It’s over …. Done ….. Caput …. Finito ….. Au Revoir …..

Fitz!

Marcy!

Thanks for keeping my head from exploding Christy…..
Thanks

My first thought after hearing this was that Rove’s cooperating. If that’s the case, this isn’t over by a long shot.

It’s so hard waiting and guessing.

I’m good with Rove rolling over to prosecute Cheney.

I need smarter people to explain something to me:

Is there a shadow investigation going on that’s devoted to determining who actually outed VPW? IE, the main crime in all this?

Or has that investigation been abandoned?

Or is Fitzgerald trying to get to that answer via the Libby trial, and the Libby trial alone?

Anyone? Buhler?

Rootz.

Well said, Christy!

Now, c’mon guys, quitcherwhining…we’ve work to do.

Net Neutrality–have you called your Senators supporting the Dorgan-Snowe legislation? Do you even know where they stand? TPM’s got the list.

Dynasty Tax–Senate will be active on this one soon. Speak up, take part.

Now I’m gonna go vote for my next mayor and city commissioners. One person, one voice, one vote… There are no statewide primary races today in ND, just city races, yet here in Fargo they expect high voter turnout.

The voters are out there just waiting for reasons to vote with us. We can do something each and every day to change the dynamic, build the synergy, change the Congress and the White House.

Like Christy said, and this applies across the board of issues and candidates, it’s not over ’til it’s over. It starts this morning, for me, with one ballot. Now where does it start for you?

it’s cheney… and they’d like nothing better than tossing him before ‘08… we all know rove’s not clean here. no way he walks for free…

effing bummer morning though!

Oh, well…

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13018897/

“WASHINGTON (NBC) - Top White House aide Karl Rove has been told by prosecutors he won’t be charged with any crimes in the investigation into leak of a CIA officer’s identity, his lawyer said Tuesday…”

And, the news that The Heroic Deciderer has valiantly flown to Baghdad for a Manly Photo-op.

If I didn’t have to be at my weekly management conference call shortly, I’d just go back to bed. Shit.

Cry later, take action now:

If you live in Virginia, vote Webb for Senate TODAY. He can defeat George Allen.

If you know anyone who lives in Virginia, call or email them and urge them to vote Webb.

It’s a very close race, turnout is critical.

A Democratic Senate = INVESTIGATIONS

chisholm–

From what I gather, the outing of Plame can’t be prosecuted without a lot of cooperation, which Fitzgerald isn’t getting.

I think the administration is just trying to delay the prosecution of Libby so that he doesn’t have to stay too long in prison before he can be pardoned in December of ‘08.

from pollyusa on previous thread:

Christopher Wolf counsel for the Wilson’s writes

We have become aware of the communication between Mr. Fitzgerald and Mr. Luskin concerning Karl. Rove’s status in the criminal investigation. We have no first-hand knowledge of the reason for the communication or what further developments in the criminal investigation it may signal. While it appears that Mr. Rove will not be called to answer in criminal court for his participation in the wrongful disclosure of Valerie Wilson’s classified employment status at the CIA in retaliation against Joe Wilson for questioning the rationale for war in Iraq, that obviously does not end the matter. The day still may come when Mr. Rove and others are called to account in a court of law for their attacks on the Wilsons.”

Here’s a thought —

1. GJ indicted Rove.
2. Fitz had meeting with Luskin and Rove to present the indictments and give them one last chance to cooperate
3. Rove blinked and flipped, and subpoenas are under seal until Rove has done absolutely everything Fitz asks of him

Now, if you worked with Rove, you would know he’s guilty. Luskin saying he’s not getting prosecuted with clever language now puts the fear of God into those around Rove — wondering who he flipped on.

Thus, no one will trust Rove anymore, no one will share strategy or confidences with him as they did before.

This makes Rove a straw man, which is worse than an indictment he could get all indignant about because he is sworn to secrecy about his own deal.

Which is worse for Rove? An indictment or a complete loss of power while it looks like he still has it?

I trust Fitz.

Reposted…I got epu’d.

Hi.

Christy, I was very thankful to see that you posted this. I was about to post mine on my scholarship blog and discovered your comments. (So it made me feel a little bit more confident in my instinct and opinion.)

http://www.progressiveu.org/10.....r-derailed

Zennurse,

Only 17 more days of this scholarship contest. I’m hoping for the best. I’m taking summer classes too. Finals are coming up soon again.

Thanks for cheering me on. (You can email me if you see this comment. It’s hard for me to stay caught up everywhere.)

kirby -

“1. GJ indicted Rove…”

Would/could a prosecutor decline to prosecute a case once there was a GJ indictment?

