Letter: Libby’s lies were meant to protect his boss

Thursday, March 15, 2007 | 7:18 a.m.

When weighing in on whether "Scooter" Libby should be pardoned for his lying to a grand jury and other crimes against the United States, it should be noted that the last time a high-ranking government employee, President Clinton, was prosecuted for lying to a grand jury it was a matter regarding a personal indiscretion, which caused no harm to anyone but the former president, his family and others who put their trust in him.

The Libby convictions however, are connected to Libby's protecting his boss and other associates who promoted false intelligence that has led to the deaths of 3,200 American troops, more than 20,000 injured and the worldwide loss of respect for our country.

Libby's acceptance of his "fall guy" status stops the investigation from getting to the policymakers who are responsible for America's denigration into gutter politics and world ridicule. Shouldn't they be made to squirm a little longer while waiting to see if Libby will turn on them if faced with a long prison term?

If a federal judge hadn't sentenced one of the Watergate burglars to heavy prison time, causing him to come clean about the crimes of his superiors in the Nixon administration, we might now be living under a dictatorship.

Abuse of power should be vigorously pursued.

Phil Ventura, Las Vegas