The Hollywood Liberal

Chief Libby trial blogger says she believes prosecutor ‘wants Cheney,’ ‘won’t rest on laurels’
Raw Story

This weekend, RAW STORY interviewed Marcy Wheeler, one of the blogosphere’s most tireless observers and analysts of the CIA leak investigation and the I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby Trial.

In the interview, she revealed that she believes that Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald will press forward with his investigation, and that his ultimate target is Vice President Dick Cheney: “I’m not entirely convinced that Fitzgerald’s done. I used to be conservative on that, believing that he was done. But there are little snippets of hints that he’s not.”
In the interview, she revealed that she believes that Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald will press forward with his investigation, and that his ultimate target is Vice President Dick Cheney: “I’m not entirely convinced that Fitzgerald’s done. I used to be conservative on that, believing that he was done. But there are little snippets of hints that he’s not….”

“We figured out that Armitage was the Novak/Woodward source in March,” Wheeler said in an implicit critique of mainstream coverage of the Plame story, “and we were able to do that because we were able to do things that journalists wouldn’t do.”…

Wheeler believes that Fitzgerald will bring that indefatigable nature to this trial: “I think Fitzgerald clearly wants Cheney and he’s not the kind of person who rests on his laurels after getting one conviction.

HL’s Take
Does Fitzgerald really have the Cojones to go after the Evil Dick? I doubt it. Even if he does, by the time they get to a trial and conviction Cheney will be out of office. Bush will surely pardon him before that happens. Come on Pat. Lets start speeding up the process here.

Heres another one courtesy of Bob Geiger.com
60 Minutes did some interviews with the troops on Sunday night. See whats really going on with the guys on the front in these two video clips. Don’t believe what the chickenhawks who have never been over there like Bush, and Cheney, listen to the guys who are dealing with this quagmire everyday.

Major Swift Boat Donor To Kerry: “You’re A Hero”

Bob Geiger.com
Excerpt:
There are some things that you just don’t want to read about or watch on a full stomach — this is one of those.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a hearing on Tuesday to consider the nomination of Sam Fox, a wealthy St. Louis businessman, to be the new U.S. Ambassador to Belgium. While it is not unusual for big political donors to be rewarded with ambassadorships — and Fox is a huge donor to all things Republican — what made everyone take note of this guy is that Fox gave a whopping $50,000 to help fund the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth smear campaign against John Kerry in 2004.

And in being questioned by the Senate panel yesterday, Fox had to face one of the senior members of that committee in… Senator John Kerry.

What followed was riveting theater, with Kerry coldly staring down a clearly-nervous Fox and Bush’s nominee withstanding a barrage of questions from Kerry that the Massachusetts Senator nicely referred to as questions of Fox’s “judgment” while many of us would have just flat-out called him a scumbag.

Kerry: …notwithstanding the comments you made, you did see fit to contribute a very significant amount of money in October to a group called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, correct?

Fox: Correct.

Kerry: Why would you do that given what you just said about how bad they are?

Fox: Well, Senator, I have to put it in the proper context and bear with me. Marilyn and I have lived the American dream — there’s no question about it. My father came here with the clothes on his back and the Fox family and the Woodman family have truly lived the American dream that’s been very, very good to us….

Kerry: So, well, who asked you to give to the SBVT?

Fox: I can’t tell you specifically who did because, you know, I don’t remember. As a matter of fact, if I…

Kerry: You have no recollection of why you gave away $50,000?

Fox: I gave away $50,000 because I was asked to.

Kerry: But you have no recollection of who asked you to give away $50,000?

Senator Barack Obama (D-IL), who was chairing the meeting, told Fox that he found his answers to Kerry “somewhat unsatisfying” and said that “The swift boat ads were of a different degree, even in the ugly arena of politics. They were extraordinarily well publicized, that there was essentially a fraud being perpetrated on the American people. It had a profound impact on the election.”

And Obama tied a nice bow around the whole afternoon by basically calling Fox, who spent the entire time disavowing any knowledge of the Swift Boaters’ mission or methods, a liar.

HL’s Take
And that is precisely why Barack Obama can become President and Kerry can’t. Honesty. Obama calls him a liar, Kerry doesn’t bother to fight back and just accepts the loss that didn’t even really happen. Of course this Fox guy will probably get his post anyway. Hell Kerry will probably even vote Yes for him. At least we know Obama won’t. Thats lots more, check out the whole article.

From Kevin O’Keefe

Vin Scelsa continues to play Kakistocracy cuts on WFUV, the largest college radio station in NYC area. He seems to respond to requests to play it, but I have not got a response to a request for on air interview. I would guess he is also continuing to play it on his Sirius show.
Kevin O’Keefe

HL Responds.
Kevin glad to see the band is getting some play in NYC. Vin Scelsa is the best. I was listening to him back in the 80’s on WNEW-FM in NYC. Check out the best new protest band on the scene Spicewood 7, and their album Kakistrocracy.

Here is the latest episode of HL’s NBC New Raw Blog. Live from The Oscars. We have these every Monday. Check out the show.

