Why Libby Gets a Free Pass
 Scooter Libby |
 Carl Rove |
Why Libby Gets a Free Pass
For as long as it took the jury to come to a guilty verdict, I was afraid ”Scooter” Libby was going to be acquitted. I assume that they just wanted to be sure, just as prosecutor Fitzgerald wanted to be sure he’d get a conviction by charging only Libby, not Cheney or Rove.
I would dearly love to see Libby rat on his boss, but I don’t think it’s going to happen. Here’s my reasoning–and I hope I’m mistaken. Cheney would rather have seen Rove in the dock, since Libby was his right hand. If they were going to throw someone to the wolves, then it would have made more sense to Cheney to scapegoat Rove. Rove was politically more important to Bush than Libby was, however, being too close to the throne; so it was Libby who had to be sacrificed.
I say he was “sacrificed” because I thought his defense was flimsy. Both Cheney and Rove were to be called as defense witnesses, but they did not testify. Why was that? Libby’s only defense turned on his having ”forgotten” he’d had all those conversations with journalists. The jury rightfully saw through that. Maybe you can forget one or two conversations, but not nine of them. My take on all this–and call me suspicious–is that the fix was already in. Libby’s defense would roll the dice with what was really a non-defense–throw some smoke at the jury and hope for the best. Then they ask for a new trial. That failing, they file an appeal to stall for more time. When that fails, Bush pardons Libby. Why would he do that? Here are some reasons:
(1) There’s good precedent for it. Look at Casper Weinberger, Elliott Abrams, and Ollie North–all traitors to their country in the even more serious Iran-Contra affair. All of them were pardoned, and Abrams is now Cheney’s new right- hand man.
(2) Bush is a lame duck. He’s committed so many impeachable offenses already with impunity that pardoning a minor player in the Plame affair wouldn’t tarnish his reputation any more than it’s already been blackened.
(3) The neocon cabal is a pretty tight group. It would be nice to think that there’s no honor among thieves, but if Libby thought he’d get pardoned he’d be more likely to keep his mouth shut, which he’s done so far. That tells me that they’ve already given him a nod and a wink.
(4) Libby is smart and he knows too much. His loose lips might sink even Bush’s ship. What better way to keep him silent than to pardon him? After awhile he can resurrect himself the way Abrams did. Perhaps some future corrupt administration could make use of his services.
(5) Cheney holds the hammer. I think that he can hold it over Bush’s head to free his number one boy. He might even have made a deal beforehand with Bush to the effect that Rove be protected on condition that Libby gets pardoned if found guilty.
Fitzgerald has already said that no more charges will be filed. The only way that Joe Wilson and his wife will be vindicated is for them to prevail in the civil suit they have against Cheney. It’s reminiscent of the O.J. Simpson case. Even if the Wilsons win that case there will still be another guilty person walking free among us.
Having said all that, I think that Libby’s conviction is a solid victory for our legal system. But for the reasons I’ve stated, I’m giving it only two cheers.
– Len Carrier
