Wilson Suit Denied Cert
As BayStateLibrul pointed out in threads, SCOTUS denied the Wilsons cert today in their lawsuit against Dick Cheney and his band of leakers. As bmaz points out, the news is unsurprising.
The die was cast by John Bates’ exploitation (and to some extent contortion) of glaring and gaping holes in the pleading by Plame/Wilson. It is a shame, but especially in light of the subsequent Iqbal decision, there is no way to credibly call this a cover up. This case was over when it started.
But, as RawStory points out, it means Valerie Wilson will never get her day in court against the men who deliberately ruined her career in government service because she and her colleagues had proof of the Administration’s lies.
So unless Bob Novak has an illness-induced desire to come clean about what really happened in the leak–including the real details of the long-hidden conversation Novak had with Scooter Libby on July 9, 2003 (probably including Plame’s name and exact role in Counter-Proliferation, as well as still-classified details from Joe Wilson’s report to the CIA), or unless Scooter Libby gets tired of being a quiet felon, the only way we’ll find out the rest of the details of the case will be if Judge Sullivan orders Cheney’s FBI interview materials released. And even then, I think they won’t surprise any long-time reader of this site, though they might surprise the traditional press.
In that, the CIA Leak case feels like the rest of the Bush-Cheney tenure: it left the country far less safe, but no one will ever be held accountable for it.
Look on the bright side, though. Scooter Libby hasn’t gotten his inevitable Republican-as-felon radio show, yet.
[Insert string of epithets and expletives in multiple languages here.]
And may the cosmos crank down tightly on Dick Cheney before the end of his days.
He will appear any day now on WANTHRX, probably morning drive time.
Its regrettable that this is how the legal side of the Plame matter ends. But thanks to your diligence Marcy, a lot of us have a fairly reasonable understanding based on strong historical evidence and inference of what happened in the betrayal of the CIA operative Valerie Plame and her cover organization Brewster Jennings by persons in the highest offices of our government and the malicious political purposes that motivated this betrayal.
It is comforting to know that a record of events exist in the form of Marcy’s book and all the posts here.
It seems like just yesterday when I thought that the Plame leak was one of the worst things that we had “proof” this administration was guilty of…
I’m sure our Senators and Congresscritters will use all their investigatory and other powers and get right on this.
Oh, wait . . .
(ot: local repercussions from the Bernie Madoff scandal – fav sentence from article: In addition, Chais, his family members and related entities withdrew more than $500 million more than they actually invested with Madoff, the SEC alleged in a complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.)
“. . .gaping holes in the pleading. . .”
Did their/her lawyers not do a good job?
Wish I could say I’m shocked.
Good thing this is the SCOTUS and not the executive branch, else it would not be idle to ponder the contradiction between protecting war crime-committing, law-breaking CIA personnel and their privacy with all the muscle the government can strain, on the one hand, and letting the loud exposure of a legally- and honorably-serving clandestine officer go pretty much uncompensated, on the other.
Separation of powers is a wonderful thing.
OT: But did the Onion’s staff take over at Huff Po today?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/…..19139.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/…..19149.html
Apparently these are real.
News on the Sanford story that dispels not an iota of the weirdness.
I actually wonder Rummy and Dick are still playing their “continuity of government” games and having invited Sanford to play along.
Ohhh!
Ohhh!
Fits with the tightness of the air, shall we say.
When last seen …
Is it a little strange that the fourth day Sanford was missing, from even his family with not contct from him whatsoever, was on FATHER’S DAY and that his wife said it “did not concern her”???
WTF kind of family values is this?
The only reason I can think of to say “not concerned” is if perhaps my spouse (who has been sober now for 3 and a half years) went off the wagon. He could go missing easily for a week or two and I would “not be concerned”.
And frankly for a “christian” guy to miss father’s day…he better have a good excuse like he slipped off the wagon. Unless the kids sent him away for father’s day.
There’s something about that statement and all the stress…seems like he needs a scape goat…but I could be wrong.
Or, for shits and giggles, (for them) they could be playing Civil War slave torturer reenactor guy at Rummy’s house, Mt. Misery
Ever since I read about it, I’ve imagined Frederick Douglass haunting the halls of Mt. Misery much to the discontent of its maniacal occupant. Do you think Rumsfeld even knew the story when he bought that house? Never mind–he probably couldn’t have cared less if he did.
Libby will get his right wing radio show all in due time. Expect to see him on television soon as a “spokesperson” for the right. Until these criminals are held accountable they will be out their poisoning the body politic.
Speaking of Libby, whatever happened with his appeal? Not the “let me stay free during appeal” plea that he lost, but his actual appeal?
Libby withdrew it in December of 2007. Said it was to save his family attorneys fees and costs; my guess is he really was expecting Bush to give him the rest of the full pardon.
I bet Dick promised Scooter.
And that’s why Dick is so vehement in his break with Bush over this; Bush would not obey him at the end.
Awww – no wonder Cheney was po’d that no full pardon came out of it all.
Shit, if Obama continues on the path he’s on, maybe he’ll pardon Scooter.
Jesus Mary and Joseph I will lose all faith
Too bad.
