The cover up worked

To be fair, it is likely that no one broke the law when they outed Ms. Plame. Largely that is due to the fact that no one thought such a law was needed. No one figured that someone would out a CIA agent would be outed for a political vendetta instead of for the purposes of spying. So because what Rove and company did was so dispicable, it isn't a crime. So why should Libby be in jail for a few years? Because the cover up worked.

Had Libby not lied, it is likely we would have found out about Rove and his dispicable behavior well before Bush was reelected. In a close election it might have made a difference. And the administration just could have that. So Libby lied. Listen to the tapes. Even the most clueless observer can tell the man is lying.

He didn't lie for fear of jail. He lied because he knew the truth would cost him his job, and might cost Cheney his. And his lies worked. By lying to the grand jury he kept the truth from getting out before the election. By keeping the truth from coming out, he helped Bush keep his job.

Libby did the crime, he needs to do the time. He stole more than the truth. He stole our ability to hold his bosses accountable for their borderline treasonous behavior. Instead of a moment of accountability, we got a moment of stealing. Libby is responsible for that. He deserves to go to jail for that behavior.

At the very least we'll have the Wilson's civil trial.

Cheney is likely untouchable. The civil suit, while satisfying, is unlikely to lead to jail time unless someone lies during it.

Cheney will make several fortunes off of the Iraq disaster.

He can only hope that Dick's beat up ticker lasts long enough to pay him back.

I literally can't. The tapes speak volumes.

Why would it?

either doing so for money, which clearly wasn't done, or doing so to a foreign country, which also wasn't done. I would assume this was to keep journalists and honest sources out of jail. This time it back fired.

to be impeachable. This was clearly a crime against America, and it was a part of a much larger crime.

I hope the jury nails the bastard if the evidence they witnessed in court says they should.

http://citizenspook.blogspot.com/2007/02/its-espionage-stupid.html


793 of The Espionage Act only requires, for conviction:

1. that Plame's status at the CIA was "related to the national defense"
2. that the leaker(s) had "reason to believe" such information "could be used to the injury of the United States"
3. that the person this information was leaked to was not "entitled to receive" the information

794 of The Espionage Act only requires, for conviction:

1. that Plame's status at the CIA was "related to the national defense"
2. that the leaker(s) had "reason to believe" such information "is to be used to the injury of the United States or to the advantage of a foreign nation"

Seeing as how Fitzgerald has directly stated that this Statute is in play, the public needs the Espionage Act to be debated with the same sickening repetition as the virtually irrelevant IIPA. The liberal bloggers need to stop getting into arguments about "classifed vs covert" and start hitting the phrases contained in The Espionage Act.

If her status was actually covert, then this evidence will simply provide more weight to the sentence of those convicted, but whether she was "covert" is not a necessary element for criminal violations of The Espionage Act.

Plame's job was undeniably directly "related to the national defense". The CIA was created to defend the nation. Duh. It's the espionage, stupid.

People need to stop thinking that Plame was outed to bitch slap her hubby. The President and his crime family knew this was a serious crime which might possibly bring life in prison or even the death penalty. They took a calculated risk. The real question is "why?


(no copyright per Citizenspook)