Who should President Bush pardon?

Over on ABC News they reveal that:

A record number of felons are seeking presidential pardons or commutations as President George W. Bush enters the final months of his term, creating one of the largest backlogs in clemency applications in recent history.

Apparently among those seeking pardons are:

Michael Milken, the junk-bond king and financier convicted of securities fraud in 1990; John Walker Lindh, the so-called American Taliban; Randy "Duke" Cunningham, the former California congressman who was convicted of tax evasion; and Edwin Edwards, the former governor of Louisiana convicted in 2000 of racketeering, according to the Justice Department.

I must say, the idea of Presidential pardons is absolutely extraordinary. I am astonished that it is constitutional.

But seeing as it is, and as the President has got his pen out, is there anyone you would like to recommend?

Comments

[Peter Briffa]

Michael Vick.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5jz-M0xYsRhIWxo7aGQqfTx4-ksQQ

[Tom Jefferson]

“I am astonished that it is constitutional”?! I, on the other hand, am astonished that you claim to know about politics and yet you don’t know what the US Constitution says (Article II, section 2): “he shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment”. It's not exactly news ...

[Michael Lee Ross]

I suggest pardoning Leonard Peltier. It is long overdue. Former President Clinton, who many thought would pardon Peltier, couldn't summon the moral courage. I don't expect President Bush to grant him pardon but stranger things have happened.

Michael Lee Ross
Vancouver British Columbia

[James Schneider]

No. There is no Roderick

Welease Woger

[Andrew P]

He should only pardon US spies and warriors who got a bit too agressive with the Islamic warriors. Those who may have comitted authorized violations of law in service to their country should get a blanket pardon. Ordinary criminals should be left to hang.

[John P]

Me, of course. I've been slagging off this burning bush for years - and now he's out I feel guilty.

[Jonathan]

Guantanamo Bay prisoners maybe!

[Marbury]

Jonathan Ross

Border Patrol Agents

Ramos and Compean

[Terry]

Border Patrol Agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean.

[Dan - People's Republic of Ann Arbor, MI, USA]

Clinton's blackest day was his disgusting pardon of rank criminals who could afford the payoffs to Clinton family members... while utterly ignoring some legitimate pardons that should have been considered - That showed his utter lack of character as much or more than anything he left on Monica's dress.

I would not mind seeing political victims like Scooter Libby or the two Mexican-border-control agents pardoned.

Can 'Budzyn & Nevers' in Detroit be pardoned by the Prez? - talk about a racist political lynching of two great career cops just for being white!...

Please President Bush - show us that you have 10,000 times more character than Bill Clinton by not repeating his excesses. Do the right thing and history will judge you fairly in the long run.

[jeff long]

free Compean and Ramos!

[Dave B]

Sarah Connor, she's dead right about Skynet.

[Tracey Roth]

I rather think he should be begging our, the American people's, pardon for eight years of dangerous ineptitude. And while he's at it, I'm sure the rest of the world would like an apology, as well.

[Steve (Chicago, IL, USA)]

He'll probably pardon himself and Vice President Cheney "just incase."

[Hugo]

No! Welease Bwian!

[s masty]

dick cheney. in advance, of course.

[Rick Hepner]

The President should pardon Mr. Cheney, Mr. Rumsfeld, Mr. Wolfowitz, et al, and of course - himself!

[Doc Mick]

He should pardon himself, just to be safe.

[Sean]

Himself?

[iztme]

who should Bush pardon? that's easy.

the bigger turkey.

[eddy]

Perhaps it would be more germane to ask "who is going to pardon Bush"

[eddy]

Perhaps it would be more germane to ask "who is going to pardon President Bush"certainly not the millions of unemployed,or the millions of Palistinians,or Afgans, who have had their lands devastated,and loved ones blown to bits, in pursuit of American greed.

[real estate rebate]

How many non-political, non-famous people get pardons?

[Peter V]

Conrad Black (aka Lord Black of Crossharbour). The man is in jail for the criminalization of business practices. The transactions he was accused of concealing were detailed in SEC filings submitted to his audit committee, whose members admitted in court they hadn't bothered to read. The majority of charges were dismissed. The scale of the alleged fraud evaporated as proceedings progressed. Conrad Black created significant shareholder wealth that was vaporized by his tormentors in the name of shareholder rights. He brought quality and editorial diversity to Canadian and international journalism. A blowhard to be sure, but an innocent man. Set him free, Mister President!

[Eddie Dougall]

I have to assume that "Peter V" is 'Lord' Black's nom-de-plume. Or perhaps his pen-name.

[Kazuki]

@ Tom Jefferson

You completely misunderstand the author showng a poor knowledge of the English language and a poor ability to comprehend simple concepts.

He understands it is constitutonal as he understands children die in Africa because of having no food (an analogy). He does not however accept it.

[cuffleyburgers]

Your grammatical error in the title is unpardonable - "whoM should he pardon?"

PS agree with your poster about Clinton's pardons. A disgustingly squalid affair.

