March 6, 2007
The wait is over. Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, has been convicted of lying and obstructing an investigation into the leak of CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity. This is a complex story ... so we've enlisted both our media reporter, David Folkenflik, and law professor Jonathan Turley to help us out. Did you follow the trial? Did you bet on the verdict, and did you win?
All Libby has to do is stretch out the appeals process until January 2009. If he keeps his mouth shut, W will pardon him, just like Poppy did all the Iran-contra figures that could've implicated him.
Is it normal for someone convicted of a crime to be able to stay out of custody pending sentencing? It doesn't seem right.
Jerry makes a good point.... add to that when all is said and done, he'll wind up as a VP at Halliburton for 'taking one for the team (er boss)'.
Seems like the ol' boy's mafia is still working well.
One caller's comment referred to wounded soldiers seeking care outside the military hospital system. Perhaps the entire approach to military healthcare should be reconsidered and outsourced to the private sector. This might serve as a driver for universal healthcare coverage.
It is normal for crimes like this to not go to prison during the appeals process.
An interesting media/political story is the detailed coverage the blog Firedoglake has provided for the trial
It is stunning that your discussion did not include Wilson's lies and the security counsels discovery of those lies, the fact that Plame was not a covert agent under the law, and that the whole Plame story was a non-story since Armitage was the non-leaker. Since when is it not allowed for an administration to point out false information?
Putting aside what bureaucrats are ultimately responsible, I wonder what the reporters think enabled this crisis? What climate makes it possible? How could the doctors and the facility managers work in such an environment on a daily basis and not expose it even if on in their own professional interests?
Concerning Walter Reed's quality of care. I am a West Point Colonel's daughter who was at death's door when I was transferred from DeWitt Army Hospital on Ft. Belvoir. They literally saved my life and I am only a dependent! I had anorexically induced double mycoplasmic pneumonia which was so bad that it had also taken over my liver, no red blood cells, white blood cells, or platelets being produced, ammenorhea, diarrhea, fevers up to 107, grand mal seizures every 15 minutes for weeks...and much more. I had loving care the whole time. One Vietnam Vet nurse came up and visited me whenever she could after I came out of the fevers. We played cards. She combed what was left of my hair which all fell out. The care of the corpsmen was fantastic. I loved the whole experience even though at one point I faced death. I am a better person for having gone through what I did and lived, thanks to the whole staff. I was in critical and then on the VSI (very seriously ill) ward. I lived there a total of 2 months. I am alive today at 50 and would not have lived this long with my remaining lung disease, epilepsy, and scar tissue if they hadn't done such an excellent job!
NPR has Libby Lewis report on Lewis Libby!
Amazing
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