Obama issues first pardons of presidency, four in cocaine cases

[babylonsister]

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/131937-obama-issues-first-pardons-of-presidency-four-in-cocaine-cases

Obama issues first pardons of presidency, four in cocaine cases
By Michael O'Brien - 12/03/10 03:35 PM ET


President Obama issued the first pardons of his presidency, excusing the convicts of crimes, many of which were drug-related.

Obama made nine pardons, four of which were in cases related to cocaine convictions.

The other convictions were related to illegal possession of government property, liquor law violations, making false statements to the Food and Drug Administration, passing counterfeit obligations and securities, and mutilation of coins.

Obama has only previously used the power of pardoning for ceremonial purposes: pardoning turkeys ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.

By contrast, President George W. Bush pardoned 189 people, and President Clinton pardoned 150.

[polichick]

1. Hope it was crack, since the double standard is anti-American. nt

[Ian David]

2. Mutilation of coins? How will I sleep at night knowing the coin-mutilator is on the loose! n/t

[Independent_Liberal]

3. LOL!

For some reason, your post just cracked me up!
:rofl:

I think we all need a good chuckle here and there at times when things are at their gloomiest.

[onenote]

4. to clarify the plainly biased reporting of the blog author

Bush pardoned 189 people in 8 years and at a comparable point in his presidency (December 3, 2002) he had pardoned absolutely no one. His first pardons didn't come until December 20, 2002 and he only pardoned 7 people at that time. He pardoned 4 more in December 2003. And overall, he pardoned dozens of people convicted of drug-related crimes, including cocaine possession and distribution as well as possession and distribution of pot at one end of the spectrum and heroin and meth at the other.

Oh yeah -- he pardoned turkeys too.

[niceypoo]

5. Bush pardoned Henry Lee Lucas as a govenor

...cant leave that out

[babylonsister]

6. Extremely biased; that's what 'the hill' does. nt