The President delivered a message to the American people today. Well, actually he only repeated the message that he has been sending for some time now. The message is simply that the first principles of the Cheney Administration - duplicity, secrecy, and loyalty - trump everything else, not the least of which was his Constitutionally-mandated oath of office.
Remember how Bush started off what quickly turned into the worst presidency in American History? As required by Article II, Section 1, of the Constitution, he solemnly swore to- faithfully execute the office of President of the United States (he didn't, he turned over everything to Dick Cheney),
- and would to the best of his ability (he had, as it turned out, no abilities);
- preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States (he has honored all of these only in the breach).
I respect the jury's verdict. But I have concluded that the prison sentence given to Mr. Libby is excessive. Therefore, I am commuting the portion of Mr. Libby's sentence that required him to spend thirty months in prison.Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald reacted (in part):
The sentence in this case was imposed pursuant to the laws governing sentencings which occur every day throughout this country. In this case, an experienced federal judge considered extensive argument from the parties and then imposed a sentence consistent with the applicable laws. It is fundamental to the rule of law that all citizens stand before the bar of justice as equals.Thus, the American people understand they are currently governed by men instead of by laws as promised by John Adams (1780):
In the government of this commonwealth, the legislative department shall never exercise the executive and judicial powers or either of them: the executive shall never exercise the legislative and judicial powers, or either of them: the judicial shall never exercise the legislative and executive powers, or either of them: to the end it may be a government of laws and not of men.They further realize that theirs is a two-tiered justice system: one for the Bush crime family and one for the rest of us.
I, for one, do not understand Senator Joe Biden's reactive posturing:
It is time for the American people to be heard - I call for all Americans to flood the White House with phone calls tomorrow expressing their outrage over this blatant disregard for the rule of law.
Joe doesn't get it. Currently, the White House is given a 'strongly approve' rating of 11% in the polls; it's hunkered down in stonewalling mode. Bush, himself, is only mooning the increasing outraged American people.
The blizzard of emails, phone calls and letters should be levied instead at Congressional representatives. And the message should as uncomplicated as possible:
Impeach this outlaw government.
Well, fuck me. Paris Hilton spent more time in the slammer that Scooter. Fuck us all. Very much.
ReplyDeleteI don't quite remember the name of the lady, might have been Liona Hemsley, who so aptly illustrated a certain kind of mindset by uttering; "Rich people don't go to jail. Only poor people go to jail"! At the time, I thought her as an airhead, but the lady clearly understood the full meaning of the American justice. It is a crime not to have wealth and connections in the U.S.of A., and if you doubt me, check out who are the ones that are scooped up in your so called correctional facilities!
ReplyDeleteIt is a shame, though, for Scooter would have made such an excellent bitch for some horny and frustrated Bubba.
May he go senile like Reagan, may he be mocked wherever he goes for the rest of his life, may he go down in history as the worst President in American history (and may we never see his likes again), and may the history books make the the press and the fauning neocons that propped Bush/Cheney up for their two terms in office look like the true fucktards they were, are, and shall be forever and ever.
ReplyDeleteFuck them all, forever!
I like Senator Clinton's statement:
ReplyDeleteToday's decision is yet another example that this Administration simply considers itself above the law. This case arose from the Administration's politicization of national security intelligence and its efforts to punish those who spoke out against its policies. Four years into the Iraq war, Americans are still living with the consequences of this White House's efforts to quell dissent. This commutation sends the clear signal that in this Administration, cronyism and ideology trump competence and justice.
A day like this leaves one searching for words to do JUSTICE to it.
ReplyDeleteLike Iran-Contra criminal & current Neo-Con Elliott Abrams before him, Scooter Libby will be back within a decade to aid & abet future high crimes and misdemeanors of a neo-fascist GOP president.
ReplyDeleteCan Fitzpatrick now take the investigation further. Immunize Scooter and subpoena him and ask him about Cheney's role? Double down and double dare him to perjure himself again?
ReplyDeleteFitzgerald?
ReplyDeleteWhat Boris said! Every word!!
