The phrase “payback’s a bitch” has been taken to a new level. Now, instead of taking responsibility for leaking the identity of former Ambassador Joe Wilson’s wife, former CIA agent Valerie Plame; exposing her and putting her in a potentially life-threatening situation, the White House has sent out Vice President Dick Cheney’s former Chief of Staff, I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, as a sacrificial lamb.
Libby, who was recently found guilty of obstruction of justice, making false statements and perjury in the investigation into how Plame’s identity as a CIA operative was exposed, will be under consideration for a presidential pardon because it’s as clear as glass that Libby is the fall guy for Cheney and Karl Rove, the political brains behind the Bush administration. Libby has taken the fall for them because Bush relies on them for his policy-making and political strategies. Bush has received scrutiny from members of both parties saying that he should not pardon Libby just because he was loyal and didn’t name others in the administration responsible for this childish act of revenge.
What could Wilson have done to warrant such an act? Nothing but voice his opinion on whether or not there were Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) in Iraq and his findings in Niger that Iraq never actually bought uranium concentrates from Niger and that the Bush administration exaggerated the Iraqi threat to help justify the war. All Wilson did was exercise his right of free speech and do his job as an ambassador. Yet, instead of talking with Wilson and dealing with the situation like adults, they put his wife in serious danger.
When a president and members of his administration commit and allow these atrocious acts to be committed, they no longer deserve the title and respect that one of their office receives. A president and his advisors are supposed to be the leaders and role models of the country. But, when they abuse their powers by ruining two innocent people’s careers and putting one of them in a situation where she could have easily been killed, what kind of role model are they? They show Americans that if someone publicly disagrees with you, silence them by discrediting them or threaten them with death. Bush and his followers are using the same tactics Stalin used to rise to power.
For a president who claims to be the “moral president,” he surrounds himself with immoral people and displays qualities unbecoming of a president and leader of the free world.
As each scandal in this atrocity of a presidential administration appears, we see that this presidency cares more about protecting those who show them blind loyalty instead of those who show true patriotism by exercising their constitutional rights and opening the public’s eyes to the truth. Americans need to realize that showing blind patriotism to manipulating politicians is not being a real American. Instead, they should be looking for the truth and not just accept what they’re told.
