Fred Thompson, Friend To A Felon

The Nation: By Identifying With "Scooter" Libby, Ex-Senator Shows His True Colors

(The Nation)  This column was written by John Nichols.

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Here is the latest from the front page of the Scooter Libby Legal Defense Trust, the group that has been shaking down Republican donors for the money needed to maintain the convicted felon's silence until an appropriate moment arrives for him to be pardoned by President Bush:

"Former Senator Fred Thompson, a member of the Advisory Committee for the Libby Legal Defense Trust has graciously offered to host another fund raiser for the Libby Legal Defense Trust. We will be providing additional details in the coming days."

Thompson's schedule is getting busier and busier these days, as the man who reversed Ronald Reagan's career trajectory by going from the Senate into acting prepared to bid for the Republican presidential nomination.

But, hopefully, Thompson will find time to further identify himself with Libby, who the TV attorney identifies as "a man with nothing to hide."

The Thompson-Libby relationship, particularly Thompson's recent statements regarding it, tells Americans everything they need to know about the man who seeks to replace George W. Bush in the Oval Office.

Thompson is either a longtime acquaintance of Libby or someone who rushed to the side of Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff when he determined that an injustice was being done.

According to a February 23 report by Associated Press, "Trust spokeswoman Barbara Comstock says Thompson knew Libby from serving on the Senate Intelligence Committee and dealing with top White House staff."

According to Thompson, in a speech delivered May 12 to the Council for National Policy, "I didn't know Scooter Libby, but I did know something about this intersection of law, politics, special counsels and intelligence. And it was obvious to me that what was happening was not right. So I called him to see what I could do to help, and along the way we became friends. You know the rest of the story: a D.C. jury convicted him."

Whatever the facts of their relationship, however, there is no debating Thompson's loyalty to Libby. He is the leading proponent of a presidential pardon for the convicted felon. And he regularly uses his prominence as a TV lawyer to accuse the man who brought Libby to justice, special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, of "perverting the rule of law."

In the faux-conservative circles that define the modern Republican Party, Thompson is more closely associated with the defense of the disgraced White House aide than with any particular stand on the issues facing the nation. That's one of the reasons why so many of the true believers in the Bush presidency are so very enthusiastic about Thompson's now likely candidacy to replace Bush.

Since Libby was convicted in March on four counts of obstruction of justice, perjury and making false statements about how he learned the identity of CIA officer Valerie Plame — the wife of former Ambassador Joe Wilson, who was targeted for attack by Cheney's office after he exposed the administration's manipulation of intelligence when it was lobbying for war with Iraq — Thompson has maintained that special counsel Fitzgerald, the federal judges associated with the case and the federal grand jury that decided it were all part of "the Beltway machinery" that railroaded an innocent man because "he worked for Dick Cheney."

"The Justice Department, bowing to political and media pressure, appointed a Special Counsel to investigate the leak and promised that the Justice Department would exercise no supervision over him whatsoever — a status even the Attorney General does not have," Thompson explained in his May 12 speech. "The only problem with this little scenario was that there was no violation of the law, by anyone, and everybody — the CIA, the Justice Department and the Special Counsel knew it. Ms. Plame was not a 'covered person' under the statute and it was obvious from the outset."

Thompson was, of course, speaking as an experienced player in courtroom dramas on NBC.

Here is what an actual prosecutor, Patrick Fitzgerald, said in the 18-page Libby sentencing memorandum released two weeks after Thompson asserted that "everybody knew" Plame-Wilson was "not a covered person" under the rules that protect covert agents: "[It] was clear from very early in the investigation that Ms. Wilson qualified under the relevant statute (Title 50, United States Code, Section 421) as a covert agent."

Fitzgerald also detailed how Libby had blown Plame-Wilson's cover in conversations with reporters and White House aides, and explained that, "Mr. Libby kept the Vice President apprised of his shifting accounts of how he claimed to have learned about Ms. Wilson's CIA employment."

To all of this, Thompson says, "In no other prosecutor's office in the country would a case like this one have been brought."

Fitzgerald says: "To accept the argument that Mr. Libby's prosecution is the inappropriate product of an investigation that should have been closed at an early stage, one must accept the proposition that the investigation should have been closed after at least three high-ranking government officials were identified as having disclosed to reporters classified information about covert agent Valerie Wilson, where the account of one of them was directly contradicted by other witnesses, where there was reason to believe that some of the relevant activity may have been coordinated, and where there was an indication from Mr. Libby himself that his disclosures to the press may have been personally sanctioned by the Vice President. To state this claim is to refute it. Peremptorily closing this investigation in the face of the information available at its early stages would have been a dereliction of duty, and would have afforded Mr. Libby and others preferential treatment not accorded to ordinary persons implicated in criminal investigations."