Christy?

Today is going to be a long news day. I smell it. And I suspect we’re going to hear Cheney’s name before sunset.

And did Goldbars Luskin get a letter or a phone call? The story appears to be bobbling around.

At the risk of repeating m’self: WAAS! And step on it, please!

chisholm 7 (though I’m not one of the smarter people here): Fitz hass made clear that he isn’t dealing with the leak proper (except as it led to Scooter’s alleged felonies), and given how short-handed and over-case-loaded his office is, I believe him.

calvin had some thoughts along those lines prior to reading this post. And, Wayne Madsen has an interesting story up that may or may not be relevant. At least calvin doesn’t read the Enquirer.

As usual, FDL ROCKS!

“Fitz HAS …” (todja I’m not smart)

Rove is a despicable toad, but he’s not the architect of this treason. He was most likely heavily involved in the way Valerie Plame was outed, but only after receiving the orders from on high (Cheney at least) to execute a plan to destroy Wilson.

Rove is certainly worthy of prison for the crimes he’s committed, but he’s not the one who initiated what happened. I’d rather see Rove flipped to nail Cheney and/or Bush for what was done, since it had to originate with one or both of them. The added bonus is, if Rove is cooperating, his fellow thieves will turn on him. If Rove slipping Fitzgerald’s knot leads to internecine warfare inside the illegitimate Bush government, I’ll be happy to see them act out a form of Lord of the Flies.

calvinthecat!

my dear cat calvin passed away last year after 18 years,

could it be … do you still walk among us !

It was a phone call yesterday afternoon

Fitzgerald called Luskin late Monday afternoon to tell him he would not be seeking charges against Rove. Rove had just gotten on a plane, so his lawyer and spokesman did not reach him until he had landed in Manchester, N.H., where he was to give a speech to state GOP officials.

Mark Corallo, a spokesman for Rove, said the White House official “is elated” and said that “we’re done”.
MSNBC 6/13/06

Maybe now you’ll all stop yelling “Fitz!” in that annoying way. He screwed us. He’s dead to me. And I will be deleting this site from my bookmarks, too, because there’s no reason to read it anymore.

Evil has triumphed. Bye.

from Media Matters:
As Media Matters repeatedly noted, the subject of Rove’s security clearance has gone largely unreported by the news media. When the White House has faced questions about the clearance, it has repeatedly refused to answer, citing the “ongoing investigation.”

Now that Rove is apparently no longer the subject of an “ongoing investigation” into the Plame matter, Media Matters hopes reporters will demand answers about his security clearance.

maybe this is relevant, maybe not:

like a lot of folks, I had a Joe Wilson moment at Yearly Kos. class act all the way. after thanking him and generally genuflucting in his direction, we exchanged some small talk:

Joe: “Naw, thank you, I’m having a great time here. Lots of fun.”

me: “You managing to get any gambling done?”

Joe: “Oh no. I’m not a gambler. I only bet on sure things…(pause for effect)…

like Dick Cheney’s future…”

Otis, sounds like you and Joe are on the same page…

kirby at 14

I like the way you think. Would be a good idea to get that story circulating.

If all Karl’s pals started distrusting him …

And why the hell is he on the public payroll and not the RNC’s?

I’ve always thought Cheney was the main target. Its easy to belive Rove would roll over, but it doesn’t seem to be Fitzgerald style to let someone off once they have already lied to him. However, it would explain the 5 (think it is 5??) trips to the grand jury = he was really working to cut a deal and he really had to make it worth Fitzgerald’s wild.

Of course it is defiantly not over until Fitzgerald says it’s over. Did he comment yet (I just woke up to this!) or has it just been Luskin thus far? If its just Luskin, his word doesn’t mean much to me, he’s Rove’s mouthpiece and thus a master linguists (in the bad sense of the word).

Sad to say, the progressive blogosphere — especially blogs that made Karl Rove’s indictment a signature issue — will have to step up the the plate and acknowledge they screwed up. There is a real need for basic reporting skills to support assertions made by some blogs, and checking before opinions are posted as fact. Maybe some sites will hire reporters as a result of this. I certainly hope so. Meanwhile, while I hope this will not lead to a progressive blog shakeout, I shudder to think what it could do to sites like truthout, and Jason Leopold in particular. A sorry day indeed for the forces of truth.
Carol the journalist

How sad, coming so soon after Yearly Kos.

Fitzmas has been canceled.

