The reader response to the article was so good, they have released a second edition using suggestions from Propublica and Huffington Post readers.

Bush by the Numbers 2.0 (Readers’ Edition) – ProPublica
by Kristin Jones – December 16, 2008 2:37 pm EST

Thanks to all the readers who have sent us suggestions for updating Bush by the Numbers, our look at the 43rd president’s impact across American life. We have incorporated some of the best and earliest-submitted ideas below. We will continue to update the chart, so keep your suggestions coming. And don’t forget to cite your sources!

I tried to find some info on some of these cases via Google but many are so long ago that there don’t seem to be any digital records or news reports that I could find through Google News.  There are other ways to dig for this stuff but with a house guest arriving in in a few minutes I just don’t have time now.

Does anyone know if its common for a President to pardon people for convictions that occurred decades ago?  The DOJ has a list of Bill Clinton’s pardons but no details as to the dates of the convictions.

PARDONS

Leslie Owen Collier – Charleston, Mo.
Offense: Unauthorized use of a registered pesticide, 7 U.S.C. Section 136j(a)(2)(F) and 136l(b); violation of the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, 16 U.S.C. Section 668(a).
Sentence: Feb. 2, 1996; Eastern District of Missouri; two years’ probation and $10,000 in restitution.
Details: The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act makes it a federal offense to hunt bald or golden eagles anywhere within the United States unless provided with a permit by the Secretary of the Interior.

Milton Kirk Cordes – Rapid City, S.D.
Offense: Conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act; 18 U.S.C. Section 371, 16 U.S.C. Section 3372(a)(2)(A), 3373(d)(1)(B).
Sentence: Dec. 14, 1998; District of South Dakota; 18 months’ probation conditioned on loss of hunting privileges for one year, performance of 100 hours of community service and payment of a $2,000 fine.
Details: The Lacey Act of 1900, or more commonly The Lacey Act, 16 U.S.C. § 3371–3378, is a conservation law introduced by Iowa Rep. John F. Lacey. It was signed into law by President William McKinley on May 25th, 1900. The Lacey Act has been amended several times. The most significant times were in 1969, 1981, and in 1989. At the turn of the century, illegal commercial hunting threatened many game species in the United States. The law prohibited the transportation of illegally captured or prohibited animals across state lines. It was the first federal law protecting wildlife, and is still in effect, though it has been revised several times. Today the law is primarily used to prevent the importation or spread of potentially dangerous non-native species.

Richard Micheal Culpepper – Mahomet, Ill.
Offense: False statements to the United States; 18 U.S.C. Section 287.
Sentence: Jan. 15, 1988; Central District of Illinois; five years’ probation conditioned on payment of a $1,000 fine and $4,351.90 in restitution.

Brenda Jean Dolenz-Helmer – Fort Worth, Texas
Offense: Misprision of a felony; 18 U.S.C. Section 4.
Sentence: Dec. 31, 1998; Northern District of Texas; four years’ probation, with the special condition of 600 hours of community service and a $10,000 fine.
Details: Misprision of a Felony has been a crime in the USA since 1909. The original law said “Whoever, having knowledge of the actual commission of a felony cognizable by a court of the United States, conceals and does not as soon as possible make known the same to some judge or other person in civil or military authority under the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.” Since that time, the offense has been changed to require ACTIVE concealment of a known felony rather than merely failing to report it.

Andrew Foster Harley – Falls Church, Va.
Offense: Wrongful use and distribution of marijuana and cocaine; Article 112a, Uniform Code of Military Justice.
Sentence: April 17, 1985, as approved June 13, 1985; U.S. Air Force general court martial convened at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.; 90 days’ confinement, forfeiture of all pay and allowances and dismissal from the Air Force.

Obie Gene Helton – Rossville, Ga.
Offense: Unauthorized acquisition of food stamps; 7 U.S.C. Section 2024(b), 18 U.S.C. Section 2.
Sentence: April 1, 1983; Eastern District of Tennessee; two years’ probation, $500 fine and $875 in restitution.

