Kristol gives up on Bush’s sense of ‘loyalty’

June 6, 2007

Weekly Standard editor and Fox News contributor William Kristol is so disgusted by Scooter Libby’s conviction, and the president’s reluctance to pardon the convicted felon, that he’s publicly questioning Bush’s character.

Will Bush pardon Libby? Apparently not — even if it means a man who worked closely with him and sought tirelessly to do what was right for the country goes to prison. Bush spokeswoman Dana Perino, noting that the appeals process was underway, said, “Given that and in keeping with what we have said in the past, the president has not intervened so far in any other criminal matter and he is going to decline to do so now.”

So much for loyalty, or decency, or courage. For President Bush, loyalty is apparently a one-way street; decency is something he’s for as long as he doesn’t have to take any risks in its behalf; and courage — well, that’s nowhere to be seen. Many of us used to respect President Bush. Can one respect him still?

Putting aside the merit (or lack thereof) underlying Kristol’s unpersuasive defense of Libby’s felonies, the conservative commentator seems to believe he’s stumbled onto something new here. For Bush, loyalty is a one-way street? You don’t say. Type “Bush,” “loyalty,” and “one-way street” into Google, and you’ll get over 22,000 pages. Kristol is just getting around to noticing?

For that matter, Kristol wonders whether one can still “respect” Bush. As my friend A.L. noted in response, “Good lord. After everything that Bush has done over the years, after his complete trainwreck of a presidency, it’s Bush’s reluctance to immediately pardon a convicted felon that causes Kristol to lose his respect for the man?”

Apparently so.

As for whether Kristol might get his wish, restoring his misplaced respect for the president, the word “pardon” is apparently verboten in the West Wing right now.

The sentence imposed on former White House aide I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby yesterday put President Bush in the position of making a decision he has tried to avoid for months: Trigger a fresh political storm by pardoning a convicted perjurer or let one of the early architects of his administration head to prison.

The prospect of a pardon has become so sensitive inside the West Wing that top aides have been kept out of the loop, and even Bush friends have been told not to bring it up with the president. In any debate, officials expect Vice President Cheney to favor a pardon, while other aides worry about the political consequences of stepping into a case that stems from the origins of the Iraq war and renewing questions about the truthfulness of the Bush administration.

The White House publicly sought to defer the matter again yesterday, saying that Bush is “not going to intervene” for now. But U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton indicated that he is not inclined to let Libby remain free pending appeals, which means the issue could confront Bush in a matter of weeks when, barring a judicial change of heart, Cheney’s former chief of staff will have to trade his business suit for prison garb. Republicans inside and outside the administration said that would be the moment when Bush has to decide.

For what it’s worth, for reasons I explained in March, I’m partially convinced that a Libby pardon could be a good thing for White House critics.

Stay tuned.

I wonder why Billy Klueless didn’t question Cheney’s “loyalty, or decency, or courage” during the trial, since it’s plainly obvious that Libby took the hit for covering up Cheney’s crimes? Shouldn’t the Dick have stepped up to the plate and done the right thing by copping to the “underlying crime” Libby covered up?

Yet another one-way street in Neoconville.

  • The late Steve Gilliard was on record predicting Bush would be very stingy with pardons. As a dry drunk plutocratic sociopath, Bush sees Libby, Rove & Co. as “the help” and won’t lift a finger for them when they face legal trouble.

  • ***For President Bush, loyalty is apparently a one-way street; decency is something he’s for as long as he doesn’t have to take any risks in its behalf; and courage — well, that’s nowhere to be seen.***
    ———–William Kristol

    Well, praise the crack in the bubble and passd along the clue-by-four; the K-man finally sees the light! If enough of these morons start beating up on Bu$h, then maybe he WILL play the pardon card—and the world will know the Bu$hylvanian crime syndicate for exactly what it is.

    By the way—it’s a bit OT, but I understand that Putin is really giving ol’ George the WWF (Wicked Weapons Protocols) Smackdown….

  • i have an acquaintance who supported the war for a very long time, in the face of all kinds of reality checks, and then, one day, some relatively minor piece of news (can’t even recall what it was) caused him to say “that’s it, the war is a failure.”

    i suspect he was looking for an “out” and he found one.

    same with kristol.

  • “Will Bush pardon Libby? Apparently not — even if it means a man who worked closely with him and sought tirelessly to do what was right for the country goes to prison.”

    Notice, Kristol isn’t arguing here that Libby is not guilty, just that he shouldn’t go to prison because he worked closely with Bush and because Libby “sought tirelessly to do what was right for the country”. Does this mean that anyone who works closely for a president and for the country is automatically free to commit any crime they feel like and not face any consequences? When did a position in the White House become an automatic “get out of jail free” card? Is this in some obscure section of the US Constitution?

  • Frankly, I could care less if Bush pardons Libby. I want Cheney’s ass on trial.

