It about sums up why Libby was pardoned rather well. A caller on Joy Cardin's show this morning speculated that Libby would have lasted about one week in prison before he was cutting a deal with Patrick Fitzgerald to sing like a canary and implicate Rove, Cheney and maybe even Bush in the scheme to out Valerie Plame Wilson. T
hat's very possibly true, or, even more likely Bush, Rove and Cheney weren't at all willing to take the chance that he would start singing.
As most of you know, Firedoglake is one of my favorite sites and I frequently link to them for information and the insight that Christie and Jane usually offer. I'll link again today but I have to disagree with Christie's advice this morning.
Christie says that we can't just sit and complain about the commutation of Libby's sentence, we've got to take action. She suggests calling Conyers office for and investigation and calling our own Congressmen, or better yet, talking to them directly during their 4th of July break. She's pretty insistent too. snip
So, you can sit around grousing and moaning until the cows come home, wallowing in your misery and cursing the heavens about George Bush. Or…you can do something about him and his corrupt Grand Ole Imperial Party.
snip
The President has obstructed justice into an investigation of his own administration, and a cloud remains over Vice President Dick Cheney — still — with regard to his role in the betrayal of Valerie Plame Wilson and the rest of the CIA operatives working for Brewster Jennings. They and the rest of America deserve better than this, and the restoration of the rule of law is a good place to start. What does your elected representative plan to do about this? We want action, not just lip service.
I'm right with her in the anger department but reality is that none of this is going to do any good.
Why?
Because the Presidential power to pardon or commute is ABSOLUTE. It is one of the few "Royal" powers reserved to the President and it is not subject to Congressional or Judicial review. There are "guidelines" that should be followed (like consulting with the Justice Department, which Bush did not do) but there is essentially no check on the President's discretion in this matter at all. So it's true....Power Corrupts and Absolute Power Corrupts ABSOLUTELY.
Even one of th
e heroes of this episode, Prosecuting Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald noted in his statement that the President's power is absolute. Here's his quote:
We fully recognize that the Constitution provides that commutation decisions are a matter of presidential prerogative and we do not comment on the exercise of that prerogative.
Remember if you will, Clinton's pardon of Mark Rich and the outrage that was expressed over that. Believe me, if the Republicans could have filed charges against Clinton or overturned his pardon of Rich, they would have. Instead they were left, much as we are, howling and screaming from the sidelines.
The pardon of "Scooter" is nothing more than a distraction from the fact that Bush is keeping his war going in Iraq and itching to start another war in Iran. The pardon (or more accurately the "commutation" ) of Libby's sentence is meant to take our eye off the ball and chase another sparkling, shiny object while more of our soldiers die in the ill-begotten war.
Just keep that in mind.
mer counsel Harriet Miers and one-time political director Sara Taylor available for private, off-the-record interviews.
mer counsel Harriet Miers and one-time political director Sara Taylor available for private, off-the-record interviews.
