Here are some highlights of the probation report in the Scotter Libby case .

http://www.scooterlibby.com/docs/sentencingmemo.pdf

Distinguished public servant. Generous mentor. Selfless friend. Devoted father. This is the rich portrait of Mr. Libby that emerges from the descriptions of him in the more than 160 heartfelt letters submitted to the Court on his behalf. The letter writers, who range from administrative assistants to admirals, neighborhood friends to former colleagues, Democrats to Republicans, bear witness to Mr. Libby’s character and patriotism. As detailed below, Mr. Libby’s accomplishments in the State Department, the Defense Department, and the Office of the Vice President demonstrate his extraordinary commitment to public service. His dedication to promoting freedom abroad and keeping American citizens safe at home is beyond question. Mr. Libby has also earned a reputation for treating people fairly and kindly and comforting those who are distressed. He has avoided the Washington limelight to focus on nurturing his young children. Even those who disagree vociferously with policies he supported while serving in the government believe his conviction is not characteristic of the life he has led [/I.

The report requests probation or at worse no more than 15 - 21 months . It stresses the many factors warranting a diminution of his sentence;including that he has already suffered considerably as a result of this conviction and is expected to lose his license to practice law, his outstanding record of public service and prior good works, the improbability of recidivism and the fact that the conduct for which he was found guilty was aberrant and out of character.


Patrick Fitgerald has ignored the request and filed his own report that the judge should rightfully give Fitzgerald a smack down about. According to theWall Street Journal

OpinionJournal - Featured Article (http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110010154)

[I]Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald has decided this was a leak case after all. Last week he filed a brief with the court arguing that Mr. Libby should receive a prison sentence in line with crimes that neither he nor anyone else was ever accused of committing. If the court accepts Mr. Fitzgerald's logic, the sentence meted out in this fantastic case would at least double, to a minimum of 30 months. So it goes in a case brought by an unaccountable prosecutor now requesting an unreasonable penalty based on evidence he never introduced at trial.

At trial, Fitzgerald denied the defense access to classified records about Plame's status, saying her status was irrelevant because he was charging no violation of that law.Now in his sentencing request he turns around and claims that Plame's status was indeed relevant.

Clearly Fitgerald has gone off the deep end . If Judge Walton goes along with this nonsense it is incumbent that President Bush issue an unconditional pardon. Scotter Libby should not spend one minute in jail due to the over-reaching of that lunatic Inspector Javert wanna-be .If anyone loses their license to practice law because of this case it should be he .

"Denis Collins, a Washington resident and self-described registered Democrat," who is a journalist and former reporter at The Washington Post and the author of a book on espionage and a novel––"said he and fellow jurors found that passing judgment on Libby was 'unpleasant.' But in the final analysis, he said jurors found Libby's story just too hard to believe (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_Libby): 'We're not saying we didn't think Mr. Libby was guilty of the things we found him guilty of, but it seemed like... he was the fall guy'. Collins said the jury believed Libby was 'tasked by the vice president to go and talk to reporters.'"

Well now, that passes the "beyond a reasonable doubt" test doesn't it? Isn't the penalty for perjury by White House officials disbarment (http://archives.cnn.com/2001/LAW/10/01/scotus.clinton/) anyway?

Steve ;

Collins the juror in search of a camera, who was a personal friend of Tim Russert;one of the main prosecution witnesses... that Denis Collins ? No conflict of interest there!

There is only a little time left .The judge gave Libby 60 days to clean up his business.In that time Libby can offer written reason why he should stay out of jail during the appeal . I don't think the judge will buy it. He seems to be a hard liner.

If the President doesn't pardon Libby I will think a lot less of him for it.

Yeah, that Collins. Did you realize that Libby was one of Marc Rich's attorneys and Fitzgerald was one of the prosecutors going after Rich? And did you catch what ol' Joe himself said about the verdict?


In an interview Tuesday, Wilson — who this year moved with his family from Washington, D.C. to Santa Fe — said he’d still like to see Karl Rove “frog-marched” out of the White House for his role in revealing Valerie Plame’s covert identity in 2003.

"Frog-marched in handcuffs,” (http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/62545.html) Wilson said...

Wilson said Libby “looked pretty pale” at his sentencing. Perhaps prison will give Libby time to reflect “on the futility of serving misplaced loyalties,” Wilson said.

While the president expressed concern about Libby’s family, nobody in the administration ever said anything comforting to or about Wilson’s family, Wilson noted. “All they’ve done is smear and engage in systematic character assassination,” he said.

Poor things.

I have some thougts about this whole case that I'm reserving for now . When what goes down happens ,I'll post them . As you may have guessed I'm not that pleased with the Bush Administration right now.