    CB commentator “david” pointed out the biggest issue in an earlier thread:

    Libby has committed treason, nothing less. Although the trial was over obstruction of justice, we all know that the issue at hand is the leak of a CIA operative’s identity. Revealing that kind of information has enormously detrimental effects to America. Not only does it compromise any valuable intellingence that the operative was working on, but it demonstrates to other agents within our intelligence community that they cannot trust their own government.

    It’s high time that the Democrats took this issue a lot more seriously. It’s not about getting Dick Cheney, it’s more about putting the fear of Justice into the next Dick Cheney.

    Dems, if you’re reading this, be warned: If you let Cheney’s treason stand, if you let him skate, then you’re as guilty as he is, maybe more. You will have set the precedent that treason is OK, that it will not be prosecuted.

    Do your jobs. Defend our beloved constitution from these criminals.

  • even if it means a man who worked closely with him and sought tirelessly to do what was right for the country goes to prison.

    This tells you all you need to know about BtKristol. Scooter had a hand in blowing an agent’s cover (in the midst of a “War” no less) and then committed perjury. But that doesn’t matter because somehow that was “right” (or perhaps Right) for the country.

    Dude’s been free-basing.

  • Okay, let me see if I have this right…Scooter Libby’s conviction, and Bush’s failure to pardon him before the trial and – so far – after the conviction, is the thing that has Kristol questioning Bush’s character?

    I think you first have to have character in order to be able to sit in any kind of judgment of anyone else’s character, but if Bill Kristol ever had any character, it long ago shriveled up into a miniscule raisin that no longer functions.

    Bush has no character, either, and his “failure” to pardon Libby – so far – has more to do with his own selfish interests than it does with being any sign that his character is not completely non-functional.

  • Kristol is not exactly right when he says Bush loyalty is a “one-way street.” He IS relatively loyal in some cases, but his loyalty is misplaced and detrimental. Specifically, I’m thinking of Donald Rumsfeld and Alberto Gonzales. (There’s probably someone else obvious who doesn’t immediately come to mind.)

    Bush publicly supported Rumsfeld until the Secretary finished completely screwing up the Iraq War before nudging him out in response to overwhelming public disapproval. Gonzales obviously should be gone, but Bush is still still sticking with the incompetent, political ass.

    Of course, these examples may not be cases of “loyalty.” They may just be examples of Bush’s stubborn refusal to admit mistakes.

  • #6 – It’s not just our intelligence community.

    What happens when the CIA asks the Brits to co-operate with them? Any chance the answer is: “Listen, you guys get burned by your own government; thanks for asking, but my job’s dangerous enough already.”

    Basically, a pardon is a really, really bad idea. From a national security perspective… which perhaps explains why Kristol is calling for it.

  • Here is how this will play out. Cheney will have Addington draft an executive order which delegates the the president’s authority to pardon individuals to the vice-president. The order will be slipped in to a large pile of papers the president is signing and viola Libby gets a pardon.

  • Shorter Kristol:

    Ethics, morals, and the rule of law mean nothing and just get in the way of protecting our own. Loyalty to the party is all that matters.

    Maybe I missed something, but that seems to sum it pretty well.

  • How about Loyalty to the U.S. Constitution for a change, Mr. Kristol? That would be a breath of fresh air. But I know that thought never crossed your neocon brain.

  • I’ll bet there are some guys at the big house who could get Mr. Scooter to spill his guts about what really went on in the OVP. You know, enhanced interrogation methods.

  • Kristol is just nauseating. He has no respect for the rule of law thinking his opinions should be the law. What about loyalty to the constitution Krystol or to the legal system? It’s ok for leaders of the country to break the law eh Billy?
    Libby is “sacrificing” 2.5yrs of his life for the millions and the fame that he will get from his speaking tours and books he will ghost write from this ordeal.
    Kristol thinks Libby should have all that and a pardon too. Kristol’s only loyalty is to power and money and considers the rest of the world outside his little “click”, peasants. He’s a little baby who just wants his way and calls it loyalty. He is a war criminal supporter and should be banned from holding public office or appearing on public tv. Criminal loyalty…Kristol is his own Supreme Court.

  • “I sam shocked – shocked! – to learn that gambling is going on in this establishment!”

    Further proof if proof was necessary that “NeoCon” is a synonym for “moron.”

  • “I am shocked – shocked! – to learn that gambling is going on in this establishment!”

    Further proof – if proof was necessary – that “NeoCon” is a synonym for “moron.”

  • kristol is missing out on what could be a lucrative stand-up comedian career as he spews out more bullshit than most of the retarded repubs put together … ‘shurley’ he must have people writing those out for him (too much work for just one man).
    There is no way that this much ‘smell’ can come out of such a small pile of shit -albeit repubs are always surprising in that dept-

  • Enough with Kristol’s comments. Why is he even getting airtime at this point? If Bush’s presidency is a trainwreck, then Kristol’s been one of the conductors.

  • He thinks George Bush has courage? The man who ran and hid on 9/11? That’s a laugh.

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