The verdict is in and Lewis Scooter Libby has been found guilty on 4 of the 5 charges against him. There's no need to rehash it here, because everyone already has their minds made up on both sides as to whether this is a fair judgment or not. The problem is folks can't even agree on exactly WHAT this trial was about. Was it about revealing the name of a covert agent? Or about Washington lying about WMD? Is it about lying to a grand jury? The jurors didn't even know the answer to those questions. Here's some responses from both sides of the spectrum.
The Webloggin Editor sums up the situation better than I could, and I agree.
Patrick Fitzgerald has been so embarrassingly inept ineffective in this case that the jurors were still confused as to what Mr. Libby was charged with going into deliberations. They were so confused in fact that they had to seek clarification from Judge Walton this morning on the last day of deliberations to determine if Mr. Libby was accused of making a false statement to a reporter from Time magazine. The judge said he was not accused of this. Yet somehow the confused jurors manged to appear clear headed enough to find him guilty of charges that they weren’t clear on themselves. (read it all including updates here)
On Lisa Rein's Radar says, "Libby Found Guilty
Ah. That feels better. But just a little, because it would seem that Dick and Karl got off without a scratch. Damn!Sure didn't take too long for the Jury to find Libby guilty of perjury and obstruction of justice.
... While I won't say that this is a shocking verdict, I will say that it was at the very least odd. The one count that they didn't convict on was the Cooper false statement charge which seemed to be directly tied to the Cooper perjury charge.
Talk Left, Libby Verdict: What about Cheney?
At the press conference today, Fitzgerald was very clear that he does not expect to bring additional charges in the case. They are all going back to their day jobs. The investigation is now inactive.
Don Surber, Libby book in print
Well, that was fast. No sooner was Scooter Libby found guilty of 4 of the 5 counts against him then came the announcement from Sterling Publishing about its instant book, “The United States v. I. Lewis Libby.”
Fore-Left, JUDGMENT DAY 3/6/07 (An excellent read, I highly recommend you take the time to go read it.)
I'll admit to being disheartened because this was more about politics than crime, but if Libby did lie to the FBI or a GJ, then he must pay a price.
Others posting on Libby:
Shocking - Libby is convicted in CIA leak case, The HILL Chronicles
What About Rove and Cheney, 123Beta
I'm bemused by all the oxygen being sucked out of the air on behest of our less educated conservative friends as they nervously take turns at the microphone and go into perplexing twisted detail about various paranoid tidbits they’ve been pulling out of their collective asses lately, as they try to rationalize/explain current events. Not just the guy that tells us it started with Cheney’s (turds) that were in the shape of #2 yellow Ticonderoga pencils, progressed to multi-colored spinning tops, and now he sez they look like small forest creatures, characters from Tolkien tales, astral projections of alien beings, and Rush Limbaugh. Now we've got prime time jugheads of every strip claiming no laws broken, no foul (although I purged myself of some significantly “off” clam chowder by gazing at a photo of Mike “Weiner” Savage for 5 seconds), no fems, no fatties, no mustaches, no pirates and no B.O.(Hey Coulter! Are you listening?). Is it that they anticipate a lot of time on their hands sooner than they think (idle hands, the devils work, and such)? Unemployed and irresponsible after the next election? What shall they do, what shall they do? Who's gonna walk them across the street if they've been bad? Lot's o' questions, no possible answer. Some say drugs is the answer. That, like George Bush, is too simple. Tried it, been there, done that. I'm thinking maybe coffee enemas or they’ll get a paper route. Seeking guidance on the big questions in life.
Okay, the nuns have threatened them with a large metal ruler, so they must get it straight, this time (harder for some than others). I’ll clarify it for you - It’s all very simple. I am bringing the salad, I will put my hat on the hook in the back of the classroom when I come over Fri., unless I have a note from my mother, in which case I'll put my coat on the hook and my hat on the shelf, that is if someone else has not put their hat on the shelf, in which case I'll put the note from my mother in my coat pocket, fold my coat in thirds, place it on the chair with my hat on top, if no one is sitting in the chair at the time. Or, I will not bring a salad, there are only three buttons on my coat, my note from my mother is in Portuguese, I will not go to confession after dinner, I will kick Sister Ann Daniels in the nuts (who knew?), and I will be forgiven all my sins if I don’t get diddled first.
Posted by: Carl Gordon | March 07, 2007 at 02:22 PM
SW, if you believe (which implies the possibility of doubt) that Plame was an undercover operative of the CIA in the face of 1) Plame stating she hadn't been undercover in over 5 years, 2) the CIA stating she had not been on a NOC list in over 5 years, and 3) the fact that not a single criminal charge has been filed in regards to her "outting", then yes, you are delusional. I'm sorry if you disagree, but the facts come from her employer (the CIA) and from Plame herself.
If you have a single shred of evidence that Plame was undercover and/or on a NOC list, I'd be more than happy to check it out. Do you? Or do you have any links to such evidence?
Look, the Libby trial had nothing to do with Plame or her supposed cover being blown. It had to do with Libby committing perjury during the investigation.
Posted by: Jason | March 07, 2007 at 01:33 PM
Jason...well, I'm delusional and know nothing. Denial is just that...denial.
Later.
Posted by: Stormwarning | March 07, 2007 at 05:43 AM
I want my money back. Ole' Fitzy owes me big-time. What a racket!
Posted by: Butch | March 06, 2007 at 09:36 PM
Ummmmmmmm, if Scooter Libby obstructed justice and committed perjury, how come Bill Clinton is not in jail?
What's fair is fair.
Posted by: Thomas Hamilton | March 06, 2007 at 09:11 PM
Ok, SW. I guess you (and assorted others) know better than the CIA (which was her employer) who said themselves that she was not undercover, had not been on a NOC list for over 5 years, and was nothing more than an analyst. Why do you think there have been no criminal charges brought??? Here's a hint: There wasno "crime" in outting Plame!
As for Libby's perjury charges, if he's guilty, then fine, he should be punished. But don't try to make this out to be anything other than what it was: a trial about perjury.
Posted by: Jason | March 06, 2007 at 08:23 PM
Jason, there is a very big difference between knowing that someone works for the Agency and being told that she is an agent with Non-Official Cover.
This is not a debate that will be won or lost here. I believe that regardless of what Joe and Valerie did in their daily lives, the fact was that she worked undercover. I believe that. So do many others.
Posted by: Stormwarning | March 06, 2007 at 07:49 PM
SW, no one needed to "out" Plame. She and her husband had already done so years before in seperate incidents. If anyone should be charged with "outing" Plame, it should be Plame and Wilson!
Posted by: Jason | March 06, 2007 at 07:17 PM
What a sham this whole thing turned into!
Posted by: Angel | March 06, 2007 at 07:07 PM
Well, Plame was a NOC. From my conversations with people, that is incontrovertible. Whether or not Novack purposely revealed her ID, or whether someone other than Libby was responsible for leaking to the information, or whether he is "taking the fall" for someone else, I have no idea.
In the end, everyone should have learned along time ago, that its the coverup and lying that does you in, not the original incident.
Posted by: Stormwarning | March 06, 2007 at 05:08 PM