(I’ll be on Rachel Maddow’s show on Air America at 7:05 ET/4:05 PT talking about the criminal cabal’s evasion of justice)
Demonstrating his complete contempt for trial by jury, rule of law and his own Department of Justice appointees, George Bush thumbed his nose once again at the very concept of democracy and the Beltway Brahmins are cheering. The dirty unwashed masses who populate our juries are fit to judge each other, but evidently not the ruling class. David Broder can breathe a sigh of relief that People Like Him are safe from those overly zealous US Attorneys who might want to hold them accountable to the same absurd standards that the little people must live by.
How quaint.
The White House has turned off their phone lines. Evidently they don’t want to hear what you think. There will still be phones tomorrow, and I don’t imagine anyone who cared enough to drop Dubya a line is going to forget.
I hope all those who predicted that there would be such a cry of outrage over this that Bush will somehow pay a huge price are preparing to, you know, be outraged.
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Fitz!
Because it must be said.
That F*#ker Bush. They are all crooks!
I’d like to hear Fitz’s opinion on this.
Jane, I don’t get Air America on the radio is she on AM or PM?
How can we express our outrage?
Outraged is an understatement.
We need a list of direct dial numbers to everyone in the House and Senate.
Volunteers?
Do all federal prisoners now serving under federal sentencing guidelines have cause or argument to demand that their sentences be commuted?
AnnieW @ 5
Pitchforks ‘n torches, anyone?
I am ready to protest, go to dc hwatever it takes.
Can this administration ever be held accountable?
They turned off their phone lines? You mean our fucking phone lines?! I’m so pissed I can’t see straight. How are we to teach our children to obey the law? WTF My phone will be one hot potato tomorrow. Fuck this shit, I’ve had it.
I don’t think the Fat Lady has sung yet!
Fucking Republican Corporate Crony Scums!!!!!!!
If TexB is here I’d like to copy Cassies’ letter to my GA Sens and rep if okay.
They don’t care if we are outraged.
The White House has turned off their phone lines. Evidently they don’t want to hear what you think. There will still be phones tomorrow, and I don’t imagine anyone who cared enough to drop Dubya a line is going to forget.
Since when do they turn off their freaking phones? Chicken shit lily livered cowards.
EPU’d:
jayt says:
July 2nd, 2007 at 4:03 pm
Peterr says:
July 2nd, 2007 at 3:45 pm
Office of Pardon Attorney Guidelines.
§ 1.3 Eligibility for filing petition for commutation of sentence.
[No petition for commutation of sentence, including remission of fine, should be filed if other forms of judicial or administrative relief are available, except upon a showing of exceptional circumstances.]
Well, we all know that the appeals process wasn’t over. Now, Mr. president, show me some exceptional circumstances.
The stream of Rachel Maddow’s show is available at Air America.
THE SPEAKER’S COMMENT PAGE
http://speaker.gov/contact/
go there and make sure you are respectful, get her as incensed as we are, Jane’s word is better then mine
get her as “outraged” as we are
when addressing the speaker, please suggest she have a MAJOR press conferance, suggest she make it the biggest conferance of the most important nature to date
give her some suggestions, her speach writer is excellant but I’m sure we’ve thought of some choice things to say that her writers have not considered
once again, the speakers comment page
http://speaker.gov/contact/
hell yeah, I’m outraged.
Wish I knew how to make a difference, though.
JPL @ 4
PM and you can listen on the web at airamerica.com
Turley with Shuster on Hardball
bastards.
Joe Wilson on cnn.
JPL @ 4
Air America online streaming
EPU’d re: Reid
Reid sez “The Constitution gives President Bush the power to commute sentences, but history will judge him harshly for using that power to benefit his own Vice President’s Chief of Staff who was convicted of such a serious violation of law”
Rite, Harry. Bush be real scart by histery. Gud job. That is hyw u senite leadr.
(sorry, I has been reading too much at I can has cheezeburger. At least it stops me from saying fuck u bush… or does it?)
Edwards statement:
“Only a president clinically incapable of understanding that mistakes have consequences could take the action he did today. President Bush has just sent exactly the wrong signal to the country and the world. In George Bush’s America, it is apparently okay to misuse intelligence for political gain, mislead prosecutors and lie to the FBI. George Bush and his cronies think they are above the law and the rest of us live with the consequences. The cause of equal justice in America took a serious blow today.”
This action by the prez (Libby) today is a coverup.
The road-map going forward (in my dreams): 3 I’s – investigate, indict, impeach.. all of them
long drive home, see you all later
the dogs at the lake are on fire tonight
be well all
Outrage, YES.
Silliest, and yet most significant photo-op applicable: teh stuck anchor.
Scarecrow @ 27
I am starting to really love this guy.
Hollywood Fred Thompson took time off from writing nine minute speeches to gently rest his nuts on convicted felon Irve Libby’s chin.
-GSD
It is times like these that I am most grateful for FireDogLake.
May I suggest that everyone who can make a donation to FDL, please do so today in a gesture of solidarity and determination?
I want to hear from Speaker Pelosi that impeachment is back on the table.
Democrats. This is not complicated. Go after Cheney.
Bush’s statement today is, of course, a far cry from the sterling ethical standard he promised to uphold in the run-up to the 2000 presidential election. As you’ll recall, candidate Bush presented himself as the ethical antidote to the misdeeds real and imagined of the Clinton administration. At the Republican National Convention in August 2000, Bush pompously declared:
“So when I put my hand on the Bible, I will swear to not only uphold the laws of our land, I will swear to uphold the honor and dignity of the office to which I have been elected, so help me God.”
That October, then-Governor Bush introduced his soon-to-be aborted “what is right” standard of White House ethics:
“In my administration, we will ask not only what is legal but what is right. Not just what the lawyers allow, but what the public deserves.”
For the full history, see:
“Neither Right Nor Legal: Bush Commutes Libby’s Sentence.”
Shuster kickin butt with the American Spectator dink on Hardball. I am way glad that Tweety is off today. We need Schuster to argue with these guys
“The rule of law for thee, not me.”
It’s the refrain of the conservative movement.
Robert Bork: “Tort reform for thee, not me” after he falls off the dais.
Anti-choicers who are back on the protest line after ending their pregnancies: “Abortion is bad for thee, not me.”
Rush Limbaugh: “Drug laws for thee, not me.”
This is the recipe for promoting anarchy in society. If laws don’t apply to everyone, they apply to no one.
AnnieW @ 5
Letters to the editor of your local paper!!!
Match it to July 4th as a day of infamy when we should be celebrating what makes this country great.
Bob in HI
“Scooter Libby is a traitor.” Joe Wilson on CNN
JPL @ 14
That’s fine. Feel free to include the site link.
“Scooter Libby is a traitor,” Joe Wilson.
