Perjury Is A Misdemeanor?

Ol' Kay Bailey is a former Longhorn cheerleader turned U. S. Senator. Legal scholar she ain't. T.(urd) B.(lossom)'s and Scooter's Amazing Adventure is about to come to a screeching halt. If this is (fair & balanced) hypocrisy, so be it.


[x The Plank: A Blog by TNR staffers]

TOMORROW'S PLAME TALKING POINTS TODAY: On "Meet the Press" yesterday, Texas Republican Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison cautioned America not to get too worked up over possible indictments in the Valerie Plame case:

I certainly hope that if there is going to be an indictment ... that it is an indictment on a crime, and not some perjury technicality where they can't indict on the crime, and so they go to something just to show their two years of investigation was not a waste of time and taxpayer dollars....

Hmm... That's not the tune Hutchison was singing back when Bill Clinton was caught with his hands in the intern jar. Here's the February 13, 1999 Dallas Morning News:

"The principle of the rule of law—equality under the law and a clear standard for perjury and obstruction of justice—was the overriding issue in this impeachment," said Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, who also voted "guilty" on both counts.

Now, this is almost too easy. Nevertheless, in the event of PlameGate indictments, The Plank looks forward to reuniting apologist Republicans who persecuted Bill Clinton with their earlier views about perjury and obstruction of justice. Just because the fish are in a barrel doesn't mean you shouldn't shoot them!

—Michael Crowley

Copyright © 2005 The New Republic

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