Yup, it's true.

Personally I think presidential powers are excessive.

The Presidential pardon and commutation isn't a bad thing, actually it's rather useful. But, like all things, it can be abused by the irresponsible.

I already knew that it was going to happen. The fact that it got commuted doesn't bother me.

However I didn't need the excuses. Don't act like you're trying to right a wrong here.

Agreed. It isn't really a surprised he was pardoned, but, like Kevin said, call it what it is, don't try to justify it any other way.

I wouldn't mind seeing an amendment that requires either Senatorial approval to some fraction (like 1/4th or even 1/3rd)... or maybe the ability for either House to over-rule the pardon with like 2/3rds's vote. We all know how hard it would be to get 75% of Congress to agree on anything... but sometimes things like this either comes down to partisanship or lined-pockets.

Duh, this is washington we're talking about here. Isn't anything they accomplish as of late related to partisanship or lined pockets???

Okay I keep hearing alot of different things about this case. So I thought I'd clear up some misconceptions.


1. Richard Armitage was the leaker so why was he never prosecuted while Libby was?


Richard Armitage was the one who leaked Plame to Novak. He has admitted it. However there wasn't enough evidence to prove that he knew of her covert status when he leaked it. He's in the clear. However that leaves the question of how does a guy learn about Plame and her CIA mission without enough clearance to even know of her covert status. So obviously the investigation has to keep going.

Also it should be noted that there was more than one leaker. As Novak has said before he had two administration sources.


2. The department of probations determined that Libby's sentence was indeed excessive so why is it big deal that his sentence was commuted?


Because it's ethically wrong to commute the sentence of someone who used to work for you. Especially since this was a high ranking public official.

Since the Department of Probation is brought up we might as well cover that. Bush used the DoP recommendations to show the Libby's sentence was excessive, but they did not state that Libby should receive no prison time. In fact the DoP recommendations still wanted Libby to serve a little over a year in prison.


3. Blah blah blah Bill Clinton blah blah blah Jamaican Terrorists blah blah blah Perjury and Impeachment.


Nothing but a bunch of goddamn partisan bickering.

Libby was essentially convicted of obstruction of justice, because obviously he's Cheney's top aid, and he covered up something. He probably knows more than he's told even now. So ofcourse he got his sentence commuted, that's the Bush administration covering their behinds.

Actually, it would be a bad thing if the congress could overturn presidential pardons, because it would damage executive powers, and throw off the balance of powers. But actually, the congress can hold a vote of condemnation of the pardon, that last one I think was under clinton. There's no reason why the democrats cant do that...it would be symbolic but a moving display, of the people disgust with all this blatant crony ism...