White House considering Libby pardon

Pressure mounts for Libby clemency

By: Mike Allen
Jun 17, 2007 03:57 PM EST


White House loyalists have begun arguing that clemency for I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby -- either a pardon or a commuted sentence -- would be a way for an embattled President Bush to reassert himself, particularly among conservatives.

The White House has not ruled out a pardon for Libby, sources say. But several Republicans, who sense a movement in Libby’s favor, said a more likely possibility might be a presidential commutation -- a reduction or elimination of Libby's 2½-year federal prison sentence. Such a move, they said, would be less divisive for the country.

A well-connected Republican whose views have reached Bush’s inner circle said that if Libby goes to prison, “It would be seen by the religious and policy conservatives as the president abandoning his loyalty virtue for the hedonistic pleasure of political expediency.”

...............

The lobbying is subtle, according to participants. They say that making the case directly to the president or his top aides would be insulting and could backfire. Instead, friends of Bush and Libby have been quietly working cocktail parties and other venues, laying out their logic for a pardon.

http://www.rawstory.com/showarticle.php?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.politico.com%2Fnews%2Fstories%2F0607%2F4517.html

... for pissed off potential voters to get fired up and
registered to vote...thus making the 2008 Dem majority "cheat proof."

My Repuke relatives in TX say, "If Martha Stewart can do prison time,
Scooter Libby can, too."

Scooter Libby sitting in prison makes him look bad. But him pardoning Libby makes him look even worse. Like the worst of Nixon and Gerald Ford all rolled into one.

There is a good possibility that pardoning Scooter would hurt the GOP more than Scooter going to jail in terms of showing how throughly corrupt these people are. "They started a war based on lies. When someone caught them in their lies, they outed a CIA covert operative as punishment. Then Cheney sent his hench man out to lie for him and when the hench man was convicted of lying, they pardoned him. These guys can't be trusted to run a competent government or tell the truth. No one is safe. They put party and profit above all else. Above truth, above the rule of law, above our lives."

My family is full of swing voters, and no one I know is buying anything Bush @ Co. are selling. If he pardons Libby, he is going to make a lot of Democrats out of swing-voters. My dad said yesterday, "Bush is THE WORST president in history. I might never vote for another Republican. They're all crooked, just like Nixon." If Bush pardons Libby, he confirms that in a lot of people's minds. But he's seriously damaged at this point no matter what. The whole Republican party is seriously damaged.

a scream every time they say it. Is there anything the GOP stands for that works or really makes YOUR life better? Lower taxes...great but they only lower the taxes on the rich, throw us crumbs and leave our kids with huge debts! Family values...the way THEY run it means the American taliban, not helping you care for your family. Security....means starting wars to profit Haliburton at the expense of lives, money and safety. Responsibility...you're kidding, right.

They talk a good line but when they get in office they, steal our money, start wars without end, tell us to care for ourselves when disaster hits and lie and cheat and steal.

We can't let them get distance themselves from Bush. If they do, we'll not be able to rid the federal government of their hench men.

obstruction of justice, lies under oath, corruption, blackmail, you name it, If it is a crime, he has done it.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1131444

Do not wait to speak out against Bush pardoning Libby, and then be outraged.

Speak out now, today before it happens and make sure people are aware of the ramifications of pardoning Libby that is unlikely to make it into MSM once a pardon is issued.

on the lack of a crime committed, the small amount of laws broken and generally give the spin the the apparently archaic idea of rule of law in general. That's what they've been doing so far. You can already foresee them practically pulling out champagne bottles on air when their buddy Libby is freed.

Rp

"...if Libby goes to prison, “It would be seen by the religious and policy conservatives as the president abandoning his loyalty virtue for the hedonistic pleasure of political expediency.” "

Wow - if there was any doubt about the delusions and contorted logic of a Bushbot..that should clear it right up.

They are a delicate, insightful nuanced bunch, we know. :sarcasm: Lobbying directly would be "insulting", however sneakily stomping on the American judicial system & the GOP judge who believes the sentence is just isn't insulting? It should be done delicately? Playing games with reduced sentences would be "hedonistic..." (Do I smell Richard Perle in that quote?). Jeebersjumpin' H. Crispus in a sidecar. They are insane.

An American member of the Executive Branch of Government outs a covert agent for the "hedonistic pleasure of political expediency", then perjures himself & obstructs justice & he'll get a pardon. The brown-skinned-probably-not-terrorists can be tortured indefinitely in Guantanamo & Abu Ghraib. Totally insane. :rant:

You just have to love America!!!!!!!!

