CNN: Conservatives Will Be 'Angry' Over Commutation, GOP Double Standard re: Clinton

http://newsbusters.org/ ^ | July 2, 2007 | Brent Baker

[lowbridge]

CNN: Conservatives Will Be 'Angry' Over Commutation, GOP Double Standard re: Clinton

Posted by Brent Baker on July 2, 2007 - 21:44.

With “Angry Reaction” on screen, CNN's Suzanne Malveaux opened the 7pm EDT hour of The Situation Room by asking if on the Libby commutation: “Are conservatives as angry as Democrats?” Toward the end of the hour, Malveaux, filling in for Wolf Blitzer, cued up ex-Clinton operative Paul Begala: “President Clinton was impeached for lying before a grand jury. What do you think? What do you make of this? Does this smack of a double standard?” Malveaux announced at the top of the program: “Spared from prison, President Bush commutes the sentence of former White House aide Lewis 'Scooter' Libby. Tonight, the breaking news and the reaction. Are conservatives as angry as Democrats?”

Analyst Bill Schneider soon echoed her theme: “There's going to be a lot of anger out there. I don't think it's going to be restricted simply to Democrats. Independents and some Republicans are going to be angry and it's going to feed into the anger at Washington that seems to be poisoning the mood of the country.” As for the idea “this would be popular with the base,” Schneider opined: “I'm dubious about that.” Referring to a CNN poll, Schneider argued that “when you have only 19 percent who would support a pardon...I'm not sure that I would say that this could have any positive repercussions for the President.” Malveaux, who seconds earlier cued up Begala with a liberal talking point about a Republican double standard, confronted Republican strategist John Feehery: “Does it cut two ways here? We've heard Bill Schneider saying he doesn't really think this is going to play out much in a partisan way. He believes that there are going to be a lot of Republicans who see it the same way as Democrats and say, you know, this is just preferential treatment.”

Transcripts of some segments from the 7pm EDT hour of the July 2 The Situation Room on CNN:

About 20 minutes into the hour:

BILL SCHNEIDER: There's going to be a lot of anger out there. I don't think it's going to be restricted simply to Democrats. Independents and some Republicans are going to be angry and it's going to feed into the anger at Washington that seems to be poisoning the mood of the country and informing everything happening in the campaign so far. Americans are very resentful over the fact that someone who was convicted of a serious crime for which many, many other people are in jail right now, had his sentence commuted and will not go to jail. That's the important thing. Will not go to jail, because he has friends in high places. That's exactly what enrages people about business in Washington.

MALVEAUX: So what's the political calculus here? The fact that he's got approval ratings that are under 30 percent now, below the freezing level that it doesn't make any difference at all what he does? He might as well just go for it and commute the sentence?

SCHNEIDER: Well, it may be a calculation that conservatives want this to happen. There's been a lot of pressure on the White House from conservatives in Washington. Some of the presidential candidates said they favor the pardon. And that, therefore, the President could solidify his support in his base, that this would be popular with the base. Maybe it will be. I'm dubious about that. I don't know. But when you have only 19 percent who would support a pardon, that's not a commutation, it's a pardon, but I'm not sure many people will see a big difference. The important thing is staying out of jail. I'm not sure that I would say that this could have any positive repercussions for the President.
Approximately 54 minutes into the hour:

MALVEAUX TO PAUL BEGALA (on phone): President Bush was impeached for lying before -- before -- I'm sorry, President Clinton was impeached for lying before a grand jury. What do you think? What do you make of this? Does this smack of a double standard?

BEGALA: “Well, of course it's a double standard. President Clinton was found not guilty by a Republican-controlled Senate. Not guilty. Mr. Libby was found guilty, in a case brought by a Republican prosecutor and heard before a Republican judge. Mr. Libby was found guilty. He was found guilty of four felonies. Now, the President has an untrammeled right to commute that sentence, well within his power to do so. But I think he's gonna pay an enormous price in terms of his credibility and his legacy. The notion that is going to take hold I think out there in the country is that there's a double standard that some of the other commentators referred to. That George Bush is only compassionate when it comes to conservatives.

MALVEAUX TO REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST JOHN FEEHERY (on phone): John, does it cut two ways here? We've heard Bill Schneider saying he doesn't really think this is going to play out much in a partisan way. He believes that there are going to be a lot of Republicans who see it the same way as Democrats and say, you know, this is just preferential treatment.

[sgtbono2002]

President Bush will have a tough time getting re-elected.

He would raise his status in my book if now he launched an investiagtion of Fitzgerald and find out why so much money was wasted on this fishing expedition.

[CT]

Yeah, I remember all that time Clinton spent in jail. What was it, 36 months?

Clinton lied, and committed witness intimidation.

[Soul Seeker]

MmHmm.

