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dc_dux · 07-04-2007, 08:43 AM

Irate...

Several more facts that have come to light would further make the case for your 1) this libby case is an extra-ordinary abuse of power and insult to justice:

Presidential pardons and/or commutations are generally made after a portion of the term in prison had been served:

Sentencing experts said Bush's action appeared to be without recent precedent. They could not recall another case in which someone sentenced to prison had received a presidential commutation without having served any part of that sentence. Presidents have customarily commuted sentences only when someone has served substantial time.

"We can't find any cases, certainly in the last half century, where the president commuted a sentence before it had even started to be served," said Margaret Colgate Love, a former pardon attorney at the Justice Department. "This is really, really unusual."

Further, in making his case for the commutation, Bush's position that the prison sentence was "excessive" contradicts the policies and practices of his own DoJ (with whom he did not confer):

....records show that the Justice Department under the Bush administration frequently has sought sentences that are as long, or longer, in cases similar to Libby's. Three-fourths of the 198 defendants sentenced in federal court last year for obstruction of justice — one of four crimes Libby was found guilty of in March — got some prison time. According to federal data, the average sentence defendants received for that charge alone was 70 months.

(I would suggest Libby's obstruction was worse than most of the other 198 sentenced last year because of the violation of the public trust that accompanied his position in the highest level at the White House)

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationwo...tory?track=rss

I dont have a problem with presidential pardons in general. I would prefer they be used by a president to correct an injustice or to acknowledge someone who had accepted responsibility for his actions and expressed contrition (and served time) rather than as a political favor, but even the latter is a perk of the office. I would have had no complaint if Bush pardoned Libby at the end of his term next year and after Libby had served some time.

I do have a problem with the manner in which this commutation was presented and rationalized.

07-04-2007, 08:43 AM	#54 (permalink)
dc_dux Location: Washington DC	Irate... Several more facts that have come to light would further make the case for your 1) this libby case is an extra-ordinary abuse of power and insult to justice: Presidential pardons and/or commutations are generally made after a portion of the term in prison had been served: Sentencing experts said Bush's action appeared to be without recent precedent. They could not recall another case in which someone sentenced to prison had received a presidential commutation without having served any part of that sentence. Presidents have customarily commuted sentences only when someone has served substantial time. "We can't find any cases, certainly in the last half century, where the president commuted a sentence before it had even started to be served," said Margaret Colgate Love, a former pardon attorney at the Justice Department. "This is really, really unusual." Further, in making his case for the commutation, Bush's position that the prison sentence was "excessive" contradicts the policies and practices of his own DoJ (with whom he did not confer): ....records show that the Justice Department under the Bush administration frequently has sought sentences that are as long, or longer, in cases similar to Libby's. Three-fourths of the 198 defendants sentenced in federal court last year for obstruction of justice — one of four crimes Libby was found guilty of in March — got some prison time. According to federal data, the average sentence defendants received for that charge alone was 70 months. (I would suggest Libby's obstruction was worse than most of the other 198 sentenced last year because of the violation of the public trust that accompanied his position in the highest level at the White House) http://www.latimes.com/news/nationwo...tory?track=rss I dont have a problem with presidential pardons in general. I would prefer they be used by a president to correct an injustice or to acknowledge someone who had accepted responsibility for his actions and expressed contrition (and served time) rather than as a political favor, but even the latter is a perk of the office. I would have had no complaint if Bush pardoned Libby at the end of his term next year and after Libby had served some time. I do have a problem with the manner in which this commutation was presented and rationalized. __________________ "The perfect is the enemy of the good." ~ Voltaire Last edited by dc_dux; 07-04-2007 at 09:17 AM..