Mr. Daniel Finkelstein,

I believe you know about the Clinton Pardons (about 180 on his last day in office, I think). Bush should try to beat this record.
Your "surprise" about this issue is completely fake.

[Tom Jefferson]

@Kazuki: Unless you're telepathic, you don't actually know what Daniel F. meant any better than I do. My interpretation of his fairly casual and ambiguous phrasing happens to differ from your interpretation, that's all. I'm just a lot more polite and less arrogant than you are. Maybe Bush should pardon you.

[Edd, London]

At this rate he will need to pardon Daniel Finkenstein, who appears to be on the verge of conviction and sentencing at the Grand Court of Pedantry.

[Ben O'Connor]

do you realise that Royal pardons exist in this country. The granting of pardons, in the United States is often due to harsh sentences, or as a last resort unfair trials( something very important nation operates the death penalty). Therefore it doesn't seem extraordinary or. As to who I would pardon, Wesley Snipes .

[Jim]

Scotter Libby. This one's a no brainer. He took the fall for the no wmds cover up.

[Andrew Toscani]

Michael Milken would sound ironic just after another global financial disaster, but after all he served almost 20 years and was a rookie compared to today's Lehman Bros and UBS people...

[oldasiahand]

Pardons are like everything else in American life: money talks, BS walks. Lord Black hopedully has enough to buy his way out.

Oh, and add the Nat West 3 and all other Brits subject to extraordinary rendition under the unequal extradition treaty.

[Jack Cerf, Chatham NJ]

All the line interrogators at Gitmo, and the scapegoated MPs at Abu Ghraib.

[Jacqui MacGillivray]

Shouldn't this be "Whom should Bush pardon"?

IT'S TIME IS WELL OVERDUE THAT JONATHAN POLLARD BE RELEASED.HIS PLEA BARGAIN WAS NEVER HONORED.24 YEARS IN PRISON FOR HIS OFFENSE IS WAY MORE THAN ANYONE WHO COMMITED.HE DID WHAT HE DID FOR AN AMERICAN ALLY ISRAEL LET THE POOR MAN GO.PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!

[adiestubbs]

Free Barabbas!

[mike Jackson]

For those who don't know Leon Pelter killed two FBI agents in cold blood in the 1970's

[Jon Smythe]

Lord Black of Crossharbour, of course!

[Maureen Girard]

President Bush should pardon the Border Guards, Compean and Ramos!
MG

[MarkD]

Perhaps He could consider offering to give up his presidential pardons, and ask instead for another country to grant a pardon?

Aung San Suu Kyi in Burma comes to mind. Would be an impressive gesture, revitalise some important human rights issues, and be a strong note to leave on.

[Marco]

Agents Ramos and Compeon

G. Gordon Liddy

Commander Richard "Dick" Marcinko

Michael Milken

NO ON PELTIER - He's a murderer.

[Rudolph]

Yea, I have to agree w/ previous posters - pardoning fat crook mark rich, and contuing to let peltier rot, was more damning to Clinton's character than anything else. Also the sheer number of pardons (400+) was unprecedented.

Free Peltier!

[The Shu]

I'm Brian and so is my wife!

[San Ying]

HIMSELF..!

[Donald Weir]

The 500 guys who pay the most may not be who he should pardon, but wait and see.

[Max K]

John Walker Lindh would be good. The US government should use him as a way of learning more about the mindset of extremists and also a way of getting muslims to side with the US. This, coupled with getting rid of Guantanamo Bay would be a terrific start.

[Marco]

Pardon Vang Pao, the Lao-Hmong military commander who was allied with the US against Vietnam in the war but was arrested in the US a few years ago for plotting to overthrow the communist Laotian government.

[The Die Hard]

Reading up on this lately, it seems to have lost its original intent. A pardon is meant to erase a felony record after atonement is made and time is served. Doesn't do anyone much good any more to have a "pardon" when that just brings your felony up in public again, and besides, a felony record stays on computers until some really good hacker wipes all traces of your existence, in which case it's difficult to get citizenship back anyway. Pardoning Marc Rich was a bad idea, because the man never paid his debt, although $50 million looks like pretty small potatoes these days, compared to what Bush blows every minute with his illegal invasion and his illegal no-bid contracts to his buddies and his bailing-out of billionaires. But Dumbya's daddy's pardoning of the Iran-Contra co-conspirators was treason outright, and the worst mistake Clinton ever made was to fail to prosecute the lot of them and put them in prison for the rest of their miserable unnatural lives. A presidential pardon in its original intent is obsolete and meaningless, and has been superseded by legislation providing for the restoration of rights. The one law that remains to be enacted is to remove "Have you ever been convicted of a felony?" from job applications, and to seal the records of any convictions. Perhaps law enforcement agencies need to be kept informed of the whereabouts of child molesters and violent criminals, and banks should have a database of habitual fraudsters, but the millions of people who can't get a job because of a conviction for a victimless crime should not have to seek a presidential pardon.