October 31, 2005
No pardons!
Posted by
Mark Kleiman
Bob Casey is right: the Democrats should demand, loudly and frequently, that President Bush issue a no-pardons pledge with respect to the Plame affair.
Stunningly, Google shows no mention of that proposal in the mainstream media, other than a question from George Stephanopoulos to Sen. Reid.
A no-pardons pledge would confront Scooter Libby with a clear choice: tell the truth, or spend about eight years in a federal prison. My guess is that, like his friend Judith Miller, he'd decide to talk.
So if the President really wanted to "get to the bottom of this," his choice is clear. If he wants to continue to preside over a cover-up, that's up to him, but Democrats should make him pay.
