GOD BLESS AMERICA * SCOOTER SCOOTS (Lydia Cornell, "Too Close For Comfort", On Scooter Libby)

FACE THE FACTS: The reason Bush commuted Scooter Libby's sentence was SO LIBBY WOULDN'T TALK. Bush “guaranteed not only that Libby wouldn’t talk, but retaining Libby’s right to invoke the Fifth. This amounts to nothing less than obstruction of justice.” Now, the Bush administration is legally protected from having to answer questions. If Libby had been in prison, anyone could have gotten to him. Now, no one can get Libby to say a word about the real culprits, which are obviously Rove and Cheney/Bush.

**First of all, it's vitally important to understand what Valerie Plame was actually doing, and how her "blonde good looks" were a perfect cover for the dangerous work she was doing in finding nuclear weapons in enemy territory. Along with Plame, what we never hear about is that this entire CIA covert program is now gone and several other CIA agents lost their jobs and their cover.

The reason this whole thing is different than any Clinton pardon is because this is a White House-related crime. You can't pardon or commute the sentence of someone who is directly related to your office!!

** Bush gleefully sent people to their deaths without commuting a single death sentence as governor of Texas. He sent mentally retarded children to their deaths. He probably sent innocent people to their deaths.

Doug Basham says: "Bush freed Libby... this is your “law and order” “strong on national security” republicans in action again. They have no problem outing someone who was working on nuclear proliferation issues, and then they have even less problem pardoning the person who leaked it. Well, at least Bush (Cheney) made sure Libby wouldn’t flip on them, and start talking."

According to Marcy Wheeler, Bush “guaranteed not only that Libby wouldn’t talk, but retaining Libby’s right to invoke the Fifth. This amounts to nothing less than obstruction of justice.”

And the worst part of this is… we’re now going to have to listen to all the right wing media hosts and their fellow propagandists tell us once again, that no crime was committed, even tho’ republican prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald said there was.

They will tell us it’s Patrick Fitzgerald who should’ve gone to prison, and that it was Richard Armitage who told Robert Novak, even tho’ Libby told at least 2 other reporters. So what if it was Novak who reported it? Libby leaked the name of a covert CIA operative to at least 2 other reporters, whether they reported it or not! So yes, a crime was committed. He just wasn’t charged with the crime of leaking.

Bush did not consult with the Justice Department or special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald before commuting the sentence of former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, according to Tuesday’s Washington Post. Bush commuted Libby’s sentence for perjuring and other crimes related to his role in the outing of CIA officer Valerie Plame Wilson.

This is the first time in Bush's presidency that Bush commuted a sentence without going through his lawyers at the Justice Dept. Bush didn't even ask the Prosecutor in the case Patrick Fitzgerald, for his opinion as has normally been done in the Justice Department.

"First, President Bush said any person who leaked would no longer work in his administration. Nonetheless, Scooter Libby didn’t leave office until he was indicted and Karl Rove works in the White House even today."

President Bush on Tuesday left open the possibility of an eventual pardon for former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby.

"As to the future, I rule nothing in and nothing out," the president said a day after commuting Libby's 2 1/2-year prison term in the CIA leak case.

Bush openly proclaimed on national television that "any person who leaked would no longer work in his administration." Libby now is free, awaiting a full pardon and Karl Rove is still directing the steps of the Bush administration.

Survey USA conducted a quick, automated survey to gauge response to President Bush's decision to commute former White House aide Scooter Libby's prison sentence.

17% say Bush should have pardoned Libby completely. 60% say Bush should have left the judge's prison sentence in place. 32% of Republicans agree with the President's decision, compared to 14% of Democrats and 20% of Independents. 26% of Republicans say Libby should have been pardoned completely, compared to 21% of Independents and 8% of Democrats..

A wide majority of Americans are against letting Libby go free. The Bush decision regarding Scooter Libby portrays the conclusion that he will do anything to protect those within his inner circle.

Equal Justice Under Law is a phrase engraved on the front of the United States Supreme Court building in Washington D.C. This phrase was apparently first written in 1932 by the architectural firm that designed the building. Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes subsequently approved this inscription, as did the United States Supreme Court Building Commission which Hughes chaired.

It has become increasingly clear that in Bush's America, there is no "Equal Justice For All.

I've always wondered whatever happened to the actress Lydia Cornell (best known as Sara Rush on the tv series Too Close For Comfort).

Apparently she is co-host of a "progressive" radio program in Las Vegas these days. And she has her blog. A few of them as a matter of fact. Two of which are anti-Ann Coulter blogs (neither of which went anywhere):

http://coulterkampf.blogspot.com/

http://coultergeist.blogspot.com/

And for crying out loud, among the many left wing websites she has a link to, one of them is DU. Why would she want to associate herself with those crazies?

The reason Bush commuted Scooter Libby's sentence was SO LIBBY WOULDN'T TALK. Bush “guaranteed not only that Libby wouldn’t talk, but retaining Libby’s right to invoke the Fifth. This amounts to nothing less than obstruction of justice.” Now, the Bush administration is legally protected from having to answer questions

Um, Lydia, no it's not. 5th Amendment only protects one from self-incrimination. This commutation does not guarantee that Libby wont talk. If there's an investigation into this matter, that doesnt prevent Libby from being legally subpoenaed, put under oath and made to talk (though he could invoke his 5th amendment right, in which case he could be cited for contempt of court). Commutations do not give people super-immunity.