Carey C. Hice Sr. – Travelers Rest, S.C.
Offense: Income tax evasion; 26 U.S.C. Section 7201 and 18 U.S.C. Section 2.
Sentence: March 5, 1996; District of South Carolina; three years’ probation condition on 180 days’ home confinement and a $13,000 fine.

Geneva Yvonne Hogg – Chamblee, Ga.
Offense: Bank embezzlement; 18 U.S.C. Section 657.
Sentence: June 19, 1980; District of South Carolina; five years’ probation and a $500 fine.

William Hoyle McCright Jr. – Midland, Texas
Offense: Making false entries, books, reports or statements of bank; 18 U.S.C. Section 1005.
Sentence: Oct. 20, 1986, as amended September 23, 1987; Western District of Texas; two years’ imprisonment and a $10,000 fine.

Paul Julian McCurdy – Sulphur, Okla.
Offense: Misapplication of bank funds by a bank officer; 18 U.S.C. Section 656.
Sentence: Feb. 12, 1988; Eastern District of Oklahoma; five years’ probation and $5,000 in restitution.

Robert Earl Mohon Jr. – Grant, Ala.
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute marijuana; 21 U.S.C. Section 841 and 846.
Sentence: Oct. 22, 1987; Northern District of Alabama; three years in prison.

Ronald Alan Mohrhoff – Los Angeles
Offense: Unlawful use of a telephone in furtherance of a narcotics felony, 21 U.S.C. Section 843(b); possession of cocaine, 21 U.S.C. Section 844(a).
Sentence: Oct. 9, 1984; Central District of California; one year of in prison followed by five years’ probation with the special condition of 2,500 hours of community service.

Daniel Figh Pue III – Conroe, Texas
Offense: Illegal treatment, storage and disposal of a hazardous waste without a permit, 42 U.S.C. Section 6928(d)(2)(A); illegal transportation of a hazardous waste to an unpermitted facility for storage or disposal, 42 U.S.C. Section 6928(d)(1).
Sentence: Oct. 25, 1996; Southern District of Texas; three years’ probation conditioned on six months’ home confinement and a $1,000 fine.

Orion Lynn Vick – White Hall, Ark.
Offense: Aiding and abetting the theft of government property; 18 U.S.C. Section 641 and 2.
Sentence: June 17, 1975; District of Arizona; payment of a $250 fine within 90 days.

COMMUTATIONS

John Edward Forte – North Brunswick, N.J.
Offense: Aiding and abetting possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine; 21 U.S.C. Section 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(A)(ii), 18 U.S.C. Section 2.
Sentence: Nov. 20, 2001; Southern District of Texas; 168 months in prison, five years’ supervised release and a $5,000 fine.
Terms of commutation: Sentence of imprisonment to expire on Dec. 22, 2008, leaving intact and in effect the five year term of supervised release with all its conditions.

James Russell Harris – Detroit, Mich.
Offense: Conspiracy to aid and abet the distribution of cocaine, 21 U.S.C. Section 846; attempted money laundering, 18 U.S.C. Section 1956(a)(3) and 2; aiding and abetting the attempted distribution of cocaine, 21 U.S.C. Section 841(a)(1); conspiracy to affect interstate commerce by obtaining property under color of official right, 18 U.S.C. Section 1951; attempt to affect interstate commerce by obtaining property under color of official right, 18 U.S.C. Section 1951.
Sentence: May 10, 1993; Eastern District of Michigan; 360 months in prison, five years’ supervised release and a $50,000 fine.
Terms of clemency grant: Unpaid balance of fine remitted; sentence of imprisonment commuted to expire on Dec. 22, 2008, leaving intact and in effect the five year term of supervised release with all its conditions save the obligation to satisfy the unpaid balance of the fine.

Good morning.  Earlier this week, more than 120 million Americans went to the polls and voted for a new President and Congress.  No matter how we cast our ballots, all Americans have reason to be proud of our democracy.  Our citizens have chosen a President who represents a triumph of the American story — a testament to hard work, optimism, and faith in the enduring promise of our Nation.

