Bush commutes Libby's prison sentence

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Simbagal23
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Re: Bush commutes Libby's prison sentence

Post by Simbagal23 »

Not condoning what was done here, but keep in mind that almost all (if not all) administrations have done this something similar. Clinton pardoned a bunch of people his last few weeks in office (I'm sure some were political allies if not cronies); I'm sure Bush Sr., Carter, Reagan, etc. all did the same thing......it's always done the last week or two in office because the newspapers are typically covering the incoming Pres and admin and, as such, the pardons are ignored.

It's not a rep or dem thing, it's a political thing.....

TimeForGuinness
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Re: Bush commutes Libby's prison sentence

Post by TimeForGuinness »

Simbagal23 wrote:Not condoning what was done here, but keep in mind that almost all (if not all) administrations have done this something similar. Clinton pardoned a bunch of people his last few weeks in office (I'm sure some were political allies if not cronies); I'm sure Bush Sr., Carter, Reagan, etc. all did the same thing......it's always done the last week or two in office because the newspapers are typically covering the incoming Pres and admin and, as such, the pardons are ignored.

It's not a rep or dem thing, it's a political thing.....
Yup. I blame the process. It should go away.

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Popeye_Card
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Re: Bush commutes Libby's prison sentence

Post by Popeye_Card »

Simbagal23 wrote:Not condoning what was done here, but keep in mind that almost all (if not all) administrations have done this something similar. Clinton pardoned a bunch of people his last few weeks in office (I'm sure some were political allies if not cronies); I'm sure Bush Sr., Carter, Reagan, etc. all did the same thing......it's always done the last week or two in office because the newspapers are typically covering the incoming Pres and admin and, as such, the pardons are ignored.

It's not a rep or dem thing, it's a political thing.....
I think the difference here is how high of profile this is. This administration as a whole has the image of "priveledged insiders". Then as soon as one of their own is taken down, he's essentially taken off the hook. IMO, a terrible PR move for the Bush White House. Would it have really been so bad for Scooter Libby to spend 30 months in a white collar resort?

--P--

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Suicide_Squeeze
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Re: Bush commutes Libby's prison sentence

Post by Suicide_Squeeze »

I'm not wanting to start a fight here or anything, but you do I all realize that Scooter Libby really did nothing wrong. He did not leak out information that a thousand people didn't already know. She had been in magazines, and her name was everywhere. Her husband told several people who she was and what she was doing. That "leak" could have come from anywhere.

Libby, in truth, didn't deserve the hell he's been through lately. He certainly didn't deserve prison time. The entire case has been a political cluster-you-know-what from the beginning, and this is the first sane thing I've seen come out of it. The press, and the American left, have simply lost their minds. Their hatred for President Bush is simply so caustic and vitreolic that they can never put the good of the country first. It's always Tora! Tora! Tora! Libby just happended to be the red meat that was thrown in their path.

If you disagree with me, that's fine. However, please know that I am not a mind-numbed robot or a babe in the woods. I read a great deal about politics from all sources ranging from NPR and Moveon.org to Jewish World Review and The American Thinker. I look at all possible sources of information before I open my mouth. I'm as disgusted with Washington right now as any of you are, but I can guarantee you it is for different reasons.

I will say this, if you all who are foaming at the mouth over this Scooter Libby thing want all "political corruption" taken care of, I suggest you scream from the rooftops and get Sandy Burger put behind bars for stealing documents for President Clinton. He was caught red-handed with those documents he stole in his pants and socks, yet he went free without so much as the batting of an eyelash. Look into what the press is telling you to see what they aren't.

One more example of the selective blindness of the press, and I'll stop. The outrage over the justice department lawyer firings, well, that was simply laughable. Oftentimes, incoming presidents will release most, if not all, of the lawyers currently working for the executive branch and bring in his own team. President Bush released eight, which is his right as president to do, and the press went completly bat poop about it. You may not like it, but it is the right of a president to do so! If you don't like it, I say, demand that law be changed, but you cannot allow one to do it without a word of protest and attack another for it! That's hypocrisy, pure and simple.
Record by presidential administration:

Ronald Reagan: Dismissed all previously appointed attorneys en masse and replaced them upon assuming office. All of those attorneys who left office before completing their two four-year terms left for personal reasons, with the exception of the two mentioned above (Kennedy and Petro).[11]

George H.W. Bush: Kept appointees from the previous administration. Only one attorney's "resignations [was] the result of questionable conduct." Frank McNamara, Jr. resigned because he had “been the focus of heated dispute since the Justice Department announced in November [1988] that he was the target of an internal probe.”[12]

Bill Clinton: Dismissed all previously appointed attorneys en masse and replaced them upon assuming office. Those attorneys who left office before completing their two four-year terms left for personal reasons. Two of those "resignations were the result of questionable conduct." Larry Colleton resigned in 1994 after being videotaped grabbing a reporter by the throat, and Kendall Coffey resigned in 1996 amidst allegations of biting a topless dancer. [13]

