Scooter Libby Has Sentence Commuted

[soblessed53]

Raise your hand if you didn't see this coming...

 

[soblessed53]

Most.
Corrupt.
Administration.
Ever.

I don't know with the Nixon (Watergate) and Reagan administrations(Iran-Gate),they are all pretty equal in my book.

 

[soblessed53]

Wasn't last November's election supposed to be the "revolt"?

Yeah, that's all the 'mustering-up' we can expect from Americans,anymore! BTW who is TOOKIE?

 

[JoyJuice]

Then comes the issue of whether Scooter would accept the pardon, and the admission of guilt that comes with it.

Guilt requires a conscience.

We are after talking about a man who resided in a office that secretly illegally leaked intel to the press on Friday, so Cheney could deceptively justify invading Iraq pointing to the article on Sunday.

 

[HazyRigby]

BTW who is TOOKIE?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Williams

 

[Steezie]

Rich man's justice...

 

[Nathan Poe]

Guilt requires a conscience.

We are after talking about a man who resided in a office that secretly illegally leaked intel to the press on Friday, so Cheney could deceptively justify invading Iraq pointing to the article on Sunday.

I'm talking legal guilt, not moral guilt.

Accepting a presidential pardon is an admission that one committed the crime. Which is why it is possible to refuse a pardon. (Burdick v. United States, 1915)

So for Scooter to be pardoned, he has to admit that he did commit perjury and obstruct justice. Won't that be fun?

 

[ews]

I hate to be an “I Told You So” but I told you so…Paris Hilton would do more time then the Scooter.

 

[Douger]

America is finished, even the charade is over.

When conservatives come bursting out of their closted hypocrisy, thumbing their noses at America and even good old fashioned righteousness, you know it really is over.

 

[JoyJuice]

I'm talking legal guilt, not moral guilt.

Accepting a presidential pardon is an admission that one committed the crime. Which is why it is possible to refuse a pardon. (Burdick v. United States, 1915)

So for Scooter to be pardoned, he has to admit that he did commit perjury and obstruct justice. Won't that be fun?

Gotcha......

 

[elanor]

I'd guess Bush didn't really want to, but the pressure got to him. Maybe they threatened to reveal some of the crimes he committed. As for not giving a full pardon, well if I remember correctly, that means Libby may still appeal. Though I doubt the SC will touch this case.

That's my take, too. This has nothing to do with Libby's guilt or innocence. It's CYA for Cheney. Time in the slammer might have made Scooter decide to cut a deal and that would be bad news for the White House. Or is it Senate? I'm sorry, I get confused. I thought when he was "elected" VP it meant he was part of the Executive branch. But I've had a stroke, so I get confused easily.

 

[Billnew]

Not surprised.

Bush is just testing the waters. The full pardon will come later.

Libby has the chance to clear his name, this way.
With a pardon, he wouldn't be able to prove he didn't
do it.

Lets see, Libby was convicted of perjury and obstruction. But the judge talked about nothing but
outing a secret agent.
So Libby was punished for a crime they could not prove happened.
Libby was convicted of lying because he didn't get the
dates right. Or couldn't remember events(obstruction).

So why should he go to prison? He was just a pawn in the political witch hunt.
I fully expect a pardon, if Libby doesn't win his appeal.
But if their is a justice system, he should be at least resentenced, since the punishment was for a crime he wasn't convicted of.

Libby convicted for lying and obstruction of an investigation of a crime that never happened.

 

[eldermike]

Not surprised.


Libby has the chance to clear his name, this way.
With a pardon, he wouldn't be able to prove he didn't
do it.

Lets see, Libby was convicted of perjury and obstruction. But the judge talked about nothing but
outing a secret agent.
So Libby was punished for a crime they could not prove happened.
Libby was convicted of lying because he didn't get the
dates right. Or couldn't remember events(obstruction).