But maybe Judge Sullivan will yet surprise us.
And the lesson here children is that Republicans have the art and science of evading prosecution for the most heinous of crimes against America down pat — no harm, no foul no matter what they do. Remember that the next time they take control of the government (which may not be that far in the future if the Dems don’t get their act together PDQ).
And that is the way it is…unless Sullivan actually believes what so many of them (Obama, Holder, Whitehouse, Leahy, Pelosi etc) repeat “no one is above the law” Most law abiding citizens out here no that other rules apply to these thugs and that is why the U.S.continues to rot from the inside.
May all of those who knowingly and willfully outed Plame burn in hell. These thugs are the scum of the earth and have gotten away with it so far.
Another punch in the Plame Wilson’s guts.
Teddy
Oh, I think Sullivan will probably let the report go. But as I said, I don’t think there will be anything much in there that we can’t anticipate today.
“So unless Bob Novak has an illness-induced desire to come clean about what really happened in the leak…”
I was reading the weather forecast today and I didn’t notice anything about hell freezing over.
This is all F-ed up.
OT, Marcy, fine article on Amherst, MA, “Real Athens of America”?
http://www.boston.com/bostongl…..f_america/
Democracy denied! not to mention justice. Not worried about Plame’s justice..it goes with the territory. However this is another nail in the coffin of liberty and the United States of America.
Anyone know how accurate the “Fair Game” movie will be? It’s coming out next year, no?
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0977855/
Here’s a link on the production.
PapaDick and Karl Rove aren’t in it? I was hoping for Christopher Lee as PapaDick and Roseanne Barr as Karl Rove.
I see there’s a “Nervous Analyst” character.
“the bright side”??? Jeez, our bright sides are getting so damn dim.
When Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse signs off on the legality of “insta-declassification” as he did a couple of weeks ago, albeit in criticism, it is clear that the will for any political accountability arising of the Plame affair is well dead.
We can expect lots and lots of screen renditions of PapaDick — after he’s dead, only able to wreak vengeance from ‘beyond the grave’. Freddie and Jason are worn as horror cartoons, so you’d figure that’s the niche.
A more intriguing absence from the casting, so far at least, is Addington, particularly given he actually testified a few times, including at the trial of Libby. Given his odd presentation then and what we’ve come to know since, you’d expect a great vignette for the Classified Cryptkeeper.
The actor with the plumb opportunity here is David Andrews, one of those ubiquitous TV types who seems to have appeared at least once on every serial drama show that lasted any time in the last 20 years, and several that didn’t. Reasons I hold out hope: he seems to have some insight into your button-down repressed-psyche types; he’s Scootzie’s age, and with being an actor, you’d figure him to have at least as much experience as Scootzie with fantasy and disappointment; and he’s actually a lawyer [though I can’t tell whether he’s ever worked at that for any time].
[I edited down from “Two reasons” due to full drift into M Python Spanish Inquisition territory].
i wonder how history will judge the Roberts Court. Corporate-friendly? Civilian-adverse? Or just plain Corrupt? Maybe all three.
WRT Sanford. It reminds me of Lazlo Toth, under the pen name that ”Father Guido Sarducci” used when writing letters to famous folk. He later published the letters and the responses.
To President Ford, Toth sent a letter saying ”When you hit your head on the airplane, when they ask you, ’Does it hurt?’ you should not say, ’No.’ You should say, ’It hurts a little bit,’ so people will not think there is something wrong with you.” Or something to that effect.
Mrs. Sanford should not say, ”It doesn’t bother me.”
Maybe she should not say : He wanted to get away from the kids.
Especially when it was Father’s Day. Unless, of course, she is telegraphing some message about how things are not going well in their household. There are ways to ‘get away from the kids’ without doing a disappearing act.
Maybe he thinks SC will be hit with a terrorist attack and he wants to be far away, so he can’t be blamed for screwing it up. Of course, by being far away he would be uh kinda screwing things up.
Secure the port(s)! Let no terrrrists come in.
one flew east ..and one flew west .. and one flew over the coo-coo’s nest ..
more people coming to the same conclusion…
NOTHING CHANGED , same ol’ shadow government running brainless marionettes
since 1963
http://rawstory.com/news/afp/U…..22009.html
“Leaking a classified secret identity to the media is a federal crime in the United States.The firestorm provoked by the revelation of Plame’s identity resulted in the prosecution and conviction of Lewis Libby, then-chief of staff for Cheney.
He was sentenced in June 2007 to two-and-a-half years in prison for obstruction of justice, false testimony and perjury, but received a pardon from president Bush that allowed him to avoid prison time.
Plame and Wilson have pursued claims in both judicial and civil cases.
Obama administration lawyers argued that an examination of the issue by the Supreme Court was “not justified,” a position in line with that developed by former president George W. Bush’s administration.”
**The Plame/Wilson’s shut down by our legal system….Justice shut down! Why? What is with the Courts?
What a message…perfectly acceptable for officials within an administration to out an undercover agent whose job it was was to follow the path of WMD’s because they did not like what her husband had written about their illegal and immoral war. They undermined U.S. National Security and the court refuse to hear the case. Where can they seek justice? This is pathetic.