Don't pity Libby

The Bush pardon of Libby won't go away easily. Bush's reason is so transparently false that one wonders what the real reason might be. (The sentence was the normal one for the crime and others in the same circumstances as Libby served the time. The Supreme Court recently ruled on a case that was almost identical and upheld the sentence.) As an aside, I remember many times thinking that Bush's reason was false and wondering what the real reason might have been. My favorite was the original reason for his tax cut for the super rich: we had too much money in the treasury. Then he gave it away and we went into debt. His next reason for his tax cut was that we didn't have enough money in the treasury! The rich were going to get their tax cut no matter what. The same goofy reasoning was used in whipping up support for the (unnecessary) invasion of Iraq.

Before I get too sidetracked, back to Libby. Being kept out of jail and "taken care of" will assure that Libby will continue to keep his mouth shut. He knows what went on in Chaney's office and some of what went on in the Oval Office. Bush can't afford for Libby to tell what he knows. Libby's supporters are claiming that probation and the fine is punishment enough. I've heard them on TV loudly expressing pity for poor Libby for having to come up with the $250,000 for the fine. Nobody challenges them. The fact is that the fine is meaningless because he will certainly not be paying it himself. His legal defense fund, supported by the friends of the president and vice president, boasts a treasury of $5 million. He has been well taken care of.

I expect he'll quietly be appointed to a paid, do-nothing position a corporate board, be given consulting fees, and generally live a life of comfort in the bosom of the right wing.

Don't let them fool you into pity for Libby.