Statements: Libby thinks he’ll be exonerated; Bush has to get to work

Bush had his statement at 3:50 pm, and Libby‘s came in at about 4:30pm.

Said Bush:

Today I accepted the resignation of Scooter Libby. Scooter has worked tirelessly on behalf of the American people and sacrificed much in the service to this country. He served the Vice President and me through extraordinary times in our nation’s history.

He reminded his audience that Scooter is innocent until proven guilty, and then shifted to what’s on deck: SCOTUS appointment redux redux. In the meantime, he said, he had a job to do.

It was actually very succinct and well done, though as Paul Begala said on CNN: “You can’t say “I’ve got a job to do” and then get on a helicopter and go to Camp David for the weekend” (though as we know by now, Bush can work while on vacation).

Meanwhile, Libby has issued a statement of his own: He thinks he’ll be “completely and totally exonerated” for what was essentially what his lawyer called “an honest mistake” (opening the door for his defense against obstruction charges — remembering differently isn’t necessarily remembering wrongly — or intentionally), and reminds America that “I have spent much of my career working on behalf of the American people,” and maintains that he has always conducted himself honorably and truthfully in that endeavor.

If convicted, Libby could face up to 30 years.

Given the above, does anyone else thing Karl Rove’s “I’m gonna have a great day and a great weekend!” comment was a little inappropriate?

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