From the WaPo coverage of an outrageous White House action in a scandal a generation ago, I give you Watergate Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox, after he had been fired in the Saturday Night Massacre:
The same can be said today.
FWIW, my note to Pelosi (similar letters went to my Sens and Rep…)
Madame Speaker,
Scooter Libby lied, and will pay no penalty for it. His legal defense fund will easily cover his fine, and he will find a nice home in some conservative institute. No damage done.
If I worked for Dick Cheney, today I would have learned that the smartest course of action, when oversight arrives, is to lie.
If that is the incentive system you want to pervade the White House and OVP, I strongly encourage you to take no substantive actions. A short statement expressing disappointment and disgust is all you’ll need.
But if you’d like a different incentive system? People must begin to fear that if they cover up this Administration’s criminal activities, they will personally pay a criminal price themselves. Initiation of impeachment proceedings for the Vice President is one path; I am open to the idea that there may be others. But “investigations” and statements are no longer sufficient.
Whatever path you choose, you are going to have to do something difficult, potentially unpopular, risky, and with real consequences for those who behave this way.
Are you ready to lead us into that?
P.F.
Let.us.eat.cake.and.go.to.Hell.
Libby’s a scoundrel in the history books, to be sure.
pinson @ 35
amen
Words cannot express the level of disgust I feel, and have for these treasonous bastards, There hopefully will be a special place in hell for these cretins. My question to the “Lake” is how can we react and let the bastards know what we feel.
I’m ashamed of our “leadership” and truly fear for the well being of our country.
Joe Wilson on CNN – This is treason! Great words by Joe.. anyone know how to find the transcript?
But some Democrats assailed Mr. Bush’s move. Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, a Democratic presidential candidate, the commutation of Mr. Libby’s sentence “cements the legacy of an administration characterized by a politics of cynicism and division, one that has consistently placed itself and its ideology above the law.”
WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU HILLARY
Nothing from Hillary? Gore?
Joe DiGenova says he still expects a pardon, now accuses the Wilsons of lying. Cites Washington Post.
pinson @ 35
I just wrote to her at the address above. Told her it is not her perrogative to take impeachment off the table. In fact it is her obligation to impeach any “civil officers” who break the law.
the neocons are having a great party right about now – just laughing and laughing at us poor schmucks – jury – what fucking jury? thats for us schmucks – we dont need no jury to tell us whats unlawful – afterall we’re above the law
Boris DeGenova lying and smearing Joe Wilson. Susan Malveaux being a stooge.
-GSD
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19570520/ VOTE!!!!!
A few minutes ago, I sent the following message to my representative in Congress:
Dear Representative Harman,
I am not surprised, but I am outraged, totally outraged, that President Bush has acted to commute the sentence of I. Lewis Libby. President Bush, Vice-President Cheney, and the officials at the White House are all criminals. The President and Vice-President should both be impeached. We all knew that President Bush cared not one iota that Vice-President Cheney exposed the identity of Valerie Plame Wilson; this was all part of the coverup of the fraud underlying the Iraq War. Now the four-time convicted felon Lewis Libby will get off without serving a day behind bars. Great. Just great. I say, impeach Bush and Cheney and prosecute them for conspiracy, war crimes, violating FISA thousands of times, promoting torture, and lying to the American people! Damn them! Damn them! Damn them!
I assure you I am waiting with baited breath for the outpouting, err, I mean outpouring of “outrage” from our Reps. I have no doubt that there is at least one angry letter or two from the Dem “leaders” to Bush to come of this.
Take THAT Chimp!
OUTRAGEOUS!!!!! I’m appalled, disgusted and sick.
WOW What a surprise!
{{{{{{JANE}}}}}}
Thank you. Take care and get well!
That’s it, impeachment now…
jayt @ 17
How about, The crime was committed on the President’s behalf?
Remember, when it’s done on the President’s behalf, it’s not illegal…
Nemo @ 9
HEAR! HEAR! “Hey, Dianne and Barbara, is it time to put ‘I*********T’ back on the table yet?”
I do wish that Fitzgerald had called Cheney to the stand.
Thanks TexB, Cassie is our future..
The only people outraged by this will be those already outraged beyond description by the Bush gang. So, no net downside for Bush. Indeed, the fact that they finessed the ‘pardon’ headlines with a ‘commute (no doubt to be followed by a full pardon on Bush’s last day in office when few will be paying attention (assuming there is a last day in office) will actually help Bush since it looks clever compared to the Democrats’ impotent and self-righteous spewing.
How much time and energy and venting was spent here following the whole Fitz investigation? The number of vents on the hope/belief/delusion that Fitz was going to take Rove down probably numbered in the ten thousands. And for what? A vast waste of effort all around.
Suzanne Malveaux is as dumb as a bag of smashed assholes.
-GSD
Now that Wolfie is joning the AEI (the organization that recently sponsored a seminar on “America- too much freedom?”), perhaps Libby can join him there.
But some Democrats assailed Mr. Bush’s move. Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, a Democratic presidential candidate, the commutation of Mr. Libby’s sentence “cements the legacy of an administration characterized by a politics of cynicism and division, one that has consistently placed itself and its ideology above the law.”
C’MON HILLARY, WHERE ARE YOU
This was this a.m. re Hillary…
WASHINGTON (CNN) – Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-New York, took a pass Tuesday morning when asked if she would object to a pardon for former Cheney Chief of Staff I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby.
She was asked about Libby while addressing the AFSCME Democratic presidential candidate forum in Washington. Clinton first smiled and said, “Oh, I think there will be enough to be said about that without me adding to it.”
But moderator Chris Matthews pressed the issue, asking again if Clinton would have a problem if Libby was pardoned. Someone in the audience yelled, “Ask a real question.” Clinton then added, “A question that’s really about the people in the audience, and not about what’s happening in Washington.”
Libby was convicted of perjury for lying to investigators probing the outing of former CIA agent Valerie Plame.
His attorneys are filing an appeal of the conviction on Tuesday, and he is expected to challenge a judge’s ruling he must go to prison while awaiting the decision.
– CNN Political Desk Managing Editor Steve Brusk
CHS notes: to be fair, this was from a prior Democratic debate that occurred some time ago, NOT today. Just FYI. A stupid refusal to answer the question outright — but it didn’t happen this morning.
so, let me get this straight… Paris Hilton gets 20 some odd days for driving on a suspended license but Felon Scooter Libby betrays our country and doesn’t do any jail time?
somethin’ just doesn’t add up…
;-)
Jane up now!
I think it’s pretty clear that nobody whatsoever filed a petition for clemency. Therefore, *all* regulations were simply blown off.
“This decision to commute the sentence of a man who compromised our national security cements the legacy of an Administration characterized by a politics of cynicism and division, one that has consistently placed itself and its ideology above the law. This is exactly the kind of politics we must change so we can begin restoring the American people’s faith in a government that puts the country’s progress ahead of the bitter partisanship of recent years.” OBAMA’s statement…
My question is why nobody in the blogosphere predicted this approach of commutation?
