Tonight's debate between Sen. Joe Biden and Gov. Sarah "Main Street, Wasilla" Palin yielded few fireworks, but Biden did a good job of keeping the focus where it should be -- on John McCain, his miserable voting record and the fact that a McCain presidency would look a lot like the disaster we've seen from George Bush.

Biden: "Past is prologue, Gwen. The issue is how different is John McCain's policy going to be than George Bush's? I haven't heard anything yet. I haven't heard how his policy is going to be different on Iran than George Bush's. I haven't heard how his policy will be different with Israel than George Bush's, I haven't heard how his policy on Afghanistan will be different than George Bush's, I haven't heard how his policy in Pakistan will be different than George Bush's. It may be, but so far, it is the same as George Bush's, and you know where that policy has taken us. We will make significant change, so once again, we're the most respected nation in the world. That's what we're going to do."

Perhaps Turdblossom got a little nervous that Democrats might actually locate their spines and charge him with inherent contempt and have him arrested? Video and more from Alternet:

Karl Rove was scheduled to testify before the House Judiciary Committee yesterday. He didn't show. Not only that, the Committee was told that Rove had left the country on a "long scheduled" trip.

In this video clip, Rep. Linda Sanchez explains that Rove never told them about any trip.

It makes it way too easy for someone to document their crimes.

An internet agitprop artist publishing the website "Republican Offenders dot com" has produced a list of 272 Republicans charged with criminal activity, 60 of which are pedophiles. Each name is linked to a group heading of the type of crime alleged or convicted. (Among the categories are rape, bribery and "assorted felonies".)

The list really has to be seen to be appreciated.

Howard Dean his own self could not have thought the culture of corruption ran this wide and deep. h/t Contextual Criticism.

Via The Huffington Post:

Former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan was one of the key figures in the Bush administration's efforts to respond publicly to the investigation into the Plame leak. He spoke for the White House and he was the filter through which the public learned about which officials were and were not involved in the leak. Standing in front of the White House Seal, McClellan famously denied any White House involvement in the leak, "If anyone in this administration was involved in it, they would no longer be in this administration."

We need to launch an immediate investigation to determine the facts of this case, the extent of any cover up and determine what the President knew and when he knew it. If in fact the President of the United of States knowingly instructed his chief spokesman to mislead the American people, there can be no more fundamental betrayal of the public trust. Read on...

Good for Senator Dodd. In fact, it would be nice if all the candidates took this kind of stand against our current president and let the people know they're actually interested in upholding the rule of law and restoring our Constitution. There seems to be enough evidence to warrant further investigation into McClellan's statements, contact your representatives in the House and Senate and let them know your thoughts on the matter. As always, be nice.

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On Wednesday's Countdown, Keith Olbermann talked with former Ambassador Joe Wilson about revelations from Scott McClellan's new book and it's effect on his wife, Valerie Plame, the victim in this case. Wilson hammers away at George Bush and Dick Cheney, calls Robert Novak a "gossip columnist" and assures Keith he and Valerie plan to review the new information with their lawyer and decide how to proceed with their civil suit after the holidays.

Wilson: "Well, I was amused by some of the Washington pundits today saying this was old news. I remind people treason is never old news. When you betray the national security of your country it deserves to be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, however high and mighty the officials involved in it might be."

Tonight on Countdown, Keith Olbermann talked to MSNBC's David Shuster about revelations from former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan's new book, that President Bush, Dick Cheney and Karl Rove were directly involved in deceiving the American people about their roles in outing covert CIA operative, Valerie Plame. Anyone paying attention knew these allegations to be true all along, but as you would expect, Olbermann and Shuster nail it.

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Keith also spoke with John Dean (video links below) about the resurrected scandal and brought up some more than interesting points. The Plame leak investigation is still ongoing, Patrick Fitzgerald never formally closed it. Dean suggests that there is a real possibility that these allegations open the door to a possible conspiracy to defraud the government charge and if Fitzgerald found enough evidence to proceed with his investigation, he could do so at any time. We can only hope...

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This morning on "Meet The Press" Karl Rove sat down with David Gregory to talk about his career, Iraq and the state of the Republican party today. Gregory actually asks some tough questions and follows up on them, but the Master of Spin refuses to answer most of the questions directly and as expected, attempts to rewrite history and put a positive face on his scorched earth brand of politics and the worst president in American history.

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Rove bashes Hillary Clinton and Joe Wilson, throws Richard Armitage under the bus, defends the recently unearthed video of Dick Cheney (what's changed? Why 9/11 of course!) and refuses to take responsibility for his role in the failures of the Bush administration and the catastrophic damage he's done to the Republican party. There's a lot of garbage to sort through, have at it in the comments...

You knew it was coming...yup, Republicans really embrace the "rule of law", don't they?

San Diego UnionTrib:

An attorney who admitted leaking the confidential grand jury testimony of Barry Bonds to the media in the BALCO case, asked a federal judge for leniency yesterday in San Francisco, noting that President Bush commuted I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby's prison sentence for a similar crime.