A prosecutor can “nolle prosequi” an indictment. Essentially, that means a prosecutor can exercise discretion to NOT prosecute at any time before a plea is entered or a verdict returned.

This is fairly rare, IMHO…but it could mean that there were indictments that Fitzgerald has decided in his infinite wisdom to DECLINE to move forward on…particularly if he has extracted promises of cooperation.

Christie -> or other lawyers, please feel free to correct me if I’m talking trash here.

When does Libby’s trial start? After the elections?….

They are buying time…

Carol @ 29, other than Leopold who has gotten anything wrong!

Hmmm…

If we are thinking Rove likely flipped on Libby/Cheney, what is the likelihood that either or both of them are going to start firing back soon.

The response from Libby/Cheney will likely take many forms. Much of the response will be the sort of internecine action that is totally invisible to the public.

But I also expect that Libby/Cheney will attempt to send messages to one another and to Rove and Bush via the media.

I expect that we will soon start seeing some public statments from Libby’s team and some interesting behavior from Cheney’s staff.

The statements and the behavior will only make sense within the context of the three-dimensional game of chess/chicken that is going on among the various parties that are currently in legal jeopardy.

Cheney and Libby will be trying very hard to simultaneously threaten Rove and to push him to somehow give away exactly what he has told Fitzgerald.

If Rove is smart, he will not respond to any of these feints.

And if Rove is smart, he would already have totally come clean with Fitzgerald about everything as part of the terms of his cooperation. If he has lied or shaded the truth, then there is a strong possibility that a later plea deal by Libby or Cheney could undermine the terms of his immunity.

If Rove did flip, it has to be a prosecutor’s wet dream. Just imagine, a cooperating witness with a well-established reputation for a photographic memory… drool!

Sure bodes better for a gritty trial than the endless stream of Iran-Contra “I cannot recalls” don’t it?

Just my opinion, but I think that Fitzgerald knows, and we know, who outed Plame. It has been made clear in the Libby filings that he did tell the reporters that Plame was CIA; it is not clear that Libby knew that Plame was covert. He -should- have known, but there seems to be no proof that he did.

Since the charge hinges on “knowingly” revealing the identity of a covert agent, without honest testimony there’s no way to prove the case in court. The people who are talking don’t know, and the people who know aren’t talking.

SteveW, Libby trial set for January 9.

As I wrote under the last thread…It is playing into Rove’s and the others’ hands to allow ourselves to become dispirited at this turn of events.

For several reasons:
First -> it ain’t over till it’s over. I’m not convinced this is the last turn in this case;

Second -> Rove would like nothing more than to have the opposition buy into the belief that they are an Invincible Juggernaut that crushes everything in their path toward a Fourth Reich…don’t give them that. Fight!!

Third -> There is WAY TOO much work to be done. At most, we would have great satisfaction at watching the frog-march but we have all been counting on Fitzgerald to be the Hero to slay the Dragon. We have to be that hero. Fitzgerald never promised us a rose garden. All of our “Fitzmas” talk has been strictly self-generated. Disappointing? Yes, very much so. Fatally dispirited…Bah! Absolutely not!! Fuck ‘em. Cry havoc and let slip loose the dogs of war…don’t let ‘em beat you into dispirited paralysis. Ultimately, it’s NOT about Karl Rove…it’s about winning the Congress back. Handing over power to them is precisely what they want and their major tool.

Carol: Please cite places where coverage of the CIA Leak case here at FDL has been wrong. In the small places where we’ve gotten anything wrong. There has always been a correction. This blog never reported that Rove would be indicted. We speculated, and identified our speculation as (guess what?) speculation. Other than that, there’s nothing I can see to correct to the reporting and analysis done here.

Carol Curtis the Journalist: what are you talking about?

Nobody I know believed Jason Leopold’s wacky story. Folks WANTED to believe it, but it was clearly formed from nothingness.

Anyone could see it and most here said so. It’s not a sad day for journalism. It’s a sad day for clowns who make up false stories.

aww, puppethead

now i will have some very bad dreams, re:
I’ll be happy to see them act out a form of Lord of the Flies.

Piggy Barbecue, eewwe!

Morning everyone. Hope the intrepid YKos gang has managed to get some well-deserved rest after the wonderful job they did over the weekend (not to mention what must have been huge prep. & wrap-up details). Thanks guys.

Christy. We’d be so lost without you. Thanks for teasing apart the Fitz/rover ball-of-string a little for us. Want him outta there so bad, but I want deadeyedick out more, so I do hope your instincts are spot-on as usual. Sure makes sense.

