Soft on Crime? That’s Rich
So Scooter Libby gets clemency, Mark Elrod calls the President “soft on crime,” and Kolby chimes in with the first comment, ignoring a few facts of his own.
I have no truck for Libby. He represented Marc Rich and famously congratulated the international tax fugitive upon receipt of a pardon from Bill Clinton — while still hiding out in Switzerland!
Let’s see. On one hand, we have Libby remembering the details of a conversation differently than Tim Russert did. On the other, we have Rich cheating the government out of millions of dollars and violating trade sanctions against Iran while they were holding Americans hostage!
So, which clemency undermines law and order more: Libby’s or Rich’s?
BACKGROUND: Congratulations Scooter Libby (not what you think).
UPDATE: Of course Hillary Clinton’s comment is even richer:
“Today’s decision is yet another example that this administration simply considers itself above the law,” said Clinton of Bush’s decision to commute Libby’s sentence. “This case arose from the administration’s politicization of national security intelligence and its efforts to punish those who spoke out against its policies.“Four years into the Iraq war, Americans are still living with the consequences of this White House’s efforts to quell dissent. This commutation sends the clear signal that in this Administration, cronyism and ideology trump competence and justice.”
Wow. The old Clinton chutzpah is back. What about the signal that justice is for sale — like, oh I don’t know taking money in exchange for pardons:
Hugh Rodham was paid $204,200 for his work on the Vignali commutation. It appears that, in return for this money, he worked part-time for two months gathering materials in support of Vignali’s case and making telephone calls to White House staff. It appears that Rodham’s payment in the Vignali matter was contingent upon his success, as he received the $200,000 payment on January 24, 2001, after President Clinton granted clemency to Vignali.
I guess if I have to pick between cronyism and outright corruption, I prefer the former.
related articles
- The “Missing” 13th Amendment (July 14th, 2007)
- District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act of 2007 (April 24th, 2007)
- Prayers and votes for our country (November 7th, 2006)
- 30 Years Ago Today (April 25th, 2006)
- Ninth Circuit: Students May Not Disagree with Gay-Rights Agenda (April 22nd, 2006)
