I've been reading some of the conservative defenses of Scooter Libby, saying he shouldn't have been convicted for lying to federal investigators, and that this case should never have been brought because there was no underlying crime. What I can't figure out is how this defense is substantively different from Clinton defenders who claimed that Our Bill ought not have been impeached for lying under oath, because lying about sex is no big deal.
Conservatives rightly rejected that argument then, saying that truth-telling under oath is the basis of our justice system. So why is that position invalid now that it's got a Republican's rear end in a crack of his own making? Seriously, what's the difference?
Lying about sex, lying about gossip
Wednesday March 7, 2007
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About Crunchy Con
Rod Dreher is an editorial columnist for the Dallas Morning News, and author of "Crunchy Cons" (Crown Forum), a nonfiction book about conservatives, most of them religious, whose faith and political convictions sometimes put them at odds with mainstream conservatives. The views expressed in this blog are his own.
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Brian, "But we don't actually take sexual harassment seriously at all in this country" Seems the RRRers take it a whole lot MORE 'seriously' than going to war based on a lie, and in which people DIE. "if Libby perjured himself"??? "IF"???
How can "no" mean no, if "sex" doesn't even mean sex?
I agree that lying under oath, about anything, is a big deal. But I also believe that no citizen of a free country should ever be placed under oath to testify about sex between consenting adults. What ever happened to the great American value of minding one's own business? What Clinton should have said at the infamous deposition was, "None of your business." Unfortunately, if he had, he would certainly have ended up in jail, because that is the one answer our legal system does not permit.
Actually, Starr spent $71 million of your and my dollars. Not $40 million.
Interesting facts.I have bookmarked this site. stephanazs
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