Isn't this a little unfair? Maybe a celebration when he finally comes around and turns on Bush. But isn't it a little mean-spirited to talk about rejoicing in his absence?cam wrote:My wife suggest that we have a huge celebration online when criddic leaves. "Hats, balloons, cakes, everything." I said no: we would just be happy to see him fade into the dust.
Plamegate
-
The Original BJ
- Emeritus
- Posts: 4312
- Joined: Mon Apr 28, 2003 8:49 pm
-
99-1100896887
-
Big Magilla
- Site Admin
- Posts: 19377
- Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 3:22 pm
- Location: Jersey Shore
Now, Cam, you know that's not fair. Criddic is one of a strong minority in this coungtry that still believes everything the administration wants them to. When Criddic wises up and throws in the toewll it will be time to rejoice because then we will know that the tide has irrevocably turned. Pray for the moment!
-
99-1100896887
Thanks for your reply, Penelope. I have grandchildren who are 7 and 5, and they will have to do deal with a life that will be forever marred by this administration -- and we will "get it" because we live next door to the US.
I just cannot believe that there are people like criddic who defend them. The man must be bonkers to even think of excusing the criminal behaviour and arrogance of his beloved leaders . Even faced with what seems to be incompetence, and illegality, he defends them. Maybe we will be lucky, because along with a government change in 2008, we will not have a jerk like criddic to appall us daily.
I just cannot believe that there are people like criddic who defend them. The man must be bonkers to even think of excusing the criminal behaviour and arrogance of his beloved leaders . Even faced with what seems to be incompetence, and illegality, he defends them. Maybe we will be lucky, because along with a government change in 2008, we will not have a jerk like criddic to appall us daily.
-
Big Magilla
- Site Admin
- Posts: 19377
- Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 3:22 pm
- Location: Jersey Shore
Not shocked, just disgusted.Sonic Youth wrote:As I said, this was an inevitability. Why is everybody so shocked?
If you watch Bushie's body language during the announcemnt his eyes don't stop blinking, a clear sign he is lying, knows he's lying and knows that you know he's lying, yet 40% of the public "who are famiiar with the case" think the commutation was fair.
Tell me about it. That is among the many frustrations I've endured--and which has contributed to my anger--in these past few years. I've been reading histories of France lately, and there you have a population that isn't afraid to get into the streets and protest over any little thing--indeed, the V for Vendetta quote (which I'm certain was taken from a French commentator) is so appropriate: People shouldn't be afraid of the government, the government should be afraid of the people. The problem we seem to have here is a government--certainly an administration--that is NOT afraid of the people. Despite all the crimes they have committed in the past 8 years, people blithely let them get away with it. I'm flummoxxed, I just don't get it.cam wrote:This is appalling. How can the US hold up its head for a year and a half with this man? Some time ago, I said: where's the rioting in the streets? Are people in the US so complacent that they will permit this to happen?
"...it is the weak who are cruel, and...gentleness is only to be expected from the strong." - Leo Reston
"Cruelty might be very human, and it might be cultural, but it's not acceptable." - Jodie Foster
"Cruelty might be very human, and it might be cultural, but it's not acceptable." - Jodie Foster
-
Sonic Youth
- Tenured Laureate
- Posts: 8008
- Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 8:35 pm
- Location: USA
-
99-1100896887
-
Big Magilla
- Site Admin
- Posts: 19377
- Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 3:22 pm
- Location: Jersey Shore
Interesting that one of these two-faced phonies was a prosecuter in real life and the other played one on TV.Damien wrote:criddic3 wrote:Reaction to Libby Commutation
Fred Thompson: "I am very happy for Scooter Libby. I know that this is a great relief to him, his wife and children. While for a long time I have urged a pardon for Scooter, I respect the President's decision. This will allow a good American, who has done a lot for his country, to resume his life."
Rudy Giuliani: "After evaluating the facts, the President came to a reasonable decision and I believe the decision was correct."
Two quotes that will come back to haunt two assholes.
Only 60&% public disapproval just goes to show that 40% of the public is still either gullible or ignorant or both.
-
Mister Tee
- Tenured Laureate
- Posts: 8675
- Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 2:57 pm
- Location: NYC
- Contact:
60% public disapproval. Which for Bush is popular.
An appalling thing to do, but of course just what you'd expect from a president who feels free to piss on the majority of Americans. Even the halfway nature of the decision -- commutation, not pardon -- serves the cover-up: Libby doesn't go to jail, but, because he's still appealing a conviction, he'll be justified pleading the fifth should Fitzgerald or Congress ask for testimony. As Joe Wilson said, corrupt to the core. (And I'll bet any amount of money that between Election Day '08 and January 20th '09, the commutation magically turns into a full pardon)
The appeals court decision yesterday obviously forced Bush's hand -- no way they could risk Libby facing actual prison time. But I'm glad it happened this way: now Bush and his party OWN this scandal. Any Republican who talks about law and order should be immediately scorned.
