Mickey Kaus joins the “no pardons” campaign, and explains why a no-pardons pledge needs to be made now:
If Bush really isn’t going to pardon Libby, that’s information Libby should have now! It’s not enough for Libby not to be pardoned, in other words. He needs to know he’s not going to be pardoned, before he enters into difficult implicit negotiations that may involve deciding whether to implicate others.
Mickey is right that Congressional Democrats need to figure out how to dramatize the issue. He suggests holding up criminal justice outlays. How about a nice Supreme Court nomination instead?
If Bush can’t be badgered into making an ironclad pledge, then Democrats should try to maneuver the Republicans into having to vote on a sense-of-the-Congress resolution on the topic.