Comments on: It Ain’t a River in Egypt http://www.mahablog.com/2007/05/30/it-aint-a-river-in-egypt/ Exposing the ugly truths about the Bush Administration. Thu, 28 Aug 2008 03:26:48 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=1.5.1.3 by: Flamethrower http://www.mahablog.com/2007/05/30/it-aint-a-river-in-egypt/#comment-222025 Thu, 31 May 2007 19:28:42 +0000 http://www.mahablog.com/2007/05/30/it-aint-a-river-in-egypt/#comment-222025 when's Kevin gonna learn: anytime the wingnuts are in full fury over a "fact" is the time to run 180 degrees away? when’s Kevin gonna learn: anytime the wingnuts are in full fury over a “fact” is the time to run 180 degrees away?

]]> by: Doug Hughes http://www.mahablog.com/2007/05/30/it-aint-a-river-in-egypt/#comment-221833 Thu, 31 May 2007 01:14:11 +0000 http://www.mahablog.com/2007/05/30/it-aint-a-river-in-egypt/#comment-221833 Slightly off topic, but pertaining to the VP. I read today that MSM was unable to obtain under Freedom of Information, logs of visitirs to the VP at his residence because the Secret Service must turn over those logs to the Office of the VP and is prohibited from keeping duplicates, and the Office of the VP destroys those records as a matter of policy. Somebody keep me form choking when I hear either Bush or Cheney talk about 'transparent' governemnt. Slightly off topic, but pertaining to the VP. I read today that MSM was unable to obtain under Freedom of Information, logs of visitirs to the VP at his residence because the Secret Service must turn over those logs to the Office of the VP and is prohibited from keeping duplicates, and the Office of the VP destroys those records as a matter of policy. Somebody keep me form choking when I hear either Bush or Cheney talk about ‘transparent’ governemnt.

]]> by: QrazyQat http://www.mahablog.com/2007/05/30/it-aint-a-river-in-egypt/#comment-221792 Thu, 31 May 2007 00:06:32 +0000 http://www.mahablog.com/2007/05/30/it-aint-a-river-in-egypt/#comment-221792 <i>Oh yeah, well if they were serious about her being so covert they’d have concealed her position from the Office of the Vice President. </i> It seems that in future we'll have to, if the GOP is in the White House. <i>Libby has been convicted… And even if Bush pardons him, he’ll still remain a convicted felon to his dying day.</i> Like G. Gordon Liddy and Oliver North. Yeah, that's tough, he'll be forced to live the life of a celebrity multi-millionaire. Oh yeah, well if they were serious about her being so covert they’d have concealed her position from the Office of the Vice President.

It seems that in future we’ll have to, if the GOP is in the White House.

Libby has been convicted… And even if Bush pardons him, he’ll still remain a convicted felon to his dying day.

Like G. Gordon Liddy and Oliver North. Yeah, that’s tough, he’ll be forced to live the life of a celebrity multi-millionaire.

]]> by: John Palmer/LongHairedWeirdo http://www.mahablog.com/2007/05/30/it-aint-a-river-in-egypt/#comment-221732 Wed, 30 May 2007 20:46:50 +0000 http://www.mahablog.com/2007/05/30/it-aint-a-river-in-egypt/#comment-221732 <blockquote>My understanding has been all along that the reason Mr. Fitzgerald didn’t charge anyone with revealing classified information under any of the several statutes discussed in the indictment is that he couldn’t prove intent. </blockquote> I believe, from reading his pre-sentencing whatchamacallit with an illness fuzzed brain (NB: brain still fuzzed), Fitzgerald also said that Libby's lies made a sound determination of what had happened impossible. i.e., it sounded to me like "someone might have broken the relevant statutes, but we can't determine that because we don't have truthful testimony from Libby." But obviously, I can't promise that's accurate. Give me another 20 hours of sleep, and I should be able to, by which time, no one will care. Ah well.

My understanding has been all along that the reason Mr. Fitzgerald didn’t charge anyone with revealing classified information under any of the several statutes discussed in the indictment is that he couldn’t prove intent.

I believe, from reading his pre-sentencing whatchamacallit with an illness fuzzed brain (NB: brain still fuzzed), Fitzgerald also said that Libby’s lies made a sound determination of what had happened impossible.

i.e., it sounded to me like “someone might have broken the relevant statutes, but we can’t determine that because we don’t have truthful testimony from Libby.”

But obviously, I can’t promise that’s accurate. Give me another 20 hours of sleep, and I should be able to, by which time, no one will care. Ah well.

