Bush May Still Pardon Libby

by Steve

Bush indicated today that he won’t rule out a pardon for Scooter later, like on his way out the door. This makes the game pretty clear, doesn’t it?

Since he could have pardoned Scooter yesterday but chose to bypass the Justice Department process and immediately issue a commutation that was seemingly already written with right wing talking points ready to go, a reasonable person could conclude that instead of a pardon, a commutation was issued at this time with a specific purpose.

Bush’s intent was to obstruct justice by preventing Democrats from getting around a Libby Fifth Amendment dodge and compelling testimony under oath from a defendant whose pardon negated that Fifth Amendment claim. The White House intent, as it has been from Day One of the second term, is to use any means to hold off inquiries and accountability for its actions until after they leave office. Yet the Democratic leadership was quick to indicate months ago that impeachment was off the table, because many Democrats inside the Beltway believed it would be a futile waste of energy with so little time left in the Bush Administration. Such a position invites what happened yesterday.

Bush may still have done what he did if he had the hounds at his door, but I think that Democrats should now at least indicate they have people studying the matter of impeachment, given the events of the last several weeks.

Beltway Democrats need to confront whay may be an unpleasant fact to many of them. The only way to stop an administration that is unaccountable to Congress, and which so willingly disregards public opinion is to openly debate the ultimate constitutional remedy available, especially against a vice president whose motives and terrible judgment are so clear.