Cheney's seemingly and distressingly sincere denial yesterday that Iraq is in a terrible situation shows that the end is not as near as it should be. Cathie Martin, formerly Cheney's press person and one of the prosecution's key witnesses, has been testifying for much of the day to the details of how the Vice President's Office, and chiefly Libby and Cheney, responded to Joe Wilson's criticism of the administration's handling of the prewar intelligence, capturing the moment in the middle of the Iraq war story when things went awry for the OVP. (I will have more later on the substance of what she has disclosed, particularly about the relationship between the administration and members of the press.) And we got a stark reminder of the beginning of the war, and why the Wilson controversy particularly mattered to Libby, in one of the exhibits the defense entered into evidence yesterday. In an email detailing what he told the FBI, Craig Schmall, Libby's (then Libby and Cheney's) CIA morning briefer, noted:
I mentioned also to the agents that Libby was in charge within the administration (or at least the White House side) for producing papers arguing the case for Iraqi WMD and ties between Iraq and al-Qa'ida, which explains Libby's and the Vice President's interest in the Iraq/Niger/Uranium case.The outcome of this case has no bearing on Libby's responsibility for his part in mounting the public justification for the United States going to war. His and others' responsibility is not merely a question of historical accuracy, though it is that. It also bears upon a very practical issue. This war will end. But how do we ensure that those responsible for this disaster are not allowed to do more damage, careening from crisis to crisis, disaster to disaster?
--Jeff Lomonaco