:sarcasm:

Any pardon or "commutation" of this perjurer and obstructor of Justice would create a shitstorm for this regime they can't phathom. Except for the Barbara Comstocks and Sean Hannitys, a major of people who are familiar with this case saw that justice was served and deserved...a crime was committed, the defendant was able to have his day in court with a trial in front of his peers and he lost. He's a convicted felon and his crime wasn't made up for Scooter, but is one we all have to live and abide by. Anyone who disagrees with this concept is an enemy to our freedoms and this country.

The Mighty Wurlitzer has been cranking on this one as many fear that Scooter may rat out Crashcart and open wider the ugly shit that's been going on behind the closed doors...and, in specific, hurt the corporate media's much coveted "access" and social climbing. The fact anyone can argue that perjury about a sleezy blowjob is a major crime, but perjury that outs a valuable CIA operative is just "no underlying crime" should be ridiculed at every opportunity.

Bush wouldn't dare pardon Libby.

When white Republicans commit crimes, their sentences get commuted because..."it will be less divisive to the country."

I can't fucking believe it. This country is such a joke.

than Libby got, and he committed an act of treason!

If Libby gets a pardon, the nation shold rise up and "storm the Bastille"...torches and pitchforks at he ready!

therefore, the penalty should be harsher.

I don't smoke dope, haven't for many a year, like 35 or so, but that is not the issue...the penalty should be in line w/the crime. He was found guilty of perjury and obstructing justice, that seems to me, a bit more of a crime than smoking pot.

And to get down to what he actually did, exposing a covert CIA agent that was active, and because of that exposure people were killed (Plames contacts), in other countries, is a very serious crime indeed. I am still wondering why he wasn't charged w/treason...:shrug:

“It would be seen by the religious and policy conservatives as the president abandoning his loyalty virtue for the hedonistic pleasure of political expediency.”

OMG...How about his duty to uphold the fucking law. Never mind that pardoning Libby would be action in furtherance of a conspiracy. The guy was fucking convicted of obstructing justice, after all, not running a nickel and dime bookmaking operation in 1962.

Like there was ever a nanosecond's doubt.

He's like a homophobe who accidentally got thrown into a "Daisy Chain." He's not having any fun in either direction.

and sharing what best way to act. They might have to put on hoods and meet in secret.

Full court press by GOP for Libby pardon



The Libby Legal Defense Trust, backed by former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson and other prominent Republicans, has raised more than $5 million to help Libby defray his legal costs......

.....

Mary Matalin, the vice president’s former counselor, wrote direct-mail letters raising more than $1 million, and she has promoted a Libby fundraising website during her frequent radio and TV appearances.

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The chairman of the defense fund is Mel Sembler, formerly Bush’s ambassador to Italy, who told The Associated Press when Libby was sentenced: “There really is only one answer. This man has to step up and pardon him.”

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On the website of The Weekly Standard, editor William Kristol asked in advocating a pardon: “Many of us used to respect President Bush. Can one respect him still?”

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Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who has differed with Libby over the years, told The Wall Street Journal editorial board when asked whether he should go to jail: “he legal system has spoken, but I tell you, this is a really good guy who is a good public servant and ought to be treated in accordance with that.”




Our country is truly infested.

pardon Libby. Please.

I predict he'll be the proud owner of a grand jury subpoena as quickly as it can be served on him. No Fifth Amendment right, no perjury protection -- it'll be one for the ages.

Julie

They know he'll roll on them and they don't want that at all. Any political heat they take will be minimal since their media control has already allowed them to put out there the "loving father who didn't commit any really serious crimes" meme to the point where every show repeats it several times daily.

Once the pardon comes down the networks will go into full spin mode and minimize the damage for Bush and only those of us who loathe Bush and his crew already will have any serious anger about this.

Rp

Libby lied to keep Cheney in office and viable as a 2008 candidate.
Libby will do the time like he did the crime, and there will be no pardon.
A pardon could damage Cheney's 2008 run, making too much of an issue of this.

I love the "cocktail parties" campaign idea. If we can just get the alcoholics on board....

The story is from The Politico. I think that publication is full of crap.

And that is what we should all be focused on. Libby is water under the bridge. Next!...

Their spins have become truly ludicrous.

Their spins have become truly ludicrous.

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beyond any fucking doubt that we have two systems of justice, if you can even call it that way.

Go ahead... (and forgive me DU but I need to call her name) What you saw with Paris Hilton is just the tip of the damn simmering iceberg... (I know mixed metaphors)

But go ahead... please do it...

Perhaps the ostriches will finally wake up... and boy there are many of them all over the place