Bush commutes Libby's jail time sentencing...

rayb · Hot Air Balloon

Bush commutes Libby's jail time sentencing...

arbilad · Head Chef

I haven't followed the case very closely, so I can't claim to know whether Libby deserved it. If he's guilty, his sentence shouldn't have been commuted. If he's not guilty, he should have been fully pardoned. If he's guilty, but the judge sentenced him too harshly, then I agree with commuting part of the sentence. If he's guilty as heck, and the president is commuting his sentence as a political favor, then that's just plain wrong.
Of course, the democrats are, as always, hypocritical. They conveniently ignore that Clinton, on his last day in office, pardoned a long list of people who were guilty as all get out. I'm not saying that if Bush pardoned Libby as a political favor that the fact that Clinton did it too makes it alright; it would still be wrong. But the democrats should look at getting their own house in order before casting stones.

Cat Herder · Understander of unimportant things

Ditto... to me this is more

fear of shiz · Profuse Pontificator

arbilad wrote:

If he's guilty as heck, and the president is commuting his sentence as a political favor, then that's just plain wrong.

It's called Balance of Powers, and it is one of those hard-nosed, realist things that the Founders put into the Consitution. They knew that members of the Executive Branch could be pursued for political-based prosecution by the Legislative or Judicial Branch, and this is the President's check on the abuse of power in those branches.

arbilad · Head Chef

fear of shiz wrote:

arbilad wrote:

If he's guilty as heck, and the president is commuting his sentence as a political favor, then that's just plain wrong.

It's called Balance of Powers, and it is one of those hard-nosed, realist things that the Founders put into the Consitution. They knew that members of the Executive Branch could be pursued for political-based prosecution by the Legislative or Judicial Branch, and this is the President's check on the abuse of power in those branches.

I don't question the power of the president to pardon or commute. I think it's very good that he has that power. But that doesn't mean that I can't complain about how he uses that power. The House of Representitives, for instance, has the power to introduce spending bills, but that doesn't mean that I can't complain about how they spend money. If Bush used this power to reward a political crony, that's just wrong. I don't know if that is the case, however.

salesortonscom · Wise and Revered Master

I still don't understand the Libby thing. He didn't leak the Valerie Plame thing but they got him for lying about something he didn't do? Huh? What I learned from the experience is that if you get called to testify before congress or some sort of congressional government type investigation, plead the fifth even if you didn't do anything wrong because they will ask so many questions and dig so deep that they will trip you up on something you don't remember and send you to jail so they can justify the money they spent with some sort of conviction.

fear of shiz · Profuse Pontificator

I think it was a political prosecution, to get some "scandal" on the Bush Administration, and so even if he was just a "crony" his pardon can be justified politically.

Homestar Runner · Senior Member

Yep - the three points whenever this comes up:
1) Whatever Libby did, it was less serious than what we impeached Pres. Clinton for.
2) Anyone with a gripe about Bush pardoning Libby needs to account for Clinton's pardon record.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_pardoned_by_Bill_Clinton
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Clinton_pardons_controversy

3) Bush didn't pardon Libby, he commuted his sentence. There is a difference.

HSR

palmon · Senior Member

Bush did absolutely the right thing. Had the court let Libby stay out of prison while appealing, Bush would have done nothing. By commuting his prison sentence, Libby can fight the conviction from the outside.

Libby never should have been charged. It just amazes me that the special prosecutor knew from the very begining who leaked Plumes name (and it wasn't a friend of the white house) and still continued with the multi-million dollar investigation. Which only stopped when he found someone from the white house that he could charge with something.

All I know is that if it were me, I'd be in prison forever. My testimony would always contradict previous ones because either my memory becomes clearer with time or it becomes more hazy. It never stays the same.

rayb · Hot Air Balloon

Salmon (with a P) wrote: "It just amazes me that the special prosecutor knew from the very begining who leaked Plumes name (and it wasn't a friend of the white house) and still continued with the multi-million dollar investigation."

I think the key word in that whole big quandry is "multi-million dollar"... :)

--Ray

Cat Herder · Understander of unimportant things

Hillary Distinguishes Between Libby, Clinton-Era Pardons

Three words...

SHUT UP HILLARY!

Most of the pardons done by your husband were payments for political favors.

Bush did not pardon, he commuted the jail time sentence, and he even explained why. Big difference!