Keep the message simple

All the news agencies are reporting that the Libby jury is back and that he's been found guilty of four counts of lying to investigators. The right wing spin machine will be in overdrive for the next few news cycles. They will say that lying to investigators isn't a "real" crime. They'll say Fitzgerald is a vindictive and partisan Democrat. They'll go back to saying Wilson and Plame are the real criminals. They'll say Bush and Cheney didn't know. They'll say Ted Kennedy is fat and "look, a kitten." I don't think it will matter.

This is a complicated issue and most casual news watchers have not worked their way through the technicalities, and will not do so in the future. In a month, all that most voters will remember is that someone from the White House was convicted and jailed for lying and that it had something to do with the war in Iraq. I hope our side keeps the message that simple. We're not just saying the administration lied about the war, and still lies about the war; it's been proven in court.