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.

[WOSG]

“For unknown reasons”

No, Bush said he didn’t want to argue with a jury verdict. In other words, he’s not goign to assert something that a jury found otherwise. Probably a wise way to handle it, even if it means accepting a bogus verdict. Had he argued the verdict, the liberals would be screaming bloody murder *and* rehashing the whole case... as it is now, the liberals are restricted to screaming bloody murder and gnashing their teeth at Bush’s ‘compassionate’ conservatism.

[tophat9000]

“President Clinton was impeached for lying before a grand jury

Ah..so what...impeachment in the trial ...removal is the penalty... Clinton was not removed therefor received no penalty from impeachment ... now if you want to sent billy boy to the clink for a few years...let's talk

[Still Thinking]

One wonders where the ?mainstream? news media gets this idea.

From talking to each other. Bernie Goldberg's "Bias" at work. These fish swim in a liberal sea.

[Still Thinking]

Yeah. Let Fitzy spend 3 years on the stand trying to convince hostile people who care nothing for the truth, second guessing his thoughts, recollections, and motives.

[Still Thinking]

And, just to get the left’s collective panties in a bunch, he could opine that as liberals, Fitz’s honesty and Russert’s honesty and memory are suspect as well.

[Still Thinking]

I wonder if Libby could sue Russert, saying that Russert lied in court, thereby costing Libby $250K. Burden of proof in civil court is preponderance of evidence.

[Salvation]

What the dimocrats are doing is making things better for Bush and Cheney. LOL!

[Dionysius]

I’m angry he didn’t get a full pardon.

[curiosity]

I don't see why everyone so many of my fellow conservatives are getting so excited about this. So the crony of a RINO president doesn't have to spend 2.5 years in Club Fed. Big deal.

How exactly does this advance the conservative agenda?

Yeah, maybe there was an injustice, but at most it was a tiny one. Instead of a million dollar book deal plus 2.5 years in Club Fed he gets just the book deal. Big woop. I honestly don't understand why anyone other than Libby's family gives a fig.

[WonkyTonky]

I agree, Plame’s covert status was expired for years, yet Libby gets hauled up for exposing some secret CIA agent? And the judge decided to keep this from the trial? Plame was a desk jockey that is why she didn’t have covert status anymore. And all this crap about lying is BS too, I wouldn’t be able to remember everybody and what I said years later either.

[LadyNavyVet]

Yep, the comparison to Clinton’s impeachment is ridiculous. Clinton got impeached but not removed. IOW he was prosecuted but not punished. Same with Libby. In the end, Libby will also be prosecuted but not punished. To suggest, as the MSM types are trying to do, that Clinton’s treatment was somehow worse than Libby’s is disingenuous. They are basically getting equal treatment for comparable crimes.

[AppyPappy]

The fax from the DNC to the media must use the word “anger” quite a bit.

[mware]

Well at least GW did not pardon FALN terrorists or someone who was on the Top 10 FBI list and still a fugitive.

[nativist]

Ha ha! Libby didn't remember a who he had spoken with years ago. There was no crime and if there was, the actual perp, Armitage, wasn't prosecuted. Libby was the fall guy.

Clinton pointed his finger in the camera and shook it and bald faced lied to the grand jury and he knew it. He is now a millionaire and faced no time at all.

[Moby Grape]

Gee..you would think that Libby was a BANK ROBBER (Susan McDougal), or a Puerto Rican TERRORIST (like the ones Clinton pardoned).

[kevkrom]

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

I believe you're mistaken. Clinton didn't spend 36 months in jail, he rented 36 "Women in Prison" movies in a month.

[Lx]

I believe you're mistaken. Clinton didn't spend 36 months in jail, he rented 36 "Women in Prison" movies in a month.

There's 36?

[sgtbono2002]

The guy needs to be prosecuted. Fitzgerald spent millions on this DNC scam.

[Junior_G]

I’m no fan of GWB, but Libby got screwed. I’m glad his sentence was commuted.

[mathluv]

Was the toon found ‘Not guilty”? I thought it was ‘other terminology’, but my brain is not coming up with it.