This is just the latest, and almost the least, of Bush's abuses of power.

For what it's worth, I've proposed amendments to the Constitution to try to cut down the overreaching power of our "unitary executive":

http://lyansroar.blogspot.com/2007/07/three-proposed-constitutional.html

Normally I would not support this sort of thing, however, in this particular case, I do.

Not sure anybody is aware of this, but nobody was ever charged with or convicted of the actual crime on which these perjury charges were based. On top of that, Valerie Plame and her husband have issued several misleading statements in this affair. This case will likely be closed with a pardon on the final day of the Bush presidency.

There are plenty of crimes that President Bush and company need to be charged, tried and convicted on, however, the entire Plamegate affair is entirely bogus.

Instead, lets concentrate on war crimes, crimes against humanity and torture charges.

Who is Andrew Davis? What is shaking at the LP office?

"President Bush has commuted the jail sentence of the highest-ranking White House official sent to prison since the Iran-Contra scandal of the Reagan era."

Baloney.

http://newsbusters.org/node/13886

Uh, Larry. Cisneros wasn't sent to prison. He paid a fine to avoid prison. Get your neocon facts straight.

Bush should have erased the fine/probation also.

Best wishes to Libby and his friends/family.

If the American people were concerned with justice, they won't let up until most (if not all) of the Clinton Administration are incarcerated.

Like it or not, this is a consitutionally granted power that the president has. He only has a year and a half left, then we get to see what new dictator gets elected to pick up where he left off. There isn't one of the front runners that I even sort of like, which is sad.

Poor Martha Stewart. They didn't let her get away with lying.

The sentence for Libby sounds excessive to me. Can anyone remember the sentence Sandy Burglar got for stealing classified documents? He got a $50,000 fine and 100 hours community service. I think Burglar's sentence was too light, but the drive-by media hardly noticed that.

This type of thing can be completely avoidable in the future when Ron Paul is elected.

A True Republican is a Liberty libertarian.

A former FBI agent advised me, after the Scooter verdict, that virtually every person they questioned about any case changed their story later, or didn't have the real dates and times down place, or forgot how they learned facts. much of their job is sorting out timelines, recollections, etc. because little of what they are told initially is valid. He said that if anyone is "out to make an example of you," they could trump up perjury and obstruction charges.
His advice is if approached by an FBI agent or other government investigator for any reason at all, say that you won't say anything without first consulting with your lawyer.

Warning. this is off topic. I don't know why everyone seems to call Ron Paul a libertarian. It's a strong word to use on a candidate that supports the "Don't ask Don't Tell" policy. I heard his explanation on why he supports and i don't think that he is actually tolerant towards homosexuals or bisexuals, but this policy is responsible for many good soldiers being kicked out of a military that is supposed to defend our freedoms.

I felt the same at first too, Neil.

Then I thought about all that he said regarding the subject.

We don't ask straight people their orientation and they don't feel the need to tell us their orientation.

While I think it's stupid for booting someone out of the military because they like their partners to have the same parts as themselves, I think anyone who's going around being disruptive, regardless of orientation, race, gender or any other 'handicap' or 'deviation,' ought to be kicked out.

That goes for gays running around saying how gay they are and for straights running around saying how straight they are.

While it's a bad policy as currently implemented, like all laws, it's the executive who ultimately decides how the law is executed.

And as a libertarian I feel all laws with even the slightest capacity for misuse ought to be repealed.

Perhaps Paul meant it in a "don't ask don't brag" sort of way. Who knows.

He's not perfect. I disagree on him with some other issues as well. But he's far more appealing that the rest of the candidates vying for the position in the big 2.

As far as the primary is concerned, he has my vote. I only fear that reregistering will mean I get called into jury duty even faster.

The LP get a press release out on this?

Great thing. My unlawyered mind tells me that the freedom of speech means exactly what it says. We have the right to lie to government officials and obstruct investigationss by our words.

I'm a bigger fan of Liddy than Libby, however.

In regards to comparing Paris to Scooter,when are more going to be concerned what the most pressing issue.The executive branch is totally out of control and it's actions are extremely far reaching. Paris is just a spoiled kid who broke a California state law.
George Bush,Dick Cheney et. al. defied the U.S. Constitution.
FYI keep a close eye on Jim(the dictator)Senenbrenner (R-Wisc)

Some of the responses here, if indeed they are actual Libertarians, and not GOP trolls and/or Bushbots are truly frightening. I do still hold out hope that the overwhelming majority of the Libertarian Party is not in favor of this, what with polls that say even the majority of rank and file Republicans were opposed to this.

What about the excessive sentences of those in jail for using pot for medicinal purposes? How about the excessive prison sentences for those in jail who prefer pot to booze.gamble,or dance nude in bars. It seems You only get a pardon for excessive prison sentences if You are in the loop!

THOMAS PAINE WROTE: "A True Republican is a Liberty libertarian"

Ron Paul is the only non-cretin ?your stinking Republicans HAVE EVER HAD!.. ;o)

MARK B. They ?stifled me on my last 'money' post to you on another thread..suffice it say you never did answer my original que$tion (i.e. 'how would your 'free market' work with respect to money issuance/creation, administration, etc.,?' before you changed the $ubject..)

