Pardon me.

The “President” pardoned an extraordinary number of people this holiday season. Without reading too much into it, I note that most of the pardoned were incarcerated for crimes for which Bush himself probably should have served time. Fraud, cocaine trafficking, bribery and ripping off the federal government comprised most of the crimes which GW thought worthy of pardon. Bush has issued 113 pardons and commuted three sentences in his nearly six years in the White House, a large number considering his natural inclination to throw everyone in jail without a trial. However, Bush remains among the stingiest of presidents on pardons. Clinton issued 457 in eight years in office. Bush's father issued 77 in four years. Reagan issued 406 in eight years, and Carter issued 563 in four years. Since World War II, the largest number of pardon and commutations , 2,031 came from Truman. What I found interesting is that most of those pardoned had served their sentences long ago and were simply looking to clear their records, something Bush can clearly relate to. My personal favorite pardon from our draft dodging chief executive was a nod to out men and women in uniform. Pardoned in time for this Christmas season was one Eric William Olson of Ojai, California who was charged and convicted of “conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, possession with intent to distribute, possession, and use of hashish.” Sentenced February 21, 1984, by an Army general court-martial to confinement at hard labor for one year, reduction in pay grade, and a bad conduct discharge, his pardon presumably reinstated his military benefits; only fitting when you consider what Bush has put the Army through the last few years. Lest one confuse Bush granting a pardon with him showing actual human emotion, one should remember that a pardon amounts to federal forgiveness for one's crime, while a commutation cuts short an existing prison term. Bush only commuted three sentences. Merry fucking Christmas Mr. President.