Blog For Arizona

Bush Knew About Leak of CIA Operative's Name, and Other Anticlimaxes

Not only is Bush lawyering up in the Plame investigation,Bush had fore-knowledge of the leak according to Grand Jury witnesses. He knew about the plot to expose a national security asset and did nothing to stop it. Kerry should demand Bush come out with everything he knows and stop playing footsie with the legal process. Already, it is clear that he lied when he said he had no knowledge of the matter, and was shining the American public on when he encouraged his staff to cooperate. The media should be beating the hell out of him about this. It will come as no surprise to anyone who has read this blog before that I think Bush is unfit to hold the office of dog-catcher, and that he's bloody-handed criminal to boot. But how many different ways are there for one man to be corrupt?

I'm sure Cheney might be able to answer that question from personal experience. Democrats have called upon Ashcroft to appoint an independent investigator to look into any wrong-doing by Cheney's office in the awarding of an up to 7 billion dollar no-bid contract to Halliburton for services in Iraq. This is the same contract which caused a stir a while back by its very existence. Cheney, at that time, denied any involvement in awarding the contract, but an email from Scooter Libby recently turned up in a Judical Watch FOI request to the Army Corps of Engineers that suggests the VP's office "coordinated" the deal. Vague, yes. Possibly a boogey? Absolutely. Potentially the next Tea Pot Dome scandal? You bet.

The Resident is in Italy at the moment, causing the Italians no shortage of headaches with protests he is inspiring and the security arrangements he requires to keep the vast majority of Italians, by whom he is despised, at arms length. Even the grand-daughter of Mussolini, Alessandra Mussolini, hardly a lefty, is opposed to Bush's policies and said she intends to join the planned protests for Bush's visit.

Bush visited the Pope, who took the opportunity to prod Bush on opening Iraq to international participation, and to castigate him about Abu Ghraib. The Pope warned Bush that, "In the past few weeks other deplorable events have come to light which have troubled the civic and religious conscience of all, and made more difficult a serene and resolute commitment to shared human values. In the absence of such a commitment neither war nor terrorism will ever be overcome." Though the Pope also obliquely praised Bush's abortive efforts (groan) at passing a 'partial birth' abortion ban.

I can't wait for the next leg of the President's trip - France. If some enterprising French politician doesn't do something highly embarrassing to Bush, I swear I'll stop buying Evian water and brie.

posted by Michael Bryan @ 6/04/2004 08:50:00 AM