Bush, McClellan and the Libby Pardon

Daily Kos Staff Emeritus

Saturday November 24, 2007 · 2:17 PM PST

2007/11/24 · 14:17

Scott Horton at Harper’s, who’s been on fire following several different stories this year, looks closely today at last week’s buzz surrounding excerpts from Scott McClellan’s upcoming book that seemed to indicate President Bush’s direct involvement in covering up White House involvement in the outing of CIA operative Valerie Plame Wilson. Then, of course, there was the quick clarification issued by McClellan’s publisher, claiming that the former press secretary didn’t mean to imply the president lied or anything. Which left the whole issue rather muddled.

Now today, Horton posts a providential think-through of the allegations and evidence. After drawing on some of Murray Waas’ stellar reporting at the National Journal from July 2006 and examining some of the documents provided in the Libby trial, Horton comes up an interesting speculation, particularly regarding the possible motivation for Libby’s pardon--that it was not just a reward for loyalty, but was a possible CYA for Bush:

This is certainly not conclusive evidence that Bush lied to Fitzgerald. But it provides another basis to suspect that he did. And if he did, his decision to pardon Scooter Libby has to be seen in an entirely different light. Bush was using the pardon power to protect himself by sweeping the entire affair under the carpet.

Do go read Horton’s whole piece, particularly if you’re hungry for something analytically substantial on this holiday weekend. It's good stuff.

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Bush, McClellan and the Libby Pardon

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