Berger Begs (UPDATE: Bush Balks)

Now this is what I’ve been waiting for.

WASHINGTON - Former national security adviser Sandy Berger will plead guilty to taking classified material from the National Archives, a misdemeanor, the Justice Department said Thursday. [SNIP]

The charge of unauthorized removal and retention of classified material is a misdemeanor that carries a maximum sentence of a year in prison and up to a $100,000 fine.[SNIP]

Berger and his lawyer, Lanny Breuer, have said Berger knowingly removed the handwritten notes by placing them in his jacket and pants and inadvertently took copies of actual classified documents in a leather portfolio. He returned most of the documents, but some still are missing. [SNIP]

He called the episode "an honest mistake," and denied criminal wrongdoing.

Honest mistake, my behind. A good judge would throw the book at Berger for insulting his/her intelligence. But he’ll probably get slapped on the wrists.

The more I watch the actions of goverment officials, the more cynical I get and why not? This one stuff secrets in his pants and thought he could get away with it. He thought he was dealing with one of the many Clinton-era intel security procedures for which present-day officials now taking the heat. So now he'll say "my bad," figures that he can throw himself upon the mercy of the court and walk away minus a few bucks.

And don't get me started on judicially-dispensed mercy.

Let's just say that if Sandy Berger does time, I'll be greatly and pleasantly surprised.

(Thanks to LGF)

UPDATE: More Berger:

Wizbang
Jeff Quinton
Steve H.
John Cole

UPDATE: No surprise.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Federal prosecutors will recommend that former national security adviser Sandy Berger be fined $10,000 and lose his security clearance for three years, but receive no jail time, sources said.

This stinks. Wonder what the Burglar has on the Bush administration.