It takes an awful lot to overcome Bill Clinton's reticence for the spotlight. More than content to remain in the background, indulging his normal self-effacing nature, it takes a great deal to pull him out of his placid retirement and comment on world affairs. It seems that our 42nd president is a firm believer in the historical tradition of former presidents not trying to hold the limelight once their term of office has passed.
It seems that President Bush's commutation of Lewis "Scooter" Libby's prison sentence was enough to pull him out of his shell.
It's a fascinating read, a real glimpse into his mind (or, possibly, the mind of his staff, but I think he had a great deal with the actual content). And two elements spring to mind.
The first is that his defense of the charges that Marc Rich bought his pardon boils down to "a lot of others wanted to buy pardons, and I didn't pardon them." An interesting theory, but I don't think it holds up well in court.
The second is what Clinton doesn't say. He doesn't discuss Edgar and Vanna Jo Gregory, who won their pardon after hiring Hillary's brother to lobby on their behalf.
He doesn't discuss his pardon of four men from New Square, New York, who had been convicted of setting up a phony Hasidic school to embezzle government grants.
And he doesn't discuss his pardon of 16 Puerto Rican Separatist terrorists, whose movement set off over a hundred bombs and killed about half a dozen Americans and wounded plenty more.
And he certainly doesn't discuss how those pardons might have influenced his wife's 2000 senatorial campaign -- because it would take someone of tremendous political acumen to take into account the possible reaction of the Jewish and Puerto Rican voters of New York to those pardons.
And as we know, Bill Clinton would never take such factors into account when making his choices.
I was glad to see Clinton's piece in the New York Times. It had been far too long since we heard from him, and I was worried about how he was doing.
(update) Dang it, I hate it when the facts get in the way of a good snark. I didn't notice the date on the original piece. Also, as mantis observed, I didn't give it a title. That flaw's been fixed, but the gist of the piece -- Clinton's excuses for his pardons -- remains accurate.
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Comments (22)
Did you notice the date of ... (Below threshold)1. Posted by Blue Neponset | July 3, 2007 11:05 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Did you notice the date of the story? I can't tell if you are being sarcastic or not, but the story was published on February 18, 2001.
1. Posted by Blue Neponset | July 3, 2007 11:05 AM |
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Posted on July 3, 2007 11:05
2. Posted by mantis | July 3, 2007 11:12 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
It seems that President Bush's commutation of Lewis "Scooter" Libby's prison sentence was enough to pull him out of his shell
Enough to pull him out of his shell and compel him to travel back in time to write a column, eh?
P.S. Don't forget who secured the Rich pardon, his lawyer for 15+ years.
P.P.S. Nice title
2. Posted by mantis | July 3, 2007 11:12 AM |
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Posted on July 3, 2007 11:12
3. Posted by Jeff | July 3, 2007 11:13 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
I have to assume he did'nt mention Sandy "Pants" Berger either ...
Its hard to imagine a more cynical and hypocritical demonstration of the tin ear of the Clintons and the liberal slant of the NYT.
3. Posted by Jeff | July 3, 2007 11:13 AM |
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Posted on July 3, 2007 11:13
4. Posted by Bill Clinton | July 3, 2007 11:14 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Heh, I'd pardon anyone for a BJ. Sorry, but I have to listen to the other head. It's just too headstrong for me to refuse. Now kiss it!
4. Posted by Bill Clinton | July 3, 2007 11:14 AM |
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Posted on July 3, 2007 11:14
5. Posted by Hillary Rodham Clinton | July 3, 2007 11:19 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
This is nothing like any of the pardons I... I mean, Bill... ever issued!
5. Posted by Hillary Rodham Clinton | July 3, 2007 11:19 AM |
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Posted on July 3, 2007 11:19
6. Posted by BlogDog | July 3, 2007 11:28 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Understated snark - me likee!
6. Posted by BlogDog | July 3, 2007 11:28 AM |
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Posted on July 3, 2007 11:28
7. Posted by Jo | July 3, 2007 11:42 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
"This commutation sends the clear signal that in this administration, cronyism and ideology trump competence and justice." - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y.
May the howls of laughter begin all across the country.
7. Posted by Jo | July 3, 2007 11:42 AM |
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Posted on July 3, 2007 11:42
8. Posted by Denise Rich | July 3, 2007 12:15 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Oooohhhh yesssssss, thaaannkssss Bill.....oh SHIT, I mean thank you mister President.
8. Posted by Denise Rich | July 3, 2007 12:15 PM |
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Posted on July 3, 2007 12:15
9. Posted by Dirk | July 3, 2007 12:16 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
I love that he justified Mark Rich's pardon with the good work he has done helping Israel. Imagine if Bush said anything like that! He would be accused of being even more of an evil Zionist! But with Clinton, its apparently cool and noncontroversal.
