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Scooter Libby found guilty on 4 of 5 counts

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by Big Chee, Mar 6, 2007.

  1. Boom_70

    Boom_70 Well-Known Member

    Clinton impeached in historic decision

    WASHINGTON, Dec 19 (PTI, UNI) — In a historic decision, the US House of Representatives today impeached President Bill Clinton on charges of committing perjury in a testimony before the grand jury and obstruction of justice in the Lewinsky case.

    After a long acrimonious debate spread over two days the House voted to uphold at least two charges against Mr Clinton, making the first elected President to be impeached in US constitutional history.

    But the House rejected two other articles of impeachment recommended by its judicial panel, alleging perjury in a civil suit in the Paula Jones’ case and abuse of power.

    Adoption of at least one article is sufficient for a Senate trial that could lead to Mr Clinton’s ouster.

    The stage is all set for a long-drawn salacious trial in the Upper House, which must decide by a two-thirds majority on whether to remove the President.

    Earlier, the House rejected a last minute attempt by Democrats to refer back the articles of impeachment to the judicial panel with instructions to censure Mr Clinton rather than impeach him.

    Mr Clinton called for a compromise solution today to stave off his ouster after the House of Representatives voted to impeach him.

    The House voted 228-206 to impeach Mr Clinton with 223 Republicans and five Democrats in favour. Five Republicans threw their weight behind 200 Democrats and a lone Independent to carry through the charge.

    One representative did not vote.

    Another charge relating to obstruction of justice was approved by lawmakers by 221-212 votes.

    Lawmakers rejected two other charges relating to perjury in the Paula Jones’ sexual harassment case and abuse of power for falsely answering questions posed by judicial panel chief Henri Hyde.

    The second perjury charge was shot down by 229-205 votes with 28 Republicans backing 200 Democrats and a lone Independent.

    The House defeated the last article of impeachment by a margin of 37 votes. Only 148 voted in favour while 285 voted against passing the charge.

    Mr Clinton’s political future now rests in the Democrat-led Senate, where a two-thirds majority is required to impeach a President. Democrats and Republicans have a strength of 545 in the Upper House, making any impeachment highly improbable.

    In the only other presidential trial in history, President Andrew Johnson won an impeachment trial by one vote while Richard Nixon stepped down before trial could start in the aftermath of the Watergate scandal.
     
  2. RedSmithClone

    RedSmithClone Active Member


    BINGO!!!

    We have a winner. This whole thing has nothing to do with Plame, it has to do with the fact that a jury of his peers found him guilty for lying under oath. I don't care who you are or what special priviledges you think you have - LYING TO A GRAND JURY IS A CRIME.

    I am sick of my fellow right-leaning SJers, talk radio or TV hosts trying to defend this guy. OK, maybe in the beginning he was set up to be a scapegoat, but he wasn't even the leak and had no reason to lie to anyone. Just tell the friggin truth for Christ's sake.

    I think Bill Clinton had more reason to shy away from telling the truth because that was a more private and personal matter, but in the end he also lied under oath.

    As far as I'm concerned whatever Scooter gets for punishment, Clinton should serve at least half that amount of time himself.
     
  3. Obstruction of justice, too, guys.
    Count One.
     
  4. RedSmithClone

    RedSmithClone Active Member

    Absolutely correct you are! What a moron!
     
  5. and I'm still dealing with the fact that this is a grown-ass man still publicly using the nickname of Scooter. Seriously, glad to see some semblance of justice being done.
     
  6. old_tony

    old_tony Well-Known Member

    You're really good at dodging what was said and trying to discredit the messenger instead. I know, it's a necessity with you. I'd be the same way if I was as unarmed in a battle of wits as you are.
     
  7. I don't have a dog in this hunt, but I have to address this point. Given what I know about Fenian professionally and what I know about you, your above statement is ludicrous.

    EDIT: And no, that wasn't an outing threat to either. I'd never do that. Promise.
     
  8. old_tony

    old_tony Well-Known Member

    Well, Ellis, let's put it this way: I doubt Fenian has reached the level in this industry that the editorial writers at the Wall Street Journal have. Not that money is the be-all, end-all, but it is one way of keeping score. And I'd be willing to bet that any editorial writer at the WSJ is making a lot more than Fenian is making at wherever he works.
     
  9. Freelance Hack

    Freelance Hack Active Member

  10. If you think people who write editorials -- as opposed to OpEd columns -- ANYWHERE make the big money, you haven't been within 100 miles of an actual newsroom, I'm guessing.
    Conversely, I don't have Vince Foster's blood on my hands, either.
    I note, just for fun, that, when the folks down at at Paul Gigot's House Of Crazee wrote this:

    "No one from the White House "leaked" Plame's identity as a CIA functionary to Robert Novak, who received the information from Richard Armitage at the State Department."

    The goalposts went running down the street, based on what we now know from the testimony at trial. Suddenly, it's only about Novak, who testified anyway that he heard the information from Karl Rove as well. Meanwhile all the testimony about several people spreading the news somehow eluded the influential hacks at the WSJ. And Valerie Plame was a NOC agent. NOBODY denied that at trial.
     
  11. Webster

    Webster Well-Known Member

    I come down a little in the middle on this. I do not believe that any administration official would knowingly blow a covert agent's cover to punish that agent's husband. I think that they just didn't think through the consequences. They were in such a rush to go to war that they were willing to steamroll anyone who expressed dissent. Wilson was a bit player in this drama, yet they needed to squash him like a bug.

    The fact that people as high up in the administration as Rove, Libby, Fleisher, etc. coordinated to discredit Joe Wilson, as opposed to providing evidence that he was wrong, is amazing to me. That's the real shame in this -- that in the rush to war, it was more important to beat down your perceived enemies than to give the public the truth.

    I have never read why the underlying disclosing of Plame's job was not a crime. I can only assume that the prosecutor would need to show that the leakers knew that she had covert status, which would be an impossible hurdle. And I don't know why Libby lied -- it is clear that the jury simply didn't believe that he had faulty memory based on his statements.

    To call this a politically motivated prosecution is asinine. Who recommended Patrick Fitzgerald to be the US Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois? A Republican. Who approved the recommendation? The Bush administration. This guy is the only person who comes out unscathed.
     
  12. And, if Obama gets elected, the next US senator from Illinois.
     
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