This is, frankly, a better debate than any that will broadcast during the course of the presidential race.

Thompson, a career politician who plays a prosecutor on TV, says that it is wrong to prosecute someone who knowingly used a position in the White House to punish critics of the Bush administration and then lied about his abuses of authority and the public trust.

Fitzgerald, a career prosecutor who tends to avoid the cameras, disagrees.

Thompson is preparing to seek the presidency as the standard bearer of the wing of the Republican Party that turns a blind eye to official misconduct.

Fitzgerald is preparing to return to his work as one of the nation's most trusted enforcers of the rule of law.

Here is a real contest for Americans to decide. They can choose between two tickets: Thompson/Libby versus Fitzgerald/Rule of Law.

[ananar]

Looks like a G-O-L-D-E-N opportunity to launch ugly attacks on everyone else but discuss the facts about Fred Thompson. Well, it isn't just "The Nation" who has a problem with Thompson. Paul Mulshine writes for the Star-Ledger of Newark, New Jersey. He discusses Fred Thompson, to include his work on the Libby Defense Fund. What "The Nation" did not disclose in this article but Mulshine did in his column, is that Thompson is a follower of Irving and Bill Kristol. Precisely, the Irving Kristol--Trostkyite who founded the Weekly Standard. For anyone too young to remember Trostky; he happened to be a Communist with at least some capitalist tendencies. And the "neo-Conservatism" of Kristol creation, can be considered a modified version of Marxism. Suggest putting the Star-Ledger on the search engine and reading Mulshine for yourself.

As it is, Mulshine discusses the lot of them as loony (they are) and Thompson as parading about pure stupidity (seems he does). Don't we have enough of that now in the White House?

[bmsbms29]

Fred Thompson is not an actor turned politician.
He was a politician who then became an actor who is now returning to politics.

Reagan was simply an actor who became a politician.

I praise God for Fred Thompson & I feel very strongly that he will be so much better than so many of the so called democrats running.

If the Demos had Micky Mouse running, the demos would vote for him!

[cdfoxtrot]

ArabzRfilth, I greatly enjoy your sense of humor. Keep it up.

[cdfoxtrot]

I see that the monster hog gunned down by that red-neck kid in Alabama was named "Fred". Was he named after a famous Hollywood elite now running for office?

[knyghtwolf]

Karma is spelled with a "K" not a "C". And bush(monkey) is STILL an idiot, along with D I C K (less) Cheney. Think I spelled this right. Whatever, have a nice day in church.

[katg21]

Yep just what we need another Actor with Alzhimers for President to repalce the BM Monkey we have.
Posted by mpmikeb at 08:31 PM : Jun 02, 2007

Nice, you people have no class whatsoever. Alzhimers is no joke, hope none of your loved ones are ever plagued with it. Take it from me it's hell, took my grandmother's life. You think you're so funny making a joke of a debilitating disease...careful, carma's a bit*h!!! And you dems pride yourselves on being politically correct...PLEASE. Show some respect!!! You are what is wrong with our society. I don't suppose you have any jokes about AIDS patients? Any jokes about Elizabeth Edwards, she's dying of cancer...REALLY FUNNY!!!

[texmexborderswimmer]

Yep just what we need another Actor with Alzhimers for President to repalce the BM Monkey we have.

[texmexborderswimmer]

To menofoz

You forgot to list the cry baby from Ohio John Boehner, who was almost in tears on National TV the other day because he wants more kids to serve in our military but he'll be damed if he will.

[condumism]

Cons have non-recovered drunks, perverts, and second class actors in their corner as the bought and payed for proponenents of a Fascist Corporate America. Thompson, yet another Southern Bubba has zero chance of winning anything in the national arena because of the Group Of Pigs which he represents.

[omega39-2009]

This article proves that the dems are nervous about Thompson running. Love it. Keep up the trash talk and politics of personal destruction if you must; it's a waste of time though.

Ha! After 8 years of Bush the Dems could run a monkey (a real monkey not a man that looks like a monkey) and win.