There is a plane circling the Oscars with a banner trailing behind that says “Bring The Troops Home Now” The whole world wants them home, except Bush, Cheney, Condi, and Rummy.

Bomber strikes Baghdad college; 41 dead

AP
Excerpt:
BAGHDAD, Iraq – A suicide bomber triggered a ball bearing-packed charge Sunday, killing at least 41 people at a mostly Shiite college whose main gate was left littered with blood-soaked student notebooks and papers amid the bodies.

Witnesses said a woman carried out the attack at the business school annex to Mustansiriyah University, but Interior Ministry officials said it was investigating the reports. The school’s main campus was hit by a string of bombings last month that killed 70 people.

The attack came as a powerful Shiite militia leader bitterly complained that “car bombs continue to explode” despite an ongoing security crackdown in Baghdad and suggested he was rethinking his cooperation.

Truck blast kills 35 at Iraqi mosque

AP
Excerpt:
BAGHDAD, Iraq – A truck exploded Saturday as worshippers left a Sunni mosque west of Baghdad, killing at least 35 people and injuring more than 60 in an apparent sign of increased internal Sunni battles between insurgents and those opposing them.

The imam of the mosque in Habbaniyah, about 50 miles west of Baghdad, had spoken out against militants fighting the U.S.-backed government, including the group al-Qaida in Iraq.

At least 35 people were killed and 62 injured, said Lt. Abdul-Aziz Mohammed in Habbaniyah, which lies between the cities of Ramadi and Fallujah — both hotbeds of the insurgency.

Former U.N. envoy supports Iraq pullout

AP
Excerpt:
WASHINGTON – President Bush should follow British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s lead and start withdrawing troops from Iraq, former U.N. Ambassador Richard Holbrooke said Saturday.

“Engaging in a broad-based diplomatic offensive, and beginning a redeployment of U.S. forces in Iraq, represents the best way to secure America’s interests in the region and combat the serious threat of terrorist networks,” Holbrooke, who served under President Clinton, said in the Democrats’ weekly radio address.

Americans underestimate Iraqi death toll

AP
Excerpt:
WASHINGTON – Americans are keenly aware of how many U.S. forces have lost their lives in Iraq, according to a new AP-Ipsos poll. But they woefully underestimate the number of Iraqi civilians who have been killed

Iraqi civilian deaths are estimated at more than 54,000 and could be much higher; some unofficial estimates range into the hundreds of thousands. The U.N. Assistance Mission for Iraq reports more than 34,000 deaths in 2006 alone.

Among those polled for the AP survey, however, the median estimate of Iraqi deaths was 9,890.

Cheney defends Iraq war, attacks critics

AP
Excerpt:

Answering growing criticism in the U.S. and Australia, he defended the Iraq war as a “remarkable achievement” in one speech, and dismissed suggestions his influence in Washington is waning.

At a news conference Saturday, Cheney warned that “all options” are on the table if Iran continues to defy U.N.-led efforts to end Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, leaving the door open to military action.

Cheney’s support for the Iraq war — he is considered one of the key proponents of the 2003 invasion — drew protesters into Sydney’s streets for two days.

Cheney: ‘There Does Not Appear To Be A Consensus’ That Global Warming Is ‘Caused By Man’

Think Progress.org
Excerpt:
In its latest report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concluded it was “very likely” — or more than 90 percent probable — that human activities led by burning fossil fuels explained most of the warming in the past 50 years.

Continuing the Bush administration’s long resistance to the science of global warming, Vice President Dick Cheney said today a consensus is lacking on whether global warming is caused by human activity. From an interview with ABC:

Cheney added later in the interview, “I don’t know. I’m not a scientist.” But he appears comfortable enough in his knowledge to suggest that the scientists are all wrong.

H.L.s Take
And you thought Bush was stubborn

Conyers: Justice Stonewalling on U.S. Attorney Report

muckracker.com
Excerpt:
The Justice Department has “refused to cooperate” with a congressional analysis of whether the administration’s recent firing of U.S. attorneys is unprecedented, according to House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers (D-MI).

Conyers and Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA) requested the analysis from the Congressional Research Service to see whether prior administrations had done anything like fire seven United States attorneys abruptly and without stated justification as the administration did in December.

But because “the Administration has refused to cooperate with CRS in their examination,” Conyers office says in a press release, the CRS analysis is incomplete. Nevertheless, CRS issued an interim analysis to Conyers and Sanchez, which you can read here.

In the report, the analyst writes that despite contacting the DoJ for information needed to perform his study a month ago, he’s still waiting

HL’s Take
Bush is firing any US attorneys that he thinks might possibly prosecute him and Cheney of crimes in the future, and replacing them with some of his freinds and lackeys. Bush is doing everything he can to prevent anyone from trying to get to him once he is out of office including a provision in the patriot act that says he can’t be prosecuted of war crimes. Conyers and Henry Waxman are ih charge of investigating Bush, they need to make sure they are able to do thier jobs and make Bush and Cheney pay for thier war, and other types of crime against humanity.

Barack Obama went to Texas yesterday to do a little political speechifying in Bush’s home state, here are a couple of short clips. Obama is saying the right things and the crowd is eating it up. check out the clips.