Will Bush Pardon Libby if Appeal Fails?

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  • Thread starter Ivan Seeking
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In summary, Bush will pardon Libby, but it won't happen until after the 2008 election. This will help Bush's ratings and prevent Libby from talking to prosecutors, the press, or Congress about his role in the Plame outing.

Will Bush pardon Libby if the appeal fails

  • Yes

    Votes: 10 55.6%
  • No

    Votes: 4 22.2%
  • Don't know

    Votes: 4 22.2%

  • Total voters
    18
  • #1
Ivan Seeking
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If the appeal fails, will he be pardoned?

Absolutely. Bush has no respect for his party or the law.
 
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  • #2
How about another option? "Absolutely, but not until after the 2008 elections, when his pardon will not have any short-term repercussions to the Republican Party." This is the most likely option, IMO.
 
  • #3
i duno, i can't see the plus side for bush to pardon Libby in this case.

bush giving Libby a pardon will do political damage to bush and everyone who looks like him (most of the people who are likely to have anything to do with him after his presidency, if that matters) and the only plus side to giving Libby a pardon is what?... helping his friends out? naaah, bush has no non-political attachment to Libby at all.

i think Libby is a sacrificial anode (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacrificial_anode) used by bush. bush has no interest in Libbey's carrier. you guys are giving bush too much moral credit.
 
  • #4
devil-fire said:
i duno, i can't see the plus side for bush to pardon Libby in this case.
It may seem like a small percentage of people that would react to a Libby pardon positively, but Bush is down so far in polls a Libby pardon would probably improve his popularity.

More importantly, pardoning Libby won't have much of a negative side to it. Bush has dropped to a point that things like pardoning Libby, refusing to fire Gonzalez, etc can't really help or hurt him, just as things like the economy aren't going to help or hurt him. His numbers are going to follow Iraq.

Waiting until after the 2008 election would be preferable, but a pardon this summer would probably be the next best option. Bush doesn't want to be pardoning Libby in the middle of the election season (every Republican candidate in the nation would hate him).
 
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  • #5
I picked "Don't know", but I'm leaning toward yes - at some point.

I agree with BobG's assessment that a pardon for Libby won't hurt Bush, who has basically polarized the public's opinion about himself.
 
  • #6
i don't think pardoning libby would cause much trouble for bush but i don't see what good it would do for him either.

surely it is an exaggeration to say it might increase his popularity...i hope
 
  • #7
Well, Yahoo news reported that he commuted his sentence.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070702/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/cia_leak_trial
 
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  • #8
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/07/02/libby.sentence/index.html"
There is your anwser!
 
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  • #9
Uh, thank you, jaap.
 
  • #10
Mallignamius said:
Well, Yahoo news reported that he commuted his sentence.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070702/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/cia_leak_trial
And you can bet he will also issue Libby a full and unconditional pardon, so Libby can resume his law practice, but not until after the '08 election. This will keep Libby from talking to prosecutors, the press, or Congress about Rove/Cheney's roles in Plame's outing.
 
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  • #11
Can I vote now? :biggrin:
 

1. Will President Bush pardon Libby before leaving office?

It is possible, but not guaranteed. President Bush has the power to grant pardons, but he may choose not to use it in this case.

2. Why would President Bush consider pardoning Libby?

Some people believe that President Bush may pardon Libby because he was a member of the Bush administration and was convicted of lying about his involvement in disclosing the identity of a CIA operative, which some people argue was done for political reasons. President Bush may also feel a sense of loyalty to Libby.

3. Can President Bush pardon Libby even if he hasn't completed his sentence?

Yes, President Bush has the power to pardon Libby at any time during his sentence. However, if he were to do so before Libby completes his sentence, it would be considered an act of clemency rather than a traditional pardon.

4. Is there any way to prevent President Bush from pardoning Libby?

No, there is no legal way to prevent the President from using his pardon power. However, there may be political consequences for the President if he were to pardon Libby.

5. What happens if President Bush does pardon Libby?

If President Bush does pardon Libby, it would mean that Libby's conviction and sentence would be erased. He would no longer have to serve any remaining time in prison and would have his rights restored. However, a pardon does not erase the fact that Libby was convicted, it just removes the consequences of that conviction.

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