Bobby G at 10

Your link at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13018897/
has 2 sentences referring to WP reporter Bob “Woodwind”. That’s worth a little smile, no?
I keep wondering if it’s really a typo, or someone’s making an editorial comment, heh heh.

And why is that weasel Schumer on air, making demands that Fitz issue a final report now that Karl’s been cleared? What part of “Ongoing investigation” doesn’t he understand?

I surely do want to see Addington in ashes when this smoke clears — to the extent that, as lhp or somebody said the other day, he can’t possibly crop up again 20 years from now!

The PodIDIOT calls Fitz disgraceful…

http://corner.nationalreview.c.....hlM2RmNjc=

THIS is why Fitz should make an announcement!!

Bye Seth. Don’t let the door hit your ass. If you’ve been here for that, then you’ve never been one of us. But my bet is you’re a stealth troll working to suppress the progressive movement. Carol, too.

Amen Sharkbabe !

Thanks for the update Christy.

btw, John Cusack, and only John Cusack should play Fitz. I like Spacey as Libby, Phillip Seymour Hoffman as Rove, Clooney as Waas (think about it), Alec Baldwin as Addington, Joe Pantoliano as Luskin, Richard Dreyfus has to play Cheney, Alan Rickman as Joe Wilson, with Gary Oldman as the Chimp(although I suspect both Phoenix & Depp have inner idiots they could call on)

yeah, I’m in total escapist mode

Jeff Bridges as Wilson, pretty please???

Could be fun to sit back for a bit and watch the wingnut bloggers get too far out in front on this, speculating about Turdblossom and Cheney being “exonerated”.

It’s going to make it all the more amusing to watch them swallow their tongues when the other shoe drops.

And make no mistake, there is another shoe.

Yeah, keep dreaming. Scooter will make a deal after the election and it will be all over.

Bobby G-No. Once a GJ indicts, the indictment has to be dealt with. It can’t just disappear. even if sealed it eventually will need to be unsealed and prosecuted or dismissed. My theory–I don’t think Rove was ever indicted. They got his cooperation in exchange for agreeing not to indict.

This theory (Rove’s cooperation against Cheney) is also consistent with some political advantages as well. When you think about it, Cheney is really the source of all of Junior’s political troubles right now. The failed pre-emptive war policy, the architect of doemstic spying and the NSA stuff, even, as we believe, the outing of a CIA agent– many of the issues most unpopular with the public. Imagine Rove now becoming the architect of Cheney’s undoing and providing cover for Bush to “blame Cheney” for everything, cut him loose before the mid-terms to demonstrate the administration “turn-around”, and, they hope, save the House to forestall the investigations that would otherwise go on until 2008.
The pardons will follow.

Pachacutec,

I think people like Seth don’t understand that Fitzgerald wouldn’t just let Luskin handle the end like this.

I don’t think the end of this investigation or Rove’s part in it is here at all.

Call me clairvoyant

Just spinning thoughts in my head here, but considering how Luskin has operated in the past perhaps this could come into play. What about a sealed indictment being handed down? We wouldn’t know who it was and Luskin has been out saying “Rove is off the hook” which would give them a clearing past the elections. It could just be wishful thinking but at this point I just don’t know LOL.

It may just be wishful thinking on my part, but Kirby’s take seems just about right, and would explain why an indictment may have been issued, but sealed.

In addition, Fitz didn’t need Rove just to put Libby away for a long time. His case on obstruction charges was really solid. So the only possible explanation is that somehow Rove offered up bigger fish for Fritz to fry.

And given what a skumbag Rove is, it is not surprising that he didn’t want to take a bullet for the Bush administration.

Everybody needs to chill the fuck out with all this teeth-gnashing and breast beating. If Rove is cooperating, then maybe he will rat out his boss. This means we’re going for the big fishes.

Rove is a toad and justice will catch up to him, even if that means waiting for the Wilsons’ civil suit, but with him turning state’s evidence, it means we may get a chance to see where ALL the bodies are buried.

Is “06 cr 128″ (Sealed vs. Sealed)still in the court’s database?

Meanwhile in B’dad:

75,000 [Iraqi] Forces to Be Deployed in Baghdad (per Maliki)

http://www.nytimes.com/aponlin.....nted=print

(No word on how many of the 75K are loyal to Maliki’s gummint, alas . . .)

How is anyone around Karl Rove gonna trust him? Aren’t they all gonna be wondering if he IS wearing a wire? or whether he HAS cooperated? Sure he could press ahead constructing a new slime machine for 06 to impress his pals and re-establish his bona fides, but aren’t they still gonna wonder?

