McClellan To Testify About Outing Of Valerie Plame.

[Harvey]

The story just broke. There's not a lot to say unless someone breaks their silence before he takes the stand or until it begins. I hope we get some concrete info about who was involved in outing Valerie Plame Wilson's identity as a covert CIA operative. At this point, I don't even know if we can make a decent thread of it with anything more than what has already been posted since they outed her.

If it's as it appears to all but the few remaining Bushwhacko defenders, I hope outcome is a polite introduction of the shit to the fan.

McClellan to testify before House in CIA leak case

By LAURIE KELLMAN ? 3 hours ago (June 9, 2008)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Bush's former spokesman, Scott McClellan, will testify before a House committee next week about whether Vice President Dick Cheney ordered him to make misleading public statements about the leaking of CIA agent Valerie Plame's identity.

McClellan will testify publicly and under oath before the House Judiciary Committee on June 20 about the White House's role in the leak and its response, his attorneys, Michael and Jane Tigar, said on Monday.

In his new book, "What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception," McClellan said he was misled by others, possibly including Cheney, about the role of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby in the leak. McClellan has said publicly that Bush and Cheney "directed me to go out there and exonerate Scooter Libby."

The statements prompted House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, D-Mich., to invite McClellan to the hearing "concerning reported attempts to cover up the involvement of White House officials in the leak of" Plame's identity.

Plame's CIA identity was leaked to the news media by several top Bush administration officials in 2003, including Libby and former top White House political adviser Karl Rove. Last July, Bush commuted Libby's 2 1/2-year sentence, sparing him from serving any prison time after being convicted of perjury, obstructing justice and lying to the FBI.

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., also is seeking more FBI documents about the leak in part because of McClellan's description of the way he was instructed to respond to questions on the matter.

At Libby's trial, witnesses testified that Cheney, Libby and other Bush administration officials mounted a campaign to counter criticism of the Iraq war by Plame's husband, Joseph Wilson. Cheney's spokeswoman, Cathie Martin, testified that Cheney personally wrote out statements and talking points for Libby and other aides to give to reporters to rebut Wilson's allegations.

 

[DealMonkey]

I :heart: Henry Waxman.

 

[Moonbeam]

One hunting trip that should end with Cheney being shot for treason.

 

[Queasy]

It was Richard Armitage

 

[Craig234]

Originally posted by: Queasy
It was Richard Armitage

Well, Mr. Disinformation, that's only part of the story. There were others who were also conspiring to leak her name and cover it up.

 

[Craig234]

Originally posted by: DealMonkey
I :heart: Henry Waxman.

That deserves a quote and emphasis. Is there a better congressman? Not that I'm thinking of.

 

[BrunoPuntzJones]

Up next, Gonzolas...

*crosses fingers*

 

[Fern]

While I would hope it to be informative, I really really doubt it wil be anything other than election year partisan grandstanding. More politicians flaunting the ego's.

Are we to believe he knows something that he didn't put in his book? I doubt that too.

Then there's the whole "I was lied to about the Plame affair" or so he says. If he was lied to, that means he never knew sh!t in the first place. I don't see how he can add anything of substance since he apparently wasn't involved.

Fern

 

[jpeyton]

Hopefully Kucinich reserved his seat for this. I'm sure he has other questions for McClellan too.

 

[Craig234]

Originally posted by: Fern
While I would hope it to be informative, I really really doubt it wil be anything other than election year partisan grandstanding. More politicians flaunting the ego's.

Are we to believe he knows something that he didn't put in his book? I doubt that too.

Then there's the whole "I was lied to about the Plame affair" or so he says. If he was lied to, that means he never knew sh!t in the first place. I don't see how he can add anything of substance since he apparently wasn't involved.

Fern

Your concern about whether he can add much beyond what's in the book is reasonable, but your attack on politicians' 'egos' being the issue is just blather, IMO.

As far as his appearance, it's common for Congress to get people on the record on relevant issues even if the person has written a book on the issue. It's quite proper to do this.

It'll also provide the opportunity for us to get answers to Democrats' questions on the specifics he knows, and to learn from Republican questioners his favorite color, etc.

