Judge to Libby: Go Directly to Jail

A federal judge on Thursday ordered I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby to report to prison while his attorneys appeal his perjury and obstruction convictions.

Libby's attorneys asked that the order be stayed, but U.S. District Court Judge Reggie Walton denied that and told Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff that he had 10 days to appeal the ruling.

Libby was sentenced to 2½ years in prison for lying and obstructing the investigation into who revealed in 2003 that Valerie Plame Wilson was a CIA operative. He also was fined $250,000.

The drumbeat for a pardon will only become louder as a result of this decision. All you hear is that there was no underlying crime so why should he be sent to jail?

There was an underlying crime, the problem was that all the obstruction made it impossible to gather the evidence necessary to prosecute. Valerie Plame was a covert agent working on non-proliferation issues. Her outing caused national security damage that has never been disclosed. How many other operatives lives were placed in danger as a result of her outing? Where is the national damage assessment?

This was an act of treason and 2.5 years seems light to me. The President will pardon Mr. Libby to keep him from telling the truth and no one will be surprised.