Scooter and the Trial

The first part of the trial of Lewis "Scooter" Libby is over. The jury has returned a verdict and we await the sentencing. After that, we await the appeals which have likely been filed. As I followed the progress of this trial with the various journalists and White House staffers testifying, I kept thinking about Scooter and why a middle-aged professional would choose to refer to himself by a nickname.

As a professional, I use my christian name and surname at all times. If for some reason, I found that I hated either of those names, I would have changed them to something that I loved but not once in my professional life, have I used my nickname. I just have a difficult time figuring out why these the folks in this White House love the "nicknames and pet names.

Do we remember that President Bush referring to the then head of FEMA as "Brownie" and telling him that he was doing a great job right after Katrina when we all saw thousands of people huddled in the Super Dome? And then there is "Scooter" who took one for the boss, "Dick".