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Click to view Keith Olbermann’s special comment on Bush’s actions in commuting the sentence of Scooter Libby from last night’s Countdown. (I’d rather embed the video in this post, but it messes up the page view in Internet Explorer. And since 80.2 % of recent viewers are using Windows, I gotta go with Explorer compliant code. Go figure.)
It is a must see.
Happy Fourth everyone.
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DAMN! That’s some intense shizzle…
Thanks for the link! Olbermann’s comments are right on, I can only hope that they will lead to action by the media, citizens and “leaders” of our country. I totally agree with him and feel his anger, pain and feelings of general helplessness.
I should tell you that I check your website for always fascinating and sometimes hilarious commentary every day, and really appreciate it!!
He nailed it.
Clinton abused his pardoning power, too. They even pardoned Hillary’s brother! It doesn’t make it any more OK for George Bush, but you’ve got to wonder why we trust politicians to deliver pardons. Seriously, they’re some of the most corrupt and morally bankrupt people. Do we really want them handing out free passes? It seems to be what they’re used as.
all talk no action……
The difference here is that Bush just gave a free pass to someone who COULD have blown the whistle on other criminal actions inside the White House by Bush, Cheney and Rove. They bought him off. There are impeachable events here that amount to a treasonous attempt to seize power. Can you say coup d’etat? We are one step from being a banana republic dictatorship.
i love oberman. i wish i was half as eloquent and concise.
The Bush administration’s recent actions are as great an affront to our civil liberties as we have ever faced as a nation. It’s not enough that we should be angered about this – we should get in touch with our elected officials and tell them in as dignified a tone as possible that the current tenants at the White House and the US Naval Observatory are NOT our leaders anymore.
Mr. Olberman has balls of steel. He quotes John Wayne. If Captain America was a real man, he still wouldn’t be as American as the Duke. His anger and sadness are tangible. He even cites history with the last Republican president to have taken a big steamy dump on America (hmmm… coincidence?), he shows Bush & Cheney that it is still possible to do the honorable thing for America and resign. But, did anybody catch the fact that he ended his commentary with “Good night and good luck?” Edward R. Murrow’s iconic words are as poignant and urgently important now as they were during the McCarthy witch hunts.
Bravo, Mr. Olberman, Bravo.
If you can get online, view a webpage, and comment on a news story, then you need to get in touch with your elected officials and voice whatever concerns you have. I cannot see one way that this can be sugar coated. I want both of these ass clowns out of politics, and I want to see both of them leave the Beltway in shame.
Most of Clinton’s pardons went to people who had SERVED their time, NOT to people who haven’t even seen their cell.
Roger Clinton was pardoned for ‘drug charges’ from over a decade earlier WHERE HE SERVED HIS COMPLETE SENTENCE.
Susan MacDougall served her FULL sentence. (18 months)
Rostenkowski served 15 months out of his 17 month sentence.
Melvin Reynolds served the full sentence of his first, and an additional 48 months for his crimes.
So, Clinton pardons people AFTER they do their time. Bush ‘commutes’ Libby’s sentence BEFORE the appeals process is even OVER.
So much for using the Clintonian defense.
fuck internet explorer
Absolutely amazing. Thank you very much for bringing this to our attention. I would have never seen it otherwise (i don’t own a t.v.) This is one of the few commentaries that has significantly affected my point of view. It even moves me to believe that every future candidate for president must view this. This commentary helps me realize that although a 2 party system brings about a choice, when you have to choose between the lessor of 2 evils, our republic never stood a chance. It makes me think that someone like Ralph Nader would be a better president then whomever garners their parties candidacy. And my point is not that Ralph Nader himself would be the best choice, its that Mr. Nader has consistenly proven to me that his interests lie for the better of our country, not for the betterment and benefit of his own life.
OK, I fully expect liberals and conservatives to argue who is more evil and why it is OK for “their guy” to do it, and not for the other. The fact is, its unacceptable for Bush to do it–and it was unacceptable for Clinton to pave the way (whether or not you believe it was ‘as bad’). These guys shouldn’t be given pardon rights–just to see who can abuse it worse. They both abused it–and I’m sure as long as they have the power and they get away with it, we’ll continue to see an escalation of abuse.
I’m old enough to remember or appreciate American history from the early 70s, but I had a great education. The Watergate scandal left an indelible stain on American politics and it tarnished the Oval Office. Making matters worse, on September 8th, 1974, one month after Gerald Ford took the oath of office, he issued a FULL AND UNCONDITIONAL pardon for ANY crimes Richard Nixon may have committed while in office.
Was Nixon convicted of ANY crime related to the Watergate break-in? NO.
Dubya only commuted L. “Scooter” Libby’s sentence while establishing that the conviction still stands for now. It is entirely possible that Dubya will reveal himself to be an even bigger fucking idiot by pardoning Libby.
MarvinK, if you’re going to bitch about Clinton’s abuses of power, I’m with you on that. Certainly the Clinton Administration had plenty of ethical and moral transgressions, but it would be unfair to pass his two terms as President with just that. It would be like saying that Reagan will be forever remembered for bringing jelly beans to the oval office.
However, if you’re going to make statements like “it was unacceptable for Clinton to pave the way ,” then at the very least, read your history before you get on your soapbox. And these leeches on the American public will only get away with their crimes if we allow them to. Maybe you’re ok with some jagoff politician shitting on the people that put them in office, but I fucking well am not happy with it.