Monday, July 02, 2007

You knew it was coming.

Bush Commutes Scooter Libby's Sentence

From the Associated Press

with snarky comments by me

3:01 PM PDT, July 2, 2007


President Bush's statement today in sparing former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby from a 21/2-year prison term:

The United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit today rejected Lewis Libby's request to remain free on bail while pursuing his appeals for the serious convictions of perjury and obstruction of justice. As a result, Mr. Libby will be required to turn himself over to the Bureau of Prisons to begin serving his prison sentence.

Big Dick Cheney, the REAL President, told me that if I didn't commute the poor bastard's sentence, he'd take me hunting. We all know how that ends.

I have said throughout this process that it would not be appropriate to comment or intervene in this case until Mr. Libby's appeals have been exhausted. But with the denial of bail being upheld and incarceration imminent, I believe it is now important to react to that decision.

Because Dick's got the shotgun ready.

From the very beginning of the investigation into the leaking of Valerie Plame's name, I made it clear to the White House staff and anyone serving in my administration that I expected full cooperation with the Justice Department. Dozens of White House staff and administration officials dutifully cooperated.

A whole lot more people didn't cooperate, these were just the canaries we keep around to sort of cover our asses.

After the investigation was under way, the Justice Department appointed United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois Patrick Fitzgerald as a special counsel in charge of the case. Mr. Fitzgerald is a highly qualified, professional prosecutor who carried out his responsibilities as charged.

We put a whole lotta names into one of them spinning devices. I pulled out a name, and it was Fitzgerald. I never met him before in my life.

This case has generated significant commentary and debate. Critics of the investigation have argued that a special counsel should not have been appointed, nor should the investigation have been pursued after the Justice Department learned who leaked Ms. Plame's name to columnist Robert Novak. Furthermore, the critics point out that neither Mr. Libby nor anyone else has been charged with violating the Intelligence Identities Protection Act or the Espionage Act, which were the original subjects of the investigation. Finally, critics say the punishment does not fit the crime: Mr. Libby was a first-time offender with years of exceptional public service and was handed a harsh sentence based in part on allegations never presented to the jury.

Man, that was a lot of words and sentences. I hope nobody asks me any questions bout what I just said, because I ferget.

Others point out that a jury of citizens weighed all the evidence and listened to all the testimony and found Mr. Libby guilty of perjury and obstructing justice. They argue, correctly, that our entire system of justice relies on people telling the truth. And if a person does not tell the truth, particularly if he serves in government and holds the public trust, he must be held accountable. They say that had Mr. Libby only told the truth, he would have never been indicted in the first place.

Personally, I don't believe any of this, not for a New York minute. Why, if you tell the truth, people find out what a scumbag you are. Nope. Much better to lie, over and over and over and over and over and over and over again.

Both critics and defenders of this investigation have made important points. I have made my own evaluation. In preparing for the decision I am announcing today, I have carefully weighed these arguments and the circumstances surrounding this case.

Well, I weighed all these arguments for about a nanosecond, then did what Dick told me to do.

Mr. Libby was sentenced to 30 months of prison, two years of probation and a $250,000 fine. In making the sentencing decision, the district court rejected the advice of the probation office, which recommended a lesser sentence and the consideration of factors that could have led to a sentence of home confinement or probation.

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 30 months in prison.

My decision to commute his prison sentence leaves in place a harsh punishment for Mr. Libby. The reputation he gained through his years of public service and professional work in the legal community is forever damaged. His wife and young children have also suffered immensely. He will remain on probation. The significant fines imposed by the judge will remain in effect. The consequences of his felony conviction on his former life as a lawyer, public servant and private citizen will be long-lasting.

Snort. Who're we kidding? It's a damn wrist slap. He's got enough stashed away in shoeboxes to let him retire. Prolly buy hisself a boat. I think the hardest thing Lewis Libby had to face was when Libby Lewis from NPR interviewed him.

The Constitution gives the president the power of clemency to be used when he deems it to be warranted. It is my judgment that a commutation of the prison term in Mr. Libby's case is an appropriate exercise of this power.

Because I'm the Decider, and I'm the President. Hey. Where's Angie Merkle? I wanna pinch her butt.

16 comments:

Larry said...

