Democracy for Vancouver

A former top aide to Vice President Dick Cheney, Lewis “Scooter” Libby, has dropped his appeal in a perjury case that fueled debate over the Iraq war, his attorney said on Monday.

Libby was found guilty in March of lying and obstructing an investigation into who blew the cover of a CIA officer, Valerie Plame, whose husband had criticized the Iraq war.

President George W. Bush commuted his 2 1/2-year prison sentence in July, but the former chief of staff to Cheney still had to pay a $250,000 fine.

“We remain firmly convinced of Mr. Libby’s innocence,” attorney Ted Wells said in a statement. “However, the realities were, that after five years of government service by Mr. Libby and several years of defending against this case, the burden on Mr. Libby and his young family of continuing to pursue his complete vindication are too great to ask them to bear.”

High-powered allies like Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson raised millions of dollars to cover Libby’s steep legal bills.

Bush, who leaves office in January 2009, has not ruled out a full pardon for Libby.

Poor Scooter - who could be so cruel as to a rich white guy’s kids suffer? After all, Libby’s part in outing Valerie Plame in an attempt to discredit her husband Joseph Wilson never hurt anybody, right?

Maybe Dick traded bombing Iran for pardoning Libby. It’s hard to believe any human being could mean as much to Cheney as war, power and imperialism, but maybe he has plans for Scooter that require the quisling not to be a convicted felon.