WASHINGTON — President Bush spared former White House aide I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby from a 2 1/2-year prison term in the CIA leak investigation Monday, delivering a political thunderbolt in the highly charged criminal case. Bush said the sentence was just too harsh. Bush’s move came just five hours after a federal appeals panel ruled that Libby could not delay his prison term. That meant Libby was likely to have to report soon, and it put new pressure on the president, who had been sidestepping calls by Libby’s allies to pardon Vice President Dick Cheney’s former chief of staff. “I […]
REALITY CHECK: Executing A Former Child Prostitute Like Karla Faye Tucker Was ‘Excessive,’ Sentencing Libby To Two Years For Lying To The FBI Is The Law
BY SISTER HELEN PREJEAN In his autobiography, Bush claimed that the pending execution of Karla Faye Tucker “felt like a huge piece of concrete…crushing me.” But in an unguarded moment in 1999 while traveling during the presidential campaign, Bush revealed his true feelings to the journalist Tucker Carlson. Bush mentioned Karla Faye Tucker, who had been executed the previous year, and told Carlson that in the weeks immediately before the execution, Bianca Jagger and other protesters had come to Austin to plead for clemency for her. Carlson asked Bush if he had met with any of the petitioners and was […]
LIVE & DIRECT: Presidential Candidates Forum
PROFILE IN COURAGE: John Edwards works the crowd AMY Z. QUINN REPORTS: Today I liveblogged ACORN’s presidential forum at Bright Hope Baptist Church at 12th and Columbia in North Philadelphia. Mayor-apparent Mike Nutter spoke, followed by his political frenemy, U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah, but the big names were presidential contenders Hillary Clinton, Dennis Kucinich and John Edwards. Here’s a stitched-together version of the day’s events, stinkin’ inverted triangle be damned. About Bright Hope Baptist Church: It isn’t a terribly fancy church, especially for someone used to the Catholic more-is-more approach to things like marble, paintings and fancy vestments. Bright Hope […]
MEDIA: Man On The Street Interviews With Fat No-Neck White People And Their Horrible Cracker Spawn STILL Functionally Useless To Readers
In North Carolina, Lawson explained, “We’re much more courteous.” The pace of life back home, she said, makes Philadelphia seem maniacal. “If I lived here,” said Lawson’s colleague Lola Decacus, “I’d have to be on something.” Realizing how that sounded, she clarified. “High blood pressure medicine.” In contrast, Meg Kroll from Fort Lauderdale found Philadelphia positively mellow. “Everybody’s angry in Florida. It’s a more aggressive environment. Many people in South Florida have forgotten the basic ability to be courteous.” She and her entourage were passing a parking garage when a car tried to exit. “We were blocking the sidewalk. He […]
NPR FOR THE DEAF: We Hear It Even When You Can’t
FRESH AIR Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times reporter Linda Greenhouse, who’s been covering the United States Supreme Court since 1978, talks about the just-concluded court term, the landmark decisions handed down last week, and issues facing the court in its next session. PLUS, rock historian Ed Ward profiles songwriter Doc Pomus, the Brooklyn-born blues singer and songwriter who died in 1991. Born Jerome Solon Felder, he survived a childhood case of polio and went on to write hits for Ray Charles and Elvis Presley, among others. His songs include “Lonely Avenue,” “Viva Las Vegas” and “Save the Last Dance for […]
GAMBLOR: The Fart Of The Deal
ATLANTIC CITY – Unhappy with the bids it received, Trump Entertainment Resorts Inc. announced today it is no longer for sale. The company headed by celebrity dealmaker Donald Trump, issued a statement today saying its board of directors concluded that “none of the indications of interest received to date for the acquisition of the company represented or was likely to lead to a transaction that was in the best interests of the company and its shareholders.” Trump had been seeking $2.2 billion, including the assumption of $1.5 billion in debt, for the company’s three Atlantic City casinos. Shares of Trump […]
GOD SAVE THE QUEEN: Royal Marines Under Fire
WARNING: Liberal use of the word “fookin”
SICKO: Two Doctors Arrested In Brit Bombing Probe
GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — Doctors from Iraq and Jordan were among the seven suspects arrested in the failed car bombings in London and at Glasgow’s airport, officials said Monday. A witness said police were closing in on the terror network just before attackers rammed the Scottish terminal building. In the latest attacks, two car bombs failed to explode in central London on Friday and two men rammed a Jeep Cherokee loaded with gas cylinders into the entrance of Glasgow International Airport on Saturday. The unidentified driver of the Jeep, which burst into flames, is being treated for serious burns at […]
LIVE AND DIRECT: Presidential Candidates Forum
This is Amy Z. Quinn, aka Citizen Mom, aka Phawker Editrix. She is armed with a laptop and a built-in bullshit detector and should be considered dangerous by lying liars and the lies they tell. Amy will be liveblogging all afternoon from the ACORN Presidential Candidates Forum at Bright Hope Baptist Church at 1601 North Broad. Standby…