 

[Lemon law]

I certainly HOPE McClellon has something to back his allegations up with because it could get really explosive. But I am not going to get my hopes too high, because the dems have waited too long for traditional investigative methods to work. I had hoped that they would crank these type investigations up a full year ago, then they could have sweated the little rats to fink on the bigger rats. And now its all too probable that the big rats will deny it all, and McClennon merely seeing Rove get into a closet with Libby does not in itself equal obstruction of justice.

But we never know what whistle blower will finally come forward and blow the GWB&co facade of lies wide open. So I am not totally convinced the rats will escape again either.

At least an effort is being made, and sooner or later, we will all learn what total lot of corrupt scoundrels we let profane our executive branch.

GWB&co may be praying for time to heal all the wounds they inflicted while I am praying for time to wound all these heels.

 

[fskimospy]

Originally posted by: Fern
While I would hope it to be informative, I really really doubt it wil be anything other than election year partisan grandstanding. More politicians flaunting the ego's.

Are we to believe he knows something that he didn't put in his book? I doubt that too.

Then there's the whole "I was lied to about the Plame affair" or so he says. If he was lied to, that means he never knew sh!t in the first place. I don't see how he can add anything of substance since he apparently wasn't involved.

Fern

Well a big part of the controversy is that there are a large number of people claiming McClellan is lying. Giving testimony under oath to Congress about that goes a good way towards dispelling that.

 

[LTC8K6]

Libby was already subject to an intense investigation, though.

Libby didn't leak the info.

So what's wrong with Bush/Cheney telling McClellan to exonerate Libby?

 

[Harvey]

Originally posted by: LTC8K6
Libby was already subject to an intense investigation, though.

So what's wrong with Bush/Cheney telling McClellan to exonerate Libby?

< sarcasm >

Yeah, what's wrong with traitors and murderers telling their crony to cover up their crimes and commuting his sentence for lying to the FBI and the Grand Jury about his part in their crimes? :roll:

< /sarcasm >

 

[Gaard]

This is really good news. I really hope that Bush doesn't get off scott-free on everything he's done since he's been president. I can't think of a more dishonest President.

What I find equally disturbing is the blind defending of him that goes on here. It's like as long as he's an (R), it's ok for him to do as he pleases ... right or wrong ... and it's ok with fellow (R)s. (Ok...ok...nobody here is willing to admit to being an (R), let's call them anti-(D)s)

Just the other day, one of our resident anti(D)s said something like "Yeah, Bush lied. So what?" Why doesn't that piss you off? Whether you're a 'righty' or a 'lefty', that kind of thinking should piss you off.

With all the scandals that this administration has been involved in, does anyone here really think they are innocent in all of them? And if they are guilty of ANY of them, do you just <shrug> because it's a 'righty' administration, or does it piss you off that they would do that thing. Remember, they don't just bs Democrats.
If this administration is involved, in any way, of purposely outing Plame, you should be pissed.
If we were, in any way, purposely mislead to give our support for the Iraq war, you should be pissed.
If this administration, in any way, purposely disregarded our constitution, for whatever reason, you should be pissed.
If we, the American people, were purposely fucked with, for whatever reason, by this (or any) administration/President, you should be pissed.

I find it to be much more believable that someone would come here and simply take the position of defending Bush on everything and push a few buttons, than to think that someone would genuinely be of the mind that everything that Bush&Co does, whether right or wrong - legal or illegal - moral or immoral, is ok merely because it's Bush.

 

[Craig234]

Look at these Republicans, not encouraging the truth coming out, but attacking McClellan for telling the truth (courtesy of Salon):

"Scott McClellan alone will have to wrestle with whether it was worth selling out the president and his friends for a few pieces of silver," Rep. Lamar Smith, a Texan who's the ranking member on the committee, said. (In the New Testament, Judas Iscariot is paid thirty pieces of silver to betray Jesus.)

And Iowa Rep. John King tried to make an argument that McClellan should have kept quiet for the sake of national security. But -- seeming to realize he had no leg to stand on -- King fumbled the question. "Does [the president] have to, then, put the next press secretary into a cubicle and slide press releases to him under the door for fear that he'll be coming -- either write a book or come before the Judiciary Committee... and divulge information that I believe was at least, from a national security -- not national security, but from the integrity standpoint, could you not have taken some of this to the grave with you and done this country a favor?" King asked.

 

[Cold Steel]

JHC. This again?

Political grandstanding is right. If there's anything here, fine, let's have it. After everything that's been done so far on this, they got zip.