If he did make a deal and has sworn confidentiality to Fitz, could he not STILL signal warnings? Or not? Seems to me that any cooperation with Fitz would (eventually) spell the end of his career among Rethugs forever.

If it is true that Karl Rove cooperated in nailing Cheney (and that is “the other shoe” some of us have written is still waiting to drop) has Joe Lieberman already been briefed by Karl as to his new duties as replacement Veep (i.e. pardoning the out-going Prez when Cheney returns the fire)?

Thanks Redd

also emptywheel -

http://tinyurl.com/mb2hd

Rove lives to win elections and establish a “permanent Republican majority” - an indictment might have been nice, but the only real stake in the heart of this Administration will be to lose elections. All of us can still give Karl a gift that will keep on giving by handing him defeat this fall.

And remember - all these guys have an enormous Achilles heel, their cockiness. The more they think everything’s going their way, the bigger they screw up eventually. Let them have their moment while we all keep the focus where it needs to be, on getting Congress back.

I just hope we’re not so determined to make lemonade out of lemons that we end up sounding like the wingnuts who convinced themselves that Wilson was going to be indicted for being a victim.

We all want Rove and the rest of Bush’s sour band of thieves to pay for their crimes, but justice doesn’t always prevail. At least in the short term. But I’m still hopeful Fitzgerald’s working hard and not being obstructed by Gonzales or anyone.

My small like-minded band of friends and I (overwhelmed in central Oregon) have wondered why Karl Rove, whose duties have been curtailed basically to campaigning, should be still being paid by US tax dollars to get Republicans elected. ?????? Isn’t there some sort of legal conflict here?

Perhaps Rove is merely cooperating in nailing Libby. Or is he completely unnecessary to that prosecution?

seth - off with your head, wtf is wrong with you. dare say you an evil word against fair fitzgerald!

he’s doing his job.

i’m willing to let rove off the hook (for the moment) if he’s given up cheney. i think rove’s a has been anyway. his turning (if he has) will seal his fate.

Carol the Journalist:

I think, given the execrable job the majority of “journalists” have done in investigating and reporting on the Plame matter, your appending the that term to your post seems to be an excellent example of the pot calling the kettle black.

While there has certainly been an abundance of speculation about the case here in the blogoverse, the posts of Jane and Christy, as well as those of emptywheel, Taylor Marsh and Jeralyn, the journalistic efforts of Murray Waas and the pointed commentary of Dan Froomkin have all been presented and conducted in accordance with standards set at the highest level. The same could not be said of the mainstream’s reporting on this case, with the exception of David Schuster of MSNBC.

This is not a place where people are easily fooled or where people easily swallow what passes for journalism these days. A little homework would have made that pretty clear.

Methinks you have had a Barbara Boxer moment.

Just got back from the polls in VA. Punched my ticket for Webb, called the neighbors to vote for Webb also.

As badly as I wanted to see Rover get ratfucked, There is still a long way to go. Let us not forget what Fitzgerald is currently prosecuting. OBSTRUCTION.He has to get the rest of the story by hanging Libby out so he can finish the original investigation. If Rover flipped, I’d say that would be wonderful news for two reasons. One, Cheney would be the obvious target. Two The weasel m-fr would have to be sweating bullets and not sleeping at night knowing that Cheney is a deadly bastard. Good for us both ways.

puppethead: Our hope belongs in our political movement, as I know you know, but I’m repeating a lot because we have folks just tuning in.

i’m with OtisiIsHungry. they need rove and his filth for ‘06 and ‘08. cheney getting thrown under a bus will do nothing but help rove on this mission. pardons all around and the monster’s ball plays on.

we need to focus on the elections and let fitz do his job.

You know… This could just be a tactic to line up all of the pieces for a plea bargain from scooter. If he were to be pressured into a guilty plea now, after Rove cut a deal, this whole thing would stay largely out of the media. None of the much wanted facts surrounding plames outing would come out. Scooter would be a sacrifice to protect the administration.

Alright fellow firepups, they win this one. Time to redouble our efforts to rid our fair Republic of the Republican cancer.

FIGHT BACK. [channeling me3 :)]

I just returned from voting, Webb for Senate in Virginia. Turnout is ultra-light. Individual votes could really make a difference in this race.

As of 10:30 only 120 people had voted, and they said that was three times the level of surrounding precincts.

If you’re angry, sign up to help elect someone, or go to Act Blue and donate money. Write somebody who is doing good work and send them a letter of encouragement. Talk to the person next to you in the grocery checkout about what’s going on with the government.