Does anyone suspect this meme has something to do with the most recent instance of conservatives getting angry? I do.

The mass media wants us to lead, or at least particpate in, their lynch mob over a man unjustly prosecuted receiving a commuted sentence.

You see, they’ve just witnessed the power of conservatives, and the ability of conservatives, to dessiminate information to the public when we are energized. they seem to wish us to be sufficiently exercised to do so here.

Not happening. If anything I’m relieved for libby. He’ll NEVER have to set foot in that prison cell he didn’t earn. Would I like a pardon? yeah. I’d prefer exoneration through an appellate process more. It was sweet to see nifong get what he deserved, and fitzy deserves no less.

The President for the first time in a long while did something I agree with, so they’ll have to stew amongst themselves. They’ll be one pitchfork short on this issue.

[ClearCase_guy]

Paul Begala: “President Clinton was impeached for lying before a grand jury."

WHAT?!? When did that happen?? I heard that he was impeached for having sex!

[PhilipFreneau]

>>>It gives Libby the chance to clear his name on appeal. The President can still pardon him.<<<

From my reading of the President’s statement on clemency he believes Libby lied and should be punished.

For unknown reasons, the President did not mention that there was NO evidence that Libby lied, and that there WAS evidence that Russert changed his story (e.g., he LIED).

Too bad Libby was not found guilty of lesser crimes, like drug smuggling or beating a Border Patrol Agent.

[celmak]

It gives Libby the chance to clear his name on appeal.

Didn't Libby lose his appeal, and this is why the President is commuting his sentence?

[Fresh Wind]

One wonders where the “mainstream” news media gets this idea.

The daily fax from the DNC.

[goldstategop]

The MSM/Drive By Media have no idea what conservatives think and feel. They don't care. They didn't care during the amnesty bill dust-up and they don't care now over the Libby Scooter commutation.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[TheLawyerFormerlyKnownAsAl]

I’m not aware of a single conservative or Republican who’s angry over this

Oh they'll find a few by next Sunday morning. Hagel, Specter, and Lugar come to mind as possibles.

[WildWeasel]

Libby can still appeal and he doesn’t have to spend time in jail while the appeals are heard.

I think Bush’s move is good. Commute the sentance while Libby is still appealing the verdict and if Libby wins, that’s it. If Libby loses, then Bush can pardon Libby on his last day as President.

[Theresawithanh]

The folks at CNN, like the rest of the mainstream media idiots, are waaaay out of touch with reality.

[goldstategop]

The RINOs will denounce the President to keep getting plaudits in the liberal media. Count on it.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[GOPJ]

Yawn

[hsalaw]

These idiots are clearly from an alternate universe. The GOP gets angry, all right, but not at the commutation of an overly harsh sentence unrelated to the real subject of the so-called investigation.

[plain talk]

President Clinton was impeached for lying before a grand jury. What do you think? What do you make of this? Does this smack of a double standard?”

Yes! It is a double standard. Libby was convicted to serve time in prison and Clinton wasn't. Dems always get off.

[Hoodat]

“President Clinton was impeached for lying before a grand jury.

Oh, so he wasn't impeached for a BJ after all. Finally, a leftists states the truth.

btw, Clinton would have granted himself a full pardon if he could have gotten away with it.

[Mumbles]

Wow! Thought I, a Conservative, was alone. I was more outraged by Clinton’s numerous, unwarranted, Greed Motivated (?) pardons than Bush’s only pardon (that I know of). I was a little upset that it was a single pardon and the same was not meted out to Border Patrol Agents, including Ramos and Compean... and I said so in my email to President@WhiteHouse.gov.

Amazingly, I was rather calm and composed. I was wondering about my demeanor as compared to the recent past. Then again, for Bush to pardon the BP Agents would be to admit he was wrong and / or had given up the fight on "illegals" (I think not).

[The_Reader_David]

Why? Because Scooter Libby still has a felony conviction on his record, has to serve probation, and pay a quarter million dollar fine because his memory didn’t agree with some MSM reporter’s memory when both were asked about a phone conversation by an over-zealous prosecutor with no real crime to prosecute.

It should have been a full pardon.

[bill1952]

Did I just read a leftist news-jerk admit that Clinton LIED?
In a court proceeding?

My, my...

[Turret Gunner A20]

On Jan. 20, 2001, I granted 140 pardons and issued 36 commutations. During my presidency, I issued a total of approximately 450 pardons and commutations, compared to 406 issued by President Reagan during his two terms. During his four years, President Carter issued 566 pardons and commutations, while in the same length of time President Bush granted 77. President Ford issued 409 during the slightly more than two years he was president. William Jefferson Clinton., February 18, 2001 http://www.nytimes.com/2001/02/18/opinion/18CLIN.html?pagewanted=all&ei=5070&en=66ba82eaf117b24b&ex=1183521600