1 Boring Old Man

Fitzgerald Turns Down Waxman

After the verdict, Representative Waxman, the Democratic chairman of the government reform committee, wrote to Fitzgerald and asked the prosecutor to talk to him and Representative Tom Davis, the senior Republican on the committee, about meeting with and/or testifying before the committee regarding "your views and the insights you obtained during the course of your investigation." In a March 14 letter, Fitzgerald, who is also US attorney in Chicago, turned them down, explaining that the Libby case was still pending (due to possible appeals) and that he did not believe "it would be appropriate for me to offer opinions." In a polite brush-off, he suggested that Waxman review the material introduced during the trial. (Despite receiving regrets from Fitzgerald, Waxman is going ahead with the March 17 hearing featuring Valerie Wilson.)

Fitzgerald is no grandstander. He did not exploit the opportunity to inflict maximum damage on the Bush administration. He brought a narrow case against Libby and convinced a jury. Trying to distort the narrative, Libby’s comrades claim that Fitzgerald’s endeavor was pure politics. The evidence shows they don’t have a case.

As a lot of us predicted, Fitzgerald declined to meet with Congressmen Waxman and Davis about the Libby case, or testify in their hearings. Patrick Fitzgerald is an honorable guy. I think that’s why he’s been such a hero to all of us. He does the right thing repeatedly. We respect him even when he doesn’t do what we want him to do, You don’t hear the Liberal Bloggers attacking him when he only indicts one person, or when he doesn’t go after Rove or Cheney. I think we collectively believe that his devotion is to doing his job, not to any political agenda – including ours.

Frankly, I don’t think it’s his duty to do anything more than he did. We can’t ask him to get us out of this mess. The data from the trial is there for all of us to see. We read Cheney’s notes; saw Libby’s scribbles; heard them conspiring together; heard Libby lie to the Grand Jury; remember how they all lied to us as the case unfolded; know that they distorted the prewar intelligence. We don’t need Fitzgerald for that. If they want outside opinions, let them call emptywheel, or Digby, or eRiposte, or Jane Hamsher. They know as much as Fitzgerald knows now. Maybe more.

No, it’s not Fitzgerald’s job any more. It’s the duty of our duly elected Congressmen, because they’re the only ones left who have the power to do anything. They’re on their own to ferret out the already known deceit and abuse of power that has infested Washington for the six long years of  the Bush Administration. Fitz is going to be a hard act to follow, but that’s just the way it is. Either the Congressional leaders will rise to the task, or they won’t. Let’s hope that there’s one or more among them who will float above the political muck, and lead us out of this wilderness – for no other reason than it’s their job and it’s the right thing to do…