yours, wc4d (which I prefer to ‘wc’, for obvious reasons *g* )

I also should add with all due respect to Michigan that John Conyers and his subpoenas which never go anywhere, are becoming a characture of themselves. They don’t mean jack when they are launched at government or former government officials who seem to have implied immunity from them. They only have impact when they are directed at Little Joe and Kathy Schmoe Nobody.

Conyers Threatens Subpoenas for DoJ Selective Prosecution Documents

The problem is a subpoena from Conyers has as much meaning as a Supreme Court oral argument by Miley Cyrus.

It’s interesting, too, that he makes the point of claiming he was nired to make reports to the Acting Atty Gen, since I’m not sure that was truly decided at any point and Walton seemed a little doubtful on that point in the oral argument, but pretty much dismissed it as irrelevant since Fitzgerald HAD reported to Margolis prior to charges going in against Libby. I’ve always wondered why he made such a point of it in the oral argument, with limited time, and now here he brings it up again.

Both of those things are probably nothing, but I hate not having the i’s dotted and t’s crossed. When he then goes on, yet again, to discuss his authority in terms of “perception” of independence and not acutal independence, then on p. 4 says:

“While these provisions … subject a Special Counsel … to greater ongoing supervision than I was subject to … it must be remembered that it was the Acting Attorney General’s stated intent that the terms of the delegation to me maximize the perception of independent decision making. That said, the terms of the delegation to me as Special Counsel … allowed the delegation to be revoked or modified at will, including by requiring reports or consultations”

I have to admit, I go back to what I was raising back at the end of the trial with wondering if his delegation did get modified.

Fitzgerald also, in his otherwise pretty thorough treatment of the differences with outside Special Counsel (and in a response that had to be cleared by DOJ I would guess) also leaves out completely the requirements in the outside special counsel regs that, while the AG can overrule spec counsel decisions, the AG must report to Congress about the instances where special counsel is overruled. And so he never really says whether or not, if the AG modified the inhouse delegation so as to overrule an inhouse special counsel, there is any notice to Congress requirement.

Interesting stuff and a lot of it going towards the theme of ‘trust the DOJ it will do the right thing’ which I have to admit, I take with a lot of skepticism, given the unmitigated and unstinting advocacy for disappearing and torture the uncharged, bought and not taken on a battlefield, and the family members oand children of the uncharged as well.

Rove lied over and over, Fitzgerald came across reams of email issues about which nothing was done for years and is still not going to be done, and so it all goes on. I think he did a lot with what he had, but the problems of inhousing an investigation were there at the beginning and still there at the end.

Or, just google “Alice Fisher resign” and scroll down two or three items.

there are rumors his personal life has made keeping him there easy.

Sexual orientation should have zero influence on job performance.
The GOP reveals its dark side by ‘keeping people in line’ through fear of exposure. Archaic.

On Swift being forced out of the military, see:
http://mustv.com/templates/sto…..Id=6256039
http://seattletimes.nwsource.c…..yer08.html

And, Minnesotacuck @77 – I was aware for a long time about Graham’s anomalous status as both a military officer (specifically an AF judge) and a Senator. Indeed, a case could be made that he is violating federal law and/or military regulations by being both. There exists a statute (I cannot find it quickly, but have read it) and each service enacts regulations implementing it, which state (in so many words) that any officer who is sworn in to be a member of Congress shall (the mandatory “shall”) resign their commission. It’s a separation of powers issue. During Vietnam there was some litigation over this, against (among others) Goldwater (who was an Air Force reserve one-star General), the allegation being that the Congress-critters who were also holding commissions were beholden to the Executive such that they could not be holding both offices at the same time, but IIRC those cases were dismissed for lack of standing.
The same kind of issue arose during the first Gulf War, when a federal judge (who also was a reserve JAG) was called up for duty and left the bench to go play soldier for a while, but came back about 2 weeks later having (IIRC) resigned his military commission rather than give up his lifetime judgeship.
Graham’s been in the thugs’ pocket (if not actively one of them) for a long time; there are rumors his personal life has made keeping him there easy.