Bush Gives Libby Amnesty

... and the Democrats a sword guaranteeing electoral victory in 2008 . The Republican era officially comes to an end today.

Go Directly to Jail

Go to jail. Go directly to jail. Do not pass go. Do not collect two hundred dollars.
This was the message given today to "Scooter" Libby by the federal judge who presided over his perjury and obstruction of justice trial. It is interesting that the Judge is a Bush appointee. In addition, it is interesting that he has been the subject of foul harassment since announcing the sentencing of this felon. What will Bush do now? Will "Scooter" really have to serve time?

I don't think the White House is so much in a bubble to not notice the feeding frenzy when Princess Hilton almost avoided jail. I also remember the shift in public opinion against President Ford when Ford pardoned Nixon for his Watergate sins.

At one time, I thought it was going to be a slam dunk that the Bush would pardon Libby, but now I'm not so sure. Certainly, Bush would prefer that he pardon the man while Libby was still free and on his last day as president. But, with the erosion of Bush's political capital to extent that such an action would create for the Democrats a potent campaign issue for the 2008 election, I'm thinking now that a pardon is growing more unlikely.

You will note, for example, that missing from all the character references was the one that might have had some meaning-- from Libby's former boss, vice president Cheney. Also, there is no hiding the central fact of this case. Had it not been for the lies that Libby told, justice may have been served by identifying and punishing those who committed this act of treason-- the illegal disclosure of an intelligence operative in a time of war. Of course, if the US was really at war, Libby's punishment would not be 30 months is a camp for white-color criminals. He would be in the gas chamber. The fact that he is not proves to me that the so-called Iraq war has less to do with our national security than it has to do with politics.