there's a thought

Conyers has an interesting theory on the reason behind Libby's pardon:

WASHINGTON - The Democrat probing President Bush's decision to erase the prison sentence of a former White House aide said Sunday there is "the suspicion" the aide might have fingered others in the Bush administration if he served time.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers spoke of "the general impression" that Bush last week commuted I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby's 2 1/2 year sentence in the CIA leak case to keep Libby quiet. The White House said Conyers' claim was baseless.

Conyers, D-Mich., has scheduled a committee hearing Wednesday on the matter.

Patrick Leahy is right though. The hearings, and calling on Libby to testify, would be useless at this point since he would just take the fifth and has no incentive to rat on anyone else. Like Leahy said, "His silence has been bought and paid for..."