This case has generated significant commentary and debate. Critics of the investigation have argued that a special counsel should not have been appointed, nor should the investigation have been pursued after the Justice Department learned who leaked Ms. Plame's name to columnist Robert Novak. Furthermore, the critics point out that neither Mr. Libby nor anyone else has been charged with violating the Intelligence Identities Protection Act or the Espionage Act, which were the original subjects of the investigation. Finally, critics say the punishment does not fit the crime: Mr. Libby was a first-time offender with years of exceptional public service and was handed a harsh sentence based in part on allegations never presented to the jury.I think I'm with Fred Thompson, in that I would've preferred a pardon but I am very happy that some justice has finally been done in this case. Considering that Armitage was the actual leaker and that Valerie Plame wasn't even a covert agent, it was a miscarriage of justice to send someone to jail for not having a perfect memory. If that were the standard, then Plame should be headed to jail also, since she had 3 different versions of events, spoken about under oath.
As I was flipping channels to see the different reactions to the clemency I just had to shake my head. CNN had their favorite story teller on, Joe Wilson himself, and he was whining about it while the CNN anchor empathized. It was enough to make one ill. Then MSNBC had commentators on just shaking their heads about how awful all of this was. Gee, there is no liberal bias in the Drive by Media!!!
Kudos to President Bush for doing the right thing and sticking to his principles despite the backlash he knew he would get as a result. Although, hopefully he's learned that there is no pleasing the Democrats so you might as well do the right thing and let the chips fall where they may.
Previously:
The Scooter Libby Verdict: Justice Has Not Been Served
The Scooter Libby Verdict--Part 2
No comments:
Post a Comment