Libby unlikely to beg for pardon

Hmm, I wonder if there is anyone out there who thinks this won't happen?

Pardon talk for Libby begins

Speculation about a pardon began in late October, soon after Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald unsealed the perjury indictment of Libby, and it continued last week after Fitzgerald chose not to charge Rove.

"I think ultimately, of course, there are going to be pardons," said Joseph diGenova, a former prosecutor and an old Washington hand who shares that view with many pundits.

"These are the kinds of cases in which historically presidents have given pardons," said the veteran Republican attorney.

Here's the kicker, of course; it's all about Cheney:

One attorney familiar with the Plame case said Bush might find that it is in his interest to pardon Libby sooner rather than later.

A pardon before the trial could could cut off the disclosures and spare Vice President Dick Cheney from testifying as Fitzgerald's witness about Libby.

Some who think a pardon ought not be considered seem unfamiliar with the obvious workings of the Bush administration:

The counterargument to a pardon this year or next, however, is that it would be a political bombshell and distract from Bush's agenda.

Since when is pardoning loyalist chums a distraction from Bush's agenda?