Friends In High Places

The NY Times reports on the fund-raising effort by the Libby Legal Defense Trust:

...the managers of the fund-raising effort on behalf of Mr. Libby say they have already reached the $2 million mark and expect to increase the pace when they start a fund-raising Web site. "It's a particularly excellent start," said Mel Sembler, the chairman of the Scooter Libby Legal Defense Trust.

Well, then - I'll personally pledge some of the proceeds from this fundraising push.

Oh, whatever - let's go double or nothing!

Contact info here:

Libby Legal Defense Trust
2100 M Street, N.W.
Suite 170-362
Washington, D.C. 20037-1233

Comments

[p.lukasiak]

you'd think that with all the suffering and injustice in the world, that wingnuts would have something better to contribute toward than the defense of a liar who outed a CIA agent who was working to keep WMDs out of the hands of terrorists.

But the wingnuts hate America so much, and like terrorism so much, that they flock to the defense of Libby.

After all, if it wasn't for their buddy Osama, they couldn't say "9-11" whenever someone pointed out what a bunch of vile, greedy, and dishonest scumbags the people they support are.

Osama bin Libby --- the morphed wingnut hero!

[Jeff]

Any idea how to get access to Fitzgerald's affidavit which was also partly unredacted yesterday?

[Rick Ballard]

I reject the proposition that unmasking a Dem political operative helps Bin Laden. I know that Bin Laden apparently believes (and with good reason - considering that the MSM is probably his only source of information) that that the Democratic Party is aligned with him - enemy of my enemy and all that - but it is an inaccurate representation.

It is only the insignificant Koslandian wing of the Dem party (and certain party propaganda organs) that actually could be considered FOBLs. One couldn't expect a man cowering in a cave (or, more probably, a smear on a cave wall) to be able to make such a distinction but it is unjust to smear the entire Democratic Party (on most days) by association with OBL due to his pronouncements.

[kim]

You'd think that with all the suffering in the world, the moonbats would have something better to do than to contribute to the defense of a liar who was working to get WMD into the hands of terrorists.

You'd think all of us would have better things to do with our money than to contribute to a public investigation of the corruption in the CIA, the Press, and the Democratic Party. Wait, keep spending it Fitz. We'll match.

And how about some table scrapings for the White House factotum who got grilled over the email glitch?
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[jerry]

Yuck, Billy Joel! Say, how come I'm no longer directed to a place to "sign in" when replying, and am thus left to type in name and email address? What happens to the Libby defense coffers when the charges get dropped?

[noah]

But keep in mind that pluk is a card carrying member of said Koslandian minority. His anger is palpable.

[Rick Ballard]

Noah,

That's true but his efforts are better directed toward raising insignificant amounts of money to mount campaigns against moderate Democrats - that's where the true future of Koslandia lies.

[kim]

Is it anger at this admittedly bullshit outing of Plame, or is it anger that Joe's meme is collapsing. Whatever gave it any life beyond SCCI is beyond me, except as increasingly delusional thinking about the War on Terror, the Iraqi adventure, and George W. Bush, and the political movement he has strengthened and tapped, deep in hoi terra polloi.
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[Extraneus]

The thing is, getting Libby - a guy hardly anyone ever heard of before this and nobody on the right really seems to even care about except as a piece in a chess game - on some technicality charge, no less, seems pretty important to that crowd. I find it kind of hard to comprehend, since you know the harder they fight on this one, the more hypocritical they'll prove themselves when and if the real case - the NSA case, a real case of partisans selling out national security - gets rolling.

[Jim E.]

There's supposedly a million more worthy causes, but this is the second time TM has pimped for Libby donations. I still haven't seen the overwhelming reader demand for the need to contribute to a the defense fund of a rich man who has rich friends in high places.

[kim]

Once again, Intrinsic, you may have just jumped on the inherent spring of all that anger.

It's just been realized that Rove, in his role as the Mad King Pinch the IIIrd, has just landed a cream pie in the face of the opposition.
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[Jim E.]

"the NSA case, a real case of partisans selling out national security"

This assumes only Democrats are concerned about warrentless wiretaps, which is false. Newsweek had just had a story that included conservative Republicans within the administration that were queasy about the illegal taps.

How does knowing about the existence of warrentless wiretaps harm national security? No one is anti-wiretap.

[Sue]

Illegal? When did they have a ruling they were illegal? I missed it.

[Extraneus]

Personally, I doubt the motives of those on the left supposedly concerned about "warrentless wiretaps." I don't believe they'd be concerned at all if a Democrat were president, for example, and I'm beginning to think the "concern" is in fact more than just a BDS impeachment fantasy, but the laying of a defense for the NYT.

And as to how it harms national security, I thought Porter Goss was pretty clear this week, but I guess maybe the Director of the CIA might be too partisan a figure to be credible on such a matter. Maybe the NYT would be a better judge of it.

[Rick Ballard]

Jim E.,

I woudn't rely too heavily on the Rep minor league camera hogs. The Chairman of the Intelligence Committee seems to have a different take.

