No memory aide from judge in Libby trial

[sabra]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16770023/

No memory aide from judge in Libby trial
Defense lawyers had asked for memo to be read to jurors

WASHINGTON - A federal judge refused to read jurors a lengthy description on the flaws of human memory as the CIA leak trial opened Tuesday, rejecting a request that could have bolstered former White House aide “Scooter” Libby’s perjury defense.

I. Lewis Libby, a former aid to President Bush and chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, is accused of lying to FBI agents and prosecutors who were investigating the leak of a CIA operative’s name.

Libby says he didn’t lie but was simply bogged down by national security issues and couldn’t remember details of what he told reporters about CIA officer Valerie Plame.
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Libby’s attorneys had hoped U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton would tell jurors that “memory does not function like a tape recorder” and “a person is less likely to remember information if he is paying attention to several things at once.”

[tanyev]

1. How about some truth serum?

I think that would be much more helpful in this trial.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

7. Maybe Da' Scoots would like...

A bit of the torture that he and his former boss seem to like so much. To hear them tell it, nothing concentrates the mind more. Perhaps he'd like to prove that.

[AllexxisF1]

2. This is going to be great.

I have a gut feeling this is the moment where the entire fragile web completely begins to get undone. Fritz is shooting for the fences with this trial and I think he has this Administration by the balls.

By weeks end it's going to take a war with Iran to take this off the headlines. Bush and company are in deep shit.

[mike_c]

3. water board him-- I've heard that improves memory quite a bit...

...so much so that the executive wants testimony obtained that way to be admissible in court. Seems like this is PRECISELY the situation requiring something of that nature.

[gratuitous]

5. Well, yeah

I'm sure that the Attorney General would sign off on a memo authorizing extreme measures to job Mr. Libby's memory. After all, isn't this a matter vital to the national security interests of the country? And hasn't that been used as the justification for all sorts of mischief by this administration. Seems to me that having a wrong-doer in custody and on trial is the perfect place to find out just what he knows, by any means necessary. Why is the Bush administration coddling possible terrorists? The possibility that Mr. Libby is a terrorist is admittedly slim, but even if there is just a 1% chance of it, can we afford to take that chance with American lives hanging in the balance?

We don't just have the option of torturing Mr. Libby, we have the affirmative duty to do so. And if Mr. Libby was a true blue American, loyal to this country, he would no doubt agree, wouldn't he?

[TacticalPeek]

4. H20Man was prescient about the Rove/Libby duel.

From the liveblogging at firedoglake, in Libby's attorney Wells' opening statement:

Fitz said Libby may have had a motive to lie, because Scottie said you'd lose your job if you leaked.

Mr. Libby was not concerned about losing his job. He was concerned about being set up. He was concerned about being the scapegoat.

Mr. Libby said to the VP, "I think the WH, people are trying to set me up, people want me to be the scapegoat. people in the WH want me to protect Karl Rove."

Cheney made notes of what Libby said. Notes show Libby telling VP that he was not involved in leak.
Cheney's note: "Not going to protect one staffer and sacrifice the guy that was asked to stick his neck in the meat grinder because of the incompetence of others."

The person who was to be protected was Karl Rove. Karl Rove was President Bush's right hand person. Karl Rove was the person most responsible for making sure Bush stayed in office. He had to be protected.

http://www.firedoglake.com/

Bwaaaahahahahahaha!

[Kber]

6. They wanted the JUDGE to read the memo?

Introduce whatever defence you want, but to have the judge do it for you sounds a lille, I don't know, activist to me.

Call in expert witnesses, make the case to the jury yourself.

[LiberalFighter]

8. What was Libby doing at the time he was telling reporters about Plame?

Was he mastubating?

[LiberalFighter]

9. Aren't people in that type of position more capable of remembering details

and isn't that a necessity in being in that type of job?