Bush told Scott McClellan to lie about Plame case

[bascule]

Or so he claims:

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7105001.stm

 

I've hoped this festering sore of a case would finally break open and something would come of it, but so far we've seen little beyond the trial and subsequent pardon of Scooter Libby.

 

This is direct confirmation by a White House insider that the President sought to directly deceive the American people by asking his press secretary to lie.

 

Well, there's my spin, I'm sure there's others who will try to spin it the opposite direction somehow.

[Pangloss]

Speaking of festering sores, I believe RonPaulomiacin has been effective in the treatment of ABB.

[ecoli]

I thought Libby wasn't actually pardoned.

[iNow]

I thought Libby wasn't actually pardoned.

That's correct. He wasn't. His prison term was commuted.

 

 

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/07/02/libby.sentence/index.html

President Bush on Monday spared I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby from prison, commuting the former White House aide's 30-month prison term.

 

The prison time was imposed after a federal court convicted Libby of perjury, obstruction of justice and lying to investigators in the probe of the leak of the name of a CIA operative.

 

A commutation is distinct from a pardon, which is a complete eradication of a conviction record and makes it the same as if the person has never been convicted.

 

Bush has only commuted Libby's prison term, which means that the conviction remains on Libby's record and he must still pay a $250,000 fine. He will be on probation for two years.

 

Commutations are rarely granted, says CNN's chief legal analyst, Jeffrey Toobin. A commutation is a total right of the president and it cannot be challenged by any attorney or court, he said.

 

It's the fourth time Bush has issued one.

 

 

 

 

Or so he claims:

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7105001.stm

The actions of the current administration have given me no reason to doubt such a claim. My only skepticism comes from my approach to life, questioning potentially insincere declarations. Scott McClellan, however, always defended the president ferociously during his tenure, as well as the white house and it's administration, and all other evidence and experience with the current administration implies (to me anyway) that this is something that can and did happen. I'm frankly rather tired of the lack of accountability and consequence.

 

 

The people should not be afraid of the government. The government should be afraid of the people.