicted on four felony counts, including perjury and obstruction of justice.
Because the deliberations were so closely held, those who spoke about them agreed to do so only anonymously. But by several different accounts, Mr. Bush spent weeks thinking about the case against Mr. Libby and consulting closely with senior officials, including Joshua B. Bolten, the White House chief of staff; Fred F. Fielding, the White House counsel; and Dan Bartlett, Mr. Bush's departing counselor.
"They were digging deeply into the substance of the charges against him, and the defense for him," one of the Republicans close to the White House said.
The second Republican said the overarching question was "did he lie?"
It seems to me the deal was struck during the trial. Didn't the Libby defense team intend to paint his as a scapegoat for Bush/Cheney which would for all intensive purposes pointed wrongdoing at the Vice-Ppresidents office? Bush and Cheney couldn't have that, which is why the defense strategy changed midstream. Libby and his team went through the motions knowing all along that he would serve no jail time. All conjecture on my part but the pieces fit. And the $250,000 fine!!!! Please that is chicken scratch for Libby. He'll raise that in no time if he doesn't alrealdy have it.
Bush and Cheney paid Libby with a commutation and an eventual pardon to keep his mouth shut. It's as simple as that.
Correction from original post... it should read-him as a scapegoat not his as a scapegoat. I'ts a wonder I can get out of bed anymore.
"Long Debate?" Yeah, right. Cheney told Numbnuts to pardon Libby so none of the White House War criminals would be forced to testify...under oath. For those guys, sworn testimony is like sunlight to a vampire.
"Was almost Clinical"
Those are some serious weasel words right there...LOL
How so? Because they want to remove the appearance of any emotional stake in the case, or because the following "focused on the facts of the case" would imply that it's atypical for facts to have a place in the president's deliberations?
There may be a problem, in that the law Libby is to be released under, is for people who have served time. I'm sure an improper way can be found arround this. Nothings too good for our boys in mulfiti.
C'mon...does anybody really believe this crap? Can you imagine President Numbnuts spending weeks thinking about anything? Jesus H. Christ...he mocked Carla Fay Tucker's plea for mercy...and she was put to death! Are we to believe that he was really "troubled" by the thought of Libby spending a few months in a Country Club Prison? This has the smell of Karl Rove all over it. I don't buy it for a second.
Karla Faye Tucker didn't even ask for a pardon. She asked that her sentence be commuted from a death sentence to life in prison. Even the Pope came out and asked for the commutation.
The "pro-life" governor apparently didn't think that the death penalty was a "severe" punishment.
What he was "troubled" about was Libby rolling over on him and Cheney after spending a few months in prison. It is for this reason that Conyers has said he will look into it.
"Can you imagine President Numbnuts spending weeks thinking about anything?" - NERZOG
Well yes, Mr. Smarty-Pants, I can imagine that. So there!
He has most certainly spent more than weeks mulling over the deep meaning contained in "The Pet Goat".
When I read this article yesterday, I was furious at the NY Times - thanks to MMFA for pointing it out.
In many ways, this "news" article is the epitome of what's wrong with our press corps. Not only is this little more than a transcribed piece of propaganda straight from the White House - it relies on anonymous sources. A reader can't even make a determination of the bias of those sources. The excuse that the sources needed to be anonymous because the discussions were "closely held" is absurd.
Why does the Times allow itself to be used, over and over again, as a mouthpiece for administration and military spin? What news value is there in parroting what is obviously a coordinated effort by the Bush White House to present a positive personality profile of Bush? How can the Times condemn Bush in its editorials while simultaneously throwing away journalistic standards to push the administrations' spin on its readers as "news"?
And how could anyone seriously claim that the Times has a liberal bias in its reporting when they print garbage like this?
Well, what else are these bozos gonna say? Way to go NYT. Nice in depth, critical reporting.
I can't help but think that the Bush team could not have had more information than the Republican prosecutor and the Republican judge and the 12 person jury that found Libby guilty and sentenced him to 30 months in prison.
