GOP cares more about laws: Huh?

Re “Libby pardon is a dicey topic for GOP hopefuls” and “No pardon for Libby,” editorial, June 7

I was surprised to learn in the first sentence of the news article about “the GOP’s long-held reverence for the rule of law.” I thought it could be assumed that all Americans shared that reverence.

It was even more surprising to read in The Times’ editorial that efforts by actor and former Sen. Fred Thompson (R-Tenn.) to have President Bush set aside former White House aide I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby’s just and lawful conviction by a jury make him sound “like a bleeding-heart liberal.” The frame for both pieces is that there is irony in the fact that conservatives and Republicans are trying to subvert our legal system in this case because they clearly care more about our laws than liberals and Democrats. This is an absurd and offensive assumption.

Given the history of the last 35 years, from Watergate to Iran-Contra to former Republican Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham and lobbyist Jack Abramoff, a more accurate frame would have been, “Once again, Republicans are showing their contempt for the rule of law.”

ARNOLD PHIFER

Pasadena

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How hypocritical it is for “law and order” candidate Rudy Giuliani and potential candidate Thompson to be calling for a pardon for Libby. As prosecutors, they vigorously pursued perjurers and those accused of obstructing justice.

The flip-flopping for the 2008 presidential race is off to an early start and is in full swing. Thompson’s statement that he would pardon Libby should be a death knell to his aspirations.

Bush advisor Karl Rove’s hand in orchestrating this campaign to pardon Libby is so obvious in pandering to the conservative base of the Republican Party.

I hope U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton will not temper the sentence to “house arrest.” There must be a clear message: The law must be applied to the rich and famous as it is to the rest of us.

IRA M. LANDIS

Los Angeles