Btw - one reading of this is that Sen. Roberts is sending it as a gentle reminder to Specter and McCain - both of whom are egos thinly covered with skin.

Dear Arlen & John,

Get bent.

Your friend & colleague,

Pat

in 19 pages.

[boris]

Ex: I don't believe they'd be concerned at all if a Democrat were president

Check Andy's comment at the corner ...

I GUESS IT DEPENDS ON WHO THE PRESIDENT IS

[Sue]

p.luk,

That ranks right up there with the head of the NAACP calling Bush and the GOP nazis. Bound to win elections for ya'. Can I be the 1st to encourage you and your friends to continue along this vein?

[Jim E.]

"I doubt the motives of those on the left supposedly concerned about 'warrentless wiretaps.'"

Of course, my entire point is that it isn't just the "left" that is concerned.

The left has a rich history of distrusting intrusions of privacy and government power. (This is true of real conservatives, too.) In fact, TM has nicely mocked the left for its recent concern about the CIA. And if you don't think principle gets in the way of partisanship, take a look at the protests at the 1968 democratic convention, or at the 2000 demoncratic convention. Or Rick Ballard's above comment about how he think Daily Kos represents a left-wing circular firing squad.

Of course partisanship plays a role. It would be silly to assume otherwise. But there are real republicans, like Comey, like Bob Barr, like Grover N. that are concerned, too. And in terms of the Democratic critics of the warrentless wiretaps, their principles and partisanship can also overlap.

And Republican Roberts isn't exactly non-partisan himself, so that's a funny link.

[Jim E.]

I mean, does anyone think the left does NOT believe in a right to privacy??

[TM]

...this is the second time TM has pimped for Libby donations.

Third time.

Good point about Cliff May, BTW 9on some other thread), but Russert is a bit more prominent a newsie.

[Jim E.]

And Porter GOss is a complete hack. He was fetured in a mocking segment in farenheit 911, and that was before he was named to the CIA post.

[Jim E.]

"Russert is a bit more prominent a newsie."

Totally agree.

[Sue]

FBI files...Hillary...ring any bells?

[Lou Grunt]

"How does knowing about the existence of warrentless wiretaps harm national security? "

How does naming a CIA desk jockey harning national security? Especially since the informal CIA damage assessment showed no harm and the CIA was not even concerned enough to do a formal damage assessment. Val could not even handle the stress of taking care of her two babies...and you want us to believe she was some deep cover badass agent? LOL!!!!

[Sue]

Well that does it for me. I love Goss. If Moore mocked him, he has to be the good guy.

[Jim E.]

"Well that does it for me. I love Goss. If Moore mocked him, he has to be the good guy."

You do remember that Moore spent most of the 2000 campaign mocking the Democrats, right? Did your head just explode?

[p.lukasiak]

ya gotta admire the terrorist-loving wingnuts here.

In order to advance Osama's cause, they actually have convinced themselves that an upstanding prosecutor like Patrick Fitzgerald would lie to the court about Plame's covert status. Valerie Plame continued to work on keeping WMDs out of the hands of terrorists right up until the time Libby and Rove made sure her covert status was revealed publicly -- and the terrorists sympathizers who support Libby are glad she was stopped.

These Libby supporters do have a lot in common with the islamo-fascists. Lying about a blowjob is an impeachable offense, but lying about outing a covert CIA agent trying to protect the US from terrorists is perfectly OK.

Sheesh!

[Sue]

No, Mr. E., I must have missed his mocking of democrats in the 2000 election year. Which hapless democrats did he scorn? Card carrying NRA democrats?

[Sue]

Oh, and Mr. E., if you truly want to see my head explode, move on to the next obvious extension of your post that Mickey Moore is not a partisan hack. That might accomplish it.

And just so you don't think I 'suddenly became silent'...I'm leaving for the afternoon. Other activities are calling for my attention.

Have a nice day.

[Extraneus]

Regardless of what anyone considers to be the legality of whatever the NSA is actually doing, the leakers and the NYT clearly violated the law. It would be the height of hypocrisy to pretend to be concerned about the national security implications of the "outing" of Valerie Plame and yet not be even more concerned about the NSA leaks. I think it might lead to valid questions about one's patriotism, personally, Moore's mocking of Goss notwithstanding, as if that were a significant fact.

[Kate]

p.luk: Hate to tell you this, but Val worked for President Bush and VP Cheney. Unfortunately, she chose to act like a partisan, nepotistic adversary when she suggested her partisan, incompetent husband for a trip instead of a cleared expert in the field who would do more than sip tea and write New York Times editiorials.

Your fantasy that she was some covert hero stopping incoming nuclear weapons with her bare hands is a joke.

[jerry]

You do remember that Moore spent most of the 2000 campaign mocking the Democrats, right? Did your head just explode? :

See, half the time Moore is criticizing the left, how hypocritical of the right to say that Moore is a left-wing, America-hating nut! "Real conservatives", like anyone who can think straight, know that the warrantless wiretaps "issue" is just the latest incarnation of the argument about when executive power trumps congressional power, and when it does not. As it's subject to debate, any assertions of illegality can only ever be opinion, and never fact (where some see illegality, others might just as easily see a President's responsibility to circumvent any impediments - FISA process - when national security is at stake).
"Real conservatives" are unlikely to get too alarmed if Bob Barr or others lose their way now and again.

