The fact that Mitt Romney is fourth in national GOP polls doesn’t matter, thanks to our bizarre primary system. What matters for the moment is that Romney is now No. 1 in both Iowa (with 30 percent) and New Hampshire (28 percent), according to the latest polls. OK, so he’s spent more than $4 million on TV ads already. But with Rudy Giuliani and John McCain opting out of the Iowa straw poll in August, Romney rules — at least until Fred Thompson elbows in.
How is our own Sam Brownback polling? He’s at 5 percent in Iowa and 2 percent in New Hampshire.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
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http://notforeverjustfornow2007.blogspot.com/2007/06/romney-wont-pardon-war-hero-but-he.html
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Romney won’t pardon War Hero, but he might pardon LibbyU.S. Army National Guard Lt. Anthony Circosta.
My former Governor Mitt Romney is back in the local papers, but not for some asinine comment about “doubling the size of Guantanamo” or saying we wouldn’t be at war with Iraqif Saddam hadn’t kicked out the weapons inspectors and violated U.N. resolutions pre-invasion (both known lies). No, Romney’s made headlines again in Massachusetts for NOT pardoning a decorated Iraq War Veteran while he was Governor.
The highly-decorated, unpardoned War Hero is Anthony Circosta. At age 13, he was convicted of assault for shooting another boy in the arm with a BB gun. Although the BB didn’t break the victim’s skin, Circosta’s conviction has cost him deeply. Circosta grew-up to a be a law-abiding adult who put himself through college and served his country with distinction in Iraq as a member of the U.S. Army National Guard, but because of his youthful offense he cannot fulfill his ambition of becoming a police officer.
So, this Bronze Star-awarded Iraq War Veteran petitioned then-Governor Mitt Romney–twice–for a pardon. At the time of his first petition, in 2005, he was leading a platoon in Iraq. Both of Lt. Circosta’s petitions were denied by Romney.
This story would be offensive enough without some recent comments by Romney in which he indicated his burning desire to issue a Presidential pardon if he is elected. At a CNN Republican Presidential debate of June 5th, Romney bragged to the party faithful that while he had NEVER issued a pardon while Governor of the state of Massachusetts, as President he would carefully examine the option of pardoning a certain high-profile, neo-conservative convicted criminal. This criminal, he believed, was a true patriot unjustly accused and convicted, a man truly worthy of a pardon. The patriot’s name? I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby.
Let’s put this in perspective: Romney refused–twice–to pardon a decorated Iraq War Veteran who shot someone in the arm with a BB Gun when he was 13. But, he is literally salivating with anticipation at the thought of pardoning a man who, with VP Cheney, concocted a plan to start an illegal, pre-emptive war against a country which was no threat to us. He would pardon a man who helped to start an illegal war for oil but never served in his country’s armed forces. A man who served as the “right-hand” to the most secretive, deceptive Vice President in history until he was forced to resign in dishonor. A man who was convicted of lying to the F.B.I and a Grand Jury and obstructing justice so as to derail an investigation into whether senior members of the Bush administration revealed the identity of a secret C.I.A operative as retaliation for her husband writing a New York Times Op-Ed piece that criticized said administration’s use of KNOWN FAULTY INTELLIGENCE to build a case for the previously mentioned illegal, pre-emptive war. A man who harmed national security by helping to leak the identity of said covert C.I.A operative, who at one time worked in Nuclear Counter-Proliferation in the Middle East. This guy–this CRIMINAL–he would pardon. That, my fellow Americans, is outrageous and contemptible and despicable.
In Romney’s own words, from the CNN Presidential debate of June 5, 2007 (full transcript available here):
ROMNEY: This is one of those situations where I go back to my record as governor. I didn’t pardon anybody as governor, because I didn’t want to overturn a jury.
But in this case, you have a prosecutor who clearly abused prosecutorial discretion by going after somebody when he already knew that the source of the leak was Richard Armitage.
He’d been told that. So he went on a political vendetta.
BLITZER: Was that a yes?
ROMNEY: It’s worth looking at that. I will study it very closely if I’m lucky enough to be president. And I’d keep that option open.