An appalling thing to do, but of course just what you'd expect from a president who feels free to piss on the majority of Americans. Even the halfway nature of the decision -- commutation, not pardon -- serves the cover-up: Libby doesn't go to jail, but, because he's still appealing a conviction, he'll be justified pleading the fifth should Fitzgerald or Congress ask for testimony. As Joe Wilson said, corrupt to the core. (And I'll bet any amount of money that between Election Day '08 and January 20th '09, the commutation magically turns into a full pardon)
The appeals court decision yesterday obviously forced Bush's hand -- no way they could risk Libby facing actual prison time. But I'm glad it happened this way: now Bush and his party OWN this scandal. Any Republican who talks about law and order should be immediately scorned.
Two quotes that will come back to haunt two assholes.criddic3 wrote:Reaction to Libby Commutation
Fred Thompson: "I am very happy for Scooter Libby. I know that this is a great relief to him, his wife and children. While for a long time I have urged a pardon for Scooter, I respect the President's decision. This will allow a good American, who has done a lot for his country, to resume his life."
Rudy Giuliani: "After evaluating the facts, the President came to a reasonable decision and I believe the decision was correct."
"Y'know, that's one of the things I like about Mitt Romney. He's been consistent since he changed his mind." -- Christine O'Donnell
Reaction to Libby Commutation
Fred Thompson: "I am very happy for Scooter Libby. I know that this is a great relief to him, his wife and children. While for a long time I have urged a pardon for Scooter, I respect the President's decision. This will allow a good American, who has done a lot for his country, to resume his life."
Rudy Giuliani: "After evaluating the facts, the President came to a reasonable decision and I believe the decision was correct."
Fred Thompson: "I am very happy for Scooter Libby. I know that this is a great relief to him, his wife and children. While for a long time I have urged a pardon for Scooter, I respect the President's decision. This will allow a good American, who has done a lot for his country, to resume his life."
Rudy Giuliani: "After evaluating the facts, the President came to a reasonable decision and I believe the decision was correct."
"Because here’s the thing about life: There’s no accounting for what fate will deal you. Some days when you need a hand. There are other days when we’re called to lend a hand." -- President Joe Biden, 01/20/2021
-
Sonic Youth
- Tenured Laureate
- Posts: 8008
- Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 8:35 pm
- Location: USA
Sonic Youth wrote:And you know what? Better he did this now than waste our tax money fighting over appeals when the end result was going to be the same anyway.
Obviously this was going to happen when Libby was denied bail, so there's really no point in getting upset.
I have to take this back.
I misunderstood. I thought this meant the end of the judicial process. But I don't think this means that an appeal won't still go on. Jesus, I thought all this meant he was pardoned.
Yipes, lemme rethink this. Good night.
"What the hell?"
Win Butler
Win Butler
-
Sonic Youth
- Tenured Laureate
- Posts: 8008
- Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 8:35 pm
- Location: USA
Where's Criddic? These things usually bring him to life.
Libby commutation: Washington responds
WASHINGTON (CNN) — Following are reactions to President Bush’s announcement Monday that he has commuted the sentence of former vice presidential chief of staff Lewis “Scooter” Libby:
Melanie Sloan, legal counsel to Joe and Valerie Wilson
“First, President Bush said any person who leaked would no longer work in his administration. Nonetheless, Scooter Libby didn’t leave office until he was indicted and Karl Rove works in the White House even today. More recently, the vice president ignored an executive order protecting classified information, claiming he isn’t really part of the executive branch. Clearly, this is anadministration that believes leaking classified information for political ends is justified and that the law is what applies to other people.”
Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, and presidential candidate
“This decision to commute the sentence of a man who compromised our national security cements the legacy of an Administration characterized by a politics of cynicism and division, one that has consistently placed itself and its ideology above the law. This is exactly the kind of politics we must change so we can begin restoring the American people’s faith in a government that puts the country’s progress ahead of the bitter partisanship of recent years.”
Sen. Charles Schumer, D-New York
“As Independence Day nears, we are reminded that one of the principles our forefathers fought for was equal justice under the law. This commutation completely tramples on that principle.”
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada
“The President’s decision to commute Mr. Libby’s sentence is disgraceful. Libby’s conviction was the one faint glimmer of accountability for White House efforts to manipulate intelligence and silence critics of the Iraq War. Now, even that small bit of justice has been undone. Judge Walton correctly determined that Libby deserved to be imprisoned for lying about a matter ofnational security. The Constitution gives President Bush the power to commute sentences, but history will judge him harshly for using that power to benefit his own Vice President’s Chief of Staff who was convicted of such a serious violation of law.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California
“The President’s commutation of Scooter Libby’s prison sentence does not serve justice, condones criminal conduct, and is a betrayal of trust of the American people. The President said he would hold accountable anyone involved in the Valerie Plame leak case. By his action today, the President shows his word is not to be believed. He has abandoned all sense of fairness when it comes to justice, he has failed to uphold the rule of law, and he has failed to hold his Administration accountable.”
