Guilty!

I am so pleased that my fears about a hung jury were unfounded and that Libby was rightfully found guilty on 4 of the 5 charges against him. It appears to have been a very thorough, cautious, and responsible jury (that wondered why Rove and others were not on trial along with Libby). More than merely finding Libby guilty the trial also exposed the evil machinations of none other than his boss, Dick the Slimy. Now the real fun will begin.

The right wing is already demanding that Bush pardon Libby immediately. They, and Libby's defense lawyers say he did nothing wrong, nothing at all. The jury obviously didn't see it that way so now we have a very high level player guilty of a felony (I guess this is the most high level person ever convicted of a felony). This will presumably be the end of his career. The verdict will, of course, be contested by his high-powered defense team. They will try to get a mistrial declared (highly unlikely). Failing that they will appeal (also highly unlikely to succeed). Libby is to be sentenced in June. He could actually go to jail at that time if the judge so desired.

Libby could theoretically be given 25 years in prison. Some believe that if he is threatened with that much time he might be willing to testify about others in order to avoid that. I believe it is highly unrealistic to assume he would get more than a year or two in which case it is also unrealistic to assume he will "rat" on anyone else, especially on Cheney. It is almost surely the case that whether he spends any time in jail or not, he has been asssured that the Bush mafia will take care of him and his. I assume this is already a done deal.

Then there is the question of a pardon. If Bush were to pardon him before the end of his Presidency it will certainly look like he is covering up his own behavior in this treasonous business. That is, he has an obvious conflict of interest. An immediate pardon will not happen, nor need it because the aftermath of the trial will take probably months to play out. While it is possible that Libby could spend some time in jail before the end of Bush's Presidency (and perhaps he has been promised he will never go to jail) that would be time enough for a pardon. The best bet is Bush will pardon him when he leaves office.

Many are rejoicing that justice has been served, that no one is above the law, that now we may learn what really went on in the Pentagon and the White House, and etc. I say, not so fast. Without knowing what will happen next it is too early to crow about justice. What if the case ia successfully appealed? What if Bush does pardon him? Will justice then be served? And what about Cheney? Is he to get off without even a reprimand? Will that be justice? And how about Rove? Rove is known to have leaked Valerie Wilson's name but he has not been tried. Is that justice? I think it is great that a jury of his peers found Libby guilty and I guess that is at least a temporary justice. Let us wait and see if justice is truly served when Cheney, Rove, and others are also found guilty.

In the meantime let us thank big Juju for our independent prosecutor, Fitzgerald. He did a marvelous job, nonpartisan, never leaked a thing, did what was asked of him, and did it so professionally and conscientiously it was a thing of beauty. Luckily, he was appointed before Bush/Cheney and the Attorney General began their purge of prosecutors.