In last evening's Republican presidential debate both Sam Brownback and Tom Tancredo said they would pardon Scooter Libby for compromising national security and making the nation less safe from weapons of mass destruction. It's an interesting position for the two long shots. Rudy Giuliani, from a state which would be a likely target of such weapons, said he'd consider a pardon. Also taking that position were Mitt Romney and John McCain. Fred Thompson is part of Libby's legal defense operation.
Some called the thirty month sentence "excessive punishment." Let's recall that this issue isn't really about perjury and obstruction, it's about lying about why we invaded another country. It's about outing a covert, deep cover CIA agent who was working against the spread and development of weapons of mass destruction. It was done for political purposes. Scooter Libby could have picked up a secure telephone and asked George Tenet if compromising this CIA agent would compromise national security or violate the law. He neglected to do so and that was part of the basis for the Judge giving him this sentence.
If you think 30 months is "excessive punishment" for compromising our national security you shouldn't eve be invited into the Oval Office much less sit there as President.
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