Why are we always surprised by the Rt Wing?
This is obstruction of justice. Here’s the law
TITLE 18 > PART I > CHAPTER 73 > § 1512
§ 1512. Tampering with a witness, victim, or an informant.
Section C
janes on live.
http://www.airamerica.com/listen/
Harry Ried: History will judge YOU harshly! Ditto Ms. Pelosi.
Jane pointing out the particular difficulty with a commutation, as opposed to a pardon.
malveaux is a bushco stooge
If Hillary does not say anything, it is a sure sign that she is pandering to the “right” over this issue, and probably thinks she has the democrats in her back pocket. IF SHE IS NOT ON THE SOAP BOX IN SHORT ORDER, I WILL MAKE IT MY MISSION IN LIFE TO DISPARAGE ANYONE IN THIS BLOG WHO EVEN MENTIONS THAT HILLARY SHOULD BE THE DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE.
listening to jane on rachel’s show
WOW.What a BIG surprise!
Go Jane and Rachel — I love these women!
Rachel: Tucker’s pop is the “grand poobah” of Scooter’s defense fund.
This should not be framed with legal arguments that Joe Public won’t understand. This should be framed with a simple “what is this administration covering up?” Every day.
epu’d, as I continue to scream:
Bush commutes Libby.
Cheney will handle the $250,000 fine.
At exit Jan2009, commutation will be upgraded to full pardon, to restore Libby’s law license & purge his felony record.
Bank it.
[bunch of freakin’ dirty, pig-humping criminals]
must step away from the keyboard – my head’s about to explode listening to neocon bullshit!
Horsewoman at 72 – To be fair, that was from a Democratic debate from quite a while ago. Today is Monday, not Tuesday…
MSNBC crawl – Joe Wilson on Olberman tonight.
Janes on now
MSNBC saying that Joe Wilson to be on Countdown tonight.
Jane: The White House has shut down their phone lines!
Sorry just repeated myself!
Pelosi:
Thanks for the link SB. The vote at 4:18 was 82% against.
Just in time for the Fourth of July cookout discussions.
If Hillary does not say anything, it is a sure sign that she is pandering to the “right” over this issue, and probably thinks she has the democrats in her back pocket. IF SHE IS NOT ON THE SOAP BOX IN SHORT ORDER, I WILL MAKE IT MY MISSION IN LIFE TO DISPARAGE ANYONE IN THIS BLOG WHO EVEN MENTIONS THAT HILLARY SHOULD BE THE DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE.
American Spectator stooge is an idiot and believes lying is OK
perris @ 19
Just sent Pelosi a message and let her know that I expect impeachment now. These people are criminals.
Ms. Pelosi: Time to clear and reset the Table.
Rachel: “What consequences?”
Jane: 1. Refer to DoJ (heh heh)
2. Get the Sergeant at Arms to drag them up to Capitol Hill.
“Let’s hear some outrage!!”
Jane pointed out that commuting sentence allows Libby to pursue appeal but still claim 5th Amendment if called to testify; whereas pardon would have removed that dodge. So this is clever way to avoid having to answer questions while appealing, and not going to prison. She calls it obstruction of justice. That’s our DFH! Ya gotta love her.
Election Central is listing all the candidates statements. Fred is happy..
AnnieW @ 5
I’m not just outraged, I physically feel sick to my stomach.
I posted this in the FP comments over at DailyKos:
I feel like I’ve been punched in the gut.
Although it’s WAY down in the comments, this is what I wrote to my Rep Blumenauer, and edited to Wyden (took out Pelosi comment, and asked why he didn’t have a “President Bush Screw-Up category):
Teddy,I am shocked and appalled that the President has furthered the criminal conspiracy begun in his Vice-President’s office by commuting the prison sentence of felon Irve Libby.
Please support Congressman Dennis Kucinich’s effort to impeach the Vice President. There are now ample grounds. You must act. The Constitution and the American people demand it.
Thank you for your service to California and to the United States of America.
Sent to Boxer, Feinstein and Brad Sherman (LA)
I’m reprinting because they are excellent words and I’m sure you won’t mind if others use them.
Right? Gosh, I hope so.
I used your words, may I quote them here:
So, Madame Speaker: what’cha gonna do about it?
Rachel: 2008 PrezCandi responses next.
Great job, Jane!
This is the text of what I posted to Pelosi’s comment site.
With the commutation of Scooter Libby’s sentence today, Bush has spit once again on the rule of law and everything that our country stands for. The only reason he had to offer a commutation was to protect himself and Cheney. The fact that he did not even follow his own guidelines for offering a commutation further supports this supposition.
Impeachment has to be an option with this administration. It is the only consequence they will ever face, and if they do not face any consequences future politicians will learn that corruption pays. By not acting against Gonzales, Cheney, and/or Bush, you are applying the final blow to an already tattered rule of law.
Our constitution is more important than politics. We are past the time when the 2008 election should be our primary focus. Put politics behind you and do the right thing. BEGIN THE IMPEACHMET PROCESS IMMEDIATELY.
dakine01 @ 101
He’s so stupid he doesn’t even know the Repug talking points
Caught only the last bit of the interview. Jane sounds great!
Christy ~ sorry…you’re right of course ~ anger and frustration leads to sloppy thinking and lousy attention to detail sometimes for me; thanks for the correction. Still speaks to a “state of mind” on her part that’s disturbing, and it will be interesting to see if she steps up on this.
Get Tough at 99 — Please don’t shout in all caps in the comments. It’s not only rude, but it’s supremely irritating.
I wish Bush was around when I was on the hook.
That being said any Democrat or liberal blogger that thought this would not happen was seriously deluding themselves. Libby will be set up in a neocon think tank after taking the summer off (you don’t need a law license to do that). Bush will fully pardon him on his last day in office.
Jane, you were super! And your hair looked GREAT!
Helen @ 38
Who is this a**hole? I need to put him on my ‘idiot list’.
It is truly time for WE THE PEOPLE to take back our government. This is ourageous, outlandish, and so obviously in contempt for the rule of law. KKK Rove said it when he said “We will rule for the next 30 years” It is high time for the Democrats to stop acting like a bunch of sissies. Jesus Fuck, what other signs do they need? Stop playing nice guy and go to relentless motherfucking asshole, then and ony then will they respect us. The bully only gives in when you give him/her a well deserved ass whooping, any child on any playground knows that, what’s wrong with the adults?????????
Joe DiGenova is smearing Pat Fitzgerald. Sack of shit.
-GSD
Susanne M at MSNBC (dumber than…) just asked Joe DiGenova if the President won’t get a bump in his poll numbers because of his good will.
AAAAAAAHHHHHH
TeddySanFran @ 109
She did good as usual!
