Politics poses hurdle to Libby jury selection

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lawyers in the perjury trial of former White House official Lewis "Scooter" Libby did not finish jury selection on Thursday as many potential jurors said their disapproval of the Bush administration would prevent them from judging the case objectively.

Many of the residents of the largely Democratic city said they would have a hard time finding Libby's former boss, Vice President Dick Cheney, a credible witness if he were called to testify as expected.

"I think he's been instrumental in enacting some policies that have really damaged our country," said one woman, a business consultant who helps the government manage its properties.

Libby resigned as Cheney's chief of staff after he was charged with lying to investigators as they sought to determine who leaked the name of a CIA operative whose husband criticized the Bush administration's use of intelligence before the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Judge Reggie Walton had hoped to finish jury selection by Thursday to allow the trial to begin on Monday, but after three days he and the lawyers involved in the case had only approved 30 candidates. Jury selection is now expected to continue on Monday and the trial to begin on Tuesday.

Lawyers must assemble a pool of 36 jurors to be narrowed to a jury of 12 and 4 alternates.

Walton excused 14 for their strong views on the Bush administration, the Iraq war, or other elements of the case. Five others were excused due to health problems or other personal factors.

"I certainly have an opinion that you can't believe any statement by the Bush administration," said one woman, who was promptly excused.

Only one potential juror, a saleswoman for a defense contractor, said she supported the decision to invade Iraq.

Several other potential jurors said they personally knew some of the expected witnesses.

One man said he had worked as a reporter at the Washington Post under Bob Woodward and used to be neighbors with Tim Russert, host of NBC's "Meet the Press." Both journalists are expected to be witnesses in the trial.

That potential juror also said he has a friend who plays touch football with Libby.

"He told me he's got a great arm," he said.

High-profile cases, especially those involving politics, often require a large jury pool, a jury-selection consultant said. "Almost every citizen will have an opinion on the administration and the war," said Art Patterson, senior vice president at the consulting firm DecisionQuest.