Kate O’Beirne- National Review
March 7, 2007
I agree- Scooter Libby should be pardoned- he was a fall guy for persons caught in an unethical, dangerous plot that, unfortunately, is not illegal because the President publicly gave permission for his Vice President to release any classified information he wishes. The prosecutor, handsome, honest and incompetent, did not bother to see if any laws were broken by Mr. Cheney and his henchmen. When he realized that no law was broken by these thugs, he had no choice but to invoke the now time-honored “when no law is broken and I’ve spent too much money, let’s trick Clinton into lying about oral sex” clause found on the Captain’s bathroom wall in the USS Constitution by Ken Starr.
You are sort of right, Kate, Clinton was definitely not defending an honest position. Your claim infers that Mr. Libby was protecting his boss- an honorable position by Mr. Libby. Unfortunately, his boss has no honorable position. No matter how he sits on his Vice Presidential “throne,” the stuff comes out the same! He outed a C.I.A. employee for his own revenge; he did so to continue to distort information of his own intelligence agency, our intelligence agency- to subvert it!!!, Kate. (Our intelligence agency, Mr. Fund, of the Wall Street Journal.)
Mr. Libby, a dedicated, honorable man has joined the ranks of other honorable men and women who have foolishly fallen on their swords to protect undeserving leaders: Colin Powell, Condy Rice, Tom Ridge and yes, even Kate O’Beirne, to name a few.
Mr. Libby could easily have won his case- lying about a civil wrong, should not evolve into a “federal case” or crime simply depending on whom one lies to. Libby’s defense could have challenged the Prosecutor- saying- “show us a real crime!” Either call Cheney and Rove and Armitage and Alfred E. Neuman- whomever- or just forget it. “Where’s the meat??” He didn’t do that. He would have had to admit that he lied and then, no pardon for Mr. Libby if Mr. Cheney gets in trouble...
This way, his attorney presents a terrible defense, violates his own canon of ethics by presenting false facts to a jury- namely, that his client did not lie, when he actually did so and, guess what: his attorney knows it. And, guess what: Scooter will be pardoned.
Allen Finkelstein, D.O.