Sweatin to the Scandals

Originally Published on Music for America, 10/16/05.

Figuring out what's up with this intricate CIA leak scandal plotline is hard work. Burn some calories with Marv's politcal workout.

Warm-ups: Stretch to a short summary of events so far
5 min; 2 sets; reach for your pens and record the facts

We begin with retired Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson, who publishes a stinging NYTimes editorial criticizing the Bush Administration for entering Iraq under the false pretenses of weapons of mass destruction, specifically citing the administration's erroneous mention of Iraq's purchasing yellowcake uranium from Niger.

Eight days after the story is published, the ambassador's wife, CIA Operative Valerie Plame, is outed by reporter Robert Novak. The ambassador accuses the administration of purposefully leaking Plame's identity in an act of revenge. The outing leads to a federal investigation, which reveals that a number of reporters had obtained information concerning Plame from sources Karl Rove and Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, Scooter Libby.

Judith Miller's Aerobic run-around
3 min; 5 sets; chase Judith Miller from the jailhouse to the courthouse

And so, with a case building against prominent White House officials, special investigator Patrick Fitzgerald starts handing out subpoenas to the involved reporters. NYtimes reporter Judith Miller opts for jail time rather than revealing her source to a federal court. Newspapers hail her as a champion of the free press, but it is revealed that her source, Scooter Libby, had given her permission to mention his name a short while after the subpoena, leading many to believe that Miller was hiding out in prison to buy some time and cover her ass.

Court Calisthenics with prosecuter Patrick Fitzgerald
10 min; 6 sets; get your blood flowing by terrorizing White House officials

As the storyline grows more and more complicated, special investigator Patrick Fitzgerald remains quietly prepared. Finally, Miller is released from prison after agreeing to testify in court. Although we don't yet know what goes on in that courtroom, some speculate that Fitzgerald uses a complicated line of questioning to trick Miller into perjuring herself by omitting certain facts from her initial account. Shortly after her first testimony, a phone call from Fitzgerald causes Miller to cough up some suspicious notes, and she is called back into court for further testimony.

One of the aforementioned notes is from Scooter Libby to Miller, and reads as follows:

You went into jail in the summer. It is fall now. You will have stories to cover—Iraqi elections and suicide bombers, biological threats and the Iranian nuclear program. Out West, where you vacation, the aspens will already be turning. They turn in clusters, because their roots connect them. Come back to work—-and life. Until then, you will remain in my thoughts and prayers.

With admiration, Scooter Libby.

Parts of this message are so odd and out of place that some say the note is actually a code or hint to discreetly tell Miller how she should proceed in the hearings. Regardless, the note points towards a more intimate relationship between Miller and Libby than previously known. Other notes from Miller and Libby's conversations date back to before the Novak article and refer to Valerie "Flame" and Wilson's wife. Fitzgerald now has meaningful reason to bring conspiracy charges against Rove and Libby.

Annnd relax...

Are you sweating yet? Good. Now you know how the Bush Administration feels. And you won't feel guilty about getting plastered tonight out at the club. Who likes vodka?