Saturday, May 6, 2006

Libby Prosecution Won't Tell Us the Whole Truth

Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald has made it clear that he won't tell tales about anyone he doesn't actually prosecute. Nor will the Libby trial -- if it even occurs, rather than Libby pleading out and hoping for a pardon on Bush's last day in office -- tell us the details of the administration's deceptions about Iraq:

At a hearing, U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton did not formally deny Libby's request for all records related to a 2002 trip by former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV to Niger. But he said the material is not directly relevant to the case and could only distract the jury.

"I'm just not going to let this case turn into a judicial resolution of the legitimacy of the war or the accuracy of the president's State of the Union address," Walton said.

For Congress to wait "until the investigation's done" before looking itself into the Administration's misconduct will just give the Republicans the chance to tell the convincing lie that "the prosecutor already looked into it and the President did nothing wrong." Only one body has the Constitutional authority, and obligation, to initiate an investigation: Congress. Only two Congressmen have mustered the cojones to fulfill their duty: John Conyers in the House, Russell Feingold in the Senate. (Don't try to tell me Arlen Specter is in that group: he talks, then he collapses under pressure. He'd make a great Democrat.) Our continuing job is to butt-kick the rest into falling in line behind them.


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