Pardon Me? Whose On The Dubya List?

[KharmaTrain]

Last night, as part of another skewering of Bill Clinton's Presidency, some TV talking head brought up the last minute Clinton Pardons...most notably Marc Rich, but also pictured was Susan McDougal and Henry Cisneros. The "host" and her guest went on for a couple minutes to do the usual hatchet job on Clinton by going on about the Rich/Clinton connection and how this killed Clinton's popularity (as to try to knock it below that of the recently sainted God Raygun).

Only briefly in passing did the guest mention the Poppy Bush pardon of Caspar Weinberger (the only one mention...they noted the total number that Clinton pardoned...Poppy pardoned far more), who, flippantly noted, would have been indicted for lying to Congress in Iran/Contra. La Di Da. But Clinton lied about sex! Ok, it wasn't sex, it was discovering if he had had sex. It's these same goons who bitched about Clinton's parsing, yet parse and spin like tops these days defending their manchild's destruction of this country.

One part left unsaid was what would happen if Bunnypants goes down in November and there's no way they can Diebold or SCOTUS the results. Yes, our dream is realized as Commander Bunnypants and Pickles have to go back to the Waco Pig Farm and live off all those millions stashed away. Some, like Crashcart, will be pulled out of his office with drapes in his hands and teeth and others will hop on the AEI bus and return to their old cubicles.

It's January 19, 2005...Boy Blunder's last day of plunder. No one's around and the list is released. As is his perogative, he can pardon anyone he wants for virtually any crime...or protect anyone from ever facing a jury for their actions.

Here are some names I expect to be on that Pardon List. Please feel free to add your own names:

Obvious ones: Chenney (I think he's covered under Executive Privilidge)
- Rummy
- Wolfowitz
- Perle
- Scooter Libby
- Rush Limbaugh (hasn't the poor man suffered enough...a nasty divorce...he just wanted help for that nasty 30 year long back pain)

I know there's many I've missed and I'm sure the list could get long...and creativity on a Friday is a plus!

Cheers!

[July]

1. Condi, Feith, Rove? nt

[uptown ruler]

2. Perle...Ashcroft?

friends,

I would think ashcroft may be needed a pardon when all is said and done. Maybe Kenneth Lay. /laugh



ScrutinyHooligans

[KharmaTrain]

3. Lay seems like a slam dunk

Look at how long this weasel's gone without getting even a grand jury called. Either there's a lot of Lay's dinero floating around or he's got the skeletons burried deep and his ass so covered he can continue to ride this thing out, just like John Ramsey and hope everyone goes away. A pardon would just seal the deal. Consider it granted :laugh:

[TahitiNut]

6. Has Lay been charged with anything?

Can someone be pardoned without being at least charged/indicted with a crime?

Could it be that law enforcement is withholding charges knowing that DimSon would just pardon them on the way out?

[newyawker99]

4. Hi uptown ruler!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[TahitiNut]

5. Must the person be at least charged with a crime for a pardon?

How can a person be pardoned if they haven't been charged? A pardon isn't the same as a grant of immunity in return for testimony. I realize the President has unlimited pardon authority, but it seems to me that a 'pardon' is impossible unless there's some formal allegation of a crime. (Has anyone ever been pardoned without some formal charge, even short of a conviction?)

I keep wondering about this. I'm wondering if anyone is withholding any kind of formal charges (against Key Lay, for example) until this criminal administration is replaced in January 2005.

[KharmaTrain]

7. I Did A Little Looking...

A Presidential pardon can be used as a grant of immunity...for example, Ford pardoned Nixon before he was formally charged as a private citizen, thus the pardon acted as blanket immunity...or stay out of jail free card. The pardon has to specify the area of possible charges...say perjury vs. manslaughter, but it's very vague in both it's definition and interpretation, thus making it literally bulletproof.

My question is, could a President pardon himself? I remember Freepers worrying Clinton was going to do this in his last days until Starr/Ray opted out and Clinton had no need for any immunity.

[TahitiNut]

9. Thank you. It then seems VERY clear that DimSon will pardon ...

... a whole host of criminals, starting with Key Lay and ending with himself.

[LTR]

8. He'll pardon the Enron Gang

I kinda hope so. This will kill any ounce still left of Bush's popularity. It'll kill the GOP.

Please, please. As evil as the executives of Enron are, I'd love to see Bush commit political suicide by pardoning them.

And, aside from Marc Rich, I see no problems with his other pardons. Susan McDougal got a raw deal. She was Ken Starr's patsy. And he pardoned his brother for an almost twenty year old drug offense. Hey, he's the president's brother. Will Dubya get raked over the coals for pardoning Neil in his sleazy business practices?

FYI: Here are some of HW's pardons:

Elliott Abrams - Pardoned for any and all Iran-Contra crimes.

Aslam P. Adam - Clemency for heroin trafficking.

Duane R. Clarridge - Pardoned for any and all Iran-Contra crimes.

Edwin L. Cox - Pardoned for bank fraud.

Alan Fiers - Pardoned for any and all Iran-Contra crimes.

Clair George - Pardoned for any and all Iran-Contra crimes.

Armand Hammer - Pardoned for making illegal contributions to President Nixon's 1972 re-election campaign.

Robert C. McFarlane - Pardoned for any and all Iran-Contra crimes.

Joseph Occhipinti - Commuted sentence for violating the civil rights of accused criminals.

Caspar W. Weinberger -Pardoned for any and all Iran-Contra crimes.


Of course, you won't hear about any of that on FAUX.