George W. Bush was once asked, after presiding over the executions of over 152 Texans, about his reluctance to issue pardons and/or commute sentences. “I don’t believe my role is to replace the verdict of a jury with my own,” Bush said, “unless there are new facts or evidence of which a jury was unaware.” […]
Breaking: President Bush commuted the sentence of former aide I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby Monday, sparing him from a 2 1/2-year prison term in the CIA leak case. Bush left intact a $250,000 fine and two years probation for Libby, according to a senior White House official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * British officials continue to make arrests as part of the investigation into the weekend’s terrorist incidents: “Doctors from Iraq and Jordan were among the eight suspects arrested in the failed car bombings in London and at Glasgow’s airport, officials said Monday. A witness said police were closing in on […]
There have been a handful of historic, quintessential Bushisms, but one of the head-shaking classics was offered exactly four years ago today. “There are some who feel like — that the conditions are such that they can attack us there. My answer is, bring ’em on. We’ve got the force necessary to deal with the […]
Just how close did Karl Rove come to being indicted by Patrick Fitzgerald? Surprisingly close. The AP reported that several interesting documents related to the Plame leak investigation were unsealed late on Friday, and among the revelations are insights on Fitzgerald targeting Rove. As one judge wrote, “Regarding [Time reporter Matthew] Cooper, the special counsel […]
About six months ago, John McCain was not only the presumptive favorite to win the Republican presidential nomination, he was the GOP candidate recruiting some of the top campaign talent available. McCain even picked up some of the same people who helped George W. Bush smear him in 2000, assuming it was more important to […]
If Scooter Libby is counting on a pardon to keep him out of jail, he’ll need Bush to act very quickly. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney’s former chief of staff, must go to prison while appealing his conviction for obstructing a CIA leak probe, a U.S. appeals court said. Libby may be behind […]
It’s hardly the most important element of Peter Baker’s piece on Bush’s behind-the-scenes persona, but he does tackle the enduring question: Does Bush read newspapers? To an extent, Bush walls himself off from criticism. He does read newspapers, contrary to public impression, but watches little television news and does not linger in the media echo […]
Towards the end of a report about the Department of Homeland Security responding to possible terrorist threats over the summer, ABC News added a disconcerting tidbit of information: As ABCNews.com reported, U.S. law enforcement officials received intelligence reports two weeks ago warning of terror attacks in Glasgow and Prague, the Czech Republic, against “airport infrastructure […]
Today’s installment of campaign-related news items that wouldn’t generate a post of their own, but may be of interest to political observers: * This sounds like it warrants some follow-up: “Two of the leading GOP presidential contenders took time out of their frenetic fundraising schedules late last week to address ‘Legacy,’ a group of wealthy […]