Everybody can do something. Promote yourself to the next level of civic involvement, like a battlefield promotion. If no one is organizing in your area, YOU do it.

With regard to Rove’s cooperation, we’ll know on that eventually–if Rove has flipped, Fitzgerald will have to list Rove as a prospective prosecution witness at some point. So, one way or another, we’ll find out about that.

As for the security clearance business, if anything, a decision not to prosecute would minimize the demand for retraction of his security clearance.

What I find to be a more intriguing question is if Rove’s clearance status changed with his move to the political office of the White House. At that time, concentrating on domestic political affairs, he would have no need to have a clearance beyond confidential. Was his clearance adjusted at that time to fit his actual duties?

Enquiring minds and all.

cbl 47: Perfecto! I nominate you Official Firedoglake Casting Director.

Well, I think at this point we need to keep an eye on stories about Cheney’s health.

…oh can I add…c’monnnnnnnn MURRAY!

Seth @ #24 - Wow. You’re a real everything is black or white sort of guy, aren’t you?

Carolthejournalist - If you are a journalist, I feel sorry for your readers and your publisher, since you apparently cannot remember what you’ve read or you are sorely lacking in cognitive skills because this site never made Rove’s indictment a “signature issue”.
Sheesh.

So what’s going on here? I’d say the jury is still out on Fitz. He could have indicted someone before the 2004 elections. He didn’t. He could have indicted Rove, Libby, Cheney and others on conspiracy charges. He didn’t. So far we only have a Libby indictment- and now word the Rove will not be prosecuted.

Sure this or that might happen- He may be going after Cheney- etc. The facts are- only Libby has been indicted and not on the original charges. Clusterfuck is now grinnin away sayin “I knew all along that ol Karl was innocent.” Makes ya wanna puke!

melior (in Austin) @ 49

And make no mistake, there is another shoe.

Yep. Maybe it’s not the one we thought, or hoped for, or even imagined. But that shoe’s there, all right.

Fitz is playing this as he plays all his cases. He doesn’t play it in public, and he doesn’t play to lose. No, Fitz plays it tight. He plays it close to the vest. He plays it in chambers. He plays it in court.

Most of all, he plays for keeps.

I don’t like waiting, but for someone who knows what they’re doing - like Fitz - I’ll wait. He knows what the score is, while we (and Luskin, and Rove) don’t, and he’s looking to hold folks accountable.

Ask Gov. Ryan in Illinois about Fitz and accountability. Ryan was convicted of racketeering and bribery, dating to his days as Illinois Secretary of State. A columnist in Illinois noted that because of Fitz, Ryan’s going to be making license plates instead of selling them.

Two words: Chicago Rules.

oh Seth!

Is that your way of telling us you’re ready for your closeup?

Pretty pretty?

RJ Eskew at HuffPos has a good article up:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/.....22894.html

from the statesman.com–
snip
Gubernatorial candidate Carole Keeton Strayhorn (Scott McClellan’s Mom) asking to be called “Grandma” on the ballot to improve her name recognition is kinda like a topless dancer named Hortense. If she didn’t use the stage name Bubbles, nobody would know who she was.

Obviously, the woman is tough. She sure whipped the personality out of her son Scott McClellan, the president’s former corpse of a press secretary.

http://www.statesman.com/news/.....kelso.html

WDC - thank you!

We need to work our butts off to elect principled leaders and to help elect people like Jennifer Brunner as Secreatry of State in Ohio to ensure accurate elections.

Do whatever you can, whatever your local headquarters needs to be done. It ain’t always fun or what you might want to do but it’s important work.

A good photo shop would be Rove sporting the mark of the squealer.

If only one thing comes of this, it should be the end of those childish “Fitz!” posts. Idolizing public servants is never wise.

Where is the letter that Luskin supposedly received? Have these reporters seen the letter? When can we see it?

Otis at 51 -> But can’t a prosecutor exercise discretion and “nolle prosequi” a case prior to a plea being entered or a verdict being given.

For instance, couldn’t it have happened in the following manner? Let’s assume a sealed indictment. The indictee wrangles a deal whereby they cooperate. The indictment stays sealed until such time as the indictee makes good on the cooperation, at which point the prosecutor exercises prosecutorial discretion and declines to prosecute further (”nolle prosequi” but I don’t know my conjugations). In short, is this route foreclosed in federal prosecutions? I know that it is used in state courts. Thanks.

rwcole, don’t forget that Libby has been charged with “throwing sand in the Umpire’s face”. Fitzgerald knows damned well that Libby is protecting someone. And, as a professional, he’s trying to see if he can gather evidence that will actually hold up in court. He’s a professional prosecutor, not a politician.

re: speculation.

