Libby sentencing buzz starting

Josh Gerstein has this article in the New York Sun previewing the upcoming sentencing of Lewis Libby.  Here are excerpts:

Prosecutors and defense lawyers for a former White House aide, I. Lewis Libby Jr., face a deadline Friday to give their final recommendations on the sentence he should receive for his conviction on charges of perjury, obstruction of justice, and lying to the FBI. However, the real cliffhanger at the sentencing hearing, set for June 5, is not what punishment Judge Reggie Walton imposes, but whether he allows Libby to remain free while pursuing his appeal....

Bail for Libby would amount to a reprieve for President Bush, who would then have until next year to make the politically sensitive decision about a pardon for the former chief of staff to Vice President Cheney. However, if the judge orders Libby jailed forthwith, Mr. Bush will face intense and immediate pressure from many of his supporters to commute the sentence or grant a pardon.

A former U.S. attorney for the capital, Roscoe Howard Jr., said he doubts Judge Walton will allow Libby to delay serving his sentence until his appeals are resolved. "I don't see that here," the ex-prosecutor said.

Some Libby sentencing posts:

• First-cut Libby guideline calculations?
• More Libby sentencing speculation
• Comparing Lewis Libby and Victor Rita
• Could Libby's decision not to testify now result in an obstruction-of-justice enhancement?
• Sentencing and pardon politics in the Libby case
• Will VP Cheney help Libby at sentencing?