Newsgroup: it.politica.internazionale
Titolo: Only 20% of Americans Want Pardon for Libby

Only 20% of Americans Want Pardon for Libby
July 4, 2007
 (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Few adults in the United States would agree
with George W. Bush granting a presidential reprieve to a former
vice-presidential aide, according to a poll by Opinion Dynamics released
by Fox News. Only 20 per cent of respondents think Bush should pardon
Lewis Libby.
In October 2005, special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald announced that
Libby—vice-president Dick Cheney’s former chief of staff—had been
indicted. According to the document, Libby lied to Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI) agents and a federal grand jury about his
conversations regarding the identity of Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
operative Valerie Plame with both Time reporter Matthew Cooper and Tim
Russert of NBC News.
Plame is married to former ambassador Joseph Wilson, who in July 2003
wrote an op-ed in the New York Times that severely criticized the Bush
administration for its claim that Saddam Hussein’s regime had sought to
purchase uranium from Niger. On Mar. 6, Libby was convicted on one count
of obstruction of justice, two counts of perjury, and one count of making
false statements. He was later sentenced to 30 months in prison—plus two
years of probation—and ordered to pay a $250,000 U.S. fine.
On Jul. 2, U.S. president George W. Bush decided to commute Libby’s prison
sentence. In a written statement, Bush explained: "The reputation he
gained through his years of public service and professional work in the
legal community is forever damaged. His wife and young children have also
suffered immensely. He will remain on probation. The significant fines
imposed by the judge will remain in effect. The consequences of his felony
conviction on his former life as a lawyer, public servant, and private
citizen will be long-lasting."
Wilson expressed dismay at the decision, saying, "Frankly, there’s very
little that surprises me from this administration anymore. I think it’s
corrupt from top to bottom. (...) What I care about is that the rule of
law and the system of justice that has undergirded our democracy for 220
years is upheld. And that is what has been subverted by the president’s
actions today."
Under the terms of the U.S. Constitution, the U.S. president has the power
to commute a sentence for a federal offence without a hearing. In the
specific case of Libby, a presidential pardon would entail no fine, no
probation and no jail sentence.
Polling Data
Do you think the president should or should not give Lewis "Scooter" Libby
a presidential pardon?
Should
 20%
 
Should not
 47%
 
Don’t know
 33%
 
Source: Opinion Dynamics / Fox News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 900 registered American voters,
conducted on Jun. 26 and Jun. 27, 2007. Margin of error is 3 per cent.
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 Only 20% of Americans Want Pardon for Libby
"Gli offri un dito e si pigliano tutto il braccio.Noi italiani stavamo
bene a pascolare le pecore, poi abbiamo voluto fare un paese
industriale. Noi italiani siamo fatti così, rossi e neri alla fine
tutti uguali".
"Ma chi è che sta parlando!" Ma che siamo in un film di Alberto Sordi!
Bravo! Te lo meriti Alberto Sordi!".