Jane, Was great, thanks for all the links to Air America.
Things are no different today..don’t get mad..get even. Magical thinking isn’t going to fix this problem..no Hague..no one is going to be impeached and found guilty.
It is going to be grinding out the yards day by day..pushing the Dems to do the right thing..preparing for the day when the DOJ will be able to restore the rule of law. More hearings..force the enablers, hiding in the shadows to lawyer up. Political guerilla warfare can be very stressful and expensive..go for it.
Jane –
Thank you SO MUCH for expressing our outrage over the airwaves on this dark day. (And thanks to you forever — for giving us this Lake for us Pups to gather.)
I myself am speechless with rage and despair at the destruction of American justice. My sole consolation is knowing that I find other lovers of justice and of the Constitution who are equally outraged here at the Lake of Fire. Thank you, Firepups!
Torches and pitchforks!!!
CNN has handed over its show to DiGenova to slam Fitz, Wilsons, and lie about Armitage, etc. He won’t shut up. Someone got to them, because the outrage was getting out of hand.
Message to Chimpy & All of Chimpy’s Handlers:
You just wrote your legacy. The history books can go to press right now. The first words uttered after “Bush”, out of every mouth for all eternity, will be “he Pardoned Libby”. Forget about “commuted”…it will be seen as a PARDON. You wrote it, and you’ll stew in it until the sun dims, oh Great Dim Son.
Why are you begging for Hillary? What a joke! Hillary is impotent. She’s won’t say shit even if she has a mouthful! Take off your rose-colored Hillary glasses.
yellowdogD @ 118
R. Emmett Tyrell. He was the point of the spear at American Spectator I believe. He made a cottage industry of attacking Bill Clinton and digging through panty drawers.
-GSD
Where’s LS? I want her to know that Valerie Plame was covert and Sandy Berger pleaded guilty.
Apparently though it is okay in Bush world to lie to a grand jury.
Impeach Bush and Cheney NOW!
G Gordon Liddy at 114 — I sincerely doubt that you are Mr. Liddy — and I’d suggest you find a different nickname post haste, because we do not allow impersonations on this blog as nicknames. Just FYI.
Madame Speaker and Mr. Reid:
Please bring Congress into session on the 4th of July. Perfect day to talk about the values of America, the values of this administration, and how it’s time for the country to reclaim its soul. So far, I haven’t found anything impeachable from this grant of clemency, but I’m still looking.
Hell, if nothing else, bringing Congress back into session could stop Chimpy from ramming through some recess appointments – and you just *know* he’s got some waiting.
pwrlght @ 100
DAMN STRAIGHT! I’m on it NOW!
BTW, Thanks perris for posting it. Saved me time from having to look for it.
Bush states in his press release that it is his view that the sentence imposed by the district court was too harsh. I will merely note that Chief Justice John Marshall held that “[the] power of punishment is vested in the legislative . . . department. It is the legislature . . . which is to define a crime, and ordain its punishment.” United States v. Wiltberger, 5 Wheat. 76, 95 (1820).
As Justice Thurgood Marshall opined in his dissent from the majority opinion in Schick v. Reed, 419 U.S. 256 (1974), when the President exercises the pardon power in such a manner that calls into question the powers of the legislature to define appropriate punishments, as found in the Sentencing Guidelines, this action offends against the separation of powers. This is why the power to commute a sentence, “As a matter of comity between the branches of government . . . should be exercised sparingly.” 67A C.J.S. Pardon & Parole § 34.
The pardon power is a holdover of the British monarchy in American jurisprudence. That does not excuse the President’s exercise of that power as if he were a sovereign. That offends against not only principles of comity and the separation of powers, but the principle that the American government is a government of laws and not men.
Read it and get mad and then do something about it;
Because Congressional Switchboards are shut down:
Direct phone numbers in DC:
Barbara Boxer: 202/224-3553
Dianne Feinstein: 202/224-3841
ChristyChristy Hardin Smith @ 115
You got it. Just a little worked up.
Scarecrow @ 125
One of the Shituation Room’s producers has him on speed-dial. His capacity to get airtime on demand is depressing. But that’s how DC works.
(cleanup on aisle 126)
Libby will be joining this disgraced, war-mongering neo-con at the AEI anyday now.
-GSD
Any word yet from Clinton or Obama? It may be a good idea to get Edwards’ next quarter donations kick started big time.
OT: David Schuster is on Hardball, and he’s kicking ass.
Storm the futhermucking gates now!
kdh22 @ 129
The point is that she needs to say something or she is just as complacent in this as the current administration. Every other democratic candidate has already.
yellowdogD @ 141
Obama is already quoted in the NYT.
yellowdogD, there are several comments upthread that give Obama’s response.
yellowdogD @ 138
Rachel just read Obama’s statement and said GRRR after reading it, something about “partisanship”
Barack Obama’s statement.
-GSD
my little cupcake for this particular
party reads thus: this is not lawful. it
is — itself — a prima facie case
of obstruction of justice. the public
documents — including dick cheney’s press
release, of june 5, 2007, FOR WHICH WE PAID,
as taxpayers, clearly urged this result.
a result that closes the mouth of the perjurer,
and obstructor of justice, to protect — yep!
one dick cheney. this is criminal. patrick
leahy or henry waxman or john conyers — or all
of them — need to convene hearings, and take
testimony from scooter libby — and issue new
subpoenas to BOTH cheney and bush — what was “the deal” here?
i mean, c’mon!
not two weeks ago, bush said he would
stay out of it, until mr. libby’s appeals
were exhausted. mr. president, his appeals
have not been not exhausted — they’ve barely begun.
what has become clear — is, like all
convicted criminals of his ilk — he
was going to go to jail. and, really soon.
what!? WTF! — the president — after a public-
urging, on the whitehouse.gov web-server, by the vice-
president, dick cheney — has stepped into the
middle of a pending criminal case, and prevented
i. lewis “scooter” libby from receiving the natural,
predictable, criminal, consequences of perjury, and
obstruction of justice — this, from the man, who is
now protecting the man, who is protecting the
vice-president! that, in and of itself, may well
make out a prima facie case of. . .
yep! you guessed it! — obstruction of justice.
no justice? — no peace.
What is really making me sick is that the WH planned this whole course of events.
They had a Libby/Cheney exit strategy
but no
Iraq exit strategy
pseudonymous @ 107
The President is a bald-faced liar.
Saturday Night Massacre.
Bush just lit the fuse to his own end.
Fine by me.
RevDeb @ 148
ding
These word still ring true:
” When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the Powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.”
—July 4, 1776
I feel the need to reconsider them today, July 2, 2007.
RevDeb @ 150
Ding!
Get Tough @ 141
Her silence is obviously deafening to you. I suppose you support her? If so, maybe you should rethink your position.