When I called President-Elect Obama to congratulate him on his historic victory, I told him that he can count on my complete cooperation as he makes his transition to the White House.  Ensuring that this transition is seamless is a top priority for the rest of my time in office.  Our country faces economic challenges that will not pause to let a new President settle in.  This will also be America’s first wartime presidential transition in four decades.  We’re in a struggle against violent extremists determined to attack us — and they would like nothing more than to exploit this period of change to harm the American people.

So my Administration will work hard to ensure that the next President and his team can hit the ground running.  For more than a year now, the White House and agencies throughout the Federal government have been preparing for a smooth transition.  We’ve provided intelligence briefings to the President-Elect, and the Department of Justice has approved security clearances for members of his transition staff.  In the coming weeks, we will ask Administration officials to brief the Obama team on major ongoing policy issues, ranging from the financial markets to the war in Iraq.  I will keep the President-Elect fully informed on important decisions during this critical time for our Nation.  Taken together, these measures represent an unprecedented effort to ensure continuity throughout the executive branch.

A successful transition is just one of the many important tasks remaining for my Administration.  Yesterday we learned that America’s economy lost jobs in the month of October, and I will continue working hard to return our Nation to the path of prosperity and growth.  To help address the global financial crisis, my Administration will host an historic international summit in Washington on November 15.  We will also keep urging Congress to approve America’s free trade agreements with Colombia and Panama and South Korea.  We will continue working to defeat the terrorists and extremists abroad, to keep the American people safe here at home.

Americans expect their President to conduct the people’s business.  I will continue to uphold this solemn obligation for as long as this office remains in my trust.  In the meantime, I join the American people in wishing President-Elect Obama every success.  Laura and I wish the Obama family as much joy and happiness as our family has found in this wonderful house.

Thank you for listening.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 16 /USNewswire/ — President George Bush this week rejected a Congressional effort to bar the United States military from controlling Iraq’s oil resources.

In the authorization bill, Mr. Bush challenged four sections. One forbid the money from being used “to exercise United States control of the oil resources of Iraq”; another required negotiations for an agreement by which Iraq would share some of the costs of the American military operations there.

The Friends Committee on National Legislation, a 65-year-old Quaker lobby, has worked with Congress for three years to pass legislation that bars the United States from building permanent military bases in Iraq or exercising control of Iraq’s oil resources. “We are dismayed that the president would deny the Iraqi people and its government the basic sovereign right to control their own natural resources. President Bush apparently believes that as commander in chief he is entitled to seize Iraq’s oil fields and control Iraqi oil if he should deem it necessary to protect U.S. national security,” said Jim Fine, a lobbyist for the Friends Committee on National Legislation. “It’s hard to see any other logic behind his signing statement. He has, in effect, declared himself — and any future U.S. presidents who fail to repudiate his outlandish claims — emperors of Iraq.”

President Bush has signed the restriction against controlling Iraqi oil into law five times since 2006, but has issued 2 signing statements this year asserting that banning U.S. control over Iraqi oil would violate the constitutional powers of the executive. He argues that his administration is not legally bound to abide by those provisions.

For more on FCNL’s Middle East program, see http://www.fcnl.org/iraq.

The Friends Committee on National Legislation, the oldest registered religious lobby in Washington, is a nonpartisan Quaker lobby in the public interest. FCNL works with a nationwide network of tens of thousands of people from every state in the U.S. to advocate for social and economic justice, peace, and good government. For more information, visit http://www.fcnl.org/.

Is It News When the President Makes Untrue Statements (i.e. lies)?

We will know the answer to that one soon. President Bush said in his radio address today said that the oil in the offshore protected areas is equal to 10 years of current production.

No, that is not true. The Energy Information Agency, the government agency responsible for making estimates of oil reserves, calculates that there are approximately 8 billion of barrels of oil in the protected areas. Current production is approximately 3 billion barrels a year. That implies that the oil in the offshore protected areas is equal to less than 3 years of annual production, not ten years. That means that President Bush is off by a factor of more than three.

