"SCOOT-FREE" pardon? Deal or No Deal?

[radfringe]

Scooter's lawyers said they will file for a re-trial, and if that doesn't work they will appeal the verdict.

Meanwhile - Scooter's sentencing is scheduled for June 5, 2007

Fitzgerald has said he would not be pursuing the Leak case any further - UNLESS NEW EVIDENCE is found.

Deal or NO Deal?
During his opening remarks and again at yesterday's press conference - Fitzgerald said there was a cloud over the office of the VP and the White House.

The cloud will not go away or burst unless NEW EVIDENCE emerges. I think at this stage, the likelyhood of a "deep throat" kind of witness is remote. Any "new evidence" is going to come from the cast of players we already know. The most likely "star" seems to be Libby.

Libby faces up to 5 years in prison. Fitzgerald left the door open for some sort of deal, the question is will Libby walk through the door or will he continue in his role as the Fall Guy?

Pardon?
Pardoning Libby is risky for bush and the REPUBLICANS. As we are well aware, next year is election year. In addition to the Office of the President, the House and many Senate seats are also on the ballot.

Republics took a hit in 2006 - are they willing to stand behind bush heading into 2008?

As president, bush can pardon anyone at anytime. Timing of a Libby pardon is tricky. If bush pardon's too soon - it will hurt his party, and possibly lead to impeachment. If bush waits too long, Libby may become extremely tempted to tell the truth - which could lead to impeachment of bush and cheney.

Libby's wife's comment "We're gonna (expletive) 'em." makes you wonder. Who is the 'EM she is talking about? bush/cheney/rove? The Wilsons? somebody else?

[GreenZoneLT]

1. Meh. Scooter will probably take his lumps.

He'll go to some Club Fed for 18 months, and/or get pardoned in December 2008. If the entire Reagan cast could get away with selling weapons to our enemies in order to finance a secret, illegal war, then leaking a little classified info isn't going to lead to anything.

[salin]

2. Its a shame... given that the leak exposed and blew up

an intelligence operation tracking industrial flows of materials for WMDs - to prevent those materials from falling into rogue hands. Of the biggest ironies and one of the most blatant ways of self-exposing venality - the OVP to cover their fauxed up intel on WMDs were willing to sacrifice national security by exposing and then making worthless a whole flow of info on real intel on WMDs. Episode is as bad as the Iran Contra scandals - but those folks walked and many returned to 'serve their country' in bushjrs administration. I just hope that the public has a longer memory in the future and doesn't so willingly let a future admin into power that is prone to recycling even more of these miscreants. All that said - yep, he will do his easy time and be rewarded in the corporate world afterwards.

[tiptoe]

3. Why should Libby be expected to trust the BFEE, knowing how it deals with threats?

Libby will always be a threat to Cheney and Bush.

(See Octafish postings re "Know Your BFEE...")