RubyEyes

Obstruction of Facts

2005-10-30T00:31:00.000-05:00

Everytime I read the Opinion Journal I get quite disgusted. Apparently "opinion" is carte blanche for "lack of fact". Let's just take this latest gem.

I've seen this talking point that Fitzgerald has spent "millions". MillionS! Well let's not let facts get in the way - after all they are kinda hard to find on www.gao.gov. I mean you'd have to search for his name and add the numbers up - sheesh it can get quite tedious I'm sure.

Begin the glutton for tedium that I am I steered my browser to www.gao.gov to see how much of our tax paying dollars went to fund this investigation. It was really hard because the GAO reports in 6 month increments. I mean I had to have the PDF reader installed in my browser and all - it was rough. But I did get through them in about 3.2 minutes. Here's what I found

Six months ending March 2004 $ 26,592
Six months ending Sept. 2004 $584,899
Six months ending March 2005 $112,550
15 month grand total $724,041
Expenses per month $ 48,270

For kicks and grins and because it was there, right above Fitzgerald's expenses were the expenditures for Special Councel Barrett - you know the guy who investigated Cisneros.

Six months ending March 2004 $ 871,204
Six months ending Sept. 2004 $1,261,352
Six months ending March 2005 $ 930,742
18 month grand total $3,063,298
Expenses per month $170,183

You know it's not so much they are highlighting the expense, it's the exaggeration. The facts upon which the opinion is based are false. Does it weaken their opinion by not having it in there, no, but it certainly is in there to strengthen their argument. If you can't even get the basic facts straight how can one even take the opinion seriously?

This is exactly the type of exaggerations that are tearing down our media. It's as sad as it is infuriating.

I don't buy it ...

2005-10-29T15:00:00.000-05:00

I really don't buy the "forgetful defense". This isn't something that was drudged up out of the blue from 10 years ago. This has been an on going investigation over the last 2 years. Libby has had plenty of opportunity to remember. Libby knows full well how important his discussion on and off the record are with the press. This is not some kid who just forgot to take notes in class and can't remember when the mid-term test comes up. The problem for Libby's defense isn't a he said / she said type thing - this is a he said / THEY said. Why is it he consistently remembered things wrong?

Libby come clean tell us what really happened, show some integrity.

Why Lie?

2005-10-29T11:25:00.000-05:00

I don't understand how anyone can take glee in the fact "Libby" has been indited. I mean truly this is not a proud moment for Americans. In today's world this type of event is telecast to billions within a few minutes. So while the Left views this as an early Christmas the right is rationalizing this away as if nothing wrong was done. I think Ledeen's article Stinks sums up what many on the right are feeling. Personally, I've never read an indictment before, but I I found this indictment, and the press conference, to be very through and compelling that Libby lied.

Quite frankly I don't get it. If you are to believe Wilson's oral report was fraught with errors, and you are to believe that Plame was not covert. If this was merely hardball politics - then why did he lie? What is the point. People don't lie to cover up good things. People generally don't lie just because. People don't make up facts when their memory fails them. I don't get it.

Libby is not some ameteur entrapped by a wily prosecuter. He is a lawyer. He is familiar with how the system works. He knows how grand juries operate. He knows you do not lie under oath, he knows the system is based upon truth. He knows if your memory fails you, you do not fill in the blanks. So why lie?

For me I wish Libby would come clean - for the good of the country. I wish Libby would take a deal, assuming there is one, and stand up and tell us what happened and why he felt compeled to lie about it. Unfortunately I don't think that will happen.