// Table template v. 3.5
  // Author - Brenden West; updated 3-18-03

// BEGIN editorial data
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cable_libby.sPubDate = "7/3/2007 11:04:33 PM GMT";
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cable_libby.appHeader = "Read around the blogosphere";
cable_libby.appDeck = "Some reactions to Pres. Bush's commutation of Scooter Libby's sentence";
cable_libby.appFooter = "Source: MSNBC research";
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cable_libby.aColHeaderText = new Array("Pro- the president's decision "," Against the president's decision");
cable_libby.rows[i++] = new Array("\"President makes a good call: This strikes me as an excellent resolution. To my knowledge, it was first advocated by Bill Otis, a former federal prosecutor, in an op-ed in the Washington Post.\" <a href=http://powerlineblog.com/archives/018124.php> --Paul Mirengoff, Powerline blog</a> "," \"From day one this story has been about official lies &#151; corrupt power buttressed by fraud. Along the way it became a story about the president&#146;s hireling commentators who lost their honor by becoming part of the fraud. What Wilson said was true. His attackers are all parties to the same lie. Don&#146;t forget that.\" <a href=http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/014985.php>--Josh Marshall via Talking Points</a>");
cable_libby.rows[i++] = new Array("\"An unsentenced conviction for a victimless crime... Now, we get to hear what Hillary Clinton thinks about the proper uses of the pardon power.\" <a href=http://www.redstate.com/stories/breaking_news/breaking_bush_commutes_libby_sentence>Dan McLaughlin via Red State.com</a> "," \"Republicans cannot be trusted to run the corner Quickie Mart, let alone to uphold and faithfully execute the laws and to respect the Constitution.  You can sit around grousing and moaning until the cows come home, wallowing in your misery and cursing the heavens about George Bush. Or…you can do something about him.\" <a href=http://www.firedoglake.com/2007/07/03/and-now-for-some-action/>--Christy Hardin Smith on FireDogLake</a> ");
cable_libby.rows[i++] = new Array("\"Democrat grandstanding on this issue doesn't change the fact that they seem more interested in Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief-of-staff than they are in the actual leaker of Valerie Plame's name to the media, Richard Armitage. In fact, the Democrats' complete lack of interest in Armitage proves that they care less about the actual leak of Plame's name (which they seemed to believe was a major threat to our national security) and cared more about using this so-called scandal to attack the Bush administration. <a href=http://www.blogsforbush.com/mt/archives/2007/07/what_about_the.html>--Matt Margolis, Blogs for Bush</a> "," \"President Bush's commutation of I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby's sentence is simply stunning, both in its hypocrisy and its arrogance... Inquiring minds want to know, was protocol and Justice Department policy followed or did Bush unilaterally make this decision, perhaps with his beleagured Attorney General or the Vice President, without moving through the proper channels?\" <a href=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeralyn-merritt/hypocrisy-thy-name-is-bu_b_54731.html>--Jeralyn Merrit on HuffingtonPost.com</a> ");
cable_libby.rows[i++] = new Array("\"Scooter Libby was convicted for a failure of memory that afflicted witnesses on the case, for a crime that did not exist, to (allegedly) discredit a report that was utterly false.\" <a href=http://vikingpundit.blogspot.com/>--Eric Lindholm, Viking Pundit</a> "," \"This is a very, very depressing day, even though we knew it would happen in one way or another. It's just a continuation of this administration's complete disregard for the law and their belief that they are entitled to special treatment because, well, they are just, so special.\" <a href=http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2007/07/man-like-this-by-digby-i-dont-know.html>--Digby</a>");
cable_libby.rows[i++] = new Array("\"Sure it was a no-win situation for Bush, but then with a hostile media and a hostile base (irate with him over illegal immigration and the overall listlessness of the past five or so years of his administration) every situation is a &#147;no win&#148; situation for Bush. But he did the right thing anyway.\" <a href=http://sayanythingblog.com/entry/libby_getting_a_presidential_pardon/>--Robbie Port, Say Anything Blog</a> "," \"When there are no normal channels of governance in this White House, it means the fusion of Cheney-Bush acting as extra-legal agents of their own power. We really no longer have the rule of law operating. We have the privileges and lies and policies of two men. The law is no competitor. And shamelessness is their ally.\" <a href=http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2007/07/outside-the-nor.html> --Andrew Sullivan</a>");
cable_libby.rows[i++] = new Array("\"The investigation and the trial amply demonstrated that Libby did not leak Valerie Plame's name. It wasn't Libby. It wasn't Libby. It wasn't Libby. It was Richard Armitage. Armitage. ARMITAGE. The overzealous Patrick Fitzgerald wanted so much more. He had nothing, so he went after Libby. That was a travesty of justice. Furthermore, Bush didn't pardon Libby. Clinton's litany of pardons can't be compared with what Bush did on Monday. It's not even close. Bush got it right.\" <a href=http://freedomeden.blogspot.com/2007/07/milwaukee-journal-sentinels-idiotic.html>--Mary, Freedom Eden</a> "," \"[T]he Bush administration simply no longer gives a damn, about public opinion or the rule of law.\" <a href=http://photodude.com/2007/07/03/off-the-rack-irregulars-for-you-tailor-made-justice-for-scooter</a> --Reid Stott</a> ");
