Bush commutes Libby's prison sentence

Gee, I guess perjury is only important to republitards when it involves sex and Democratic Presidents. Hypocrites that they are, I am sure lots of folks will be carrying water for chimpy and shotgun dickie.

bastards

I guess Republicans don't think Perjury is that big a deal after all.

Scooter's getting off with no effective punishment. I'm quite sure that the $250,000 fine will be offset in some way. Probably a "signing bonus" when he get's some nice cushy job at a Right wing think tank, like Wolfowitz.

Whoda thunk it?
Unreal!!!!

Now this should be fun.

How many are going to trash Bush (knowing he does have the Constitutional authority) without acknowledging the wrongs from other admin's. From Presidents on down.

Who is going to speak with a forked tongue.

This commutation is itself an act of "obstruction of justice". The Offices of the President and the Vice President are up to their nostrils in this CIA leak case. Bush should have recused himself from any involvement in pardons or commutations.

The "cloud over the VPs office" has spread to the entire Executive branch. In fact you can smell the sulfur wafting throughout the GOP.

If one concludes that the '08 win is already out of reach for the Party, it seems like the only decent thing to do.

The House should draw up impeachment articles for this alone. What a travesty of justice!

Comment? There aren't words adequate to describing the depth of my disgust at this vile venality.

This just in - the chimpy administration is seeking mandatory sentencing for criminals - http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2007/06/17/administration_pushes_for_mandatory_sentences/

Except of course for FOC (Friends of chimpy). What a farking hypocrite!

While Chimpy McFlightsuit was out gallivanting with his buddy, Vlad Putin, Chimpy's puppetmaster, Dick "Shotgun" Cheney, issued his (I mean President Bush's) commutation of Scooter Libby's prison term.

I'm sure Dick stuck this "get out of jail" free card under Chimpy's nose for signature long ago.

As noted by Sidney Blumenthal - "The Decider has decided that Dick Cheney will decide what the Decider decides." And here, Dick Cheney has decided that Chimpy will decide to let Scooter get away with perjury - in connection with outing a covert CIA agent.

I guess when you're doing the bidding of Dick "I'm my own branch of government" Cheney, disclosing the identity of a covert CIA agent is not illegal . . . .

I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised, but this gang of thugs contempt and brazen disregard of the law continues to amaze me.
Jan. 20, 2009 can't come soon enough.

Dear Mr. James:

Please explain where in the U.S. Constitution President Bush has the "middle ground" authority to "commute" sentences. The Constitution mentions reprieves and pardons, but where does the idea of "commute" come from?

-Dennis Boyle

Can there be any doubt the the Bush Whitehouse is totally corrupt and morally bankrupt. Impeach Bush and Cheney.

No doubt someone in the administration will find contributors to pay the $250,000 fine. Or maybe Scooter can raise it himself doing speaking engagements. I can see the promotional brochure now: "Dr. Plamelove, or How to Stop Worrying and Love the Empire".

How many are going to trash Bush (knowing he does have the Constitutional authority) without acknowledging the wrongs from other admin's. From Presidents on down.

Who is going to speak with a forked tongue.

Posted by: PG | July 2, 2007 6:55 PM
Even if that were correct,
didn't your mother tell you 2 wrongs don't make a right? I thouht you were all about law and order, or is that just some name from a TV show?

That sigh you hear in Washington is all the criminals in the Bush administration breathing easier knowing they can be tried & convicted, but not serve any time.

Reminds me of the Ford pardon of Nixon. The public
was so shocked and mad that Jerold did not get a second term in office.
It's going to take years for the Republican Party and a lot of PR to recover from this yahoo President.

I can't believe this, talk about cronyism, Scooter lies and obstructs justice during a Treason investigation and the Republican Commander Guy communtes his sentence?

So much for the Republican Party being the Party of Law & Order".

I can't wait until the GOP nominee for President in 08 has to go around the country stumping for votes while at the same time having the W. and Cheney noose hanging around their neck.

I thought all of the weirdo leftists would go ballistic. Bastards, all of you (gee, Trib censors if Seth can use that word, so can I, right?).

Where was your outrage when Clintoon pardoned one of the world's top criminals, Marc Rich?
Where was your outrage when Clintoon pardoned drug dealers at the behest of Tony Rodham?
Perjury, two books (one by liberal icon Carl Bernstein) says Hillary commited perjury. Where is your outrage, leftist bastards?
There is proof Bill Clintoon RAPED Juanita Broadderick. Where is your outrage, leftist bastards, over a RAPE?
You leftist bastards are PATHETIC!

kind of funny that the apologists seem to be saying Fibby doesn't DESERVE to go to jail because all he is guilty of is protecting his boss!!

but, he is a grown man, and if you obstruct justice to protect a felon, u deserve EXACTLY to go to prison... i'm quite sure that is precisely why obstruction of justice is a crime...

due DIRECTLY to Fibby's deliberate actions, a felon has escaped justice...

and now (add it to the list *sigh*), due directly to the actions of the mean-spirited, dry-drunk schmuck usurping the office of the presidency, another felon has gone free...

what a disaster this administration is...

if the nader-voters from florida in 2000 had any honor at all they would self-immolate...

