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Pool / Getty Images
President Barack Obama greets guests during a Cinco de Mayo reception in the Rose Garden at the White House on Thursday.
President Barack Obama is on track to be one of the least forgiving of presidents in U.S. history — as measured by his use of presidential pardon powers, according to a political science professor who blogs about clemency exercised by presidents and governors.
"It is fair to say two things," said P.S. Ruckman Jr., who teaches at Rock Valley College in Rockville, Ill. "One is (Obama) is definitely being exceptionally stingy. There’s no doubt about that. There’s also no doubt that this is in a way unexpected."
As president, Obama has pardoned 23 people, including one commuted sentence, in his first 40 months in office. Barring a dramatic flurry of clemency from the White House in the coming eight months, Obama will be among the bottom two or three presidents for granting pardons in his first term, Ruckman said. That puts him in the running with Presidents George Washington, John Adams and James Garfield, who was assassinated after serving less than seven months.
While campaigning for office, Obama was critical of the mandatory minimum penalties for drugs, especially those that specified much heavier sentences for those using crack cocaine than to the ones associated with more expensive powder cocaine.
Mandatory minimums, which emerged in the 1980s, are partially responsible for swelling federal prison populations — to 218,261 on the week of May 3, compared to 24,363 in 1980, according to government documents.
In April 2010, the president signed into law the Fair Sentencing Act, which aimed to even out the mandatory minimums, which critics say are discriminatory to African Americans.
But Obama did not — as some expected or hoped — go on to throw open the doors for large numbers of people incarcerated under the old mandatory sentences.
Instead, most of the president’s acts of clemency — about half of them for drug-related offenses — have followed a pattern that has changed little since President Eisenhower.
"The great majority of activity that goes on today is pardons — typically for old, minor offenses, and minor sentences. All it does is restore (the convicted person) their rights — so they can vote, carry a gun to go hunting,” Ruckman said. "Arguably they are most often given to the people who need them the least."
Single commutation for drug sentence
In fact, most people who are pardoned have not served any jail time. In Obama’s case, that was true of 12 of the 23 people he pardoned. All but one of the others had long since been released.
See Ruckman's chart of pardons by president
See Ruckman's chart of pardons by presidential term
That one exception came on Nov. 21 — the president’s most recent use of his pardon powers — when he commuted the sentence of Eugenia Marie Jennings, 34, who had served about half of her 22-year prison term for a cocaine distribution offense. She got out in December, with eight years of supervised release.
In a statement then from the nonprofit Families Against Mandatory Minimums, president Julie Stewart urged Obama "to continue exercising his clemency power and grant more commutations to the many deserving federal prisoners, like Eugenia, who have paid a hefty price for their mistakes and deserve a second chance."
Obama could step it up in the last quarter. Historically, presidents do tend to grant more pardons in the fourth quarter of each year, especially the fourth quarter of the final year in the term, Ruckman said.
Among recent presidents, George W. Bush had granted 37 pardons and commutations at about this point in his first term. By the end of the year, he had added another 32.
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The odds of being granted clemency have become much tougher over the years, with applications climbing into the thousands per year, and presidents awarding fewer of them, as illustrated in this graphic from the Department of Justice.
Second-term flurry?
Obama may also be reserving acts of clemency for his second term, if he gets one.
Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush both granted many more pardons in their second terms than they did in their first. Clinton famously — and controversially — pardoned 120 people in his final hours in office, including his half-brother Roger Clinton who had already completed a sentence for drug charges, and Marc Rich, a fugitive millionaire who was living in Switzerland and was wanted in the United States on tax evasion charges.
But none of these recent presidents comes close to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the use of pardon power. He granted about 600 pardons and commutations by the end of his first term, and about 2,800 over the course of his historic 12 years in office (1933-1945) before the two-term limit went into effect.
But even among modern presidents, Obama's current pace keeps him firmly among the most conservative American presidents to use these powers of forgiveness.
The average age of individuals pardoned by Obama is about 61, according to Ruckman and the average time between the original sentence and executive clemency granted by this president is 24.3 years.
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Leave a Comment:
Obama has done something right. Keep the criminals where they belong.
I know. This article is written as if there's something wrong with him for not letting more criminals go free.
Just wait. I'm sure someone will figure out how to justify that opinion.
Unfortunately many are political prisoners.
So your willful ignorance of that is pathetic and wrong.
