Day: February 1, 2007

Revealed at Libby Trial: Russert Hates Chris Matthews

Jon Ponder

It’s hard to find someone to root for in this behind-the-scenes glimpse into the inner workings of the Gang of 500 in Washington.

Matalin called Joe Wilson a “snake,” which is ironic coming from a GOP operative. Wilson is one of the few true patriots in his drama.

At Scooter Libby’s perjury trial on Tuesday, lawyers argued about whether to admit notes Libby took from a conversation he had with former Vice Pres. Cheney adviser, Mary Matalin, in the week before Bob Novak revealed the secret identity of WMD specialist Valerie Plame. But the juiciest bit from the notes had nothing to do with the trial:

According to the notes, Matalin told Libby that Wilson’s charge was fitting into the “Democratic story on the Hill” and that the “story is not going away.” The notes say, “We need to address the Wilson motivation.” Matalin suggested that Libby call Meet the Press host Tim Russert. “He hates Chris — he needs to know it all,” the notes say, in a reference to Hardball host Chris Matthews, who had been promoting Wilson’s accusations on the air and slamming Libby by name. On the same page, Libby wrote, “Wilson is a snake.”

This is how the nation’s capital works. A scandal erupts, and the spinners go into damage control and try to manipulate the press however they can. In this instance, Matalin apparently believed Cheney’s office could play Russert against Matthews.

Chris Matthews is loathesome, especially when he chews up airtime with his spittle-spewing hatred of all things Clinton. And while this does edge my estimation of Tim Russert up from minus-50 to minus-49.5, now we know that even Vice Pres. Cheney considered him to be an easily manipulated Republican media tool.

The fact that Libby’s notes indicated that Matalin referried to Joe Wilson as a “snake” is particularly telling. Republicans like her are constantly impugning the patriotism of anyone who dares to criticize this administration. Joe Wilson is nearly unique among the players in this drama in that he did the right thing in ratting them out for lying to the American people. His behavior — unlike Matalin’s, Libby’s or their bosses’ — was truly patriotic.

What Really Happened in Najaf? Mistake or Massacre?

Buck Banks

Unfriendly fire: When I first heard about the cult that Iraqi soldiers engaged in a pitched battle outside Najaf last weekend, I must admit it sounded fishy. I mean, why hadn’t we heard of a messianic group that was well-armed and well-funded (given the US $1 million supposedly found by soldiers) and opposed to the Iraqi government?

Well, it seems that, like many explanations we’ve gotten for events in Iraq, that answer might be a lot more gray than black and white. Alexander Cockburn gathered information from a Bagdad newspaper and the Heal Iraq Web site that, if true, means it was an ethnically based massacre of Shiites. But we’ll probably never know for sure.

A picture is beginning to emerge of a clash between an Iraqi Shia tribe on a pilgrimage to Najaf and an Iraqi army checkpoint that led the US to intervene with devastating effect.

There are growing suspicions in Iraq that the official story of the battle outside Najaf between a messianic Iraqi cult and the Iraqi security forces supported by the US, in which 263 people were killed and 210 wounded, is a fabrication. The heavy casualties may be evidence of an unpremeditated massacre.

A picture is beginning to emerge of a clash between an Iraqi Shia tribe on a pilgrimage to Najaf and an Iraqi army checkpoint that led the US to intervene with devastating effect. The involvement of Ahmed al-Hassani (also known as Abu Kamar), who believed himself to be the coming Mahdi, or Messiah, appears to have been accidental.

The story emerging on independent Iraqi websites and in Arabic newspapers is entirely different from the government’s account of the battle with the so-called “Soldiers of Heaven”, planning a raid on Najaf to kill Shia religious leaders.

The cult denied it was involved in the fighting, saying it was a peaceful movement. The incident reportedly began when a procession of 200 pilgrims was on its way, on foot, to celebrate Ashura in Najaf. They came from the Hawatim tribe, which lives between Najaf and Diwaniyah to the south, and arrived in the Zarga area, one mile from Najaf at about 6am on Sunday. Heading the procession was the chief of the tribe, Hajj Sa’ad Sa’ad Nayif al-Hatemi, and his wife driving in their 1982 Super Toyota sedan because they could not walk. When they reached an Iraqi army checkpoint it opened fire, killing Mr Hatemi, his wife and his driver, Jabar Ridha al-Hatemi. The tribe, fully armed because they were travelling at night, then assaulted the checkpoint to avenge their fallen chief.
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’08 Election’s Over — McCain Has as Good as Won

Buck Banks

Mojito mojo: A year before the first primary, and South Florida’s legislative Cuban triumvirate has thrown it’s endorsement like a spoonful of vaca frita behind Arizona Sen. John McCain. State reps. and hermanos Lincoln “Not Abraham” Diaz-Balart and Mario “Not Super” Diaz-Balart joined U.S. Rep. Ileana “Kill Castro Now” Ros-Lehtinen in backing the increasingly testy Republican candidate.

Talk about placing yer bets early. I just hope some of my least favorite local representatives aren’t too disappointed when McCain flames out.