Keith Olbermann's Countdown Item No. 4 included a blockbuster (I thought, at least) when Keith asked former White House Counsel under Nixon John Dean:
Is it possible Bush did pardon Libby and we don't know it yet? Followed by questions like, Do pardons have to be announced publicly?
Dean: (paraphrasing) No, they don't have to be announced. (!) By tradition, custom, some regulations, they have been in the past, but...Dean said he could see a case where Bush might issue a pardon in secret say for reasons of national security, and it only come out if someone was... say put on trial for torture and then that person announced, "Well, I've already been pardoned secretly by Bush."
We all know Bush loves to do things to protect us all.
Video here: Link here
They stared out talking about why Bush didn't pardon Libby, and Dean said maybe Bush thought the commutation of his prison sentence was enough, then added no one can really fathom what goes on in Bush's mind.
Went on to talk about Cheney, today, criticizing Bush for not pardoning Libby, that in the end, Cheney pushed as hard as he could for the pardon, but was on the outside at the end of the Bush presidency.
Then, Olbermann: No waive as we feared of 50 pardons. Any explanation?
Dean: Bush really only cares about Bush.
Olbermann: Is it possible he might have pardoned more than we know?
Dean: Maybe. Pardon power immense. President can do what he wants. Say for national security reasons issue secret pardons.
Dean: then added, but it would have a limited effect.
Olbermann: Why?
Dean: Wouldn't cover international law.
Olbermann: We'll go looking for secret pardons later in the week, I suppose.
Somebody want to explain the last part to me? Is he saying Libby and others could face prosecution under say an international war tribunal?
Or that there's some way to prosecute Libby in the US, despite a presidential pardon?