O.T.: Bush commutes Libby prison sentence

[Rodger Tellefson]

We knew this was comming. What a crock.



By BEN FELLER, Associated Press Writer

5 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - President Bush spared former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby from a 2 1/2-year prison term in the CIA leak case Monday, stepping into a criminal case with heavy political overtones on grounds that the sentence was just too harsh.

 

[Brandon Hovater]

That just pisses me off!

 

[Thomas Rogers]

File this under the category



"Yet another controversial, political news story that I will probably never know the whole truth of and yet doesn't really make a difference in my life"



TJR

 

[Eric Pennal]

The conservatives will rail all day about how Libby didn't commit a crime, and shouldn't have been tried in the first place.



However, this story has nothing to do with that. This is about Bush's contempt for court opinions and laws he doesn't agree with. His credibility has gone so far down the toilet, he doesn't care what anybody thinks anymore.

 

[Kevin Palmer]

This is simply politics as we know it.



It has nothing to do with Bush or any party persay.



You had to see this one coming, just a matter of when was all...

 

[EddieS'04]

Well he has along way to go to catch up to Clintons Pardons and sentance commutes....

 

[Matthew W]

Quit your griping ... Clinton himself did much worse than Libby and nobody does anything but praise him (wonderful Liberal media he has in his pockets, eh ?) ...

 

[shawn stonbraker 2]

I second what math-you and Fast Eddie has said. I'm surprised more hasn't said it.



I just know that I won't be voting for Bush this next election....

 

[Rodger Tellefson]

I just know that I won't be voting for any mainstream politicians in the next election. I am so discusted with both parties working for their self-centered concerns, and not the people of the Great country of ours who elected them, in makes me want to (fill in the blank).

 

[Rick Kent]

That just pisses me off!

What part? The politically motivated special prosecutor or the politically motivated pardon?



P..S. the link below is a list of the Clinton era pardons. Now that Bush is nearing the end of his term expect many more pardons & commutations. That's just how it is done.

 

[Bill V]

Interesting that in the end, Libby ends up doing less time than Paris Hilton, for a far more serious offense.

 

[Matthew W]

A far more serious offense ??? You must be joking - the most serious offense in the whole situation was the purely political witch-hunt the Democrats & Liberals created ... he was prosecuted for not having the exact same recollections as reporters/media had - and we ALL know how honest those people are :lol::lol::lol::wacko::blink:

 

[Ryan Schaecher]

However, this story has nothing to do with that. This is about Bush's contempt for court opinions and laws he doesn't agree with. His credibility has gone so far down the toilet, he doesn't care what anybody thinks anymore.

Dare I bring up Marc Rich? Credibility or not, at least he hasn't been impeached.

 

[TrainTrac]

The fact is that Libby was prosecuted following an investigation of an action that did not constitute a crime under our laws. The special prosecutor pretended to be looking for the person who had "leaked" Valerie Plame's name to the media ... He knew the identity of that person from the beginning of his investigation (Richard Armitage). Patrick Fitzgerald packed the Beltway jury with people not exactly in love with George Bush, and then set Libby up as the symbol of the Bush Administration.



And besides that, Valerie Plame was not in a covert agent status at the time that her name was allegedly leaked. She was working a desk job at CIA headquarters in Langley, VA. Libby wasn't even convicted of "leaking Plame's identity". Fitzgerald knew he didn't have a case for that, so rather than look stupid and eat crow for wasting taxpayer money on a pointless, politically motivated investigation, he came up with perjury charges for Libby.

 

[Ryan Schaecher]

The fact is that Libby was prosecuted following an investigation of an action that did not constitute a crime under our laws. The special prosecutor pretended to be looking for the person who had "leaked" Valerie Plame's name to the media ... He knew the identity of that person from the beginning of his investigation (Richard Armitage). Patrick Fitzgerald packed the Beltway jury with people not exactly in love with George Bush, and then set Libby up as the symbol of the Bush Administration.



And besides that, Valerie Plame was not in a covert agent status at the time that her name was allegedly leaked. She was working a desk job at CIA headquarters in Langley, VA. Libby wasn't even convicted of "leaking Plame's identity". Fitzgerald knew he didn't have a case for that, so rather than look stupid and eat crow for wasting taxpayer money on a pointless, politically motivated investigation, he came up with perjury charges for Libby.

You should know by now that when it comes to a "conservative" or at least comparitively so administration or anyone with an (R) behind their name, facts don't matter. 14 reasons were given to go into Iraq.... you only hear about (1) of them. Clinton lied to a grand jury.... but his impeachment was "just about sex". Trent Lott can say nice things to an old man in Strom Thurmond that gets taken out of context and looses his leadership position - Robert Byrd is a former KKK leader and he is a leader of the Democrat party.... Facts don't mean anything in politics....

 

[Bob Corning]

Reading the messages, it's pretty clear our bias's are showing. If you're on the Left, everyone to the Right of you is a Fazist idiot. Those on the Right believe everyone to their left are Liberal Commies. Regarding this commutation of sentence, it really is just "business as usual" in our government. Both parties have been taking care of their own for decades. To me the only thing surprising about this action is the speed and the fact that he didn't actually give him a pardon - Libby is still liable for a large fine (full pardon to follow in a couple weeks I'm betting.) One thing is pretty clear based on Bush's poll numbers, his performance in office has been a very large disappointment to the vast majority of Americans - Right or Left leaning. The debt has grown by leaps and bounds, primarily due to an ill advised war with no end in sight, and we have the largest, most expensive government in our history. Big government is supposed to be a hallmark of Dems, but Bush has exceeded all expectations in this area.

 

[Ron Reeves]

Sorta reminds one of the Ford/Nixon pardon.......:wacko:

 

[Thomas Rogers]

+1 on what Crash said.



This news is another non-issue that takes everyone's eye off the ball and the real issues. Even terrorism and our fight against it has taken our eye off the ball. So what is "the ball", you ask?



Answer: Govt should be focused on helping all Americans to lead good, properous, safe, happy lives.



Most of what I see our govt doing seems to not further that goal one bit.



TJR

 

[Bill V]

Math-you--



Yes--Perjury is a far more serious offense than driving with a suspended license. Period.



You can debate about the validity or merits of this particular set of charges/verdict/sentence. But from my perspective, that's all irrelevant to the point that I was making--which is that someone convicted of perjury got less time in the clink than Paris did.



When you try to make a claim that this was just a baseless liberal witch hunt, keep two things in mind: 1) Bush didn't pardon him, he just commuted the sentence. Which would seem to imply to some that even George didn't believe that Scooter was fully innocent. 2) The judge that sentenced him to 30 months was a Bush appointee.



And since TJR already "+1"ed crash, I'll give him +2.



(edited to reflect Bill-E's correction on the charges against Paris)

 

[Bill Ellis]

Paris Hilton got jail time for driving on a suspended license after being caught twice. Had nothing to do with drunk driving. Martha Stewart got 5 months for perjury and obstruction; same thing as Libby's conviction. Had Libby received a 5 month sentence we probably wouldn't be having this conversation. Seems to me too that a felony record, a $250,000 fine and two years probation are not exactly mild penalties. He was not pardoned. Besides, how does anything that happens to him affect any of us?



While some of you are bashing Bush, take some time to read about Mr. Bill's record in regard to pardons.