i think libby will go down quietly because he knows

[colonel odis]

he'll be pardoned.

tie it up in court for a couple of years, till w. gets out of office. then it'll be like it never happened. he'll make good money on the consulting circuit and the crooks in the white house can sleep soundly.

[sproutster]

1. Not if the time to trial...

Takes longer then the next presidential election. I'd really like to see a good legal write up of a timeline and what to expect.

If Bush is out of office, Libby is screwed.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

2. Can't presidents issue pardons in advance of any trial, or charges even?

Didn't Ford do that for Nixon?

[CanOfWhoopAss]

3. I agree

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=5216306&mesg_id=5216306

[mmonk]

4. Depends on what other possible charges

Fitz can throw at him as things develop. Some charges he might not be able to get out of cleanly or endure.

[bmcatt]

5. Libby can't be pardoned (pragmatically)

Because, once he's pardoned, he can't hide behind the Fifth and will be subject to being called before a grand jury to tell everything. I suspect that Fitzgerald would do literal somersaults if Bush were stupid enough to pardon Libby.

Consider:
1) Bush pardons Libby
2) Fitzgerald hauls Libby before Grand Jury (again) and tells Libby: "Here's the situation. You are under oath. You do not need to fear prosecution for anything you say because, after all, you've been pardoned. If you lie under oath again, I get to nail your ass to the wall one more time for lying to a grand jury. Let's talk..."
3) Libby squeals

This is the ultimate squeeze play. If Libby doesn't get pardoned and doesn't flip, Fitzgerald gets to haul *LOTS* of people to the trial and have them testify under oath. If Libby gets pardoned, Fitzgerald gets to use him as a witness or Libby gets indicted again. If Libby flips... who knows where this leads.

This investigation is *FAR* from over. This was the opening move and I'd be willing to bet that the administration is scrambling to figure out what they can do to further cover their backsides.