by von
VIOLATE THE LAW, get a reduced penalty? Scamnesty! How dare you disrespect teh rule of law! Blah blah blah.
VIOLATE THE LAW, get a reduced penalty? Hooray! It’s not a real crime anyway! Blah blah blah.
Yup, it totally makes sense for the party of small government to punish workers and praise perjurers. You see, we don’t want a path to citizenship for workers, but we do want more convicted perjurers. Because perjurers are, like, completely oppressed and stuff by massively unfair partisan witchhunts — even partisan witchhunts undertaken by the convicted perjurer’s own partisans! (How frightfully rude of them.)
Grownups: Please come back. The party misses you.
Hard to imagine what will be left of this country 18 months from now. Americans need to step up and do something to stop the bleeding – this is a de-facto constitutional crisis. We need to stop this administration and fix the structural issues in our society and government that have allowed the situation to reach this level
Crayz, it’s not nearly that bad. The Republic is strong, despite it all, and the economy is good.
I’m just concerned that if we let people get away with running the government like a crime family, this won’t be the last time. From a partisan perspective, I feel like the present administration is what we got when we failed to drive a stake through the heart of the Iran-Contra conspirators.
The Republic is strong, despite it all, and the economy is good.
Wow. I thought only Brits could do sarcasm like that.
I’ll go with “in existence”. Strong, I cannot agree with.
I think for ANYTHING to be considered strong, be it the Republic or the economy, it requires total buy-in from the weakest members or participants, not just the folks on top.
That means that even the weakest members, with the least power, feel they have a stake in the system and that they can effect change, or at least, can better themselves through it.
Right now, we are in danger of the weakest members dropping out, which means they form systems of their own. (And in some cases, we may see the middle drop out). A social system ignores this to its peril.
von, not only does the party need the grown-ups to come back, but so does the country.
I am neither a Republcian nor conservative but I want, if we are to have a two party system, for both parties (and ideologies) to be , at least at the top, to be run by mature people. Anything less is a real danger for the country.
I do believe the Republic is strong (although not necessarily as strong as in the past) but I could have real arguements with you about the economy. But not at this time.
There is a lot more buy-in at the moment from folks on the bottom than folks on top. See this post, whose last line I must repeat (edited for posting rules):
“I cannot help but think that as Nixon walked to the chopper, somewhere in the darkened hallways of the White House Dick Cheney shook his head, spit, and whispered: “P*ssy.”
Grownups: Please come back. The party misses you.
No thanks. I’d rather lose as a Libertarian than have enjoyed a few years of power as a scumbag.
Of course Republicans won’t be winning much more than Libertarians, except maybe an adorable little “Dixie Caucus” of 20 senators and 100 reps or something.
I’ve got to agree with Steve here.
When Dubya’s Dad uttered those infamous words “I hearby pardon Cap Weinberger for all the things he didn’t do that I didn’t know about” we should have seen what was coming.
The fact that so few were up in arms at the time really sealed the deal.
A generation ago, we felt differently.
Article 1, paragraph nine, of the Articles approved by the House Judiciary Committee in July, 1974:
9. Endeavoring to cause prospective defendants, and individuals duly tried and convicted, to expect favored treatment and consideration in return for their silence or false testimony, or rewarding individuals for their silence or false testimony.
Trying to kill the italics.
Relax folks, there’s a silver lining in every cloud. Now Fitzgerald will be free to go after Dick Armitage, the guy who he requested to keep quite about it all, for reasons known only to himself. After all, a more serious crime was committed here, was it not? Plame was a secret, covert, undercover agent and we can’t let her outing go unpunished!
It also frees Bush to move on to less objectionable but necessary pardons. Maybe, in equivalence, he can locate and pardon a few Puerto Rican terror bombers, or a millionaire fugitive gadding about Europe while his busty ex wife ladles out library contributions.
And the finale to the Libby pardon may yet await us, and in a few days is my bet. Straight Arrow Wilson and Secret Agent Plame have said more than once that they will bring civil action suits. It will be heartening to see wronged rectitude take the witness stand against entrenched evil, an ideal combat of Virtue vs Vice as Virtue parries the falsehoods of corrupt[what else] Republican lawyers.
Now if you will excuse me I’m heading back to my bomb shelter where I’ve hidden these past 5 1/2 years fearfully awaiting the end of the Republic, the Night of the Long Knives. I don’t know what taken these fascists so long, maybe they’re just lining up the box cars, but I’m getting ready for a hellish 18 months.
It’s been predicted so often it just has to happen.
Now if you will excuse me I’m heading back to my bomb shelter
OK. see ya later.
Thank you, Sebastian.
What John Miller said…also cleek.
Probably later than sooner, more likely the last day of his term.
WASHINGTON – President Bush on Tuesday refused to rule out an eventual pardon for former White House aide I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby.
“As to the future, I rule nothing in and nothing out,” the president said a day after commuting Libby’s 2 1/2-year prison term in the CIA leak case.
This is no joke: There are calls to make Libby the new Immigration czar.
(via Glenn Greenwald)
I didn’t check whether that was irony but I doubt it.
Hartmut, yes, it’s irony.
I can understand that with this administration etc it gets harder and harder to tell the difference.
Now Fitzgerald will be free to go after Dick Armitage
Fine with me, as long as he gets a clear shot at Cheney as well.
Thanks –
Walton’s issued a court order. Briefly, it notes that the rules of probation, and the laws governing Presidential clemency, say probation can’t start until after the prison term, but Bush’s clemency order did away with the prison term. Walton has asked for clarification on how the probation is supposed to proceed, and from what date.
Either Bush will ignore the order, or say his powers override any finicking legal details.
What do you think will happen? My money’s on ignoring the Order, and then ignoring whatever Walton does next.
“I didn’t check whether that was irony but I doubt it.”
Jon Swift: the origin of that pseudonymn ring any bells, Hartmut?
No need to check the entirely obvious. Take another look at “Jon Swift”‘s blog, which is not precisely new nor lacking in non-subtle indicators of its point.
“The Republic is strong, despite it all”
What does that mean, in your mind, Von? As written, it’s pure abstraction, and thus provides no clue by itself, so I’m quite curious. Could you try putting that into more concrete terms, perhaps?
I actually thought that was an allusion to the Swiftboaters (that could cut both ways). Didn’t think of “modest proposal” Swift when I posted that (second hand, unchecked) link.
Again, these days that could have been a serious proposal.