Indictment quashed? or
Rover rolled over on Cheney?

There is just as much evidence for one scenario as the other.

Fitz’s next move will tell the tale. If he announces the investigation as ongoing, a Rove flip is possible.

Investigation over, no explicit clearing of Rove = quashed indictments.(would Fitz pronounce a person who has been indicted innocent of charges, even if quashed?)

Investigation over, Fitz clears Rove, = Fitz truly doesn’t have the goods, no other indictmens have been handed down.

No announcement of any kind will only fuel more speculation for the forseeable future.

An announcement does not have to be a political move-it only means he is being mindful of his duty to be fair.

montag @ 74 -> isn’t Rove on Fitzgerald’s list of witnesses already? I remember reading that and thinking (and writing) that the writing was on the wall at that point.

sunny:

Fitz has made exactly one announcement. That was when the GJ brought an indictment.

The rest we get from court filings.

He won’t make an announcement. And that is as it shold be.

If the court filings continue to refer to a continuing investigation we will know there is a continuing investigation.

The liberation of Karl Rove–
http://commentisfree.guardian......_rove.html
some snippettes:

President Bush’s political brain escapes indictment, but mysteries and legal entanglements remain. The special prosecutor’s decision not to seek indictment of President Bush’s chief political adviser and deputy chief of staff Karl Rove suggests two possibilities.

First, Patrick Fitzgerald’s letter informing Rove that he will not be prosecuted concludes his responsibility as a witness. If Fitzgerald has repeatedly subpoenaed him for questioning only about his own tortuous story there may be no further reason for the prosecutor to continue his investigation. Then the letter to Rove’s attorney ought to be swiftly followed by the grand jury’s disbandment.

Second, Rove’s escape from potential indictment may be the result of his extraordinary cooperation……

which leads us to this article:

By David A. Farenthold
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, June 13, 2006; Page A07

MANCHESTER, N.H., June 12 — The Bush administration is said to have a new playbook, with a more inclusive attitude toward critics and an openness to skeptical debate.

Karl Rove, apparently, still has his copy of the old playbook.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/.....01585.html

…we will not make any further public statements…

Ooh ooh, Mr. Luskin, sir, does that include “double secret background” statements leaked over drinks to reporters of the opposite gender? What about amateur Hardy Boys coded messages about trees quaking from their roots? Does it include refusing to (wink, wink) confirm or deny leaks by saying “I heard that too”?

Just askin’. (/snark)

It IS over! And I am disgusted. No way is this a good thing. We do not want Rove walking around free and happy and continuing to corrupt the election. This is a catastrophe.

More on Fitz and Ryan, from the coverage of the Bloomington Illinois Daily Pantagraph when Ryan was found guilty:

U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald told reporters after the verdict that he hoped it would discourage public officials from engaging in corrupt practices.

“If they keep stealing, we’ll keep chasing them,” he said. “I think people now know if you’re part of a corrupt conduct where one hand is taking care of the other and contracts are going to people, you don’t need to say the word `bribed’ out loud. I think people need to understand that we won’t be afraid to bring strong circumstantial cases into court.”

I wonder if Luskin and Rove just got that message.

And cynic @ 85, there’s a difference between blindly turning someone into an idol and viewing someone as an inspiration. If I were a lawyer, Fitz would be the kind I’d aspire to be. As a member of the public, Fitz is the kind of lawyer I’m glad we’ve got - however this case plays out.

Mayan 87. I believe that in Fed. Ct. the court would have to approve a nolle prosequi once the indictment was filed. However, Fitz could just as easily have filed a sealed “prosecutor’s complaint” and then dismissed it under seal too. But none of that really matters to the theory that Rove is cooperating in exchange for a “non-prosecution” agreement. The theory stands either way. IMHO it is Rove, to Libby to Cheney. That’s what the Bu$hCo thinks will save them in 2006 and 2008.

It occurred to me that if Rover hadn’t been worried, he wouldn’t have dropped all the weight he’s been carrying around for years.

And a man who is innocent doesn’t have much to worry about…nor does a man who hasn’t flipped on DeadEye Dick Cheney, the same guy who pointedly didn’t call Rover after DeadEye’s little hunting accident.

Anybody got photos of Rove before Libby’s indictment and this past week for comparison?