Second of July Massacre
Monday Evening Massacre
Kennebunkport Massacre (tar Bar with the brush, yeah!)
As much as this sucks it is actually a better outcome (so far) than I expected
We`ll see how much backbone “We the people…” actually have when confronting corruption & evil
Talk is far too cheap
“Fire is the test of gold; adversity, of strong men.” — Seneca
kdh22 @ 154
What?
As of this writing (6:29 central), both Edwards and Obama not only have made statements but have them posted to their websites. Hillary has nothing.
This tells me that the first two are keenly aware of how fast the world moves today, and that you must move fast yourself or be seen as out of it, behind the times, unable to make a snap response.
Hillary, by all the evidence, just doesn’t get it.
Gunga Djinn @ 150
Gee, you just figured this out? Sorry, loaded with sarcasm
My letter to Schumer (It was slightly different for Reid and other Senators and moreso for Pelosi and House members):
Sen. Schumer,
I am an ex-Dem Independent voter who wants to be a Dem again. Unfortunately, I have not seen the forcefulness of action necessary to defend our country and our Constitution from the Cheney/Bush regime that would allow me, in good conscience, to become a member of any such organization not doing it’s job.
FIrst, the good: MORE oversight please. Faster, our country is at stake. Force the issue with those Admin subpoenas, they are lawbreakers and need to be prosecuted. I also like the idea of no Senate recess in August. Not only does it indicate a willingness to work, but it’s exactly the visible type of action that voters need to see.
Now for the bad: I see the GOP obstruction of your agenda, but the average person is not hearing it. You should personally be calling them Obstructionists EVERY DAY. Frame the debate (and hire George Lakoff while you’re at it!).
Joe Lieberman (I-Israel) needs to be cut loose. Unless forceful action is taken against this Rove-funded, Dem-hating Neocon I will never rejoin the party. He is a menace and a traitor. What has his Homeland Security done? He should not only be stripped of his chairmanship but be booted out on his ass. Goodbye. I hope the depth of my feelings on this come through clearly, and I am far from alone.
Now Libby gets his sentence commuted. Are you ready to push for Bush and Cheney being convicted of Obstruction of Justice? Are you ready to believe in Impeachment? These criminals in the WH know no bounds and you (and your party) will continue to look weak until you forcefully act to stop them. It would be the best thing you could ever do to strengthen the party. What about the “rule of law”? What about Bush not intefering in this case while it was ongoing? (There is still an appeal before the courts.)
They are dangerous and above the law. Say it LOUDLY every day and go for their jugular. I beg you!
Sincerely,
Rat Bastahd
Tweety is SO sucking up.
If impeachment had been on the table already, and under consideration, today’s decision would have exacted a much higher price and would have been far more difficult. You have to play for keeps with these thugs. We should not make this mistake again.
Well – Imagine that. Now he can pardon him on his last day.
I’m just sick . . .
Steve T. @ 158
I keep picturing Peter Daou doing a big ol’ facepalm…
GSD @ 145
thanks
Peterr @ 44
This would be a great quote to use in a Letter to the Editor!
Bob in HI
W really slunk from this, too: Leaving the A-team WH press corps behind in Kennebunkport while he flew to DeeCee; got off the helicopter; walked into the Oval and signed The Scooter Paper.
That’s why all the White House correspondents are filing from Maine — they got left behind and have probably missed their flights home, screwing up their own holiday family plans.
#34 That’s exactly what I was thinking:
Step 1: Tonight I’m donating to all the blogs that have been covering this.
If anyone missed Jane’s interview on Rachel Maddow’s show, you can listen to KPOJ’s stream at 7pm (pt)/10pm (et). They tape delay her show since it’s the west coast.
KPOJ Portland AM620.
We have a new thread.
Matthews is soft on Bush/Cheney commuting Libby.
TeddySanFran @ 157
This is Not a massacre. Iraq is a massacre. Iran will be a massacre. This is a brain fart from a brain full of nothing but farts. Liddy helped get us into Iraq, this is just a little bump along the road peppered with bombs that are killing our troops and even more Iraqis.
Tweety’s speaking some truth at the moment. Freaks me out when he isn’t kissing Bush’s ass.
I am outraged, horrified, and deeply saddened about how Bush’s behavior continues to wreck the country.
I want to figure out what we really do next. Keep talking to your neighbors over the fourth holidays, keep talking so that last bunch of supporters can actually see how George thinks he is king. We fought against another George centuries ago. We can do it again.
TeddySanFran @ 154
and pour on the feathers!
Steve T (and for you, kdh)
Hillary probably won’t say anything, or something that is much more careful than any of the other candidates because Billy, her hubby, pardoned Mark Rich, who was on the lam from the authorities at the time. One guess on who represented Mark Rich in seeking the pardon? Scooter Libby.
PW has the Moral High Ground upstairs
WH Switchboard is answering but they won’t take messages.
202-456-1414
I’m not really disappointed about what Bush did for Libby. Why? Well… it has for me, something to do with the prez not stepping out of character.
This lie was a lie that was dependent on Tim Russert. some guy on Hardball
This is the equivalent of the Friday night news dump – it’s a July 4th week new dump – they’re ashamed – Chris Matthews
1,565 DAYZ AND THE KILLIN’ GOEZ ON AND ON AND..
Citizen Hamsher and the Firepup Patriots:
How long is it gunna take for us in this country to wake up and figure out that “the rule of law” and our entire history of struggle for justice lie dead in the street and will not be resuscitated unless the great unwashed mass of us take to that street and breathe life back into it? The tyrants have taken the corroded structures and institutions meant to advance the idea of freedom and justice and used them to impose a rule of fear. If we can’t mobilize millions of people into the streets and use the 4th of July holiday to mobilize direct action to force our elected leadership into action, then we deserve what the great crime families of the American oligarchy have in store for us.
Don’t tell me about faith in the institutions of the “rule of law”, they have been used to murder justice and impose tyranny…if our anger can not stimulate direct action and a firestorm that sweeps these monsters from power then we dont deserve our history.
KEEP THE FAITH AND SHOVE IT RIGHT UP BUSH’S ASS!!
Hosea 8:7
For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind
commenter, Anon, over at The Next Hurrah says,
The President only has the power to eliminate a sentence; he has no power to reduce the sentence. This is a judicial power. Only a court can reduce a sentence; the President can only suspend or eliminate all the punishments. The President today exercised judicial power. This is unconstitutional.
there’s more – don’t know if it’s right, but it sure is interesting.
Elliott @ 164
Gee, wonder how long they agonized over that?
Elliott @ 164
I admit I was one of those who was willing to switch over to the Republicans after the Democrats caved on Iraq. But this is enough to make me switch back. I mean, this guy is a criminal by any conceivable definition of the term. I want to see how the Republican candidates for President feel about this.
Impeach, impeach, impeach
Impeachment.