Mr. Obama maliciously prosecutes anyone that opposes his agenda.
Mackie, better a pinch of "willful ignorance", than a pound of self delusion.
By what skewed logic do you call these unnamed people "political prisoners"?
Who are the specific victims of Obama's malicious prosecution?
Any examples, or just loud, hollow rhetoric?
You know, dman, all those people being held prisoner in the FEMA concentration camps.
So let me get this straight.....
First there was a media $hit storm when Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour released some prisoners ....
Now we have to endure media "scrutiny" when Obama doesn't release enough prisoners??????
What the ffff......?????
That dang Obama, he is just doing this so he can make liars out of us God fearin true patriots who hate him for any and everything he does, but we aint prej...prej...you know he is not like us. We didn't like his policies even befor he had any.
It is possible that he considers each pardon on a case by case basis and isn't keeping score.
Obama is actually being more conservative than Bush, contrary to what the wingers expected. He isn't doing the free-for-all type of stuff they were complaining about when he was about to take office, and it looks like he will continue that trend.
Barbour should learn something from Obama - Don't pardon people who've committed murders so heinous that families are hurt again.
See my comment just added (below) re your misunderstanding.
He isnt stingy on pardons when it comes to terrorist's
It's no wonder we have such low academic scores compared to the rest of the world when you read comments like Dave-2664536. Are you just being funny, or do you actually believe this?
Really Dave? How so? His track record on foreign policy tends to show otherwise.
At least O'bama is not abusing this power!
Obama/Biden 2012
i know because that "evil terrorist" Aafia Siddiqui deserves her life sentence contrived from the US military kangaroo court LOL. Jesus people are @!$%#ing stupid. Keep apologizing for the hegemony; you statists keep digging yourselves into a deeper and deeper hole.
Hey Davey..how was that PARDON Obama gave on that Ol terrorist Osama Bin Laden doing for ya? You know the guy who killed thousands of people that Bush decided he didn't much about anymore? How is that PARDON huh?
Oh, I see another Executive Order has been issued. Something about International law being applied to the U.S. I'm sure the whole thing can be found at any political website.
Read #1.3 and #1.10
It DOES NOT MATTER what Obama is or is not doing.
There is a large section of rightie loons that is getting their information about Obama directly from Planet weird.
Some of the things i read being said by them absolutely defies credulity and common sense.
Obama might want to tell some more lies, or straddle the fence some more.
Because he just LOST about 40 percent of the vote in West Virginia’s Democratic primary to a Texas inmate. Keith Judd, who is serving time at the Beaumont Federal Correctional Institute, didn't get much campaigning done, but he was still able to win a significant chunk of the vote.
4 out of 10 votes went to a convicted FELON! ROTFLMAO!
They act like he's supposed to just hand them out all day. A Patriot Chic. Interesting.
Do not get it. The last few presidents received nothing but carping over their generous and at some times questionable use of pardons; and now Obama gets crap for not handing out pardons. I can only imagine the criticism if he he did issue them. And of course there are some loons, regretfully more than could hope for, who claim he pardons terrorists. Apparently a number of individuals have adopted the Fox News philosophy that if we have no facts then just make up outrageous statements and pretend they are true. Obama DID NOT issue capture or kill Bin Laden orders; Navy seals were acting secretly under the orders issued by George Bush and I mean H not W. And that's the truth.
They are all stingy with pardons. That is until they are on their way out the door. Remember the friends of Clinton that were pardoned right at the end?
Sure he's not anti-American! He'll release Afghan insurgent just for promising to be good boys, but yet can't grant pardons to Americans that may deserve it more!
The problem with this pardon power is that in some cases the rich and powerful get willful and criminal and commit horrible crimes - knowing that one day they can be pardoned. But Obama is good - being 'stingy' in using this power.
Astro - sparked by your comment, I did a little, just a little research on the internet. I saw a lot of loud talk of people being held, or of people who will be held in FEMA camps, but precious little by way of facts.
So, I'll ask you, where are these camps, and how many people are being held in them for political or extra-legal reasons?
Rumor and speculation are easy commodities to come by. Fact and honest analysis are trifle bit more rare.
If you dig up some facts, I'll check them out.
Agreed! These people are criminals, they SHOULD be in jail and not pardoned!
I hope Obama doesn't change on this policy - I'd rather have him being "stingy" than have someone like the former governor of Mississippi letting out convicted murderers for absolutely no reason!
