Libby: Leftly Leaning - Wednesday, January 31st

Quipping that it’s “too bad [Cheney] wasn’t cursed by an overactive libido,” Robert Scheer from truthdig explores the orders of magnitude between which lies are to be considered impeachable [1] offenses.

As Judith Miller milks “her latest fifteen minutes of fame,” Joseph A. Palermo at The Huffington Post reminisces on her chronology of propaganda [2] and reminds us that she “should be held accountable for serving as the chief stenographer for George W. Bush's lies that have produced the horror in Iraq.”

Posting at the Daily Kos, Vyan exhaustively parses the indictment chronology searching for clues as to whether Libby is forgetful or just plain lying and if his transgressions were tantamount to treason [3].

After weighing in on a surprise revelation [4] from Schmall’s testimony, Margie Burns at BradBlog follows Miller’s performance under prosecutorial questioning and notes the dearth of media analysis highlighting the difference between 2003 and today [5] – that the once popular administration had the press “terrified if not mesmerized” and the neocons “were far more disinclined then than now to try to get the hell off of it.”

Recovering from an exciting day in the courtroom, Jeralyn at TalkLeft treats us to a narrative account of Miller’s testimony and analyzes the significance of her “note-triggered memory [6].”

Over at ThatPoliticalBlog, How This White House Operates observes that alongside post-election power fluctuations in Washington, the press is beginning to act “like a school of circling sharks smelling blood in the water [or at least] buzzards waiting for something to die [7].”

Arianna Huffington highlights a few “bon mots [8]” that caught her attention in Miller’s testimony including some interesting job titles and her (feigned?) righteous indignation at being manipulated by the administration.

Contributing to TAP Online, Jeff Lomonaco wonders if the prosecutorial testimony and documentary evidence will serve as the only final report [9] on the underlying activities in the OVP. Also, Tom Schaller prognosticates Cheney as the sacrificial lamb [10].

Wendy at Creative Ink explores the labyrinth of implications testifying under oath will have on the future of journalism [11].

Finally, take a break from reality at The Satirical Political Report for a shocking account of Libby’s sexy Valerie Plame screensaver [12]!

[13]