Elliott @ 164
I told my wife, she responded: “You knew this was going to happen.”
Then a friend stopped by and I told him, you can guess his response: “You knew this was going to happen.”
It did help my seething anger. I DID know they were going to do something like this. So on to the next steps, ie.
1. back to emailing Congresscritters, and
2. Making a sign tonight for the 4th parade: It’s going to say; What happened to the rule of law. IMPEACH Bush and Cheney.
Woodhall Hollow @ 96
…and her conclusion is????
Bob in HI
Thank you GSD, Teddy SF, Suzanne and Get Tough. Obama’s statement seemed a little lame to me.
Put Cassie’s letter on FDL!!
Get Tough @ 176
Yeah I knew that. I didn’t know where you were coming from in your previous comments. For Hill, any position on pardoning and commutation are better left unspoken.
DrenchedOtter @ 185
Fred Thompson said he was “happy” about it.
-GSD
I’m still nauseous. I bet W couldn’t keep that nasty smirk of his off his face when he made the announcement. Marcy is right—this is obstruction of justice.
And what about that statement? Does Bush, or does he not, admit that Libby broke the law? That Libby even did one teeny little thing wrong in exposing Valerie Plame?
Keep letting them know you aren’t happy!
Do you agree with President Bush’s decision to commute former White House aide I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby’s prison sentence?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19570520/
83% AGAINST @7:37
9964 votes
*xyz @ 182
Proverbs 11:29:
He who troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind
and the fool shall be servant to the wise of heart”
I saw this on the tv and ran to the computer. It was fucking down!!! Apparently we lost net neutrality today, too. WTFFFFF! How can so few get away with so much?
Cassie’s mother did a good service for the youth of this country. She gave birth to Cassie.
Post her letter on FDL!
This is my submission to the Speaker of the House:
Speaker Pelosi,
The commutation of former White House aide I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby for obstruction of justice reflects a total disregard of our justice system. The President’s actions are simply deflect the actions of the current administration who used their positions of power for political gain. The recent action by the President expands the cloud of doubt regarding the Valerie Plame outage and no one living outside the Washington “inner circle” would even have gain audience, much less, the attention if they were charged with similar crimes.
A jury of his peers found former White House aide I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby guilty. That can not ever be removed form the records. It is time for the Congress to stand up and stop this miscarriage of justice. It is time for you, as Speaker of the House, to firmly and strongly stand and confront the President in clear and unclouded terms. It is your responsibility and we expect you to uphold your responsibility not run away from it.
As a Scoutmaster, I recite the Scout Law with my Scouts each week and the first portion of the Scout is “trustworthy.” It is clear that trustworthy only applies to ordinary citizens, not whose who are in the President’s administration. I strongly encourage you to bring impeachment back onto the table to allow the American citizens to finally see what has been going on during the Bush presidency.
Please feel free to contact me for further discussion and clarification that you and your office would need to establish the information needed to move forward on this situation.
Thank you for your time and consideration of my comments.
Very Respectfully,
vieravisionary
LS @ 193
diggit
Let the White House turn off the phones.
We’ll just find other avenues of expression.
I’m thinking catapults and barrels of dog shit.
*xyz and RevDeb –
Thanks for the scriptural quotes. Here’s one I found in the DKos thread on this outrage:
7 From their callous hearts comes iniquity;
the evil conceits of their minds know no limits.
8 They scoff, and speak with malice;
in their arrogance they threaten oppression.
9 Their mouths lay claim to heaven,
and their tongues take possession of the earth.
How many death penalty appeals did Mr. Bush ignore as Governor of Texas? One hundred fifty? What was the woman’s name, the born again in jail Christian convert, whose appeal he mocked in a falsetto voice, as if consigning a fraternity pledge to a little extra KP duty? The young, the old, the mentally retarded? Whack ‘em. The judge and jury must have gotten it right. Not so in Metro DC, it seems.
Big Dick obviously convinced Shrub that he can’t say “we take care of our own” if he won’t take care of Scoot. Pity that the “we” he refers to covers so few people, leaving more than 99% of Americans yet to come in from the cold winter of the Bush administration.
GSD @ 195
Fred Thompson said he was “happy” about it.
-GSD
Yes I saw that. Has anyone heard anything from Hillary? I consider her a Republican in Democrat’s clothing, but this would be a chance for her to shine.
Of course, it has always been about the security and safety of the ruling class… Just read Noam Chomsky’s Failed State. It will convince you! What we are mourning is the death of our illusions not the change of our institutions…
OUTRAGE!
Yours was the first blog I thought to go to when I saw the news. Unbelievable. There is no freaking justice in the world.
My letter to Schumer and Clinton, my sometimes effective senators:
I was so upset when I heard this on the radio on the way into the grocery store I could barely speak. Even if the WH phones aren’t working they are humming here in Montana and EVERYONE IS REALLY REALLY PISSED!!!!
P.S. If I were to go back into DC tonight would I meet any fellow protesters, I wonder?
If Jo Lieberman can raise more money for the candidate he opposes than the one he recommends, then we daren’t fail to use this abuse of power when raising support and funds for those opposing George Bush. If grade schoolers still learn remember the Alamo after a hundred seventy-years, we can say “Remember Scoot Free Scooter” when opposing the successor to this terribly flawed man.
The asahats be turning. They turn in clusters, because their roots connect them.
ralphbon @ 210
I hope you don’t mind; I thought your concise prose to be most excellent, and I sent it to Speaker Pelosi’s office. Others who wish to comment on putting Impeachment BACK on the Table, go here: Speaker Pelosi’s email
So right were those who stated that Libby would never see the inside of a prison. He will be pardoned when Bush leaves office based on “newly discovered eveidence”. You wait.
FDL cited on CNN !
Go HERE now!
VOTE!!!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19570520/
83% Against Bush
11361 votes at 7:50
expect a poll results announce in two minutes!!
Does anyone actually think that the Emperor gives a rat’s ass about any polls? How laughable. Had polls been in existance at the time does anyone think Louis XVI would have given a rat’s ass.
I just got home, the rule of law only for what’s left of the middle class and the poor.
To quote
“It’s good to be the King”
I am depressed.
Robert Buta @ 220
I’m ANGRY!!!!
What would Leahy, Waxman, Conyers, Pelosi, Schummer et al do if 3 million people marched on Washington with pitchforks and torches? Would that catch their attention? What a bunch of Democratic dullards. America needs new leaders that rise up from the struggles of the people.
RevDeb @ 221
marcy on hardball!!!
marcy Wheeler on hardball!
I just heard and I am stunned, shocked. I don’t even know what to say.
