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[KeithHernandez]

This does not match up to my understanding of the way things work for people in power in the US.

To say the least.

[RMJ12345]

This does not match up to my understanding of the way things work for people in power in the US.

Well, duh. Especially in the Bush administration.

[Nabubrush]

Well, duh. Especially in the Bush administration.

But aren't you the same RMJ that I responded to?

[Doc]

Mr. David Hicks was a guest of Mr. Bush's government for over twice as long as Scooter would have been and the crime he was charged with wasn't even on the books when he was arrested.

[littlefallsmets]

but it's not fair or just to make one man pay for the misdeeds of a collective group.

You don't dance with the devil and then complain later when there's hoof scuffs on your shoes.

Dude conspired with bald-faced sociopaths. Buy the ticket, take the ride.

[RMJ12345]

But aren't you the same RMJ that I responded to?

I'm talking about the way it should be. Of course politicians do horrible things to get ahead; they all do. But I don't think that should entitle the judicial system to victimize one man for that skullduggery.

I'm responding as an idealist, I guess. I know that they don't work that way, but Lewis should be judged for his individual role instead of acting as a release valve for the country's anger over the collected crimes of this administration (in the Plame affair at least), which is what LFM seemed to be suggesting - to me, at least.

You don't dance with the devil and then complain later when there's hoof scuffs on your shoes.

Dude conspired with bald-faced sociopaths. Buy the ticket, take the ride.

I am sure that he deserves two and a half years at the least for his misdeeds while in the Bush administration, so, you're right, it's karmically right. But I believe that as long as we're going to judge the sins of the Bush administration, we should hold the system to the highest ethical standards. It means nothing if we seek revenge on them by corrupting our own system even further.

[Limmo]

As in, I think that the judge's harsh sentence (it was almost a year more than the recommended sentence) reflected the consensus on the actions of the administration rather than Libby's actions specifically - punishing him for the sins of Cheney, Rove, and Card in addition to his own.

Still, that's quite a running jump from what you consider too much jail
time to...no jail time at all.  Wouldn't you agree?

[KeithHernandez]

Whoa. 

About three years ago I used to be crazy interested in news.  I made a conscious decision to stop that, and now I read little to no news.  My life is better this way, I am tuned in to "the truth", which doesn't have anything to do with daily news, but more history/ analysis after the fact and my own consciousness.  Anyhow, I say this because I don't know the whole Libby deal as well as I should, but think I have a decent understanding.  I am saying ALL this because the guy who leaked testimony to journalists in the MLB Balco (steroid) case made a plea for two years time.  The judge says that it is too lenient and a new 2year 9 month sentence is pending.  Bedsides the fact that I recall hearing that Libby leaked the info after it was already known to some reporters (who had yet to print it) (?) and the guy in the Balco case representing the Balco defendents I don't know what exactly is different.  They are very similar.

source:  http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2927153

Edit:  Third comment on the story: " 'felt it was his civic duty...' WHAT?? The guy leaked testimony and then blamed the government for the leaks in an attempt to get the case against his client thrown out. That isn't civic duty, that's illegal conduct that deserves a jail sentence. Maybe the guy can appeal to the President for a pardon - he doesn't have much respect for the judicial system either..."

So maybe that first thing is what makes it different?  That isn't in the story at all, though.

Edit 2:  Alright, so Libby got convicted for lying to a grand jury about when/ whether he leaked info, not the actually leaking of the info?  Still doesn't really affect the harshness of the sentence in my opinion.  They are both in the action of the same crime, only Libby's was way more important.

[RMJ12345]

Still, that's quite a running jump from what you consider too much jail
time to...no jail time at all.  Wouldn't you agree?

Uh, I have specifically said on many occasions that I think he deserves jail time, and probably a lot of it at that, but I think that he should be punished for the crimes he has been tried for. He deserves due process of the law, and if they can only prove that he withheld information about leaking, then that's what he should be punished for.

As for parallels with the Balco case....Libby didn't leak any information, but lied about the source of the leak. His crime was much different - he lied under oath, and this guy leaked confidential information. Which is different - he is guilty more of a cover-up than of the original crime. I think that we should give sentences based on what has been proven in a court of law, and not what we think really happened. And if the sentence had been more appropriate, there would have been less pressure for Bush to commute/pardon Libby, and he would have actually served some of his time.

You might have a point with your second edit. Regardless, I think 30 months is harsh - for the BALCO leaker and Libby. I don't think that jail time is the most effective punishment of nonviolent crimes. But I'm not disagreeing with anyone on whether or not he deserves jail, because he 100% does deserve to do some time, and I would much rather see him serve 30 months than nothing at all.

I always said, I think Libby should be in jail and that Bush should not pardon/commute his sentence. I'm mainly saying that I'm way way way more pissed that we have allowed this administration to basically get away with more significant offenses on the part of Rove, Cheney, Card, Armitage etc. by successfully making Libby into a scapegoat. Libby was not the initial leak; Libby was more involved in covering up the leak, and while he deserves judgment and punishment, other individuals deserve a lot more and a lot worse, and they are free. No public humiliation, they get a nice pension, and no legal stress. That is the real miscarriage of justice to me - the commutation of his sentence is a miscarriage as well, to be sure, but the real travesty is the fact that Richard Armitage, who was Novak's source for the story, will basically ride off into the sunset as a footnote.