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Very Special Treatment

Orin Kerr:

I find Bush's action very troubling because of the obvious special treatment Libby received. President Bush has set a remarkable record in the last 6+ years for essentially never exercising his powers to commute sentences or pardon those in jail. His handful of pardons have been almost all symbolic gestures involving cases decades old, sometimes for people who are long dead. Come to think of it, I don't know if Bush has ever actually used his powers to get one single person out of jail even one day early. If there are such cases, they are certainly few and far between. So Libby's treatment was very special indeed.

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    well, (5.00 / 1) (#1)
    by cpinva on Mon Jul 02, 2007 at 11:57:33 PM EST
    "scooter" is a very "special" kind of guy.

    do we really need any more evidence that this administration fancies itself an "imperial" presidency? close to "divine-right", if you will.

    i'd like to be around a hundred years from now, to see how future historians treat this era. perhaps this will be seen as an aberration, and they will assume some kind of national madness took hold of us all.

    Maybe Bush was touched by (5.00 / 1) (#2)
    by Militarytracy on Tue Jul 03, 2007 at 12:35:19 AM EST
    what this would do to Scooter's family.  I know it's strange because he isn't touched by what military families or Iraqi families are going through right now but maybe he was touched by Scooter's wife's words after the verdict was read.......

    Libby's wife, Harriet Grant, was not as composed. In the first row of spectators, she hunched over and shook. A young member of Libby's defense team put his arm around her shoulders. After judge and jury left, Grant went over to hug her husband with a furious look on her face. Three reporters heard her say what sounded like, "We're gonna [expletive] 'em."

    I know that if I were him(Bush) I might have found those words touching in a way.

    Beats not caring, I guess (none / 0) (#3)
    by manys on Tue Jul 03, 2007 at 12:57:44 AM EST
    Can you really post something like that without acknowledging Karla Faye Tucker?

    Parent
    Let me see (none / 0) (#6)
    by jimakaPPJ on Tue Jul 03, 2007 at 08:40:32 AM EST
    Your husband has just been convicted unjustly and you are upset and say something nasty.

    Yep. No doubt about it. It is completely unusual and unexpected. Absolutely worthy of a snarky remark.

    BTW - Could you give us a link proving Bush isn't touched by what the military men and women and their famililes, friends and sweethearts are going through??

    Parent

    PPJ changes the subject (none / 0) (#10)
    by Repack Rider on Tue Jul 03, 2007 at 10:03:44 AM EST
    Your husband has just been convicted unjustly and you are upset and say something nasty.

    Jim, we are talking about Scooter Libby here.  Whatever case you are attempting to cite has nothing to do with Libby's, since he was represented by millions of dollars worth of the finest legal talent in the country, and convicted by a jury.

    It's hard to imagine anyone getting a fairer trial than Libby, so he's like, ya know, GUILTY of a crime far more serious than the one Clinton (Okay, I brought him up) was impeached over and found not guilty.

    Get over it.

    Parent

    RePack (none / 0) (#14)
    by jimakaPPJ on Tue Jul 03, 2007 at 12:28:36 PM EST
    Uh, I find it hard to believe that you don't understand that I was using a hypothetical to show Tracy that it isn't unknown for a wife to be unhappy at the outcome of a court case.

    But maybe you are just having a bad day. Losing causes that.

    Parent

    Jim, I know you believe that Bush gets (none / 0) (#13)
    by Militarytracy on Tue Jul 03, 2007 at 12:25:08 PM EST
    touched by what is happening to those in Iraq.  There is a big difference though between what I refer to as "being touched by" verses "touching yourself" when a person thinks about bad things happening to other people.

    Parent
    The "touching (5.00 / 1) (#16)
    by jondee on Tue Jul 03, 2007 at 12:31:41 PM EST
    yourself" would probobly also apply to Bush's responce in the Karla Faye Tucker case mentioned earlier.

    Parent
    True (none / 0) (#18)
    by Militarytracy on Tue Jul 03, 2007 at 12:47:07 PM EST
    I think that one was really special to him.  If you are the governor of Texas and born after they made stoning women illegal there are still ways to get your rocks off.

