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Guest Voice: The Scooter Libby Affair

July 9th, 2007
By JOE GANDELMAN, Editor-In-Chief

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NOTE: The Moderate Voice runs Guest Voice posts from time to time by readers who don’t have their own websites, or people who have websites but would like to post something for TMV’s diverse and thoughtful readership. Guest Voice posts do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Moderate Voice or its writers. This is another Guest Voice by Alex Hammer.

The Scooter Libby Affair
by Alex Hammer

Four wrongs don’t make a right.

Libby was wrong to engage in the behavior for which he was found guilty. A significant number have concluded that Libby was prosecuted in a hyper-aggressive manner by a prosecutor unable to capture “bigger fish”, or used as a pawn in an attempt to do so. This would also, of course, be very wrong. What President Bush did, disregarding the decision of the jury, was wrong. And the Clinton’s statements, given Bill’s troubling pardon history, is hypocritical. And wrong.

So, there you have it. A sad, sordid (if that’s the right word), sorry affair almost all the way around.

I’m having a difficult time finding many - if any - people smelling like roses in this entire situation.

When Paris Hilton was sent to jail (and then sent back to jail), people debated about whether she was being treated more or less punitively than would be a regular (non-celebrity) individual due to her celebrity status. My central question is, if Libby was an individual who didn’t work for the Vice President of the United States, in the Bush Administration, how might he have been treated by the prosecutor, the jury, and the President?

And judged by the Clintons?

It’s just a question, and not one I know the answer to. But I think very worthy of thought.

To borrow from a famous commercial, “The world may never know”.

I believe emphatically in accountability and the rule of law. But I don’t believe in “gotcha politics”, nor in using people as pawns (if that did occur).

I also don’t believe in events being dominated by spin. And there seems to be enough of it in this case - in various aspects and by various sets of proponents - to mimic the most terrifying death-defying roller coaster ride at a major theme park.

And not that it is so easy to do, I realize, but we need to stop electing Presidents, frankly of any party, and supporting processes, that represent less than noble aims. Call me idealistic.

Or naive.

Our public figures, in some sense, reflect the public, that is, the common body from which they arise.

As the saying goes, “We have met the enemy, and it is us”.



This entry was posted on Monday, July 9th, 2007 at 12:15 am and is filed under Law Enforcement, At TMV, Bush Administration, Scooter Libby, Legal Matters, Columnists, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Politics, Libby Trial, Hillary Clinton, Guest Contributor, Law & Legal Matters. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

 
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