Cynical Nation

How stupid is Scooter Libby? I mean, seriously?

And why are the simplest lessons sometimes the hardest to learn?

After Nixon, Clinton, Martha Stewart and a whole host of lesser cases, have we learned nothing at all?

Never try to thwart a criminal investigation, and never lie to a grand jury. Ever. Period.

I have no sympathy whatsoever for Mr. Libby. Perjury is a serious crime, and he must be made to pay the price (and yes, I'm presuming guilt here, but the indictment does look pretty damning.)

To their credit, though, I've yet to hear any prominent conservative argue otherwise -- that Libby should not have to face the consequences of his misdeeds.

I'm similarly gratified to note the absence of anti-Fitzgerald attacks coming from the White House and its supporters. This is in such stark contrast to the Clinton team's reaction to the Special Prosecutor's office that it makes it all the more striking.

Finally, I'm struck by the relative quiet coming from the Left -- no howls of outrage, at least not yet.

But one has to wonder, why not? After many months of breathless anticipation, and allegations of "treason" at the very highest levels of government, and visions of Karl Rove being "frog marched" from the White House, and rumors of "twenty-three" or more indictments, what did they get?

As far as anything regarding the Plame "outing," they got exactly bupkis. They got one indictment, of a man that 95% of Americans have never heard of, for lying about a "crime" that never took place.

In short, their "Fitzmas" present was a lump of coal.

But they haven't even realized it yet. They're still frantically digging through a huge pile of horse shit. Pretty soon, however, they're going to have to face the fact that there's no pony in there.

Then, mark my words, it's going to get ugly.