Scooter Libby sentence commuted by the president

[Aristotle]

Originally posted by Malacasta

Personally, I'm more afraid of a government that attempts to undermine those who produce intel that exposes the weakness of the governments case for war, than I am a President who fucks around on his wife.

I'm more afraid of someone who fucks around on his wife. Because that kind of lowlife worthless scumsucking fuckbag puts absolutely NO VALUE in any sacred oath.

Are you telling me that you can put ANY faith in someone's oath to defend the Constitution if they cannot even uphold the sacred oath they took to their own spouse? Personally, I think adultery should be considered a crime of moral terpitude for which you are immediately bounced out of ANY government office. It is up there with fraud and other such crimes.

I find it outrageously ridiculous how little scorn we put on adulterous people. Bring back the Scarlet Letter. As a society, we are letting people get away with one of the most horrific moral crimes possible. We ignore it, we make jokes about it, we make light of it in entertainment, and it is at the core of the ethical decay of our entire civilization. Adultery destroys families. It does irreparable harm to children. It tears down the entire fabric of our society by damaging its most important institution - the family. It certainly is a lot more serious and damaging than perjury or obstruction of justice - two things that are simply constructs of the legal system that exist only to help prosecutors have an easier job and a convenient crime to threaten witnesses with.

This whole Scooter Libby thing was just pure political wrangling. That's it. It was a politically motivated prosecution in reaction to a political motivated leak of a non-intelligence officer's "identity."

This entire issue will have zero effect on any election because nobody who matters (the moderates) give a damn. The only important thing to take out of the whole issue is that our two party system is no longer able to do its job. We are in dire need of at least 1 or 2 more fully functional, realistic, rational political parties so our system can stop being a ridiculous battle of political one-uppsmanship between two equally disgusting and corrupt entities.

[Blog]

Check back next week and we'll see if Pat Buchanon or Australia are still discussing it. (I assume Daily Kos will still be)

[kestra]

Personally, I think adultery should be considered a crime of moral terpitude for which you are immediately bounced out of ANY government office.

As long as the elected official is doing his or her job the way they're supposed to, I don't care what he or she does privately.

[Savaric]

Originally posted by Aristotle
I find it outrageously ridiculous how little scorn we put on adulterous people. Bring back the Scarlet Letter. As a society, we are letting people get away with one of the most horrific moral crimes possible. We ignore it, we make jokes about it, we make light of it in entertainment, and it is at the core of the ethical decay of our entire civilization.

I agree but I think the issue of adultery is just a branch of a bigger tree. I don't think many Americans are fulfilled or satisfied with their lives, despite being one of the richest nations in the world. It's a very materialistic society and I think it ties into the cheating on partners/spouses, which I believe is a major moral problem. Marriage isn't sacred anymore.

On to the topic, the whole presidential pardon thing has always pissed me off. I think it's a gross abuse of power when one individual can undo a court ruling under our nation's laws. Totally undermines the system. Whatever the reasons, not important, he was commuted because of his relations to the highest people in our government. If he was any other person this would not have happened. That is not justice for all it is privelege for a few.

And yes it was not a full pardon, but Mr. Bush, our great and charismatic leader, has said a full pardon is not off the table. I think he's just easing into it- checking to see what kind of ripples this will make. I expect to see a full pardon.

Good one Fynn! I love that episode. It's a two party system! lol

[kestra]

If he was any other person this would not have happened. That is not justice for all it is privelege for a few.

Agreed. If you're not part of the ruling class, the chances of a pardon seem slim to none.

[Dorain]

This has been such a bullshit story from the very begining that it is beyond belief that it got this far.