MSNBC didn't do a great job of outlining the type of criminals looking for clemency, does anyone know what types of crimes those typically are? Are we talking meth users or weed smokers? And how many offences? I guess my opinion on how Obama is treating this depends on educating myself more on what types of sentences are typically communted by the POTUS.
Generally white collar BS by people who have the funds or the connections to appeal to the president. As stated, most haven't even done jail time.
This is such BS, people are being set free every day because of DNA evidence. Surely there has to be some locked up souls who clearly haven't committed crimes that are deserving of pardons.
Only someone who is guilty would appeal for a pardon. One who is actually innocent, would need to accept their guilty verdict in order to apply for a pardon.
@Scott: Anyone can appeal for a pardon. The story gave a great example of a woman who had already done half of her 22 year sentence. If there are locked up souls who are wrongly convicted there are services out there for them to get in touch with. They too can apply for a pardon. And, many have done jail time as is also stated in the story.
I didn't know the justice system was so short-handed that requires the president to do this job as well.
"One who is actually innocent, would need to accept their guilty verdict in order to apply for a pardon."
youre kidding right? why would you accept guilt for something you did not do? that statement alone is anti-american to the extreme.
It's time this socialist, neo-facist was run out of the WHITE house!
Nah....Just kidding. I typed that because I wanted to see how it felt to have half my brain addled by decades of inbreeding, moonshine, and meth.
Suuuuuuueeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Obama likes to release terrorists, that our troops die for while capturing. ughhh!
PatriotChic, good grief you are a raging idiot. Obama likes to release terrorist? To what, A date with the devil? He's taken out more terrorists than Bush even dreamed about and high level operators, not just idiots running around with bombs in their underwear. It's clear you're incapable of coming from a place of reason as you're so far right you don't want to hear any truths about anything Obama might have actually done correctly. And if he did do something correct, that was flat out undeniable, your kind goes out of their way to see he doesn't get any credit. I'm a Dem but at least gave credit to Bush or Regan when it was due. You're so far out reality doesn't even check with you anymore. I can't stand people aren't straight shooters...loser.
Patriot Chic, you are misinformed or you are just a big liar but it does not matter what you say, most Americans know that this black guy Obama is doing a good job under the most difficult circumstances,after he took over the disaster of de former administration that left the country in a near economic collaps.
Obama is fortunate to have so many misinformed sheep like you.
@AlaskaGirl-759554
I think you miss my point. Only those who have been found guilty can apply for a pardon, true, but someone who is actually innocent wouldn't apply for a "pardon" as a "Pardon" is to "pardon" you for your crime. If you have not actually committed the crime, you would either be fighting to get a new trial, your sentence overturned or apply to have your sentence "commuted", not pardoned.
... "So, inmate #456673 in Colorado want's clemency? Does he or his family have fifty thousand dollars to contribute to the Democrat PAC fund? No? Clemency denied. Isn't is time to do 18 holes already?"
Who are you quoting?... and whomever said that line makes it sound like the 'you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours' mantra very one-sided. I was personally upset as to how Nixon was pardoned by Gerald Ford... So, the whole concept of pardon's from the president to governors has been a touchy issue on BOTH SIDES for too long and its another thing that needs to be addressed...
That is called a straw man, you make up someone that doesn't exist to say something that hasn't ever been said, then use that to prove some idiotic point.
At least there are few souls on here who got brains and realize that the right likes people who are hard on criminals and that this is a good thing. Idiot.
In my world STexan is nothing but a low life troll. Just trying to start a argument with someone anyone to take the focus out of something else positive that Obama has done while president.
Number one rule of the internet "don't feed the trolls"
STexan
By that logic, every president who pardoned lots of people must have rake in so much cash. I guess Obama didn't get as many contribution as past presidents.
Idiot
STexan....so that is how the republicans handed out pardons huh? Taking $50,000 for a pardon.........now that the blueprint of how republicans gave pardons is out in the open, we know that is not happening nor will it happen under Obama. Romney would do it, he would find a way to funnel it to his Swiss bank accounts so he would avoid paying taxes.
Obama/Biden 2012
Tara, I agree and I suspect that "Patriot Chic" may be his mate. Pretty disgusting thought, huh? They're both long on lip and short on brains, the perfect couple.
What difference does it make? These people were convicted. Let them serve their time. You know weed smokers don't go to prison. Drug deelers go to prison.
