Ben Stein: It's the Democrats' Fault
Reported by Judy - October 29, 2005
It took awhile, but I finally heard somebody on Fox News Channel blame the Democrats for Lewis Libby's indictment for lying to the FBI and a federal grand jury and trying to obstruct the investigation into the leak of CIA agent Valerie Plame's name to news reporters. Ben Stein managed to do it on Saturday's (October 29, 2005) "Cavuto on Business" show.
Stein, author of numerous books offering financial advice, kicked off the show with a claim that the five-count felony indictment handed up by a federal grand jury Friday was nothing more than Democrats trying to get even with Bush.
"This whole business about Rove and Libby is a political vendetta. The Democrats have a very hard time winning elections nowadays so they turn to the courts and the media to try to pursue their agenda and try to subvert the election. I don't think any of it is going to have much of an effect on the stock market. The stock market, as I like to say, is about earnings and future earnings and interest rates and none of that is affected one bit by Scooter Libby being indicted. ... It's a great tragedy for the nation when politics comes into the courtroom like this," Stein said.
Host Neil Cavuto did manage to point out that the prosecutor in the case, Patrick Fitzgerald, is a Republican. But Stein responded, "They always choose a Republican to indict Republicans." He said the case was criminalizing the defense of the president's stand on the Iraq War.
Stein made his statements while standing outside the White House. Exactly why he was there was never explained, but it certainly gives a partisan color to his comments.
Stein's comments came less than a half hour after Charles Payne's ridiculous statements about what a great week this was for George Bush. But their statements don't really conflict. They still carry out Fox News' agenda of helping Bush weather this disgrace.
And it is a disgrace to have the top aide to the vice president accused of lying repeatedly to a grand jury after taking an oath to uphold the constitution.