Geez - Even Martha Stewart and (I never thought I use this name as exemplary) Paris Hilton stepped up and did their time.

"By taking the middle ground of a commuted sentence, Bush certainly relieves much of the pressure Libby was experiencing as well as the mounting pressure on the president himself."

"Middle ground"? You treat this is if Bush engaged in some dignified act of compromise. This was no compromise; it was a craven act lacking all dignity. And this from the guy who was told to say that he was restoring honor and dignity to the White House. This is a very, very small White House indeed.

RNC Bruce,

Bring your lunch, it's gonna be a long one.

Looks like the only people that approve of the "middle ground" are neocons and the Washington press corps.

it was gop hero HAMILTON who argued for the presidential pardon... his thrust being that:

"The criminal code of every country partakes so much of necessary severity, that without an easy access to exceptions in favor of unfortunate guilt, justice would wear a countenance too sanguinary and cruel."

On whom has Bush bestowed the benefit of this incredible power of redemption?

The unfortuante criminal? The father who has stolen bread to feed his family??

Oh, that's right! One of his immediate subordinates guilty of obstructing a federal criminal investigation aimed him and his #2...

"Americans want to be assured that the next administration will bring honor and dignity to the White House." [Then-Governor George Bush on CNN’s “Capital Gang,” 8/13/00]

"The President has set high standards, the highest of standards for people in his administration. He's made it very clear to people in his administration that he expects them to adhere to the highest standards of conduct. If anyone in this administration was involved in it, they would no longer be in this administration." [White House Briefing, 9/29/03]

I don't know of anybody in my administration who leaked classified information. If somebody did leak classified information, I'd like to know it, and we'll take the appropriate action." [Bush Remarks: Chicago, Illinois, 9/30/03]

"Americans are tired of investigations and scandal, and the best way to get rid of them is to elect a new president who will bring a new administration, who will restore honor and dignity to the White House." [Then-Governor George Bush on CNN’s “Burden of Proof,” 9/15/05]

Hechava job Dubya.

stick a fork in the GOP. Please. what a disaster.

I can't for the life of me figure out why "the Base" is applauding this move. Are these the same "law and order" Republicans who couldn't spend enough money and waste enough time investigating President Clinton, to the effect of finding absolutely nothing accept a wholly unrelated stain on a blue dress.

Face it, if you think Scooter Libby got a raw deal from an overzealous prosecutor, than you must acknowledge that Mr. Clinton got at least as raw of a deal.

Finally, it appears President Bush has given up on painting lipstick on the pig that is his adminstration. I would have thought he would have at least held out for an 11th hour pardon rather than risk taking on yet another scandal for his already beleagured team. Apparently I was wrong.

According to the Bush Doctrine, personal loyalty to the president is the highest of all callings, far exceeding patriotism or loyalty to the country. Heckuva job Scooter.

If anyone still believes in equal justice under the law, the question is, "What took Bush so long?" The penalty for Bill Clinton committing perjury before a GRAND JURY was temporary suspension of his law license which he did not use anyway.

Relax kids. Clinton pardoned hundreds of scoundrals, including granting 140 pardons his last day in office which included convicted child sex offender Mel Reynolds and Dem convict Danny Rostenkowski. Commuting the Libby sentence is certainly no worse than the stunts Billy Clinton pulled along these lines in office. At least Libby wasn't convicted for having sex with a minor and set free such as Mel Reynolds.

Well thank you "bill r", for making my point. I never said whether it was right or wrong, I was just asking who is going to step up to the plate and be honest. LOL
PG

How many are going to trash Bush (knowing he does have the Constitutional authority) without acknowledging the wrongs from other admin's. From Presidents on down.

Who is going to speak with a forked tongue.

Posted by: PG | July 2, 2007 6:55 PM
Even if that were correct,
didn't your mother tell you 2 wrongs don't make a right? I thouht you were all about law and order, or is that just some name from a TV show?

Posted by: bill r. | July 2, 2007 7:19 PM

Another setback for the left's war on terror.

Bush stole your Fitzmas!

Ha Ha

I love it. Left winger's paranoid delusions just stepped up a notch.

