Bush lets Libby take a walk

[paisley]

unbelievable

Bush spares Libby from 2 1/2-year prison term

WASHINGTON - President Bush spared former White House aide I. Lewis “Scooter†Libby from a 2½-year prison term in the CIA leak investigation Monday, delivering a political thunderbolt in the highly charged criminal case. Bush said the sentence was just too harsh.

Bush’s move came just five hours after a federal appeals panel ruled that Libby could not delay his prison term.

...

“Libby’s conviction was the one faint glimmer of accountability for White House efforts to manipulate intelligence and silence critics of the Iraq war,†said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. “Now, even that small bit of justice has been undone.â€

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Bush’s decision showed the president “condones criminal conduct.â€

don't even know what to say... the guy put lives in the US intelligence community at risk to further the republican agenda and push into Iraq... committed full out treason against the country as a whole... but is being let off because he's in the white house boys club

stunned... its unthinkable

[Blane]

In return, bush should never be permitted to use the terms "establish democracy", or "rule of law" in reference to a foreign state again.

[paisley]

thrown out of the white house immediately and into a courtroom of his own sounds more fitting... my mind is blown by this... how many people have died and are going to die because of Libby and the cronies he was acting on behalf of?

a $250,000 fine and 2 years probation? its like if they caught a terrorist pilot then decided to punish him by taking away his pilot's license for a couple of years and confiscate his car

the most blatant whitewash I've ever heard

[Rob Not Bob]

Ever get the feeling the Republican's have resigned themselves to losing the next election and are just trying to do as much for their own interests until that comes and hang the political consequences?

[paisley]

thought has certainly crossed my mind... but still... holy crap

the expression "power mad" keeps coming to mind

[bradm]

thrown out of the white house immediately and into a courtroom of his own sounds more fitting... my mind is blown by this... how many people have died and are going to die because of Libby and the cronies he was acting on behalf of?

a $25,000 fine and 2 years probation? its like if they caught a terrorist pilot then decided to punish him by taking away his pilot's license for a couple of years and confiscate his car

the most blatant whitewash I've ever heard

Were you around when Gerald Ford flat-out pardoned Richard Nixon?

Remember, Libby was covicted of lying under oath, not treason, not releasing any covert operatvives' names, etc.; his conviction wasn't for putting any person at risk. (It could be argued that his actions put the justice system itself at risk, and some may feel that's a more serious crime.)

He also still has the conviction on his record (and the fine, and the probation), and while you might say the conviction isn't a big deal, it would have been there if he served his time in prison, and it would not have been there if he had been granted a pardon (which some commentators thought might happen).

Yes, I think Libby should have served his time, but given that Bush had absolute authority to grant him a full pardon and didn't, at this point, I'll take what I can get as far as punishing the creep goes.

Aloha,

Brad

[paisley]

yeah, I'm still pissed though... was such a frustrating mess watching the war get pushed through on what seemed like obvious false pretenses

Libby was one person I felt particularly enraged at as he seemed pivotal in getting that disgusting ball rolling... thinking he was going to actually serve some time for any reason at all was restoring some hope for the state of things to me... that his career will be "technically" damaged doesn't really make me feel any better... the guy is a saint to american conservatives and will be set up for the rest of his days... the golden silver handshake just makes me feel like he'll be calling shots from behind the radar

Nixon made some really bad calls but didn't seem to have the same pompous self-righteous candor of the new republicans... he at least actually seemed apologetic occasionally... plus elected presidents I just expect will get cut extra slack

just venting, the story struck a nerve

[AD]

no doubt Bush will pardon him when he leaves office. The fine (just for the record) is $250,000, not $25,ooo.

[paisley]

no doubt Bush will pardon him when he leaves office. The fine (just for the record) is $250,000, not $25,ooo.

thanks for the correction... likely the same difference to Libby though you'd figure... doubt he'll have to cover a nickel of it out of his own pocket anyhow, the guys' supporters love him like god

[phishtaper]

oh come on, if y'all were Bush and Scooter was your buddy, you'd do the same ...

[paisley]

sure wouldn't wanna run into Jimmy Carter today

(my mind starts to tilt like a pinball machine soon as I try to picture myself yuck yuck yucking it up with Scooter, Bush, Cheney and the boys)

Edited July 3, 2007 by Guest
TILT

[AD]

he probably cut a cheque before leaving the court room

[Blane]

Cheney probably cut a cheque before leaving the court room

there, fixed it for ya.

[phishtaper]

Cheney probably cut a cheque before leaving the court room

there' date=' fixed it for ya.[/quote']

a simple line item on a Haliburton spreadsheet, no doubt. just above "collateral damage", "executive consultiing fees" and "world domination".

[AD]

hehe, nice one Blane.

[Davey Boy 2.0]

WASHINGTON ( AP ) — Screaming and crying, Irve “Scooter†Libby was escorted out of a courtroom and back to jail Friday after a judge ruled that he must serve out his entire 30-month sentence behind bars rather than in his home.

“It’s not right!†shouted the weeping Libby, who was convicted of four felonies in a reckless spy-outing case. “Mom!†he called out to Dick Cheney in the audience.

