Just 45 hours remain in the presidency of George W. Bush, and he STILL hasn’t pardoned Scooter Libby. A whole essay could be written about this next sentence, but…. If Libby isn’t pardoned, it will confirm a terrible tendency of conservatives failing to protect and defend their own when their own aren’t guilty of much of anything. This potential pardon not only is of great personal importance to Libby and his family — a man and family who do not in the least deserve to have gone through the persecution they went through — but also important symbolically, to all conservatives and indeed all with a sense of fair play, because it is a test of whether or not a man can successfully be persecuted for doing nothing other than stand up for his principles and the administration he served. If the president does not pardon Libby, it tells all other potential public servants that if they get sucked into the maw of trouble without any dishonest intent, they will be on their own, entirely at the mercy of leftist adversaries. In short, it discourages good people from ever agreeing to serve their country. That is a terrible signal to send. Where is Bush’s vaunted loyalty when it is really needed?