Break out the pills because your BDS is going to be flaring up.

Don't cry into your organic/vegatarian meal at your 4th of July celebration. (Assuming you think it's a day to celebrate.... the birth of our imperialism... right?)

The shiek liberal super couple in Santa Fe is a little sad today. Awwwwww, maybe they'll get another magazine cover for this one.

Oh man, not even a hurricane on the radar to get you excited.

Shock and awe! His treasonous actions continue to shock and awe! How do we get our government back???

"Where was your outrage when Clintoon pardoned one of the world's top criminals, Marc Rich?"

Johnny D, you mean the same Marc Rich who's lawyer was one Lewis "Scooter" Libby?

"Perjury, two books (one by liberal icon Carl Bernstein) says Hillary commited perjury. Where is your outrage, leftist bastards?
There is proof Bill Clintoon RAPED Juanita Broadderick. Where is your outrage, leftist bastards, over a RAPE?
"

No prosecutions, no convictions. No actual evidence. Juantia Broaddricks only sworn testimony about the rape is that it did not happen.

If it did happen it should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Until that time Bill Clinton is innocent until proven guilty.

Quit spreading lies Johnny Torture.

Good job President Bush!!!

The Sopranos have been in charge of the White House for years, & they are in complete control now. After all, when a felon like Libby faces prison you have to keep him from ratting out the boss. You could whack Libby, or take real good care of him. bush Soprano chose the latter.

In a funny way, I'm enjoying this, for a couple of reasons:

1. It completely and utterly bares the corrupt soul of Bush and the GOP.

2. It basically hands the entire government to the Dems in 18 months, probably for decades.

3. It provides a nice anecdote for future historians to use, to sum up the moral bankruptcy of this administration.

Congrats!

This is most reminiscent not of Clinton's pardon of Marc Rich, but of Bush's (the one actually elected) pardons of Weinberger & the other Iran-Contra Felons. It is similar because if Weinberger or Libby ratted the bushs out, there could be serious prison time involved.

For all you Democratic and Liberal "Hate Mongers" I have two words for you: MARK RICH

Put that in your pipe and smoke it! You people are a joke! Go out and buy a dog and kick it when you get in from your sad lives.

BT

Mark Rich. That's funny. And who was it who stopped Fitzgerald from proceeding on that pardon?

George W. Bush

Quack, Quack, Quack!!!!!
There's little else that our lame duck president could be a success at, so he might as well try to please the right-wingers that are more concerned about Scooter Libby's 30-month sentence than wrongful executions of the innocent.
Scooter's still guilty despite a commutation, and the president is still a pathetic coward.

Ahem, Marc Rich may have been a scumbag, but he wasn't COVERING UP FOR THE VICE PRESIDENT AND THE GUY WHO COMMUTED HIS SENTENCE.

This is pure obstruction of justice. Guess the Republicans don't believe in laws any more.

I for one am glad the President Bush commuted the prison sentence of this fellow Republican.
I am also glad to see that elected Democrats are taking the high road and not pressing for impeachment of the sitting President, for this would only be seen as a retaliatory gesture against the GOP for impeaching President Clinton.

No, I want the foul stench of this administration to hang over the 2008 elections.
I want the American People to question why the Republican Party is not pressing to carry on the legacy of the incumbents, "elected" officials who brought the Republican Platform into the Oval Office; why they condoned this "mistakes were made and we will correct them" administration with blind party loyalty instead of questioning purely on a legal or moral basis.

No, I want the Bush Administration to hang like a bloody albatross from the neck of the GOP for many, many, many years to come...a Scarlet Letter...a voice from the dead, disillusioned and disenfranchised, screaming...

"See? SEE?!!? See what happens when the GOP is in power??"

fin

Put that in your pipe and smoke it! You people are a joke! Go out and buy a dog and kick it when you get in from your sad lives.

Posted by: BT | July 2, 2007 8:20 PM

Whats the matter BT? Upset that more Americans see what a "joke" your party is? Law and order...sheeez!

If you want to defend this despicable action that's your right, but if all you have to say is "Mark Rich" then stop talking, because that's just an idiotic comment to make. Nobody supported the Rich pardon -- I specifically remember being disgusted when Slick Willie did it -- but it's irrelevant to the travesty of justice President Bush perpetrated today.

Libby was fairly convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice and is being let off the hook solely because he's a friend of the President. That's disgraceful. And it's hypocritical. This is further evidence that the Adminstration has no respect for the rule of law.

Again, if you feel otherwise then make an intelligent case for it -- I bet you can't. But if you're just going to babble incoherently like BT or JD or whomever then don't waste our time. You have no idea what you're talking about and you just confirm everyone's suspicion that the GOP is rapidly turning into a party of right-wing reactionary nutcases.

