Fair Game: The Movie, "Plus ca change, plus la meme chose."

The excerpt below is from a very fine article by Mary McGrory of The Washington Post written in 2001 entitled  "Overdue Bill" about Bill Clinton's controversial pardon of international fugitive Marc Rich whose wife contributed heavily to the Clinton campaign for the Presidency.  You can get it from the Post's archives by contacting Ms. Katharine Weymouth, Publisher, 202-334-7100 and asking for her.  Here is the link to the quote and here is the quote below that link (in red and blue on this blog):


http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/69210799.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS%3AFT&date=Mar+4%2C+2001&author=Mary+Mcgrory&desc=Overdue+Bill 


Actually, the most help given to [Bill Clinton] was rendered, reluctantly, by a Republican witness, Lewis Libby, who is called "Scooter" and who was [Marc Rich]'s longtime lawyer. Libby is now the chief of staff for Vice President Cheney, who is happily engaged in making the Bush White House a temple of regular order -- something seldom seen in the Clintonian pardon process. Libby said he did not believe the fugitive billionaire was guilty as charged, which gave grudging support to Clinton's contention that he made his incendiary decision "on the merits."







 Three of Clinton's  closest aides, with their attorneys, testified to their opposition to the pardon. Former chief of staff John Podesta, sardonic and terse, added the name of the king of Spain to the list of Rich lobbyists who bombarded the staff the final hours. Counsel [Beth Nolan] gave the valuable summary of the underlying problem and confirmed, under Republican questioning, another irregularity in the proceedings: Cheryl Mills, who had resigned as deputy White House counsel in October and is a Clinton library trustee, was in and out of the pardon meetings. Senior adviser Bruce Lindsey, famously tight-lipped and loyal, freely confessed to opposing his principal.

http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/69210799.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS%3AFT&date=Mar+4%2C+2001&author=Mary+Mcgrory&desc=Overdue+Bill

Overdue Bill[FINAL Edition]The Washington Post - Washington, D.C.
Author:Mary McgroryDate:Mar 4, ...2001Start Page:B.01Section:OUTLOOK
Text Word Count:817