Laws? What laws?

[Pakuni]

Apparently breaking the law is A-OK if you know the right people.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070702/ap_on_go_pr_wh/cia_leak_trial;_ylt=AqzYRwzqxOmTJQA5hBfqfDR34T0D

 Bush commutes Libby prison sentence

By MATT APUZZO, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - President Bush commuted the sentence of former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby on Monday, sparing him from a 2 1/2-year prison term that Bush said was excessive.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Apparently breaking the law is A-OK if you know the right people.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070702/ap_on_go_pr_wh/cia_leak_trial;_ylt=AqzYRwzqxOmTJQA5hBfqfDR34T0D

 Bush commutes Libby prison sentence

By MATT APUZZO, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - President Bush commuted the sentence of former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby on Monday, sparing him from a 2 1/2-year prison term that Bush said was excessive.

For someone that is so particular on details, your headline amazed me.  The guy has to pay a $250,000 fine and is on probation for two years.  He wasn't pardoned, his sentence was commuted and most certainly is being punished.  Over $2 million in legal fees and 1/4 million fine.

It may not be the punishment you would have liked, but he's still being punished....for breaking the law.  So "laws? what laws?" is a rather interesting headline.  Considering Fitzmas didn't find any laws were broken in the original purpose of the investigation of an "outted" agent and this guy was sent to prison for not having a clear memory, I'm glad today's decision was made.

Guess what...so were some of the original jury members already interviewed today.  They thought 30 months we prepostourous as well.

Now, let's talk about your outrage over PARDONS (not commuted sentences) of Marc Rich, Roger Clinton, etc and the gang.  Let's talk about Sandy Burglar's debt to society while we're at it as well.   

[tower912]

Completely expected.   Actually not a loser for Bush.   His ratings cannot get lower with center and left, so who cares if he p***** them off?   He may bring back some of the right angry at him over immigration, so I see a 4-5 point bump in the polls for W(tf) from this.   Plus, he shows he is loyal.   As if the fact that Gonzales still has a job isn't proof enough of his fierce loyalty.    But again, not at all surprising.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Completely expected.   Actually not a loser for Bush.   His ratings cannot get lower with center and left, so who cares if he p***** them off?   He may bring back some of the right angry at him over immigration, so I see a 4-5 point bump in the polls for W(tf) from this.   Plus, he shows he is loyal.   As if the fact that Gonzales still has a job isn't proof enough of his fierce loyalty.    But again, not at all surprising.

I agree entierely Tower....he has pissed off conservatives so much with immigration that this was an easy one to call.  By commuting the sentence rather than pardoning it, he also doesn't take as much heat.  He'll score a few points with some folks, but as far as I'm concerned the immigration deal was the last nail in the coffin.

And for those in need a of a quick history lesson from 2001 from a President William Jefferson Clinton:

included on this list are known rapists, drug dealers, sexual predator, child molestor, etc....yet I'm sure you will hear the feigned "outrage" by Hillary on this within the next 30 minutes if not sooner.

COMMUTATIONS:

Benjamin Berger

Ronald Henderson Blackley

Bert Wayne Bolan

Gloria Libia Camargo

Charles F. Campbell

David Ronald Chandler

Lau Ching Chin

Donald R. Clark

Loreta De-Ann Coffman

Derrick Curry

Velinda Desalus

Jacob Elbaum

Linda Sue Evans

Loretta Sharon Fish

Antoinette M. Frink

David Goldstein

Gerard A. Greenfield

Jodie E. Israel

Kimberly Johnson

Billy Thornton Langston Jr.

Belinda Lynn Lumpkin

Peter MacDonald

Kellie Ann Mann

Peter Ninemire

Hugh Ricardo Padmore

Arnold Paul Prosperi

Melvin J. Reynolds

Pedro Miguel Riveiro

Dorothy Rivers

Susan Rosenberg

Kalmen Stern

Cory Stringfellow

Carlo Anibal Vignali Jr.

Thomas Wilson Waddell III

Harvey Weinig

Kim Allen Willis


PARDONS:

Verla Jean Allen

Nicholas M. Altiere

Bernice Ruth Altschul

Joe Anderson Jr.

William Sterling Anderson

Mansour Azizkhani

Cleveland Victor Babin Jr.

Chris Harmon Bagley

Scott Lynn Bane

Thomas Cleveland Barber

Peggy Ann Bargon

David Roscoe Blampied

William Arthur Borders Jr.

Arthur David Borel

Douglas Chrles Borel

George Thomas Brabham

Almon Glenn Braswell

Leonard Browder

David Steven Brown

Delores Caroylene Burleson, aka Delores Cox Burleson

John H. Bustamante

Mary Louise Campbell

Eloida Candelaria

Dennis Sobrevinas Capili

Donna Denise Chambers

Douglas Eugene Chapman

Ronald Keith Chapman

Francisco Larois Chavez

Henry G. Cisneros

Roger Clinton

Stuart Harris Cohn

David Marc Cooper

Ernest Harley Cox Jr.

John F. Cross Jr.

Reickey Lee Cunningham

Richard Anthony De Labio

John Deutch

Richard Douglas

Edward Reynolds Downe

Marvin Dean Dudley

Larry Lee Duncan

Robert Clinton Fain

Marcos Arcenio Fernandez

Alvarez Ferrouillet

William Dennis Fugazy

Lloyd Reid George

Louis Goldstein

Rubye Lee Gordon

Pincus Green

Robert Ivey Hamner

Samuel Price Handley

Woodie Randolph Handley

Jay Houston Harmon

John Hummingson

David S. Herdlinger

Debi Rae Huckleberry

Donald Ray James

Stanley Pruet Jobe

Ruben H. Johnson

Linda Jones

James Howard Lake

June Louise Lewis

Salim Bonnor Lewis

John Leighton Lodwick

Hildebrando Lopez

Jose Julio Luaces

James Timothy Maness

James Lowell Manning

John Robert Martin

Frank Ayala Martinez

Silvia Leticia Beltran Martinez

John Francis McCormick

Susan H. McDougal

Howard Lawrence Mechanic

Brook K. Mitchell Sr.

Samuel Loring Morison

Charles Wilfred Morgan III

Richard Anthony Nazzaro

Charlene Ann Nosenko

Vernon Raymond Obermeier

Miguelina Ogalde

David C. Owen

Robert W. Palmer

Kelli Anne Perhosky

Richard H. Pezzopane

Orville Rex Phillips

Vinson Stewart Poling Jr.

Norman Lyle Prouse

Willie H.H. Pruitt Jr.

Danny Martin Pursley Sr.

Charles D. Ravenel

William Clyde Ray

Alfredo Luna Regalado

Ildefonso Reynes Ricafort

Marc Rich

Howard Winfield Riddle

Richard Wilson Riley Jr.

Samuel Lee Robbins

Joel Gonzales Rodriguez

Michael James Rogers

Anna Louise Ross

Gerald Glen Rust

Jerri Ann Rust

Bettye June Rutherford

Gregory Lee Sands

Adolph Schwimmer

Albert A. Seretti Jr.

Patricia Campbell Hearst Shaw

Dennis Joseph Smith

Gerald Owen Smith

Stephen A. Smith

Jimmie Lee Speake

Charles Bernard Stewart

Marlena Francisca Stewart-Rollins

John Fife Symington III

Richard Lee Tannehill

Nicholas C. Tenaglia

Gary Allen Thomas

Larry Weldon Todd

Olga C. Trevino

Ignatious Vamvouklis

Patricia A. Van De Weerd

Christopher V. Wade

Bill Wayne Warmath

Jack Kenneth Watson

Donna Lynn Webb

Donald William Wells

Robert H. Wendt

Jack L. Williams

Kavin Arthur Williams

Robert Michael Williams

Jimmie Lee Wilson

Thelma Louise Wingate

Mitchell Couey Wood

Warren Stannard Wood

Dewey Worthey

Rick Allen Yale

Joseph A. Yasak

William Stanley Yingling

Phillip David Young

[Pakuni]

Apparently breaking the law is A-OK if you know the right people.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070702/ap_on_go_pr_wh/cia_leak_trial;_ylt=AqzYRwzqxOmTJQA5hBfqfDR34T0D

 Bush commutes Libby prison sentence

By MATT APUZZO, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - President Bush commuted the sentence of former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby on Monday, sparing him from a 2 1/2-year prison term that Bush said was excessive.

For someone that is so particular on details, your headline amazed me.  The guy has to pay a $250,000 fine and is on probation for two years.  He wasn't pardoned, his sentence was commuted and most certainly is being punished.  Over $2 million in legal fees and 1/4 million fine.

It may not be the punishment you would have liked, but he's still being punished....for breaking the law.  So "laws? what laws?" is a rather interesting headline.  Considering Fitzmas didn't find any laws were broken in the original purpose of the investigation of an "outted" agent and this guy was sent to prison for not having a clear memory, I'm glad today's decision was made.

Guess what...so were some of the original jury members already interviewed today.  They thought 30 months we prepostourous as well.

Now, let's talk about your outrage over PARDONS (not commuted sentences) of Marc Rich, Roger Clinton, etc and the gang.  Let's talk about Sandy Burglar's debt to society while we're at it as well.   