Unbelievable. Just when you think these guys can't get any worse or any more corrupt, this happens.

Impeach. Impeach them all right now.

This Bush fiasco may not be over. He could still fully pardon Libby before he leaves office.

Bush is a bigger a@@hole than I thought.

JD,

I can guarantee there is very little liberal dilusional paranoia these days. come 2008, we'll control every single branch of government at the federal level and a vast majority of house, senate and governors at the state level.

Does it get any better than this? we'll see. I'm sure Bush will continue to make the landscape even better for Democrats.

Governor Bush on his rationale for not commuting the 152 death sentences he oversaw:
"I don’t believe my role [as governor] is to replace the verdict of a jury with my own, unless there are new facts or evidence of which a jury was unaware, or evidence that the trial was somehow unfair."

On the subject of Dick Cheney's right-hand man who took one for the team and got 2.5 years:
"the prison sentence given to Mr. Libby is excessive.”"

As per Chgo.Trib. calls this the middle ground- conservative republican sycophants!

Well, as Bush said, the "accountability moment" was the 2004 election. True enough, nobody in this administration has been held accountable for anything since 2000. I guess our only remaining hope is that these people will burn for eternity in the fires of hell.

For John D: Having sex with women, against their will or not (and we don't know it was rape, BTW), is one thing. Violating your oath to protect the Constitution is another. So is lying to go to war; so is setting up your friends to raid the Treasury in that war, sending men and women to die in the name of a falsehood. And you want to talk about Clinton? Of course you do. You sure don't want to talk about the lying, thieving, murdering bastards — your word — running the government now, for the very obvious reason. And to equate a sex crime (if it was a crime) with violating the Constitution and declaring yourself about it and the law simply reveals your absolute ignorance and immorality.

Considering this admin. let Sandy Berger go with a slap on the wrist for committing a very serious crime, I'd say letting Libby go for lying about a non-crime makes us even!

C'mon people, much more serious issues to get excited about.

What a glorious day it is when not only is justice served, but it causes the liberal denizens of this forum to become apopleptic!

My only disappointment with the President's action today is that it is only a commutation, not a full pardon (hopefully that comes later).

Not only are the liberals unable to formulate an actual argument to support their opposition to the President's decision, but they apparently can't make a sufficient number of ad hominem attacks. What a spectacular demonstration of intellectual and ethical bankruptcy.

But please, libs, keep on posting! Your remarks are among the most entertaining and amusing reading in the Trib!!

Libby's case should have been thrown out when it was determined that there was no underlying crime. Why is this?

Because, if these was no underlying case, how can anyone be questioned about it? What would the prosecutor be asking about?

From what I have read, when there is no underlying crime or when charges are dropped, ancillary cases are usually dropped because there is nothing to talk about.

For those who are new to this, when I talk about "underlying crime", I am referring to the supposed leak of Plame's name. As we have seen, there was no crime, because, if there was, Fitzgerald would have gone after the person (Novak? Armitage?).

This whole case was a joke and Bush did the right thing. As it is, Libby has some big bucks to cough up.

vulture, one can only hope so... i'm in favor of getting the bonfire started now just in case...

Who is going to speak with a forked tongue.

Posted by: PG | July 2, 2007 6:55 PM

The speakers with forked tongues are the outraged wingnuts that whine about Clinton's pardons to this day. Hypocrites all. This means you, JohnD.

Nevermind, I found my own answer. The presidential power to commute stems from the 1925 EX PARTE GROSSMAN case. [Ducat and Chase's Constitutional Interpretation.

This raises a challenge, though, for you strict constructionists: Because this is based on a Supreme Court decision and not the actual words of The Constitution, how can you give Bush your unquailfied sanctioning of his actions?
--Dennis Boyle

Some of the posts above show how far the wacko right will go to defend Bush. They have drunk the Kool-Aid, and will defend him, no matter if the crime were mass murder in broad daylight, on live television. Like him, they can never own up to a mistake.

As much as I hate George Bush and the rest of his administration and appointees in various positions, I have to remember how disgusted I felt when Clinton pardoned Marc Rich. He did things far more scandalous than Libby did, and now lives overseas in near secrecy.

On a more personal note, as a Jew, I am upset that both of these vilified men come from my heritage.

I guess the upside to this decision is that the Democratic lock on statewide office here in Illinois will continue.

Patrick Fitzgerald was the only hope for a decent statewide candidate that the Republicans had. However if you've watched any of the news coverage of Bush's commutation of Libby's sentence, you'll have seen how the Republican's have felt the need to trash Fitzgerald in order to protect Bush. "Overzealous prosecutor" etc...

