Argument with the biggest hole in it of the day

Today, Dan Froomkin of the Washington Post wrote about the White House response to Bill and Hillary Clinton's criticism of the commutation of Scooter Libby's sentence commutation. The Bush administration, through its press spokesman Tony Snow, ridiculed the Clintons' attack on the president's decision with regard to Libby, pointing to former President Clinton's pardon of millionaire businessman Marc Rich on his last day in office. Froomkin was not amused, claiming this is a distraction from the real issues, whatever they are. Let's focus especially on this part of Froomkin's "argument": "And furthermore, there is an ethical chasm between Clinton's pardons -- unseemly as they were -- and Bush's decision to grant clemency to someone involved in an investigation of his own White House."

Baloney. Lookit: 1] What "investigation"? As far as one can tell, the Fitzgerald investigation is over and Libby is going to be all they'll get. We already know who "leaked" Valerie Plame's name to the media, and there's no evidence it was done deliberately for "revenge" or whatever, nor am I convinced that Plame was covert. 2] Even liberals such as Alan Dershowitz and Richard Cohen agree Libby's sentence was excessive. 3] Now, let's look at Marc Rich--extremely wealthy; convicted of a crime; on the day of his pardon, he was still in France, where he'd skedaddled some time before rather than do the time--he'd done no time whatsoever; as far as one knows, there were no cries that Rich had been convicted unjustly or that he'd been done wrong; but there WERE those who pointed out that his wife was a big-time Democratic Party contributor and was a Friend of Bill.

So Rich was pardoned. "Chasm"? Yes, there is one--and once again it's the chasm between a member of the Washington DC mainstream media and reality.

More Libby commutation commentary...

...in the blogosphere today, that is, as many are in a fury over former President Clinton's predictable spinning, criticizing President Bush's Libby decision while dodging his own controversial pardons.

Yes, well, but...let's lighten up, everyone. Don't we know enough to expect this by now? And anyway, it's simple: if the Clintons and their partisans want to bring this up, fine---as soon as the former president gives a full, and complete, explanation of his pardon of Marc Rich, and answers all questions anyone wishes to ask about it...once he's done that, we'll be glad to listen to criticisms of the Libby decision. Until then, Senator Clinton and her husband probably need to do something about the racket being made by that skeleton rattling away in the closet...

Lambasting the Libby commutation

Hmmm---well, the editorial writers for the New York Times don't surprise, or disappoint; and they speak for many Democrats and progressives in their condemnation ofPresident Bush's decision to commute Scooter Libby's sentence. Just listen to them:

Mr. Bush’s assertion that he respected the verdict but considered the sentence excessive only underscored the way this president is tough on crime when it’s committed by common folk. As governor of Texas, he was infamous for joking about the impending execution of Karla Faye Tucker, a killer who became a born-again Christian on death row. As president, he has repeatedly put himself and those on his team, especially Mr. Cheney, above the law.
Within minutes of the Libby announcement, the same Republican commentators who fulminated when Paris Hilton got a few days knocked off her time in a county lockup were parroting Mr. Bush’s contention that a fine, probation and reputation damage were “harsh punishment” enough for Mr. Libby.

Of course, I do seem to remember the Clinton administration pledging to be tough on crime; and then, with the administration's time running down, who got pardoned? "Common folk" like Marc Rich...

UPDATE: here's an excellent rundown of some of Bill Clinton's more, er, interesting pardons. Some highlights:

• Susan McDougal, Bill and Hillary’s close friend from the Whitewater days, convicted of mail fraud, aiding and abetting in misapplication of Small Business Investment Corporation funds, aiding and abetting in making false entries, aiding and abetting in making false statements.

• Henry Cisneros, Clinton’s Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from 1993 to 1997 when he left office after copping a plea to making false states to federal officials.

• Linda Jones, aka Linda Medlar, Cisnero’s girlfriend, convicted of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, to make a false statement to a bank, to launder monetary instruments, and to engage in monetary transactions in property derived from specific unlawful activity; aiding and abetting bank fraud; aiding and abetting false statements to a bank; aiding and abetting laundering monetary instruments; aiding and abetting engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specific unlawful activity; obstruction of justice; falsifying, concealing and covering up a material fact by trick, scheme, or device; making a false statement.

Apart from cronies, one should note some of those pardoned for mishandling secrets:

• John Deutch, Clinton’s Director of the Central Intelligence Agency from 1994 to 1996, who kept classified documents on his personal computer, fell under a Justice Department investigation, and was pardoned before charges were brought.

• Samuel Loring Morison, a defense department employee who leaked classified documents to British magazine in an effort to get a job with it.


Some excellent links in the original.

Breaking news

Scooter Libby's prison sentence has been commuted, by order of President Bush. This will certainly help President Bush with his base. But I think it's the right decision, too---this always struck me as a "prosecution" about self-justification (Prosecutor Fitzgerald needing to justify the time and money spent on his work) and partisan revenge.