"The cover up is worse than the crime".

[mmonk]

Why do we keep hearing this in relation to the Libby trial? We hear it from the press, from politicians both left and right. Why do we keep hearing that? Why is the true severity of what they have done continually dismissed or hidden? How can we get justice with the continuance of this myth?

[SoFlaJet]

1. I'm starting to think

we WON'T get true justice from the Libby trial per se,but true justice is going to have to come from a House Of Reps investigation-which will be much more serious trouble for these guys in the Bush administration.Outting a CIA agent is treason-Fitz is only looking for perjury

[mmonk]

5. But how do we get there with prevailing sentiment?

[jannyk]

2. It was the 'cover up' that got both

Nixon and Clinton in deep trouble. So maybe in this case, it will lead to 'bigger' fish too.

[frogcycle]

3. it is ridiculous babble

it is comparable to the sorry, worn out line about "(*that) reduces us to their level"

*insert whatever behavior reacting to criminals or terrorists you choose


it is mindless rhetoric recited from some bs storybook that reporters (and, sadly, a lot of left-wing idealogues) think makes them sound either intellectually or morally superior

Watergate may be a case where the "coverup" was worse than the specific crime of the breakin - but only because the coverup was part of a conspiracy much broader than that incident, and the coverup techniques were even more egregious in their violations of the fundamentals of our government

In this instance, yes, the overriding conspiracy to deceive is much worse than that specific component of "outing" one agent, and Libby's overall involvement is greater than the couple of lies he told the grand jury. But those lies are only "worse than the crime itself" because they are the tip of an iceberg.

But that worn-out line oversimplifies and trivializes. It makes it sound as if all he had to do is admit it, say "I'm sorry", maybe say a few rosaries, and all would be forgiven.

[mmonk]

4. treason

the crime of betraying a nation or a sovereign by acts considered dangerous to security.

From Encyclopedia Britannica.