European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 10, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 20 stars and stripes june Thomas publisher Richard general Europe Stephen commander news and editorial Robb Grinostaff Doug Clawson executive editor managing editor Europe Sam Europe Bureau chief Joseph Mideast Bureau chief Marni assistant Bureau chief assistant managing editors Mary news Sean sports Brian features Christopher Patrick news editor Joe web editor addresses mail unit Apoate 09211 International mail Postrach 64345 Germany fax Dan 3498416 0 email news  letters  Central office 529 14th Street suite Washington do phone Dan 3127630900 or 202 fax 202 7610890 editorial director 529 14th so suite do phone Dan 3127630945 or 202 How to Call us editor Dan 3498264 0 6155601264 letters Dan 3498237 0 sports Dan 3498225 0 circulation Dan 3498437 0 advertising Dan 0 news bureaus Germany country code Bamberg Mark car 459 Box Apo a 091393703 Dan 4697957 0 or fax Dan 4698007 or 0 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monitors coverage for timeliness and balance the ombudsman welcomes comments from and can be contacted by email at , or by phone at european and Pacific stars and stripes 2007 stars and stripes web site opinion Libby not the Only one waiting on Bush by Margaret Colgate love As speculation grows about whether president Bush will Pardon Lewis Scooter or at least commute his prison its important to remember the hundreds of Ordinary people who have been patiently standing in some for Many wait ing for presidential in a it is these largely Anonymous applicants for executive clemency of which Pardon and commutation Are subsets who hold the key to the presidents ability to help the Well connected this is not so much a matter of fairness As it is of political common Many of those with pending applications for clemency were convicted Long ago of Garden variety crimes and have fully served their time Many others Are still serv ing lengthy mandatory prison terms from which there is no Hope of parole parole hav ing been eliminated from Federal sentence one such applicant is my Willie Mays whose addiction to crack co Caine ruined a Brilliant major league base Ball career and who is now in the 13th year of a 20year prison term for Selling drugs to an undercover policewoman an extraordinarily harsh sentence for a relatively nonviolent drug there Are countless others in similar Posi if the president is unwilling to look favourably on deserving applicants for clemency such As How can he justify help Libby from this country earliest the presidents Pardon Power has played a practical in the federalist a Alexander Hamilton remarked that the criminal code of every country Par takes so much of necessary severity that without an easy Access to exceptions in favor of unfortunate Justice would Wear a countenance too sanguinary and until about 20 years presidents considered it their obligation to make such exceptions on a regular Fred Bush White House once de scribed pardoning As part of the House keeping business of the pardons have a symbolic function As by making executive Grace available to people who have made the pres ident can set an example for us in government As in personal the willingness to forgive is a sign of courage and character and makes for a stronger but pardoning has fallen on hard Bush has been More sparing in his exercise of the constitutional Pardon Power than any other president in the last 100 including his he has pardoned Only 113 people in More than six years in office and denied More than Pardon Applina he has granted Only three of More than requests for sentence reduction from Federal Many hundreds of applications remain to be acted by six years into his presiden president Reagan had pardoned More than 300 people and commuted 13 sentences and that was at a time when Federal prisoners could still Hope for going further president Nixon is sued 863 pardons arid 60 commutations president Ford issued 382 pardons and 22 commutations president Carter issued 534 pardons and 29 Bush pardons have not Only been few in but they have been remarkably in not one of his Grants has been even remotely an amazing accomplishment at a time when every presidential action is subject to intense scrutiny and May be used As fodder for partisan and for a president who has been willing to stretch his other constitutional Powers to the limit and Bush has proved strangely hesitant to exercise the one Power that is unquestionably his yet there is still an outside Chance in the final 18 months of his Bush can create a climate in which clemency for Libby would be understood and a if he were to Start now to whittle away at his backlog of Pardon cases and re View the commutation caseload with an Eye toward granting a few or even More than a few sympathetic and meaningful sen tence he could put Libby Case into a larger context before the end of his for excessive harshness which is one of Libby complaints is a time honoured reason for reducing a prison Carter commuted the sentence of heiress Patty Reagan did the same for former Maryland Marvin Mandel and president Clinton Cut Short the prison terms of a group of puerto rican National All because they considered these prisoners sentences disproportionate to their surely there Are a number of pie now in Federal like Willie Aik about whom the same could be recognition of Good citizenship is a classic basis for granting a surely there Are some Pardon applicants who have rendered the same service to their communities that Libby has rendered to albeit on a smaller the Federal Pardon Power has a proud yet in recent years it has been trivialized and allowed to the Libby Case presents Bush with an Opportunity to change if he begins now to exercise his Pardon Power with More intention and greater lib with More sympathy for human error and less aversion to there is at least a Chance that the Public will regard with equanimity any Relief he ultimately chooses to Grant to Scooter Colgate love was Pardon attorney in the Justice department from 1990 to this column first appeared in the los Angeles Tell us what you think stars and stripes welcomes your comments on editorials and columns that republished in the and values letters on topics of importance in the lives of our All letters must be and must include the writers address or base and Telephone please limit All letters to 300 we Reserve the right to edit letters for taste and Send your letters to mail stars and stripes unit 29480 Apoate 09211 International mail stars and stripes Postrach 1330 64345 Griesheim via fax country code 0 email  sups 19 list acting we Oftis that noise left ask you Good time about hoi that Mogot a text a Cust Schilling 32 20ujs in the random text  Yoffe actually with of having fann6p him any droppings Youk left be pals