{"article":{"id":203097,"heading":"Black and Bush","author":"Digery Cohen","created":"2007-07-15 01:04:43","modified":"2013-11-11 00:49:08","last_modified":"Mon, 11 Nov 2013 07:49:08","article":"

I do not respect the jury's verdict.

They’re just a shower of plebs who never heard of the skull and bones club.

I have concluded that the conviction of Conrad Black is wrong, excessive and an affront to all decent Bonesmen and other pro-Israeli people of goodwill.

Therefore, I am overturning the verdict of the jury and commuting any prison sentence that Conrad might receive in the future.

My decision to commute his prison sentence leaves in place a harsh punishment for Lord Black.

The reputation he gained through his years of public service and professional work in the media and serving Israel is forever damaged.

His wife has had to go and get a toy-boy and also suffered immensely.

The Constitution gives the President the power of clemency to be used when he deems it to be warranted.

It is my judgment that to overturn the jury’s verdict in this case is an appropriate exercise of this power.

<\/p>\n","contact":"digerycohen@yahoo.co.uk","link":"","address":"","phone":"","parent_id":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","summary":"Bush statement on pardon for Lord Black","numcomment":0,"fileurl":"\/uploads\/2007\/07\/black_and_bush.jpg","filesize":"125.5 kibibytes","article_url":"\/news\/2007\/07\/203097.php","image":{"original":"\/uploads\/2007\/07\/black_and_bush.jpg","small":"\/uploads\/2007\/07\/black_and_bush.jpgthumb.jpg","medium":"\/uploads\/2007\/07\/black_and_bush.jpgmid.jpg"}},"attachments":[],"comments":[]}