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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
 Posted - 05/23/2007 : 06:20:35
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Monica Goodling, the former liaison between Attorney General Gonzales' Justice Department and the White House, who smartly took the Fifth and refused to testify previously, is now on the hot seat. Forced to testify by being granted immunity, Goodling will at last talk to the Senate today.
Karl Rove and Monica Goodling, in better times.
In a crude apparent attempt to shut her up, the Justice Department has announced that Goodling is under departmental investigation for possibly (hehe!) employing political reasons in the US Attorney firings.
An idiotic move, and exactly the worst thing Gonzales and the Bushies could do, IMHO. Now, thrown to the wolves by those she so loyally served, Goodling's only recourse seems to be to sing like a canary. This is the woman who probably knows the whole sorry inside story of the firings.
Don't be surprised if Goodling's testimony results in fireworks and firings, including that of Gonzales and some at the White House. There may even be a serious impeachment movement after Goodling talks, depending on what she says.
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
Edited by - HalfMooner on 05/23/2007 06:32:14
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beskeptigal
SFN Die Hard
USA
3834 Posts |
Posted - 05/23/2007 : 12:41:31 [Permalink]
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So far, not the revelations the committee is looking for, but some additional ones nonetheless.
Goodling admits violating civil service laws in her role firing career prosecutors and putting the 150 inexperienced lawyers from Pat Robertson's law school in their place. She admitted it was "against the rules" (her wording when asked twice if she knew it was "illegal").
But oh what a tangled web is weaved..... Goodling claims to have been less involved in the federal attorney firings, which is interesting for a couple other things she said. One, apparently McNulty (guy under Gonzales who resigned and has become Gonzales' scape goat {after contradictory statements, of course by Gonzales earlier}) blamed Goodling in his testimony for not being properly briefed by Goodling. So Goodling refuted that and we have a, 'he said she said' now. Apparently not everyone believes Ms Goodling is too Christian to be above lying. OTOH, it's seems to me more like everyone has a version of reality where they are the good guy. Goodling was likely steamed hearing what sounded like McNulty blaming her for his actions.
The second issue here besides all these Christians blaming each other (someone has to be "bearing false witness"), is the thing Goodling says McNulty falsely testified about. That is, the White House involvement in the attorney firings. So I await more details about this area of inquiry. I haven't seen a clear picture arise yet just what Goodling briefed McNulty on that he claimed to be ignorant of. Now I need to go back and look at McNulty's testimony where he speaks about Goodling.
As usual, of course, the Bush supporters (you'd think they would be getting a clue by now) are spewing the talking point, there is nothing here but some politics as usual in the attorney firings. In other words, because Goodling's testimony has failed to reveal what the federal attorneys were fired for, there is no evidence anything bad happened. Of course that position continues to ignore the fact no one is saying really why these attorneys were fired. If it isn't a big deal, what's with the cover up?
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| Edited by - beskeptigal on 05/23/2007 12:46:07 |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 05/23/2007 : 15:26:30 [Permalink]
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Good analysis of what's come out so far, B.
Here's a little more: I was way off in my expectations of Goodling spilling the Bushie beans. I suspect now that either the implied Justice department threat in their announcement of an internal investigation of Goodling did indeed shut her up, or she is more loyal to the higher-ups than I'd thought, or the Bushies used more and better "cut-outs" to compartmentalize the conspiracy that I'd suspected. My guess is that Goodling lied quite a bit in testimony.
Karl Rove is likely the spider in the center of the web, possibly the only person with all the parts of the US Attorney firings in his head. Under "executive privilege" claims, Rove's still not testifying at all, so this mess may indeed be "under control," with only future historians to find the truth.
To put it mildly, I'm disappointed.
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 05/24/2007 : 03:23:49 [Permalink]
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CNN has an article that included this: Goodling said Gonzales "laid out his general recollection" of the firings of several U.S. attorneys during a March meeting before she left. At the time, she was aware that she was likely to have to testify about the controversy, and "I didn't know if it was maybe appropriate for us to talk about that at that point."
She said Gonzales told her, "Let me tell you what I can remember," and "laid out his general recollection" of the process leading up to the firings -- that he believed they had all been dismissed for performance-based reasons.
"Then he asked me if he thought, if I had any reaction to his iteration," Goodling said.
"I just did not know if it was a conversation that we should be having, and so I just didn't say anything," she added. |
[My emphasis.]
Now, to me, it seems the clear subtext of what Gonzales more carefully said (with an invisible, metaphorical wink and a nod) was: "Here's the way I'm going to remember the events when I testify. Are you on board with me? Will I have any problems from you on this?" That's how America's top lawyer uses sly indirection to promote a criminal conspiracy, in this case, interfering with a witness.
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
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beskeptigal
SFN Die Hard
USA
3834 Posts |
Posted - 05/24/2007 : 12:25:47 [Permalink]
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That assessment is about right, HM. I guess she decided to go along. My surprise in Goodling's testimony was how many talking points she repeated. Here I was under the stupid impression she might actually have some Christian morals having come from that Regent Law School.
[paraphrased] "The firings were fine, the way it was discussed was poorly handled." "I recommended [some attorney] be taken off the list. She had just been helpful, ah er mm when the AG came to town, helping us with his schedule and all, yes, that's it, she was just helpful. I thought she should be rewarded for that."
This woman is simply one of them. No more, no less. She moved in and sucked up the party line like the rest of them.
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| Edited by - beskeptigal on 05/24/2007 12:26:46 |
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Monica Goodling to testify today
