TNR on Libby

I'm reliably informed that New Republic editor in chief Martin Peretz has, paradoxically, no influence over the work that The New Republic's staff publishes in The New Republic. Thus, I strolled over to The Plank fully expecting to see some full-throated commentary on the commutation of Scooter Libby's sentence, Peretz' participation in the Scooter Libby defense fund notwithstanding.

Nor was I disappointed. Yesterday, Alex Massie offered the view that "Regardless of whether or not one thinks it wrong (or proper!) that Bush commuted Scooter Libby's sentence, it seems politically smart to me." Noam Scheiber took a different view, arguing that "commuting the sentence strikes me as the worst of both worlds." A fascinating discussion! Did the president spare a wrongfully convicted, wrongfully prosecuted man from hard time he didn't deserve? Did the president abuse his pardon power to help further the obstruction of justice? Nobody cares!

UPDATE: I had forgotten that David Greenberg wrote two articles (one; two) defending Libby back in March, one on the website and one in the print magazine.

UPDATE II: Here's the kind of thing I was hoping to see.

Comments

As I've noted, the USA incarcerates a far higher percentage of its citizens than other major countries -- including China.

Plus Bush has executed a number of our citizens while Governor of Texas.

Bush apparently thinks that the laws do not apply to the rich or well-connected. He and Cheney thought the same thing about the military draft, as I recall.

But there are 50 million idiots out there who voted for Bush because he wore a cowboy hat, jeans, and drove a pickup. Hence, Bush must obviously be one of the blue collar rednecks.

Even though Bush stole $4 TRILLION out of the Social Security /Medicare accounts of those rednecks in order to give $2 Trillion in tax cuts to the superrich and the oil deposits of Iraq to Chevron and Exxon.

Our citizens are so damm stupid they deserve to be fucked like dogs by con artists like Bush and Cheney.

Posted by Don Williams | July 3, 2007 10:48 AM

It's time to let the healing process begin.

I can talk in cliches too.

Posted by stm177 | July 3, 2007 10:57 AM

Wow, Smokey, this is shrill.

Posted by strannix | July 3, 2007 11:19 AM

Does your obsession with TNR have anything to do with the fact that you applied for--and didn't get--a job there?

Posted by bob | July 3, 2007 11:23 AM

I'm reliably informed that New Republic editor in chief Martin Peretz has, paradoxically, no influence over the work that The New Republic's staff publishes in The New Republic.

Better to be safe than sorry? I'm sure no one at TNR wants to be "Ackermanned."

Posted by Dan the Man | July 3, 2007 11:50 AM

I'm surprised about Greenberg. Doesn't seem like it would be typical of his work.

Posted by JP | July 3, 2007 12:20 PM

Maybe you spoke too fast... you know, all this loathing of TNR is getting old. Ok, we get it, no "real" liberal takes TNR seriously...

New facts? About Libby? Do tell! Oh, wait, no, he was referring to the 152 Texans who were executed under his watch as governor. They were all dirtbags and it's not like the Texas justice system ever errs. And none of them were friends of his, so it was totally different. Oh, and Bush was really overturning the judge in the Libby case, not the jury. Have we mentioned that obstruction of justice is barely even a crime? Yeah, that's it. No double standards here. Move along...

-- Bradford Plumer, The Plank

All in all, a good day for Scooter Libby, and a bad day for believers in equal justice before the law.

-- Christopher Orr, The Plank

Posted by worm eater | July 3, 2007 12:59 PM

All of this analysis is meaningless.

Good or bad decision? Meaningless, unless there are consequences.

Posted by Thunderlips | July 3, 2007 1:30 PM

That's right, people who care are nobodies.

And Don Williams, I would agree, is right on target. The real burden in overcoming the status quo are "the people" -- too disinterested to read anything, so resentful and fearful that the brown people might be taking something from them, ever desirous of any new bullshit contraption they can later ebay or gararge sale, driving gas guggling pickups and SUVs -- but gosh aren't those liberals tax crazy? And they're so full of themselves. They make David Broder nauseous.

Today Glasgow. Tommorrow Paris, Texas. That's why Scooter needs to be free. Better vote Republican.

Posted by thersitz | July 3, 2007 2:41 PM

Enough with the TNR bashing. Have you ever read some of the trash that comes out of The Atlantic?

Posted by Devin Carpenter | July 3, 2007 2:52 PM

Moreover, TNR contributing editor Andrew Sullivan has been one of the most strident critics of the Libby commutation.

Posted by Devin Carpenter | July 3, 2007 3:01 PM

"Our citizens are so damm stupid they deserve to be fucked like dogs..."

"The real burden in overcoming the status quo are "the people"..."

Brilliant. Homeric. Egalite, etc., etc..

Posted by stevesh | July 3, 2007 9:33 PM