Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
She should be getting strip-searched by now with an anal probe.
What a gorgeous day.
Posted by paradox at July 6, 2005 12:43 PMDude, dude, dude!
If it's wrong in Abu Ghraib, it's wrong in the D.C. Federal Detention Center.
Can't save America from the fascists if we start wishing sodomy on our enemies.
Posted by Matt Davis at July 6, 2005 12:47 PMCan you believe it! Someone finally went to jail. Obviously, Fitzgerald meant what he said and isn't sending her to any country club. It is difficult to believe that Judith is standing on principal here, so why is she willing to go to jail instead of obeying a court order? Very interesting.
Posted by Judith at July 6, 2005 12:58 PM1) She is going to be the "fall-gal"...this is where the story ends...we don't get Rove.
2)How has Bob Novak escaped?
Posted by the professor at July 6, 2005 01:02 PMAnal probes aren't sodomy. They're a pefectly legitimate security precaution for all inmates coming into the system.
You're in jail. All your rights are forfeit, including personal privacy. She could be hiding a hit of acid up there or a file. Strip it and give it up, Miller, it gets a lot worse than this in here, honey.
Snap! goes the glove.
Gorgeous. Simply gorgeous.
Posted by paradox at July 6, 2005 01:02 PMI think Novak has been cooperating. Could Cooper and Miller have different sources?
Posted by Judith at July 6, 2005 01:09 PMJudith Miller is certainly not going to jail to protect or defend any principle, she is going to jail to repair and rehab her severely damaged credibility with the press/media.
Her reporting/stenography/propaganda in support of the Iraq War made her a punch line. The NYT can't fire her; it would be an admission of error in the coverage. The NYT will never admit that its Iraq War cheerleading war wrong, no more than it will ever admit that it was a critical component of the Republican Attack Machine against Clinton and Gore.
Judith Miller is going to jail to change her name from clown to martyr.
Posted by James E. Powell at July 6, 2005 01:13 PMI don't think so. I think Miller knows that it takes two witnesses to can you for perjury, and she has obtained assurances that she will be well rewarded for doing her 120 days in silence.
BushCo is hoping that Miller's silence, combined with Fitzgerald's nearly airtight confidentiality over the proceedings, will keep them from the political doom that would ensue from either an indictment or a leak. Here's hoping they're wrong.
Posted by Matt Davis at July 6, 2005 01:14 PMIs contempt of court a felony?
Posted by at July 6, 2005 01:15 PMNot bad, James, not bad at all. It's the only explanation I've seen that makes any sense.
Posted by paradox at July 6, 2005 01:15 PMChimpy crashed his bike again. This time he crashed into a Scottish policeman. Training wheels must have fallen off again. What a loser.
Posted by bushsucks at July 6, 2005 01:21 PMThis is too bizarre. You would think with all those reporters asking questions someone would have put it to Cooper, "who was your source and what did he tell you." It seems absurd at this point that Cooper can claim because of a "personal, unambiguous waiver" he is free to reveal that information to a prosecutor and a grand jury but not to the public.
Posted by CMike at July 6, 2005 01:28 PMThe thing that pisses me off about this "I didn't believe the prior waiver of confidentiality thing" is that neither reporter said anything about this previously. As a result, Rove et al. have been able to point to the waivers for the past two years (year and a half?) and say "See? I don't have anything to hide. I even waived my confidentiality." They got a free ride by being able to claim that they were being helpful without actually being helpful. If this issue had been raised previously, it could have been resolved the way it ultimately was--with a private assurance that the waiver was voluntary. Russert could have asked Rove for a waiver on the air, reporters could have asked for it during interviews, etc.
As it happened, Miller and Cooper effectively unilaterally expanded the scope of the privilege. Under their apparent view, not only is a source entitled to be shielded from disclosure, he is also entitled to be abetted in his false denials of being the source.
The way it should have worked is that Miller and Cooper should have said up front that they will not abide by general, blanket waivers of confidentiality. That way, everyone would have known all along that no one was in the clear.
Posted by mxh at July 6, 2005 01:29 PMMike is right. This is plain extremely strange and we don't know huge parts of the story.
Posted by paradox at July 6, 2005 01:29 PMJudith Miller Time
There are reports that many government officials heard from reporters that Valerie Plame was a CIA agent before Novak published his piece. Judith Miller comes to mind as one of these reporters in the know since she is an official dispenser of Neo-con propaganda. But, ultimately, one hopes, the prosecutor is on the hunt for the government official who knew Valerie Plame was a CIA agent and Joe Wilson s wife, who understood that the revelation would intimidate other whistle blowers, and who told the story to Judith Miller.
Curiouser and curiouser.
Why do I get the feeling this is going to explode in a direction no one expects?