But that's just me...
That's the funny thing. President Numbnuts said the sentence should stand. In other words, he's admitting that Libby is guilty. Somehow, I doubt that Rush and Sean are talking about that much.
No, he didn't say he thought Libby was guilty. He said he "respected the decision of the jury."
I expect that respect to last another 17 months at most.
Actually, he said, "I felt like the jury verdict ought to stand. And I felt like some of the punishments that the judge determined were adequate should stand." While he didn't literally say that Libby was guilty, he sure isn't declaring his innocence, either. This isn't about "justice" for Scooter...it's about protecting the war criminals in the White House from having to testify.
Yeah information like this
During cross-examination Tuesday morning, David Addington was asked specific questions about Cheney's notes and the reference to President Bush. Addington, former counsel to the vice president, was named Cheney's chief of staff - a position Libby had held before resigning."Can you make out what's crossed out, Mr. Addington?" Wells asked, according to a copy of the transcript of Tuesday's court proceedings.
"It says 'the guy' and then it says, 'this Pres.' and then that is scratched through," Addington said.
"OK," Wells said. "Let's start again. 'Not going to protect one staffer and sacrifice the guy ...' and then what's scratched through?" Wells asked Addington again, attempting to establish that Cheney had originally written that President Bush personally asked Libby to beat back Wilson's criticisms.
"T-h-i-s space P-r-e-s," Addington said, spelling out the words. "And then it's got a scratch-through."
"So it looks like 'this Pres.?'" Wells asked again.
"Yes sir," Addington said.
Thus, Cheney's notes would have read "not going to protect one staffer and sacrifice the guy this Pres. asked to stick his head in the meat grinder because of the incompetence of others." The words "this Pres." were crossed out and replaced with "that was," but are still clearly legible in the document.
The reference to "the meat grinder" was understood to be the Washington press corps, Wells said. The "protect one staffer" reference, Wells said, was White House Political Adviser Karl Rove, whose own role in the leak and the attacks on Wilson are well documented.
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/013107Z.shtml
It isn't right that Bush being deeply involved in the political payback attack against Valerie should give the People of the United States the middle finger and give one of his crony's in this scheme and get out of jail free card.
Bush attacked a woman who had nothing to do with writing the article exposing the Bush Niger document lie. Her only crime was being married to the man who told the truth.
If deliberations were really clinical
And not only show for the cynical
Then we'd have a result
That wouldn't insult
Everyone except the Bush criminals
Actually, I believe the anonymous sources. I don't doubt the commutation was the result of some careful "clinical" analysis. E.g., the choice to commute vs pardon definitely shows some careful attention to detail.
Of course, that says nothing of the objective of the deliberations...and it wasn't justice.
Maybe so...but I guarantee you that Bush didn't come up with it.
True...and probably didn't understand it either.
Seems Libby and the White House came to an agreement...Cheney expected Libby to drop his defense, play ball, get a total pardon --OR--be declared an enemy combatant for exposing a CIA network working on WMD's and whisked away to a foreign prison. This works out nice for everyone since the Scooter wouldn't be permitted to talk.
Gotta give this Axis of Evil (Rove, Cheney, Wolfowitz) kudos for having the b@lls to be so arrogant in their disregard for the American people whom they serve. But the gig is up. Get the prison tailor prepared to make striped suits.
Wednesday, February 11, 2004
If there's a leak out of my administration, I want to know who it is," Bush told reporters at an impromptu news conference during a fund-raising stop in Chicago, Illinois. "If the person has violated law, that person will be taken care of.
Little did we know "taken care of" actually means "pardon". But we should have cause Frank Rich said it best " A president who tries to void laws he doesn't like by encumbering them with 'signing statements' and who regards the Geneva Conventions as a nonbinding technicality isn't going to start playing by the rules now."
Apparently they're trying to keep a secret: Bush has lost faith in his gut.