The White House’s breathtaking incoherence

July 3, 2007

Tony Snow told reporters this morning that the president, in consultation with top White House aides, mulled over what to do about Scooter Libby for “weeks and weeks.”

With all those smart people considering a case for so long, you’d think they wouldn’t sound so spectacularly dumb in explaining what happened yesterday.

The president, for example, deigned to “answer” two questions from reporters this morning during a visit to Walter Reed. One journalist asked the president if he planned to eventually pardon Scooter Libby. After a meandering explanation about having “weighed this decision carefully,” Bush said, “As to the future, I rule nothing in or nothing out.”

Another reporter followed up with an excellent question: “Mr. President, federal sentencing guidelines call for jail time in these kinds of cases of perjury and obstruction of justice. Why do you feel otherwise, and are you worried that this decision sends a signal that you won’t go to jail if you lie to the FBI?” Bush responded:

“I took this decision very seriously on Mr. Libby. I considered his background, his service to the country, as well as the jury verdict. I felt like the jury verdict ought to stand, and I felt like some of the punishments that the judge determined were adequate should stand. But I felt like the 30-month sentencing was severe; made a judgment, a considered judgment that I believe is the right decision to make in this case, and I stand by it.”

I wonder if the president realizes how stunningly, jaw-droppingly dumb this sounds. He clearly heard the question, but couldn’t come up with anything sensible. It wasn’t a trick question: should Americans lie to the FBI? Apparently, Bush doesn’t have an opinion on the matter.

Snow’s responses to reporters’ questions were, believe it or not, slightly worse.

I’m not sure who asked this, but one reporter deserves a raise for this one:

QUESTION: If there are more than 3,000 current petitions for commutation — not pardons, but commutation — in the federal system, under President Bush, will all 3,000 of those be held to the same standard that the president applied to Scooter Libby?

SNOW: I don’t know.

QUESTION: Tony, I’m trying to get a handle on it. Are you saying this White House handled this in an extraordinary manner or in a routine manner?

SNOW: I think it handled it in a routine manner in the sense that the president took a careful look.

Got that? Snow doesn’t know if there’s going to be one standard of criminal justice for the president’s friends, and another for everyone else. Bush made the answer clear yesterday, but the best Snow could do is, “I don’t know.” Maybe he can find out and get back to us? I’m sure there are thousands of prisoners and their families who would love to know why the White House no longer believes we’re all equal under the law.

And the second part was almost comical. This was “routine”? The president “routinely” spends weeks and weeks mulling over these questions? No wonder the president can’t govern; the bleeding heart spends all of his time poring over commutation applications.

A reporter concluded, “How could it not be extraordinary to grant something to someone who didn’t even ask for it?” Snow couldn’t answer.

That these clowns purport to run the executive branch of government is truly horrifying.

Their contempt for the law is astounding. I think a full pardon is in the works. Then, Bush will hold a barbeque in Texas to help the Scootster pay off the $250,000 fine. Then Bush will find room in the White House for Scooter’s probation officer, and he will install Mr. Libby back in Cheney’s office. And I’m only slightly kidding.

  • It’s like they’re almost asking us to impeach them. Not daring – pleading. Can we impeach them NOW, please?

  • Someone asked the question yesterday:

    What are the odds that President Bush will issue a blanket pardon to VP Cheney?

    But then they asked the really interesting question:

    What are the odd that President Cheney will issue a blanket pardon to former President (43) Bush immediately after Bush resigns from office?

  • It’s flag burning time…

    I doubt it’ll burn now that Bush has pissed all over it for six years.

  • It is truly horrifying. The damage these folks can do over the next 19 months can be unalterable. They have shown they have no problem ignoring the law, misapplying the law, breaking the law, and lying about all of the above. They have shown that in doing so that they do not care what the effects are on ordinary Americans, or anyone outside of their group for that matter. And when caught and punished, the punishment is eliminated. With absolutely no accountability and a media that keeps its head in the sand, the depths to which this administration has stooped, and can further stoop in the future, is unrestricted. Their unpopularity merely reinforces their beliefs that they are unaccountable to anyone or anything.

  • Nancy Pelosi, where are you?