    Parent
    Boy King aka Chimperor (5.00 / 1) (#17)
    by squeaky on Tue Jul 03, 2007 at 12:31:42 PM EST

    That he could have that moment with a soldier who lost his eye and then immediately turn around and reassure the wife of a supporter that she needn't worry about him, that he's doing ok, is mind boggling. He honestly seems to think he's a wounded soldier himself, bravely getting up every day to face the enemy's fire. No shame, no guilt, no conscience, no understanding that he does not have the right to even address such concerns or "reassure" anyone about his own state of health or mind as long as men and women are coming home from his misbegotten war without their eyes!

    digby

    Parent

    Tracy (none / 0) (#15)
    by jimakaPPJ on Tue Jul 03, 2007 at 12:30:25 PM EST
    "touching yourself?" In what manner? Are you edging back towards the spanking threat??

    sigh.....

    BTW - Got a link?? No?

    I thought so.

    Parent

    Jeralyn doesn't allow those sorts of links (none / 0) (#19)
    by Militarytracy on Tue Jul 03, 2007 at 12:49:22 PM EST
    for good reason.

    Parent
    Tracy (1.00 / 1) (#21)
    by jimakaPPJ on Wed Jul 04, 2007 at 10:55:09 PM EST
    She wouldn't want you to link to a site showing Bush not being touched??

    You funny girl.

    Parent

    Well (5.00 / 1) (#7)
    by Edger on Tue Jul 03, 2007 at 09:10:34 AM EST
    I don't know if Bush has ever actually used his powers to get one single person out of jail even one day early....So Libby's treatment was very special indeed.

    What does that say? Libby knows too much. Libby can put Bush and/or Cheney behind bars.

    I hope Libby doesn't suffer a heart attack or a car accident or some other fatal tragedy in the next while....

    NOT special for elite thug thieving factions (none / 0) (#4)
    by seabos84 on Tue Jul 03, 2007 at 06:48:22 AM EST
    these scum have been getting away with this crap for decades.

    they've been getting away with it for a lot of reasons:

    1. they are selfish scum who will ALWAYS try to get away with as much as they can - ask any working normal person what, you know, that bottom 100 million + of us, what 'selfish scum' means.

    2. we the sheeple are more interested in lining up for hours for the latest Apple I-Junk than in putting a few hours into getting rid of worthless 'leaders',

    3. worthless leader, thy name is pelosi, reid, ... kerry ... gore ... mcaulliffe ... clinton ...george mitchell ... tip o'neil

    a plague on all their houses.

    rmm.
     

    Impeachment ay? (5.00 / 3) (#8)
    by Big Tent Democrat on Tue Jul 03, 2007 at 09:25:59 AM EST
    Will 17 GOP Senators vote to remove anyone from office? No.

    So then your purpose is what.

    Let's concentrate on the I word we can do something about - Iraq.

    Parent

    I do NOT know the best strategy, and (none / 0) (#11)
    by seabos84 on Tue Jul 03, 2007 at 11:33:27 AM EST
    I do NOT believe anyone who tells me that their strategy is THE ONLY STRATEGY!!!!

    However, yours is presently, most likely, more plausable

    and

    however again,

    the lower the Dems set the bar,

    the lower we set the bar,

    the less we'll get, especially from those chickens.

    rmm.

    Parent

    seabos84 (none / 0) (#5)
    by cpinva on Tue Jul 03, 2007 at 07:50:32 AM EST
    not to put a damper on your fine rant or anything, but could you clarify what pelosi, reid, kerry, gore, et al have to do with this for me, please?

    ty

    All members.... (none / 0) (#9)
    by kdog on Tue Jul 03, 2007 at 09:28:38 AM EST
    of organized crime perhaps?  The mafia has rival families, the government has rival families too, thy names are Democrats and Republicans.

    Parent
    I guessed I missed all the great progress (none / 0) (#12)
    by seabos84 on Tue Jul 03, 2007 at 11:37:50 AM EST
    for Americans, for 6 billion fellow citizens

    these last 7 years of bush and the ... last 27 starting with RayGun's depravations?

    It sure looks to me like life is a lot less secure for the bottom 95+% of us while those at the top got bigger boats and bigger houses and bigger bank accounts

    and what have Nancy with Pearls and ... too many of them! been fighting for ?

    not to lose. stay in charge another election cycle. the excuse for inaction du jour.

    rmm.

    Parent

    I Saw it on CNN! (none / 0) (#20)
    by AsherHeimermann on Tue Jul 03, 2007 at 03:37:00 PM EST
    I saw this site on CNN!

    Looks good... Keep it up!