WASHINGTON (CNN) - George Bush should have pardoned I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Dick Cheney said after stepping down as vice president this week.
"He was the victim of a serious miscarriage of justice, and I strongly believe that he deserved a presidential pardon. Obviously, I disagree with President Bush's decision," Cheney told Stephen F. Hayes of the Weekly Standard, a leading conservative Washington magazine.
Libby, Cheney's former chief of staff, was convicted of obstructing a federal investigation into the revelation that Valerie Plame Wilson was a CIA agent.
He was sentenced to 30 months in prison and fined $250,000. Bush commuted the sentence, which he called "excessive," so that Libby served no jail time.
But he did not pardon Libby, much to the aggravation of many influential conservatives.
Hayes said that Cheney had publicly disagreed with Bush only four times in the eight years of the Bush administration.
They were only out of office for a day before the fifth disagreement surfaced.
Bush granted 189 pardons and 11 commutations during his eight years in office, far fewer than Presidents Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan in their two-term administrations.
No one was ever charged with leaking Plame Wilson's identity. She and her husband, former diplomat Joseph Wilson III, said the revelation was a retaliation for Wilson claiming a key justification for the invasion of Iraq was false.
It ultimately came out that former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage had told journalist Robert Novak about Plame Wilson working for the CIA. Top Bush advisor Karl Rove confirmed it.
From CNN Politics
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Maybe if Cheney had told the truth, Libby would not be in the position he is in.
No one was ever charged with leaking Plame Wilson's identity.
Now that's interesting, sure most think it was Libby, funny how the MSM works.
CROOK, Crook, Crook. LIE, Lie, Lie. Only one is missing from the above photo!
Wow, Dick, you really don't have any sense of justice anymore, do you? Please just go away.
Cheney and Libby should both be in prison. Obstruction of Justice is still a crime, Dick, even when the obstructor is protecting YOU.
I not only think "Scooter" should have be polishing his beefcakes behind bars (especially for being Karl Rove's dupe), but I would like to see Cheeney's beefcakes in jail too – along with Rove, "Bootlicker" Gonzales, and the rest of that disgraceful crowd that tarnished our nation.
I'm greatful for Obama overturning Bush's veil of secrecy. Pehaps now the public will be able to take a good look at what evidence DICK and company didn't manage to destroy. Kind of reminds me of Nixon's "Whitehouse Tapes". In retrospect, Nixon appears amature compared to the brass balls on this crowd.
Cheney is the one who is going to need the pardon after everything comes out about what realy happened during the Bush Administration.
There was a miscarriage of justice alright...but not because Bush didn't commute Libby's sentence, The miscarriage of justice is that Dick Cheney was never charged with anything. Without Cheney, Bush's presidency could have had a very different outcome.
Cheney is a slow learner. He is guilty of torture and of outing a CIA operative. Scooter Libby took the fall for him and Cheney probably promised him that he would get him pardoned. To bad, Darth Vader; the dark side lost that one.
"He was the victim of a serious miscarriage of justice" – holy pot calling the kettle black Batman! Libby committed a serious miscarriage of justice, at Cheney's direction of course. These people hath no shame.
The only miscarrage of justice for cheney......is that he has not been handcuffed and dragged of f to jail........................this to shall be...........
the U.N. has already found the past pres/v.p. guilty of charges during the 8 longggggggggggggggggggg years......this is just the start....
don't worry cheney.............your time will be just around the corner....
I wonder what charge the handcuffing will be under?
then.......bush...........etc............................................
Who's Dick Cheney again?
And why would anyone care what he thinks?
For the first time I can say I honestly agree with "the bulldog." Chaney is the one who should be needing a pardon now. He should probably really be worrying about who's going to be pardoning him though!
You Dick-
You're the traitor that should have served time!
I'll bet your little buddy Scooter is not happy with you right now.
God willing, may you receive your share of justice for your evil exploits before its all over...
Good riddance, dirt bag!
Cheney is lucky that HE is not in jail over this treason. Shut up and stop your whining, Dick!
OMG Please just go away. He commuted his sentence which was more than he deserved
Cheney should have gone to prison himself. He still should.
O.K Lets here the true story again straight from Valerie Plame and
her "knowledgeable" husband, Mr. Wilson. I believe them!
Mr. Chaney ...the game is over ... bye bye... Just be happy that you didn't end up in Den Haag or Gtmo Bay.
GO HOME! No one cares anymore.
Believe us, Cheney-meister, we're all surprised, too... Maybe G.W. actually has a conscience? Thanks again, Dick, for revealing your true evil nature. Hasta la vista, Beelzebub!
Maybe they can still give Libby a pardon--if Cheney serves time for anything illegal that he did as Vice-President.
your right libby did deserve a pardon. If Obama can have a tax cheat in his cabinet why shouldn't Libby receive a full pardon?
I just hope President Obama does not pardon Cheney after his upcoming convictions.
Let's see. The Scooter broke federal law by outing a CIA opperative. Then he (and Cheney) lied about it. But still there was enough evidence to convict him. Bush commuted the sentence so that the Scooter stayed out of prison, where he should now be. Now Cheney who was part of the outing thinks Bush should have pardoned Scooter. They are all so evil they can not see how corrupt they are. Should all be in prison.