Er, Lydia, sweetheart. If you're the President, yes you can....do the names Henry Cisneros and John Deutch mean anything to you? How about Caspar Weinberger?

Bush gleefully sent people to their deaths without commuting a single death sentence as governor of Texas.

And do you know why that is, Lydia? (No, of course you don't):

-snip

"Unlike governors in many states, the Texas Governor cannot independently issue a pardon or sentence commutation. In death penalty cases, the Governor can issue one thirty-day reprieve. He or she can also make recommendations to the Board of Pardons and Paroles and can either approve or reject the board's recommendations on pardons or sentence reductions."

"Prior to a 1934 constitutional amendment, the Governor had independent pardon powers. The amendment removing these powers was added after Jim and Miriam Ferguson were accused of selling clemency during her term as Governor. In modern times, governors have used what clemency powers they have been left with sparingly."

-snip

http://texaspolitics.laits.utexas.edu/html/exec/print_exec.html

He sent mentally retarded children to their deaths.

He did no such thing. The mentally retarded MEN was 33 (Terry Washington and Oliver David Cruz). John Paul Penry, 44 years old. (there are others, none of whom are children)

Besides which:

Back in his 1992 campaign, Clinton boasted of being a New Democrat" who was in favor of capital punishment. So willing was he to demonstrate the character of this new species that he took a day off from the campaign trail to go home to Arkansas for the execution of a mentally retarded African-american man.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1295/is_n8_v59/ai_17367794/pg_2

But we didnt hear any complaints from you, because when a democrat does it, then it's ok.

He probably sent innocent people to their deaths.

He sent no one to their deaths. Innocent or guilty. He was not a Judge, nor on any Jury. And "Probably"? That's your underhanded way of making a phony accusation, isnt it?

They had a big problem with it, or didnt you notice the administration demanding to know who the leaker was.

and then they have even less problem pardoning the person who leaked it.

1: It wasnt a pardon. It was a commutation. 2: The person who leaked it wasnt Libby. It was Armitage.

According to Marcy Wheeler, Bush “guaranteed not only that Libby wouldn’t talk,

Again, this commutation does not guarantee that Libby doesnt talk. He can still be hauled before a Grand Jury and put under oath for whatever reasons. (though he cant be convicted of the same crime. Double jeopardy)

but retaining Libby’s right to invoke the Fifth.

That only protects him from self-incrimination in a criminal proceeding.

Oh, then it must be true! And lets see Fitzgerald prosecute that crime.

This amounts to nothing less than obstruction of justice.”

No. An obstruction of justice occurs when someone interferes with an investigation and/or a trial. The commutation wasn't given to Libby untill after the investigation was over, and after Libby had been tried, convicted, and sentenced. The commutation is completely legal. It can in no way be defined as an obstruction of justice.

So what if it was Novak who reported it? Libby leaked the name of a covert CIA operative to at least 2 other reporters, whether they reported it or not! So yes, a crime was committed. He just wasn’t charged with the crime of leaking.

If he wasnt charged with the crime of leaking (much less tried and convicted) then how do you know Libby is the guilty party? And what really happened? And she was not covert at the time.

Bush did not consult with the Justice Department or special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald before commuting the sentence

He doesnt have to. He's not required to.

First, President Bush said any person who leaked would no longer work in his administration. Nonetheless, Scooter Libby didn’t leave office until he was indicted and Karl Rove works in the White House even today

Neither of whom were the leakers. But I know how upset you are that Fitzgerald couldnt give you the scalps of Cheney and/or Rove. Come, let me comfort you.

A wide majority of Americans are against letting Libby go free.

A phony baloney poll. But hey yeah, lets decide who goes free and who doesnt using these opinion polls. /sarcasm

"If Libby had been in prison, anyone could have gotten to him. Now, no one can get Libby to say a word about the real culprits, which are obviously Rove and Cheney/Bush.

I am sure Lydia Cornell would have no problem if the information was beaten out of Libby by a interrogator named Bubba. Lydia Cornell's lack of knowledge surrounding this case tells me that no matter how much information is known, in the hands of idiots, it is just more information to screw up.

The only crime that Libby committed was a failure of recollection. The "crime" that set the matter in motion was not even a crime. The Valerie Plame was not a covert agent and even her own husband revealed her identity. When the effort to get Dick Cheney for the "crime" it suddenly took a detour when the real culprit turned out to be Richard Armitege in the State Department. Richard Armitage, told Bob Woodward of the Washington Post, about Ms. Plame's ties to Langley a month before she was unmasked by Robert Novak. The Armitage tape shows that Joe Wilson was calling around DC to let everyone know it was him and his wife who were responsible for the Niger trip.

So, the detour took a new path: How to entrap members of the Bush Administration? Scooter Libby's conviction was the result of this fishing expedition. It is only by miracle that more were not taken in by the ploy of entrapment.

The entire story of the Administration waging a secret campaign against Wilson was a lie. In fact, it was Wilson who concocted the story that Dick Cheney sent him to Niger " to check out a particular intelligence report so they could provide a response to the vice president’s office.” It is a fact that Joseph Wilson's visit to Niger, which everyone believes was undertaken at the behest of the vice president, was actually in the works before Dick Cheney asked his now-famous question. And if true motives need to be investigated, it is the motives of Valerie Plame and Joseph Wilson. It is obvious that it was meant to bring down a president in the time of war.

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