Libby, who was brought to court in handcuffs in a sheriff’s car, came into the courtroom disheveled and weeping, hair askew, sans makeup, wearing a gray fuzzy sweat shirt over slacks.

He cried throughout the hearing, his body shook constantly and he dabbed at his eyes. Several times he turned to James Carville and Mary Matalin, seated behind him in the courtroom, and mouthed, “I love you.â€

Federal District Court Judge Reggie B. Walton was calm but apparently irked by the morning’s developments.

“I at no time condoned the actions of the Dick Cheney and at no time told him I approved the actions,†he said of the decision to pardon Libby after three days.

Federal prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald argued that Libby should be sent to jail, but said that was purely the judge’s decision to make. “His pardon after only three days erodes confidence in the judicial system,†Fitzgerald said.

Libby’s attorney, Theodore V. Wells Jr., implored the judge to order a hearing in his chambers at which he would hear testimony about Libby’s “medical condition†before making a decision.

The judge did not respond to that suggestion.

“Vice President Cheney has determined that because of his medical situation, this (jail) is a dangerous place for him,†Wells said. “The court’s role here is to let the Vice President run the jail,†he said.

[AD]

and davey boy for the win

[The Chameleon]

Just wait until the day before Bush leaves office and you'll see how many cronies he pardons. This is just the beginning.

brutal.

[djmelbatoast]

Bush could not have pardoned him right now because the case is still under appeal. This is the most he could have done to circumvent justice RIGHT NOW. I don't doubt that he will pardon him later.

I was watching a PBS round table show a couple of weeks ago and they asked if Bush would pardon Libby. The general consenses was that he could afford to do it. When your approval rating is 30% you can pretty much do whatever you want.

[Blane]

Whitehouse Won't Rule Out Libby Pardon

Looks like he'll get his pardon anyhow.

[MarcO]

politics forum please.

[YearsAlongTheSea]

Poll: 73 Percent Of Americans Unable To Believe This Shit

PRINCETON, NJ–According to the latest Gallup Poll, conducted Monday and Tuesday of this week, nearly three out of four Americans can no longer believe this shit.

In addition to the 73 percent of poll respondents who described this shit as "beyond belief," 9 percent said they could "hardly" believe this shit, with another 5 percent "just barely" believing it. An additional 13 percent said they "couldn't give a flying fuck about the whole goddamn thing."

The poll also found that the National Shit-Credulity Index (NSCI) has hit an all-time low, with only 2 percent of Americans describing themselves as "fully confident of [their] capacity to believe this shit."

"The American people have had to deal with this kind of shit for years," Gallup Organization president Lee Sanderson said, "but now, for the first time, it appears that the vast majority of them just can't fucking believe it anymore."

"In all honesty, who can blame them?" Sanderson added. "Regardless of one's political affiliation, socioeconomic status, religion or just about any other viewpoint, you've got to admit, the shit that's been going on lately is way out of hand."

In the wake of the poll, many activists are calling upon America's leaders to get their shit in gear.

"The American people have had it up to here with this shitheap," said James Schuerholz, president of the D.C.-based Heritage Foundation. "There is a public mandate for our leaders to cut this shit out, and it's high time they finally did."

Despite Americans' incredulity over this shit, historians note that this sort of shit has been going on for years and is unlikely to end anytime soon.

"Contrary to popular belief, this type of shit is hardly anything new," Harvard University American history professor Lawrence Coombs said. "The same shit was going down 50, 100 and 150 years ago. The only difference was, back then, you never read about that shit in the newspapers."

Calling the American people's enormous shit-belief capacity "one of the cornerstones of our democracy," U.S. Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) stressed that it is the patriotic duty of all citizens to grant our leaders the benefit of the doubt with regard to their shit.

"If the American people are no longer willing to believe this shit, who will?" Kerry said. "Somebody's got to take this shit at face value. Otherwise, why are we even doing all this shit in the first place? I am truly saddened by the lack of faith that the citizens of this country are willing to put in my shit, as well as that of my esteemed colleagues. We must repair our society's fraying trust in the shit of our elected officials, or you would not believe the kind of hardcore, heavy-duty shit that will come down."

"America," conservative author and social critic Patricia Stouffer said, "is seriously losing its shit. But we've got to somehow hold our shit in place until all this passes. We've got to learn to believe in shit again. After this latest shitstorm, it may take years to accomplish, but we must somehow find the strength to put our trust back into the nation's shit."

Despite such impassioned calls for faith in the U.S. political system and all the shit that comes with it, if the Gallup Poll is any indication, the majority of Americans are no longer willing to put up with the shit.

"Fuck that shit," said Evansville, IN, day-care provider Helen Reiderer. "I'm tired of hearing about it. Do they actually expect us to still believe that load of shit?"

"If you ask me, the shit is about to hit the fan," said Reiderer's husband Frank. "As far as I'm concerned, all that shit is just too much to be believed."

Another disgruntled citizen, Wenatchee, WA, tractor salesman Tom Huard, summed up the sentiments of most Americans when, holding up the front page of the local newspaper to friend Benjamin Pritchard, he said, "Jesus, Ben, can you believe this?"

"Shit, no," Pritchard replied.

Link to Article:

From The Onion