Rank speculation

Howard Kurtz correctly criticizes the media and some bloggers for speculation on a Libby pardon, that appears to be based on nothing. However he goes on to make his own unsubstantiated claim:

Some blogger reactions (via Hotline), such as Blue Crab Boulevard :

"The entire article, from start to finish, is complete and utter smoke . . .

"Frankly, I don't like, and never have, Fitzgerald's charges. Saying someone lied about a 'crime' when the underlying 'crime' itself has never been proved to exist at all, is a real problem. A charge such as this a bigger threat to liberty than the supposed 'crime' that is alleged to have occurred."

Sorry to intrude, but the jails are filled with people convicted of perjury where no underlying crime has been proven.

...

OK, Howard, name a few. I doubt you will find many if any. As a former prosecuter, I found it difficult to get people prosecuted even when the statements were made in writing and there was documentary evidence to contradict it. Bill Clinton is not the only person to show how hard it is to get a conviction on perjury charges, particularly one like that Libby faces which is based on inconsistent recollections of a previous meeting.