Who are the Republicans going to dredge up to rin against Durbin? Alan Keyes?

Great job Republicans.

Dems should be thanking "W" as he has handed them the 2008 election. GOP candidates, quit now and save your money. Hope and pray the Dems screw up so you can get back in 2012.

Clinton was a horrible president and did pardon a ton of garbage, Mark Rich included. However, Clinton didn't get the country stuck in a war with no way out.

The Bush administration, a true disaster for the GOP and for the country.

Mark Rich? How low is it for a GOP fanboy to say that since Clinton pardoned Rich, that Bush was right to commute Libby? Just because someone you mark as an enemy does something wrong doesn't mean that you're within your rights to do the same. Sheer lunacy by followers of a cabal who may as well defecate on the Constitution . . . they've already had a grand time urinating on it.

Valerie Plame and her husband were nothing but political pigeons put up by Chuckie Schumer and are own Dickie Durbin to be sacrificed on the DNC altar--guess what folks it ain't gonna happen. President Bush wisely said I'm looking this over legally and ethically and Scooter Libby should not go to prison. Judge Reggie Walton made the wrong call because Pat Fitzgerald the prosecutor made the wrong call--Fitzgerald although praised by Bush needs no praise he bungled the job. Richard Armitage gave away sweet little Valerie Plame Wilson's name. Fitzgerald knew this but since he couldn't agree there was a crime because Valerie wasn't undercover since she hadn't worked overseas for more than 5 years. She had a desk job at Langley, VA. for more than five years. Robert Novak says Richard Armitage gave her name away--he also, says Joe Wilson gave her identity away when he published her name and job on Marquis Who's Who in America-- Fitzgerald was wrongly appointed as a special prosecutor in the last days of John Ashcroft's tenure-- who wrongly agreed to turn him loose and the driveby media never said a nice thing about Ashcroft until he turned the hounds of baskerville loose on the Bush Administration. It all depends on whose ox is being gored. Fitzgerald knew Libby was not wrong but after spending millions on the prosecution he had to come up with sometning even though he knew Armitage was the guy from day one so, he made Scooter pay for lying which really was forgetfullness with all his respnsibilities fighting the real War on Terrorists who no one can say doesn't exist world wide
Scooter must pay the the $250,000 fine which is excessive to please Patrick--and must serve 2 years probation. President Bush --Scooter has been taken for a Jackass ride please pardon him--Jerry White, Springfiel, IL

Do you ever notice that no matter what Shrub and his cronies do, JohnnyD and the rest of the Republic sycophants always defend the action?

The universal excuse: 'Well, Clinton was worse because...' This excuse is so lame, even 8 year olds give it up. If you can't compose a better argument than 'Clinton was worse...' please call your dad or mom so they can help you out.

Don't you people ever get tired of defending the indefensible?

I'd say letting Libby go for lying about a non-crime makes us even!

C'mon people, much more serious issues to get excited about.

Posted by: miketrev | July 2, 2007 9:22 PM

Thats what I truely dislike about people like you and the republican party. The law and order party claims that the court is wrong and there was no crime committed. Who gave you the power over our judicial system. Laws are only there for the rest of the country..not the "chosen".
Your party is toast for years to come.

Bush makes a "middle ground" decision, eh?!?
Libby keeps walking free-all-the-way, and talking
poor me victimization.
Meanwhile, Bush & Cheney's
Repuglicrite Plutocracy
cash-in more chips to
immediately wipe-out this
traitorous felon's fines.
Banana Repuglicanism reigns
supreme!!!

Middle ground? no wonder the Tribune had thousands of cancellations when it endorsed Bush in 04.
Sadly the Trib is Repeublican because of Lincoln and it's clueless enough to think that it still should be today

I must say, I was rather not caught by surprise by these revelations. I just can't wait to hear how Bill Clinton ties into all this.

Typical Spouting Lies Joseph: If George Bush lied about Iraq, then so did Bill and Hillary Clinton, so did Tom Daschle, so did John Kerry, so did John Edwards, so did Chuckie Schumer, so did Al Gore. Would you like me to continue?
Who raided the Treasury? That seemingly is new left wing loon lie.

Oh and Left wing Idiots: Clintoon also pardoned TERRORISTS in, what?, 14 FALN TERRORISTS!
Like I said before, the left wing bastards are pathetic!

JuannieD,

Let's do this again. Man it's getting tiring. Libby was Marc Rich's lawyer when pardoned. Scum plays with scum. If you don't like the Rich pardon, condemn chimpy for the libby pardon. Otherwise, put a cork in it.

