Yesterday's news that former chief of staff to Vice President Cheney, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, was found guilty of charges relating to leaking the name of an undercover CIA operative should do more than reduce the chatter in D.C. gossip circles.
With any luck the conviction should usher in an era of accountability in political circles that has been sorely missing for over six years. Sadly, it appears that accountability for Bush administration officials may begin and end with Libby's conviction.
The guilty verdicts (on four of five counts) end a four-year investigation that probed top administration officials, including Karl Rove and Vice President Cheney as well as Washington media. For all the lives upended and the controversy created, there is surprisingly little to show for it. Although Libby is the highest ranking White House official to be convicted of a crime since the Iran-Contra scandal in the 1980s, as noted by the Associated Press, the discussion immediately turned to who else should be held liable in the scandal.
Sadly, it appears that no one else in the Bush administration will face charges on this matter. Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald has said that the investigation has crested and no one else will be charged.
If no one else seemed guilty, this would be proper, but in this case, the scandal seems to extend further than just one man - one man who has already demanded a new trial.
As CNN reported, jurors in the case expressed their frustration that Libby seemed to be set up as the "fall guy" for this matter. In returning their guilty verdicts, some jurors wished others would face charges and also be held accountable. Yet since the special prosecutor will not bring forward any additional charges, these hopes and calls for liability will go unheard.
Ultimately, this issue is much larger than Scooter Libby's case. It is a symbol and a test case of accountability for an administration that has faced very little in its time in office. From obvious issues like the war in Iraq and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to new issues like the substandard conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the administration takes few steps to answer its critics and hold its own accountable when clear wrongs have taken place.
This must end. We should hope that Libby's conviction and almost certain prison time will shock the administration into coming clean about its shortcomings for the good of the country.
American democracy functions on a never-ending structure of accountability - elections, checks and balances and the courts. Any attempts to stifle this system hurt the democracy politicians have sworn to protect and gives the American people a government that is beneath what they deserve.
The American people have spoken in the loudest way they can. This past November, the congressional elections that vaulted Democrats into power, were a clear sign that voters want change on Capitol Hill. The American people have done their part, for now. It is now the responsibility of the courts, Congress and the administration to act and hold anyone who has broken the law accountable for their actions.
While it is important not to use oversight or investigative powers to launch a witch hunt, it is equally important to investigate when necessary and to punish when proven guilty. The Libby trial proves our system can work even in a time characterized by politicians' evasion of responsibility.
Legitimate oversight and accountability strengthen the government it investigates. Here's hoping the Libby conviction is just the beginning of a new era of responsibility inside the Beltway.
