The fox and the hen house | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's Note: Jim Bispo's weekly column appears in the Beaufort Observer.

    Does anyone remember Scooter Libby. He was the bad guy in the Bush Administration that leaked the name of Valery Plame (allegedly a CIA Operative) to the media and got sent to jail for staunchly denying it. The Independent counsel, Patrick Fitzgerald, who investigated the case after several years and tons of taxpayer money wasn't ever able to prove that it was Mr. Libby who leaked good 'ol Valerie's name. Of course his task was made ever more difficult when Richard Armitage at the State Department admitted that it was he who had "outed" Valerie.

    The following is taken directly from Wikipedia:

    On August 28, 2006, Christopher Hitchens asserted that Richard Armitage was the primary source of the Valerie Plame leak and that Fitzgerald knew this at the beginning of his investigation.[131] This was supported a month later by Armitage himself, who stated that Fitzgerald had instructed him not to go public with this information.[132] Investor's Business Daily questioned Fitzgerald's truthfulness in an editorial, stating "From top to bottom, this has been one of the most disgraceful abuses of prosecutorial power in this country's history...The Plame case proves [Fitzgerald] can bend the truth with the proficiency of the slickest of pols."[133]

    In September 2008, attorney Alan Dershowitz cited the "questionable investigation[s]" of Scooter Libby as evidence of the problems brought to the criminal justice process by "politically appointed and partisan attorney[s] general".[134]

    Fast forward to alleged 1st Amendment abuses by the Obama/Holder Justice Department. Seemingly the Anointed One does not agree with Mr. Dershowitz. If he did, surely he would not be appointing the "politically appointed and partisan" Eric Holder to investigate alleged DOJ 1st Amendment abuses. Mr. Holder will be investigating himself. Talk about the fox and the henhouse.

    Which brings another thought to mind. We grumble about the Legislature. We keep hearing that regard for Congress is at an all time low. Are there any among us who believe that what we hear from individual members really represents their own thinking?? Take Harry Reid (.... Pleeze - as Rodney Dangerfield used to say about his wife). He almost invariably "stumbles" through the papers his staff prepares for him. Sometimes, it is difficult to believe he even understands what he is reading (and taking as his own policy positions). He reads what "the staff" gives him (and not very well at that) and that's that.

    There are many others, including the Anointed One, who fit the same mold. They read and accept what ever their staff tells them. So, perhaps it is the "hidden government" (i.e. the unelected staff folks who really run the government) that we don't hold in such high regard. But then, we don't know them, so they get a free pass. In the case of the Prez, the difference is that he reads much more convincingly than all the rest - even though he seldom does what he so convincingly says he is going to do. The only time he seems to get into trouble with his speeches is when he goes "off script".

    It's time to take care of a "pet peeve" of mine. The photographers who record the congressional speeches need to stand a little further back so we can see if Teleprompters are in use or not. (No need to do that for the Anointed one's speeches. We already know that he virtually always uses them.) And, of course, it would be interesting to see how many other Senators or Representatives are present when one of them stands at the lectern and delivers an impassioned speech. From what we do seem to be able to see, it frequently looks like an empty chamber. That being the case, why bother?? Oh yeah. Got to create the impression back home that they are representing them.

    And while we are talking about elected officials, has anyone seen a Schedule A for any of the Washington Town Council members or the County Commissioners?? I didn't think so. Do you suppose none of them are quite as generous with their own money as they are with ours. Or perhaps their support of the folks they do support with our money is only important to them when it comes to trying to create the impression that they really believe in those charities?? Their failure to "own up" is starting to look like a pack of foxes watching the Washington NC and Beaufort County hen houses; or is it the "Counting Houses"??

    D'ya think??