George Bush the Benevolent

George Bush has really shown how charitable he is by commuting Scooter Libby sentence, down from 30 months in jail to probation and a fine. I mean, if you can't find it in your heart to forgive someone for selling out your own intelligence agents during war time, especially when they are a white Christian male, than who can you forgive? Certainly not the 154 people executed by the state of Texas during the 6 years Bush was governor. That's one every two weeks. This number includes Betty Lou Beets, a great-grandmother, who was convicted of killing her abusive husband. Bush denied clemency, despite the evidence that her lawyer poorly represented her (Her lawyer secured book and movie rights to the story, and then spent time in jail for extortion on another murder case.) This number also includes David Spence, arrested and convicted for his part on the murder of teenage girls based on the testimony of his accomplices. His accomplices later recanted, saying they had fabricated everything to do with Spence. There was no forensics connecting Spence to the murders. This number also includes defendants who are mentally challenged, defendants who were juveniles when the crime was committed, Mexican defendants defended by someone who did not speak Spanish, and defendants represented by drunk/sleeping/shoddy attorneys.

Bush's commutation of Libby's sentence was supported by Mick Romney, a Republican presidential candidate. As governor of Massachusetts, Romney denied every single request for pardon or commutation. This includes a pardon request from Anthony Circosta, who joined the National Guard and lead a platoon through the deadly Sunni triangle in Iraq, after working his way through college. He was convicted of assault at the age of 13 for shooting another boy in the arm with a BB gun (the BB did not break the skin). He wants a pardon so he can fulfill his dream of becoming a police officer.

Since Bush cannot be re-elected, and will most likely pardon anyone convicted of anything, it seems increasingly unreasonable to prevent prosecutors and congress from questioning Cheney and/or Gonzales regarding the scandals they are involved in. I mean, it is the last 16 months of this Presidency, why not try to make right at least some of the wrongs committed during the last 6 years. The public wants candidness, why not give it what it wants.