Should Scooter Libby receive a pardon from George Bush? Hell no! There really isn’t anything to talk about here. Libby broke the law, he should serve his time in jail. True, he has friends in high places, but if they get their way, and Libby is freed, it will only show that “justice” in the United States comes in a variety of flavors. The rich and well connected get chocolate. Everyone else gets coal.
Libby's is one of two recent, high profile cases that threaten to prove that justice looks different for the wealthy. Paris Hilton was thrown in jail for knowingly driving on a suspended license. As everyone knows, she was released by the Los Angeles sheriff after three days for an undefined medical problem. The country was up in arms that a rich girl could get out so easily, or get out at all. We all felt that if she was sick she should see the jail’s doctor, as any other inmate would be forced to do. I honestly felt that a few weeks in the slammer would do the girl good, maybe she’d come out with an ounce of introspection. But that’s beside the point. The point is that Hilton was able to use her stature to weasel herself out of jail, even if temporarily.
The judge who sentenced Hilton was appalled that the LA Sheriff allowed her to go home. The judge sent Hilton back to jail, now with a doubled sentence, so the system seems to be working overall. But, the fact that the Sheriff conceded so readily to Hilton suggests that celebrity has sway with some decision makers.
But is the system really unfair? We’ll know more when and if Hilton serves her full 45 days. And, we'll know more in a year and a half, when President Bush leaves the White House. If he takes the cowardly step of pardoning Libby in the final hours of his presidency, I hope there are mass demonstrations in the streets. I hope Americans feel deeply insulted. I hope we wake from our collective apathy and show how infuriated we are with unfair treatment under the law. And, if Bush does pardon Libby, I hope we make that the nail that seals the coffin on the worst presidency in history.
