Libby Trial: The Meat of the Story

I for one find it hard to follow the Libby trial stories, in part because the news stories are so badly written (for example, “Cathie Martin received a call in July” with no reference to the year, in an article which is talking about 2003, 2006 and 2007.) But in some ways Libby himself, and whether he lied to Fitzgerald is just the plot device to bring us through an incredible book about how this administration thinks and works, how hard they worked to dupe those who voted for them, and to lie about their dupering.

This from AmericaBlog

Flashed on the courtroom computer screens were her notes from 2004 about how Cheney could respond to allegations that the Bush administration had played fast and loose with evidence of Iraq’s nuclear ambitions. Option 1: “MTP-VP,” she wrote, then listed the pros and cons of a vice presidential appearance on the Sunday show. Under “pro,” she wrote: “control message.”

“I suggested we put the vice president on ‘Meet the Press,’ which was a tactic we often used,” Martin testified. “It’s our best format.”

Also, Ms. Martin verified that the White House uses the trick of putting out bad stories late on Friday afternoon:

And bad news is dumped before the weekend for the sole purpose of burying it.

With a candor that is frowned upon at the White House, Martin explained the use of late-Friday statements. “Fewer people pay attention to it late on Friday,” she said. “Fewer people pay attention when it’s reported on Saturday.”

We all hope, of course, that Tim Russert (Meet the Press) is proud to see his name in lights — and that he will understand what is being said about him here: Tim Russert, Lap Dog!

FireDogLake is the place to go for ongoing and thorough commentary on the trial. (With a fine pic of Russert looking an awfully like Chucky.)

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