Posted by iamcoyote at July 6, 2005 02:14 PMso these "sources" that are giving the reporters a "release" to release their names must not be too worried about going to Federal prison or being convicted of other crimes. If, on the other hand, they felt sorry for the reporters and gave it up.....well, that doesn't sound very much like the Bush WH to me. I can't believe the "sources" feel like they are going to be imprisoned...if they've clammed up this long, why give now...unless it is a sacrificial lamb to cover the real perp. It is too weird.
Posted by T2 at July 6, 2005 02:21 PMI hope I'm wrong about this but....
this is shaping up to have all the excitement of the opening of Al Capone's vaults.
Perhaps it's just the effect of 4+ years of Teflon Bushco. on my psyche.
Posted by muckcat at July 6, 2005 02:29 PMmuckat,
I have the same feeling. If there were anything there, I doubt the sources would be waiving their 'right' to confidentiality. Moreover, the administration has had a very long time to concoct excuses, destroy evidence, get the story straight, and buy off any really damaging witnesses.
Although I do think that Miller's stand is for show rather than for any principle, her testimony may reveal something larger, something unrelated, that would be very damaging to her and/or her contacts. Nothing about her suggests that she has principles, or that she views the press/media in the historical sense of the fourth estate. She has been all too willing to be a propagandist and has a rather high opinion of herself as a quasi-governmental actor. So I cant' believe she is standing up for a principle related to a free press. I can't think of any other explanations that make sense.
Posted by James E. Powell at July 6, 2005 02:51 PMWhen does Bush pardon her?
Posted by sage at July 6, 2005 03:11 PMSeveral months before he gives her the Medal of Freedom
Posted by j swift at July 6, 2005 03:52 PMIf there were anything there, I doubt the sources would be waiving their 'right' to confidentiality.
Really? You don't think that Cooper might have said, "Karl, you know you've committed a crime. If you think I'm doing the four months for the sole purpose of letting you skip..."?
Posted by Matt Davis at July 6, 2005 04:01 PMThis story has conspiracy written large all over it. Miller will look worse and worse the longer she is behind bars, because she will not be able to cover herself any longer. Even out of prison Bolton could not be saved.
Team Bush can only hope to create a massive media distraction from an extremely innapropriate appointment for the Supreme Court, to take the light away from this one. Many more threads than are apparent on the surface are in play here. The bill remains due.
Posted by patience at July 6, 2005 04:06 PMMiller is going to jail for contempt of court, not because she's been convicted of a crime. Bush can't pardon her. She, however, can leave the slammer anytime she wants to. As is often said in these contempt cases, "She has taken the keys to her cell with her and can leave anytime she is willing to purge herself of the contempt."
Posted by Basharov at July 6, 2005 04:12 PM"She has taken the keys to her cell with her and can leave anytime she is willing to purge herself of the contempt."
Well, she only stays in jail as long as this grand jury remains--apparently, that means sometime in October. I also read 120 days somewhere. At any rate, it's by no means indefinite.
Posted by Matt Davis at July 6, 2005 04:19 PMDon't be too ready to believe the story that Cooper and Miller have been given the green light to tell whom their sources were. Sounds like the usual WH bullshit.
Posted by Judith at July 6, 2005 05:04 PMThe release of Valerie Palmer identity by Novak/Miller/ Coopers has a treasonous/ vicious overtone to discredit her husband who had just told the monkey administration that all that was set forward to invade Iraq were all lies. Novak seems to have given the court what they wanted no jail there. Cooper is going the same way while Miller is trying to become a martyr for the PRESS. Enjoy the scenery as you will get no sympathy from me. What a joke as she was a go, go, go for the war. Your great leader king george and administration does not give a shit about you.
Does this prosecutor for real or just for show? What is his affiliation or history? Will it become another 9/11 commission that did not ask real questions from anyone responsible. I was away, but did not Bush Cheney were together without swearing?
We do have to impeach Junior because everyday he is in control we are loosing more rights and he makes Nixon look better as the worst American president in American history. The man makes me sick every time I hear him.
T2; that is because this administration has since day one got away with so many lies that they think they are invincible. Like all of you are mentioning most might were destroy is an explanation, but all are classified. I heard today that the amount of secrecy in this WH has increase while the one release has decreased.
it is poetic justice. Remmber the old saying if you sleep with dogs and children you get P***!
Posted by mje at July 6, 2005 06:18 PMNot stupid, they are invicible to their kool-aid drinking base, no matter what lies they tell. That's what's really sad about America. People like Muckdog, Toby, Chevy, Bendito and others follow these people no matter what. They have no virtue or morality and certainly no intelligence. Not quite sure what happened to this country, but it ain't pretty.
Posted by sf at July 6, 2005 08:49 PMA lousy 120 days. Hunh!!
Posted by rita at July 7, 2005 07:41 AM