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August 19, 2009
E-mail a friendYOUNG VOICES
But he's still guilty, right?
Don't mind that mean old judge, Scooter, everything's gonna be okay.
President Bush commuted the 30-month sentence of Dick Cheney's former chief of staff on Monday, letting him off with a quarter of a million dollars in fines and two years of probation. This after Libby was convicted of lying to federal investigators in the aftermath of the Wilson/Plame affair, essentially taking the fall for Cheney's role in fabricating the WMD story.
So why not a full pardon?
The answer to that is… HE COMMITTED A FELONY. He was found guilty and sentenced to more than two years in prison by a federal court, and this President Bush knows. Pardoning Libby, something 7 out of 10 Americans opposed in polls, would be too much. He did do those bad things he was accused of, after all. But the damage to Libby's reputation and the fine he'll have to pay are punishment enough, according to our president. And heck, he was only lying to protect Dick Cheney. Who wouldn't do that?
The mixed message sent by this decision exemplifies exactly why America has lost its moral authority in the world. Libby, convicted of attempting to circumvent the checks and balances that keep the government accountable to the people, is guilty. We can pretty much all agree on that (except Libby and his defense, who are appealing the convictions.) But not guilty enough to go to prison, according to our leader, no matter what the judge and jury may say.
At the end of the day we're left with the understanding that there are, in fact, two justice systems in America: One for the privileged, and one for everybody else. Prison is a place for drug dealers, freedom-haters, and the mentally ill, not for upstanding citizens like Libby, convicted felon or no.