By MATT APUZZO, Associated Press Writer
from YAHOO! NEWS

Oh, Oh! Look at the picture. Libby has that evil little smirk on his little neo-con face again! - JS

WASHINGTON - Former White House aide I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, who faces an imminent prison term in the CIA leak case, asked a federal appeals court Tuesday to step in and delay the sentence.

The former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, Libby was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison for lying and obstructing an investigation into the leak of a CIA operative’s identity. A federal judge has denied a request to stay the sentence while Libby appeals his conviction.

In a motion to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, Libby argued that that ruling was inappropriate. He said he has a good chance of having his conviction overturned on appeal and should not have to serve jail time while the court challenge plays out.

“The Bureau of Prisons will shortly designate a prison facility and direct Libby to report within a period of two to three weeks after designation,” his attorneys wrote. “Accordingly, we respectfully ask that the court expedite action on this application.”

The request will be considered by a three-judge panel of the court. By policy, the court does not disclose which judges are on the panel until a decision is made.