No, but some chick in Oklahoma got 10 years for $31 of weed. People go to prison all the time for garbage, and we the tax payers fork over about $50,000 a year to house them, so for this woman we are spending a half million bucks and 4 kids don't have a mom. Google Patricia Marilyn Spottedcrow
This is exactly what pardons were made for and stupid Obama is worried the right might not like him letting criminals out. Travesty to put a human being in a cage for a decade for a tiny bit of weed and charging us a half million bucks for their stupidity.
ScottW President Obama does not just sit and read through list after list of convictions to decide if some chick in OK deserves to be pardoned or not you nit. There are procedures that must be followed and paperwork that must be filled out and submitted by the person seeking a pardon. Maybe Patty from Oklahoma has finished hers yet and since you are so obviously intelligent maybe you should run over to the prison and give her a hand.
Just so you know I did Google the name and what I found is she was offered a plea deal of 2 years but rejected that and went before the judge after pleading guilty with no sentence agreement. You know what pleading guilty with no sentence agreement is It's just plain stupid. She rolled the dice and she lost.
She also was selling pot she got busted for dealing not once but twice to an informant. The total amount she sold to said informant was 31 dollars worth on 2 separate occasions but how much did she actually have on her and how large was her business. She had also involved her children in her drug dealing business but I guess you failed to mention that part. Were you at the trial or just reading the snippets of info from the news articles.
Clearly she and the other woman involved (also sentenced to 10 years) got a incredible long sentence but it was their own fault one for dealing in the first place and the other for pleading guilty with no sentence agreement.
If they want pardoned maybe they should start the process but again I say this is not the presidents job it is theirs. Put the blame where it belongs.
In quite a few countries, 31 dollars of pot will get you the death sentence.. She should consider herself lucky..
Yeh and in some countries you can get the death sentence for talking out publicly so you should consider yourself lucky.
This isn't one of these countries or is it. Going to jail for selling $ 31.00 worth of pot to an undercover informant.Guaranteed she was set up. This girl should be let out now to be home with her children and family. The U.S. has more people in jail per capita than any country in the world. A mother with no previous convictions doing time for that. What a sick society.
See my comment (below) discussing you misunderstanding.
Awesome, Tara! Thank you! I don't think some people even bother to read an article in full. They look at the headline and jump right to the discussion. At least, based on someone's rants, that is what it would appear to be to me.
Yeah right, MIke. Gee, someone has to be home to teach the little darlings how to deal dope, right? Isn't that a mother's job? Seriously, no matter what kind of dope she was peddling or how much of it she sold, do you honestly think she should be home "raising" her children? You sure don't set very high standards for roll models, do you.
Yup. One more doomsday prediction by the far right wing extreme that hasn't come true about Obama.
I wonder how many more aren't true?.......
O is in too much trouble currently to take the political risk of pardons during a campaign year. They'll come in the lame duck next term if he wins. MSNBC knows this.
Headline is cute though. Although I'm afraid it will provoke contrasts with his lack of fiscal stinginess (See, e.g. the "Julia" debacle) rather than work as intended to at least associate some degree of the quality of restraint or penny-pinching that the author was hoping for by employing the adjective. Oh, the games we play.
How odd that the right wing posters on this and other sites, many of whom troll sites like this to post hate filled posts which are part of the marching orders dolled out by RNC each week, can manage to turn this article into something it's not. In spite of the bogeyman approach of trying to terrify the base as to what the big black man would do once he became president, like pardoning all blacks, dating their daughters etc., the facts are quite the opposite. So right wingers, keep repeating the lies as it worked in Germany some time ago, but be prepared in fact to be a traitor to our nation.
Huh? Where are the comments you are referencing? Cite them by number please (yours is no. 7, for example). The comments thus far have been remarkably fair and even-handed.
#3 and #6 thus far troll.....
Why are you calling me names? Where did #3 or I say anything close to what you stated? Quote it for me. #3 insinuated that O trades pardons for cash. Well, this could be said of all presidents, both R and D. It is a race-neutral generic criticism of presidential pardon power. And people have been saying it for years, about all presidents. Is it the golf reference?
In 6, I simply stated that he will wait until he is reelected to issue pardons. Just like it says in the article. Why would O do it now when his every move is being scrutinized and he can be tied to some allegations of improper pardons or doing political favors (like, for cash) in a campaign year? This is obvious. And again, a matter of generic political strategy.