Robin has it right. Calling Bush's actions "middle ground" shows how far the Tribune has fallen. Bush has shown no respect for the Legislature or Judiciary. Bush is a little dictator, the worst President in history, and the Tribune calls him a moderate.

For those that think this is unbelievable, I suggest a) you read up on pardons and clemency and, b) read up on the non-case that underlies Libby's case.

Then, here is a list of the people Clinton pardoned: http://www.usdoj.gov/pardon/clintonpardon_grants.htm

We have people convicted of bank embezzling, conspiracy to defraud the government, tax evasion, perjury, drug dealing, bribery, theft, wire fraud, forgery, racketeering conspiracy, etc., etc., etc.

Near as I can tell, Clinton pardoned over 450 people. Unbelievable?

I can't WAIT to see who W pardons as he leaves office. Should be a regular who's who of upstanding Republicans. Jack Abramoff, Duke Cunningham, Steven Griles. All fine family men, I'm sure.

Assuming he DOES leave office...

But Bill R., Bill Clinton perjured himself, too! Yes, it's a crime, but last I checked, Clinton never went to jail for it. Although he is banned from practicing law (just like Libby). Seems like the punishments fit both scoundrels' crimes.

It's going to be humorous watching Hillary try and be flabbergasted and high and mighty on this issue. I sure hope she doesn't choke on that Marc Rich cash that she and her husband traded for a presidential pardon. Can't you just see the Daily Show running the list of terrorists and fugitive financiers the Clintons pardoned over her speech?

If Lewinskygate was a victimless crime, then Scooter perjuring himself in an investigation where the leaker of Valerie Plame's identity (Richard Armitage) faced absolutely zero charges has to be, too. Sorry to call you leftists bastards on that, but you can't come up with an underlying crime because none was ever committed. If your Golden Boy, Bill Jeff Clinton, didn't have to serve time, why should Libby?

Is it true the WH has turned off the incoming phone lines? If so, that says more than anything I can say.

Near as I can tell, Clinton pardoned over 450 people. Unbelievable?

Posted by: Al | July 2, 2007 11:13 PM

Take your own advise, Al...Ronnie Raygun pardoned 406...Nixon 902...and beyond all that..where does 2 wrongs make a right?

Sorry to call you leftists bastards on that, but you can't come up with an underlying crime because none was ever committed.
Posted by: Hillaryis44 | July 2, 2007 11:30 PM

I guess thats because us "leftist bastards" (childish) find that if a court says a law was broken, we believe in the justice system. We don't pretend to be above the law or the ones that determine what the law is. To run on the law and order party makes 72% of Americans puke.

Come to think of it, can we also hear Mrs. Clinton discuss whether losing your high federal office is insufficient punishment for perjury?

First- Can any of you libs say anything about Bush and the Republicans without calling him names? Grow up!

Second- What was the sentence for Sandy Berger for stealing documents (pertaining to the Clinton pillow fight with terror) from the national archives and then latter lying about it?

Third - Did Clinton get jail time for perjury in his sexual harassment court case?

Fourth - Valerie Plame was not a CIA operative and the investigation should have stopped when Fitzgerald determined this. Which should have been within two days of the start of the investigation. If Valerie Plame was a CIA operative (see legal definition) Fitzgerald would have charged the leaker for that specific violation.

Libby The Traitor obstructed justice while acting GWB's employee. GWB then set him free. Libby carried out his obligation as Bush's thug to distract attention from Bush's lies about yellowcake. As we know, Libby mostly succeeded, as even the admin later conceded that the story was so bogus that it had no place in the SOTU.

As with Marc Rich and every other pardon mentioned, though, there was no accusation that the president had any connection to the crime. Not so here. Even our lowly 26 percenters should be able to see the difference between freeing a random crook like Marc Rich and freeing one of your own murderous thugs. The former results from questionable judgment, while the latter is simply the last step in a criminal conspiracy, deftly carried out to conclusion.

For once -- just once -- maybe you folks can put the country's interests above those of your pathetic political party. Come back to America.

What's significant here is that Libby was guilty of a crime undertaken as GWB's employee

It's time to IMPEACH The Commander Guy and Veep Shotgun Dick !

Take back your country America:
VOTE DEMOCRATIC IN 08 !!!

Great post Al!

And don't all you lefties forget that B.J.Clinton pardoned 16 F.A.L.N. terrorists so Hillary could get the Puerto Rican vote in New York!
I don't think scooter Libby went around making bombs and blowing up innocent Americans...The Clintons are scum!

Paulo

Moderator,

I'm asking you to kindly take down the posts by John D where he's calling people "ba******" (I've counted three on this post story alone), it's insulting to me and everyone else here like myself who enjoy The Swamp, thankyou.

