Wolfowitz on Libby: It's all my fault

The Iraq war architect says Libby wouldn't be in the trouble he's in if the two had never met.

Published June 5, 2007 2:55PM (EDT)

Judge Reggie Walton has just released nearly 400 pages of letters he has received regarding the sentencing of Scooter Libby. Among those who wrote: Ousted World Bank president and Iraq war architect Paul Wolfowitz, who says: "It is painful for me to reflect on the fact that [Libby's] life would have been very different if we had never met."

Ousted Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is also among the letter writers. Rumsfeld doesn't address the question of Libby's guilt or sentencing directly. Instead, he writes: "I know a great many of our fellow citizens hope and pray that those who serve in our federal government will be individuals of strong character and integrity, who cherish our freedoms and our way of life. Over these past decades, I have had the privilege of serving with a great many people of that type, and among them, without hesitation, I would include Mr. I. Lewis Libby."

Joint Chiefs chairman Peter Pace writes on Libby's behalf, as do John Bolton and Natan Sharansky. From the "Strange Bedfellows" Department, Mary Matalin and James Carville ask Walton to show mercy for the family of the man their own children know as "Mr. Scooter."

Update: You can read more letter excerpts -- and download the entire collection, if you'd like -- here.


By Tim Grieve

Tim Grieve is a senior writer and the author of Salon's War Room blog.

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