Neither comment makes any bogeyman allegation. Who is issuing marching orders at the RNC? Steele? Who claimed O would pardon all blacks or promote interracial dating? Which pundit said this, because you heard it somewhere (not in the comments though)? Who is the actual troll?
Obama's price for a pardon just hasn't been reached yet.
Check it out on ebay, Obama Pardons up for bid, reserve not yet met.
John, I'm almost beginning to think that maybe the trolls are working for our side. How else to make the right look really, really bad than to make idiotic, nonsensical remarks and use every derogatory name you can make up for Obama? And, although I haven't seen it yet in these comments, they almost always use the word "delusional" to describe anyone who disagrees with them. They all tend to sound uneducated and full of hate and racism so I'm thinking maybe they are actually really good people, working on our side. What better way to get people to NOT vote for the TP/GOP?
Yawn. Cite the idiotic, nonsensical remarks and refute them with your erudite and logical arguments. Cite the derogatory names. Provide a basis for your assertions that a particular comment reflects a lack of education, hate, or racism. It can be a team project for you and John. While you're at it, tell the DNC I'm still waiting on my paycheck. I'd love to be compensated for my avocational commenting habit. Thanks.
factcheckero: You should just ask the RNC to pay you by the syllable for your postings. You will be rich by September and can quit your day job of "tolling".
I'm just trying to have a discussion. John made completely baseless allegations. I asked for evidence. He didn't have any. His compatriot piled-on with additional baseless claims, so I asked her for evidence. She didn't have any either. From you I get an insult, but at least you have the decency to refrain from further groundless accusations. Who are the people really "trolling" and "tolling" this discussion board Tony?
factcheckhero, first of all I was referring not just to some comments on this story but on comments made by trolls like you in general on any story having to do with anything political, therefore I didn't feel the need to put any comment #'s in my statement. What I will say is that there appears to be two types of you working the comments sections. There are those who come off like trailer trash, spouting nothing but the usual "Oblamo, Odumbo" garbage and then there are those like you who try your darndest to make anyone believe that you are some highly educated, well versed, well read intellectual on the subject of politics in general and President Obama in particular and even your name implies that. Sorry, it doesn't work with me. However, if you want numbers, how about good old Mike (#4.4) who is enraged that a dope dealing mother would not be allowed to go home and raise her children. Or how about the brilliant Dave (#1.10) who just throws out a ridiculous statement, nothing to back it up, and hopes it will stick? Do I need to go on or will that suffice in trashing your remark that I have no evidence? Now please, get back to work. We on the left appreciate all your hard work in illustrating, with your comments, the arrogance and, especially, the insanity inherent in the TP/GOP.
Okay. As a liberal, do you support incarceration for petty pot offenses (#4.4)? Mike is actually arguing a liberal position. As for 1.10, I will concede to you that his assertion is demonstrably false. O has not pardoned any terrorist's (sic); however, I believe O has been as or more hawkish on foreign engagements than his predecessor. And he has continued the drone program which is actually more acceptable to the right than the left.
See, we can talk like adults. The right has its share of issues and nutjobs, but so does the left. And, just as you call-out those on the right, I'm going to ask for evidence when a lefty nutjob claims conservatives believe O will pardon all blacks, encourage interracial dating, and compares us to nazis. That just isn't true either. Now, why is any conservative expressing an opinion deemed a troll? Does that make you a liberal troll for expressing your opinion? And, why do you feel the need to insult me and other conservative posters? I never insulted you or anyone else in this thread. I trust that you are educated, well-versed in politics, and intellectual enough to discuss this. Why can't you reciprocate? Don't worry though, the republican party will be here for you when you wake up from your college-liberal haze and realize that we're all individuals with inherent worth, and that all of us deserve an opportunity to succeed to the best of our abilities without the government oppressing us through perpetual victimization and demeaning dependence in the name of compassion. Or maybe you will never grow up. Your choice.
A title of article with less spin: "Obama has enough campaign money, doesn't have to suck up to donors and pardon their friends."
Well that sure beats the HECK out of Haley Barbour's record of pardons!!
So STexan, I guess according to you then Haley Barbour is set for life with all that money from HIS pardons! What was it in his last days.... 200 I believe with about 2 dozen listed in the murder, manslaughter, homicide variety!
Obama has done right on this. Strange that rightwing nuts still want to give him hell about it. Haley Barbour, that lovable conservative, we know what he did. Sour grapes to all conservatives.
