No Time

On Libby not doing time…here’s the President’s statement, released by the White House when the clemency decision was announced last evening.

This case has generated significant commentary and debate. Critics of the investigation have argued that a special counsel should not have been appointed, nor should the investigation have been pursued after the Justice Department learned who leaked Ms. Plame's name to columnist Robert Novak. Furthermore, the critics point out that neither Mr. Libby nor anyone else has been charged with violating the Intelligence Identities Protection Act or the Espionage Act, which were the original subjects of the investigation. Finally, critics say the punishment does not fit the crime: Mr. Libby was a first-time offender with years of exceptional public service and was handed a harsh sentence based in part on allegations never presented to the jury.

Others point out that a jury of citizens weighed all the evidence and listened to all the testimony and found Mr. Libby guilty of perjury and obstructing justice. They argue, correctly, that our entire system of justice relies on people telling the truth. And if a person does not tell the truth, particularly if he serves in government and holds the public trust, he must be held accountable. They say that had Mr. Libby only told the truth, he would have never been indicted in the first place.

Both critics and defenders of this investigation have made important points. I have made my own evaluation. In preparing for the decision I am announcing today, I have carefully weighed these arguments and the circumstances surrounding this case.

[…]

My decision to commute his prison sentence leaves in place a harsh punishment for Mr. Libby. The reputation he gained through his years of public service and professional work in the legal community is forever damaged. His wife and young children have also suffered immensely. He will remain on probation. The significant fines imposed by the judge will remain in effect. The consequences of his felony conviction on his former life as a lawyer, public servant, and private citizen will be long-lasting. (emphasis mine)

It’s the last bit that’s important. Assuming his appeal is not successful, Mr. Libby will be disbarred and most likely will never work in government again. Even if his conviction is overturned on appeal, he will still go through life suffering the stigma of the trial and all the notoriety that trial engendered. At that IS significant. The howlers on the Left who are vociferously protesting the commutation weren’t all that concerned about Mr. Libby, they wanted someone… anyone …to serve hard time as penance for the “crimes” committed by the Bu$Hitler regime.

As for Mr. Libby’s future prospects, doubtless he’ll continue to make a good living as a consultant or principal at some place like The American Enterprise Institute. And I’m sure that will piss off the howlers, too.

Speaking of howlers…Here are The Mothers of Them All. The whole blog has been “All Plame, All the Time” for the past 18 months or so…however long this whole travesty has been going on. Hardin-Smith, Hamsher, et al, are simply livid about the commutation. I particularly like these bits, from Hardin-Smith:

I’m going to say something shocking this morning: thank you, George Bush. For months and months, I have sat here at my laptop, tap, tap, tapping away at article after article illustrating your utter disregard for the law, your disregard of the principles on which this nation was founded, and your failure to recognize that there are higher laws than what George Bush wants at the moment. With one commutation of sentence, W, you just handed us the next election — the White House, a much stronger hand in Congress, and a club to beat your party with for years to come: you think you are better than the rest of us, and that the laws don’t apply to you.

With one stroke of your pen yesterday, you managed to illustrate all of that perfectly with a single action of “my people don’t have to live with the same punishment that you little people do.”

BDS. There is no cure.

Today’s Pic: Yesterday a couple of commenters remarked upon granddaughter Stasia’s 1,000 watt smile. Well, I went looking through the archives this morning and found this quick grab-shot of Stasia in the Green Hornet’s passenger seat just as we’re about to wind our way down Lombard Street during SN2 and Family’s visit to SFO a few years back. Fetching, ain’t she?

San Francisco. July, 2001.