Some thoughts on the Scooter Libby trial and verdict

I've been somewhat hesitant on writing about the Scooter Libby trial, watching and waiting as the events played out. Well, the verdict is finally out. Scooter Libby was found guilty of four counts of lying and obstructing a leak investigation into the Valerie Plame scandal. The coverage has been all over the news, with MSNBC, ABC News, BBC News, The New York Times, CNN, Time, International Herald Tribune, Slate, and The Washington Post.

And there is a lot of post-verdict coverage that has been going on for the past couple of days. The New York Times looks at the controversy of a presidential pardon for Libby, and even the changing relationship between the press and the government. The Washington Post has a couple of stories on how the White House operated, and an analysis of the Bush administration's accountability regarding the scandal. The WaPost also has a story timeline on both the Valerie Plame investigation and the Libby trial, and a graphical representation of the key players involved in the Libby trial. MSNBC/Newsweek also has a list of stories showing the timeline on the Libby trial, and a backstory on the entire case.

The biggest item that strikes me here is the fact that Scooter Libby has become the scapegoat for this Bush administration. Why did Scooter Libby lie to the grand jury and F.B.I agents regarding Valerie Plame? It is a simple question, but it is a question that really gets to the heart of this entire scandal. Because here you get to the question of whether Libby is protecting someone inside the administration--specifically Vice President Dick Cheney. The Scooter Libby conviction really brings Cheney's office into this scandal, and Dick Cheney's involvement into this scandal. What did Cheney really know about this scandal, and did Cheney lie to the grand jury and F.B.I. What did Karl Rove know, and Rove lie to the grand jury? The administration was playing fast and loose with intelligence information in order to achieve political goals--specifically squashing any dissent and criticism on the Iraq war.

There has been a lot of talk about a presidential pardon for Libby. The Right-wing propaganda machine is in overtime spin, practically demanding a presidential pardon for Libby. It will not surprise me if Libby gets a pardon from President Bush just before Bush leaves office in 2009. This is an administration that has no ethics, no morality. It is an administration that only believes in politics, and the accumulation of power for itself. This makes me wonder if Cheney or Rove offered a deal for Libby--play the scapegoat for the next two years, and Bush will pardon you. If Libby's lawyers can draw out the appeals process for the next two years, Libby might not even have to spend a single day jail--Libby has already established a defense fund to pay for his legal bills. I guess what disturbs me here is how the Bush administration continues to play politics as usual.