Last Minute Reprieves

President Bush has been extremely reluctant to issue pardons or commutations of sentences during his eight years in office. He has issued far fewer than his two predecessors who served two terms, Bill Clinton or Ronald Reagan.

Two men have received commutations of sentence today. Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean.

Bush's act of clemency on Monday for Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean was a victory for Democratic and Republican members of Congress and others who pleaded with the president to pardon the men or at least commute their sentences.

Ramos and Compean are each serving sentences of more than 10 years for shooting an unarmed illegal immigrant as he was fleeing an abandoned marijuana load in 2005, then trying to cover it up.

However, expect that several more will be announced in coming hours as he leaves office.

This list isn't particularly useful since I doubt any of those on the list would be pardoned. There is little reason to commute or pardon criminals such as Randy Cunningham, Ted Stevens or other Republicans. Bush has little to gain by issuing pardons to those men whose criminal conduct helped sweep Democrats to power with claims that the GOP was part and parcel of a culture of corruption. Never mind that there's plenty of Democrats who fit the bill, but the smear stuck.

Don't count on former Illinois Governor George Ryan getting pardoned either, despite Democrats lobbying on his behalf.

The same goes for the traitor Jonathan Pollard.

Wonkette has a satirical laundry list of possibilities, which happen to largely match the more legitimate lists above.

UPDATE 1/20/2009:
No more pardons or commutations of sentences. There will be no reprieves for Scooter Libby, Ryan, Pollard, or anyone else associated with the Bush Administration. This is fully in keeping with Bush's view on the pardon power. He certainly wasn't going to use it on individuals who hadn't even been indicted for a crime, which means all the chatter about how Bush would pardon anyone involved in interrogations of terrorists or other unpopular policy decisions was just so much useless blather.

Compean and Ramos are the last two men to have their sentences commuted.

The Crooks Still Inhabit Congress

Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA) easily won reelection in Louisiana despite law enforcement finding $90,000 stashed in his freezer, while the same could be said of Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY), who as Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee was in charge of writing tax law, but never could figure out how to pay all those taxes he owed over the years.

At the same time, Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) won reelection despite the fact that he called his constituents racists and rednecks. It truly is amazing to see the cognitive dissonance involved in that one. Murtha will be reelected until he either dies in office or retires. And even then, I'm not sure that he wont continue to be reelected.

These three members of the House, along with their fellow Democrats will be setting policy for the next two years. Get used to higher taxes and fees, because that's their policy prescription.

On the other hand, we do get to say goodbye to Rep. Tim Mahoney (D-FL), who was bumped from Congress after he was found to be engaging in multiple affairs and may have used federal funds in the process of silencing his paramours.

At the state level, New York's State Senate appears on the verge of having a Democratic majority for the first time since the Great Depression. I'm sure that will work out famously.

UPDATE 11/05/2008:
This came in after I had already finished blogging for the evening, but Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK/Felon) was reelected by his constituents in Alaska. Nice.

Sen. Ted Stevens Guilty In Alaska Corruption Case

Sen. Ted Stevens (AK-R) was found guilty of seven counts in a corruption case.

The verdict, coming just days before Election Day, adds further uncertainty to a closely watched Senate race. Democrats hope to seize the once reliably Republican seat as part of their bid for a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate.

Stevens, 84, was convicted of all seven charges he faced of lying about free home renovations and other gifts he received from a wealthy oil contractor. Jurors began deliberating Wednesday at noon.

Stevens faces up to five years in prison on each count when he is sentenced Jan. 26, but under federal sentencing guidelines, he is likely to receive much less prison time, if any.

The monthlong trial revealed that employees for oil services company VECO Corp. transformed the senator's modest mountain cabin into a modern, two-story home with wraparound porches, a sauna and a wine cellar. Stevens never paid for VECO's work.

Stevens refused to step down from the Senate and is unrepentant. I think the realization that he's going to prison might change that tune, though I doubt it.

The timing sure isn't going to help Republicans hold on to their current seats in the Senate, but then again, the Democrats can't exactly capitalize on this scandal with three of their own - Rep. William Jefferson and the $90,000 in cold cash stashed in his fridge; Rep. Charles Rangel whose tax bill is still being tallied after failing to pay income taxes over a period of years; and Rep. Tim Mahoney who admitted to extramarital affairs, but who also may have used sex to solicit campaign funds.

Expect the media to focus heavily on the Stevens conviction, particularly because of the Alaska connection and the hope that they can somehow smear Gov. Sarah Palin in the process, even though Palin fought to rid the state of corrupt politicians, including fellow Republicans.

Senator Stevens Bridge to Corruption

Loathsome Republican Ted Stevens of Alaska has been indicted on charges of corruption stemming from a year long investigation into Alaskan politics. It's a seven count indictment.

Stevens was a champion of the Bridge to Nowhere, a $400 million pork transportation project that would have built a bridge that helped an extremely small segment of the Alaskan population and where other alternatives already existed.

His greed and avarice along with the penchant for pork are what helped the GOP lose seats in 2006. The sooner the GOP distances itself from Stevens, the better for the party's political prospects moving forward.

UPDATE:
The seven charges relate to making false statements.

Good riddance to bad rubbish.

At the same time, it's a good idea to check in with some other corrupt politicians, including Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA) who continues to pull a government paycheck even after investigators found $90,000 in cold cash in his freezer, and the House leadership moved to protect him from FBI investigators.

There's plenty of corrupt politicians in government, and it is in everyone's interest of ridding the government of the bad apples. Still, it does appear that there's a wee bit of bias when it comes to how such stories are reported and the time in which those politicians are sent packing. We're still waiting on Jefferson being dispatched from the House (not even a censure as yet), and watch for calls for Stevens to resign today.

UPDATE:
The AP has put out a handy dandy sheet of those members of Congress who have been charged with crimes, but it seems rather lopsided (mostly GOPers). Indeed, it appears that a few are missing. Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) comes to mind. Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) got off after a grand jury couldn't find sufficient evidence after she slugged a Capitol Policeman.

Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) wasn't included, even though he engaged in unethical conduct towards House pages.

This is a more substantive list.

UPDATE:
Hot Air has more, including Stevens' ties to an oil services company which may have provided services including doubling the size of Stevens' home.

Others blogging: Cold Fury and Ed Driscoll, who gets kudos for his headline.

UPDATE:
Don Surber notes that the AP sent Lara Jakes Jordan to cover the Stevens story. She happened to be the same reporter who covered Cold Cash Jefferson and omitted Jefferson's political affiliation giving rise to the name that party moniker (and which I have also since added as a label).

Also, McCain should respond quickly by saying that this is exactly the kind of dysfunctional and corruption he's been fighting in Congress for years. It might shore up his credibility and stem any possible fallout from another GOPer coming under indictment.

UPDATE:
Expect fellow GOPers to throw Stevens under the bus and call for his resignation, which stands in contrast to how Democrats chose to stand besides Jefferson when investigators found the $90,000 stuffed in his freezer. Already, there are calls for his resignation from Redstate now (should have come much earlier).