All Men Are Created Equal

Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald said earlier today, "it is fundamental to the rule of law that all citizens stand before the bar of justice as equals."

Broken down to its essentials the "Rule of Law" is not complicated. It simply means that no man is special. All men are treated the same. All men have the same rights. All men have the same duties. All men face the same punishments for failing in those duties. The phrase "Rule of Law" is the same as "All Men Are Created Equal." No man, be he President or Vice President, is special or entitled to special favor or treatment.

The President does have the power he exercised in the Libby case. It is a power that is to be exercised in very special cases when mercy is manifestly required.

To exercise that power simply because the unrepentant Libby is a friend of his or the Vice President is an abuse of power. It is a slap in the face of every man and woman who has died fighting for the sacred principle that All Men Are Created Equal, that we all live under The Rule of Law.

The Rule of Law cannot survive when some men think they are more equal than others. Neither can freedom.