By his refusal to pardon Anthony Circosta and his intention to pardon Mr. Libby, Romney has thumbed his nose at our troops instead of supporting them. He refused–twice–to pardon a decorated Soldier for a youthful indiscretion. He would, however, fall over himself trying to protect someone rich and powerful like himself who has been tried and convicted of great crimes but shows no remorse and offers no apology.
A few weeks back, when Mitt Romney was shamelessly trying to court pro-gun NRA types, he bragged of his youthful hunting adventures and proclaimed his love of hunting varmint. But Mitt Romney is no varmint-hunter, he’s a varmint.
If anything needs to be done in this country it is to eliminate the vast influence that Iowa and New Hampshire have on our Presidential elections. Neither of these states have many people and the people they have do not in any way reflect the United States as a whole. The state that should have the first primary should be the one that reflects the racial and ethnic diversity of the country as well as being urban, suburban and rural. And being a northern and southern state. That state is Illinois. They should vote first because they reflect the country as a whole.
The reason Romney is doing well in Iowa and New Hampshire is because he has been spending enough time (and money) there that the voters are familiar with him. And they like what they see. I look for him to continue to gain nationally as the primaries move on.
But early primary success does not guarantee anything. Ask Howard Dean.
Mitt the Man should have no fear of Fred. Mitt has hair. The hairless don’t do well at the presidential level. Remember in America the ladies vote.
Ask Howard Dean.Posted by: outlander | June 14, 2007 at 09:13 AM
Or John McCain. Or Dick Gephardt.
Friends keep asking me “who’s going to win the primaries?” Honestly, I have no idea. There’s no way to tell at this point. Anyone who pretends they know is doing just that – pretending.
Romney adheres to the GOP machine. He is their pretty boy and will be the GOP candidate for ‘08. Giuliani is the front man set up to take the heat and the hits. Watch him burn up and Romney slide by. The GOP has decided for the republicans whom they will vote for in ‘08. Gives you SUCH a warm fuzzy doesn’t it?
Just pretending Tom. ;-)
Great. Now that Brownback has humiliated himself nationally, perhaps it will motivate someone strong to run against him for Senator.
Then he can lose that race too like Nixon in California . . .
Capn,
When someone polls _LESS_ than the margin of error, that’s sad and pathetic. And since it’s Brownback, it’s also pretty damned funny!!
KenNonsense!
First of all, Romney is right on Saddam: Saddam had violated UN sanctions and had made the UN inspectors jobs impossible.
Disagree with what the UN mandates said all you want. (Those mandates made clear that ANY member nation could, on its own, resort to military force.)
Disagree with Bush all you want. (Bush has and did have FULL international and US legal authority for military action.)
Disagree with Congress all you want. (Congressional Debate included quotes by MANY Democrats who said the same thing Romney said. If UN Sanction violations were NOT among the reasons we removed Saddam, WHY did Democrats in Congress bring it up repeatedly)
Bush did not lie.
Romney is right!
Furthermore, the “pardon” issue you bring up is weak.
Expungement is an option, which would have nothing to do with the Governor.
Also, different jurisdictions would certainly have an appeals processs.
I know cops, in uniform today, with much worse criminal records in the past.
This is America. If your “war hero” wants to be come a cop, he can certainly do so. It shouldnt be easy for him, he did screw up, after all. But I am sure it can be done.
I have not read or heard Romney’s reason for not granting a pardon, but I am betting, without hearing from him, that the BB Hero has not exhausted his other options.
Pardons should only be issued to those who have exhausted other legal remedies, or to those whose case presents a clear injustice that can’t be corrected any other way.
(No those arent Bill Clinton’s standards, but these are the standards that should be followed in any pardon.)
Paul F. Rosell,
ROMNEY: “…if you’re saying, let’s turn back the clock and Saddam Hussein had opened up his country to IAEA inspectors and they’d come in and they’d found that there were no weapons of mass destruction — had Saddam Hussein therefore not violated United Nations resolutions — we wouldn’t be in the conflict we’re in.”
Saddam “opened up his country to IAEA inspectors” in Sept 2002.
In four months, before being forced to leave by the preemptive attack, they found NOTHING.
