News show hosts, guests argue about likelihood of Libby pardon
On MSNBC's Tucker Monday, host David Shuster declared, "Advocates of a pardon [for Scooter Libby] have consistently misstated the facts of this case, and we're going to devote the next few minutes to cleaning it up." However, his guests were far more interested in the question of whether President Bush will pardon Libby than in the legal rationales for doing so.
Radio talk-show host Ed Schultz started off by saying, "There's not much love for Scooter Libby." However, he expects the president will pardon Libby and the Republican base will go along with it.
A.B. Stoddard of The Hill disagreed with Schultz, arguing that "a pardon acknowledges guilt. ... It would just be such a Christmas in July for the Democrats to paint the Republicans as the party of lying under oath."
"I think it's easy for President Bush to justify anything. He's that stubborn, he's that pig-headed," Schultz retorted. He added, "This is just a microcosm of how they have operated on so many issues."
On MSNBC's Countdown, Chris Matthews also asked his guests about the likelihood of a presidential pardon for Libby.
Paul Rieckhoff of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America cited Abu Ghraib and said, "If this guy gets a get-out-of-jail-free card, what does that say about all the other people who've been involved in some aspect of this war and this administration who've walked?"
However, Matt Continenti of the conservative Weekly Standard called the sentence "incredibly harsh" and admitted he did not think Libby should have to serve any time. In response, Matthews brought up Bill Clinton's impeachment for perjury and exclaimed, "This is the Neocon line!" as the other guests laughed.
"I had a guy steal my car once, and he said some guys named Joe told him he could steal my car." said Matthews. "I mean, that's called a defense, it's not the truth. You're giving me the case he gave in his defense, which the jury rejected as a reason to spring him." But Matthews still believes Libby will be pardoned, because there's no way he's going to spend 2 1/2 years in prison and still keep his mouth shut.
The following video clips are from MSNBC's Tucker and MSNBC's Hardball. Both were broadcast on June 18.
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