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The Pardon of Scooter Libby - How the President Should Play It
American Spectator ^ | 6-28-07 | Quin Hillyer

Posted on 06/29/2007 9:08:46 AM PDT by STARWISE

Author deals with the possibility .. excerpt of article:

~~~~~~~~~

Explanation of the President's Belief in the Innocence of I. Lewis Libby * * Not a part of the official pardon statement, but an explanation thereof for distribution to the American public via the working media.

I, George W. Bush, President of the United States of America, believe that I. Lewis Libby is not guilty of perjury or of obstruction of justice.

In saying this, I do not say that the jury necessarily erred on the basis of the evidence presented to it, nor do I say that the judge necessarily made (or did not make) a mistaken ruling on the law.

But I do believe, regardless of the legal admissibility of evidence the defense was not allowed to present to the jury, that had the disallowed evidence been presented at trial alongside all the other evidence that was admitted, a fair-minded jury would certainly have concluded, as I do, that Mr. Libby is not guilty.

I do not believe that Mr. Libby intentionally lied to, or otherwise obstructed, a grand jury or any federal agents.

I believe that the case against Mr. Libby revolves entirely around an instance of instances of honestly mistaken recollection -- and that such mistaken recollection may or may not be that of Mr. Libby.

I think it is unknowable whose recollection or recollections were mistaken. I further believe that Mr. Libby had absolutely no motive to lie to or otherwise obstruct the investigation at issue -- and that said lack of motive further bolsters my conclusion that Mr. Libby did not lie or obstruct said investigation.

(Excerpt) Read more at spectator.org ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Extended News; Government; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: bush; cialeak; libby; pardon; russert; scooterlibby
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Interesting take.
1 posted on 06/29/2007 9:08:49 AM PDT by STARWISE
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To: the Real fifi; Laverne; onyx; Howlin; SE Mom; Grampa Dave; samadams2000; popdonnelly; ...

Whole article is worth reading ...PING!

~~~~~~~~~~~~

With regard to both the memory of Mr. Libby and that of Mr. Russert, the defense was further prohibited from introducing evidence about the reliability of memory in general. I believe that all of this testimony, and that described in the previous paragraph, would have convinced any fair-minded jury that the facts are sufficiently in dispute for there to be too much doubt for any conviction on the merits.

I further believe that the entirety of the evidence, both allowed and disallowed, would convince any fair-minded jury that ANY mis-recollections were quite likely unintentional.


2 posted on 06/29/2007 9:10:48 AM PDT by STARWISE (They (Rats) think of this WOT as Bush's war, not America's war-RichardMiniter, respected OBL author)
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To: STARWISE

Yesterday when I was doing some research I found an article where Karl Rove had been fired from the 1992 campaign of Bush 41 for leaking to ROVERT NOVAK. Maybe some things never change.

Looks like Libby got the shaft by Rove if I were guessing.


3 posted on 06/29/2007 9:11:02 AM PDT by PhiKapMom ( Inhofe for Senate 08 -- Broken Glass Republican -- vote out the RATs in 2008)
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To: STARWISE
...and that such mistaken recollection may or may not be that of Mr. Libby.

Huh?
4 posted on 06/29/2007 9:11:30 AM PDT by HaveHadEnough
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To: STARWISE

I thought this was a great article, too.


5 posted on 06/29/2007 9:17:43 AM PDT by the Real fifi
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To: STARWISE

Good stuff, but not nearly enough — GW needs to make a MAJOR barn-burning speech to the National Press club, to wrap up a comprehensive summary of Joe and Valerie’s treason, the vicious lying ‘RATS of the MSM, and the shameless Demagogues and scum of Congress and the Dept. of Justice who helped to further this sham ...... Bush needs to summarize all that was wrong with the matter from day 1, long before Libby was ever involved, and shove the whole mess down the gagging throats of the treasonous media. He needs to FINALLY lay out all the facts regarding WMDs and Iraq, etc. and stand up for his administration, not only Scooter Libby. Libby’s fate is important and most imminent, but everything about this Fitzfong sham of a case needs to be set in the proper and accurate context so that people can begin to understand how Fitzfong and pals have been pursuing a coup d’etat with the eager aid of a sham treasonous MSM.


