It's been a while since I've posted on the Scotter Libby trial, but now that guilty verdicts have been issued, it's appropriate to weigh in again and discuss it's implications for executive power. If you want to refresh your memory of the case go to this link in Slate. It contains links to the various articles they published regarding the case.
Recall that Mr. Libby was the Vice President's Chief of Staff, and he seems to have been involved in efforts to discredit an early critic of the allegations that were used to persuade people to support the invasion of Iraq. One aspect of these efforts involved the revelation that the wife of the critic was a covert CIA agent, which is illegal. Mr. Libby was found guilty of lying about what happened to a special prosecutor. At the moment there seems to be no effort to investigate the breaking of the actual law, which is upsetting to some, but not to those who see this case as overblown.
Here are some of the related issues worth pondering:
-Considering that the administration effectively outed a covert CIA agent for political reasons, what might this do for relationships between the White House and the bureaucracy? Will CIA agents be less trusting of the White House?
-Since the bulk of the testimony came from members of the media who were compelled to testify, and some of these individuals seemed to willing to be manipulated by White House officials, how willing will members of the media be to cover similar issues in the future?
-Is the special prosecutor too loose a cannon?
-Did the prosecutor focus on the right people, and if not, why not?
