Marcy Wheeler is an independent journalist writing about national security and civil liberties. She writes as emptywheel at her eponymous blog, publishes at outlets including Vice, Motherboard, the Nation, the Atlantic, Al Jazeera, and appears frequently on television and radio. She is the author of Anatomy of Deceit, a primer on the CIA leak investigation, and liveblogged the Scooter Libby trial.
Marcy has a PhD from the University of Michigan, where she researched the “feuilleton,” a short conversational newspaper form that has proven important in times of heightened censorship. Before and after her time in academics, Marcy provided documentation consulting for corporations in the auto, tech, and energy industries. She lives with her spouse in Grand Rapids, MI.
ThinkProgress had a piece the other day about Stephen Hadley visiting the Hill and blaming the military for the failure in Iraq.
Two weeks ago, Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN) shifted his position on Iraqin a speech on the Senate floor, where he called for a reduction of theU.S. military presence. After the speech, National Security AdviserStephen Hadley attempted to “calm Republican waters†over Iraq with avisit to the Hill, but his efforts
281 days. That’s how long–by my admittedly rough count–Jeff Taylor has been serving as Interim USA for DC. He’s been serving roughly 21 days since George Bush signed a law that effectively did away with the PATRIOT appointment he currently serves under. Yet there he is, a former DOJ clique-member, Counselor to the Attorney General for four years, and before that Counsel to the Republican-led Senate Judiciary Committee.
Yet come Wednesday, when
Via Rawstory … boy, Sara Taylor is pathetic. Faced with the likelihood that the Senate will hold her in contempt when she blows them off on Wednesday, her lawyer offers no legal argument, but a plea for pity.
Until six weeks ago, Ms. Taylor was Director of the Office of Political Affairs in the White House.
Big Media Matt and Brendan Nyhan and Tom Maguire are puzzling over what motive Bush might have for commuting Libby’s sentence. Since Maguire was helpful enough to quote from Team USA, I’ll offer an explanation offered by Team Libby. (I could point to a number of Fitzgerald quotes about clouds and VicePresidents that Maguire is overlooking, but I find that Jeffress isbetter at soundbite than Fitzgerald.) In his closing argument, Bill
At least that’s what I’m wild-arsed-guessing from Libby’s latest addition to his legal team. From the docket:
NOTICE OF ATTORNEY APPEARANCE: Gregory Lawrence Poe appearing for I. LEWIS LIBBY (Poe, Gregory) (Entered: 07/06/2007)
Greg Poe is from the same firm as Lawrence Robbins (the guy who argued for bond and deigned to tell Judge Walton how Scalia would rule on the Appointments Clause appeal).
I mentioned in my celebration of Jeralyn my friend whose clients never get the luxury of Presidential commutations. Well, he says this is an accurate quote, so I thought I’d let him have his say on Libby’s commutation.
David Moran, associate dean of the Wayne State University Law School,said Libby’s commutation directly contradicts the Justice Department’sposition in the case of Victor Rita, a highly decorated veteranimprisoned for perjury under circumstances strikingly similar
I had a funny conversation about Libby’s commutation the other with a friend who has argued several cases before SCOTUS–he pointed out that since he defends real thugs whose prosecutions included irregularities, his clients don’t get considered for commutation. Like him, Jeralyn spends a lot of time dealing with clients who get none of the benefits accorded to Libby on Monday.
In my post on the felon of considerable means, rhfactor noted that Libby’s check paying his fine was dated July 2–the same day Bush obstructed justice commuted Libby’s prison sentence. What a coinkydink, huh?
But I checked with the good folks at the Prettyman Courthouse, and at least on the surface, there’s nothing untoward about the date.
James Fallows repeats a fascinating story Gary Hart and Lee Hamilton told him about the Hart-Rudman Commission.
Early in 2001, the commission presented a report to the incoming G.W. Bush administration warning that terrorismwould be the nation’s greatest national security problem, and sayingthat unless the United States took proper protective measures aterrorist attack was likely within its borders.
Let me say straight out. Punishing Bush’s commutation of Libby’s sentence with censure would be like punishing Libby’s obstruction of justice with just 400 hours of community service. It would simply reinforce the notion that Bush’s Administration is above the law. It would be a punishment wholly unfit for the crime that has been committed: