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Calling the sentence imposed on Lewis "Scooter" Libby "harsh" and "excessive," George W. Bush commuted the 30-month sentence on Monday. Not quite the full pardon that some conservatives wanted — he still has to pay a quarter million dollar fine and serve 2 years probation for lying under oath — it certainly left Bush open to criticism, from both sides of the congressional aisle. “He was indicted by a grand jury and convicted beyond the shadow of a doubt by one of the best prosecutors in America, Patrick Fitzgerald, and didn’t have a single member of a 12-member jury stand up with him ... at that point, if you’ve done the crime, you should do the time,” north suburban Congressman Mark Kirk (R-Northbrook) told the press. Dick Durbin invoked Paris Hilton (but not Richard Nixon), and Chicago's own Jesse Jackson Jr. is calling for Bush's impeachment, calling the commutation a very serious crime "against the Constitution of the United States" (Jackson seems to have some of his own ideas about Article 2 of the Constitution.)
While Democrats hammered Bush's obvious lack of will to hold anyone in his administration accountable for their actions - something the president himself seems incapable of embodying anyway - Republicans were subdued in their support of his actions, although a few were downright outspoken in their support of the man. Alan Simpson (R-Wyoming) summed up the political equivalent of 2+2, saying, "He gets hammered every day. They don't think George is doing anything right, so what do you lose?"
Now that Patrick Fitzgerald has done exactly what he wasn't supposed to do, and Jesse Jackson Jr. has started jumping up and down in front of the press crying for mutually assured destruction, we're left with little of anything. No closure on one of the darker chapters of our national history, no end to the disasters of this presidency. In many ways, this is just a symptom of the death of the American Presidency, an institution first diagnosed with a deadly cancer in the Nixon years, and upgraded to terminal N-stage in 1994. With the current state of national politics in this nation, we find ourselves thinking again of Thomas Jefferson, the thoughtful founder of American liberty, and a man steeped in perpetual personal conflict:
God forbid we should ever be twenty years without such a rebellion. The people cannot be all, and always, well informed ... if they remain quiet under such misconceptions, it is lethargy, the forerunner of death to the public liberty ... what country before ever existed a century and half without a rebellion? And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms ... the tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
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This article and the gaper's block review of Sicko bring home a disturbing point: U.S. political leaders are not beholden to the citizens of this country as there is no threat we will rise up and put a beatdown upon them.
But what's there to do about it? There seems to be no party that a majority can agree on making countrywide protests unlikely and uneffective if a message can't be agreed upon.
Presidential pardon for white collar crime is just tacky.
Bush finally finds a criminal whose sentence he can find it in his heart to commute. What a noble gesture; noble in the most aristocratic sense of the word.
http://www.usdoj.gov/pardon/clintonpardon_grants.htm
If a pardon for white collar crime is tacky, what are pardons for cocaine dealing, armed bank robberies and the like??
Also, several weeks ago, about 1/2 the people on both sides of the political aisle said they woulnd't mind a pardon since Scooter was the fall guy for everbody. How things have changed since it's so politically advantagous to hall Bush out on the rug for the pardon.
It must be nice to have so short a memory...
Is there no limit to the arrogance of this presidency? Politicians, in general, are a despicable sort. But this administration doesn't even try to hide the fact that it could care less about serving the interests of the American people. This self-serving president first and foremost only cares about his "base."
are you saying its time for a revolution??
"Also, several weeks ago, about 1/2 the people on both sides of the political aisle said they woulnd't mind a pardon since Scooter was the fall guy for everbody."
Was this a Fox News poll? According to the most recent poll I could find (by Time magazine), 72 percent of Americans think Bush should not pardon Libby, compared with 18 percent who think he should.
This is very disheartening. The fact that Washington lives by it's own rules should anger every citizen to the brink of revolution. I'm not asking for a revolution, but rather that a clear message be sent that unless they cut the crap one will be forthcoming.
sorry to burst your bubble, guest #3, according to CNN's poll, 72% of people were against a pardon for Libby. I think most Americans actually think that people should spend time behind bars for the crimes that they commit. We aren't happy when a murderer gets out early, we aren't happy when a rich, white man gets to obstruct justice and not have to do time.
The judge followed federal sentencing guidelines that the Bush Administration has hailed as practically law for their 6-1/2 years, why does Scooter get privileges that hardly anyone else is ever afforded? Oh, he did his job and he did it well. Kept his mouth shut, so the investigation into whether a CIA agent was outed could not go forward - how many people did he save from having to serve jail time?
First, this half-measure pardon is crap. Look for the full pardon in Jan. 2009. But what do you expect from probably the biggest collection of hypocrites and liars and warmongers since the Soviet politburo?
Second, even if Libby were reporting to prison, how the hell could that provide "closure," as Kevin states? The war still is ongoing, after all. Trust me, we are unlikely to see any "closure" until most of us are nearing retirement age, if at all. In many ways, the aftermath of Iraq--absent a political miracle over there--will be much worse than the aftermath of Vietnam. "Closure" ain't even on the distant horizon.
Third, nice to see he drags out the old but useful Jefferson quote. But what's the point? Are you seriously calling for rebellion, or merely offering the tease of revolution? Are you trying to be edgy, or do you have an actual plan? Do you have leaders in mind? Have you considered tactics and strategies? Keep in mind that calling for the violent overthrow of the US government is a crime.
Kevin Robinson,
Could you explain what you mean by "Now that Patrick Fitzgerald has done exactly what he wasn't supposed to do..."?
Is this sarcasm? Are you saying Fitzgerald shouldn't have worked to convict a government employee because they're all supposed to cover each other's backs?
Perjury is a bullshit crime you charge political enemies with when you can't come up with anything else. Bush gets 1 point from me.
Using the judicial system for politics is a terrible idea, no matter who does it.
Libby is still getting more for perjury than Clinton did.
The last things we need right now are 1) revolution and 2) the current two-party system.
At least Durbin didn't invoke Pol Pot...
"Perjury is a bullshit crime you charge political enemies with when you can't come up with anything else. Bush gets 1 point from me."
Talk about bullshit. Who are you accusing of having a political beef with Libby, anyway? The republican-appointed prosecutor? The republican-appointed judge? The 12-person jury?
Oh, please. Conservatives and their Clinton-fixation. Save me.
What ticks me off most about the commutation- aside from the blatant hypocrisy, which I never seem to get used to- is how well it works out for the Bushies. As I understand it, if it had been a pardon, Scooter would not have been able to plead the 5th in any future hearings- because he's still liable for his actions with the commutation, he gets to keep being a good little boy.
What, did you expect Bush wouldn't do this? Presidents of all parties since the start of this country have been pardoning people that have helped them in the past. Clinton did the same thing in pardoning 133 people, but at least he had the sense to do it an hour before he left office.
Perjury is a bullshit crime you charge political enemies with when you can't come up with anything else.
Yes. Lying before a grand jury--what's the big deal? Should I ever find myself being tried for a serious crime, I might as well lie too. After all, what have I got to lose? I'm sure I would no doubt have my sentence commuted as well, being the "good American" that I am...
And by the way, it was precisely this lying, that Patrick Fitzgerald attributed to the failure to convict on the more serious charges...
Anyone want to take a stab at how many of the people on this list contributed to the Clinton library before they were pardoned by said President?
http://www.usdoj.gov/pardon/clintonpardon_grants.htm
Anyone want to take a stab at how many of the people on this list contributed to the Clinton library before they were pardoned by said President?
http://www.usdoj.gov/pardon/clintonpardon_grants.htm
Chicagoist is calling on the spirit of Thomas Jefferson I see. Well, he was a wealthy, non-urban, aristocrat who socialized only with the very elite of society, so I can see how you might identify.
Perhaps you would like to go back to a society where only white, property owning males can vote, and where the "best and brightest" like TJ owned, bought, and sold slaves, all while saying all men are created equal. Some other highlights of his thought process include no interracial marriage, castration for homosexuals, and hard and fast support of the 2nd amendment.
Let it go, Sinep. Let it go.
"Clinton did the same thing in pardoning 133 people, but at least he had the sense to do it an hour before he left office"
Or, he knew he couldn't stand up and face the music after he did it.
Brings up another question, Why do president's typically wait until the last day of the presidency to pardon people? Pretty pussy move if you ask me. Really, what honor is there in granting a bunch of pardons to low life scum who happen to be your friend, with minutes left on your presidency so you don't have to talk about it?
Please, this was a 100% political trial carried out because frustrated Democrats can't cope with being the fact that 50.5% of the country disagrees with them.
They failed to oust Bush in 2004 and are now reduced to the pathetic state of the Republicans circa 1998. Using the judicary to advance political goals is a terrible idea. Try winning at the polls instead.
Sad. Sad. Sad.
How the hell was this a politcal trial?
Seriously, tell me.
See, the prosecutor was a freaking GOP appointee.
And the jury found him guilty.
That's how these thing work.
Oh, yeah, lying under oath is a fucking big deal. If it wasn't, what's the point of having a legal system? A litte lie, you might say? So fucking what. A lie under oath is a lie under oath. And twelve jurors said it was.
More god*amn apologists for corruption and tryanny. Sheep.
And just becuase Bill Clinton was a loser doesn't make Dubya any better.
I'm not sure if the Scooter Libby trial constitutes one of the "darker chapters in our national history." LOL. I don't think it even constitutes one of the darker chapters of our national history this year.
Please, this was a 100% political trial carried out because frustrated Democrats can't cope with being the fact that 50.5% of the country disagrees with them.
Really? I thought the Dems controlled both houses of Congress.
I thought the majority of Americans wanted our troops out of Iraq.
I thought that Dubya's approval ratings were at an all-time low, and possibly the lowest on record of any second-term sitting president.
What fucking reality do you neo-cons/Bush apologists live in anyway?!
We should think about Bush/Libby/The Pardon when we get angry at street gangs, etc, etc, etc. Most that is wrong in this country starts at the top. In other words gangster in the White House translates to baby gangsters in the street. It’s a learned behavior, passed down. But only those gangsters at the top get to really sing the words of the immortal hip hop group the Ghetto Boys "Damn it Feels Good to be a Gangster" The rest just go to jail and feed the prison industrial complex ran by the Gangsters at the top.
Bling bling, how fiting for the 4th of Jusly
Obstruction of justice was also one of his convictions, if you really want to talk about what he was being sentenced for.
Although, just watching CNN now Tony Snow practically used the Paris "I can't be treated fairly because of my celebrity" Hilton's defense for a reason behind the commutation of Scooter's sentence. HA.
Clinton perjured himself with regards to consensual, if adulturous sex. The Bush administration has no respect for the U.S. government or its citizens which is why they are not accepting subpeonas for warrantless wiretapping, appointing justices (Roberts I am looking at you!) that have no concept of limiting executive power and leaking info on CIA to the media.
They are treating this country like it is their personal corporation to the detriment of the world.
It's not so much about revolution as about the people in this country wanting to say to the current administration that we know what you are doing is whack and we are not so dumb as to allow you to erode our constitutionally provided rights in an endless stream of terrrrrroooorrriism scare tactics.
As a country we have never lived up to the standards we set for ourselves but there is time left.
The Curmudgeon: It wasn't quite sarcasm, but more a comment on what the prosecutor in that role was not supposed to do: actually prosecute anyone but corrupt machine Democrats.
In fact, I'm starting to wonder about my ability to turn a phrase around here. Yours in the second comment I've gotten in the last 7 days indicating something I thought was clever was unclear. Am I not writing well?
Guest #20: I think you are taking our invocation of T Jefferson way too literally. He was a smart and thoughtful motherfucker to be sure. But he was also someone that spent much of his life in personal conflict with his beliefs and his practices.
Spook,
Whenever I hear someone talking about "feeding the prison industrial complex" I scratch my head. As if running prisons is a profitable venture for this country! On the contrary, it's practically bankrupting us! Serious jail sentences are reduced to mere fractions because there aren't enough prisons to hold all the prisoners.
The notion that criminals are thrown in jail as some sort of for-profit conspiracy is baffling to me.
guest #31: Although I don't always agree with spook, and his commentary can be a bit histrionic, he isn't completely off-base about a prison-industrial complex. Operating prisons can be quite profitable, actually. That's why there has been such a push recently to privatize prisons. Businesses wouldn't lobby the government to do stuff like that if they couldn't make a buck off of it.
Although the Scooter Libby sentence commutation is probably not the best forum to make points about the prison industry....
Kevin,
Profitable for whom? Individuals, perhaps--for the taxpayers at large it's like a 90 pound weight around our necks.
They're only "profitable" in the sense that the government would pay out contracts collected from taxes to companies to operate them. Correct me if I'm wrong.
ohwwww "histronic", you go Kev all balanced,calm, fair and reasonible like NPR :-)
uhmmmmmm The only reason I'm not "on base" is because I'm knocking the ball out the park! And here yall thought Spook couldn't talk sports!
hey guest What about the inmates working "corporate" jobs from the inside checking credit cards, phone bills, etc for pennies? What about Marriott,who provides the food and matresses at inflate prices,- Dick Mell also had one of these mattress contracts. This is big big money yall. One of the few growth industries in our rotting Roman Empire. And every rural legislator wants a shinny new prison too.
But the industrial prison complex was just a bow on the box. Yall just chose to seized on it. My point was about a gangster culture that starts at the top in the white house. To heck with the laws and the responsibility to a moral social contract because power, money and might equals right.
And I'm just saying it flows down to the streets from Corporate America to Logan Square to Englewood, thats all. Happy B day America!
If you want the definitive commentary on this check out http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/
If you want my commentary with plenty of allusions to oral sex check out http://uptownavenger.blogspot.com/
I guess I should register for an account here.
But I'm feeling existential and presidential.
Spook: I was beginning to miss your comments here, usually they're a bit wacky, but I think you have hit it out of the park here! The two party system is completely a gang mentality and it's not getting any better. Lot of people on here seem to forget about Clinton steeling/shredding files without any penalty, but that was ok, because he was one of us. Now we have a Republican version and oh, my look at what he's doing! And then, take the other side? We were ready to lynch Clinton for perjury and now it's a "bullshit crime"?
Please, stop voting for these idiots. Pick a third party, any third party!
A) This post is so innappropriately reaactionary, I can't even wrap my head around it.
B) The two party system here exists for a reason, it is because systematically we are organized a certain way. If there are 8 parties, they are all going to shift to the middle to try to get the most moderate voters, eventually dwindling down...
C) There are third parties on smaller levels, see: Socialist Senator from Vermont, Reform former Governor of Minnesota, countless third parties on the county scale
D) Bush didn't do anything illegal in this case. He was totally within his powers (for once).
Is n stage terminal cancer the same as end stage terminal cancer?
Spook:
The aggragate cost of crime in this country annually is estimated at $1.7 trillion. Criminals COST this country money, don't make it for us!
"A) This post is so innappropriately reaactionary, I can't even wrap my head around it."
C'mon, they've even narrowed it down to colors! Red states and blue! How far a stretch is it characterize the blind party loyalty we see all around us to a gang-mentality?
"B) The two party system here exists for a reason, it is because systematically we are organized a certain way. If there are 8 parties, they are all going to shift to the middle to try to get the most moderate voters, eventually dwindling down..."
It exists because the federal (Dem/Rep) funding has made it so.
"C) There are third parties on smaller levels, see: Socialist Senator from Vermont, Reform former Governor of Minnesota, countless third parties on the county scale"
You forgot the Bull-Moose party, they are all tokens so far, but they are signs that it is possible for us to get out of this mess. And let's not forget that the Socialist in question was once a Democrat (you also forgot Lieberman.)
Why is it so many other countries have the ability to do this and the US can not?
"D) Bush didn't do anything illegal in this case. He was totally within his powers (for once)."
Does it matter? Impeachment is looking more and more likely, isn't it? Congress really hasn't gotten a whole lot done and this would make the majority's base very happy, and some Republican presidential hopeful the chance to distance himself from the status-quo.
Scott:
If they didn't impeach Nixon for bombing Cambodia, they won't impeach Bush for a war the Dems voted on and authorized. What would that say about them?
Also, Dems are historically a losery, pussy party. See: Kerry, Gore, Kennedy. They won't do shit except for lose '08 to a Mormon, a torture victim, an adulterer or an actor. They can't even ball up enough to get a resolution passed, much less ARTICLES of impeachment.
That shit is like the fairy tale Dems tell themselves so they can sleep at night.
Rome didn't burn in 8 years. I am pretty sure it is gonna be OK.
Spav1:
Cambodia-no; Watergate-yes.
And you forgot the patron saint of all losers Dukakis. Can't say I've had much of an interest in Coin-toss '08, because there is no difference between either party.
This hasn't been going on for 8 years, it has been going on much longer...I'd go with the Nixon administration for the beginning.
Nixon did some good things...opened China, etc.
And after his Imperial Presidency we had two super weak, ineffective Presidents.
I would pin it on Reagan.
I am voting for Thompson in '08.
Oh, don't get me wrong Nixon COULD have been one of our best presidents. He wanted universal healthcare, etc., but when one feels threatened by the mighty George McGovern, how could you not call him insane?
One day later, I think I should have went with Johnson.
I wish that Kevin would post on something else so we could fight about that instead.
Nixon was successful because he was a paranoid freak, not in spite of it. Perhaps McGovern WOULD HAVE been mighty had Nixon not been such a sabateur.
Spav1: Have you read Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail '72? Nixon was far, far darker than either you or Jerseyist would have us believe....
Kevin:
I love Nixon with all my heart, he had amazing flaws and overcame them to become the most powerful person in the world, and then let those same flaws destroy him. That is an awesome tale.
Nixon is the same as 42 other men before and after him. We elect men to get a job done and then marvel that they had to make the rules their own to do it the way we would want.
New post please.
Spav1: So that's a no, then, right?
Kevin:
No. But I have read the tapes. I think that is a pretty good start.
"Insane" wasn't dark enough? We've had far more evil presidents (if you use this name for a band: you owe me) than the Tricky one....Trail of Tears, anyone?