Bush Issues "Ho-hum" Pardons
As his days in office dwindle down to a precious few, President Bush is cleaning out his cubicle and, as most outgoing presidents do, letting some convicted criminals out of jail. On November 25, Bush issued presidential pardons or commutations to 16 people, none of whom were Lewis "Scooter" Libby.
Among the 16 people pardoned by Bush for various narcotics, environmental, animal endangerment, tax and fraud crimes, probably the best-known was 1996 Grammy Award-winning rapper John Edward Forté. In 2001, Forté was sentenced to 14 years in a Texas prison for possession of cocaine. Bush commuted his prison sentence to expire on Dec. 22, 2008.
While he may be saving his "blockbuster" pardons for later, Bush has issued only 171 pardons and eight commutations, while rejecting 7,825 petitions for pardon in his eight years in the White House, according to the Office of the Pardon Attorney. Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton both issued twice as many pardons over their eight year terms.
Besides "Scooter" Libby, controversial pardon petitions still pending include those from the so-called "American Taliban," John Walker Lindh and Randy "Duke" Cunningham, a former Republican congressman now serving an 8-year prison term for bribery.
Bush Pardons Turkey – Mark Wilson/Getty Images
Also See:
The President's Power to Pardon
Standards Applied to Presidential Pardons
Presidential Pardons: Alexander Hamilton's Viewpoint
Comments
That lamest of lame ducks, George W. Bush better grow some manhood and commute the sentences of Ramos and Compean; the two Border Patrol Agents unjustly sentenced to lengthy prison terms for shooting an illegal alien drug dealer in the buttocks.
How does President Bush expect to recruit people to the Border Patrol if they believe they will be sent to prison for doing their jobs? How is it that an admitted drug smuggler goes free while two people who were trying to keep those drugs out of our country are in prison for 10 or 11 years? How do the judge and President Bush sleep at night while Agents Ramos and Compean are in solitary confinement?
Bush disgusts me - Ramos and Compean deserve to be honored for doing their jobs. At least he could have pardoned them - but what’s the deal with Bush and Mexican authorities????
Something smells here and it ain’t tacos.
BUSHWACKES AGAIN
It does not surprise me that there are comments about President Bush that are negative and unwarranted like the ignorant soul that just sent Bushwhacked. The comments on Bush not giving a pardon, or commuting the sentence of the two border patrol officer’s shows prejudice of the people making these comments as uninformed and liberal to the core. I ask these uninformed, prejudice, liberal left wingers to revisit the history after a couple of years under the newly elected president to see if they have any more comments concerning President Bush in the White House. I think history will be kinder to President Bush than some Democrat party diehards are today.