Posted on 07/03/2007 8:15:18 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Prospective Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson and a few others on the extreme fringe of the lawless right have complained that George Bush was insufficiently generous to I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby when the president commuted the 30-month prison sentence of the convicted felon who had served as his counselor and Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff.
Not to worry.
Bush says he may have more favors in the works for Libby, whose deep involvement in the plotting to discredit former Ambassador Joe Wilson by outing his wife, Valerie Plame Wilson, as a CIA operative continues to make him a man who could shed a good deal of light on the high crimes and misdemeanors of the Bush-Cheney White House.
The president confirmed Tuesday, one day after he commuted the sentence, that he remains open to granting a full pardon to Libby.
After defending the commutation by saying, "I took this decision very seriously. I stand by it," Bush was asked by reporters whether a pardon might yet be coming Libby's way.
"As to the future," the president replied, "I rule nothing in or nothing out."
Similarly, White House spokesman Tony Snow said, "I'm not going to close a door on a pardon."
Libby needs a full pardon if he wants to avoid paying a $250,000 federal fine and serving probation. Additionally, while his sentence has been commuted, Libby remains a convicted felon. As such, he will almost certainly lose his license to continue practicing law -- at least during a lengthy period of probation.
A pardon would clear up all those concerns.
Inconveniently for the president, it would also mean that, in addition to spending less time behind bars than a certain celebrity -- to quote MoveOn.org's Eli Pariser: "Paris Hilton served more jail time than he will" -- Libby could end up facing no penalties whatsoever.
That's a stretch even for Bush, as Libby is a lawyer who knowingly lied to federal investigators and obstructed justice.
But Libby has leverage. He could start doing something dangerous, like telling the truth. And that's a prospect that Bush has to take seriously.
So the promise of a pardon remains on the table, for at least so long as does the threat that "Scooter" Libby might start talking.
Spot on Analysis! (I meant the part about where you added the “Ultra Barf Alert”).
This article is just red meat for the loony left.
We are now on the fringe of the lawless right? LOL! somebody slap this guy! LOL!
Double take...and a search for the link...expecting Scrappleface.
Stops being pulled out of the propaganda machine. Mebbe jumping the gun? Or Olberman is moonlighting.
Is that a promotion from the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy?
Gee, and I thought the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy was a good thing. We're *really* having fun now!!
GMTA...
Like Syphillis, it never goes away and causes insanity. Libby didn’t out Plame...Armitrage did.
Libby didn't out her, Armitage did.
She wasn't an operative.
There was no plot.
Remember folks this is coming from John Nichols editor of Wisconsin’s major “progressive” rag the Madison Anti-Capitalist Times. My joke. Capital-Times but Nichols is definitely an anti-capitalist. Take his words for what they’re worth. Less than nothing.
Nicely summarized!!
Bush has kept Libby out of jail.* At the same time, because he didn't pardon Libby, Bush is forcing the libs to bump up against the facts of the case occasionally, as Libby's appeal moves forward.
*I think the libs were hoping Libby would die in jail, like Jim McDougal did. Now they have to worry about keeping their own stories (somewhat) straight during Libby's appeal.
Ahh, more mentions of Fred. They really know who to fear in this campaign.
Extreme right wing fringe?
Okay....
Good. Glad to hear a pardon is possibly on the table. I’d prefer an appellate court exonerated Libby, but if they fail to do the right thing, I don’t see why Libby should lose his law license for a political vendetta of the Left.
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