Bush Won’t Rule Out Full Pardon Of Libby
If you’re one of those who were outraged by Bush’s commuting Scooter Libby’s sentence, be forewarned that it’s clear you will need to brace yourself for more outrage:
The White House on Tuesday declined to rule out the possibility of an eventual pardon for former vice presidential aide I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby. But spokesman Tony Snow said, for now, President Bush is satisfied with his decision to commute Libby’s 2 1/2-year prison sentence.
It’s pretty clear what’s going to happen. MORE:
Snow was pressed several times on whether the president might eventually grant a full pardon to Libby, who had been convicted of lying and conspiracy in the CIA leak investigation. The press secretary declined to say anything categorically.
“The reason I’m not going to say I’m not going to close a door on a pardon,” Snow said, “Scooter Libby may petition for one.”
“The president thinks that he has dealt with the situation properly,” he added. “There is always a possibility or there’s an avenue open for anybody to petition for consideration of a pardon.”
Bush’s decision was sharply criticized by Democrats. Republicans were more subdued, with some welcoming the decision and some conservatives saying Bush should have gone further.
Likely scenario:
–Sentence commute puts band aid on clamor from conservatives to pardon Libby. For now.
–After the 2008 elections, Bush pardons Libby totally since he and his party have absolutely nothing to lose.
–All the statements the White House and Bush issued recently suggesting that Libby needed to pay his fine and do his probation will be brushed aside as if they were never made, or weakly spun.
The bottom line as our earlier posts note: this administration considers itself elected to govern the entire United States but seemingly feels it only needs to serve and please its hard-core party base. American history has never seen the likes of it.
There is little reason for the bulk of independent and moderate voters to support Bush and those that enable him and cheer him on in what is increasingly taking on the tone of an almost radical, no-consequences administration. And there’s little logic now in giving this administration the benefit of the doubt on most controversial matters, since its track record on the credibility front is so poor.
16 Responses to “Bush Won’t Rule Out Full Pardon Of Libby”
Of course he’ll be fully pardoned in the end. As will any number of others, I’m sure.
Dan Froomkin has it absolutely correct - The presidential power to commute/pardon has never been used as a completely corrupt act, until now. That is, to protect the President and the Vice President from being investigated themselves for corruption.
Remember, that is why Libby was tried and convicted. Because his obstruction of justice prevented the prosecutor from investigating the case fully – Fitzgerald, a Bush appointee has said so, and Judge Walton, also a Bush appointee, agreed, as did a jury of Libby’s peers.
This is a corrupt act, an abuse of the powers of the president, committed to cover corrupt acts. Period.
It took less than a day for him to pull the trigger. I don’t knwo why he just didn’t pardon him outright in the first place. He was already going to piss people off by commuting the sentence why not just go all out and let Libby fully off the hook.
I’ve got to go, I’ve got to get some of those little plastic airplane throw up bags to carry around with me so I can be prepared for the violent retching that will come the next time I hear some Republican talk about the need for accountability and law and order and such.
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And one more thing while I’m pissed off and venting – This is the same administration that argues that US citizens are subject to being thrown in jail indefinately without trial, now saying that those who have the all the benefits of Habeus Corpus, judge and jury shouldn’t spend one second in jail ’cause 2 1/2 years is so darned harsh a sentence for exposing covert CIA operatives working on WMD proliferation issues.
You mean the man who has had the worst Presidency in memory is going to sink even lower? What a shock!
I think Froomkin reported during the trial that one of Libby’s conservative donors was acting as intermediary between him and the WH. At the beginning his defense list had Cheney, Rove and Libby himself on as witnesses- but his lawyers never called them to testify. Was that a way to exert pressure until the deal he desired was reached?
Sitting in a jail cell might have loosened some lips that the WH couldn’t afford to have loosened. In the end Bush had no real choice— just as he did with getting rid of Gonzales and Rove- they knew too much. They can put out the myth about presidential loyalty and compassion all they want- but that’s the real scoop.
Clinton pardoned Marc Rich.
I don’t knwo why he just didn’t pardon him outright in the first place.
1. Libby can apparently continue litigating on his behalf;
2. Bush can claim with a straight face that he didn’t pardon Libby;
3. Bush can always pardon Libby eventually, which is expected, after the election (it would be crazy to pardon him before then).
Something I read once stuck with me. Responsibility and authority must go hand in hand. Give someone tremendous authority without matching responsibility and the result will be someone who tries the impossible because they can, which inevitably yields the tragically possible. I’ve always liked that theory, it had a nice ring to it. I never dreamed I’d see it play out with such accuracy and magnitude in my own country.
DLS – Marc Rich wasn’t involved in Clinton’s administration. The talking heads mention the Cisneros(sp) pardon, try using that it fits the situation better. Makeup your own TalkingPoints!!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Cisneros
But, Cisneros crime had nothing to do with WH operations, just his backround check. Libby’s crime involved intimate WH operations, a bigger problem.
I think this is the first time a president has pardoned someone who was accused of covering up wrongdoing in his own administration. The precedent it sets is ominous, as the executive branch may be beyond reach of law enforcement.
I know that Congress discussed limiting a president’s pardoning ability after Mark Rich. Maybe it needs to be brought up again- since our leaders are no longer trustworthy to handle the power.
Um, no. Remember Iran-Contra? Pardons got handed out like party favors.
In this, as in so many things, Bush II is a logical extension of Reagan and Bush I; as Reagan and Bush I were logical extensions of Nixon. With a lot of the same people, no less.
Remember history. It’s important. Every Republican Administration from Nixon on has been thoroughly lawless and corrupt.
If you think it can’t get any worse, wait until the next Republican President, which will be staffed by corrupt thugs who learned their trade under Bush II.
You got me Casey. I hate it when I make blanket statements like that and then get caught! The Rich ploy is, however, a ridiculous comparison.
[...] July 4th, 2007 — Joe Tobacco Joe Gandelman: The bottom line as our earlier posts note: this administration considers itself elected to govern [...]
Well, I tried to put it in context here.
‘Um, no. Remember Iran-Contra? Pardons got handed out like party favors. ‘
But not by Reagan. Bush 41 pardoned the Iran-Contra felons- Abrams, Mcfarlane and Weinberger and others. Of course many believe that Bush 41 was up to his eyeballs in the scandal and their was talk of quid pro quo.
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