- #1
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If the appeal fails, will he be pardoned?
Absolutely. Bush has no respect for his party or the law.
Absolutely. Bush has no respect for his party or the law.
Will Bush Pardon Libby if Appeal Fails?
- Context: News
- Thread starter Ivan Seeking
- Start date
Click For Summary
Discussion Overview
The discussion centers around the potential for President Bush to pardon Scooter Libby if his appeal fails. Participants explore various political implications and motivations behind such a decision, considering the timing relative to the 2008 elections.
Discussion Character
- Debate/contested
- Exploratory
Main Points Raised
- Some participants assert that Bush will likely pardon Libby, suggesting that it could be timed to avoid political repercussions during the 2008 elections.
- Others argue that pardoning Libby may not benefit Bush politically, as it could damage his reputation and that of his party.
- One participant posits that Libby is being used as a "sacrificial anode" by Bush, indicating a lack of personal attachment or political benefit to pardoning him.
- Another viewpoint suggests that while a pardon might not improve Bush's popularity, it would not significantly harm him either, given his already low approval ratings.
- Some participants express uncertainty about the political advantages of pardoning Libby, questioning whether it would lead to any positive public response.
- Reports of Bush commuting Libby's sentence are mentioned, with speculation that a full pardon may follow, particularly after the 2008 elections to protect other political figures.
Areas of Agreement / Disagreement
Participants express a range of opinions on the likelihood and implications of a pardon, with no clear consensus on whether it would be beneficial or detrimental to Bush's political standing.
Contextual Notes
Participants reference the political climate and public opinion but do not provide a definitive analysis of the potential outcomes of a pardon.
- #2
turbo
Gold Member
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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
devil-fire
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.
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
BobG
Science Advisor
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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.devil-fire said:
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
Astronuc
Staff Emeritus
Science Advisor
Gold Member
2025 Award
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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.
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
devil-fire
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
surely it is an exaggeration to say it might increase his popularity...i hope
- #7
Mallignamius
- 47
- 0
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
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070702/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/cia_leak_trial
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- #8
jaap de vries
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http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/07/02/libby.sentence/index.html"
There is your anwser!
There is your anwser!
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- #9
Mallignamius
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Uh, thank you, jaap.
- #10
turbo
Gold Member
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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.Mallignamius said:
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- #11
Anttech
- 237
- 0
Can I vote now? 