What does he have to lose?

Bush did what many of us predicted he would do, pardoned Libby. The only real surprise was that he did it so quickly. I have to give him (or someone) credit for the clever way he went about it. He can say that he didn't really pardon Libby because he still has to pay a $250,000 fine, will lose his license to practice law, and will be on probation for two years. Of course this is nonsense. Does anyone believe Libby will pay money out of his own pocket? And the pardon will inevitably come later when the fuss has calmed down. Libby will serve no time, pay no fine, lose no license, and will be free of any felony charges.

Bush will suffer no damage because his damage is already so monumental that another couple of points either way will make absolutely no difference. And as Pelosi has already announced he won't be impeached he has nothing to lose on that score either. Of course Bush didn't pardon Libby on his own, we can be certain of that. Behind every Bush decision lurks the influence of the evil Dick the Slimy who, for some inexplicable reason, seems to be immune from any sanctions whatsoever. Do you think Bush will ever wise up to the fact that his legacy would not be "worst President ever," if he had not allowed the malicious Cheney to lead him by the nose into the unpromised land? Like the lazy, marginally retarded individual he is, Bush just allowed himself to be used by Cheney for Cheney's interests which, as we know, were not benign and certainly not in the best interests of the nation or its citizens. Halliburton and the Carlyle Group certainly did well, as did GE, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and others. Cheney's "war" has been profitable indeed, and his obvious plan for endless war will be even better for business. Cheney has even sold Bush on the fantasy that what he has done will someday prove to have been the right thing and he will be compared favorably to Churchill. I guess Bush actually believes this fairy tale (and why not, he apparently believes he talks with God).

Now we will see, repeated again, the full force of Republican hypocrisy. When Clinton lied to a Grand Jury Republicans thought it was the end of the world, but when one of their own lies to a Grand Jury that's perfectly okay. They cling to their lie that Libby did nothing wrong (lying to a Grand Jury is wrong), or that his punishment was excessive (it was well within the legal guidelines for such a crime, handed down by an extremely competent judge and reviewed by an appeals court). It isn't really up to Bush to decide whether it was excessive or not although he clearly is within his right to grant a pardon. But has there ever been a case of a President pardoning someone to protect his Vice-President and himself from possible criminal charges? Bush/Cheney have made it clear they regard themnselves as above the law. Their Republican cronies seem to believe they are as none of them have been willing to ever break with the party line no matter how outrageously Bush/Cheney have acted. Will any of them stand up for the nation and its citizens this time?

What a tragedy for our nation! Had Bush surrounded himself with competent advisors interested in what was best for the country instead of a bunch of loyalist incompetent greedy sycophants interested only in power think how much better off we would all be, including Bush himself.

LKBIQ:

"The death of democracy is not likely to be an assasination from ambush. It will be a slow extinction from apathy, indifference, and undernourishment."
Robert Maynard Hutchins