Posted on 01/19/2009 9:58:40 AM PST by E.G.C.
Edited on 01/19/2009 10:46:59 AM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]
WASHINGTON – In his final acts of clemency, President George W. Bush on Monday commuted the prison sentences of two former U.S. Border Patrol agents whose convictions for shooting a Mexican drug dealer ignited fierce debate about illegal immigration.
Bush's decision to commute the sentences of Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean, who tried to cover up the shooting, was welcomed by both Republican and Democratic members of Congress. They had long argued that the agents were merely doing their jobs, defending the American border against criminals. They also maintained that the more than 10-year prison sentences the pair was given were too harsh.
Rancor over their convictions, sentencing and firings has simmered ever since the shooting occurred in 2005.
Ramos and Compean became a rallying point among conservatives and on talk shows where their supporters called them heroes. Nearly the entire bipartisan congressional delegation from Texas and other lawmakers from both sides of the political aisle pleaded with Bush to grant them clemency.
Bush didn't pardon the men for their crimes, but decided instead to commute their prison sentences because he believed they were excessive and that they had already suffered the loss of their jobs, freedom and reputations, a senior administration official said.
The action by the president, who believes the border agents received fair trials and that the verdicts were just, does not diminish the seriousness of their crimes, the official said...................."
While a pardon would have been better I thought this was the best compromise.
Why am I not surprised to see the usual from those who hate Bush so much they supported Obama? And yes staying at home or voting third party was supporting Obama and therefore being a socialist.
A very thought-provoking rant touching upon key points of loyalty to those on the tip of the spear both in Iraq and on the border.
Additionally, the "new tone" is as naive and dangerous as Hussein proudly announcing he'd sit down with Ahmadinejad, Chavez, Kim Jong-Il, Fidel Castro.
Letting the Fifth Column Fourth Estate define the war and persecute our fighters is damaging to morale and security.
When Murtha slanders and Sulzburger leaks, the men in black should have put them in the Yuri I. Nosenko Hospitality Suite in the fourth subbasement for the duration.
Now we have the logical extension, the post-partisan uniter finding moral equivalence between Georgia and Russia.
CryptoIslamoCommie from Kenya riding in on an ass, the drive-by media as Quisling Republicans scatter rose petals and Chris Matthews shudders.
"Getting along" with evil is not a good thing. At all.
“As for Bush being a disgrace, I’d like to see you or anyone else for that matter handle the difficulties he’s faced over the last eight years and not completely lose it, much less handle it with the grace and dignity he has.”
BTTT !!!
Yes, a pardon would have been better but at least they now get out of jail. It might be hard for them to find a job after their convictions but maybe not since they have a lot of support amongst people.
When you compare him to Reagan you are making sense. When you start this BS about how bad Zero is going to be you sound like an abused wife making dumb excuses for the man who has brutalized her.
I repeat: Bush and HIS GOP has given this land over to the Rats. I don’t think I’ll see the GOP gain real power in this nation again in my lifetime.
Actually it would probably be more productive and effectual to destroy the quizling republican party and form a new truly conservative party that would revive the Reagan Revolution.
It was great hearing this news. GWB finally came through.
You said it Phil.
The Commander-in-Chief has no business labeling rogue nations as members of some vague ‘Axis of Evil’ unless he fully intends to take them out as you would with any adversary.
As GWB flies back to Texas, Ahmadinejad’s Iran is closer than ever to an operational nuclear weapon, North Korea’s Kim Jong Il has not been induced to halt Pyongyang’s pursuit of a nuclear capability, and this means that both the Far East and the Middle East are actually MORE unstable than before GWB took office.
I’m not at all saying that Iraq should not have been liberated, far from it. Getting rid of Saddam was good for the neighborhood, he was a terrorist, simple as that.
The problem is that after securing Iraq, our illustrious President didn’t do squat about, or to Iran, or North Korea. His inaction emboldened them, and it will be GWB’s inexperienced and naive successor who will be making the decisions on how best to deal with those adversaries.
That alone, ought to bring about widespread revulsion, for GWB’s failure to finish the job he started, and horror, in anticipation of what Comrade 0bama is likely to do once sworn in as President (legal or not).
So how will they pay the fines? They have not worked for two or three years. Again, this is not “compassionate conservatism”. I still won’t visit his museum and library. GWB is more responsible for Oprah’s Choice than Oprah.
Agreed!!!!
I really believe that at least ten million Americans could have done as good a job as GWB did.
Yes I agree. The man has a monumental ability to ignore his own shortcomings. Either he is blind to them or does not have the intellect to understand what he has done. I’m certain he is oblivious to the fact that he is a manchurian candidate of the globalist Left.
I told anyone that would listen nine years ago that the man was his daddy’s son and would betray the Reagan Revolution. This is the whole reason the Bushs were foisted upon America. This was their purpose and they accomplished it marvelously. They have destroyed the conservative movement. It is utterly dead as far as real national power goes.
I voted for him twice. My wife and I marched at the Sore Loserman rally in Austin with placards with our dogs and the dogs wore placards. I was hog-tied by the lesser of two evils argument. Never again.
Now I believe in revolution or secession. Nothing short of this will ever save this land. But I am no activist. I quit. Eff the world I want to get off.
Blah, blah, Blah.
Give it a rest. Nothing worse than a knowitall armchair president.
“When you compare him to Reagan you are making sense. When you start this BS about how bad Zero is going to be you sound like an abused wife making dumb excuses for the man who has brutalized her. ...
...
Actually it would probably be more productive and effectual to destroy the quizling republican party and form a new truly conservative party that would revive the Reagan revolution.”
You make no sense...
Obama has already planned to remove some very important Items Bush has done for us Conservatives.
Our gun rights, abortion rights, tax issues...
Never mind. I am done...
Truly, have a nice day, what’s left of it. :)
They are definitely guilty, and deserved some jail time, but no doubt 10 years was excessive. Bush made the right decision, for a change.
Why’d he wait so long? But I definitely fell a lot better about him now.
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