The middle ground? As Richard Dawkins has said, "When two opposite points of view are expressed with equal intensity, the truth does not necessarily lie exactly halfway between them. It is possible for one side to be simply wrong."

There is no middle ground in this case; only the one of justice and the side seeking to elude it.

I am he as Dick is he as Karl is me
and we're all crooks together
See how they run like pigs from a gun
see how they fly
I'm crying
Sitting with my crab-cake
Waiting for Putin to come
KGB T-shirt, stupid bloody Monday
Man you've been a naughty boy
you let your eye go dim

I'm the uniter I'm the decider I'm the commander guy
Goo goo g' joob

Henry bulldog Waxman
pretty little politicians in a row
See how subpoenas fly like Lucy in the sky
See how they try
I'm crying
I'm crying, I'm crying
Weapons of Mass Destruction
I made it up I won't deny
Richard Pearl's wet-dream
Wolfowitz's pet scheme
Boy, you've been a naughty boy
you let your country down

I'm the uniter I'm the decider I'm the commander guy
Goo goo g' joob

Sitting in my Daddy's garden
waiting for Vlady to come
If Putin doesn't come I can still tie one on with Stolichnaya

I'm the uniter I'm the decider I'm the commander guy
Goo goo g' joob

Curveball, Smurfball, yellowcake and Plamegate
don't you think Haliburton laughs at you
See how they smile like pigs in a sty
See how they snide
I'm crying

Climbing up the Tower's rubble
Elementary Chimpy blaring in the bull-horn
Man, you should have seen them eatin' up the words I spoke

I'm the uniter I'm the decider I'm the commander guy
Goo goo g' joob
Goo goo g' joob
Goo goo g' goo
goo goo g' joob goo
juba juba juba
juba juba juba
juba juba juba juba
juba juba

This is a great day. Justice is served and all the liberal leftwing idiots go have a cry together at their favorite hair salon. Libby was railroaded in a political witch hunt. Disclosing Valerie Plame's identity was not crime . Libby didn't even lie -- he remembered the timing of something incorrectly and fell into liberal trap. It would have been a miscarriage of justice for the man to serve time. The Republican Party is the party of law and order, and they have proved yet again.

"Nevermind, I found my own answer. The presidential power to commute stems from the 1925 EX PARTE GROSSMAN case. [Ducat and Chase's Constitutional Interpretation."

Actually, Ex Parte Grossman only confirmed the right of the President to pardon for contempt of court, the case is not directly related to commutations.

The right to commute a sentence is derived from Common Law (the King of England could do it, so the president can too). This was explicitly confirmed in Ex Parte William Wells.

Heck, Scooter won't feel any of the 'excessive' pain the sentence had put upon him. How much do you want to bet that either the RNC or other wealthy friend, such as Cheney or Bush, will either pay his fine for him or give him the money to do so???

He should have been required to have served at least part of the jail term and perhaps had part of the fine reduced...at least he would have felt some misery for his mistake...

It is sickly amusing that all of the republicrit cantidates followed the official script and praised the event. None of them had the testicular fortitude to say that someone who is convicted of a crime has to pay the price.

Hillaryis44,

Please,try not to debate with leftist bastard billr.
He is an idiot-He'll drag you down to his level and beat you with experience...

Paulo

Libby will still get a pardon at the end of Bush's term. When he issues the pardon Bush will release a statement about how the fine and the 570 days of supervised probation was punishment enough.

This was no middle ground, this was the minimum intervention necessary by the President to keep Libby out of jail while at the same protecting Libby's right to claim 5th ammendment protections to avoid tesitfying before Congress.

It will have unintended consquences too. Around the country right now, there are defense lawyers updating their boilereplate language for the appeal of sentences for similar charges. If two years in prison is considered too harsh for these charges in one case, that should apply to all others as well- at least that will be their arguement.

In his statment today, Bush said that the consequences of the judgement against Libby will be long lasting. I suppose from the perspective of the weakened and shamed oval office, 570 days is a long long time.

None of this is a surprise. We all knew this was coming. With Bush's approval ratings at an all time low, it's not like this is going to hurt him with his base (as dwindling as it may be). The neo-cons are always going to scream about Clinton when they're trying to justify breaking the law and violating the Costitution. I don't know if the Bush supporters on this board honestly think that ANY of us could commit perjury and obstruction of justice and NOT do time in jail, but we all know it would never happen. Scooter had his day in court. He had a trial and was found guilty of two felonies. If this had been you or I, we wouldn't have even gotten a 30 month slap on the wrist. We'd be doing YEARS longer! And not in some Federal resort hotel.

