Re: Dan K. Thomasson’s July 8 essay, “Bush did right by Libby�:
Why am I not surprised at Thomasson's piece of drivel on the commutation of Scooter Libby? Thomasson has proven to be a shill for the Republican Party in his previous articles, and he provides nothing new whatsoever in his analysis. He doesn't offer any explanation as to why a Republican-appointed prosecutor and Republican-appointed judges would have any reasonable motive to be gunning for Libby or Vice President Cheney. He offers one irrelevant example of sentencing precedent, while ignoring the highly relevant examples of normal sentencing for people guilty of perjury and obstruction of justice. He also ignores Bush's long-term opposition to executive pardons and Bush's Department of Justice rules against offering relief to convicted felons unless they serve at least a significant part of their sentences.
But far and away, the most outrageous assertion by Thomasson is that Libby's crime was victimless. Our system of justice counts on people testifying truthfully, and having a senior administration official obstructing an investigation of a case involving national security is a very serious crime. Having a president commuting the sentence of a convicted member of his administration should scare anybody, let alone one who pretends to be a conservative. It is clear to most objective observers that Libby was protecting Cheney, Karl Rove and Bush. We, the American people, are the real victims.
— Bill Robinson, Westlake Village
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