White House Will Never Run Out of Reasons Not to Talk About Libby

On December 10, 2007, White House Press Sec. Dana Perino was asked about Lewis "Scooter" Libby. The White House previously said couldn't comment on Libby while the courts were reviewing his case. Libby dropped his appeal that day and the press corp asked Perino about President Bush's saying he would fire anyone involved in leaking Valerie Plame identity. The grand jury investigation proved that Karl Rove and Libby leaked to the media. Bush fired neither.

The White House was not officially out of excuses to not discuss the Libby matter.

Q Okay. Well, now that the appeal -- there is no longer any appeal, can you speak to what the President thinks about Scooter Libby disclosing the name of a CIA official?

MS. PERINO: I did not have a chance to talk to -- chance to speak to the President after this announcement was made this morning, and so I don't have his immediate reaction. He gave a lengthy statement in July in regards to the commutation and so I'll have to refer you to that for now.

Q But he didn't talk about what Scooter Libby had actually done in that --

MS. PERINO: And as I said, I haven't spoken to the President about it, so I'm not able to provide you anything else at this moment.

Watch the video. It is one of the lamest performances I have ever seen by a Press secretary.



Perino now had a whole day to ask Bush how he feels about Libby. What is the new excuse.

Q Have you had a chance yet to speak with the President about Scooter Libby since he dropped his appeal?

MS. PERINO: Well, you might have missed the gaggle, but I'll refer you to those comments I made in the gaggle.

Q Okay. And yesterday you said that you weren't allowed to characterize the President's reaction to the CIA tape destruction story. Who stopped you from characterizing the President's reaction?

MS. PERINO: As I said before, the Counsel's Office has requested that we not make any further comment beyond what I've already said; so that's where it came from.

The grand jury investigation has ended. Special Counsel Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald has said he will not attempt to bring new indictments. What possible legal reason is there for Bush not answering why he didn't fire Rove and Libby like he promised.

That is all a smoke screen of gotta journalism. Rationale people have learned long ago that Bush doesn't give a shit about the law. What the press should hammer Bush on is Libby telling the grand jury the President "specifically had authorized" the leak.



Former White House pinata Scott McClellan states that Bush had him say vouch that Libby and Rove were not involved in the leak.

So I stood at the White house briefing room podium in front of the glare of the klieg lights for the better part of two weeks and publicly exonerated two of the senior-most aides in the White House: Karl Rove and Scooter Libby.

There was one problem. It was not true.

Very cool, right?

I had unknowingly passed along false information. And five of the highest ranking officials in the administration were involved in my doing so: Rove, Libby, the vice President, the President's chief of staff, and the president himself.

Bush doesn't want to talk about Libby because he is responsible for the Plame leak.

Update: Bill O'Reilly sends Fox News goons to McClellan's house. My favorite part of the video is O'Reily saying, unlike CNN and MSNBC, Foc News actually does reporting.