Democrat Regretfully Predicts No Pardons for Ramos and Compean

For those poor Federal prisoners,
former Border Patrol agents, Ignacio Ramos and Jose
Compean, and for their families, the Bush wait-out
must seem endless.

Bush has just pardoned 19 others for
crimes which in all cases were more serious than
shooting an illegal immigrant drug smuggler in the
buttock, which what got Ramos and Compean convicted.

As my readers may recall, I have

written three pieces for VDARE.COM on this scandal.
But it still has not gotten fixed with obviously
necessary pardons by Bush. As
Emile Zola famously said,
"J`Accuse!"

Playing by Bush`s rules is like
trying to catch a

Nolan Ryan fastball barehanded in a dense fog
without a bullet proof vest, face mask or protective
helmet.

The AP tells us that so far

"Bush has granted 190 pardons and nine commutations
during his two terms. That`s fewer than half as many as
Presidents Clinton or Ronald Reagan issued during their
eight years in office. Well-known names were rare on
Bush`s holiday pardon list. …..Ignacio Ramos and Jose
Compean, former U.S. Border Patrol agents who were
convicted of shooting a drug smuggler in 2005 and trying
to cover it up".[Bush
pardons man for breaking law to help Israel, By
Deb Riechmann, December 24, 2008]

And of course, again says AP:

"In his

most high-profile official act of forgiveness, Bush
saved Vice President Dick Cheney`s former chief of
staff,

I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, from serving prison time in the case of the 2003 leak of CIA operative
Valerie Plame`s identity. Libby was convicted of perjury
and obstructing justice. Bush could still grant him a
full pardon, although Libby has not applied for one."

Ho, Ho, Ho.

Betcha 20 to 1 that Bush does not do
the right thing by Ramos and Compean.

(And remember I say this as a
Democrat—who must be almost the only Democrat calling
for this action. The silence from prominent Democrats
when this travesty of justice unfolded was virtually
complete.)

Why?

I`m pessimistic for two likely
reasons.

• 
  First, that investigation and many others was simply
  typical of the way the Bush Administration handled
  US Attorneys.

The message for them was clear:
"Do as I dictate or you are out."
"My way or the highway". Some got the highway, with the "resignations"
in the
US
Justice Department under his second Attorney General,
Alberto Gonzales.

• 
  Second, an argument advanced by Alberto Gonzales
  himself.

You remember Gonzales.

Wikipedia is

gentle in its description:

"Gonzales was the first Hispanic to serve as United
States Attorney General. While Bush was Governor of
Texas, Gonzales had served as his general counsel, and
subsequently he served as Secretary of State of Texas
and then on the Texas Supreme Court. From 2001 to 2005,
Gonzales served in the Bush Administration as White
House General Council. Amid several controversies and
allegations of perjury before Congress, on
August 27, 2007 Gonzales announced his
resignation as Attorney General, effective
September 17, 2007".

Remember how Gonzales tried to get
his AG predecessor,

near death in a hospital, to
sign
a paper authorizing un Constitutional invasions of
citizen privacy?

He was the guy who, when he was
sworn in as AG on February 3, 2005, said to
Justice Department employees that they have

"a special obligation to protect
America
against future acts of terrorism. We will continue to
make that our top priority while remaining consistent
with our values and legal obligations. That will be the
lodestar that guides us in our efforts at the
Department”.

So in this high profile case rests
reason #2 why Bush won`t pardon these exemplary agents:

• 
  the severity of the penalty was used as a way to
  demonstrate to the US Border Patrol what could
  happen if they try to enforce the law.

So if Bush pardons these honorable
public servants, as he has been frequently urged to do
by senior members of his

own party, he in effect admits that his critics in a
very high profile case were right.

And we know from his own statements
that Mr. Bush is never wrong. Right?

Oh. Just on the right. Would that in
this case he could do something right.

But I am regretfully not hopeful.

Donald A. Collins [email
him], is a freelance writer living in Washington DC and a former long time member of the board of FAIR, the Federation for American Immigration Reform. His views are his own.