Judging from the pic, don't you mean BAT?
Posted on 07/02/2007 2:45:21 PM PDT by ConservativeMan55
Edited on 07/02/2007 3:05:31 PM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
Foxnews alert.. libby sentence commuted
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STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Mr. Libby was sentenced to thirty 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 thirty 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.
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.
Coulda, shoulda, woulda. Don’t expect justice for those enemies of our welcome guests from south of the border. They crossed some very powerful people when they made the mistake of doing their jobs and trying to protect the United States from invaders. They’ll be lucky if they ever get out alive.
Yeah. Sore muscles.
Doing what he believes to be correct. No shame in that. Think he believes Sutton? Tony Snow? The WH Counsel who advises him? Odds are. Doesn’t matter to you. You love to hate him. It oozes from every syllable.
I haven’t met any of them. If you claim someone is such a person and they’re not, you’d be lying. Or delusional.
I disagree with several of his decisions or policies. Have said so when I did. Still like and respect him. Still say kudos when he does something I’m happy with. Duncan Hunter is a great role model for how to be that kind of a person himself toward a President with whom he differs in some respects and supports in others.
I’ll stand with DH’s example any day over DU’s example, the second of which is not confined just to the Left anymore.
Great post.
Thanks. Gotta go lie down now, jv. It’s been one of those long, hard days. Take care.
Judging from the pic, don't you mean BAT?
The only thing I would watch Spitboy and Shyster for is a crotch kicking contest.
Pray for W and Our Troops
Excellent post and very original.
Hate him? I don't hate anyone. the truth is that I have absolutely NO RESPECT OR ADMIRATION for him or his advisors or anyone else in his administration.
I can't honestly list one thing that he has done during his terms that favors America. He is a globalist, a puppet for corporate interests, and he has done more to screw this country up than any president in my lifetime. If anyone deserves impeachment, it is George W. Bush. (Yes, I voted for him in 2000, and I certainly regret that)
I don't see why so many people who have no relationship with Libby care so much. Perhaps he was a victim of injustice, but if he was, it was a very slight injustice. I can think of many, many worse cases than this that don't get addressed. Why, then, do you care so much about it?
A pardon at ANY time would look good to me. I’m just making a political point about the stupid public.
Peanuts compared to the millions he will make from the inevitable book deal that will come out of this. On net, he'll come out ahead.
It baffles me that this man is getting so much sympathy.
ROTF! That one’s gonna give me nightmares!
Are you running for office in California?
Oh that is a fine display of grammar and intelligence on the part of the Dummies. It really scares me to think that there really are people like this running loose in the streets.
"This commutation sends the clear signal that in this administration, cronyism and ideology trump competence and justice." - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y.
Here's a list of pardons by the king of cronyism, Bill Clinton:
Your reply was kind, gentle, and intelligent. I hope you are a leader somewhere.
What about the clue?
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