George W. Bush: Did not dismiss all the attorneys en masse when he assumed office. Bush Allowed a few to continue in their positions for several months until he replaced with his own selections early in his administration. Bush dismissed eight U.S. attorneys on December 7, 2006, in the middle of their second terms, without citing reason. Three other attorneys resigned without either explicitly stating reasons or providing conclusive evidence as to what reasons were prompting their resignations.
LINK: http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?ti ... _attorneys

Also, thanks Simbagal for mentioning the Clinton pardons. He signed more than several ex-presidents, many of them in his last days in office. President Bush has used the priviledge a scant amount of times compared to others.

http://www.usdoj.gov/pardon/clintonpardon_grants.htm

Let the lambasting begin... **ducks and covers**

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heyzeus
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Re: Bush commutes Libby's prison sentence

Post by heyzeus »

Simbagal23 wrote:Not condoning what was done here, but keep in mind that almost all (if not all) administrations have done this something similar. Clinton pardoned a bunch of people his last few weeks in office (I'm sure some were political allies if not cronies); I'm sure Bush Sr., Carter, Reagan, etc. all did the same thing......it's always done the last week or two in office because the newspapers are typically covering the incoming Pres and admin and, as such, the pardons are ignored.

It's not a rep or dem thing, it's a political thing.....
This is absolutely correct. For example, Bill Clinton, whom I voted for twice, issued 140 pardons in his final days in office. This included a number of people that gave a lot of money to the Clinton library and campaign funds, some Whitewater buddies, Dan Rostenkowski (stamp scandal), and drug charges on Roger Clinton.

In small part, I respect Bush for only issuing a commutation instead of a full pardon, as Libby will still have to pay the fine and the conviction stays on his record. However, until there is a President that does away with pardons and commutations altogether, because it's pure cronyism at its worst, I can't really say anything good about it.

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Re: Bush commutes Libby's prison sentence

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i think the issue with the attorney firings is that bush did them midterm...everyone expects a new incoming president to fire the previous attorney's, but bush did it midterm...to republican attorneys (their own party) who were not filing charges against people as the administration would have liked...thats whats making it a public outcry...

no doubt all administrations are corrupt...its inevitable with that amount of power (which is why a democracy is good as it flushes out the previous administrations), but the level of cronyism, corruption, fear and lies in this administration is insane....and not only that, but bush ain't gettin' any sh!t done...he's effing the country on so many levels.

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Re: Bush commutes Libby's prison sentence

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Radio_Bugtussle
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Re: Bush commutes Libby's prison sentence

Post by Radio_Bugtussle »

I should have used the time to skim this thread to count the paper clips in my desk drawer. :x

Socnorb11
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Re: Bush commutes Libby's prison sentence

Post by Socnorb11 »

Jocephus wrote:i think the issue with the attorney firings is that bush did them midterm...everyone expects a new incoming president to fire the previous attorney's, but bush did it midterm...to republican attorneys (their own party) who were not filing charges against people as the administration would have liked...thats whats making it a public outcry...

no doubt all administrations are corrupt...its inevitable with that amount of power (which is why a democracy is good as it flushes out the previous administrations), but the level of cronyism, corruption, fear and lies in this administration is insane....and not only that, but bush ain't gettin' any sh!t done...he's effing the country on so many levels.
Bush has done a poor job, but it's time to stop blaming him for everything. Your Congress is in the hands of the Dems. Have they accomplished ANYTHING since taking majority?

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Jocephus
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Re: Bush commutes Libby's prison sentence

Post by Jocephus »

Socnorb11 wrote:
Jocephus wrote:i think the issue with the attorney firings is that bush did them midterm...everyone expects a new incoming president to fire the previous attorney's, but bush did it midterm...to republican attorneys (their own party) who were not filing charges against people as the administration would have liked...thats whats making it a public outcry...

no doubt all administrations are corrupt...its inevitable with that amount of power (which is why a democracy is good as it flushes out the previous administrations), but the level of cronyism, corruption, fear and lies in this administration is insane....and not only that, but bush ain't gettin' any sh!t done...he's effing the country on so many levels.
Bush has done a poor job, but it's time to stop blaming him for everything. Your Congress is in the hands of the Dems. Have they accomplished ANYTHING since taking majority?
well, i think he deserves a lot of the blame...hes a huge eff up...im sorry...thats not some cheap shot...its the truth, what has he done? (besides help his friends out)

now...to the democratic congress...i totally agree man...they are suckin' too..they are too afraid to look like p***y's...they were GIVEN the election and have really done nothing, at least on the big issues, i.e. iraq...i dont really have a lot of sympathy for them either...

but...( i will add a but)...they've had less than a year to get things done...(though thats not an excuse as to their current performance)...bush and the repub congress did plenty of damage for the first 6 years
Last edited by Jocephus on July 3 07, 8:37 am, edited 1 time in total.

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