The American Spectator : The Spectacle Blog : Still Waiting

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Just 45 hours remain in the presidency of George W. Bush, and he STILL hasn't pardoned Scooter Libby. A whole essay could be written about this next sentence, but.... If Libby isn't pardoned, it will confirm a terrible tendency of conservatives failing to protect and defend their own when their own aren't guilty of much of anything. This potential pardon not only is of great personal importance to Libby and his family -- a man and family who do not in the least deserve to have gone through the persecution they went through -- but also important symbolically, to all conservatives and indeed all with a sense of fair play, because it is a test of whether or not a man can successfully be persecuted for doing nothing other than stand up for his principles and the administration he served. If the president does not pardon Libby, it tells all other potential public servants that if they get sucked into the maw of trouble without any dishonest intent, they will be on their own, entirely at the mercy of leftist adversaries. In short, it discourages good people from ever agreeing to serve their country. That is a terrible signal to send. Where is Bush's vaunted loyalty when it is really needed?

View all comments (8) | Leave a comment

ruth| 1.18.09 @ 4:17PM

I don't understand; why wouldn't President Bush pardon Libby? The Plame affair was scurrilous from the start.

Dale Mader| 1.18.09 @ 4:30PM

Maybe I'm just being the eternal optimist, but our Prez will issue the pardon on the final day of his presidency.

ConservativeWanderer| 1.18.09 @ 5:11PM

I kinda agree with Dale... I suspect it will be issued just before he gets into the Presidential jammies on Monday night.

If not, it will be just one more disappointment in an overall less than stellar performance by a non-conservative Republican.

Martin| 1.18.09 @ 5:20PM

GWB was never either a Conservative or a worthwhile human being or an adequate intellect from Day 1, and a decent process should not have nominated him.

Reform of the GOP primary process should be THE #1 priority in the years ahead. We have to gett Iowa out of there, it persistently boosts bad candidates and suppresses good ones. A last-6 string that goes Bush-Bush-Dole-Bush-Bush-McCain should be sufficient evidence that the process is BROKEN and needs to be reformed from the bottom up.

Ran| 1.18.09 @ 8:53PM

Mr. Hillyer,
In a similar way, I found it awkward that the U.S. Border Patrol took out ads for new recruits on conservative and libertarian websites.

President Bush could do much good by way of political redemption with the symbolic pardons of three individuals: Libby, Ramos and Campeon. Equally, these three will remain as scars on the president's record should he fail these people.

These three cases are such a sticking point that some advantage could be made for any future conservative candidate if they were to announce that on Day One, commutations or full pardons would come forth.

Clinton will always be remembered for his pardon of Marc Rich. That stunner shredded a lot of sympathy people felt for the President following his impeachment trial.

To the contrary, Mr Bush has an opportunity to show that pardons can serve justice rather than cronies. There is a lot of credibility riding on them - more perhaps than he realizes.

Deborah| 1.19.09 @ 5:49AM

If he doesn't pardon Libby, my respect for President Bush will be forever gone. I hope he doesn't disappoint. I don't think he'll pardon Ramos and Campeon. I hope I'm wrong, because they have been treated shabbily by an over-ambitious prosecutor. Can he want open borders so much that he'll screw Americans -- yes, that's obvious, and another huge sticking point conservatives have with the president.

Deborah| 1.19.09 @ 1:03PM

Well, just heard on the radio that President Bush commuted the sentences of Ramos and Campeon. No pardon, but at least these two poor, hard-working border guards, who thought they were doing their jobs, will get out of jail finally. Bush just couldn't bring himself to do the full pardon.

Will he have the fortitude to pardon Libby?