Color me moonbat, but, after this whole shamnesty debacle, I question the timing
WASHINGTON — President Bush commuted the sentence of former aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby Monday, sparing him from a 2.5-year prison term in the CIA leak case.
Bush left intact a $250,000 fine and two years probation for Libby, according to a senior White House official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision had not been announced.
Bush’s move came hours after a federal appeals panel ruled Libby could not delay his prison term in the CIA leak case. That decision put the pressure on the president, who had been sidestepping calls by Libby’s allies to pardon the former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney.
Now, Bush has always said he would rather be right then popular, and, that is a good way to be. What he did here was, in my opinion, the right thing to do. Libby was railroaded a bit, which is an old argument, so I will not get into it again, except to say that folks like Chucky Schumer and Harry Reid need to give their unfactual and hysterical rants a break.
Libby was never found guilty of "outing" Plame. Partisan rhetoric is not a court of law. Besides, Dick Armitage, the actual leaker, has had no penalties.
Bush did not excuse the crime, just saved Libby from jail. But, I have to be a little cynical about him doing this so close to the aftermath of shamnesty. He is still a politician, and this is a subject that might please some of the base. Of course, another way to look at it is, if he really wanted to pander, he would have completely pardoned Libby. Kinda torn here.
If President Bush really wants to do the right thing, he needs to, at a minimum, do the same thing for Border Agents Jose Compean and Ignacio Ramos. A full pardon would be even better.
Others: Michelle Malkin, Right Thinking Girl, Sister Toldjah, Wizbang, Right Wing News, Blogs For Bush, sure there are plenty more. You can also enjoy some seething at the Defeatocrats official blog and DUmmy Land.
Hot Air has Dingy Harry’s historical rewrite of what the commutation actually means.
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Bush has demonstrated once again that he is an imbecile.
There are two criminals in this sad case and neither is Libby. Bush should be locked up for criminal stupidity for allowing the appointment of Fitzgerald and Fitzgerald, the media whore, belongs in jail for perpetuating this farce when he knew from day one that no crime had been commited.
Nothing less than a full pardon and a public rebuke of Fitzgerald would have been the right move. Bush’s half measure pleases no one and still leaves Libby with scars that will never heal.
Libby May Yet Be Pardoned…
A eventual pardon for former VP aide I. Lewis Scooter Libby has not been ruled out by President Bush.As to the future, I rule nothing in and nothing out, the president told reporters after visiting wounded soldiers at Walter Reed…
Being right but unpopular is OK but being wrong and unpopular isn’t.