It is obvious that Bush commuted the sentence (I know pardons are his perogative, but where is commuting sentences allowed by the Constitution?) because if Libby spends any time in jail he might talk because he got screwed by his bosses. Talking would be the worst thing Bush and Cheney would want. I'm sure Libby cares very little about the fine which he'll probably never pay (like the polluters that aren'r actually forced to pay) and the probation that means next to nothing. He's going to retire to some beautiful island somewhere and live the rest of his days drinking adult beverages and putting on sun tan lotion. Rough life for this neocon thug.

Thank Allah Bush Pardoned Libby what a complete waste of taxpayer dollars to start with.

Just checking back to see if the LP has endorsed Ron Paul yet or if they are still plan on waiting until next summer- after 95% of Americans have already decided on a candidate- to pick another Badnarik. True incompetence must run this party. I'm shocked how a party that represent about 1/3 of the voting population manages to bring that down to less than 1% every year.

Neil,

Paul is a libertarian not a Libertarian.

Clark:

I actually did attempt to reply in that thread, but my reply did not appear. I will give my reply briefly here. For the benefit of everybody else, let's take any further discussion of this over to the forums at www.lpstuff.com.

My reply, as brief and concise as I can:

1. Mr. Zarlenga is purveying what is called the "Social Credit Theory". The Social Credit theory has been discredited for 70+ years.

2. The rest of Mr. Zarlenga's program is pretty much standard Keynesian fare.

I will stick with endorsing privately minted commodity money, with a ban on fractional reserve banking.

I will not respond further on this subject on these blogs, unless an appropriate topic is posted by the mods. If you want to continue this on www.lpstuff.com forums, that is just fine.

Folks:

Ron Paul is NOT running for the LP nomination at this time. He is running for the GOP nomination. We have several candidates running for the LP nomination. Like it or not, THEY are the choices. The LP convention is not until May 2008. That is the rules. No way to select a candidate before then. Maybe Mr. Paul might decide to enter the LP race by then. But until he does enter the LP race, it is not appropriate to consider him as an LP candidate.

Ufortunately our choices are the same old no-experience, no-name candidates. If this continues the LP will plug along with 250,000 to 300,000 votes forever and ever. And me, I'll die before a Libertarian holds any national post. The future's so dim, I gotta wear a headlight.

The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development is not as big a position as chief aide of the Office of the Vice President.

But it doesn't matter. Libby should be pardoned. Obstruction of justice and perjury are non-crimes:

http://www.lewrockwell.com/gregory/gregory131.html

Olbermann nails the Libby pardon scandal:

http://pauliecannoli.wordpress.com/2007/07/05/dubai-ya-should-resign/

paul:

I don't think even resignation could help at this point.

As an incoming Libertarian President, one of my first acts would be to sign arrest warrants for Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Gonzalez, Rice, numerous underlings and many senior military officers. After a trial for war crimes and crimes against humanity, I would replay the scene from Nuremburg as in turn, each of the ringleaders goes to the gallows. And any request for a pardon or reprieve from me would be met with laughter, I would grant no mercy.

MARK B. WROTE: "For the benefit of everybody else, let's take any further discussion of thi($) over to the forums at www.lpstuff.com."

Please don't speak "for the benefit of everybody else" ;o)

..look, someone has to talk about "IT"..you surely don't/can't.."IT" is at the root of virtually every 'political' issue/etc. issues..

..please, just because you are, in some ways, apparently worse than ignorant as to the nature, origin, etc. of 'money,' don't try to stifle people who do have an honest clue! ;o)

MARK B. WROTE: "I will stick with endorsing privately minted commodity money, with a ban on fractional reserve banking."

Sounds like MARK B. would rip apart Mother Earth, etc. ad nauseam for more "money"..and coin it 'privately?'..does that mean the 'private' 'coiner$' don't have to tell anyone how many 'new one$' they 'coined,' or melted, etc.?

Mark B:

Yep, I agree with that too.

http://pauliecannoli.wordpress.com/2007/01/23/the-us-war-crime-family-commission/

Sure would be a great start...

http://pauliecannoli.wordpress.com/2007/01/08/unintentional-irony-and-wishful-thinking/

Well, since this thread has died out as far as the topic is concerned, I will answer you on a couple of points.

There is no optimum or socially desirable level of the money commodity. If the money commodity becomes scarce, its value will rise and the general price level will fall. It is possible that if the price rises to a sufficient level, some of the existing gold production will be transferred to currency manufacture and away from non currency manufacture. Gold will continue to be extracted, whether for coinage or non coinage is immaterial. So your Mother Earth argument fails.

In any event, it would not profit a private mint to endlessly pump coins into the economy, thereby devaluing said coins. That would be just plain stupid. Rather, as coins wore out, they would be taken from circulation, melted down and reminted as fresh coins. Government does have ONE function here. That is to make sure the coins are what they say they are. That is to make sure the coins are of the appropriate weight and contain the stated amount of the commodity. The main concern are not the mints, but the banks. Making sure they do not engage in fractional reserve banking.