 

[trenchfoot]

I personally place Bush, Cheney and the bunch of lying crooks that are aligned with them right up there with OJ Simpson as far as their credibility is concerned. I cannot imagine any other leader of any other nation feeling differently about the Bush Administration at the present time.

This administration will go down in history as the most self-serving, corrupted to the core and traitorous bunch of white collar thieves the nation has ever produced.

Thanks goes out to all of those who thought it was their patriotic duty to empower and retain this despicable Bush League of Common Criminals for eight nightmarish years in office.

The cracks in the walls that the Bush adminsitration put up to hide from view the high crimes they perpetrated against the nation are getting bigger and wider and the glare that the light of truth is shining through these ever widening cracks is progressively exposing Bush's and Cheney's dark domain of deceit and secrecy.

McClellan's testimony is an intense penetrating beam of light that shines into the very core of the shrouded and contorted void that is the domain of the Bush Hideout.

It's time to get the Ship of State righted, shipshape and on the proper bearing.

GO OBAMA.

 

[MovingTarget]

I have yet to be able to find the official transcript for his testimony before the House, but they have at least published his opening statement.

 

[Butterbean]

This sort of thing is why congress is held in such low regard. With all the serious stuff going on they still want to waste time with this rubbish.

 

[Harvey]

Originally posted by: Butterbean
This sort of thing is why congress is held in such low regard. With all the serious stuff going on they still want to waste time with this rubbish.

Yeah... Nothing serious about our Traitor and Vice Traitor In Chief and all their sycophant wannabe dictators outing the identity of a covert CIA agent as retalliation against her husband, Joseph Wilson, who told the truth about the Bushwhackos' lies that Saddam was trying to buy yellow cake uranium in Niger. Nothing serious about lying to the FBI, Federal prosecutors and a Federal grand jury about covering it up, either.

The Bushwhackos' trail of lies IS serious stuff. It's an integral part of their continuous pattern of treason, murder, torture, war crimes, crimes against humanity and war profiteering. If you don't understand that by now, you're dumber than a rock. If you do understand that, and you're still pimping their lies, you're one of the criminals.

Which are you?

 

[Craig234]

Originally posted by: Cold Steel
JHC. This again?

Political grandstanding is right. If there's anything here, fine, let's have it. After everything that's been done so far on this, they got zip.

Who's grandstanding? Who has zip? You need to be a bit clearer.

If you mean the Bush critics, they have quite a bit, including Cheney's chief of staff convicted.

Not to mention clear evidence of the fact that the top officials under Bush were conspiring to go after a man's wife to attack him for telling the truth, and lying about it.

And the president lying about his position on the matter.

 

[trenchfoot]

It speaks volumes when the defenders of the Bush administration can only poopoo the evidence mounting against Bush and his fellow partners in crime.

It screams volumes about those that try to defend Bush and his henchmen when all they can do is attack the messenger with arrogance and hubris and not attack the actual message with solid facts and incontrovertible proof.

Really, how can the defenders of Bush et al mount a solid defense when Bush and Cheney themselves can only clam about their own behavior as they attempt to discredit McClellan with specious arguments meant to sidestep and/or divert away from the core issues that McClellan raises in his writings?

 

[Cold Steel]

Originally posted by: Craig234

Originally posted by: Cold Steel
JHC. This again?

Political grandstanding is right. If there's anything here, fine, let's have it. After everything that's been done so far on this, they got zip.

Who's grandstanding? Who has zip? You need to be a bit clearer.

If you mean the Bush critics, they have quite a bit, including Cheney's chief of staff convicted.

Not to mention clear evidence of the fact that the top officials under Bush were conspiring to go after a man's wife to attack him for telling the truth, and lying about it.

And the president lying about his position on the matter.

That have nothing on anyone, as yet. Clear evidence you say? Fine. Let's hear it, in court and get something more than Libby convicted of an unrelated matter. Maybe I'm wrong about that, but iirc, Libby wasn't convicted for anything to do directly with Plame. He was convicted of lying under oath, but not directly about Plame.

You state as fact that Bush is lying. Prove it. Otherwise it's just your opinion.

Grandstanding? Yeah. The effing politicians are. As they always do. Always.

 

[Pabster]

Originally posted by: Cold Steel
You state as fact that Bush is lying. Prove it. Otherwise it's just your opinion.

QFT. :thumbsup: