Good. It was the right and honorable thing for President Bush to do:

Mr. Libby was sentenced to thirty months of prison, two years of probation, and a $250,000 fine. In making the sentencing decision, the district court rejected the advice of the probation office, which recommended a lesser sentence and the consideration of factors that could have led to a sentence of home confinement or probation.

I respect the jury’s verdict. But I have concluded that the prison sentence given to Mr. Libby is excessive. Therefore, I am commuting the portion of Mr. Libby’s sentence that required him to spend thirty months in prison.

My decision to commute his prison sentence leaves in place a harsh punishment for Mr. Libby. The reputation he gained through his years of public service and professional work in the legal community is forever damaged. His wife and young children have also suffered immensely. He will remain on probation. The significant fines imposed by the judge will remain in effect. The consequences of his felony conviction on his former life as a lawyer, public servant, and private citizen will be long-lasting.

The Constitution gives the President the power of clemency to be used when he deems it to be warranted. It is my judgment that a commutation of the prison term in Mr. Libby’s case is an appropriate exercise of this power.”

Make sure you read the entire statement by President Bush.

Of course the Left is Freaking.The.Fuck.Out right now. The same people who applauded President Clinton’s long list of pardons, including several for convicted drug dealers, are now going to turn on their selective-amnesia and attack President Bush.

The same people who thought that Paris Hilton shouldn’t have served any jail time think that Scooter Libby should be locked up for 30 months.

I see that a lot of folks in the blathering Left-o-sphere keep using the word “pardon”. I think it’s important to note that Libby was not pardoned. He is still on probation, and is still paying a $250K fine. Only his prison time was commuted.

_________

OTHERS:

The Baseball Crank:

“I don’t underrate the seriousness of perjury, but in sentencing, or using the pardon power, you consider mitigating factors. Unlike the Paula Jones case, no individual litigant was harmed by obstruction of the discovery process. And unlike the Sandy Berger case, there was no successful coverup.”

If anybody needs to be in prison, it’s Sandy Berger.

Macsmind notes:

This was a good move. While not a pardon - Libby will bear the conviction and fine - but it’s spare this honorable servant who was charged on a lesser crime than that of a certain ex-president.

Posted by Robbie Cooper on Monday, July 2nd, 2007 | Trackback |