The origional 'charges' of blowing the cover of a covert CIA agent were laughable. It was created by the Democrats & their willing accomplices in the press as one more way to criticize and convict the White House in hopes to make them look more criminal than the prior occupants. I guess they figured if they went on & on & on & on about it, that it would create the desired effect regardless of it's validity. "Bush White House outs covert agent who's husband had criticized the Iraq war intelligence/policy" LMFAO For one, that jackass Wilson should have never been sent to Africa to investigate the yellow cake uranium story. One needs to only look at his testimony after he got back to figure that out. Second, his 'covert' wifey LIED in saying that she had nothing to do with dinglenutz going to Africa. This has been found out not to be the case. Third, Patrick Fitzgerald should be investigated as to why he persued a case WHERE THERE WAS NO CRIME COMITTED!!!! Not to mention that he KNEW who the origional 'leaker' was, Mr. Richard Armitage, before he stared his witch hunt in hopes of taking down a Rowe, Cheney or maybe, just maybe GW himself. I'll never forget the way that Powell & Armitage just sat on their fat fkn asses while this story continued & continued on, when they could have come out in the begining and ended the stupidity.

Even the post~commutation coverage is full of shit. I was listening to the 'top of the hour' news break on the radio where they mentioned the commutation by Pres. Bush for Mr. Libby. I guess CBS radio wasn't about to be finished taking jabs at every opportunity. Because their reported said "... it wouldn't bode well for the White House to let Scooter Libby, a man with intimate knowledge of the inner workings & secrets of the VP & the President, stew in prison for 30 months where he might be swayed to take 'a deal' in exchange for damaging infomation on his superiors..." And to hear Hillary, of ALL people, make corruption & croneyism charges is enough to make one piss themselves laughing. Considering the 'pay for pardons' deal her & her hubby had going on. Look up the FALN pardons. Scooter Libby creates outrage, yet the FALN pardons barely get a blip on the radar? Oh yeah, that's right... you didn't have ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, PBS, NYT and the like cramming it down our throats every single day.

[kestra]

And to hear Hillary, of ALL people, make corruption & croneyism charges is enough to make one piss themselves laughing. Considering the 'pay for pardons' deal her & her hubby had going on. Look up the FALN pardons.

Fair enough!! However this just goes to show how fucked up the American party system is. I agree with Savaric about presidential pardons. What's the history behind this?

[Malacasta]

Plame was a covert CIA officer at the time of the leak:
http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/se...ent.pdf#page=2
Plame's identity was leaked to NYT reporter Judith Miller by Libby prior to the publication of Novak's column (as per her testimony).

So regardless of whether it was a 'laughable' case or not, Wilson found that the uranium cake story was fake, and Libby exposed his wife in an attempt to discredit him and undermine the story.

As a person who followed the whole case for war very closely on the basis that I totally opposed it, I distinctly remember the Niger uranium being used to bolster the war effort. I also distinctly remember that many anti-war voices called the claim dodgy at the time for various reasons. That the Whitehouse kept using these bullshit claims to make the war appear an as urgent priority is a heinous act that has lead to the death of countless thousands of lives and the destruction of a country.

That Libby's sentence has been commuted further demonstrates the government's contempt for the truth and nonchalance over the disaster they have sown in Iraq.

[kestra]

The special prosecutor repeatedly said from the time the indictment was issued that he was unable to get to the meat and potatoes of the crime was because Libby obstructed the investigation by lying on more than one occasion.
The prison sentence isn't to harsh, and there is the speculation that Bush made this decision on his own.

Basically Bush has asserted that he is above the law, and will veto, commute or outright ignore whatever he sees fit. He has been given these rights as president, however he repeatedly demonstrates bad judgment and contempt for the courts.

[kestra]

Second, his 'covert' wifey LIED in saying that she had nothing to do with dinglenutz going to Africa. This has been found out not to be the case.

The CIA turned to Valerie Plame regarding Niger, who mentioned that Wilson has experience in that country. Valerie Plame had as much role sending her husband to Niger as I would have giving a friend the phone number for my cleaning lady.

The CIA approached Wilson and said "hey, can you check out this Niger intel!!"
Boom!! Wilson goes to Niger, finds nothing to substantiate the uranium claim, and reports back. The uranium claim still made it into the SOTU speech.
Wilson starts making a stink about the uranium claim publicly, so Cheney's office sends people back to Niger, so does the CIA, and around and around it goes.
And Libby has the audacity to claim that he heard about all this from reporters.

As Judge Judy says:"Don't piss on my boots and tell me it's raining, okay!!"