Please point out where I said anyone is being pardoned. In fact, please point out anywhere in my post where the word "pardon" appears. In fact, i'm pretty sure the word P-A-R-D-O-N cannot be compiled with the words I did type.
If you're going to correct me, you might as well  ... you know ... be correct about it.

As for the fine and probation ... wow. The probation is meaningless, unless he intends to violate more federal laws in the next couple years and the fines will almost assuredly be covered by the Scooter Libby Defense Fund.
He is not being punished and it's a joke for you to believe he has been. Funny, you didn't feel the same way when Sandy Berger got off with a fine and probation.

And since I'm sure you're about to post a list of Clinton pardons, I'm sure that means you're OK with each and every one of them. Right?

[Pakuni]

COMMUTATIONS:

Benjamin Berger

Ronald Henderson Blackley

Bert Wayne Bolan

See ... you're getting too predictable.

[ChicosBailBonds]

There is actually some brilliance in commuting the sentence rather than pardoning...it allows Libby to continue with his appeal.  If we wins his appeal, it would clear his name as well and in that process we can put Joe Wilson under oath.  Oh wouldn't that be fun.

It is funny to watch the explosion on DKos and DummiesUnderground right now.  With Tom DeLay's appeal going to victory for him and now this, pretty funny watching the fishing expeditions go down in flames.


Now, if he REALLY wants to get conservatives excited, pardon those two Border Agents that are in prison right now for doing their damn job.


Welcome to America, where the judicial branch legislates, the legislative branch executes wars, and the executive branch metes out justice.

[Pakuni]

It is funny to watch the explosion on DKos and DummiesUnderground right now.  With Tom DeLay's appeal going to victory for him and now this, pretty funny watching the fishing expeditions go down in flames.

Fishing expedition? Down in flames? Huh?

But you just said Scotter was punished and, it seems to be your opinion, punished harshly. Which is it? Did it go down in flames or was he punished?

Anyhow, let's explore the "fishing expedition" theory a bit because that has got to be the lamest rationalization for criminal behavior I have ever heard. As the theory goes, it was unfair for Fitzgerald to indict Libby because Scooter had nothing to do with the leak and finding the source of the leak was the primary purpose of the investigation.
How silly is that?
Using that logic, a cop walking past a robbery in progress on his way to investigate a murder can't stop and do anything about it.

Of course, the same people offering this theory have no problem impeaching a president for lying regarding an affair with an intern during a grand jury investigation of an entirely different claim.

Is it too much to ask for a little consistency?

[tower912]

You agree with me, Chico?   Damn, now I have to rethink the whole thing.

[tower912]

Plus, he was just keeping up a family tradition. http://www.fas.org/news/iran/1992/921224-260039.htm
Man, stuff from the early 90's does not really translate well to the net.   I did find the irony in President-elect Clinton's statement.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Harry Reid responds

“The President's decision to commute Mr. Libby’s sentence is disgraceful. Libby’s conviction was the one faint glimmer of accountability for White House efforts to manipulate intelligence and silence critics of the Iraq War. Now, even that small bit of justice has been undone. Judge Walton correctly determined that Libby deserved to be imprisoned for lying about a matter of national security. The Constitution gives President Bush the power to commute sentences, but history will judge him harshly for using that power to benefit his own Vice President’s Chief of Staff who was convicted of such a serious violation of law.”

It's funny, Sandy Burgler....not a comment from him or from Reid (or soon Nancy, Hillary, Obama, etc on Sandy Burglar's actions or Bill Clinton's pardons, etc).  I wonder why?   

[augoman]

I still can't believe sandy burglar didn't do a day of time..., after all, he lied under oath about his theft and destruction of classified docs, until advised that he was on videotape!  Either of those crimes deserves serious time. 

[Pakuni]

I still can't believe sandy burglar didn't do a day of time..., after all, he lied under oath about his theft and destruction of classified docs, until advised that he was on videotape!  Either of those crimes deserves serious time. 

1. Berger did not lie under oath and was never charged with lying under oath. He, in fact, was never called to testify about his Hamburglar act.

2. He didn't do time because he 1) pleaded guilty and 2) was convicted of a misdemeanor. This may shock some, but people who take plea deals are dealt with less harshly than those who do not. That is, after all, the reason people take plea deals. Likewise, people convicted of misdemeanors almost always receive less severe sentences than those convicted of felonies.

[Phi Iota Gamma 84]

included on this list are known rapists, drug dealers, sexual predator, child molestor, etc....yet I'm sure you will hear the feigned "outrage" by Hillary on this within the next 30 minutes if not sooner.

