Libby counting on pardon from hypocrite-in-chief?

Libby knew exactly what his marching orders were.

Some lawyers speculate that Libby's lawyers might call Bush or Cheney as witnesses to bolster the case that the aide was just following orders. But that could be a risky gambit because there is no evidence that either man authorized Libby to spread information about Plame or to lie.

Libby might also be sensitive to the fact that, if he should be convicted, Bush might ultimately hold the keys to his jail cell, said a lawyer involved in the Plame investigation who declined comment because of the continuing probe.

"I don't think Libby is going to do anything to jeopardize what may be one of his best defenses -- the pardon authority in the U.S. Constitution," the lawyer said.

If Bush has the gall to pardon Libby, then, he'd only be solidifying his legacy as hypocrite-in-chief. The firestorm (if it happens) should be bigger than the Clinton's pardon of Denise Rich's hubby.

As for solidifying his legacy as hypocrite-in-chief, he may do it before he gets a chance to pardon Libby.

The leaker-in-chief & hypocrite-in-chief theme is catching on... Leak-Hating President As Leaker-In-Chief?

President Bush insists a president "better mean what he says." Those words could return to haunt him.

After long denouncing leaks of all kinds, Bush is confronted with a statement -- unchallenged by his aides -- that he authorized a leak of classified material to undermine an Iraq war critic.

The allegation in the CIA leak case threatens the credibility of a president already falling in the polls, and it gives Democrats fresh material to accuse him of hypocrisy.

"In politics, what gets bad gets worse," said GOP strategist Ed Rogers. "And we've been on a a bad roll for quite some time. We're in an environment now where every mistake is a metaphor."

Critics were quick to portray the Bush-leak report as a fresh sign of a failed Iraq policy, manipulated intelligence and a lack of presidential veracity. Honesty was once seen by Americans as one of Bush's strongest character traits, but polls show that perception has waned in Bush's second term.

[...]

The disclosure that Bush might be the White House leaker-in-chief isn't going to help matters.

"He's suffering enough now and this is certainly more fuel for the fire," said Wayne Fields, a specialist in presidential rhetoric at Washington University in St. Louis.

Fields said Bush has a record of "making blanket statements, sometimes self-righteous ones" that can later be turned against him when "replayed and quoted over and over."

Just Thursday, Bush emphasized the importance of straight talk. "When the president says something, he better mean what he says," he told a North Carolina audience. "In order to be effective, in order to maintain credibility, words have got to mean something. You just can't say things in the job I'm in and not mean what you say."

Leaker-in-chief (coined by Rep. Jane Harman) just rolls off the tongue. I'm not surprised that it's catching on... only surprised that it's catching on in the media... usually that only happens when the GOP starts using a catchy term/phrase.

The Fields quote I bolded is right on. Sure, all administrations have been hypocritical at one time or another. What makes it worse for Bush is that he's gotten on his high horse so often that the fall is only more painful.  He's pretended to be God and King all rolled up into one, that when it's revealed that the emperor has no clothes... Bush gets damaged more than he otherwise might be.

Democrats like Harry Reid are calling Bush out on his hypocrisy.

"For years," Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada said in a statement, "President Bush has denied knowing about conversations between his top aides and Washington reporters, conversations where his aides - like Scooter Libby - sought to justify the war in Iraq and discredit the White House's critics by leaking national security secrets. He must tell the American people whether the Bush Oval Office is the place where the buck stops or the leaks start."

Bush's credibility is suffering (and is likely to continue suffering). Karma sure is a bitch.