Just posted this on Pelosi’s comment page: “President Bush’s action today by commuting Mr. Libby’s prison sentence is not only an outrage to me, but a slap in the face to you, the Legislative Branch, the Judicial Branch and the 70% of the American people who now know they were lied to by the administration and tricked into invading Iraq, the worst foreign policy disaster in American history. Thousands of American service men and tens of thousands of Iraqis have paid for this administration’s deceptions with their lives. Now, apparently, the perpetrators in this administration will have to pay for nothing at all, even when caught and convicted red-handed. My faith in the workings of our system of government has been shattered again and again over the past 6-1/2 years. Today was more than an outrage, it is an outlaw Executive branch testing just how far it can push this country. I hope the Legislative Branch will firmly demonstrate to Bush that there are some boundaries that are one step too far, and it was crossed today.”
psyberdawg @ 203
Only if the sharks with friggin’ laser beams on their friggin’ heads aren’t available.
G** D*** it, what’s next? Scooter gets his old desk back in the West WIng? Or just the drive time slot on the “E.I.B. Network?”
Uhhh, Dianne, Nancy and Barbara (I won’t bother calling out “my” congresswhore Shillbray) can we PUH LEEEZE put Impeachment back on the table?
Ya gotta love it; she talks, but not to Matthews.
((((((((((((Margaret))))))))))))))))
She sounds as mad as I am. GO MARCY!
Emptywheel on MSNBC !
Missed Marcy. Keith Olbermann is on.
Whooo Hooo Marcy just nailed it — lays out the evidence against Cheney and bush, Libby acting for them.
I shocked, stunned, pissed, angry, fuming, disappointed….I think you get the point.
I hate these people so much.
It’s good to hear Marcy on Hardball, even if it’s only by phone. Marcy — you’ve made the big time! (Those hours at the courthouse with Shuster have paid off!)
John Dean and Joe W. will be on KO tonight.
12180 votes at the top of the hour – 8:00pm
83% Against Bush
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19570520/
Vote!
Suggest to every jailed criminal in the US of A to write a letter to the President, asking him to have his sentence commuted ….
5 million letters should keep the WH staff busy for a while …
Speaker Pelosi,
The commutation of former White House aide I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby for obstruction of justice reflects a total disregard of our justice system. The President’s actions are simply deflect the actions of the current administration who used their positions of power for political gain. The recent action by the President expands the cloud of doubt regarding the Valerie Plame outage and no one living outside the Washington “inner circle” would even have gain audience, much less, the attention if they were charged with similar crimes.
A jury of his peers found former White House aide I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby guilty. That can not ever be removed form the records. It is time for the Congress to stand up and stop this miscarriage of justice. It is time for you, as Speaker of the House, to firmly and strongly stand and confront the President in clear and unclouded terms. It is your responsibility and we expect you to uphold your responsibility not run away from it.
As a Scoutmaster, I recite the Scout Law with my Scouts each week and the first portion of the Scout is “trustworthy.” It is clear that trustworthy only applies to ordinary citizens, not whose who are in the President’s administration. I strongly encourage you to bring impeachment back onto the table to allow the American citizens to finally see what has been going on during the Bush presidency.
Please feel free to contact me for further discussion and clarification that you and your office would need to establish the information needed to move forward on this situation.
Thank you for your time and consideration of my comments.
Very Respectfully,
vieravisionary
“Virtual pardon” KO’s words. good framing
I’m completely outraged. Most pissed since Nixon days.
Senator Clinton is slow to respond…
in what may be the greatest crime of this young century – KO
Fuck Fuck Fuck….welcome to Amerikkan justice, Bush style. Paris Hilton got a tougher sentence than Scooter Libby. When the Clenis lied to the grand jury about a fucking blowjob, the GOD’S OWN PARTY insists that he be removed from office. It’s ok if you are a rich white Republican. LAW AND ORDER, MY PALE SKINNY ASS.
Earth to dumboshits:
IMPEACH THESE MOTHERFUCKERS NOW!!!!
Keeping Scooter quiet: “I respect the jury’s verdict,” George Bush said, speaking oxymoronically as he announced his soon-to-be-notorious Monday Night Massacre of justice. This is no misdemeanor, it’s a high crime. It’s time to put impeachment on the front burner.
RevDeb @ 221
Depression over, Beyond Angry
…the president, who thinks he is the judicial branch, as well … KO
earl@204
“How many death penalty appeals did Mr. Bush ignore as Governor of Texas? One hundred fifty? What was the woman’s name, the born again in jail Christian convert, whose appeal he mocked in a falsetto voice, as if consigning a fraternity pledge to a little extra KP duty? The young, the old, the mentally retarded? Whack ‘em. The judge and jury must have gotten it right. Not so in Metro DC, it seems.“
Exactly what I thought of as well. Let’s see if any of the gutless wonders of the beltway media bring this up.
We have a new thread and will need to move from here soon for the servers. Suggest migration.
Nice to know Bush thinks he’s the smartest man in America. Even smarter than two Rep appointed judges. A truly stunning decision.
Slothrop @ 241
Yep, she’s showing herself to be the Republican shadow candidate, if there was any doubt. Good for Obama and Edwards for speaking out.
ScooterBitch @ 57
Voted – so far 87% Do. Not. Agree.
President Bush did not consult the Department of Justice
as if the President commuted the sentence of Halderman or Erlichman had been commuted – that will tell you the significance of this – John Dean
There is an ongoing obstruction of justice here – John Dean
On KO, John Dean is saying that he wouldn’t be surprised if Fitz doesn’t haul Libby in front of a grand jury again to pursue the obstruction of justice he believe went on.
I am making a new lawn sign “impeach Already” and just in time for the Fourth of July block party. I encourage everyone to do the same.
I feel sick to my stomach, reminiscent of the OJ verdict. Just sick. Justice in America died a little today.
Yeah John Dean really wants Fitz and Congress to investigate the VP Office “cloud” (I say sulphurouse cloud) and says they have the power to do it. He thinks the American Public “gets it” and this is going to make Chimpy more unpopular.
Poor Joe Wilson. He’s up next on KO. My sympathies are with him & Valerie in case he visits.
It says Fred Thompson is pleased with all this in the scroll on MSNBC.
Can’t wait to hear joementum praise bush for his great compassion.
My message to the Speaker.
On this eve of July 4th, I beg you and Mr. Reid to bring the Congress together on the 4th and please please please restore our liberty that was first declared there. There have been ample grounds for impeachment since 2003 or earlier. With the commutation of Libby’s sentence, we now have not merely grounds but groundswell.
Support the impeachment of Cheney and Bush.You will be remembered not only as the first woman speaker of the house, but as the bravest.
Apologies if this already dealt with at lengh:
teh firewall stays in place this way, eh?
a least for now.
tomorrow’s another day…
judeanpeoplesfront @ 3
The president’s power of clemency is complete and we do not comment on his excercise of that power. However, we do respond to his assertion that the sentence was excessive. It was well within the norms of the relevant law. It is essential that people who appear before the bar of justice are treated equally, and this philosophy guided the court throughout the trial and sentencing. (Paraphrased by me from the statement read on Olbermann attributed to Fitz.)
