Centipedes and scandals. Revisit a short vignette that I wrote about a week ago:
I really hate centipedes. Spiders are cool, but there’s something about centipedes that drives me up the wall. So when those long-legged house centipedes show up in my bathroom I don’t want to get close enough to squash them. Instead I hit it with the Tilex spray (active ingredient: bleach). Sensing that it’s fucked, the centipede runs around like mad for a short while, occasionally jettisoning a twitching leg. I guess the idea is that whatever attacked it will get distracted by the leg long enough to find some kind of shelter. Lizards do this with their tails, but centipedes make a better example because they can dump a decent number of legs in the course of a chase.
Kyle Sampson was the first twitching leg. Monica Goodling clearly jettisoned herself to get a better shake out of her inevitable scapegoating. Who will the White House jettison next?
Meet Deputy Attorney General Thomas McNulty.
The firestorm over the fired U.S. attorneys was sparked last month when a top Justice Department official ignored guidance from the White House and rejected advice from senior administration lawyers over his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The official, Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty, ignored White House Counsel Harriet Miers and senior lawyers in the Justice Department when he told the committee last month of specific reasons why the administration fired seven U.S. attorneys — and appeared to acknowledge for the first time that politics was behind one dismissal. McNulty’s testimony directly conflicted with the approach Miers advised, according to an unreleased internal White House e-mail described to ABC News. According to that e-mail, sources said, Miers said the administration should take the firm position that it would not comment on personnel issues.
When the Bushies dump the #2 official at DOJ they don’t have very many legs left.
Punchy
I’m too lazy to do the links, but the guys at TPM and FDL (Mr. Cole’s favorite blog, I hear) have pretty much shot down this Monica chick’s argument for invoking the 5th. Shorter, ya just can’t shut the top hole b/c you think the guys asking questions look or talk funny. Legally, that’s a crock excuse.
And since Sampson is guaranteed to Plead the Schultz (“I know noz-zing!”), it’s really this woman who needs to give the salient info. Will be loads of fun to watch the Righties’ heads explode if/when the Dems attempt to force her to testify, at least in part.
Take it away, Andrew.
jenniebee
So here we go:
1. The Our-Busto Administration lied… again. Interestingly enough, earlier lies aren’t the subject of investigation (I know that to be “news” there has to be some sort of recent hook to bring up an old story, but does there really have to be a recent hook to get Congress to look into years of corruption?) but the US Attorneys deal is hot, so we’re going to spend time looking into it, and the Capitol Gang is going to giggle about how silly it is to expect Republicans not to lie or to make a big deal about it when they do.
2. Meanwhile, Congress is awash in the question of zomg, 18 months from now, when the presnit says that he’s the decider and the CinC and Congress doesn’t have the authority to blow its own nose, will that be even more illegal than it already is, or not? With all the other impeachable shit that he’s done that gets swept aside every time he declares that he’s had an “accountability moment,” does anybody really think that if Bush ignores a Sept 2008 withdrawal date three months before he’s scheduled to leave office that fuck-all is going to be done about it?
All of which is – forgive me for saying it – making beds in a burning house because reality is about to get another heave-ho, seeing as how
3. The Persian Gulf of Tonkin is in the process of exploding and everybody’s too busy on 1 and 2 to pay attention.
Excuse me, I need a valium…
Mr Furious
They should just grant Goodling immunity (whether she wants it or not) and compel her to testify. She cannot plead the 5th if she has immunity.
Then fire up the Jiffy Pop.
Moll Slanders
Okay, so Thomas McNulty is related to Paul McNulty how?
Moll Slanders
and at that point, the conveyor belt of doom stops.
Dreggas
MotherFuckers
Dreggas
Specter talking on senate floor about Goodling pleading the fifth:
“Mr. Dowd makes the point emphatically that in pleading the fifth Ms Goodling is not admitting guilt and using her right to not incriminate herself.”
“Specter understands why she would assert the 5th.”
“If a false statement has been made to a senate committee it is a crime.”
Now going after Schumer about saying that misleading statements (ie false statements) were made.
Specter agreeing with what letter says regarding Schumers motivations.
Now talking about Domenici being on the DSCC website as a target in ’08.
Now trying to attack Schumer using Goodling painting her as a victim and that she shouldn’t have to face Mr. Meanie…again.
Now raising the “Clinton did it too!” defense.
more Bush buttkissing.
Dreggas
Leahy now smacking down Specter.
The Other Steve
This is utterly amazing. This “scandal” is a one day thing. Fire the attorney general and move on.
why are they prolonging this? The more that comes out the worse it looks for them.
DC
Um, no. The AG isn’t the whole scandal, and making him the patsy isn’t going to make it go away, because it’s been plain almost from the beginning that the trail of culpability doesn’t end with him. That there is more to come out is the issue.
Something at least potentially illegal was done. Someone tried to bury it with more potential illegality. Someone else went digging and the details started to come out. The root of it is the original act, whether it’s wrong legally or only from the perception of the electorate.
But then it’s SOP to blame the media for reporting the news, or blame the administration for failing to prevent their dirty laundry from being aired; that they had it air is entirely irrelevant.
Dreggas
And last night you had Joe Scarborough talking seriously and soberly about impeaching these MoFo’s.