Respecting Justice?
Earlier this week when President Bush commuted the sentence of convicted perjurer Scooter Libby, the prevailing argument for why he did not issue a full pardon was because he wish to show respect for the jury's verdict in the case. He and his minions (including Tony Snowjob in a laughable op-ed in USA Today) continue to claim that even without prison time, Libby will still face a heavy fine and two years of supervised probation.
Now Libby has paid the quarter mil fine seemingly with ease. And as for the probation, well it seems even that is up for debate. Presiding Judge Reggie Walton is concerned that by commuting Libby sentence prior to him having served any time in jail, President Bush may have removed any impetus for probation (actually supervised release, explained here).
If this is what Bush meant by respecting justice, I'd hate to see what disrespecting it looks like.
(Filed at State of the Day)
Now Libby has paid the quarter mil fine seemingly with ease. And as for the probation, well it seems even that is up for debate. Presiding Judge Reggie Walton is concerned that by commuting Libby sentence prior to him having served any time in jail, President Bush may have removed any impetus for probation (actually supervised release, explained here).
If this is what Bush meant by respecting justice, I'd hate to see what disrespecting it looks like.
(Filed at State of the Day)
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