It doesn't matter what President Obama does, in their eyes there will always be some twist or slant or he coulda did this, shoulda did that, blah blah blah blah blah.
AlaskaGirl - When I read this headline, before I read any comment, I knew there was going to be some garbage the left would throw out there trying to make this somehow a bad thing for Obama. If Jesus came back and had a news conference endorsing Obama, they would have some wacky reason to not believe it.
Lol. True, KimH. I've come to the conclusion that most of these right wingers aren't looking for the truth. They're just full of hate and bile and don't want a Democrat, much less a black Democrat, as POTUS. Even if they know he did something great or correctly they'll never give him credit. People like this are the kind of people who get into fights at their kid's little league games with other parents and scream at the waiter when their order wasn't done correctly. You know...bullies.
TheProselyte - You are so right and I think it does ultimately come down to that that he is black in spite of their protestations. They are bullies. Regarding screaming at the waiter, I used to work in a restaurant and I think you know what is done to their food when they are mean to the wait staff...
He has legitimized an extrajudicial environment where any US citizen -based on mere potential and simply being touched by our global pile of @!$%# -can have everything they worked for taken away from them under cover of FBI investigations...
...where targets are baked from the inside out with a military grade satellite while the people in front of the targets and suspended in the same program causing the target severe suffering to both suppress its use and actually contribute to a false profile by steering them from employment, relationships ect to further compound its direct use...
A power that exceeds all dictatorships on the face of the earth and all previous presidents put together that collapsed every core principle and value under cover of the smallest measure of security but exclusively for a criminal defense because in our upside down reality -where the suppression of the destruction of innocent US citizens becomes a way of life since military force is applied over a no cause environment -the larger these extrajudicial environments become the more likely they can destroy anyone the President pleases in the most sickening ways making it look like it is their fault so these mushrooming operations never see the light of day in a court...
You own my mom an apology Mr. President because she paid taxes her whole life never to see her son get steered from opportunity after opportunity as the ground collapsed in front of the sickening statements he was being forced to make all to dismiss the overall effort no matter how big it became so you can look principled...
...you shameful pieces of garbage know it is all true...
I was not aware Ted the Unabomber was allowed access to the computer to post to websites from prison. Is there a doctor in the house?
Nevermind the above John-4067407. I see you have been projecting. No more troll-food for you. Have a good day.
I am sorry was this just random nonsense or do have difficulty forming a complete coherent thought.
See comments 7-7.3 above Tara. I appreciate your concern. Cheers.
Read his semi-novel from the other night. Rich is in dire need of hospitalization and massive doses of medication. You wouldn't believe the paranoid delusions this guy suffers from.
oh right, i can see rich's comments hurt statist's feelings and they are desperately trying to jab at the messenger. cute. let me know when you guys wake the @!$%# up.
It is ROCKFORD IL. Not ROCKVIEW. Jesus, at least get that straight.
I do believe in pardoning - Clemency. After taking a look at the amount of arrest times would be a good way to determine weather the person should be given another chance at freedom.
I am raising my grandson for 5yrs. now due to my son making bad choices and using drugs to numb the pain he was feeling after suffering the loss of his father, whom he was very close to. He also has another 5yrs. to serve . I know that after a week of detoxing in jail my son was shocked about what he had done while under the influence of drugs.
The sad part is in jail they are not learning how to live life on life's terms, instead some are being punished for an illness called addiction due to a mental imbalance.
My son would do anything to turn back the time, and be able to be with his son & watch him grow up. But unless you have the money to pay for that private Attorney no matter how sorry you are for what you did you will be there until your time served.
So what. He's still a political thug. No doubt his position will change in the last days after he's shown the door. But nice try MSNBC on spinning praise for your puppetmaster.
Yet another Troll. Suggestion don't like MSNBC why not go visit Fox Noise maybe your trolling will be better accepted over there.
It's obvious that he can never win with zeolots like you on the right. If the opposite was true, you'd knock him for letting out criminals.
Unfortunatly, people like you that treat politics as a religion will stick to your beliefs even in the face of facts saying the opposite. It is a waste of time to even try and explain the facts to your ilk
I guess the author of this article wants the President to be more like Governor Hailey Barbour and pardon some murderers. What a ridiculous right wing argument. I guess he should be more like the conservatives without consciences who have NO moral values.
Wait until his last day in office and see how many pardons will be given.
