Webloggin » President Grants Clemency to Libby, Obama Remains Clueless

Today the President of the United States exercised his Constitutional authority to grant clemency to Scooter Libby and I am happy about this. I always felt that he did not lie and I felt that the sentence was too harsh for the crime. The clemency only covers the jail term and leaves the probation and the fine intact. My friend John Bambenek points out that; “This allows Libby to continue to pursue appeals to litigate how someone can be guilty of obstruction without an underlying crime.” This is the Presidential Grant of Clemency:

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

After screwing the pooch on immigration the President came back and got one right. I am sure the left will go nuts over this and there are people who will point out, as John did, that Conservatives views Clinton’s perjury as a serious issue but that Libby’s is not. I have a different take on this. Both cases of perjury are serious (taking the jury verdict as proof because I am still not convinced he lied) but since Clinton never received jail time then Libby should get the same punishment. The President removed the jail portion of the penalty while leaving the rest intact which is similar to what Clinton received. One thing is for sure, Libby will never make the money that Clinton is now. His life is forever damaged because the Special Prosecutor kept looking after he knew who leaked the info. It was nothing more than a snipe hunt to satisfy the left.

As for Obama. Perhaps this dimwit has not paid attention or maybe he just wants to say something enough times that people will believe it, oh wait, the Liberals already believe it. What is the it? This is Obama’s statement about the clemency:

“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 press release

B. Hussein Obama wants to be president and he has yet to figure out the facts in this case. Libby was convicted of lying to the Grand Jury (serious stuff, I agree) not of disclosing the identity of Valerie Plame. Forgetting, for a moment, that Plame was not covert, her identity was revealed by someone else who also happened to be critical of the war in Iraq. The way it was revealed was that people were trying to figure out who sent a low level former ambassador named Joe Wilson to Niger to investigate if Iraq had tried to get yellow cake Uranium. Wilson made the claim that he was sent at the behest of the Vice President (a lie) and when Cheney heard this he wanted to know who really sent him. That is when they found out that his wife recommended him for the mission, a fact she denied several times. Her involvement is no longer in question and it has been shown that she and her husband both lied in regard to this issue.
Not to rehash the whole issue (which will be dead in a week when people move on to other issues) but B. Hussein Obama makes it sound like President Bush let the leaker off the hook. I just want Obama to explain how perjury jeopardized national security. Seems that he is engaging in the kind of hype he criticizes the administration for. Also, I have never heard Obama chime in on how he feels Clinton should have been dealt with. Same crime, same time, and Clinton WAS a threat to national security! President Bush still left a hefty fine in place and two years of probation. Libby will no doubt lose his law license and have to write a book to make money.
If I were he, I might consider a tell all story about the things that went on in DC during this time. Sling a bit of mud on everyone, regardless of party. A good book is just what the doctor ordered.

I mean, a man’s got to make a living…

Debbie Hamilton at Right Truth asks, “What about the border guards?”

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