White House: Probation for Libby (making it up as they go, again?)

[babylonsister]

http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/003630.php

White House: Probation for Libby
By Paul Kiel - July 9, 2007, 1:32 PM

Last week, the judge presiding over Scooter Libby's case said he was confused: the president's commutation of Libby's sentence had eliminated the jail time, but left in place the two-year period of supervised release that was to follow incarceration. By law, supervised release follows a prison sentence .It wasn't immediately clear how to deal with that, so the judge asked the two parties to weigh in on how they thought this should be resolved. There have been whispers that Libby might not even have to serve his two years of probation as a result of the discrepancy.

Today, White House counsel Fred Fielding wrote Patrick Fitzgerald in an effort to clear this up. When the president said "supervised release," he meant it, no matter if that clashes with the law. The president's commutation power would "unmistakably govern," Fielding wrote. You can read the letter here:
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/docs/fielding-commutation/?resultpage=1&

[maxrandb]

1. Geez. In the "Old America"

You couldn't just make shit up as you went along.

Anyone have that picture of the Mt Rushmore folks looking down on Bush with disgust?

It seems so appropriate now.

I keep waiting for Tony Snow to show up in his Mad Hatter costume with Alberto Gonzalez dressed as the Queen of Hearts.

[aquart]

3. You made me laugh.

They really are that insane.

[Marnieworld]

5. It is that surreal

Some of his Executive orders are as just as declaring "off with her head!" Up is down. The Constitution and all laws are as subject to personal interpretation as the ending of The Sopranos.

[Jim__]

2. When the president said "supervised release," he meant it, no matter if that clashes with the law.

Gee Fred, it's not so much that it clashes with the law as it clashes with plain English. The president said that Libby is to serve 2 years of "supervised release." Release from what?

[Marnieworld]

4. My god

These people have gall. This is plainly Nixonian thinking, "if the president does it it's not illegal" etc. The law is what is in the mind of the president at any moment? How do they assert these things with any self-respect? It's obvious that the decision was made by Chimpster sans any legal counsel or they deliberately created this problem in order to really not punish Scooter at all. This sort of legal manipulation, I can get what I want regardless of the laws, precedents or rules is emblematic of their whole presidency. If I know this how do all of the lawyers in Congress miss this? At least in this case we have the honorable Fitzgerald to respond. He probably is still amazed by them. Then again he probably knows so much more than we know about just how corrupt they are.

When will this end?

[gratuitous]

6. Brilliant! (Or, what do we need with a judiciary anyway?)

Why let them judges decide stuff? George Dubya is the Decider! Outta the way, Blackie*! Bushie comin' through!

*A nickname I made up because of the judge's robes. Pretty clever, doncha think?

[LiberalFighter]

7. Probation Office -- Require Libby to report every day at 7:59 AM

If he is late he is in violation of his probation.