6 posted on 06/29/2007 9:18:31 AM PDT by Enchante (Reid and Pelosi Defeatocrats: Surrender Now - Peace for Our Time!!)
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To: STARWISE
The thing that makes my head explode everytime I think about is having those 2 Border Agents and Scooter Libby in jail while millions of illegal aliens and Sandy Berger are breathing free air unimpeded.
7 posted on 06/29/2007 9:20:07 AM PDT by AU72
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To: STARWISE

If he was going to pardon him, he would have done so already. Maybe in last month (January of 09) but I doubt it.

This President that I voted for twice hasn’t done anything ‘right’ since the January 05 inaugural. Does anyone actually believe, after the Amnesty debacle just concluded, he’s suddenly going to change?

I don’t. He shouldn’t have back Amnesty for a second time in the face of political common sense.

He won’t pardon Libby. Most of us understand he should have a month or more ago, just as we understood he was wrong on Amnesty the first time around, just as we knew he should have been vetoing excessive domestic spending programs or budgets with 31,000 earmarks.

I don’t know where that guy went that stood on the rubble of the WTC and rallied us all....but I sure do miss him.


8 posted on 06/29/2007 9:22:37 AM PDT by Badeye ("In 2 weeks, I join the list of UNEMPLOYED". ...Goldi-Lox (karma comes around))
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To: STARWISE
He doesn’t have to “play it” at all.His approval ratings can’t go lower than they are now so he should just do it!
9 posted on 06/29/2007 9:22:57 AM PDT by Gay State Conservative ("The meaning of peace is the absence of opposition to socialism."-Karl Marx)
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To: STARWISE

How about calling an assistant into his office and saying “Write up a pardon form for Scooter Libby, and bring it to me to sign...ASAP”.


10 posted on 06/29/2007 9:24:33 AM PDT by Cementjungle
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To: Enchante
GW needs to make a MAJOR barn-burning speech

I like to fantasize too.

11 posted on 06/29/2007 9:24:58 AM PDT by bigjoesaddle ("What we are making is a socialist utopia" - Jim Jones)
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To: STARWISE
This is all well and good, but utterly meaningless.

Jorge has zero loyality to staff and the Republican base. Perhaps if we chip in for a luxury property for him and his library, in Mexico, he will resign and let Cheney take over. Cheney would have the stones to do the right thing by Scooter.

12 posted on 06/29/2007 9:25:27 AM PDT by Agent Smith (Fallujah delenda est. (I wish))
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To: Gay State Conservative

The time for a pardon is far from over. Scooter deserves the chance to legally clear his name, if integrity and reason exist in our judicial system.


13 posted on 06/29/2007 9:25:42 AM PDT by STARWISE (They (Rats) think of this WOT as Bush's war, not America's war-RichardMiniter, respected OBL author)
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To: Gay State Conservative
His approval ratings can’t go lower than they are now so he should just do it!

Great point! Might even bring some us back who are still p*ssed about the amnesty plan.

14 posted on 06/29/2007 9:26:53 AM PDT by bigjoesaddle ("What we are making is a socialist utopia" - Jim Jones)
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To: STARWISE
Scooter deserves the chance to legally clear his name, if integrity and reason exist in our judicial system.

An argument can certainly be made in favor of your attitude but if he's forced to sit in jail while he's clearing his name Libby just might have a different view.

15 posted on 06/29/2007 9:31:20 AM PDT by Gay State Conservative ("The meaning of peace is the absence of opposition to socialism."-Karl Marx)
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To: the Real fifi
This is crucial. For the record, I note two items. First, I note the FBI report of its original interview with Mr. Russert. To quote from that report, Mr. Russert told the FBI that "he could not completely rule out the possibility that he had such an exchange [as described by Mr. Libby]. Russert acknowledged that he speaks to many people on a daily basis and it is difficult to reconstruct some specific conversations, particularly ones which occurred several months ago."


16 posted on 06/29/2007 9:34:28 AM PDT by STARWISE (They (Rats) think of this WOT as Bush's war, not America's war-RichardMiniter, respected OBL author)
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To: STARWISE
Gonna be pretty tough to do the right thing by Libby....right after snubbing Congress on a subpoena. I think he should snub them, but it makes a pardon right now look painful.

But, Bush won't pardon Libby. He also won't pardon others wrongfully sent down the river by the Injustice Department. For a guy supposedly loyal to his people to a fault, he sure is quick about throwing them under the bus.

