Bush commutes prison sentence of convicted perjurer and Iraq war conspirator I. Lewis Libby

In this video, “With a snarky grin, Vice President Cheney essentially admits (unapologetically) that he declassified the identity of covert CIA agent Valery Plame, wife of former Ambassador Joe Wilson who was sent to Niger at the behest of the CIA to investigate the claim of uranium sales to Iraq.

See my other video of what former President Bush Sr. had to say about those who reveal the names of covert agents: here.”

By Barry Grey:

President Bush’s commutation of the 30-month prison sentence of I. Lewis Libby, the former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, is a monument to the lawlessness of the Bush administration and the utter corruption of the American ruling elite.

It is one more expression of the government’s brazen contempt for both the law and the American people. A recent poll showed that 72 percent of the population opposes a pardon for Libby.

Bush issued his order of presidential clemency within hours of a ruling by the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit rejecting Libby’s appeal of a decision last month by the trial judge in his perjury and obstruction of justice case. Judge Reggie B. Walton had ruled that Libby could not remain free while he appealed his jury conviction. Monday’s appeals court ruling meant that Libby was to begin serving his sentence within weeks.

In a cynical and perfunctory statement, Bush outlined the objections to the judge’s sentence leveled by right-wing supporters of the administration and fascistic bloggers and talk radio hosts who have been conducting a “free Libby” campaign to demand that Bush pardon Cheney’s former top aide.

The character of the forces whipped up in the campaign for Libby was indicated in an extraordinary statement by Judge Walton at last month’s hearing on Libby’s bail request. Walton said he wanted to put on the record the fact that he had received threatening letters.

See also here.

From the blog of Paul Begala in the USA:

George W. Bush is One Tough Hombre

Tough enough to execute Karla Fay Tucker — and then laugh about it. Tough enough to sign a death warrant for a man whose lawyer slept through the trial — and then snicker when asked about it in a debate. Even tough enough to execute a great-grandmother who murdered her husband — after he abused her. A friend of mine at the time asked Bush to commute her sentence, telling him, “Betty Lou ain’t a threat to no one she ain’t married to.” No dice.

Mr. Bush is tough enough to invade a country that was no risk to America, causing tens of thousands of civilian deaths and shedding precious American blood in the process. Tough enough to sanction torture. Tough enough to order an American citizen arrested and held without trial.

But if you’re rich and right-wing and Republican, George is a real softie. As George W. Bush demonstrated in giving Scooter Libby a Get Out of Jail Free Card, he is only compassionate to conservatives.

Correction: hundreds of thousands of civilian deaths in Iraq.

See also here.

Libby oil trail: here.

Libby’s fine: here.

‘WMD’ in Iraq: here.

Evidence indicates that the contract for 28 Marine One helicopters to an Italian firm was a payoff to the Italian government for supplying the forged documents showing Saddam had obtained weapons grade uranium from Niger: here.