The press corps jumped on Bush during his conference today and really pressed on his reasoning for commuting Scooter Libby's sentence---Psych!...They asked one question---that's it---ONE.
Download Q You spoke very soberly and seriously in your statement about how you weighed different legal questions in coming to your decision on that commutation. But one issue that you did not address was the issue of the morality of your most senior advisors leaking the name of a confidential intelligence operator. Now that the case is over -- it's not something you've ever spoken to -- can you say whether you're at all disappointed in the behavior of those senior advisors? And have you communicated that disappointment to them in any way?
THE PRESIDENT: Michael, I -- first of all, the Scooter Libby decision was, I thought, a fair and balanced decision. Secondly, I haven't spent a lot of time talking about the testimony that people throughout my administration were forced to give as a result of the special prosecutor. I didn't ask them during the time and I haven't asked them since.
I'm aware of the fact that perhaps somebody in the administration did disclose the name of that person, and I've often thought about what would have happened had that person come forth and said, I did it. Would we have had this, you know, endless hours of investigation and a lot of money being spent on this matter? But it's been a tough issue for a lot of people in the White House, and it's run its course and now we're going to move on.
Bush wants to just move along little doggy. Nothing to see here anymore. Bush already paid for Scooter's silence so don't bother him anymore about it. He admits that someone in his administration leaked Valerie Plame's name and he did nothing about it when he said he would fire anyone who was a leaker. Bush was probably trying to shift the blame to Armitage, but we know Rove leaked her name..What about him?
It shifts the focus from Rove, who discussed Plame with two reporters and whose recollections were complex enough that he made five grand jury visits.
And Rover is trying to revise history on his involvement in the case too...Gee, what a surprise. And then there's Cheney's hand prints all over the place that Bush knew about...Hell, Tony Snow wouldn't admit one way or the other if Dick talked to Bush about the commutation...... And there was no follow up question by our press corp....Next...Quick, call a FOX NEWS reporter (Wendall) so they will change the subject..
(full transcript of the Presser)