In doing so, Troy Ellerman joins a growing a list of defendants across the country who have made the same arguments for leniency since Bush said the former vice presidential aide's 2½ -year sentence for leaking the name of a CIA operative was too harsh and commuted it to probation and a fine.

Ellerman's invocation of Libby's case was part of a much larger court filing arguing for a prison sentence of 15 months, rather than the two years federal prosecutors are seeking.

Contra Costa Times:

President Bush's commutation of Lewis "Scooter" Libby's prison sentence highlights some interesting connections between Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, a former fugitive from justice, an ex-president and two leading 2008 White House hopefuls.

Before entering government, Libby was a private attorney who represented billionaire international commodities trader Marc Rich.

Rich was indicted in 1983 by then-U.S. Attorney Rudy Giuliani on charges of tax evasion and illegal dealing with Iran during the American hostage crisis.

Rich fled to Switzerland. He also occupied a spot on the FBI's Most Wanted List for many years.

Giuliani, former mayor of New York, is now a leading Republican presidential candidate. He endorsed Bush's decision to spare Libby jail time even though he had tried to put Libby's client behind bars.

"After evaluating the facts, the president came to a reasonable decision, and I believe the decision was correct," Giuliani said in a written statement Monday evening.

Rich's fugitive days ended when former President Clinton pardoned him in January 2001, a move that prompted a congratulatory call from Libby to Rich.

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Chris Matthews points out the inconsistency of Kate O'Beirne's support of Bill Clinton's impeachment for High Crimes for being found guilty of committing perjury and obstruction of justice and her support of a pardon for Libby.

To his credit, Tweety nails the O'Beirne's logic: IOKIYAR.

Keith Olbermann delivers arguably his most pointed and most powerful Special Comment yet on the ramifications of Bush's commutation of Libby's sentence.

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In that moment, Mr. Bush, you broke that fundamental compact between yourself and the majority of this nation's citizens -- the ones who did not cast votes for you.

In that moment, Mr. Bush, you ceased to be the President of the United States.

In that moment, Mr. Bush, you became merely the President... of a rabid and irresponsible corner of the Republican Party.

Transcripts below the fold...

Continue reading »

(thanks to CTblogger for video)

It was just pointed out to me again just how unwilling the media continues to remain to characterize anything this administration does in a negative light...note at approximately 3:12 point in the interview, John Roberts tries to get Joe Wilson to guess as to why Fitzgerald didn't go after Armitage for the leak and says that despite Armitage's participation being known before Libby allegedly perjured himself. Allegedly??? Um, maybe the Bush administration has seriously compromised the criminal justice system more than I realized, but doesn't a CONVICTION indicate that it's no longer alleged, but proven?? (h/t BG)

UPDATE: CREW has Joe Wilson's response to that Tony Snow Lie-Fest this morning.

I heard the news of Libby's commutation on my way home from a family wedding. My husband and I scanned the radio dials, waiting to hear the Democrats to start screaming as loud as we were. Predictably, the media gave no airtime whatsoever.

Luckily, I'm home now and no longer dependent on the complicit media. You know, the one that never mention that the $250K fine is a mere drop in the bucket of the millions raised by Fred Thompson & Friends for the Libby Defense Fund. I checked with The Gavel, the Democratic blog for the House of Representatives, to find out what the media won't tell you:

Nancy Pelosi: A Betrayal of Trust of the American People

Chairman Conyers on President Bush's Decision to Commute

Rules Committee Chairwoman Louise Slaughter on President Bush's Decision to Commute

Rep Earl Blumenauer

FireDogLake has the latest...

UPDATE: Judge Walton has been receiving harassment and threats.

Call the waaaaahhhmmmbulance!

NY Times (reg. req'd.):

In what may be a sign of things to come, the lawyers for I. Lewis Libby Jr. last month invoked the rarely used courtroom tactic: the "bloggers can be mean" defense.

The issue was whether to release the more than 150 letters written to Judge Reggie B. Walton of Federal District Court in Washington, nearly all in support of Mr. Libby, the former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney.[..]

As the judge considered the appropriate punishment, he received testimonials to Mr. Libby's character from luminaries like former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, the former United States ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton and Paul D. Wolfowitz, who was pressured to resign the Word Bank presidency amid charges that he engaged in favoritism in the employment of his girlfriend.

When representatives of the news media asked that the letters be released, Mr. Libby's lawyers argued against that, saying it "needlessly risks undermining the fair administration of justice."

Then, alluding to the sometimes combative world of online media, they added there was "the real possibility that these letters, once released, would be published on the Internet and their authors discussed, even mocked, by bloggers."

Damn straight it's a real possibility.  All I can say to you, the Henry Kissingers and Matalin/Carvilles of the world, is if you don't want to be mocked, don't flaunt your flagrant disregard for the rule of law.