If national Republican strategists are counting on party
solidarity to minimize the dimensions of the ongoing Plamegate scandal and, in
particular, of vice presidential aide Lewis “Scooter” Libby‘s indictment,
they could be in for a rude surprise.
Former congressman Asa Hutchison, the current
bearer of Republican hopes as a declared candidate for governor of Arkansas next
year, will have none of it. “I will say this about the lessons to be learned
about the Scooter Libby indictment,” Hutchison said after appearing at an East
Memphis fundraiser in his honor. “That’s something that Republicans should not
diminish in terms of the seriousness of the charges. There was some reference in
talking points about this being a mere technicality. The charges are very
serious because they go to the heart of our criminal justice system.”
Therefore, said Hutchison, who in recent years has served
as head of the Drug Enforcement Administration and as under-secretary of
Homeland Security, “Mr. Libby should have a fair trail with all due process, but
we should not in the course of this diminish the seriousness of the charge
because it goes to the heart of our system of justice in this country.”
Hutchison, whose likely Democratic opponent next year in the race to succeed GOP incumbent Gov. Mike Huckabee will
be Arkansas attorney general Mike Beebe, drew a parallel between the
seriousness of the current scandal and that of the one which resulted in an
impeachment trial for former President Bill Clinton in 1998. In that crisis,
then Rep. Hutchinson served as one of the Republican “managers” of the impeachment case when it went to the U.S. Senate, where President Clinton was acquitted.
“There’s a consistency there,” he said.
The former congressman downplayed the significance of his
impeachment role in next year’s election, however. “It was a very difficult
time for our country, and my role was simply to help my country through that
very challenging time. I think history’s going to continue to look at it, but I
think that both sides were operating under a conviction that represented a
strong difference in viewpoints in their approach to the constitution. So I did
my responsibility, I turned that chapter, I moved on, and, as any trial lawyer
does, you accept the jury verdict.”
If anything, Hutchison seemed determined to distance
himself from that impeachment process. “It’s not something I feature or talk
about, because people have strong feelings about it. It evokes a lot of
emotions, and so I talk about what I’ve done at the DEA and Homeland Security
for our country, and then the Arkansas issues.”
And again: “Congress needed my services in a professional
way, but that’s past, and I run absolutely on what I’ve done in the legislative
process and as an administrator and on my goals for Arkansas, in growth of jobs
and education.”
One of the achievements cited by Hutchison was a 14
percent reduction of teen drug use during his tenure at DEA.
The Hutchison reception, which drew supporters from both
Memphis and Arkansas, was held at the local Regions Bank headquarters on Poplar
Avenue.