[Ninong]

Cool! Libby has an official BOP inmate number now: 28301-016

We'll have to check back often to see where they send him so that we can send him some hate mail.



P.S. -- They should give him a bear for a cellmate so that he could live out his fantasies. I think a live bear would be more entertaining than a dying deer. Reference

[Ninong]

Impeach Cheney

"The vice president has run utterly amok and must be stopped."

Bruce Fein, who served as the Associate Deputy Attorney General under Ronald Reagan, in a scathing editorial today called for the impeachment of Vice President Dick Cheney.

"Cheney has dulled political accountability and concocted theories for evading the law and Constitution that would have embarrassed King George III," he writes.

Fein details "multiple crimes against the Constitution" committed by Cheney, including the creation of military commissions, the "kidnappings, secret detentions, and torture in Eastern European prisons of suspected international terrorists," the advocation of "signing statements" to ignore pieces of legislation, and the encouragement of the use of torture.

"The vice president has maintained that the entire world is a battlefield," writes Fein, saying the vice president has used the bugaboo of terrorism to justify a shoot first, ask questions later approach to dealing with suspected terrorists, even when that includes American citizens.

Fein also touches on the hot-button warrantless wiretapping program, over which he has butted heads with the administration in the past. He argues that Cheney engineered the program and has "orchestrated the invocation of executive privilege" to conceal information about it from Congress.
In the end, Fein makes the case that "Bush has ceded vast domains of his powers to Vice President Cheney," in violation of the US Constitution.

"President Bush regularly is unable to explain or defend the policies of his own administration, and that is because the heavy intellectual labor has been performed in the office of the vice president," he concludes. "Cheney is impeachable for his overweening power and his sneering contempt of the Constitution and the rule of law."

[Ninong]

It was UNAMIMOUS!

The DC Circuit Appeals Court turned down Libby's appeal to remain free pending appeal. That would mean that he would have to report to prison and begin serving his 30-month sentence while his appeal goes on.

Unless the Deciderer in Chief, aka the Commander Guy, decides to do something really stupid!

PERVERTED JUSTICE!


“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.” -- George W. Bush, Commander Guy.

Bush left intact a $250,000 fine and two years probation for Libby, and Bush said his action still “leaves in place a harsh punishment for Mr. Libby.”

You can read the rest here, but why bother. This doesn't suprise me one bit. OK, maybe it does surprise me because I didn't think Bush would be this stupid! He has really stepped in it now. He has no idea just how much yet.

C'est la guerre, y'all.

P.S. -- It's obvious that this decision was made a long time ago. They just waited as long as they could before having to announce it. Various GOP insiders have been saying for the past few weeks that they were absolutely certain that Libby would not do any prison time at all.

The 30-month prison sentence was NOT excessive. It was perfectly in-line for the four felony counts Libby was convicted of. This is just politics as usual in the sorry Republican Party.

[Ninong]

Speaker Nancy Pelosi:

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.

[Ninong]

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid:

"The President's decision to commute Mr. Libby's sentence is disgraceful. Libby's conviction was the one faint glimmer of accountability for White House efforts to manipulate intelligence and silence critics of the Iraq War. Now, even that small bit of justice has been undone. Judge Walton correctly determined that Libby deserved to be imprisoned for lying about a matter of national security. 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."

[Ninong]

Sen. Chuck Schumer:

“As Independence Day nears, we are reminded that one of the principles our forefathers fought for was equal justice under the law. This commutation completely tramples on that principle.”

[Ninong]

Sen. Barack Obama:

"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."

[Ninong]

Former Senator John Edwards:

"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."

[Ninong]

A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America

WHEREAS Lewis Libby was convicted in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia in the case United States v. Libby, Crim. No. 05-394 (RBW), for which a sentence of 30 months' imprisonment, 2 years' supervised release, a fine of $250,000, and a special assessment of $400 was imposed on June 22, 2007;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, pursuant to my powers under Article II, Section 2, of the Constitution, do hereby commute the prison terms imposed by the sentence upon the said Lewis Libby to expire immediately, leaving intact and in effect the two-year term of supervised release, with all its conditions, and all other components of the sentence.

IN WITNESS THEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this second day of July, in the year of our Lord two thousand and seven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-first.

GEORGE W. BUSH


United States Department of Justice

Standards for Consideration of Clemency Petitions

Section 1-2.113 Standards for Considering Commutation Petitions

A commutation of sentence reduces the period of incarceration; it does not imply forgiveness of the underlying offense, but simply remits a portion of the punishment. It has no effect upon the underlying conviction and does not necessarily reflect upon the fairness of the sentence originally imposed. Requests for commutation generally are not accepted unless and until a person has begun serving that sentence. Nor are commutation requests generally accepted from persons who are presently challenging their convictions or sentences through appeal or other court proceeding.

[Ninong]

Mr. Law and Order, Fred Thompson, a charter member of the Scooter Libby Defense Trust:

"I am very happy for Scooter Libby. I know that this is a great relief to him, his wife and children."

[Ninong]

.

Time Poll (March 9-12, 2007):

"Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff, Louis 'Scooter' Libby, was convicted last week of lying to a grand jury and to FBI agents investigating the leak of the name of a secret CIA operative in 2003. Do you think that President Bush should give Libby a presidential pardon, or not?"

.

