No final presidential pardons from Bush

[robertpaulsen]

Source: In The News

In one of his final acts as president, George Bush has commuted the sentences of two border guards jailed for shooting a Mexican drug dealer in the back.

By the time Barack Obama was inaugurated as Mr Bush's successor, no presidential pardons emerged in the last moments of the Bush administration.

That meant no pardon for former vice-presidential aide Lewis "Scooter" Libby, who has already had his 30-month prison sentence commuted, and disgraced media tycoon Conrad Black.

But Texans Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean had had their 11-year and 12-year prison sentences commuted by Mr Bush.


Read more: http://www.inthenews.co.uk/news/world/international-affairs/no-final-presidential-pardons-from-bush-$1262221.htm

[NewJeffCT]

1. They're going to rely on the Nixon defense

if the president does it, it's not illegal... and, if the president orders it, the people following his orders can't be held accountable.

And, with the Roberts SCotUS, it might hold up.

[Xipe Totec]

4. The Nixon defense was a Presidential pardon

without it, he would be totally screwed.

And following orders has not been a good defense since Nuremberg.

[NewJeffCT]

6. it's all part of the Unitary Executive theory

and, just because following orders didn't hold up in Nuremberg doesn't mean it won't hold up in the Supreme Court of John Roberts.

[George II]

13. Maybe Roberts will screw up the ruling like he screwed up the Oath this morning?

[humbled_opinion]

12. No their defense is more along the lines of

We told the Democratic Leadership in Congress what we were doing and they are complicit or We only did the waterboarding because we have done the same and worse to our Soldiers in SEER training in other words these specific devices were not considered torture when we did them.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

2. Mark me down for "Doubt it."

[seemslikeadream]

3. So many criminals so little time?

Probably couldn't make up his mind?


:hi:

[Davis_X_Machina]

5. Nope.

Once you're pardoned, you can't take the Fifth -- you have to testify, because you can no longer incriminate yourself. (Works like immunity.) It's a way of stopping the mouths of potential witnesses. They anticipate prosecutions, otherwise they'd have pardoned.

[aquart]

7. Thanks. I'm on the phone with my mom and we were wondering.

[DUlover2909]

10. Couldn't Obama pardon Libby and then have the AG subpoena him?

If Scooper Limpy purgers himself again, it's off to jail with him.:P

[meow2u3]

8. Now we can prosecute Bushco!

Indict, try, convict, and imprison the BFEE for the crimes against humanity better known as 9/11 and the war crimes in the name of restoring justice and the rule of law to America.

America--the land of the free and home of the brave--finally! :patriot:

[Marthe48]

9. Why would he bother?

Bush managed to screw the world, the American people, his supporters and those closest to him. He never looked back through all that, why would he change his behavior now? Basically this is just another proof that he is sociopathic. Good riddance to bad rubbish!

[Soylent Brice]

11. anybody else think Denmark is reeking of something rotten right about now?

not pardoning scooter seems kind of... out of place.

am i alone on this?

K&R

[RedCloud]

14. So Bush and Cheney are not pardoned?

Let the fun begin!

[hunter]

15. They are gangsters.

They don't need pardons. Members of the gang know what happens to those who talk.

[damntexdem]

16. I keep wondering -- will the news yet emerge that he issued more pardons?

Of course, since he and the Bushistas have done no wrong, there is no reason to issue pardons -- I hope he held to such a thought. Now we have to pressure the Congress and the Prez to prosecute.

[dysfunctional press]

17. and george ryan gets to keep crying himself to sleep...

it would be cool if they end up making blago his bitch...er, cell-mate.