With everything else going on, you may be forgiven for missing reports that President Trump is considering issuing a pardon to Lewis “Scooter” Libby, who was at one time Vice President Dick Cheney’s chief of staff. If you need a refresher, here’s what the Washington Post has to say:
Libby was convicted of making false statements, perjury and obstruction of justice in the 2007 investigation of [Valerie] Plame, a former covert CIA agent and the wife of former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV.
Libby was sentenced to 30 months in prison and fined $250,000, but his sentence was commuted by Bush. Although spared jail time, Libby was not pardoned.
Scooter Libby’s possible pardon brings back to mind one of my favorite blog posts ever: a New York Metropolitan Opera Broadcast-style opera plot summary for an imagined political musical theatre piece – Plamegate – The Opera.
I have no idea how many of these links still work 13 years later, but I thought it was fun:
Nov. 18, 2005
You may recall that in my Oct. 12th entry I wrote:
Any of you who thinks Miller testifying before the grand jury was the closing act of this political opera is confused. It is at best at the close of the second act (of a three or four act show
I’ve now got a firmer handle on how this opera should be staged.
The first act has two great arias in it, “There’s yellowcake in Niger” sung by The President, and “Ambassadors and Agents” sung by Robert Novak.
The second act features arias, ensembles, and a lot of recitative. Patrick Fitzgerald kicks things off with “Tell me a story,” followed by the trio with Judith Miller and Matt Cooper “I’ve got a subpoena.” Cooper then has his show stopping duet with Time editor Norman Pearlstine, “We’ve run out of options” followed by his aria “I have been released.” The act ends with the giant choral number “Judy’s turn to cry…” as Miller heads off to jail.
Act three picks up two-and-a-half months later with Miller’s testimony before the grand jury. She starts with a reprise of “I have been released,” followed by Scooter Libby’s “Dear Judy, the aspens are turning.” Following an extended recitative from Miller “I really don’t recall,” comes the major ensemble piece of the act, the incredibly snarky “We’ve never really liked her” sung by a large cast of reporters and bloggers. Prosecutor Fitzgerald then has his major aria of the show, “Scooter Libby, I Accuse You.” Audience members will no doubt break out in great applause at the end of his powerful number, thinking that the third act is coming to a close. But then the bloggers break out with a quick tempoed “It’s Fitzmastime” as a transition to the surprise true end to the act – Bob Woodward’s dramatic, “I’m sorry, I knew it all along.”
The question now is how to end this opera. Will it turn out in the end to be a tragedy or a farce? It certainly can’t be comedic at this point.
Think this is all too far fetched? Try taking a listen to my favorite contemporary opera, John Adams’ incomparable Nixon in China.
UPDATE: The Rambling Freshman has put together a cool poster for Plamegate. Thanks, Dave.