June 11, 2007

"These letters, once released, would be published on the Internet and their authors discussed, even mocked, by bloggers."

An incredibly banal line in an argument leads to a really padded NYT story. If the judge had caved to this argument against releasing the letters written in support of Scooter Libby -- by Donald Rumsfeld, John Bolton, Paul Wolfowitz, etc. -- there might have been something worth going on about. But he didn't, so...

16 comments:

The Drill SGT said...

A no brainer to me. Come and be a character witness, it goes on the record. email it in instead, it goes on the record. You want whatever the judge uses to make decisions to be on the record.

No different rules for these VIPs.

Brian Doyle said...

I'm sorry, but the number of high profile people who wrote in support of this lying weasel is noteworthy, and their attempts to conceal such support are to.

MadisonMan said...

Both the letters and the attempts to conceal them should be mocked. Do we or do we not live in an open society? That's the question each of these complainers about being mocked should be asked.

Balfegor said...

The Libby trial has been a favorite of liberal blogs. One, Firedoglake, committed to “live blogging” the trial.

One blogger, Rick Perlstein, writing at commonsense.ourfuture.org, belittled Mr. Bolton’s letter in support of Mr. Libby: “So there it is: yes, maybe he perjured himself. But only because he was so busy protecting us ... Don’t you, dear judge, want us protected from Armageddon?”

I'm not sure why it would be particularly harmful for right-leaning figures to be ridiculed by these kinds of sites. Doesn't it kind of give you a bit of "street-cred," with the upside that since the audiences of these particular sites is so radically against everything you support, you don't risk losing supporters?

On the other hand, there are a fair number of left-leaning politicians who have apparently weighed in in support of Libby, and the problem might be more significant for them.

Unless -- that is -- the people writing support letters are writting Harriet-Miers style thank you notes. Then it's embarassing no matter who you are.

marklewin said...

"An incredibly banal line in an argument leads to a really padded NYT story. "

Banal axe griding about banal axe grinding.

KCFleming said...

Thus spake mindsteps, grinding his axe.

marklewin said...

Pogo said...
Thus spake mindsteps, grinding his axe

Find my axe and open up your mind.

I do not have a blog where I publicly, repetitiously, and continually act out my angry obsessive beliefs. While I imagine it to be gratifying at some level to Ms. Althouse and others who share her beliefs and feelings, I don't perceive it as requiring much effort on her part, nor do I find it challenging, realistic, thoughtful, original or incisive. So she scans her world looking for hooks to hang her particular ideology and then posts it to a website. It is interesting once or twice, but, like most compulsions, becomes tedious, onerous, and limiting after the tenth, hundreth, or thousandth time.

hdhouse said...

I can go the USDC/SDNY and unless there is a national security issue sealing files or if they are in the judge's chambers, I get what I want as the court system is free to all and open to all of interest.

That this group of goons would say I can write and others say..but you can't read...is just so much more influence peddling...connections without consequences.

Frankly to get that fat lying weasel Cheney on the record at all has been impossible. Glad we got this much.

KCFleming said...

mindsteps,

Where in the brief post of hers do you find evidence of "angry obsessive beliefs"?

I mean, in three sentences, you got a trifecta of psychopathology. All I got is a "hmm, that's interesting."

So I think your interpretation is more about you than Althouse.

marklewin said...

mindsteps,

Where in the brief post of hers do you find evidence of "angry obsessive beliefs"?

Based on a pattern of her postings, this post representing one example of the pattern.

hdhouse said...

Mindsteps....whooo trigger...are you talking about Ann? disagree sure. hurl some rocks...fine..just be prepared to get rocks hurled back.

but this innuendo about agendas...ohhhhh crapola. didn't you mean to say 'agendas other than your own?"

Unknown said...

hdhouse,
we generally agree, but are you actually saying ann doesn't have "agendas??"

she represents herself as an "independent," but i find most of what she says and represents to be much more slanted to the right.

marklewin said...

hdhouse:

but this innuendo about agendas...ohhhhh crapola. didn't you mean to say 'agendas other than your own?"

What is my agenda? Where is my blog where I put forth my agenda? Find my posts that establish a pattern comparable to Ms. Althouse's. Ms. Althouse consistently and regularly attacks the left, the dems, and their media outlets. She has been doing this day in and day out for at least a few years. I don't go on the radio and discuss my political perspective. I have posted maybe a dozen times. Where is the comparability?

I might or might not have an agenda, however neither you or Pogo have come close to identifying what that agenda might be even if I have one (I do, but it is not so much a political agenda and I do not feel strong enough about it to bring it up on an almost daily basis. I don't even feel strong enough about it to engage in endless arguments about it with you or anyone else. I would like to know if anyone else who visits this blog has a reaction similar to mine or if I am the only one). Moreover, whether or not I have an agenda does not makes what I say inaccurate. It's funny, you attack me, however you have not effectively attacked my assertions and have yet to who me where I am wrong about Ms. Althouse's pattern of postings on her blog.

The Exalted said...

my agenda is that i dont like corruption or stupidity.

no coincidence that both tend toward a particular side of the political spectrum.

Revenant said...

I do not have a blog where I publicly, repetitiously, and continually act out my angry obsessive beliefs.

Well, you've come to the right place. When the local lefties want to publicly, repetitiously, and continually act out their angry obsessive beliefs, they just post to Ann's comment section.

TMink said...

When the Sarge and Doyle agree about a subject in the first two posts, I consider the issue closed.

Trey