Monday, September 18, 2006

Babbin on Armitage

The American Spectator: "Armitage's leak was not innocent, idle chatter. And worse, much worse, was his cravenness in not telling the truth to the president he supposedly served. Armitage told Powell on October 1, 2003. If he felt his loyalty to Powell required him to call his boss on that date, he had a greater loyalty to tell the president before the sun set that day. The facts that neither he nor Powell told the president, that both allowed the Democrats and the media to damage the Bush administration for almost three years afterward and let Scooter Libby's life to be ruined, disqualifies both Armitage and Powell from ever holding public office again. Let them retire in the ignominy they deserve."
UPDATE: [Rick Ballard] Clarice Feldman adds perspective to Babbin's outrage in this American Thinker piece. After the election it's my hope that Sensenbrenner convenes hearings to look into Comey's decision to appoint Fitzgerald. Nobody elected these mandarins to make US policy and a few of them could stand some time in stony lonesome to drive that point home.

7 comments:

gumshoe said...

i think you meant "Babbin",StY.

Rick Ballard said...

Not bad. I'd give it a 7 on the invectometer. He's missing a bet by not tieing Armitage to the dynamically dimwitted McGraham duo on a "likes attract" basis and didn't put quite enough torch on Powell.

Also, if one is going to bring up "A Special Place in Hell", then reference to the appropriate circle and eternal torment as specified by Dante in L'Inferno is de rigeur. Armitage rates Ninth Circle, Zone 4 - up to his neck in ice. Powell rates Eigth Circle, Ditch 5 - immersion in boiling pitch.

I wonder what might have inspired Babbin?

Thanks, Gumshoe, it's fixed.

Unknown said...

I thought more of Powell than this. Does anyone think all of this had anything to do with his not staying on? Bush did not know, but he did and he had to know that sooner or later Bush would find out.

cf said...

How long did these guys think they could sit on this?
How likely is it that ambitious lawyers in the DoJ who opposed the more vigorous approach to terrorism and who dreamed of higher office, didn't spill this to their frinds on the Dem side of the Senate Judiciary? Very, I think. And if so, how best to hide it? This extra-statutory appointment with no supervision and no bounds whatsoever.
What happened to all the civil libertarians? Are they all at Gitmo counting the fruit loops ?

Anonymous said...

terrye:

I thought more of Powell than this.

Me too, way back when.

The wonder is how they thought they could manufacture this and make it stick. Something of a mystery.

Rick Ballard said...

Skook,

They thought they could make it stick because of assurances from Fitzgerald. Had he not published the redacted document we might still be arguing about who Novak's primary source was. Armitage still hasn't released Novak.

There was also a bit of a bet by Powell/Armitage that Fitzgerald wouldn't indict. Everyone involved knew that no laws had been broken.

Rick Ballard said...

DT,

What we can say with absolute certainty is that we have no idea when or whether Powell or Armitage informed the President. Powell's "resignation" was accepted within days of the '04 election and when he asked for "time to finish some things" he was told to pack up and get out.

Sounds like maybe the President knew - but not from Powell or Armitage.