Right v. Left

In the news this week, two stories of legal troubles for both sides of the isle:

What a difference a day makes: On Monday, administration officials no doubt breathed a sigh of relief when the Democrats finally occupied the hot seat following the indictment of U.S. Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., on bribery charges.

But on Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton sentenced former White House aide Lewis "Scooter" Libby to 30 months in prison and a fine of $250,000 for obstruction of justice, perjury and lying to the FBI. The sentence refocused the nation's attention on the murky origins of the war in Iraq, the administration's resentment of its critics and the leak of the identity of CIA operative Valerie Plame Wilson.

Except, of course, one story was heavily covered (from beginning to end) while the other barely was a blip on the radar screen.

Ironic ending alert:

Pardon or no pardon, Libby was found guilty of serious crimes in a court of law. The principle still stands that, in the words of prosecutor Fitzgerald, "truth matters, and one's station in life does not."

Unless, of course, you are a Hilton.