[norcalruss]

This paragraph says it all and why Thompson is the hero of the WH:

Thompson, a career politician who plays a prosecutor on TV, says that it is wrong to prosecute someone who knowingly used a position in the White House to punish critics of the Bush administration and then lied about his abuses of authority and the public trust.

Apparently, Thompson has been exposed to so much TV courtroom drama, that he now thinks he is an expert lawyer. If the over the hill actor, who resembles a bald headed toad, thinks that perjury, abuse of power, and endangering a CIA agent much ado about nothing, then he is poorly qualified to be the so called leader of the free world. If Fred Thompson is the GREAT WHITE HOPE for the Republican party, the nation should start getting prepared for another President Clinton.

[katg21]

Let the Republicans put this rediculous man in there. But the democrats need to get some leadership.
I lost faith a long time ago in Hillary (war supporter from the beginning) and then her and Oboma sure voted against the war resolution last week but they certainly did not stand up to the war criminal and chief.
Posted by Vet_SK at 02:23 PM : Jun 02, 2007

I appreciate your position and respect your honesty. I am a republican and feel the same way about our choice of candidates. I don't have to tell you how I feel about Hillary; quite shocked to hear a dem speak negatively about her. Takes guts.

[vet_sk]

Let the Republicans put this rediculous man in there. But the democrats need to get some leadership.
I lost faith a long time ago in Hillary (war supporter from the beginning) and then her and Oboma sure voted against the war resolution last week but they certainly did not stand up to the war criminal and chief.

[menofoz]

chicken hawk
often chick7en7hawk (ch%u012Dk'%u0259n-htk') Informal A person who favors military force or action to carry out a foreign policy but has never served in the military.

List below of those who avoided military service

Spades Hearts Diamonds Clubs
A *** Cheney Karl Rove Elliott Abrams Paul Wolfowitz
K Richard Perle John Ashcroft Dennis Hastert Bill Bennett
Q Condoleeza Rice Katherine Harris Lynn Cheney
Ann Coulter
J Rush Limbaugh Bill O'Reilly Joe Scarborough Sean Hannity
10 John Bolton Ken Adelman Jeb Bush Tom DeLay
9 Roger Ailes Brit Hume Tony Snow Alan Keyes
8 Kenn Starr Antonin Scalia Ted Olson Clarence Thomas
7 Andrew Card Don Evans Michael Ledeen Marc Racicot
6 Bob Barr Newt Gingrich Bob Dornan Trent Lott
5 Phil Graham Steve Forbes Dan Quayle Tim Hutchinson
4 Mitch McConnell Don Nickles Saxby Chambliss Mark Souder
3 Pat Robertson Dead/Jerry Falwell Gary Bauer George Will
2 Dennis Miller Ted Nugent Michael Weiner Matt Drudge




And the Jokers:

George W. Bush & Weapons of Mass Destruction!

[sparks224]

Fred Thompson is the perfect Republican candidate; an empty suit that acts presidential.

God knows we wouldn%u2019t want one of those smarty pants intellectual types as president. He or she might think about stuff and talk to other smart people and make decisions based on facts. That would be terrible!

[katg21]

This article can really be written about any GOP candidate.

Posted by fairandbal at 12:36 PM : Jun 02, 2007

Let's talk about Hill and Bill's friends, InfoUSA instead?

[fairandbal]

This article can really be written about any GOP candidate.

[katg21]

This article proves that the dems are nervous about Thompson running. Love it. Keep up the trash talk and politics of personal destruction if you must; it's a waste of time though.

Let's talk about Hill and Bill's friends, InfoUSA instead?

[prelgovisk]

Fred has a friend who made a mistake and the democrats are indignant. Ted Kennedy leaves a dead body at the bottom of a cold ocean and they gather to defend him.

[fixitdamnit]

I would like to know why Mr. and Mrs. Plame and Sandy Bergler haven't been at least indicted for actually committing crimes?

I would like to know why Johnny "Abscam" Murtha, Willie "Frozen Assets" Jefferson, Dianne "Walter Reed" Feinstein, Alcee "Da Judge" Hastings, Harry %u201CJackpot" Reid and other unnoteworthy Dems are still on the Hill. Perhaps, Dems are indeed above the law? Those backroom D.C. deals must be extraordinarily extraordinary.

http://www.metroactive.com/metro/03.21.07/dianne-feinstein-resigns-0712.html


http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Harry_Reid


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/31/AR2006083101460.html