cable_libby.rows[i++] = new Array("\"Give Scooter a new job: Although his commutation of Libby's sentence should reassure the President's base, many conservatives believe that the President did not go far enough. … Bush wants to win back the Republican base, there is something he could do that would win them over on both the immigration issue and on justice for Scooter Libby. <a href=http://jonswift.blogspot.com/2007/07/give-scooter-libby-new-job.html>--Jon Swift</a> "," \"It's time for Congress to investigate this commutation. Grant Libby immunity and find out everything that was behind the leak, behind the lies that took us to war and that started this whole case in the beginning, and behind this commutation.\" <a href=http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/7/2/202416/6779>-- mcjoan on DailyKos</a>");
cable_libby.rows[i++] = new Array("\"Typical hyperpartisan reaction from the Democrats, and hilariously disingenuous. It isn't even a pardon, for chrissakes\" --<a href=http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/188545.php>The Jawa Report </a>"," \"What President Bush's commutation of Libby says: 'I'm the sentencer ... for my pal' It will be interesting to see if, after the President has made clear that he views the guidelines are \"excessive\" for one of his pals, others with sentencing power begin to give less respect to the guidelines when the fates of less connected defendants are in the balance.\" <a href=http://sentencing.typepad.com/sentencing_law_and_policy/2007/07/what-president-.html>--Doug Berman</a>");
cable_libby.rows[i++] = new Array("\"Way to go Mr President, you've now come back about one quarter of the way towards being forgiven for your nutty and suicidal push for amnesty for the illegals that we crushed last week. Still a long way to go. --<a href=http://chicagoray.blogspot.com/2007/07/thumbs-up-on-this-move-mr-president.html>Ray, ChicagoRay</a> "," \"I believe the charges were unfounded. I believe the evidence indicates something other than an intent to deceive. I believe the sentence was too harsh, and based upon offenses with which Libby was not charged and against which he was never permitted to present a defense. Given that the actual leakier was known before the investigation even began and was not charged with any crime, as well as the fact that the perjury before Congress of Joe Wilson and Valerie Plame has not bee prosecuted, the trial and conviction of Scooter Libby over what was essentially an erroneous recollection of non-material facts is a travesty of justice. However, President Bush made the wrong move today. ... I believe that the elimination of the grossest miscarriage of justice, the 30-month prison sentence, has the effect of prejudicing Libby's appeal. <a href=http://rhymeswithright.mu.nu/archives/232267.php> --Greg, Rhymes With Right</a>");
cable_libby.rows[i++] = new Array("\"On the merits I think Bush probably got it about right. On the politics, I think Bush would have been smarter to give Libby an outright pardon. But, having just watched Joe Wilson sputter in pompous rage on the Today Show, I'm tempted to argue that Bush should have used eminent domain to take Wilson's convertible Jaguar and give it to Scooter Libby.\" <a href=http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=MjdhNDkxN2NhODQ3ZjJlN2UyYzY1OWUzMzFhNzNkM2E=>--Jonah Golberg, The Corner, National Review</a> "," \"The Scooter Libby case has triggered some very weird commentary around the blogosphere; perhaps the weirdest claim is that the case against Libby was 'purely political.' I find this argument seriously bizarre. As I understand it, Bush political appointee James Comey named Bush political appointee and career prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald to investigate the Plame leak. Bush political appointee and career prosecutor Fitzgerald filed an indictment and went to trial before Bush political appointee Reggie Walton. A jury convicted Libby, and Bush political appointee Walton sentenced him... And yet the claim, as I understand it, is that the Libby prosecution was the work of political enemies who were just trying to hurt the Bush Administration... For the case to have been purely political, doesn't that require the involvement of someone who was not a Bush political appointee?\" <a href=http://volokh.com/archives/archive_2007_07_01-2007_07_07.shtml#1183476772>--Orin Kerr, Volokh Conspiracy</a>");
cable_libby.rows[i++] = new Array("\"There you see, we can all move on from the nastiness of the recent immigration bill fight, and get back on the road to at least attempting to work together in pursuit of shared goals. The President has made a big move in doing that today with his commutation of Scooter Libby's prison term. Liberals are screaming bloody murder. Let them. When I hear from them as much condemnation of President Clinton's pardon of Mark Rich then perhaps I'll tune an ear in. A good and timely move by George W. Bush, and he is to be commended for it.\" <a href=http://www.powerpundit.com/archive/003546libbys_sentence_commuted.php>Rick Edwards, PowerPundit</a> "," \"The elite media (except Keith) won't point out that Bush's commutation of Scooter's sentence is essentially obstruction of justice. I'll be mad because that concept was regularly inserted into the narrative during the Clinton days. Mostly I'll be mad because I have yet to see a prominent Democrat put the phrase 'obstruction of justice' out there in relation to this.\" <a href=http://atrios.blogspot.com/2007_07_01_archive.html#3398244764858374960>--Atrios</a>");

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