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Begging Bush's Pardon

By standdown

That's the title of an OpEd in today's New York Times.  It's written by George Lardner, Jr., a former Washington Post reporter who is writing a history of presidential pardon authority.  LINKTHE first rule for handling requests for presidential pardons was set down in a report to Congress in 1887, during Grover Cleveland?s first term in office. It said they were to be sent to the attorney general?s ?pardon clerk? for ?his prompt and appropriate attention.? Just as important, according to the report, was that the petitioners were to be given a fair shake. They were almost always convicted criminals, but that didn?t mean they were all guilty as charged or deserving of the harsh punishments that had been inflicted on them. And so, the pardon attorney in those days was under instructions to ?accord to the convict all that he may be fairly entitled to have said in his favor...continue to full post

Full post as published by StandDown Texas Project on February 04, 2008 (boomark / email).