9. Posted by Dirk | July 3, 2007 12:16 PM |
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Posted on July 3, 2007 12:16
10. Posted by notaWizbangPharisee | July 3, 2007 12:42 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
"I love that he justified Mark Rich's pardon with the good work he has done helping Israel. Imagine if Bush said anything like that"i>
Bush doesn't need to do that...he did better by appointing all his war-mongering neocons like Libby, Rumsfeld, Feith Perle, Abrams, Wolfowitz, etc to do Israel's bidding in the Middle East
10. Posted by notaWizbangPharisee | July 3, 2007 12:42 PM |
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Posted on July 3, 2007 12:42
11. Posted by C-C-G | July 3, 2007 1:13 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Ahh, yes... it's all the fault of the eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeevil Jooooooooooos!!!!!
Puh-leeze. Take your anti-Semitism back to Kos where it belongs.
11. Posted by C-C-G | July 3, 2007 1:13 PM |
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Posted on July 3, 2007 13:13
12. Posted by Oyster | July 3, 2007 1:23 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
notaWizbangPharisee:
Apparently you didn't get subsequent talking point memos. We don't control Israel, they control us. Yeesh, at least try to keep up, will ya?
12. Posted by Oyster | July 3, 2007 1:23 PM |
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Posted on July 3, 2007 13:23
13. Posted by C-C-G | July 3, 2007 1:55 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
That's what the Pharisee meant, Oyster... we're sending neocons to do Israel's bidding.
Of course, neocon is just another term for "eeeeeeeeeeeeevil Joooooooooooos!"
Nazi-style anti-Semitism is alive and well on the American left.
13. Posted by C-C-G | July 3, 2007 1:55 PM |
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Posted on July 3, 2007 13:55
14. Posted by WildWillie | July 3, 2007 2:22 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
I have no idea why liberals hate the jews so much. Someone want to help? ww
14. Posted by WildWillie | July 3, 2007 2:22 PM |
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Posted on July 3, 2007 14:22
15. Posted by dennis | July 3, 2007 2:57 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Did not Clinton also pardon Henry
Cisneros. Note also that Cisneros
did not do any jail time either.
15. Posted by dennis | July 3, 2007 2:57 PM |
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Posted on July 3, 2007 14:57
16. Posted by C-C-G | July 3, 2007 3:00 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Correct, Cisneros was in Clinton's cabinet and was pardoned by Clinton.
16. Posted by C-C-G | July 3, 2007 3:00 PM |
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Posted on July 3, 2007 15:00
17. Posted by Zelsdorf Ragshaft III | July 3, 2007 5:49 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Clinton had to pardon many as he did not wish them to testify against him. Loyalty to a criminal has its price.
17. Posted by Zelsdorf Ragshaft III | July 3, 2007 5:49 PM |
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Posted on July 3, 2007 17:49
18. Posted by John in CA | July 3, 2007 6:01 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Yeah, and having them offed was getting too inconvenient. Too many dead bodies of enemies and too many questions being raised. Pardons were much less bloody and less spectacular.
18. Posted by John in CA | July 3, 2007 6:01 PM |
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Posted on July 3, 2007 18:01
19. Posted by C-C-G | July 3, 2007 6:16 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Besides, if ya kill them, they can't do anything for you. Pardon them and you can hold that over their head for a very long time.
19. Posted by C-C-G | July 3, 2007 6:16 PM |
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Posted on July 3, 2007 18:16
20. Posted by jim | July 3, 2007 8:34 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Fascinating that George Bush Sr.'s full pardon of a convicted terrorist who killed over 70 people, isn't mentioned either.
Why is that?
Anyone?
20. Posted by jim | July 3, 2007 8:34 PM |
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Posted on July 3, 2007 20:34
21. Posted by jim | July 3, 2007 8:39 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Oh, here's another great bunch of quotes for you:
"How can parents instill values and morality in their children? How can educators teach our children? How can the rule of law for every American be applied equally if we have two standards of justice in America - one for the powerful and the other for the rest of us?"
- Chuck Hagel, R-Nebraska
"He is not above the law. If an ordinary citizen committed these crimes, he would go to jail."
- Bill Frist, R-PA
"I very much worry that with the evidence that we have seen that grand juries across America are going to start asking questions about what is obstruction of justice, what is perjury...And I don't want there to be any lessening of the standard. Because our system of criminal justice depends on people telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. That is the lynch pin of our criminal justice system and I don't want it to be faded in any way."
- Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas
"No man is above the law, and no man is below the law...That's the principle that we all hold very dear in this country."
- Tom Delay, former R-Texas, currently awaiting trial.
"Lying under oath strikes at the heart of our system of justice and the rule of law. It does not matter in the least what the perjury is about," - Robert Bork and James Rosen, National Review.
"And we know that when a person testifies under oath that he doesn't remember something when in fact he does, he has committed perjury," - Bill Bennett, Wall Street Journal.
Amazing, ain't it?
Of course, they were all talking about a ***Democrat***.
We all know it doesn't apply if it's a ***Republican*** who gets caught.
Isn't that right?
21. Posted by jim | July 3, 2007 8:39 PM |
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Posted on July 3, 2007 20:39
22. Posted by Robin Roberts | July 3, 2007 10:12 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
jim, you actually have the gall to use Tom Delay as an example, who is being prosecuted by a prosecutor who is actually bringing charges based on a post facto law?
Sheesh, that's bold.
22. Posted by Robin Roberts | July 3, 2007 10:12 PM |
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Posted on July 3, 2007 22:12