Do you think Bush commuted Libby's sentence as a protective measure?

Question

That Libby would talk if he was forced to spend time in prison.

Answer 1

Yes. Criminals watch out for each other.

Answer 2

Commuting the sentence is the same as a pardon and bush would have to break his own government's rules to pardon libby because he has not shown remorse or admitted his guilt. Of course there was a crime committed, libby was convicted repeatedly for lying under oath, which is a felony. If someone commits murder to cover up a burglary, but the person was never convicted of burglary, should we just let the murderer go? Silly Republicans.

Answer 3

that is the consensus. If Libby had spent even one day in prison, he would have spilled his guts. Bush had claimed he was not going to interfere until the appeals process had run its course, yet in he stepped. The appeals Libby lost were those to stay out of jail pending the appeal of his guilty verdicts
Edited to add:

I love seeing people talk about a "non-crime" IF lying under oath is a non-crime, then the justice system needs to let out the other 3200 people who are in jail for doing the same things, perjury and obstructing justice for similar if not more time that he was sentenced to.
It seems that Wilson, Plame, Fitzgerald, the State Dept in their memo, the CIA are all liars and Libby is the only one telling the truth.

So if Libby did not tell the truth as to how he got the information and why he divulged it and for what reason it was divulged, this is obstucting an investigation.
Some claim here that this was a non crime because she was not covert- a fact refuted by the CIA which is why the CIA limited her testimony in front of Congress as well as a declassified document made available on May 29,2007 which showed she WAS covert. I guess the recently appointed CIA Director Michael Hayden is also a liar, when he stated Valerie Plame was covert.
Even if the Libby supporters claims were true ( which they are not), Brewster Jennings, the "cover" company did not have just ONE employee, so all the " covert" agents that used this corporation for cover had their cover blown.
Brewster Jennings was company that had human intelligence in places to gather information on nuclear proliferation i.e. WMDs and were supposedly a few weeks away from putting "Brewster Jennings" employees in place to gather information on Iranian nuclear capabilities when the name was published in the paper by Robert Novak. So all the work that was put in for years before was destroyed.
No one forced Libby to take an oath to tell the truth and lie 7 times not only to the FBI but also to the grand jury. He had notes that he could have referred back to which he fully well knew he had but he still chose to lie. It was his own notes that were used against him as well as the testimony from the reporters, yes notes in his own handwriting detailing when he met and spoke with whom. Enough!!!

Answer 4

It would have been nice if Libby served time in prison like everyone else that get's pardoned. However to answer your question yes it was a protective measure.

Answer 5

Yes, and he was likely worried about any book Libby might write. Bush is still hoping that historians will view his presidency in a positive light.

Answer 6

No, I think Bush commuted Libby's sentence because the whole case was about an outed CIA worker that was a desk jockey and not in the field as previously claimed and most would consider Libby not being able to remember what person he talked to first then second, years ago, perjury, just a lapse of memory.

Answer 7

It is hard to determine what this whole thing is about. If someone lies to a grandy jury and is caught, hhmm, shouldn't that person have to pay the penalty? It makes one wonder. I am conservative, but a lot of things that have been happening with the Bush administration are very suspect, to say the least. He should not have been pardoned. Hypocrisy, hypocrisy.

Answer 8

as a reward

libby is a company man

libby takes care of bush + co, bush and co takes care of libby

Answer 9

I believe that the Libby conviction in and of itself is a clear example of the Congress grossly overstepping its bounds and looking for a head to place on the chopping block.

If not remembering something one day but then remembering it a week later is a crime, then how many of us would be in jail?

Further, how many times did both Clintons say they could not remember but it was later proved that they did. Heck Bill even said he committed a crime which is punishable by time in prison. It is called perjury.

Answer 10

No, he commuted his sentence because Libby was unfarily targeted in a witch hunt by the Dems for talking about a CIA employee who by the CIAs own definition was not a covert operative.