This is an excellent piece — gathering together all the hypocrisies in hyperlinks — and I would very much like to feature it in our Politics/World section. Our (absurdly miniscule) budget can’t, as yet, support us throwing money your way, but I’m hoping that you might be inspired by our approach to contribute this piece to our widening Poetics of Information.

Sincerely,
David Schneider
Editor

I have the kind of sympathy for him that can be found in the dictionary — somewhere between shit and syphilis.

—

This may amuse you:

http://miaculpa.blogspot.com/2007/07/hardball-david-schuster-pounds-fouad.html

????? – He couldn’t have begun his investigation without there being prima facie, a crime. The determination of whether an actual crime was committed and who committed it, because of the wording of the law allegedly broken, (see here
requires determination of intent.

Whoever, having or having had authorized access to classified information that identifies a covert agent, intentionally discloses any information identifying such covert agent to any individual not authorized to receive classified information, knowing that the information disclosed so identifies such covert agent and that the United States is taking affirmative measures to conceal such covert agent’s intelligence relationship to the United States, shall be fined under title 18 or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both.

Scooter Libby impeded that investigation by his perjury and was convicted for it no different from any number of other perjurers.

Salon interview with Paul Davies
Yawn.

From the link:

People are not the result of a cosmic accident, but of laws of the universe that grant our lives meaning and purpose, says physicist Paul Davies.

Are you saying that Libby telling lies was not a cosmic accident?

Sure, Fitzgerald didn’t force anyone to lie. I agree with you that “turned into” is not a good choice of words. But, had any crime been committed when Fitzgerald began his investigation? No, at least in the judgement of Fitzgerald. Mr. F did manage to discover that Libby lied during the course of the investigation, and I agree L ought to be punished for that serious crime. F also imprisoned reporters, which I find to be outrageous considering that F had already found the leaker.

I am concerned that L isn’t doing some time in jail (although the Dark Lord Rove requires that I point out at least one other member of the Executive lied to a SP/Grand Jury and avoided jail time). On the other hand, L wasn’t covering up the outing of Ms. Plame. F knew who revealed her identity — Armitage — yet he continued to question witnesses and place reporters in jail for protecting sources. And for what? We now know F had already found the leaker, and he wasn’t in the White House. I find all that just as troubling as the expanded inquisition against Clinton a few years earlier.

As far as Ms. Plame’s covert status, it seems that there is a serious question if she was covert according to the IIPA. In any case, F decided that no crime had been committed by Armitage revealing her identity, IIPA or not. Novak was unaware of her covert status and the CIA didn’t intervene when he checked it out, or I would agree that he would be at least morally culpable of treason. So it seems the overheated rhetoric is from the side claiming treason! treason!

I can echo this sentiment pretty much EXACTLY!
Every single time I see GWB on TV I get some sort of an allergic reaction…I have to change the channel or switch the whole thing off.
[RantON]
I keep asking myself the same question over and over again …Is this half-wit really the President? Really? really really? This is the commander-in-chief with the finger on the nuclear button? (He pronounces it “nu-cular” BTW.) Anytime I have to listen to even a few seconds of GWB, I feel my IQ dropping a couple of points.
[RantOFF]

#25 C

I have to believe that the “loyal Bushie” damage can be repaired. This country has too many good people to believe that stinking mess cannot be eventually cleaned up by intelligent, deliberative action. If the damage is irreparable, we are all well and truly boned.

Lying to cover up a crime is a crime. If the crime is successfully covered up, and the lie is successful, the lie is no less of a crime, in fact it is moreso.

The only relevant question there is, “should armitage also be indicted?”

Bob Novak, OTOH, is at least ethically if not technically guilty of treason. Any “conservative” or Republican who defends his actions in revealing a covert op is guilty of the worst kind of hypocrisy. If a liberal journalist had done that, the National Review would be screaming for their head, and rightly so. But no, he’s “on the team” so his despicable, treasonous behavior is excused.

Don’t be so sure that it *can* be repaired.

Dave sez:

Bush is really far worse just a typical Republican – he’s one of the worst presidents in history.

First of all, every Republican president since Lincoln has been among the worst in history, except maybe Ford, who wasn’t much of anything.

More importantly, your attempt to personalize the evils of the GOP in one person reach over the line to absurdity. Have you already forgotten how famous the GOP Congressional contingent was for its abject lockstep in giving bush everything he ever wanted? It took historically low approval ratings and a disastrous midterm election to pry some of the more self-interested ones away.

Partisan loyalty is a vice unless it’s based on principle. GOP loyalty to Bush, therefore, is based either on unprincipled party loyalty or loyalty to Bushist principles., I won’t speculate on which is the greater sin, but either way, there is nothing in the Republican Party that makes it worth keeping. It’s time for it to go the way of the Federalists.

And BTW, I’m not even a Democrat.

Thanks for those words, which gave rise to thoughts of a Doug Adams-ish Total Incompetence Vortex.

Re “He Who Shall Not Be Named (Nixon),” I recall my mother turning off the TV or leaving the room whenever he appeared. At the time, I was a believer (and to a great extent still am) that you have to keep tabs on what The Other Guys are doing. But whenever W appears on TV, I gotta change channels (many more alternatives now than in the late 60s – early 70s), turn it off, or leave the room. It’s a visceral reaction, purely brain stem – doesn’t even make it up to the higher thought centers before I hit the buttons on the remote. I know exactly how Mom felt. So the heretofore conceptually impossible may have occurred: W may actually be (I write these words in a mental hush of awe) Worse Than Nixon!