    Is impeachment still off the table?

    If so, what on earth have they threatened you with? Shouldn’t you resign and leave your job to someone who takes their oath seriously?

  • At least least Article II Section 2 of the Constitution provides this: “…and he shall have Power to Grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offenses against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.” Impeachment (and International War Crimes) are about the only methods available that cannot be short-circuited/circumvented by the pardon power.

  • I love how Bush agress to answer two questions.

    And I’m guessing he didn’t get to pick the questions!

    The press corpse is still breathing. Barely.

  • Can Bush grant amnesty to all the undocumented workers who are threatened with deportation every year? If Bush believes that amnesty is appropriate for his friend, than surely he can help families being torn apart across the country.

  • A few uncomfortable weeks of having to sit in a court room.
    Treason makes you pay a high price.
    A president who wouldn’t spend 10min deciding whether to commute a death sentence on over 150 cases when Governor of Texas spent weeks deciding to commute Libby?

    Bush thinks he might as well do what he wants with only a year and a half left in office makes him truly dangerous if we don’t start challenging him on his actions.

    Why can’t congress understand that impeachment is the only way of stopping this Administration from attacking Iran. We won’t be able to undo the damage Bush can still cause in his last days in office. He will be leaving the biggest mess ever for an incoming president.

    The people are awake…the congress is asleep, but the alarm bells are ringing loudly

  • I’m more inclined to fly my flag upside-down rather than burning it. This nation is truly in crisis!

  • Whew!!!!

    It’s been dogging me for weeks but I finally figured out the answer to Paris Hilton’s plaintive cry: “Who do I have f*ck around here to get my prison sentence commuted?”…

  • The spinners are at it already. Alan Douchebagewitz, the Lieberman clone, posted an article on HuffPo saying it’s the appeals court judges’ fault for making a political decision on Libby’s case with such a harsh sentence. I thought someone could get up to 5 years for perjury. Libby got half that for lying to a grand jury. Martha Stewart should apply for a full pardon. At least she did some time.

  • That these clowns purport to run the executive branch of government is truly horrifying.

    It’s actually run by the proverbial infinite number of monkeys. These guys just lip-synch along.

  • “I stand by it” is a Bush standard utterance. This piece of shit has never been held accountable for ANYTHING. The only thing worse are those approximately 25% of the population; those god fearun’, “real” ‘Mericuns, who just can’t understand why the rest of us won’t trust them—and their glorious leaders.

  • Re: Racerx @ #7

    Nancy Pelosi, where are you?

    Is impeachment still off the table?

    If so, what on earth have they threatened you with? Shouldn’t you resign and leave your job to someone who takes their oath seriously?

    Maybe she received some anthrax also. Or maybe the Dems are just part of the same Corporate Cabal.

  • Isn’t ‘nothing ruled in or out’ what he says when he is considering military action? Should we expect an invasion of Scooter Libby soon?

    These guys aren’t even trying to offer us polished nonsense anymore; they just dishing the slop out of the bottom of the barrel and tossing it in front of the hogs.

  • Wait, he did say “he considered his background.” All those other cases in Texas, those “aliens,” and other folks who are serving time for obstruction of justice–what are the chances any of them have the “bacground” of Scooter?

  • Ho, Hum. Just another day in the Bart Simpson presidency, where the leader does what he wants, and making sense is the least worry of all.

    This has to be the most embarrassing government of all time – no wonder tourist travel outside the country is down. Hanging your head in shame all day is hard on the neck, and it’s difficult to actually take in any of the sights..

    When he took over as Chief White House Talking Head, Tony Snow perhaps assumed – with some degree of accuracy – that reporters (not to mention Americans) would rather hear, “I don’t know” than a creative lie. He appears to have gotten a little carried away with it, though, and now routinely uses it as cover when it is clear he most assuredly does know.

  • talking about impeachment….. as long as there are 40 morons in the Senate who keep obstructing the ‘up-or-down’ vote they were so enamored with last year, it’s not going anywhere….. Soooo… time to put the fire under those right wing nuts in the senate and make them see the light. How, I have no clue. Our Oregon senator Gordon is starting to see the light and turning around… How many other Republican / Red states can be convinced?

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