On Bush, Cheney, Scooter, Jail, Pardons, and Gravity-Defying New Math comin' to Save Georgie

[WilliamPitt]

From the newest Froomkin:

Slate's John Dickerson seems to think a pardon is a done deal: "It has always been the view among Cheney loyalists and former Bush administration officials who have followed the case closely that the president would never allow Libby to spend a single day in an orange jumpsuit. The few people who may have held serious conversations with the president about a pardon are staying mum (this is the Bush administration, after all). But those I've talked to who know the president well and have worked for him predict a pardon for two reasons.

"First: Dick Cheney. The vice president may not be winning as many foreign-policy battles as he used to, but Libby's fate is a highly personal matter for Cheney. He will ask Bush for a pardon, and he is unlikely to back down. If Bush resists, Cheney could argue that his close aide Libby should not go to jail while Karl Rove, another key figure in the scandal, has been protected by Bush and the administration.

"The second reason Libby will walk is President Bush's dismal approval rating. **NEW MATH ALERT**The number of people who would be angered by a pardon who haven't already abandoned the president could fit in an airport shuttle bus. Given the conservative defections from Bush over his support of immigration reform, a pardon of Libby -- which would be popular with conservatives -- might actually improve his approval ratings. Libby's conviction is seen as such an outrage among conservatives that one former Bush aide suggested 'the consequences of not pardoning, if Scooter is led away in shackles, will be uglier than pardoning.'"

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2005/04/11/LI2005041100879.html?hpid=topnews

FYI: Froomkin, in this piece, argues that the possibility of Libby getting pardoned is remote, and the odds of Walton's ruling getting chucked by the DC Appeals court are equally slim.

Here, at top of same link:

No Pardon Anytime Soon

By Dan Froomkin
Special to washingtonpost.com
Friday, June 15, 2007; 1:34 PM

The White House has officially ruled out the possibility of a presidential pardon for Scooter Libby until he exhausts the appeals process -- a timetable that is all but certain to lead to significant prison time for the former top aide to Vice President Cheney.

Libby can avoid prison time only if one of two things happens soon: A special panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit overrules Walton and allows Libby to remain free pending appeal; or Bush goes back on his word and grants a pardon while the appeal is still pending. Both are highly unlikely.

White House officials yesterday amplified earlier assertions that Bush is holding off on any action for the foreseeable future.

"Scooter Libby still has the right to appeal, and therefore the president will continue not to intervene in the judicial process," said White House spokeswoman Dana M. Perino. "The president feels terribly for Scooter, his wife and their young children, and all that they're going through."

Here's Tony Snow, asked about a pardon at his press briefing yesterday: "What the President has said is 'Let the legal process work itself out.' We're just not engaging in that right now."

Here's White House counselor Dan Bartlett, asked about a pardon on CNN yesterday: "It is important that the appeals process be able to be exhausted. Scooter and his team going through that right now. And we'll reserve judgment until those appeals are exhausted."

The White House position must be a bit sobering for Libby's ardent defenders -- including those in the vice president's office . Their belief that Libby was railroaded is evidently not shared by at least some people at the highest levels of the White House.

More...

[acmavm]

1. Libby is never going to see a day in jail. Which is just such a

miscarriage of justice.

[Frustratedlady]

3. Not only is this a miscarriage of justice (if Libby is pardoned), but

a waste of time and money of some pretty important people.

The biggest fallout will be how our youth look at a pardon. The Republicans were so convinced Clinton taught the kids about oral sex...well, a pardon for Libby will show the kids it's OK to lie to the court.

Which will have the biggest impact?

[napi21]

2. I'm not so sure about the pardon thing. It looks like there is a lot of

animosity between Shrub and Unka Dick lately. You have to remember that Scooter was CHENEY'S guy, NOT Shrubs! I guess it could go either way, but my gut tells me no pardon until January 09!

[rzemanfl]

4. It all depends on what "exhausted" means to them. I myself

am exhausted from living with these pieces of shit in charge.