CNN

Posted By Sean, Orlando : July 12, 2007 5:10 pm :
"I simply cannot fathom how you filthly liberals can completely ignore Clinton’s 550+ pardons."

Sean, I simply cannot fathom how you can completely ignore reality. It's your "facts" that are "filthly"! In his eight years, Clinton issued 396 pardons – only three more than Ronald Reagan. Far fewer that other recent eight year presidents and fewer than many presidents that server shorter terms. For example, Nixon issued 863 pardons in just five and a half years. (see: http://www.usdoj.gov/pardon/actions_administration.htm#clinton). If you think Presidential pardons should be more regulated so that fewer are given to friends and family in January of the final term – fair enough! But don't pretend Clinton abused this power any more than many of the presidents that came before him.

The crucial difference between the Rich pardon and the Libby commutation is this:
Rich was accused of crimes roughly ten years prior to Clinton's election while the crime Libby was convicted of occurred within the Bush White House. While Clinton may have eventually benefited from the gain of Rich's alleged crimes through campaign donations, the crime that Libby was convicted of was committed to hide the treasonous actions of others within the White House. Because of this commutation, Libby can no longer be compelled to testify if it was Rove or Cheney who outed the CIA spy.

Fox is a lot more fair and balanced than ABC, NBC, CBS, NPR,PBS, MSNBC, the New York times, Boston globe and the rest of the MSM cabal that has had a one majority mindset (LIBERAL) for years and years. But that was ok?

Along comes this startup network that has people with differing viewpoints sitting together and discussing the world.

Aghast are the brainwashed populace who have never ventured off into a realm with a differing view, so in turn they lash out at the NUMBER ONE network even though many have never watched.

David Letterman comes to mind, when he setup Bill O'Reilly (who is more moderate than anything) and hammered him for this and that, and O'Reilly asked him point blank, "have you ever watched the show", Leterman responded "No, but people tell me....".

Nuff said.

To Army Officer:

"stop bashing the Iraq war, it's not what the media says it is." Of course if your an officer you have to support the 'status quo.' After all, your career may be on the line if you don't support it. As to telling people to "stop bashing the war" that's what a Democracy is all about, it's called 'freedom of speech,' and everyone can voice their opinion, be it pro or con. Give it a rest, your not commanding anyone here on a CNN blog site, nor giving orders, even though you may wish you could. This is not the Uniform Code of Military Justice!

Keep it up Der Fuhrer, you're becoming more believable every time thy mouth opens. More talk from the Reichstag, or maybe this time the Fuhrer Bunker?

"Fair and balanced." Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.

Posted By Michael, Fairbanks, AK
[quote]Because Bill Clinton’s pardon were just fine. And him lying under oath, that was okay too? You are a moron.[/quote]

I don't know anyone who thinks Clinton's shortcomings are "okay"
On the other hand, only a moron would think lying about consensual oral sex is as bad as lying about treason or that pardoning someone who gave you money is as bad as commuting the sentence of someone who might otherwise testify against you to avoid jail time.

Posted By Andrew, San Diego, CA
[quote]I’d love to hear someone justify this…[/quote]
Justification enough for you Andrew? Or do you want to tell me about how receiving oral sex is every bit as bad as betraying your own country?

What a waste of time worrying this to death. Get over it.

I guess to Bush, Al Capone and the Leaning Tower of Pizza would be fair
and balanced too!!!

One thing for sure that is Not Fair or Balanced is Bush!

END OF STORY....This Man makes me Nauseaous just looking at him.

I take great comfort in knowing that none of you will ever be an elected official. I simply cannot fathom how you filthly liberals can completely ignore Clinton's 550+ pardons.

I'd really like to hear the rational...

Gaaad, he's full of it! Didn't he say that the person(s) who leaked the Plame identity to the news media "would not be working" at the White House? Is it any wonder nobody listens to him anymore? He's become an embarrassment to the GOP and the entire country!

I find it "interesting" when so many angry libs pounce on President Bush with such venom any chance they get. Just go back and read all of these comments! Except, of course, the two conservative comments that CNN (probably mistakenly)allowed to be posted. My question is, "who the hell cares about Scooter Libby?". I don't!Why is this so important? Next week it will be some other boring political issue and this will be forgotten. I am waiting (forever, it seems) for a lib to discuss (rationally) an important issue relating to the good of America, like border security or fixing the Social Security funding exhaustion so our children do not foot the bill. Having a lib do this.......now THAT would be "interesting". Get in the game kids, and stop picking dandelions (as I used to say to my 7-8 year old baseball team). Good grief!

"Fair and Balanced"? Did Rupert Murdoch approve this use or is he going to sue Bush? Or is Fox News the official corporate sponsor of the commutation?

"PERHAPS"

Interesting way to put it.

I wish people would understand that the President does have the power to fire attorney's and divuldge information about anyone who work's under him. Bush's biggest problem is that he lets the media tell him he is doing something wrong when there is so much precedence throughout presidential history...Clinton fired all but one US attorney when he got to office!!! Also...stop bashing the Iraq war until you have actually been a part of it...it's not what the media says it is.

We were not talking about Mr. Joseph Wilson's wife in the above mentioned matter. We were talking about Mr. Joseph Wilson's sister who was acting in a nepotism position. It is the responsibility of Walter Reed Army Hospital to evaluate the public officials to determine whether their actions are dictated by paranoia. If their motive is not paranoia it may be financial or a personal vendetta of the prosecutor.

