The Libby Verdict: Spinning, and Explaining
And so is the take from Andrew Cohen, the CBS News and CBSNews.com legal analyst, right here.
To wit:
In the end, it was not exactly a rout, not quite the kind of one-sided whuppin' this White House once inflicted upon its enemies, real and perceived. In the end, and after a protracted struggle inside the jury room, the dry elements of the law trumped the slick elements of style. In the end, 11 ordinary people declared from the jury box that there is indeed such a thing as too much spin, even from sleazy political operatives, and that the law still stands as both sword and shield against the arrogant who use power to keep and extend power.Cohen has a lot more to say, all of it eminently interesting, about a case that many people have heard about, but few probably understand.The predictable conviction of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby on federal perjury, false statement, and obstruction of justice charges brings to an end an ugly chapter in the life of the Bush administration. Unless he gets relief from the appeals courts, or is pardoned in January 2009 by outgoing President Bush, Libby now faces prison time for being too cute by half when questioned under oath by federal investigators and prosecutors about his role in the Valerie Plame Wilson affair. And Libby has no one to blame but himself for this dramatic turn in his heretofore shiny, happy life.
To understand it better, check out his pithy "Libby Trial for Dummies"posting from January. It tells you everything you need to know, and then some.
Tomorrow, we'll have a quiz.