]]> by: Swami http://www.mahablog.com/2007/05/30/it-aint-a-river-in-egypt/#comment-221723 Wed, 30 May 2007 19:38:46 +0000 http://www.mahablog.com/2007/05/30/it-aint-a-river-in-egypt/#comment-221723 The good news is...it doesn't matter whether Valerie Plame was covert or not at this point..Libby has been convicted... And even if Bush pardons him, he'll still remain a convicted felon to his dying day. Bush doesn't have the power to exonerate him. Libby might be basking now in the praises from fellow neocons in upholding the code of omerta, but as time wears on, and Libby is faced with himself, the pain of his poor choice to lie will be a constant companion. After all, Libby pursued a vocation in law, so it's a safe assumption to believe that somewhere within him is a reverence for truth....and that will haunt him. I agree with Forrest Gump..stupid is what stupid does. The good news is…it doesn’t matter whether Valerie Plame was covert or not at this point..Libby has been convicted… And even if Bush pardons him, he’ll still remain a convicted felon to his dying day. Bush doesn’t have the power to exonerate him. Libby might be basking now in the praises from fellow neocons in upholding the code of omerta, but as time wears on, and Libby is faced with himself, the pain of his poor choice to lie will be a constant companion. After all, Libby pursued a vocation in law, so it’s a safe assumption to believe that somewhere within him is a reverence for truth….and that will haunt him.
I agree with Forrest Gump..stupid is what stupid does.

]]> by: maha http://www.mahablog.com/2007/05/30/it-aint-a-river-in-egypt/#comment-221712 Wed, 30 May 2007 18:46:49 +0000 http://www.mahablog.com/2007/05/30/it-aint-a-river-in-egypt/#comment-221712 tontocal -- yeah, as I remember Toensing's claim was that Plame hadn't worked outside the U.S. in the past five years, so she didn't fit the definition. But we now know she did work outside the United States from time to time for an intelligence agency in an undercover capacity. That fits the definition dead on. Yet all over the rightie blogosphere today I'm seeing wingnuts citing the statute and saying "Plame was not covert." And, anyway, her being covert was far from the only issue in the indictment. tontocal — yeah, as I remember Toensing’s claim was that Plame hadn’t worked outside the U.S. in the past five years, so she didn’t fit the definition. But we now know she did work outside the United States from time to time for an intelligence agency in an undercover capacity. That fits the definition dead on. Yet all over the rightie blogosphere today I’m seeing wingnuts citing the statute and saying “Plame was not covert.” And, anyway, her being covert was far from the only issue in the indictment.

]]> by: sniflheim http://www.mahablog.com/2007/05/30/it-aint-a-river-in-egypt/#comment-221706 Wed, 30 May 2007 18:27:10 +0000 http://www.mahablog.com/2007/05/30/it-aint-a-river-in-egypt/#comment-221706 Oh yeah, well if they were serious about her being so covert they'd have concealed her position from the Office of the Vice President. Oh yeah, well if they were serious about her being so covert they’d have concealed her position from the Office of the Vice President.

]]> by: tontocal http://www.mahablog.com/2007/05/30/it-aint-a-river-in-egypt/#comment-221701 Wed, 30 May 2007 18:02:55 +0000 http://www.mahablog.com/2007/05/30/it-aint-a-river-in-egypt/#comment-221701 I remember seeing Victoria Toensing's testimony in the hearings, and her insisting that since she, ya know, 'wrote' the law, she should know better than anyone that Plame 'was not covert' according to the statute. Well, looked up the statue myself: "(4) The term "covert agent" means -
(A) a present or retired officer or employee of an
intelligence agency or a present or retired member of the Armed
Forces assigned to duty with an intelligence agency -
(i) whose identity as such an officer, employee, or member
is classified information, and
(ii) who is serving outside the United States or has within
the last five years served outside the United States;" Poor Victoria, I understand dyslexia sometimes makes people react angrily because they are embarrassed to admit to being so impaired, because that's the only reason I can think of why she could possibly have missed or overlooked those particular clauses that explicitly prove her testimony to Waxman was....er...wrong. I remember seeing Victoria Toensing’s testimony in the hearings, and her insisting that since she, ya know, ‘wrote’ the law, she should know better than anyone that Plame ‘was not covert’ according to the statute. Well, looked up the statue myself:

“(4) The term “covert agent” means -
(A) a present or retired officer or employee of an
intelligence agency or a present or retired member of the Armed
Forces assigned to duty with an intelligence agency -
(i) whose identity as such an officer, employee, or member
is classified information, and
(ii) who is serving outside the United States or has within
the last five years served outside the United States;”

Poor Victoria, I understand dyslexia sometimes makes people react angrily because they are embarrassed to admit to being so impaired, because that’s the only reason I can think of why she could possibly have missed or overlooked those particular clauses that explicitly prove her testimony to Waxman was….er…wrong.

]]> by: Kevin Hayden http://www.mahablog.com/2007/05/30/it-aint-a-river-in-egypt/#comment-221672 Wed, 30 May 2007 16:21:41 +0000 http://www.mahablog.com/2007/05/30/it-aint-a-river-in-egypt/#comment-221672 When your understanding of intel has been gained from Ian Fleming novels and episodes of Mission Impossible, it's understandable why Ace behaves like a Joker Wild. Real agents are just too normal for such a mind - constructed with secret handshakes and flying ninjas - to fully grasp. When your understanding of intel has been gained from Ian Fleming novels and episodes of Mission Impossible, it’s understandable why Ace behaves like a Joker Wild.

Real agents are just too normal for such a mind - constructed with secret handshakes and flying ninjas - to fully grasp.

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