On January 1, 1975, Haldeman was convicted of conspiracy and obstruction of justice and sentenced to an 18-month prison sentence, which he served in Lompoc Federal Prison.
On February 21, 1975, Mitchell was found guilty of conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and perjury and sentenced to two and a half to eight years in prison for his role in the Watergate break-in and cover-up, which he dubbed the White House horrors. The sentence was later reduced to one to four years by United States District Court Judge John J. Sirica. Mitchell served only 19 months of his sentence, at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama, a minimum security prison, before being released on parole for medical reasons.
Nixon was not shameless enough to pardon them. That’s why Bush is worse than Nixon, and his criminal cabal is worse than Watergate.
Thanks for the 2008 White House, George.
And I’m outraged that the Speaker of the House whose obstruction of justice has suborned the crimes of this administration sees fit to whine about Bush’s corrupt gift to Libby:
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California
“The President’s commutation of Scooter Libby’s prison sentence does not serve justice, condones criminal conduct, and is a betrayal of trust of the American people. The President said he would hold accountable anyone involved in the Valerie Plame leak case. By his action today, the President shows his word is not to be believed. He has abandoned all sense of fairness when it comes to justice, he has failed to uphold the rule of law, and he has failed to hold his Administration accountable.”
Madam Speaker, impeach or shut the fuck up!
Bush says White House did not consult with Justice on decision. Yea, cause they wouldn’t return his calls!
i bet joe wilson really wishes he didnt vote for george bush jr. in 2000 now…
It’s just another day for Bush and his cronies. Once again we see that this administration has:
- Complete contempt for the rule of law.
- Complete contempt for decency.
- Complete contempt for each and every American not among the privileged few.
Shame, shame, shame on this administration, its apologists and its enablers.
This must be hammered every day and in every way. The criminals ultimately must not get away with trashing this country. Impeachment must be back on the table, as well as criminal prosecutions not encumbered by a January, 2009 cutoff date.
And the 28%’ers have to be treated symbolically as criminals as well. The remaining 72% will know that this is the right thing to do.
I’m not upset.
In fact, I am in a state of antic delight. No matter how base, this administration will plumb the depths.
They have never let me down on this score.
Ever.
I’m shaking with rage (literally) at Bush letting Scooter skate.
I served in the U.S. Air Force Security Service years ago, top-secret clearance, reporting to DIRNSA (Director, NSA), and saw a whole lot of top-secret materials while serving overseas during the Vietnam War.
If I’d disclosed the identity of a covert CIA agent, blowing her cover and her front-company cover, leading to the outing of a whole slew of other covert CIA agents and their contacts (besides endangering their families), I’d have either been shot by a firing squad or would still be serving time in Leavenworth.
But Scooter skates, after participating in a major national security breach, causing irreparable damage to our country.
He lied and obstructed justice to hide the criminal conspiracy that originated in the inner, corrupt bowels of the White House, attempting to cover for his criminal co-conspirators, like Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, George W. Bush, David Addington, Ari Fleischer, and a whole lot of other Republicans in the White House who participated in this criminal act.
Of course, Bush will pardon Scooter after the November 2008 elections, along with a whole lot of rotten Republican officials in his administration. These will preemptive pardons, kind of like the corrupt Kentucky Republican governor did several years ago.
And this will be the ultimate Bush legacy…getting his name into the Guinness Book of Records for having pardoned more people than any previous president, serving as a testament to how much corruption there actually is in the Bush mal-administration.
President Bush described Scooter Libby’s sentence as excessive. Governor Bush mocked Karla Faye Tucker as she pleaded for her life. President Bush commuted Libby’s sentence before Libby served a single day. Governor Bush refused to grant clemency to Ms. Tucker ensuring that she would be put to death after spending decades in prison for a crime that she was involved with as a very young woman. Libby has not admitted guilt or expressed remorse. Tucker did both. In excercising post conviction executive power, President Bush reminds me of Mike Nifong.
According to the message on the comment line, the line has operating hours (9AM to 5PM). This hardly seems to me an indication that they’ve shut off the phones. Don’t hit me with “troll.” I just prefer that EVERYONE is honest.
Jane, I heard most of your talk on the show. After being on the page here for several weeks, I was so glad to hear your voice of reason and sanity. Thank you. Before you, Isikoff was on and referred to as the expert on the pre-war planning. If he has the facts that this was nothing but oil and profits, that action by this Admin. should be treason, as first pronounced by Harry Truman. Lied into a war, the outed Plame, obscene obstruction…who is going to carry the cause. These people have betrayed the safety and well-being of the USA. You did a great job. Shalom.
JoeMustGo @ 263
Nobody is left at DOJ
Steve @ 123
Thanks for that Steve. I agree. History is full of arrogant men who reached too far, forced those in opposition to react and change the course, forced those who didn’t believe that they were truly capable of such hypocrisy and injustice to see the light.
They’ve gone too far this time. Really gone too far. Americans don’t like an ‘in your face’ arrogance and double standard. It doesn’t sit well with most regardless of who does it. We need to continue to do the work, with the faith that we can turn this around.
They don’t care.
They are laughing and ignoring the criticism.
They will continue the surge;
it was never intended to end.
The Democratic Congress will continue
to react inadequately.
Citizens need to contact their representatives.
The Senate and Congressional hearings will continue.
As Kurt Vonnegut once wrote: “The excrement will hit the air conditioner.”
Watergate II is still a possibility.
Just a quick thank you to all who posted letter/emails of what they sent.
I drew a bit from all, and added my own words, and they were harsh.
I am now completing the voter registratin form I’ve been sitting on, to Decline To State.
Ms. Pelosi, Ms. Feinstein, Ms. Boxer and Ms. Matsui were all informed tonight that they are fired.
I called their inactions a deceipt cast upon the trust of our votes, and treasonous to the Constitution, The Republic and the general masses.
That’s just a general view of what I wrote to all of them.
I have phone #’s for Feinstein, Boxer and Matsui in Sacramento, and will be burning up the lines tomorrow . . . alas, I can’t afford 202 Area Code calls, but, I’ll let the emails speak for me.
It’s my consideration, nothing will change until the people of the USA take to the streets in non-violent demonstration . . . by the tens of millions . . . as long as that does not happen, then we are as traitorous to ourselves as the corrupted elected officials we voted for who have sold us out and lied to us about it all.
Harumph.
I haven’t posted here in nearly a year. I am just here to add my vote of outrage #275.
I am more than ready for the revolution.
I’m not outraged in the slightest. What a gift. Hang this around every Republican presidential candidates neck. “Do you believe its one rule for the president and his cronies and a different one for everyone else like President Bush”. That should play well in Middle America.