I think he got "fair & balanced" from Foxy The Snowman. I thought Foxy had Liver Cancer ?

If I remember correctly from the press conference, the reporter asked if Bush had any remorse about someone in his administration leaking the info. Basically, his response was evasive, capping off with a classic: "it's run its course and now we're going to move on."

How is this Yahoo still in office? Anyone? Anyone?

I bet you, that Libby has something on the President, either on video or tape. And that is why he got his "get-out-of-jail-free" card so easily. It's probably in side some bank deposit box that would be opened and given to the press if Scooter spent one day in jail.

Just more Bushbabel. He can try and rationalize, downplay and dismiss this travesty of justice all he wants. The bottom line is he subverted the American justice system by freeing a criminal convicted by a jury of his peers. Shame on you Mr. President!

Andrew, I'm not sure that you really understand the Clinton impeachment. He was impeached for perjury and obstruction of justice, yes, but since when was our judicial system used to determine if our world leader had an affair or not? The real shame is that he was brought to impeachment inquiries because of a moral (as opposed to legal) issue, whereas Bush can take away our civil liberties and break the law with absolutely no consequences. It's not just about the commutation of Libby's sentence–it's about getting away with murder because no one has the guts to utilize our system of checks and balances.

"That Person"?... Do you mean Valerie Plame? The covert CIA agent who put her life on the line for this country for 20 years?? Bush can't even use her name?????

Does he really think we can just shrug it off and move on? Does he really think it is "no big deal"??? WOW!

Fair and Balanced? I think Mr. Bush is watching too much of Fox news.

libby was convicted of crimes and sentenced consistent with the law while being represented by the best lawyers money could buy. Bill Clinton was also a dishonest thuggish type person but his pardon of Rich,while obscene because of the bribery element, was of a man deemed innocent of any crime by our system. there is a huge difference between the libby and rich situations. Bush and most of the administration are criminals, no doubt about it.

Hold on while I gag on my spiked kool-aid.....We Americans have no one but ourselves to blame for the state of this administration. We have silently indicated "take my civil liberties...I'm not using them anyway!"

Hey, let's don't forget move on;another Freudian slip.

Is "Fair and Balanced decision" joke of the day? Did our President say he will fire anyone who leaked the info? He cant live up to his own words.. No wonder Iraq is burning and our men and women are maimed daily and dont forget about the thousand of innocent Iraqis who gets killed. Its not a violent video game play, its for real.

Well really, what did everyone expect? "President" Bush will do anything he wants....hasn't everyone caught on by now?? He's the most idiotic, unintelligent, unethical fool that's ever stepped foot in the White House. But hey America, you voted for him.....TWICE!

Very interesting he used the phrase "fair and balanced", kinda like that Republican news channel (the one that has the letters F and X) which claims the same thing, and all the other right-wing TV/radio hacks like to call themselves (Hannity, Limbaugh,
Beck, Carlson, Levin, etc.) while calling everyone else "cut-and-runners", "Al Qaida lovers", "the liberal hordes" and worse, or even "Un-American" !!!!!

So were all of Clinton's pardons okay? How about him pardoning a federal fugitive? Okay too?

CNN – what is going on with this comment scrubbing? You just deleted another one of my comments supporting Bush? Can you be any more blatant is your role to support the left?

Bush and Cheney as time goes on are becoming a symbol of cronism and corruption.

The secrecy, lies, spin job used car salesman pitches...of epic proportions.

Meanwhile Dick Cheney has become the invisible man hiding out at his residence and not telling the media where he is.

Bush has become increasingly like Nixon...caught up in so many lies he doesn't even know what he is saying any longer...sad to watch.

"I’m aware of the fact that, perhaps, somebody in the administration did disclose the name of that person."

And now we're supposed to just forget about it and "move on" without any accountability? Treason has occurred and he thinks he can just shrug it off?

This Administration has shredded our Constitution.

Right, Pat. Because Bill Clinton's pardon were just fine. And him lying under oath, that was okay too? You are a moron.

President Bush on Thursday called the commutation of Scooter Libby’s prison sentence a “fair and balanced decision”

So it is true FOX (AKA Rupert Murdoch) is running our country. Fair and balanced my…….

Apply this standard to the two Border Agents that were sold out by this administration.

Shame, Shame, Shame

“WE THE PEOPLE”

Given Bill Clinton's history of pardons (my favorite being the pardon of the tax-evading federal fugitive Mark Rich), I'd have to agree.

I love how Bill Clinton criticized Bush for this. How do you criticize a guy for commuting a guy who obstructed justice when you yourself lied under oath and obstructed justice? I'd love to hear someone justify this...

Nobody will ever admit to leaking the name. Why, because Vice President Cheny doesn't have the internal fortitude to tell the truth. He would rather hide behind innocent individuals like a good coward.

ha ha, Bush must have Fox News on so much he is using there tag line.

Bush commuted Libby's sentence to protect himself. Starring at a Prison sentence, Libby had a good reason to speak out. With his prison time now commuted, he does not have to tell the truth and Bush is safe. Bush said the loss of his law license and fine was punishment enought. However, you can bet on his way out the door, Bush will pardon libby so he can return to his lucrative law career.

Just add this to the adready more than sufficient grounds for the immediate impeachment of both Bush and Cheney. This administration is NOT above the law. The country cannot allow the dangerous precedents it is setting on a near-daily basis to stand.

Is anyone surprised at this? Another step taken by our imperial leader. God help what will be left of our democracy by the time this man leaves office.

was using "fair and balanced" a joke? Thats great.