Break the law, do no time

As most of you probably know, and as I mentioned in this morning’s "'BushWhack'ing", “President” Bush commuted Scooter Libby’s sentence yesterday, meaning that he won’t have to serve any jail time for breaking the law.

So let me get this straight… he broke the law… but he won’t have to serve jail time…

That just makes me head hurt.

Oh, sure he’ll still have to pay the $250,000 fine… but I’m sure that the Libby Defense Fund (soon to be renamed the committee to re-elect Ronald Reagan Fred Thompson) can muster that without breaking a sweat.

So with “President” Bush’s commutation of Scooter Libby’s prison sentence, he has essentially told the country and the world that he and his cronies are above the law and should suffer no repercussions from any of their actions.

Great lessons to be passing on, isn’t it?

And how about the American people? Well, back in March polls showed that Americans strongly opposed pardoning Libby by a 3 to 1 margin… and according to a poll taken last night by SurveyUSA, 60% of Americans say Bush should have left the judge’s prison sentence in place, with 68% of republicans and 80% Independents disagreeing with Bush’s decision.

But according to Weekly Standard editor William Kristol, who was on The Today Show this morning defending Bush’s decision, Americans who are “screaming and yelling” over the commutation are being “ridiculous.”

So one man decided that a criminal should not have to face the consequences of breaking the law.. and we’re the ones being ridiculous???
This from a man who still to this day believes that there are WMD’s in Iraq…

We’re not the ridiculous ones ya schmuck, you and this administration are… and a majority of the American people agree with me… and today editorial boards across the country are coming out against the communtation as well, with at least 13 major newspapers editorializing against Bush’s decision… and they highlight the national disapproval of of the commutation.

How about some examples…

New York Times: “Presidents have the power to grant clemency and pardons. But in this case, Mr. Bush did not sound like a leader making tough decisions about justice. He sounded like a man worried about what a former loyalist might say when actually staring into a prison cell.”

Washington Post: “We agree that a pardon would have been inappropriate and that the prison sentence of 30 months was excessive. But reducing the sentence to no prison time at all, as Mr. Bush did — to probation and a large fine — is not defensible.”

Chicago Tribune: “But in nixing the prison term, Bush sent a terrible message to citizens and to government officials who are expected to serve the public with integrity. The way for a president to discourage the breaking of federal laws is by letting fairly rendered consequences play out, however uncomfortably for everyone involved.

And this one from the Dallas Morning News is my favorite: “Nearly a decade ago, a GOP-led House impeached President Bill Clinton for lying under oath and obstructing justice in a civil deposition. Yesterday, a Republican president commuted the sentence of former top White House staffer Lewis “Scooter” Libby, who was convicted of the same thing in a criminal investigation. Republicans are known for being tough on crime. Apparently there’s an exception when the criminal is a member of President Bush’s inner circle.”

Add to those above San Francisco Chronicle, Rocky Mountain News, Detroit Free Press, The Denver Post, New York Daily News, The Arizona Republic, Sacramento Bee, San Jose Mercury News, and the Seattle Post Intelligencer.*

And keep in mind that a good deal of these papers have incredibly conservative editorial boards.. .and they are coming out against the commutation…

January 20, 2009 cannot come soon enough.

*Tip o’ the hat to Editor & Publisher