[Lou Grunt]

"...that an upstanding prosecutor like Patrick Fitzgerald would lie to the court about Plame's covert status..."

Well Fitz lied at his press conference about Libby being the first to talk to a reporter about Plame, and that was well after the Miller subpeona, so lying about her covert status is not a stretch. In fact at the press conference Fitz refused to say she was covert...he went with the "classified position" angle. No wonder he was shaking and sweating during that entire press conference.

By the way, I don't think Fitz lied, I just think he is an incompetent investigator.

However, I am sure the NSA leaker will not be so lucky as to have Fitz "hot on his trail".

[Lew Clark]

I sure hope these donations to the Libby Defense Fund are not tax deductible. It would be the ultimate horror if one penny earmarked to help Palestinians buy more rockets and suicide vests went to this much less noble cause.

[Lou Grunt]

"...the warrantless wiretaps "issue" is just the latest incarnation of the argument about when executive power trumps congressional power..."

How dare the President exercise his Constitutional rights (actually duties) as Commander-in-Chief. NSA issue = Dems fighting for terrorist rights = Dem seat losses in '06. Keep coming with those phoney scandals...they backfire everytime. I think the Dem leadership is on Rove's payroll.

[Syl]

The left has a rich history of distrusting intrusions of privacy and government power.

Damned straight.

That's why in the '70's they overreacted to the military keeping an eye on anti-war protesters, to the FBI, and to Nixon. They've always been agin the CIA.

In the '70's the Left basically tied the governments hands.

It's time to loosen the ropes a bit.

For every overreaction, there is a correction that follows. Watch for it.

[maryrose]

Extraneus:
Once again you have hit the nail on the head. I can't imagine NYT and the left's disappointment when they found out they weren't going to get Rove. All they could snare in their net was Libby on some perjury trap charges. Ashcroft never should have farmed this out. Fitz in his desperation, looks for partisan judge Tatel and then jails Miller, remember now stictly because he distrust Libby not because Val was covert. This whole mess stinks to high heaven. Prosecution grasping at straws obviously and now NYT starting a campaign to cover their rear-ends in the NSA leal. Go Goss GO; nail these leakers. Wilson a whistleblower ' my aunt fanny'

[Jim E.]

"In the '70's the Left basically tied the governments hands."

Laws were passed.

"It's time to loosen the ropes a bit."

Fine. Pass some laws. Would you trust President Hillary to use the NSA on wiretaps with zero oversight?

[boris]

Would you trust President Hillary to use the NSA on wiretaps with zero oversight?

After the travel office, Foster, Troopergate, nuke secrets, ICBM secrets, Chinese campaign contributions, ignoring OBL, Monica, Paule, Kathleen, Juanita ... ad frakkin nauseum ...

It's Hillary wiretapping terrorists that we're supposed to be afraid of?

[boris]

Not to mention all the IRS audits, Waco, Elian and Ruby Ridge.

[Jim E.]

Sue,
In 2000, Michael Moore campaigned for Ralph Nader. As Nader has pointed out, much of MOore's campaigning for him consisted of "mocking" Democrats. This isn't a secret history or anything, it's common knowledge, and it's strange that you would have "missed" it. A partisan Dem would not work to ensure that a Democrat was denied the presidency.

Please let me know if any head exploding has commenced.

[kim]

It was an early AbleDanger that allowed her to understand the cattle futures market with such prescience.
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[Rick Ballard]

"It was an early AbleDanger that allowed her to understand the cattle futures market with such prescience."

Now, now - that was straight bribery. The only "intelligence" involved was the lack thereof in selling herself so cheap - and so transparently.

[kim]

It is obvious from her subsequent behaviour that the money was for a frivolous want and that it didn't touch her basic needs.
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[Jim E.]

boris,
Trouble connecting dots much?

[boris]

miss the point much

[kim]

You, JimE, missed the point that apparently, in comparison to Bill or Hillary, Bush is trustworthy.
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[boris]

Kim, in comparison to another Clinton co-presidency I would welcome serious attention to national security. Putting up with their other shennanigans just comes with the territory. Even Hillary needs to be free from dangerous constraints to deal with national threats.

[boris]

Also one might expect the Republicans "concerned" about the NSA program to remain "concerned" when Hillary does the same. Expect the Democrat legal pundits to once again see the light like they did before during the 1st Clinton co-presidency.

[kim]

LG, I suspect her layoff had more to do with the ravages of post-partum depression than the stress of twins. Then again, I'm speculating on very little information. Were she not complicit with her husband, I suspect she was most devastated by the publicity unleased upon her by her desparate cad of a pitiful excuse for a husband she had allowed cupidity to pierce and infest her with, the unfortunate wench.
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