Romney Gives Thumbs Up to Libby Sentence Commutation

Former Massachusetts governor and Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney (R-Doubletalking Hypocrite), weighed in today with his opinion that Preznit Bush's commutation of Scooter Libby was a really cool thing to do. Yahoo News AP wire excerpt:

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa - Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who as Massachusetts governor refused to pardon an Iraq war veteran's BB-gun conviction, on Tuesday called President Bush's commutation of Scooter Libby's prison sentence "reasonable."

Defending Bush, Romney said at a campaign stop that "the president looked very carefully at the setting" before deciding to commute the 2 1/2-year sentence of Libby, the former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, who was convicted in the CIA leak case.

That quote: "the president looked very carefully at the setting" is as big a joke as you could come up with, even if you weren't trying to be funny about this case. This president has never looked carefully at a goddamned thing since he stole his way into power -- especially the Presidential Daily Briefing of August 6, 2001 titled "Bin Ladin Determined to Strike in US."

The prosecutor in the case "went after somebody even when he knew no crime had been committed," Romney said. "Given that fact, isn't it reasonable for a commutation of a portion of the sentence to be made?"

If no crime was committed, then why did the jury convict Libby? Mitt, are you stupid, or just a partisan hack?

As governor, Romney twice rejected a pardon for Anthony Circosta, who at age 13 was convicted of assault for shooting another boy in the arm with a BB gun — a shot that didn't break the skin. Circosta worked his way through college, joined the Army National Guard and led a platoon of 20 soldiers in Iraq's deadly Sunni triangle. In 2005, as he was serving in Iraq, he sought a pardon to fulfill his dream of becoming a police officer.

In his presidential bid, Romney often proudly points out that he was the first governor in modern Massachusetts history to deny every request for a pardon or commutation during his four years in office. He says he refused pardons because he didn't want to overturn a jury. During the four years Romney was in office, 100 requests for commutations and 172 requests for pardons were filed in the state. All were denied.

Case One: Anthony Circosta, as a kid, shot another kid, non-fatally (and apparently non-traumatically), and as a result carries an assault conviction that seems not to have slowed him down as he got an education, and serves this country as a soldier in Iraq. Mitt Romney, a governor who can pardon such convictions, chose not to do so.

Case Two: Scooter Libby, likely acting as a hatchet man for the Preznit and the Vice Preznit, commits the crime of exposing the identity of a covert asset, lies about it, and is convicted and sentenced to prison. Preznit Bush commutes the 30-month sentence as "too harsh", and is mulling over the possibility of a full pardon (which he will, as sure as I am typing this, receive). Mitt Romney believes this to be a sensible act.

Let's recap: Mitt Romney, exhibiting the Preznit's laziness, brags about not having ever pardoned anyone while he served as governor, and cites among his reasons for never having done so as his desire to not overturn the verdicts of juries. Preznit Bush commuted the sentence of a man who, on his behalf, put this nation at risk by exposing the identity of a covert asset and lied about it, and was convicted and sentenced for having done so. The Preznit overturned the verdict of the jury in this case, something Mitt Romney supposedly never wanted to do himself, but is happy that the Preznit has done so in this case. Mitt, besides being completely useless as a leader, you are the very definition of a hypocrite.

The sad thing for you (which is the good thing for the rest if us) is that the man for whom you so loudly cheer does not give a flying coitus about you and your chances to be the next Preznit. Another news flash Mitt: Neither do his supporters, many of whom will be helping your primary opponents sling mud at you in your doomed to failure attempt to gain the White House. Have fun on the campaign trail!