So why should he go to prison? He was just a pawn in the political witch hunt.
I fully expect a pardon, if Libby doesn't win his appeal.
But if their is a justice system, he should be at least resentenced, since the punishment was for a crime he wasn't convicted of.

Libby convicted for lying and obstruction of an investigation of a crime that never happened.

I could not say it better.

 

[JoyJuice]

Lets see, Libby was convicted of perjury and obstruction. But the judge talked about nothing but outing a secret agent.

Not to sure why he would, the case was about perjury.

So Libby was punished for a crime they could not prove happened.

Well no, he was punished for lying so the DA couldn't prove what happened.

Libby was convicted of lying because he didn't get the
dates right. Or couldn't remember events(obstruction).

No one is privy to the information as of yet, so I nor you know what you are really talking about.

So why should he go to prison? He was just a pawn in the political witch hunt.

Obstruction of justice that considering the concerted effort from the Whitehouse in the outing of Plame, by no means a witchhunt. It was real as can be just ask CIA, the Justice Department, the DA, the Judge, the Appeals court who rejected Libby's latest appeal.

But if their is a justice system, he should be at least resentenced, since the punishment was for a crime he wasn't convicted of.

Why is this case so hard to follow to the point one can be so mistaken about its whole premise?

 

[marshlewis]

When there is so much corruption, so constant and in your face. From the Iraq war to the billions being stolen by the likes of haliburton. Surely even hard right patriots have to wonder just how much control the 'people' actually have over the political system.

 

[Billnew]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6263561.stm

So who was the source of the leak? In September 2006, former state department official Richard Armitage admitted that he was responsible for the original leak.

Why did Mr Armitage keep quiet for so long? He says he told Patrick Fitzgerald, the special prosecutor investigating the affair, in 2003 that he might have been the source for the Novak article. He says Mr Fitzgerald told him not to say anything.

Witch hunt.

Fitzgerald didn't want his investigation ruined with the truth, and he had the chance to get a conviction even though a crime was not commited.

Libby's crime? Openly testifying. He should have recited the Clinton's testimony. "I do not recall" "I have no recollection", "I am unsure"

And when you give an answer, say I believe that was....
So you give no definate answer.

 

[HumbleMan]

Witch hunt.

To a degree it was. Same with the Lewinsky affair.

Fitzgerald didn't want his investigation ruined with the truth, and he had the chance to get a conviction even though a crime was not commited.

Wasn't Fitzgerald a republican, appointed by a republican and confirmed by a conservative court?

Libby's crime? Openly testifying. He should have recited the Clinton's testimony. "I do not recall" "I have no recollection", "I am unsure"

Actually, that's more along the lines of Reagan's testimony in the Iran Contra affair.

I do believe Libby was a scapegoat, because there was never enough evidence to go after Cheney or Rove.

And yes, if Armitage did out Plame, then he should be prosecuted, too.

 

[SOAD]

Libby convicted for lying and obstruction of an investigation of a crime that never happened.

This appears to be the to be the popular opinion with many in support of the Bush administration. There was a crime. Lying to a grand jury is a crime. People celebrate the commuted sentence of a convicted liar.

 

[ChaliceThunder]

America is finished, even the charade is over.

When conservatives come bursting out of their closted hypocrisy, thumbing their noses at America and even good old fashioned righteousness, you know it really is over.

The silver lining, if you can call it that at this point, is that Bush has handed the White House over to the Democratic Party. There will be no contest now.

Republicans cannot, with any credibility, claim to be anything close to a "law and order party."

The only label they can legitimately claim now is "Soft On Crime."

 

[MachZer0]

The silver lining, if you can call it that at this point, is that Bush has handed the White House over to the Democratic Party. There will be no contest now.

Republicans cannot, with any credibility, claim to be anything close to a "law and order party."

The only label they can legitimately claim now is "Soft On Crime."

One would think from the reaction that this is the first time a president ever intervened in a criminal case