ReplyDeleteParis Hilton and Martha Stewart has more balls than Bush and Scooter.
ReplyDeleteHold onto your hats and your knickers because a full pardon will come sometime before the Ferret leaves office.
ReplyDeleteRight on, Emily. And Senator Clinton.
ReplyDeleteRead Ronald Brownstein's article, The Libby lesson for Iraq: If President Bush disregards critics on pardoning Scooter, why would you think he'll budge on his war strategy?
ReplyDelete"The lesson of Libby is that consensus matters no more to Bush today than when he was at his apex. He still responds to power, not argument. Watching Bush shrug off the Democratic outrage over Libby ought to show Lugar and other uneasy Republicans how much their softer words on Iraq will affect the president — unless they command his attention with a sharp slap of repudiation in the votes on the war that will soon consume Congress again."
...And by commuting it, instead of pardoning Libby, continues the appeal process, preserving the 5th for Libby's protection of his co-criminals.
ReplyDeleteShameful. Keith Olbermann has the best reaction I've seen.
Someone on NPR noted that the President always has the authority to pardon someone who has committed treason, and can very easily "hide" the President's own treason through such an action. And his friends, and friend's friends. I expected nothing less from our dictator; but this is actually legal. We need to demand more of Congress; that is our only power.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to write to my reps today to demand that they defend our Constitution from the President. That is the priority that his been set for them. Blow the rambling excuses that are holding back bloggers and liberals from advocating that Congress take responsibility for our country's laws. They must, that is their duty.
ReplyDeletePinks, Thom Hartmann has discovered in the papers of 'father of the Bill of Rights' George Mason (1725-1792), Objections to This Constitution of Government that Bush's pardon of Libby was foreseen but not provided against:
ReplyDelete"The President of the United States has the unrestrained Power of granting Pardons for Treason; which may be sometimes exercised to screen from punishment those whom he had secretly instigated to commit the Crime, & thereby prevent a Discovery of his own Guilt."
Hartmann's article The Libby Commutation: Coincidence, or Conspiracy? is recommended.
American Justice, born July 4, 1776; died July 2, 2007. Cause of death: repeated stab wounds by mortal arrogance. Assailant(s) still at large. R.I.P.
ReplyDeleteBush is scared IMO. Did anyone see his ashen-faced press conference when he had to explain why his immigration bill failed? His base is in revolt and increasingly less willing to shield him. If Bush had let Libby serve time, Libby could easily have brought to light crimes and corruption that we have only seen hints of so far. If you were paying attention during the Libby trial you may remember that Libby's lawyer came out with a very aggressive case initially, threatining to call Dick Cheney to the stand. Then abruptly decided NOT to call on Cheney. The defense went suddenly limp and "slow-walked" the case to the guilty verdict. That was the turning point when the fight was thrown. Silence in return for guarantee of no time served. A commutation serves the White House better than a pardon, because the case is still technically alive - A full pardon would have meant that Libby could no longer plead the 5th, should Congress decide to ask him to testify about any he might know about, say, Cheney or Bush himself.
ReplyDeleteBut the walls are closing in on the White House as indicated by the increasingly ridiculous legal arguments they are advancing to avoid the relentlessly expanding Congressional oversight hearings. Sarah Taylor (Girl Friday for Karl Rove) is next in line to testify . She is in a very tight spot. In one hand she has a Congressional supoena to testify about the US Attorney purge and in the other hand she has an order from the White House to defy the supoena (even though the White House does not not appear to have Executive Privilege in this case because they say that the President was in no way involved in this the Attorney firings. Sarah Taylor's choices are 1) be in contempt of Congress and possibly face jail, 2) testify and perjure herself then hope that she can get a presidential pardon, too, or 3) testify and pull back the curtain on the stinking, corrupt morass that is the Cheney-Bush Administration. The White House is rotten to the core. They can no longer keep their lies straight and I don't think it is going to take much more pressure before the rats start to jump ship to save themselves.
Nice comment, Laura. If you have a website, please email its address to me? Thanks!
ReplyDelete