The "middle ground" is only temporary. The pardon will come when Bush leaves office.

I generally believe that prison terms are useless in cases like this and Paris Hilton. But if you're going to reduce Libby's prison sentence, then why not change the financial terms. Make the fine a cool million, instead of $250,000. Make the probationary period longer, too.

And so the biggest lie perpetrated on the American public since Vietnam continues.

And let's make no mistake. Libby's crime was part of a concerted effort to discredit Joe Wilson by outing his covert CIA wife. Splitting hairs and stating that he wasn't the first to out Plame so no crime was committed may sell with the prosecutor, but this citizen isn't buying it. If a group of holigans yells "fire" in a crowded theater all at once, it doesn't mean the intent to cause chaos wasn't there.

And the White House outed a covert agent DESPITE the fact that the horses were already out of the barn. The Bush administration already had its war and tens of thousands of people were about to lose their lives and limbs.

Tens of thousands of men and women have lost their lives and limbs because of this president's decision to go to war based on fraud and deception.

That's all that needs to be said.

Nobody seems to get this very mportant point.

With a commutation of sentence, Libby's appeals process continues, and he cannot be forced to testify. If he were pardoned, then he has no choice BUT to testify.

This is a calculated part of a widespread coverup. The Trib should be reporting this on the front page as a continuing coverup - as they most certainly would have if this were a Democratic administration.

This is a failure of our political system, our justice system, and the role of the press in promoting the truth.

I am amazed at the great lengths cons will go to to rationalize this rampant lawbreaking. They lack true morality, have no sense of proportion, have a perverted idea of what justice is, are dishonest at their core, and stand for no other principal than to deny ever being wrong about anything ever.

A lesson for our Republican friends who's response has been to scream "Marc Rich!"-

The Democrats DID criticize the Marc Rich Pardon at the time.

"The pardon of Rich has been criticized by some congressional Democrats as well. Rep. Henry Waxman of California, senior Democrat on the committee, called the par "an end run around the judicial process."

"The pardons, particularly Rich's, have drawn some criticism. Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, called it "a disgrace," and even Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota said he was troubled by that pardon, describing it as "inappropriate."

"Mr. Chairman, while I am not entirely comfortable with the focus of this hearing, I do believe that legitimate questions have been raised about the pardon of Marc Rich in particular. And for me, as for many Senators, and many Americans, suspicions about this pardon arise from the fact that Marc Rich’s ex-wife Denise Rich was a large donor to the Democratic party. Not just a large donor, a huge donor. According to press reports based on the research of the Center for Responsive Politics, Ms. Rich donated $867,000 to Democratic Party committees during the Clinton presidency, and most of that was soft money. She also donated $66,300 to individual Democratic candidates in hard money. She also contributed $450,000 to President Clinton's presidential library fund. These kinds of numbers can’t help but raise questions about this pardon." - Senator Russ Feingold

Too bad you Republicans are such sheep that you can't bring yourself to ever question the decisions of your leader, no matter how misguided.

I continue to be perplexed by Libby's defenders.

A career Republican prosecuter, Patrick Fiztgerald,was tasked by a Republican DOJ to act as special prosecuter to investigate the disclosure of a covert CIA agent, Valerie Plame.

A grand jury indicted Libby for perjury. A jury found Libby guilty and a Republican judge appointed by Dubya sentenced Libby.

And this is all a witch hunt by Democrats? You people are nuts.

As a conservative Republican, I was disgusted with the Clinton last-minute pardons. Ditto for what Bush did for Libby. If you believe in the rule of law, then the White House has "jumped the shark" with this latest stunt. I will not vote for any GOP candidate who supports what the President did with Libby.

R.I.P.
U. S. Constitution

Ratified June 21, 1788
Died July 2, 2007

Let's look at the facts, folks. Scooter Libby DID NOT OUT Valerie Plame. It was Richard Armitage and the CIA. Armitage told Robert Novak it was Plame who had herv hubby sent to Niger and then the CIA confirmed it for Novak. Patrick Fitzgerald knew this within ONE WEEK of being handed the case.
So, let's see, that is like if the police or DA knew who the Brown's Chicken murderers were within one week of investigating the crime, but then not charging anyone with anything for three years but indicting someone they interviewed who couldn't remember a converation they had with investigators two years after they first spoke with investigators.
Fact is, Libby had nothing to do with Plame's so-called outing and Fitgerald knew that from the beginning. Libby was indicted on perjury and obstruction of justice, which in itself is questionable because no one remembers exact conversation and when they took place two, three years after they happened.
So Loony Lefties, please tell us who you spoke to and what you said to them three years ago!