COMMUTATIONS:

Benjamin Berger

Ronald Henderson Blackley

Bert Wayne Bolan

Chicos...The list would be more impressive if you had how much they paid for the pardons/commutations and whether or not they got a night in the Lincoln Bedroom thrown in.

[Murffieus]

What the trial came down to is-----does the jury believe Tim Russert or Scooter Libby-----the jury predictably sided with Russert who could have been lying through his teeth (being moderater of meet the press didn't hurt him here)-----we'll never know for sure-----but given the margin for error here, 2 1/2 years is very excessive.

All boils down to much to do about nothing, as their was no underlying crime commited----the person that leaked the information on Valarie Plame wasn't charged!

[ChicosBailBonds]

Pakuni, not long ago....a few months ago...you said you were supportive of McCain and Giuliani.

Giuliani today said he was a bit disappointed by Bush's actions yesterday.....he wanted Bush to give him a FULL PARDON.  I thought that was interesting.

McCain, meanwhile was silent on the issue...he must still be figuring out how to get 50 million additional people into the country.

Romney called it reasonable.

And as predicted, the feigned outrage on the left has been all to predictable and in some cases, the absolute rank height of hypocrisy.


Now....Pardon those two Border Patrol agents!

[Pakuni]

Pakuni, not long ago....a few months ago...you said you were supportive of McCain and Giuliani.

I don't recall saying I'm supportive if McCain, though I do like Rudy.
That said, of course they say they support it. They are, after all, in a primary and need to feed the base all the red meat they can handle. In that regard, the myth that Scooter Libby was somehow mistreated by the system is the equivalent of a 24-ounce Porterhouse.
That said, simply because Rudy and/or McCain endorsed the move does not make it right and does not make it justified. They are both wrong on this count.
Scooter Libby's commutation had nothing to do with justice and everything to do with politics, and that alone is reason to be outraged. Had there been an actual miscarriage of justice here, that's one thing. But there's zero evidence that is the case here. There's no question here whether Scooter received a fair and full trial and was found guilty under the laws of this nation. His sentence was commuted not because of an injustice, but because who he knows. So much for justice being blind.

As for the left's outrage, I have no doubt that has more to do with politics than a genuine feeling that the justice system has been subverted. The right played the same game with Marc Rich. Both sides are wrong.

Regarding Murff's comment about it being much ado about nothing, he's full of bunk. Lying under oath to impede a criminal investigation is never much ado about nothing.
I'd bet dollars to doughnuts Murff didn't feel the same way about Slick Willie lying under oath. And that, mind you, wasn't to impede an investigation, but to cover his you-know-what.

[ilovefreeway]

What the trial came down to is-----does the jury believe Tim Russert or Scooter Libby-----the jury predictably sided with Russert who could have been lying through his teeth (being moderater of meet the press didn't hurt him here)-----we'll never know for sure-----but given the margin for error here, 2 1/2 years is very excessive.

All boils down to much to do about nothing, as their was no underlying crime commited----the person that leaked the information on Valarie Plame wasn't charged!

I'm a prosecutor, so please believe me that no charge doesn't = no crime.

[mviale]

all of clintons pardon/commutations served some time.

[Murffieus]

Well a bigtime criminal like Marc Rich should do time ! The guy ripped off millions!

[tower912]

W(tf) was within his rights to commute Libby's sentence.   But there was underlying crimes, no matter what the nattering nabobs on the right say.   Plame was undercover, that is why the CIA originally requested the investigation into the leak; because one of their covert agents had been outed.  A crime.   No one else was indicted because of Libby's lies.  His refusal to tell the truth was the source of the obstruction and perjury charges that a jury convicted him of.   That is why Fitzgerald said in the indictment that Libby threw sand in the eyes of the umpire.   No further case could be proven because Libby wouldn't tell the truth.  Pretty simple.   But, GWB did have the right to commute the sentence, and as I posted before, he has no one left to offend, so, other than history, it really isn't a loser for him.

[mviale]

Why do the regressives always claim "its not the first time" whenever they do something wrong - this doesnt make it right.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Why do the regressives always claim "its not the first time" whenever they do something wrong - this doesnt make it right.

Why do the JackAsses come unglued when someone on the right does something that the left has been doing for years and there isn't a peep out of the left when it's their guy?

[ChicosBailBonds]

Why hasn't Fitzfong gone after Richard Armitage...the person that ACTUALLY DID THE LEAKING???

We all know the real answer, but shhhhhh....we can't say it because that wouldn't be right.

[mviale]

Pardoning your own bad employees - shame shame

Just resign for america's sake