Cheney National Security Adviser (John Hannah) Describes Libby's 'Awful Memory'

[sabra]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,251704,00.html

Cheney National Security Adviser Describes Libby's 'Awful Memory'

WASHINGTON — Vice President Dick Cheney's national security adviser described his predecessor, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Tuesday as someone responsible for the nation's most sensitive intelligence but whose memory was notoriously spotty.

John Hannah, who served as Libby's deputy in 2003 and 2004, described a workday that began with a highly classified CIA briefing and continued at breakneck speed from one top-level meeting to the next.

...

Hannah is a critical defense witness because he bolsters Libby's argument that he was focused on terrorist threats, foreign intelligence and war planning. And when it came to remembering things in such a fast-paced environment, Hannah said, Libby frequently faltered.

"On certain things, Scooter just had an awful memory," Hannah said.

He described briefing Libby on policy decisions and strategies in the morning, only to have Libby excitedly repeat them back to him that evening as if they were new.

"That's Scooter," Hannah said.

[sinkingfeeling]

1. Awwwww. Poor little thing. "That's Scooter", alright a lying neocon.

[iconoclastic cat]

2. Next, Libby will be seen wandering on the sidewalk in a bathrobe.

"Are you senile, or just trying to stall us?" (/Simpsons quote)

[Kikosexy2]

20. If his memory...

is that bad then what freakin' qualifications does he have to hold such a demanding job?...This is pure b.s. and I hope the jury sees right through this...Bad enough Ronnie Raygun fail to remember squat about Iran-Contra..but was it purely bad memory or the Alzheimers kickin' in...

[goclark]

3. My, my ~ CONS to the end nt

[Barrett808]

4. On certain things, Scooter just had a "selective" memory. n/t

[Ahgoo]

5. How Convenient

At least the defense has someone who will say this about Libby. Would be better if Libby would take the stand in his own defense and say this but not likely.

Hannah also said Libby was so busy with important stuff it was rare to get 2 hours with him BUT Libby had two hours to spare for breakfast with Judy!!

Must have been a really important breakfast meeting!

[phillysuse]

21. Libby and Judy Miller were

joined together at their roots like the aspens

at their 2 hour meeting.

[denverbill]

6. Good to know we have Alzheimer's victims running the country.

You would think someone with that shitty of a memory wouldn't be hired for a top-level job.

[tanyev]

12. Gracious. Sounds like poor Scooter needs to be taking Aricept.

Maybe they'll bring in a doctor to testify to that.

[LiberalFighter]

16. Just like Reagan

[shanti]

19. ain't that right....

bad memory serves them quite well....:( i think that if cheney takes the stand he's either feign ignorance, bad memory, or outright lie. he WON'T admit a thing.

[emulatorloo]

7. Fitz made pretty quick work of this guy in cross-examination. Jury questions good too

I am basing this on the firedoglake live blogging. . .firedoglake has a lot of disclaimers that it is not a transcript and don't quote it so I won't

But basically -- (and I am paraphrasing from firedoglake paraphrase)

Hannah: Libby far to busy to worry about an ambassadors wife

Fitz: if he was so busy, would you think if he had time to do a two hour lunch he would consider that important (editor note: Libby had a two hour meet w Judy Miller to leak plame)

Hannah: Yes

(bloggers say everybody gave a start in the courtroom)


--

Jury: When Scooter would forget stuff you told him, would he ever deny later that you told him?

Hannah: Never!


--
Firedoglake liveblog here: Fitz and Jury questions towards bottom before comments

http://www.firedoglake.com/2007/02/13/libby-live-john-hannah-two/#more-7207

[LiberalFighter]

17. So if Cheney told him to do something Libby would say he was too busy?

[Whoa_Nelly]

8. Lame. So very lame. n/t

[shanti]

18. EXTREMELY lame

:eyes:

[callous taoboy]

9. "I used to urge Scooter

to limit himself to just one bong hit in the morning, but he was totally into wake and bake."

[SlowDownFast]

15. OMG. Effing hilarious.

[wilt the stilt]

10. Bull

Here is the thing about really smart people. They have great memories. My friend who was the valedictorian of our class and his books are in every advanced readers section in every elementary school in the country(I have another friend from my class who wrote a famous children's movie) sent us an email. We were making fun of a teacher we all had in 1963 and he corrected one of my friends on a device that this guy made. He remembered the exact name 44 years later. Really smart people have really good memories.

[BadgerKid]

11. ...And Hannah goes for the in-ter-cep-tion... (n/t)

[donkeyotay]

13. They all forgot. That's how we got into this war.

When asked how the Niger stuff got back into the SOTU after the CIA had it taken out -2 memos and a phone call - they all forgot. The speech writer forgot, Hadley forgot, and Condi forgot. They all forgot that their reason for going to war, the terrorizing the American people with the threat was a lie. They forgot.

[Amonester]

24. Even AWOL Liar Bu$che forgot he said...

"staying the course"

over 'n over

before he claimed

"it never was about staying the course"

because it only is about the "surge" now

just a "new" word for the same old same old

BS RW propaganda

[xxqqqzme]

14. I thought scooter's defense was going

to be 'everybody's lying but me'.

[truthisfreedom]

22. What's ironic is that it's probably completely true, and they're relying on Libby's bad memory

to screw him up so badly that he'll take all the heat. Unfortunately for the People of the Once Great United States, two things stand out badly in this case: 1] Libby was obviously so incompetent (due to this massive memory problem) that he was a danger to the safety of the entire nation, and 2] the whole administration was so corrupt re Wilson/Plame that they all need to be impeached and jailed.

[tabasco]

23. This country has becomer a JOKE. We have the friggin' mafia running the show.

"I don't remember nuttin. It's dis terrible memory problem."

Has Libby taken to wearing his bathrobe out on the street?

http://tinyurl.com/2sn8gr