Hot off the wire, the AP reports that President Bush has commuted the prison sentence of Scooter Libby. I. "Scooter" Libby is the former Chief of Staff for Vice President Dick Cheney, he was convicted of lying to the prosecutors who were investigating a leak of the identity of CIA operative Valeria Plame in retaliation for her husband's repudiation of the Bush Administration allegation of attempts by Sadaam Hussein to purchase enriched uranium. He will forgo the 2 1/2-year prison term for his part in the CIA Leak Case. It appears that Bush will still "allow" Libby to pay the $250,000 fine and take 2 years of probation.Statement by President Bush:
"I respect the jury's verdict. But I have concluded that the prison sentence given to Mr. Libby is excessive. Therefore, I am commuting the portion of Mr. Libby's sentence that required him to spend thirty months in prison."Read the entire New York Times article here.
plez sez: everyone who is surprised by this, raise your hands.
OK... i'm not seeing many hands. OK... i'm not seeing any raised hands!
i predicted this in an earlier post.
when the truth about the CIA Leak and the bogus "proof" that was used to launch our war against Iraq comes out, i'll probably be too old to care. but i'm sure a jail cell would've been all the incentive Scooter Libby needed to move that date up 50 years or so... Bush and Cheney couldn't afford to have him spend even one day in jail for their crimes... i'm sure he's loyal, but i doubt he's THAT loyal.
i'm sure that trial was enough for his wife and family... i know if it were me, i would've been singing like a canary as soon as i put on that orange jumpsuit! *smile*
all kidding aside, isn't this enough to begin impeachment proceedings against the President: he has usurped the powers of the judicial system for his own benefit.
oh, Scooter has to be on probation for 2 years (WOW!) and he still owes the $250,000 fine (didn't his supporters raise MILLIONS of dollars in his defense)... he's probably better off now than he was 2 years ago! i was expecting this (the commutation) to happen, but shouldn't there be some ramifications for the President just wielding his power as if there is no Constitution? someone please help me understand what the HELL is going on in this country!
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8 comments:
I am surprised. Surprised they pardoned him rather then just having him "whacked."
This is so lame.
You understand very well Plez man, you just refuse to let your conscious mind accept what you know deep down in your heart. The real gangsters and thugs run this country the way they damn well please. Nothing you do or say to them makes the slightest bit of difference. And they will continue to do the same things or worse as long as they continue to get away with it.
The President's power to commute or pardon is absolute. But this is still pretty crummy.
What really sucks is that you know the pardon is coming in Jan of 2009. Bush just kept him out of jail today. On his way out the door he'll give Scoot the full pardon that he will need to work in a future Republican administration.
dave,
they'd have to cover-up a whack-job... Bush could do this one out in the open!
EM,
OUR Democratic lackeys in Congress appear to be a toothless lot... i'm leaning closer and closer to NOT voting for any incumbents (my first term congressman lives across the street from me and i've already sent him an e-mail message expressing my displeasure with his lack of action!).
jay,
i tend to agree with you about the last day pardon (a la Bill Clinton and a host of other presidents - except Gerald Ford used his pardon of Tricky Dick Nixon as one of his FIRST acts as president).
I’m not real surprised
all kidding aside, isn't this enough to begin impeachment proceedings against the President: he has usurped the powers of the judicial system for his own benefit.
It’s not like he doesn’t have the power (set forth in the constitution) to commute the sentence or pardon the guy. I don’t think that impeachment will go anywhere even though Jesse Jackson Jr. has started some stuff in the House.
llr,
i understand those powers are at the disposal of the president, but you do agree that those powers weren't put in place to protect the hindparts of the president for political purposes?
i would think that the framers of the constitution were thinking along the lines of providing checks & balances for the judiciary (by the executive branch)... and since Libby was sentenced by a Bush appointee, i don't really see his rationale (and i have a feeling that you don't either! *smile)... other than a political endgame to keep Libby from SQUEALING on Bush & Cheney when he went to the Big House!
i understand those powers are at the disposal of the president, but you do agree that those powers weren't put in place to protect the hindparts of the president for political purposes?
Is there any proof that they are protecting their hind parts? If that was the case, the he would have gotten a full pardon the second he was convicted rather that just his sentence commuted before going to jail.
i would think that the framers of the constitution were thinking along the lines of providing checks & balances for the judiciary (by the executive branch)... and since Libby was sentenced by a Bush appointee, i don't really see his rationale (and i have a feeling that you don't either! *smile)... other than a political endgame to keep Libby from SQUEALING on Bush & Cheney when he went to the Big House!
If he was going to sequel, he probably would have done it to save his butt before getting convicted. Or maybe to get a lighter sentence, he would have “talked.”
We (and the president) have these rights, but when they are used and we don’t agree with them, then people want to get all up in arms about them. We have a right to freedom of speech, but when people say BS that we don’t like, we want the gov’t to silence them.
I really don’t care either way with this one. At least Bush is consistent. Amnesty for the illegals and a communion of Libby’s sentence.
llr,
you wrote: is there any proof that they are protecting their hind parts?
plez sez: of course not! i would infer by his actions (the commutation of the prison sentence and eventual pardon - a la Bill Clinton) that Bush & Cheney have plenty to hide.
my take on it, he didn't squeal because he knew that he wouldn't have to spend a DAY in prison over this mess.
but i will agree with you... Bush is consistent - he's been consistently bad since the day he set foot in the Oval Office!
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