Sen. Joe Biden, D-Delaware, and presidential candidate
“Last week Vice President Cheney asserted that he was beyond the reach of the law. Today, President Bush demonstrated the lengths he would go to, ensuring that even aides to Dick Cheney are beyond the judgment of the law. It is time for the American people to be heard — I call for all Americans to flood the White House with phone calls tomorrow expressing their outrage over this blatant disregard for the rule of law.”
Former Sen. John Edwards, presidential candidate
“Only a president clinically incapable of understanding that mistakes have consequences could take the action he did today. President Bush has just sent exactly the wrong signal to the country and the world. In George Bush’s America, it is apparently okay to misuse intelligence for political gain, mislead prosecutors and lie to the FBI. George Bush and his cronies think they are above the law and the rest of us live with the consequences. The cause of equal justice in America took a serious blow today.”
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, presidential candidate
“It’s a sad day when the President commutes the sentence of a public official who deliberately and blatantly betrayed the public trust and obstructed an important federal investigation,” said Governor Richardson. “This administration clearly believes its officials are above the law, from ignoring FISA laws when eavesdropping on US citizens, to the abuse of classified material, to ignoring the Geneva Conventions and international law with secret prisons and torturing prisoners.
There is a reason we have laws and why we expect our Presidents to obey them. Institutions have a collective wisdom greater than that of any one individual. The arrogance of this administration’s disdain for the law and its belief it operates with impunity are breathtaking.
Will the President also commute the sentences of others who obstructed justice and lied to grand juries, or only those who act to protect President Bush and Vice President Cheney?”
Libby commutation: Washington responds
WASHINGTON (CNN) — Following are reactions to President Bush’s announcement Monday that he has commuted the sentence of former vice presidential chief of staff Lewis “Scooter” Libby:
Melanie Sloan, legal counsel to Joe and Valerie Wilson
“First, President Bush said any person who leaked would no longer work in his administration. Nonetheless, Scooter Libby didn’t leave office until he was indicted and Karl Rove works in the White House even today. More recently, the vice president ignored an executive order protecting classified information, claiming he isn’t really part of the executive branch. Clearly, this is anadministration that believes leaking classified information for political ends is justified and that the law is what applies to other people.”
Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, and presidential candidate
“This decision to commute the sentence of a man who compromised our national security cements the legacy of an Administration characterized by a politics of cynicism and division, one that has consistently placed itself and its ideology above the law. This is exactly the kind of politics we must change so we can begin restoring the American people’s faith in a government that puts the country’s progress ahead of the bitter partisanship of recent years.”
Sen. Charles Schumer, D-New York
“As Independence Day nears, we are reminded that one of the principles our forefathers fought for was equal justice under the law. This commutation completely tramples on that principle.”
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada
“The President’s decision to commute Mr. Libby’s sentence is disgraceful. Libby’s conviction was the one faint glimmer of accountability for White House efforts to manipulate intelligence and silence critics of the Iraq War. Now, even that small bit of justice has been undone. Judge Walton correctly determined that Libby deserved to be imprisoned for lying about a matter ofnational security. The Constitution gives President Bush the power to commute sentences, but history will judge him harshly for using that power to benefit his own Vice President’s Chief of Staff who was convicted of such a serious violation of law.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California
“The President’s commutation of Scooter Libby’s prison sentence does not serve justice, condones criminal conduct, and is a betrayal of trust of the American people. The President said he would hold accountable anyone involved in the Valerie Plame leak case. By his action today, the President shows his word is not to be believed. He has abandoned all sense of fairness when it comes to justice, he has failed to uphold the rule of law, and he has failed to hold his Administration accountable.”
Sen. Joe Biden, D-Delaware, and presidential candidate
“Last week Vice President Cheney asserted that he was beyond the reach of the law. Today, President Bush demonstrated the lengths he would go to, ensuring that even aides to Dick Cheney are beyond the judgment of the law. It is time for the American people to be heard — I call for all Americans to flood the White House with phone calls tomorrow expressing their outrage over this blatant disregard for the rule of law.”
Former Sen. John Edwards, presidential candidate
“Only a president clinically incapable of understanding that mistakes have consequences could take the action he did today. President Bush has just sent exactly the wrong signal to the country and the world. In George Bush’s America, it is apparently okay to misuse intelligence for political gain, mislead prosecutors and lie to the FBI. George Bush and his cronies think they are above the law and the rest of us live with the consequences. The cause of equal justice in America took a serious blow today.”
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, presidential candidate
“It’s a sad day when the President commutes the sentence of a public official who deliberately and blatantly betrayed the public trust and obstructed an important federal investigation,” said Governor Richardson. “This administration clearly believes its officials are above the law, from ignoring FISA laws when eavesdropping on US citizens, to the abuse of classified material, to ignoring the Geneva Conventions and international law with secret prisons and torturing prisoners.
There is a reason we have laws and why we expect our Presidents to obey them. Institutions have a collective wisdom greater than that of any one individual. The arrogance of this administration’s disdain for the law and its belief it operates with impunity are breathtaking.
Will the President also commute the sentences of others who obstructed justice and lied to grand juries, or only those who act to protect President Bush and Vice President Cheney?”
"What the hell?"
Win Butler
Win Butler
