But if you reject my decrees and abhor my laws, then I will do this to you:I will set my face against you so that you will be defeated by your enemies; those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee even when no one is pursuing you. If after all this you will not listen to me, I will punish you for your sins seven times over.
-Leviticus 26:14,16-17
The conviction of I. Lewis Libby was just about the only hint of accountability this thoroughly criminal, irresponsible, reckless, incompetent, dishonest administration has been touched by. I don't need to repeat here the very serious effects of outing a top level CIA officer for political reasons (see March 12th blog). I don't need to repeat here how much contempt this administration has shown for every man on the ground around the world, from troops in Iraq to CIA operatives and their agents in the field.
Right on the heals of Dick Cheney inventing a fourth branch of government to avoid even the minimal disclosure of his office's operations for oversight, Bush comes through with another staggering move of arrogance: he commutes Libby's sentence. In what amounts to some sort of sick joke the president said Libby didn't get off easy: he still has to pay a $250,000 fine and gets to go on probation for a few months. Mind you, several million dollars was raised in his defense by former Ambassador Richard Carlson.
The guy deserves a lifetime in jail along with anyone else (Richard Armitage and Dick Cheney) involved in leaking an undercover CIA officer's identity for political motivations. But Bush manages to make the United States weaker yet one more time. He once more arrogantly flaunts the law and the heroic sacrifice of those who serve our country. His disrespect for the idea that is America sickens me.
I think I'll conclude my tirade with some revealing responses from political leaders on both sides of the aisle:
"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."
— House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
"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."
— Former Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn.
"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."
— former Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C.
"President Bush did the right thing today in commuting the prison term for Scooter Libby. The prison sentence was overly harsh and the punishment did not fit the crime."
— House Republican Whip Roy Blunt of Missouri.
"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?"
— New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson.
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