Libby goes to prison, but Cheney is guilty

[maddezmom]

Libby goes to prison, but Cheney is guilty
The vice president should look in the mirror and see the root of the troubles
To borrow an observation usually applied to war, it can be said with certainty that the first victim of the Bush administration is the truth. It is a shame the vice president's former chief of staff may be the only person to pay a judicially imposed sentence for this pervasive pattern of mendacity.

It's not that I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby doesn't deserve to serve 21?2 years in prison for perjury and obstruction of justice. If a critic of the administration or some hapless foreigner had revealed the identity of a secret American agent, they now would be spending uncomfortable years in a windowless cell in Guantanamo Bay.

Even so, Libby clearly was merely acting as the "designated hitter" on behalf of Vice President Dick Cheney, chief White House henchman Karl Rove and, ultimately, the president himself. This is an administration whose basic default posture is secrecy and aggressive attack of anyone who dares stand in its way. Libby is more than a foot soldier, but clearly is not the very root of the problem.

Writing the judge seeking clemency for Libby, Cheney's Wyoming friend, former senator Alan K. Simpson, noted that "Some are of the opinion that (Libby) has 'fallen upon his sword' and yet, it is my perception that the sword has fallen upon him!" Simpson is notorious for cryptic remarks, but this one can be parsed to mean that Cheney and associates believe the president's inner circle unfairly permitted Libby to hang.

more:http://www.dailyastorian.info/main.asp?SectionID=23&SubSectionID=392&ArticleID=42961&TM=16843.64

[Demeter]

1. Don't Fret--Libby's Guilty, Too

And Fitzpatrick is STILL after Cheney, and very likely making a great deal of progress!

[JPZenger]

2. I'm Taking Bets

I'm taking bets - who will actually spend more time in a jail cell - Scooter or Paris? My guess is that Paris' 4 days will beat out Scooters 0 days.

[liberal N proud]

3. I really doubt Libby will do one day in jail

[tanyev]

4. Libby could have spilled everything he knew.

The fact that he made the choice he did makes one wonder how much worse the consequences would have been for spilling the beans.