Rosell, are you claiming that the 2003 IAEA and UNMOVIC reports linked here do NOT exist?
‘Ignoring Romney’s Iraq falsehood, Wash. Post called Huckabee’s Reagan remark the “Gaffe of the Night” ‘http://mediamatters.org/items/200706060013?f=h_topic
Is that a peer-reviewed source cosmos? :D
“(No those arent Bill Clinton’s standards, but these are the standards that should be followed in any pardon.”
Like when Poppy Bush pardoned Weinberger and Company pre-trial.
Right, Rossell?
A great comment – Rudy has been married more times than Romney has been hunting.
Christ, what a bunch of wienies the Republican have put up. After Ron Paul, they are just cookie-cutter clones of Bush.
Re Romney’s false claim that Saddam had not “opened up his country to IAEA inspectors”.
7 March 2003′The Status of Nuclear Inspections in Iraq: An Update’http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/Statements/2003/ebsp2003n006.shtml
http://www.iaea.org/OurWork/SV/Invo/reports/s_2003_422.pdf
http://www.un.org/Depts/unmovic/new/documents/quarterly_reports/s-2003-580.pdf
Get REAL
The UN inspectors NEVER inspected a SINGLE “Presidential Palace” did they?
The UN inspectors did NOT have permission to inspect EVERY military base in Iraq.
If you thought your 13 year old kid was doing ACID, would you let him tell you to respect his privacy and not look under the bed?
Would you then tell the KANSAS SRS that you did a “full search” of the kids room, so you should not, therefore, be in jeopardy of losing your parental rights?
You are a joke.
The “inspections” were worthless. The world thought Saddam was hiding something because of the restrictions put on the UN inspectors.
“The “inspections” were worthless. The world thought Saddam was hiding something because of the restrictions put on the UN inspectors.”
Hans Blix and the UN Inspectors said that Saddam had nothing – they were right.
Now, what was it you were saying, Rossell?
WSLet us not forget that, under the corrupt, UN run, “oil for food” program, the UN leadership enriched its friends and did not want that source of bribe money to stop.Under UN resolution, the US had the RIGHT to act.Under UN Charter, the US had the RIGHT to act.Blix had no way to KNOW anything.He was just covering for his corrupt, UN bosses.
And where are those WMD’s, Rossell?
I have your answer WSC – they are in the White House.
Words of Mass Disinformation.
Someone should tell those Repugs that when they “break out where it counts”, they can get medicine for the problem… it’s called reality. Or hemorrhoid ointment…
So Romney is ahead in Iowa – big deal. The entire election will be bought and paid for by whoever has the most cash and throws the most promises around.
I agree the Republican field is pathetic. Of them all, on moral issues, Romney is the straightest arrow but the Christian Righties don’t like him because he is not ‘one of their own’. After all, how could they in good conscience vote for a president that they believe is not going to their Heaven when he dies? And this is a big issue with alot of narrow minded, born-again Christians.
I listened to Ron Paul last weekend and liked what I heard. Of course he has no chance in hell of winning because he goes after Republicans and Democrats alike. And he makes too much damn common sense. what a shame politics has come to this.
Senator Brownback is perhaps best known for his stance against abortion and opposition against same sex marriage. On the surface he appears to be the classical conservative politican. But Brownback may not be as conservative as one would think.
He has been sucking up to some radical femnists groups and other lefties. Working (quietly) behind closed doors with the National Organization of Women he quietly sponsored the International Marriage Broker Regulation Act. The unconstitutional law allows the government to interfere with the universal right of an American to say “hello” to a women in a foreign country with the government requiring background clearances before they can COMMUNICATE by e mail, fax or telephone. Many people are questioning why Brownback and the NOW suddenly believe that love and marriage is such a radioactive pursuit that must be regulated (prevented). This law is a violation of basic human rights to COMMUNICATE with a human being. Brownback is obviously trying attract the feminists but these are radical feminists whose backdoor deals to strip American men of their basic Constututional rights is an outright violation of human rights.Brownback is the guillible politican. These radical feminists aren’t going to vote for him anyways…and he fails to underestimate the backlash from mainstream conservative American men.
Senator Brownback you have some explaining to do!