Posted on 07/10/2007 3:01:10 PM PDT by tobyhill
WASHINGTON -- President Bush's commutation of a prison term for a former aide to Vice President Cheney did not play well with the public or even Republicans, a survey found.
In a USA Today-Gallup poll released on Tuesday, 66 percent said Bush should not have intervened in the case of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, whose sentence for obstructing justice in the CIA leak case included a 2 1/2-year prison term.
Thirteen percent said the president's move was correct, and 6 percent said Bush should have given Libby a full pardon.
Bush didn't even receive much of a boost in support from Republicans. Among them, 44 percent said Bush should not have taken action in the case. Ten percent said he should have pardoned Libby while only 26 percent said Bush did the correct thing.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
President Bush, quit trying to appease the unappeasable.
Dear Pollsters: It wasn’t unpopular with me! Now for the complete pardon!
And, Hillary the Hypocrite and others like her can just STHU.
Well, that settles in.
He’s *definitely* not gettin’ a third term now!
And the Washington Post should have conducted a poll asking if President Bush should have pardoned Libby7 as soon as it was known that Armitage was the leaker.
You can say anything you want about Bush, but one thing I love about him is he will do what he thinks is right, and refuses to rule by the whim of the polls as a certain democrat from Arkansas did. Whether it is the war on terror, immigration (which I disagree with), or the Libby issue — he is not swayed by the masses.
Same 2/3 would also draw a blank in reaction to the words “Plame” and “Fitzpatrick”.
Snort.
So many = including FREEPERS - are still knocking him over not giving Libby a FULL pardon - and will not bother to read and/or understand that Libby and his lawyers DID NOT WANT a full pardon at this time.
A full pardon would mean that Libby has no more recourse to clear his name and would forever be a “felon” and forever disbarred.
With this action, he can now appeal and bring out things that Fitz, in his witch hunt, wouldn’t allow. We just may see Fitz Nifonged - Armitage on the stand, and all the other true criminals brought to justice and Libby cleared.
Bush wouldn’t budge for popular opinion. He did what Libby wanted. But no good deed goes unpunished, especially if it’s Bush’s -= even by Freepers, sadly.
It would be more interesting to see how many could identify who Libby is and what crime he was convicted of.
My initial reaction was the same as yours. But now I agree with the people who say this still gives Libby a chance to clear his name. A reversal on appeal is clearer exoneration than a pardon.
Libby himself may have preferred a commutation to a pardon. Of course when Libby's conviction is overturned the Dims will scream "Bush's court."
So true. But it pleased me no end that Bush did the right thing, no matter what flak he'd have to take for it - from both sides.
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