October 22, 2005
Comparing Fitzgerald to Starr
Within a week we should know what is going to happen to Karl Rove and Scooter Libby. I still believe that no crime was committed here and if anyone is guilty of making Valerie Plame's ID public -- it is her husband Joe Wilson. As we now know, Joe Wilson's credibility is virtually zero and what we have here is an attempt by him to discredit the Bush administration after performing some rather sloppy work as part of his trip to Niger.
It is possible that Rove and/or Libby will still be indicted, not for the original crime alleged by Wilson, but for some Martha Stewart-like crime such as perjury, obstruction, conspiracy, or false statement. We'll just have to cross this bridge when we get to it.
But I think the following point made during the past week by Limbaugh needs to be pointed out:
Republicans are not trying to smear Fitzgerald. We are not suggesting he's a pervert and we are not attacking him for his religious beliefs. We aren't even questioning his party affiliation and I'm not sure anyone knows whether he is a Democrat or a Republican. Something Republicans ought to be proud of is that we are letting Fitzgerald do his job without being attacked.
Also, we are not complaining about the cost of the investigation. We aren't claiming that perjury and obstruction aren't serious offenses (remember "everyone lies about sex"). We aren't complaining that "this is just politics and everybody lies in politics so it's no big deal".
Recall what we heard from the left during the Ken Starr investigation. They tried to destroy him by calling him a sexual pervert using the suggestion that only a pervert would be focused on investigating the President's sexual behavior. They complained about all the money Ken Starr wasted and how he was "out of control". The left did everything they could to discredit Starr and destroy him.
As for the lies, some on the left even tried to convince us that "little white lies about sex" were OK because they didn't hurt people's feelings. We said this was not about sex, it was about perjury and lying under oath; however, the left said this was all about Republicans trying to "make politics" and destroy Bill Clinton.
In fact, the left was so focused on this that some on the ultra left, like Larry Flynt, actually paid rewards to people who could give him dirt on key Republicans as well as Ken Starr himself.
You certainly don't see this kind of behavior from the right when it comes to Patrick Fitzgerald. This investigation will soon finish up and it may not be good for Rove, Libby, and the Bush administration; however, it is important to consider the differences in how the left and right characterize this investigation as it compares to the work done by Ken Starr.
It is possible that Rove and/or Libby will still be indicted, not for the original crime alleged by Wilson, but for some Martha Stewart-like crime such as perjury, obstruction, conspiracy, or false statement. We'll just have to cross this bridge when we get to it.
But I think the following point made during the past week by Limbaugh needs to be pointed out:
Republicans are not trying to smear Fitzgerald. We are not suggesting he's a pervert and we are not attacking him for his religious beliefs. We aren't even questioning his party affiliation and I'm not sure anyone knows whether he is a Democrat or a Republican. Something Republicans ought to be proud of is that we are letting Fitzgerald do his job without being attacked.
Also, we are not complaining about the cost of the investigation. We aren't claiming that perjury and obstruction aren't serious offenses (remember "everyone lies about sex"). We aren't complaining that "this is just politics and everybody lies in politics so it's no big deal".
Recall what we heard from the left during the Ken Starr investigation. They tried to destroy him by calling him a sexual pervert using the suggestion that only a pervert would be focused on investigating the President's sexual behavior. They complained about all the money Ken Starr wasted and how he was "out of control". The left did everything they could to discredit Starr and destroy him.
As for the lies, some on the left even tried to convince us that "little white lies about sex" were OK because they didn't hurt people's feelings. We said this was not about sex, it was about perjury and lying under oath; however, the left said this was all about Republicans trying to "make politics" and destroy Bill Clinton.
In fact, the left was so focused on this that some on the ultra left, like Larry Flynt, actually paid rewards to people who could give him dirt on key Republicans as well as Ken Starr himself.
You certainly don't see this kind of behavior from the right when it comes to Patrick Fitzgerald. This investigation will soon finish up and it may not be good for Rove, Libby, and the Bush administration; however, it is important to consider the differences in how the left and right characterize this investigation as it compares to the work done by Ken Starr.
