Hotline After Dark: Scoot Over
Here's a small sampling of the Scooter Libby talk from last night's TV:
CNN's Crowley: "It's hard to see how a terrifically weakened president is any more weakened by this" ("Situation Room," 3/6)
MSNBC's Shuster: "Legally, this investigation is over unless Scooter Libby decides that he has information that he can provide to prosecutors and prosecutors agree to try and cut a deal" ("Hardball," 3/6).
FNC's Kondracke: "The question is here, can the Democrats figure out some way to subpoena people, get this into the investigative stream in Congress, put people under oath and try to develop the story even further? So far, no indications that they can" ("Special Report," 3/6)
MSNBC's Matthews, on the effect on Cheney: "Clearly, when you have a chief of staff and a close confidant working at the office day after day, doing things that are perceived to be illegal now, you got to wonder about the role of the boss" ("Scarborough Country," 3/6).
HOW LONG WILL HE GET?
Washington Post's Leonnig: "Federal sentencing guidelines would suggest that anywhere from 1.5 to 3 years; some people take a more rigid interpretation and think that the time frame could be a little bit longer" ("NewsHour,' PBS, 3/6).
CNN's Toobin: "He could probably stretch out the appeals process until November 2008" ("AC 360," 3/6).
MR. WILSON'S WAR
Joe Wilson made the TV rounds
"We weren't part of the investigation. We will be part of the civil suit" ("AC 360," CNN, 3/6).
More: "The president also said that he would fire anybody involved in the lake. We know that Karl Rove was involved in it. We have that testimony on the record. And he's still employed by the White House. So I don't know what to say. Is the president going to keep his word on this or anything?" ("Countdown," MSNBC, 3/6).
On rumors there will be a movie: "I read that. I read that in the newspapers. We have, in fact, signed a contract with Warner Brothers and we'll see how it develops" ("LKL," CNN, 3/6).
EVERYBODY GETS ASKED ABOUT SCOOTER
DNC Chair Howard Dean: "Scooter Libby now has a great incentive to tell what else was going on in the vice president's office. ... The best way that the president has to shut Scooter Libby up before sentencing is to pardon him. I hope that will not happen" ("Situation Room," CNN, 3/6).
John Edwards: "The American people deserve to know how far this goes. You know, does it stop at Scooter Libby? Does it go to others in the administration, the vice president, Karl Rove and others?"
More: "He should not be pardoned. This is a situation where he has been convicted at a crime committed as part of his official responsibilities in working for the vice president. He absolutely should not be pardoned" ("Hardball," MSNBC, 3/6).[EMILY GOODIN]
