What Was Bush Thinking?

* Will you authorize the public release of the transcript of your and the Vice President's interview with Special Prosecutor Fitzgerald? (Anonymous)

* Who composed your commutation statement? Did it originate in the Vice President's office (i.e., David Addington), or did your White House counsel help you draft the statement? How much influence did the office of the VP exert in making this decision? (Don Greenwood)

* Isn't Bush concerned now that current aides will push the limits of legal behavior thinking that they too will be able to call in a presidential favor if they get in trouble? Has the president reinforced the ethical standards on White House staff in light of the Libby trial, and if so, what did he say to them? (Jack Peterson)

* Why won't the president/administration issue a public, written apology for the damage done to Valerie Plame and her family? They praised Scooter Libby as having provided years of public service. What about someone who worked behind the scenes to ensure the security of the country and is then forced out due to the malicious acts of administration officials? (Will Stroup)

* Why do you think you are in such a superior position to make a sentencing judgment as compared to an experienced judge (especially since your personal relationship with the criminal may impair your objectivity)? What factors did you consider that the sentencing judge did not that compelled you to the judgment that the sentence was excessive? Would you be critical of a sentencing judge taking these same factors into consideration in future cases when deciding whether to impose a sentence outside the guidelines? (Thomas Janzen)

* Did the White House or the office of the Vice President or their lawyers communicate with the attorneys for Libby before the defense team decided to not require Cheney's testimony at the trial? (Larry Keefe)

* If Libby's convictions are upheld on appeal, will the process under which he is considered for pardon be that which you have used for all other cases, or will he get special handling as he did in this commutation? If the appeals process has not run out by the end of your term of office, will you pardon Libby even though it violates the standard protocol for consideration of pardons? (Charles)

* Does President Bush believe that obstruction of justice and perjury should only be prosecuted if the alleged crime being investigated is successfully prosecuted? Does Mr. Bush believe that the fact that no one was charged with violations of the Intelligence Identities Protection Act mean that no such violations actually occurred? ("litigatormom")

* In your decision to grant clemency to Mr. Libby, did how much did you consider your obligation to what was good for the entire country? (Jon)

* What message might this send to other staffers who are faced with telling the truth or protecting their bosses who have ordered them to break the law? What example does this set for young people making decisions about ethics or morality? (Geoffrey Patrissi)

* How is it possible at one and the same time for Bush to refuse to answer questions for years on the basis that the legal process is still ongoing, but also give Libby a get out of jail free card while the legal process is still ongoing? How can it be wrong to comment on the matter while it's ongoing, but right to intervene? (Jon Krueger)

Snow's Tour de Farce

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There is, of course, something somewhat naive about the notion that even the best question will get an honest answer from the White House these days.