Judge Reggie Walton today denied a petition from "Scooter" Libby, ex-chief of staff for Vice President Dick Cheney, to delay his incarceration while his lawyers file appeals for his convictions for perjury and obstruction of justice.
Libby thus might be ordered to prison within the next six to eight weeks. He was ordered to surrender his passport in the basement probation office of the federal courthouse today after his hearing.
In an improbable twist of fate, Libby finds his name linked with Paris Hilton, another public figure who recently sought release from a prison conviction on the grounds that it is uncomfortable for a person of privilege.
Unlike Ms. Hilton, Mr. Libby has the potential trump card of a presidential pardon from George W. Bush.
The Bush adminstration has so far deflected all questions about a pardon, which it knows will be unpopular, and another blow to the already-reeling Republican party.
Now, however, with Mr. Libby's incarceration looming sooner rather than later, Mr. Bush's role as "the decider," as he has famously descibed himself, will soon face a significant test.
Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog
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