As I suspected, the turd escaped w/o a scracth. I am not an attorney but I compared Rove’s case to Barry Bonds’s case. The feds are after Bonds but they have not called on him to provide statements/evidences/testimonies or otherwise. Sure Bonds testified once but that’s it.

Rove may have cooperated to save his own skin but from the start, I suspected there is no way in hell Bush would allow Rove to be indicted. Scooter was/is not well known name/figure but Rove is another matter.

Zergle #76:

I’m with you. It’s great to talk about getting Deadeye instead of “merely” Rove, and how the GOP wants him out anyway, but death would render a prosecution moot, would it not? Adding a criminal defense to Dick’s workload would only hasten that day. BushCo might yet get out of the inning cheaply enough, giving up Libby (to be pardoned) to get the double play.

For the loose ends file, I still want Leopold to out his sources, because I think it’d be useful to know who spun him and why.

When did we start believing Luskin?

When did we start believing the New York Times?

I hear no fat lady singing.

It IS over and it is NOT GOOD. They will NOT get Chaney if they cannot get Rove and we DO NOT want Rove running around free to corrupt yet another election. I am disgusted.

Seems to me — not being any sort of legal brain, mind you — that if this really were ALL OVER (and evil had prevailed) that Fitz would call a press confefrence and say so.

Seems to me. So before anyone jumps off bridges or chugs Drano, chill and wait for more info, okay?

And oh yeah —

FITZ!!!!

kirby and hamburger,

although I am in the aforementioned escapist mode (watching Gilda ferchrissakes - put the blame on Plame, boys), I am heartened by your spectulation on Rove as an untouchable.

and yes Hamburger, thought about Bridges as Wilson.

forgot to add -

Benjamin Bratt as Pachacutec

don’t worry Pacha and egregious, these eyes are on the prize - already sent off my LTE on Net Neutrality and posted a digestible public notice on it (using the local hot button issue of toll roads as an analogy) in town - advising everyone to contact our Senators (via phone and fax)

Dean refuses to let the Wurlitzer control the spin:

Democratic National Chairman Howard Dean said the fact Rove won’t face indictment “does not excuse his real sin, which is leaking the name of an intelligence operative during a time of war. He doesn’t belong in the White House.”

Givem hell, Howard!

The Bush machine is breathing again. They have begun the full court revival in the press. Zarqawi…Chimpy Goes To Baghdad…Rover…The Marriage Amendment..The Mexicans…The Burning Flags….

They are about to get very dangerous again.

-GSD

Well, if nothing else official comes out of Plamegate than Libby’s sorry hide nailed to the barndoor, I am at least grateful Fitz’s investigation led to the emergence of FDL as a place for thoughtful, reasoned discourse.

puppethead @62

I just hope we’re not so determined to make lemonade out of lemons that we end up sounding like the wingnuts who convinced themselves that Wilson was going to be indicted for being a victim.

Well, I can’t say that I disagree with you on that one. Look what’s happening now… suddenly there’s all this serious discussion of Rove having flipped, even though there’s not a shred of evidence beyond the circumstantial to suggest that this is the case.

How does this help the political clout of the progressive blogosphere? It seems to play into the very stereotypes that we’re constantly barraged with.

And once again with all due respect to Pach, I recall this site growing its wings primarily on the basis of reporting on Fitzgerald’s investigation and providing some very good legal analysis to that end. I think it’s a wee bit disingenuous to now act like Fitzgerald’s investigation was never the main focus around here and that it was always all about grassroots politicking.

And even if the grassroots thing has become the new focus, I think it’s naive to think that Rove suddenly skating on this whole thing doesn’t carry with it a significant effect on the grassroots political efforts here and across the political blogosphere.

No, I’m not saying “Rove is an invincible juggernaut”. That’s hyperbole that I don’t hear many people outside of the Greater Dumbfuckistan Metropolitan Area spouting. However by that same token, it’s not like this whole thing is a non-issue to us now.

Rove just got his political balls back from out of Lady Justice’s purse. He is going to be hopped up on a revenge trip for the rest of the campaign season. That affects us.

Though FDL never explicitly said they were doing anything beyond speculating about Rove’s potential indictment, other progressive sites were not quite so prudent. Jason Leopold’s grand pronouncements about Rove’s imminent indictment are now making us ALL look like schmucks, simply by association. That definitely affects us and any grassroots influence we might have.

I understand the urge to hold onto hope that somehow Rove hasn’t gotten away with what he’s done, and I also understand the urge to pretend that the possibility of his indictment never meant anything. I just tend to think that both approaches sort of skirt the edges of reality a little bit, and if we