Thursday, October 27, 2005

Updated

OK as you know these two days have seen a storm of speculation about Plamegate...and many have high hopes that Fitzmas is here...Fitz Wha? Don't worry if you have no idea what I'm saying I have the places you can go to stock up on tons of information, gossip and all you need to follow the events of this scandal as they unfold right before your eyes... So grab the popcorn and kazoos..
Of course it could all just uneventfully fizzle out tomorrow..in which case we could resume watching CSI...which is also fun.
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If you want to keep up with the news you need to know the following names:

Valerie Plame and Joe Wilson
The figures at the center of the storm..

the Special Counsel assigned to investigate the case...and here is his site
There are all the big guys...
with the big guns that are involved in the scandal at the top...the link also tells you a little about how they are connected to the affair...and you'll see why this is such a big deal.

"Novak has been frequently criticized as acting as a political operative of the Republican Party while posing as a journalist; ... Novak also has been implicated in a number of political scandals and violations of journalistic ethics and standards, the most recent of which is the Plame affair..
yes... he will sorta make you want to vomit a little...not because of his leanings but because he just has no shame...and well..his nickname is 'the prince of darkness'..which is both sad and creepy.
And speaking of sad and creepy..there's Judy Miller..

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The story...Briefly...US wants reasons for Iraq war...finds a nice one in a story about Saddam attempting to buy uranium from Niger...Claims which made it to the President's 2003 state of the Union speech..Former Ambassador Wilson says he did not find any evidence of such attempts to acquire yellowcake-his claims are disputed here-Novak writes an article which outs Wilson's wife Valerie Plame as a CIA agent-Very very bad since it can be a felony to out a covert agent-blogs and news pick up the story and start running-the Justice Department is called in to investigate the matter-Patrick Fitzgerald is special counsel and this Friday the 28th is the day everyone expects him to deliver his findings because the Grand Jury effectively expires-the trail may well lead to administration officials in high places...so everyone is waiting with bated breath...
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Here is a good timeline from the NYT..
If you are really on a roll and want to turn dinner conversation about the affair into an opportunity to show of your ability to wrestle the truth from the spin here is a handy tool...use it well..
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The bloggers that are hot on the heels of the whole fiasco and will have up to the minute news for you are Blondsense-Daily Kos-TPM Cafe-Crooks and Liars- MoJo-Josh Marshall -David Corn-Arianna Huffington
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More a listen than read kinda person? Well the folks at Air America will keep you right on the news and I am sure Amy Goodman will have something to say about it all..

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Articles you can load up on :
Outing CIA Agents
Fitzgerald vs. the Bush Administration
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Movie recommendations:
Three Days of the Condor
Boy, what is it with you people? You think not getting caught in a lie is the same thing as telling the truth?
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All the President's Men
You know the results of the latest Gallup Poll? Half the country never even heard of the word Watergate. Nobody gives a shit. You guys are probably pretty tired, right? Well, you should be. Go on home, get a nice hot bath. Rest up... 15 minutes. Then get your asses back in gear. We're under a lot of pressure, you know, and you put us there. Nothing's riding on this except the, uh, first amendment to the Constitution, freedom of the press, and maybe the future of the country. Not that any of that matters, but if you guys fuck up again, I'm going to get mad. Goodnight.
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Network
Well, I'm not gonna leave you alone. I want you to get mad! I don't want you to protest. I don't want you to riot - I don't want you to write to your congressman because I wouldn't know what to tell you to write. I don't know what to do about the depression and the inflation and the Russians and the crime in the street. All I know is that first you've got to get mad.
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Updates:
Midday..Friday
Lewis 'Scooter' Libby has been indicted on 5 counts..for obstruction of justice, perjury and making a false statements...He has resigned...Scooter is Vice President Dick Cheney's Advisor...Karl Rove has not been indicted but remains under investigation...
Here is the Indictment
Here is the Press release
Fitzgeralrd explained over and over again in the press conference that "the harm in an obstruction investigation is it prevents us from making the fine judgments we want to make."..that is, that he cannot submit a 'leak' charge because of the obstruction charge..not because there was no alleged leak..but because the obstruction charge stands in it's way, as it were..

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