Special Comment From Keith Olbermann

Keith Olbermann offers a Special Comment.... this time taking aim at the decision to commute the prison sentence of Lewis "Scooter" Libby.

Resignations? There's no way that any of the top players in the Bush mob family will step aside. But Olbermann used the Libby case to highlight the two justice systems that exist in this country... one for the rich, elite, and connected, and the one for the average and poor American citizen. He also did a great job of highlighting the arrogance & the disdain for the law that still drives the Bush mob.

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Texas Governor George Bush

It's interesting that Libby gets a free pass for what some have called Treason, but as Texas Governor, Bush refused to commute the death sentences of at least 3 retarded men, Oliver Cruz, John Paul Penry, and Doil Lane. At least one of these men (Oliver Cruz) was executed. Now all of a sudden (for Scooter) he finds his compassion???? Where was this compassion when he was Governor of Texas?

I'm not making excuses for any of these men.... their crimes were deplorable. I am in favor of tough laws for tough crimes. Though i'm not an advocate for the death penalty (largely because of too many flaws in the system and the disparity in how it is used), I would support this punishment under certain conditions. This is one situation where a Governor has to use caution, and rely on science and sound judgement. I don't think Governor Bush did much of any of those things when he sent these men to the death chamber. The sloppiness of then Governor Bush was shown in the fact that the Supreme Court had to step in and reverse some of these decisions.

This imbalance in how Bush uses his power once again highlights the dual justice systems, and shows how differences in social class impacts your treatment in this society across the board. The Supreme Court ruled in 1989 (in Penry Vs. Lynaugh) that the execution of the mentally retarded was a violation of the 8th Amendment. The high court re-affirmed that decision in 2002 (in Atkins Vs. Virginia). Yet there was no effort by Governor Bush to commute those sentences.