Why would it matter. We know the Republicans are notorious for pardons. Hailey Barbour is a great prime example. Pardons are given all the time by both political sides. Why would it matter if he did the same thing. Oh yeah I forgot he's black right.
Don't worry, Hussein Zero will pardon his criminal buddies as soon as he knows his time is up and it won't effect any of his potiticing. He does nothing, without getting something for it. So as soon as he gets Defeated in November, he will start the pardoning process.
Too bad for them then. Looks like they'll just have to wait 4 more years!
So many right wing nut jobs out there; what a shame. Problem for them though is we independents WILL support President Obama AGAIN. We pushed it over the top in 08 & will do it again in 2012! The Republican platform is a joke & a sham. No-one with any brains agrees with their lost message, whatever that is. They will only get the affluent right wing vote, because those don't want to pay their fare share. They will get the typical low level uneducated neocon vote, spread across the mid US who won't vote for a black man or Democrat. They will certainly get the red neck southern vote. And they got all that & still lost in 08. Same destiny in 2012.
Power to the people.
Peace out
Mr Obama has no heart for clemency and the same amount of heart for the good of the country. He's the angry black man his father taught him to be looking for retribution his father could never have. "I want to be president of all Americans"... and yet his actions speak a different politic. We are a more divided nation than we ever have been. Even when both houses of congress were in the hands of the democrats not every policy was enacted into law. His own party would not support much of the extreme leftist ideology people like Mr Axelrod are attempting to repackage. Go the the home store and buy garden fertilizer. The package may look and sound great but the content is still cow dung. Even if reelected, it will only be for a while. When the next republican is elected to fix the country, every rule put into place that was executive action not legislative will be undone and our country returned to a direction that is sustainable and just. We are a nation that can endure even the actions of Barrak Obama and his minions.
Are you serious SanDiego?? Im almost embarrassed that we are from the same City after reading that load of BS you just posted. - Keep with us now...Obama's Father did not raise him, so how did he teach him to be an angry Black Man??
ROFL @ sandiego...if you just hate all blacks, just come out and say it...damn! don't be a little b*tch about it.
Fine. I don't care for the whole Presidential pardon power to begin with; most of the time it's all a get-out-of-jail-free card for the well-connected. The GOP/TP would scream bloody murder if he did anywhere near the number previous presidents have.
Please see my comment (below) explaining your misunderstanding. Most pardons (as in almost every single one of them) are not anything at all as you suggest.
With any luck, BO and his Secretaries will be sent to jail for TREASON!!
This whole article is by far the most dumbist its a shame.. Every time you turn around Obama isn't doing something right! Miserable misguided press and the whole gang with them are a pity story! Crazy how they where quick to throw him into being president when the world was ALREADY GOING CRAZY!!!! Why not set him in the spotlight as the worse president smh they knew what they was doing and now the poor man can't do nothing right in their sight, What he did was exceeded their expectations lol cause yes it's funny! and now this crap seriously? Well my votes always with obama so this nonsense is just a joke.... Sorry not entertained seems like critics skipped a few classes
dond i hope you are rich like mitt romney because only the rich will be able to afford gas,energy,solar power,wind power,health care etc. under the obama admin. my cost of living has gone up as my income has gone down in the last 4 years wonderful how hope and change worked in 2008
power to the people is right power to American to have the choice to vote for someone else I'm surprised obama has not pardoned blogo i really can't believe we have a Chicago politician for president american should be smarter than that
Obama is president because the RNC came up with Palin. That was the best they could do? Or did the RNC NOT want the presidency for 2008-2012 because they knew the economy was screwed and they did not want the blame? Instead, they could simply blame Obama, then try to waltz in after the recovery was already under way.
I'd only pardon my friends or people that could pay me large sums of money. Everyone else can hang.
It is so hard to follow the comments in any news article because so many of you are either right wing or left wing nutjobs, always blasting or politicizing everything that ever happens! Why don't you all get a life? Let the people who have intelligent comments to make, make them and the rest of you expend your energies somewhere else.
Pardons are made by both democrats and republicans. Some people who get pardoned are well connected but most aren't well connected. Like everything else in this world, pardons are sometimes mistakes. It is not a democratic or republican "thing". Personally, I believe in time served and with rare exception a pardon. People who commit heinous crimes should never be pardoned. Look at Charles Manson for example. Good for Mr. Obama and I hope he stands this way to the end.