Great post and every word and every description fits perfectly.

Here is the question of the week:

President Bush is holding private meetings "over sodas and sparkling water" in which he asks trusted advisers -- "Why does the rest of the world seem to hate America? Or is it just me they hate?"

YES MR. BUSH AMERICA HATES YOU AND FRANKLY THE WORLD HATES YOU AS WELL.

CAN YOU UNDERSTAND THAT MR. BUSH?

Suzie-Q (S-Q) said...

Diva Jood:

Yes, everything you said is true.

It's a very sad day for America! :(

Geezer Power said...

Excellent Duhbub speak Diva. You have him down to a tee. There are no limits to the lengths these idiological idiots will go to carry out their abysmal mission. What else can I say except...

AAaaaarrrgh!

Thanks i feel better now...G:

Peacechick Mary said...

Jood, this is a great take on a bad thing. I'm hoping Bush's numbers will plummet even more - down to the single digit.

mirth said...

Diva Jood, I would have known the words were yours even without the red text.
:)
But Noooooo way Bush is responsible for the other words. Nooooooo way did they originate in his barely functioning brain.

Fun read...it helped to loosen the rage gathered in my throat.

Agi said...

Don't forget the pig. After pinching the German Chancellor's booty he wants to taste some of that fire-roasted pig!

Mike said...

Great post Divajood........it was a great read and lighnented up the frustration a little that we are all feeling................WHERE IS THE ACCOUNTABILITY.......these thugs are just spitting on the oversight and checks and balances!

DivaJood said...

oh, Larry, you're so right: IT'S BUSH! We all hate him!

Suzie-q, but you KNEW it was going to happen. I'm waiting til 9 PM to see Olbermann's take - I was still at work for the 5 PM, I always catch the re-broadcast.

Geezer, I absolutely adore your avatar! And I wonder, is it a bad thing that I can channel Bush like that? Oh, wait, I also channel my grandbaby.

Peacechick, how about plummeting into IMPEACHMENT HEARINGS?

Mirth, no, that's what speechwriters are for. He just hopes nobody asks him a direct question that requires thought.

Spiro, I'm JEWISH. Of course I forgot the pig.

Mike, accountability went out the door long before this crew took office. Go back to Nixon - in my opinion, that's when things began to completely unravel.

Anonymous said...

They lock up first time black drug offenders at rates sometimes 57 times higher than they do for whites, and this Constitution shredding cracker gets off.

With the Republican zeal for incarceration, you'd think they'd keep Libby in jail until he molders. But oh...I forgot...he's one of their own.

Can't have that. F*ckers!

DivaJood said...

Froggie, what happened was this: Scooter said at his trial, "I didn't expect the Spanish Inquisition," and Bush popped up in a Cardinal's garb and said "NObody expects the Spanish Inquisition." And so he commuted the part of the sentence where Libby actually had to go to JAIL. I mean, Paris HILTON went to jail, for god's sake. For a DUI!

Anon-Paranoid said...

We all knew that the Dark Lord Dick {Heinrich Himmler} Cheney wouldn't let his Arch Angel spend any time in jail now didn't we.

If they don't impeach now we know we are F*ucked.

God Bless.

DivaJood said...

Anon, you know Scooter has a really big defense fund? And his very own Website?

It boggles the mind.

Anonymous said...

Scooter's just darn lucky he's not a minority or a mentally challenged person with a drunken public defender. Dubya compassionately sent people like that to the Chair in Texas.

And it's nice to see that Bush is so concerned about how hard all this has been on Mrs. Scooter and the little Scootlings. They're the real victims here, not Valerie Plame, her traitorous husband, and their children. Of course Scooter should have thought of his family before he committed perjury and obstruction of justice, but I guess he was just too busy.

Anonymous said...

I almost forgot--It would sure be nice if Scooter's old client, Marc Rich, paid his fine for him.

Real_PHV_Mentarch said...

Superb snark there, Jood! Right on the mark, I dare say! ;-)

DivaJood said...

Moe, I believe Mr. Bush commuted one Death Penalty sentence while Governor, out of 153, so he proved his compassion then. Oh, and really, Paris Hilton is much more dangerous than Scooter Libby, which is why she had to do the time.

Mentarch, I thank you very much.