Posted on 6/11/2007, 4:47:08 AM by gpapa
WASHINGTON -- Just when it seemed George W. Bush's sinking prestige with his Republican base had bottomed out, his stock there hit new lows last week. The president's seeming indifference to the sentencing of Scooter Libby was bad enough. It coincided with Bush's apparent determination to retain his friend Alberto Gonzales as attorney general against congressional pressure to depose him.
(Excerpt) Read more at realclearpolitics.com ...
bump
I used to like Bush. What was I thinking?
What an absolute disgrace Bush's 2nd term has turned out to be.
Who wants to work for a man who won't fight for his people when they need him?
Trumandogz wrote on 6/5/2007:
“If the president can pardon 12 million illegal immigrants, he can pardon Scooter Libby.”
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1845255/posts?page=19#19
Robert Novak wrote on 6/11/2007:
“If the president can pardon 12 million illegal immigrants, he can pardon Scooter Libby.”
Looks like Trumandogz has been plazerized by Robert Novak!
One Republican who did not watch her words last Wednesday was Washington lawyer Victoria Toensing: "If the president can pardon 12 million illegal immigrants, he can pardon Scooter Libby."
Either way, you have a fan.
Hiring expensive lawyers is not enough. You have to hire the right lawyers, as Libby did not.
There you go! Awesome quote, btw. Hat’s off to you trumandogz
I hope somebody quotes me on my view of the crocodile filled border moat.
waiting.....
It simply proves the talking heads that are on CNN., FNC and MSNBC as well as hacks that write for the newspapers at “respectable political” websites use FR for ideas.
Great column by Novak.
I don’t believe that LIbby wants a pardon at this time. He needs and wants to clear his name through the appeals process. If the snarky and unprofessional Judge Walton sends Scooter to jail, watch for the swift action by the President to issue a respite or commute his sentence. Libby will not spend one day in jail.
Getting rid of Gonzales is not the right thing to do. Can you possibly immagine what a confirmation hearing for a replacement would be like? Just look at Schumer and how he acts on a daily basis. I’m not pleased with the actions of DOJ (the difference between how Scooter was treated versus the burgler), but replacing him over the non-scandal about USAs is absurd.
This week will be telling; the judge (who should retire NOW) will send Libby to jail(he is extremely prejudiced on this case) will either be overturned on immediate appeal or the President will act.
Fitzy should be fired and investigated for prosecutorial malfeasance. Fat dim Russert filed a false affidavit in this case, and he did so with the knowledge of Fitzy...and that is just ONE of the outrageous actions that comes to mind.
Agreed. Bush will pardon Libby before he spends any time in jail, and otherwise will watch as the appeal proceeds. What Bush-haters here refuse to address is how a jury hearing all of the evidence in what presently stands as a fair came to its conclusion. Regardless of how or why Fitzpatrick prosecuted this case, the jury came in with a guilty verdict.
Now ... I am as persuaded as the next guy that the outcome in this case is a travesty. Where I disagree is that Libby should answer the issue raised above — by winning on appeal. I really don’t think Bush does Libby any favors by pardoning him now.
On the other hand, if the judge sends Libby to jail before his appeal runs its course, I would wager anything that Bush will pardon him. Moreover, I think this judge is a closet Democrat, and will force Bush into this position. So let’s just wait. Bush will have a stronger hand in pardoning Libby when this happens, and Libby will look even more the victim. Bush has very limited political capital, and this seems like a reasonable compromise. Folks, please be patient, as unfair as this may seem to be to Libby.
I don’t think Bush will pardon Libby anytime soon; he will commute the sentence or issue some other statement that ensures Libby will not go to jail. Walton’s snarky remark to the legal beagles who filed an amicus briefing shows what a clymer he is, and that he is NOT interested in fair justice for Libby. He is in Fitzy’s pocket for some reason...yet to be determined. His rulings across the board in this trial ensured that Libby did not get a fair trial. Just look at the comments from the jurors after the fact. In particular, a most telling one, is that thejurors were wondering why no memory expert was allowed to testify, since Libby’s defense was a memory defense. Well....Judge Walton would NOT allow a memory expert.
Furthermore, Walton would NOT allow Andrea Mitchell to testify even though NBC in general, and Andrea in particular, were intimately involved with the false reporting that brought this travesty forward in the first case. No one would watch NBC or MSNBC....they are nothing but propagandists, open ones at that, who could care less about the truth of anything.
I hope Walton retires right after he is overturned. If he were a man he would relook at his own decisions and call foul on himself, but he is too cowardly to do that. The evidence was not overwhelming; when the prosecutor’s key witness files a false affidavit, overwhelming evidence is not what comes to my mind.
For Bush, loyalty is a one-way street. He screws people who dedicated their lives to serving in his administration, except for the ones (Gonzales, Miers) who deserve to be screwed.
Well, it took a kick in the face (the amnesty bill) to change my mind about Bush, and that change happened in about 30 seconds. ANd I don’t care if that SOB walks on water while juggling 3 porcupines, I will never change back.
Libby, the Border agents...General Pace..
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