Scooter's going to the clink

Other letters of support

Not quite as shocking as Carville's love letter, but would you want these people writing letters to a judge deciding your fate?

Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld:

"I know a great many of our fellow citizens hope and pray that those who serve in our federal government will be individuals of strong character and integrity, who cherish our freedoms and our way of life. Over these past decades, I have had the privilege of serving with a great many people of that type, and among them, without hesitation, I would include Mr. I. Lewis Libby. ...Our country has been fortunate to have had his service."

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Paul Wolfowitz, departing World Bank President and Libby's former mentor and professor at Yale University:

"It is painful for me to reflect on the fact that his life would have been very different if we had never met. He would almost certainly now be a successful attorney in Philadelphia, enjoying a comfortable life with his wonderful wife and their two beautiful children. However, our country would have also been deprived of the very considerable service that he has rendered. ...Mr. Libby has made many other contributions to our common security ? and put in many long hours of selfless hard work ? not out of ambition but solely out of a deep sense of responsibility and a desire to make this country safer for all of us."

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Henry Kissinger, former Secretary of State in the Nixon and Ford administrations:

"I met Scooter early in the second Bush administration, when he served as chief of staff to Vice President Cheney. ...He is a man of strong views, some of which I do not share. But in my observations, he pursued his objectives with integrity and a sense of responsibility. I would never have associated the actions for which he was convicted with his character. Nor do I believe that they will ever be repeated."

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Mary Matalin, GOP strategist, joined by husband James Carville, a Democratic strategist:

"My lifelong view, which has only been validated in adulthood, is that kids are the most honest and true evaluators of people. Watching my children with Scooter, and all children with him, you'd think he hung the moon. He is gentle and caring. He is genuinely interested in others' well being and still inspires me to this day. He is a compelling teacher and extraordinary role model for integrity and humility. ...My family is praying the wisdom and mercy you bring to bear in determining Scooter's future will include a consideration of his family, the price they have already paid and what further justice would be served by additional devastation to them and the many other children who love Scooter."

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John R. Bolton, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations:

"Keeping every detail straight is impossible. No one has a photographic memory, and no one has perfect recall. ...I fully understand that letters such as this are not permitted to re-litigate issues before the court, but if I can accomplish nothing else, I hope to convey that Scooter Libby was busy with matters of state of the highest urgency and moment for the American people. As such, information flowed across his desk on a daily basis like water coming out of a high-pressure fire hydrant, with more demands for action than could be humanly met."

Jonathan Schwarz has an appropriate quote from Kissinger (from The Final Days):

Kissinger counseled his aides that deviousness was part of their job [on the National Security Council]. "You systems-analysis people have too much integrity," he told one of them. "This is not an honorable business conducted by honorable men in an honorable way. Don't assume I'm that way and you shouldn't be."

Electricity's for light bulbs!

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by: n8nyc @ Tue Jun 05, 2007 at 16:59:12 PM CDT

Bush "felt terrible for the family, especially for his wife and kids

No mention either for the damage done to Joe Wilson and Valerie Plame. Zeitgeist suggests appeals will keep Libby out of prison until Bush produces a pardon at the end of his presidency.

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by: Petey @ Tue Jun 05, 2007 at 17:17:48 PM CDT

kids as character judges

I've heard that old canard about kids and how they see through people.  I don't mean to be ugly, but if that were true, we would never had kids who were molested by grownups that they loved and trusted, not to mention abuse, etc.  And if the best that Carville and Matalin can do is to look to their own kids for character judgements- well, we're in deeper doo-doo (to quote another Bush) than I ever dreamed.

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by: shaunhoutx @ Tue Jun 05, 2007 at 19:30:32 PM CDT

Mr. Matalin

"James Carville actually wrote a character reference letter to the judge for Scooter Libby."

Looks like Carville deserved all the Fs he got in college after all.

Kat

>^..^<

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by: KatRose @ Tue Jun 05, 2007 at 21:09:33 PM CDT

scooter

Going to Jail with the nickname Scooter......priceless

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by: underbear1 @ Tue Jun 05, 2007 at 21:56:23 PM CDT

It's not just me then?

All along I thought that he should go to jail for the sole reason of his probably saying "Call me Scooter" at some point in his life.  The rest is good too.

My America includes LGBT families.

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by: Mena @ Tue Jun 05, 2007 at 21:59:22 PM CDT

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