Should: 18%
Should Not: 72%
Unsure: 11%

.

"Do you think that President Bush should ask Vice President Cheney to resign, over the Libby conviction and other matters, or not?"

.

Should: 40%
Should Not: 48%
Unsure: 11%

[Ninong]

The message is quite clear: If you're going to lie under oath, make sure you have permission from President Cheney first.

[Ninong]

Special Counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald:

We fully recognize that the Constitution provides that commutation decisions are a matter of presidential prerogative and we do not comment on the exercise of that prerogative.

We comment only on the statement in which the President termed the sentence imposed by the judge as “excessive.” 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. That principle guided the judge during both the trial and the sentencing.

Although the President’s decision eliminates Mr. Libby’s sentence of imprisonment, Mr. Libby remains convicted by a jury of serious felonies, and we will continue to seek to preserve those convictions through the appeals process.

[Ninong]

Sen. Hillary Clinton:

"Today'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."

[Ninong]

Melanie Sloan, legal counsel for Joe and Valerie Wilson, released the following statement:

“First, President Bush said any person who leaked would no longer work in his administration. Nonetheless, Scooter Libby didn’t leave office until he was indicted and Karl Rove works in the White House even today. More recently, the vice president ignored an executive order protecting classified information, claiming he isn’t really part of the executive branch. Clearly, this is an administration that believes leaking classified information for political ends is justified and that the law is what applies to other people.”

[Ninong]

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson:

"This administration clearly believes its officials are above the law, from ignoring FISA laws when eavesdropping on US citizens, to the abuse of classified material, to ignoring the Geneva Conventions and international law with secret prisons and torturing prisoners… The arrogance of this administration's disdain for the law and its belief it operates with impunity are breathtaking."

[Ninong]

Sen. John Kerry:

"President Bush's 11th-hour commutation of Scooter Libby's sentence makes a mockery of the justice system and betrays the idea that all Americans are expected to be held accountable for their actions, even close friends of Vice President Cheney."

[schrocat]

This is totally awesome!
You gotta respect the olympian pace at which these three (Bush, Rove and President Cheney) have utterly destroyed the GOP...I mean, come on!

How can you top the Nixon administration for chrisakes?
and yet here we are...

Nixon's Interns.
Standing on the shoulders of giants.


I can't wait for the new polls!!

[Ninong]

Sen. Patrick Leahy:

"Accountability has been in short supply in the Bush administration, and this commutation fits that pattern."

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by schrocat

This is totally awesome!

It shows consistency, that's for sure. Scooter gets a pass (Cheney could easily pay his fine for him) and the American justice system gets trashed.

This reminds me of the argument put forth (behind closed doors) by Nancy Pelosi as to why we should NOT impeach Bush or Cheney. It would be a distraction that would polarize the country but more importantly, it would replace the worst Republican president in history with someone else. Anyone else. Bush & Cheney in the White House is the gift that keeps on giving from now all the way to November 2008. You could say the same thing about Gonzo the Magnificent.

BTW, this story is making headlines around the world. It's front page on Al-Jazeera and El Pais. That's all I've had a chance to check so far. OK, I did check Le Monde but the French are too self-centered to care about American politics.

El Pais:

El presidente de Estados Unidos, George W. Bush, ha conmutado la sentencia de dos años y medio de cárcel a I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby, ex asesor del vicepresidente, Dick Cheney, por el denominado 'caso Plame', en el que se le condenó por perjurio y obstrucción a la justicia tras la filtración a la prensa de la identidad de la ex agente de la CIA Valerie Plame en julio de 2003.

Actually, this story broke kinda late for Europe considering the time difference.

P.S. -- OK, LeMonde has it now and they're playing it as expected by pointing out that 72% of Americans wanted Libby to do the time:

LeMonde:

u risque de provoquer une tempête politique à Washington, George Bush a décidé, lundi 2 juillet, de partiellement gracier l'ancien bras droit du vice-président Dick Cheney, Lewis Libby, condamné à deux ans et demi de prison pour parjure et obstruction à la justice dans le cadre de l'affaire Valerie Plame. "Je respecte le verdict du jury, mais je suis arrivé à la conclusion que la peine de prison infligée à M. Libby est excessive", a dit M. Bush dans un communiqué. "C'est pourquoi je commue la partie de la peine de M. Libby qui exige qu'il passe trente mois en prison", a-t-il dit. L'amende de 250 000 dollars et la mise à l'épreuve de deux ans infligées à M. Libby restent elles en vigueur.

"Le vice-président soutient la décision du président", a indiqué dans la foulée une porte-parole de Dick Cheney. Les responsables démocrates au Congrès ont, eux, fait part de leur indignation, réprouvant une "décision scandaleuse". "Le principe d'une justice égale pour tous a subi un sérieux revers aujourd'hui", a estimé John Edwards, un des prétendants démocrates à la Maison Blanche. "Cela ne sert pas la justice", a renchéri la présidente de la Chambre des représentants, Nancy Pelosi.

72 % DES AMÉRICAINS OPPOSÉS À UNE GRÂCE

Avec cette décision, le président américain n'hésite pas à prendre l'opinion à rebrousse-poil. Un sondage diffusé sur CNN indique que 72 % des Américains étaient opposés à toute mesure de grâce à l'égard de Lewis Libby.