July 5, 2007

StreetTalk

by Carol Rosen

On July 2nd President Bush commuted the prison sentence against Lewis “Scooter” Libby, who was convicted of perjury and obstructing an investigation last spring. Libby will still have to pay a $250,000 fine and serve probation for two years. How do you feel about the commutation?
(Asked at Starbucks at Almaden Center)

“I don’t think the president should have let him off. The president shouldn’t be able to get his friends out of jail; that’s not in his job description. There are laws in this country that he has sworn to uphold and he should be doing that and not letting his friends off. Friends should get the maximum penalty [if that’s what the jury says].”

Sara Boring, 20
Almaden
Student at San Francisco State


“Where I come from, what Libby did is called treason.”

Terry
Almaden
Homemaker


“It should have been worse; $250,000 is not enough. It should have affected his income.”

Liz Zumhof, 60
Arizona
Independent Mary Kay sales director


“No, I think it’s wrong. The government needs to protect the CIA, what Bush did is not right at all.”

Sasha Emami, 33
Almaden
Dental student


“Yes, he should have gone to jail. What Bush did is ridiculous. Libby put the country in jeopardy. It’s not right to put our security in jeopardy. It goes against what the government should be doing."

Helene Eichler
Almaden
Channel marketing manager


“I feel that everyone should be held to the same standards no matter who his friends are.”

Tabitha Guzman, 23
Almaden
Graduate student at Yale University


"I think it’s obviously an unethical system if Libby is not getting the same sentence as others. It’s not the first time Bush has breached the law codes. It’s not surprising but it is disappointing. Bush is comfortable breaking the law. It’s not new for the office [of president], but it is a sad thing that the public is not capable of pressuring that punishment.”

April Nieuwsma, 21
Almaden
Student at Boston College who spent a year at Oxford University


"I think he should be freed. He didn’t do anything wrong. The Democrats go after anything and anyone."

George, 67
Almaden
Retired


“I’m not happy with what Bush did. Everyone else will want the same thing to happen. It doesn’t matter who the person is, where he lives and what his job is, if he commits a crime he should serve his sentence.”

Anu Chopra, 41
Almaden
Part-time instructional associate at Willliams Elementary