RIP Bob Novak

Ken AshfordIn Passing, Plamegate, Right Wing Punditry/IdiocyLeave a Comment

Some greatest hits: He was an old-school Washington reporter.  He took a downward spiral when he became a member of the fledgling Tv network CNN in the early 1980's.  The Evans-Novak Report was pretty thoughtful, but then came Capital Gang, and the Crossfire, setting the groundwork for TV political panel yell-a-thons.  Then he became a tool for the Bush White … Read More

The McClellan Book

Ken AshfordBush & Co., Iraq, Plamegate, War on Terrorism/Torture, White House SecrecyLeave a Comment

You know, it doesn’t say anything that many of us didn’t already know.  It’s just nice to see someone on the inside of the Bush Administration admit that these things went on: WASHINGTON (CNN) — The incidents that first left then-White House press secretary Scott McClellan "dismayed and disillusioned" about Washington involved the surreptitious release of classified information, McClellan said … Read More

Recommended Reading

Ken AshfordAttorney Firings, Bush & Co., Courts/Law, Plamegate, War on Terrorism/Torture, Wiretapping & SurveillanceLeave a Comment

Slate’s Top Ten Bush Administration’s Dumbest Legal Arguments of the Year.  It’s a doozy. Number one: 1. The United States does not torture. First there was the 2002 torture memo. That was withdrawn. Then there was the December 2004 statement that declared torture "abhorrent." But then there was the new secret 2005 torture memo. But members of Congress were fully … Read More

Plame Responds To McLennan’s Assertion That “Bush Knew”

Ken AshfordPlamegateLeave a Comment

Valerie Plame released the following statement in response to this new story: Nov. 20, 2007 10pm EST Santa Fe, New Mexico–I am outraged to learn that former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan confirms that he was sent out to lie to the press corps and the American public about two senior White House officials, Karl Rove and I. Lewis … Read More

Bush Implicated In Plame Scandal

Ken AshfordPlamegateLeave a Comment

…by none other than Scotty McLellan, in his new book, which contains the following excerpt: "The most powerful leader in the world had called upon me to speak on his behalf and help restore credibility he lost amid the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. So I stood at the White house briefing room podium in front … Read More

The Sleaziness Of The Libby Clemency

Ken AshfordBush & Co., Courts/Law, PlamegateLeave a Comment

How can this be viewed as anything other a brazen admission that Bush & Co. feels they are above the law? Scooter Libby was convicted by a jury consisting of the American people who heard all the evidence, and concluded that he committed purjury and obstructed justice.  Even Bush admits that he respects the jury’s verdict; his only issue was … Read More

Didn’t We Settle This Before?

Ken AshfordPlamegateLeave a Comment

In a court filing today, Patrick Fitzgerald provides a summary of Valerie Plame Wilson’s status with the CIA’s Counterproliferation Division at the time she was outed to the press by members of the Bush administration. Guess what? She was covert: While assigned to CPD, Ms. Wilson engaged in temporary duty (TDY) travel overseas on official business. She traveled at least … Read More

Pardon Libby? Not Under The Bush Guildelines

Ken AshfordPlamegateLeave a Comment

Bush was among the many critics of Clinton’s policy regarding pardons.  So much so, in fact, that when Bush came into office, he re-established the guidelines under which a convicted person can be entitled to receiving a pardon. Newsweek has an eye-opening report, suggesting that under the Bush guildelines, the possibility of a pardon for Libby is a "non-starter": But … Read More

Breaking: Libby Guilty

Ken AshfordBreaking News, PlamegateLeave a Comment

on four of five counts in his perjury and obstruction of justice trial. The verdict isn’t as important as what the whole Plamegate process and trial actually revealed, i.e., the Vice President’s main adviser has just been convicted of obstructing an investigation not just of himself but of the Vice President, and the trial brought out substantial evidence that Cheney … Read More

Bombshells In The Libby Case

Ken AshfordPlamegateLeave a Comment

I haven’t followed the case of Scooter Libby (an extension of the whole Valerie Plame leak thing) lately.  But I have to heap praise on the folks at FDL, who are liveblogging the trial from the courtroom.  If they gave Pulitzers for blogging, these people would be the recipients. Today is opening statements, and the trial, which I dismissed long … Read More

Plamegate Is Bogus?

Ken AshfordPlamegateLeave a Comment

The WaPo editorial board thinks so: Nevertheless, it now appears that the person most responsible for the end of Ms. Plame’s CIA career is Mr. Wilson. Mr. Wilson chose to go public with an explosive charge, claiming — falsely, as it turned out — that he had debunked reports of Iraqi uranium-shopping in Niger and that his report had circulated … Read More

The Plamegate Bombshell

Ken AshfordPlamegateLeave a Comment

The National Journal reports that Bush himself told Cheney to leak classified information in order to discredit Joseph Wilson. More on this later, I’m sure… but it’s hard for this Administration to get all blustery when newspapers supposedly leak classified information.