Scooter's Facing the Music

As promised, today was another day in court for Scooter Libby, and it didn't seem to go much better for him than the last several have gone. Judge Reggie Walton ruled that, given he sees little chance of Scooter's appeal succeeding, Scooter has to wait it out in jail. He's been ordered to surrender within six to eight weeks. That timing is particularly problematic, given that this pretty much puts the surrender date in August, and we know what happens in the circle Scooter runs in once August comes around. Nothing. Everybody decamps to Crawford, Texas, or wherever, and essentially go into hiding. Threats of terrorist attack? No response. Need to roll out a new war? Wait till September. Pardon a former aide? Don't hold your breath.

Now that Scooter is within a month or two of facing actual jail time, it forces the Prez's hand on whether to pardon him or not. Unfortunately for Scooter, as we've discovered, this is not a man who responds well to his hand being forced. And he's particularly not partial to his hand being forced on his ranch in August. You may recall that this is how Cindy Sheehan first came to prominence. While she may have accomplished other things, her intention to force a meeting with the Prez didn't quite work out.

I'm of two minds whether or not I expect a pardon, and right now I'm leaning more against than for. Although Bush demands unwavering loyalty from his people, he hasn't necessarily reciprocated. If Libby is the designated scapegoat, he doesn't fulfill that role quite as effectively if he's given a pardon. Or, if he's a victim of an overzealous prosecutor, he loses his victim status if he doesn't suffer the consequences. And if he's not a victim, he doesn't pull focus from whatever was really going on, and if nothing else, he's been very effective in pulling focus from the true skullduggery that exists in the Plame situation.

Of course, a pardon could very easily be issued, and a couple of days ago at the Huffington Post, general counsel for the Obama campaign, Robert F. Bauer explained why that would be a good thing for progressives. His argument is that if the Prez pardons Scooter, responsibility for the wrongdoing falls on Bush's shoulders. I'm not sure why, because a president doesn't accept responsibility for the criminal acts of any other person he pardons. Is it because Scooter was convicted of wrongdoing committed in the Bush administration? That argument only holds if you accept that there's any wrongdoing in the first place. Liberals believe that the administration is deeply involved in whatever campaign went out against Joe Wilson. A pardon for Scooter would just reinforce what they already believe. For those on the right who see Scooter unjustifiably wronged, a pardon only rectifies the injustice--Bush becomes even more heroic in standing up for his people. I'm not sure there's anybody much sitting on the fence about Scooter's conviction. Nobody's mind is going to be changed after a pardon enters the picture.