Isikoff’s Worst

Wow. When I railed on Mikey Isikoff’s horribly conflicted coverage of the CIA Leak case while on Sam Seder’s show today, I had not yet read Mikey’s latest blowjob to Karl Rove. But this is truly shameful stuff. First, Mikey provides tons of details that make it clear that the White House has scrupulously tried to pretend no one influenced Bush in untoward manner … even while a lot of pressure came to bear.

Libby’s allies pressed their argument with White House aides but gotnowhere. George W. Bush’s senior staff was under strict instructions:listen politely, but give away nothing about what the president mightultimately do.

Uh huh. They carry out that strategy furthest with Cheney.

Cheney did not directly weigh in with Fielding, but nobody involved hadany doubt where he stood. "I’m not sure Bush had a choice," says one ofthe advisers. "If he didn’t act, it would have caused a fracture withthe vice president."

Cheney made the decision, of course, but there was no quid pro quo. Nope, no obstruction here. Now move along…

Mikey nods to Bush’s false claim of respect for the verdict, as if it were sincere.

But Bush didn’t clear Libby entirely. He said he respected the jury’sverdict and described special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald as a"professional prosecutor."

… When any sane observer would say Bush couldn’t have said "fuck you" to Fitzgerald and the jury in any clearer language.