One of the more forgettable non-scandals during the Bush administration was the whole Valeria Plame affair. The whole investigation hinged on the fact that the Bush administration illegally leaked outed Plame as a CIA agent. It never happened but the resulting investigation led to the prosecution of Vice President Dick Cheney’s chief aid Scotter Libby. Libby’s crime was lying to federal prosecutors. The crime had nothing to do with the investigation, but it was still a crime. It appears that Cheney lobbied hard for Bush to offer a full pardon, but Bush resisted.
Several sources confirmed Cheney refused to take no for an answer. “He went to the mat and came back and back and back at Bush,” a Cheney defender said. “He was still trying the day before Obama was sworn in.”
After repeatedly telling Cheney his mind was made up, Bush became so exasperated with Cheney’s persistence he told aides he didn’t want to discuss the matter any further.
Say what you want about the Bush administration but there was definitely a stricter adherence to the rule of law than during the Clinton administration. President Clinton broke the same law that Scooter Libby served time for committing. It’s worth remember during the Oscar season when there’s a movie about Nixon that he wasn’t the only one who committed crimes as the chief law enforcement officer of the United States. Nixon at least had the decency to resign. Less could be said for Clinton and his enormous ego.
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