17 posted on 06/29/2007 9:36:29 AM PDT by Cyber Liberty (Did Dennis Kucinich always look like that or did he have to submit to a series of shots? [firehat])
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To: Cyber Liberty

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/09/28/politics/main889049.shtml

President Bush granted pardons Wednesday to 14 people, including a member of the mineworkers union who was convicted for his role in bombings at a West Virginia coal mine, a counterfeiter and a bootlegger.

Jesse Ray Harvey of Scarbro, W.Va., was given a 25-month sentence in 1990 after his conviction for using explosives to damage Milburn Colliery. The mine had been the target of a long strike by about 45 members of a United Mine Workers local.

CBS News correspondent Mark Knoller reports that the pardons Wednesday bring to 58 the number of pardons granted by Mr. Bush.

*snip*

Others granted pardons Wednesday were:

# Gene Armand Bridger, Elkhart, Ind., conspiracy to commit mail fraud, mail fraud, sentenced May 29, 1963, to five years probation.

# Cathryn Iline Clasen-Gage, Rockwall, Texas, misprision of a felony, sentenced Aug. 21, 1992, to 18 months in prison and a year of supervised release.

# Thomas Kimble Collinsworth, Buckner, Ark., receipt of a stolen motor vehicle that had been transported in interstate commerce, sentenced Aug. 22, 1989, to three years probation and a $5,000 fine.

# Morris F. Cranmer Jr., Little Rock, Ark., making materially false statements to a federally insured institution, sentenced March 30, 1988 to nine months in jail.

# Rusty Lawrence Elliott, Mount Pleasant, Tenn., making counterfeit money, sentenced April 26, 1991, to a year and a day in prison, two years supervised release and a $500 fine.

# Adam Wade Graham, Salt Lake City, Utah, conspiracy to deliver 10 or more grams of LSD, sentenced Nov. 23, 1992 to 30 months in prison and five years of supervised release, including 250 hours of community service.

# Rufus Edward Harris, Canon, Ga., possession of tax-unpaid whiskey, sentenced June 17, 1963, to two years in prison, possession and sale of tax-unpaid whiskey. He also was on May 28, 1970 to five years in prison, later reduced to two years probation.

# Larry Paul Lenius, Moorhead, Minn., conspiracy to distribute cocaine, sentenced Sept. 29, 1989, to 36 months probation and payment of $2,500 in restitution.

# Larry Lee Lopez, Bokeelia, Fla., conspiracy to import marijuana, sentenced July 19, 1985 to three years probation.

# Bobbie Archie Maxwell, Lansing, Mich., mailing a threatening letter, sentenced Sept. 6, 1962, to 12 months probation.

# Denise Bitters Mendelkow, Salt Lake City, Utah, embezzlement by a bank employee, sentenced May 21, 1981, to two years probation.

# Michael John Pozorski, Schofield, Wis., unlawful possession of an unregistered firearm, sentenced Sept. 14, 1988, to four years probation and payment of a $750 fine.

# Mark Lewis Weber, Sherwood, Ark., selling Quaalude tablets, selling, using and possessing marijuana, sentenced Aug. 20, 1981, following Air Force court-martial to 30 months confinement at hard labor, forfeiture of 30 months pay at $334 a month and a dishonorable discharge.


18 posted on 06/29/2007 9:40:59 AM PDT by STARWISE (They (Rats) think of this WOT as Bush's war, not America's war-RichardMiniter, respected OBL author)
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To: STARWISE
Not saying he never Pardons. Just seemingly never folks who deserve it.

That sure is a motley list, I suppose. I notice that it appears all of your list had served all time sentenced. Maybe Libby can get his Pardon after he gets out of jail. By this reckoning, the Border Guards wrongfully imprisoned will get their Pardons in about 2028.

19 posted on 06/29/2007 9:46:30 AM PDT by Cyber Liberty (Did Dennis Kucinich always look like that or did he have to submit to a series of shots? [firehat])
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To: STARWISE

I say the Judge was a crook, The prosecutor is an agent of the DNC and the liberal Washington DC jury would convict Mother Theresa if they could hurt George Bush by doing it.


20 posted on 06/29/2007 9:53:55 AM PDT by sgtbono2002 (http://www.imwithfred.com/index.aspx)
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