It actually is somewhat worse. U.S. production is only equal to 40 percent of consumption. Consumption is the more relevant factor in determining the importance of this oil. The oil in offshore protected areas is equal to only a bit more than a year of domestic consumption.

In other words, President Bush was completely misrepresenting the importance of oil in offshore protected areas. Why isn’t this major news? Do the NYT, Washington Post, NPR, and Lehrer News Hour believe that President Bush lies so often that it can’t be treated as news?

Links
Annual Energy Outlook 2007 with Projections to 2030
President’s Radio Address

Here is the full text of President Bush’s speech.

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. Throughout the past week, Americans anxiously watched weather conditions in the Gulf Coast region. The people of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas were well prepared for Hurricane Gustav — and the coordination between these States and the Federal government was strong.

Now, we’re focusing on the relief effort. Gustav caused damage to infrastructure, forced tens of thousands into shelters, and left more than a million people without power. The Federal government is working with State and local officials to repair this damage, to help residents get back home, and to return life in the region to normal as soon as possible.

While these relief efforts have been in progress, we’ve also been preparing for the arrival of storms like Hanna, Ike, and others that may follow. My Administration will continue to provide assistance to those affected by violent weather throughout this hurricane season. And we will continue to work diligently to coordinate our emergency response efforts with State and local governments.

While the Federal government continues this vital work, there are also important responsibilities awaiting members of Congress as they return to Washington. In just a few weeks, members will be back out on the campaign trail, emphasizing the differences between the two parties. But before they leave Washington, they should show that they can work together on bipartisan measures to help strengthen America’s economy: measures like approving the Colombia and Korean free trade agreements, extending relief from the Alternative Minimum Tax, and addressing one of the American people’s biggest concerns — the high price of gasoline.

The fundamental reason for high gasoline prices is that the supply of oil is not keeping pace with demand. By increasing supply through the use of our domestic resources, we can begin reducing the pressure on prices. So in June, I called on Congress to open up more of America’s domestic oil resources for exploration — including offshore exploration of the Outer Continental Shelf. The American people overwhelmingly support this proposal. But throughout the summer, the leaders of the Democratic Congress refused to allow it to come to a vote.

At the very least, Congress should take action on three common-sense energy solutions that enjoy bipartisan support.

First, Congress should open the way for environmentally responsible offshore exploration on the Outer Continental Shelf. Experts believe that these areas could eventually produce nearly 10 years’ worth of America’s current annual oil production. This exploration is now banned by a provision included in the annual interior appropriations bill. Congress should remove this restriction immediately.

Second, Congress should expand access to oil shale — a domestic resource that could produce the equivalent of more than a century’s worth of imports at current levels. Last year, however, Democratic leaders slipped a provision blocking oil shale leasing on Federal lands into an omnibus spending bill. They should lift that ban immediately.

Third, Congress should extend renewable power tax credits to spur the development of alternative sources of energy like wind and solar. They should make these credits long term and expand them to cover all forms of low-emission power generation — including nuclear power. In the long run, increasing production of low-carbon electricity can help us reduce our addiction to oil by allowing us to power a new generation of plug-in hybrid and hydrogen-powered vehicles.

This Congress has earned a reputation as one of the least productive in history. Throughout this year, Democratic leaders have ignored the public’s demand for relief from high energy prices. This is their final chance to take action before the November elections. If members of Congress do not support the American people at the gas pump, then they should not expect the American people to support them at the ballot box.

Thank you for listening.

Mr. Rezko is not in the same league as Republican lobbyist and Tom Delay’s pal Jack Abramoff, but when the Republican National Committee can’t find anything good to say about their candidate they have to take what they can get.

Unlike Abramoff’s patrons who are under investigation or indictment, Barak Obama is NOT under investigation or being charged with anything related to the Rezko crimes.

This new RNC site contains a YouTube hosted video with lots one lovely photoshopped picture of Rezko & Obama and a second mashup of two different photos designed to make it look like they are pals.

The photos have been masked to remove any possible context from the picture and are used to zoom around the screen and make the two look joined at the hip as well as a little news feed to keep you up to date on the latest “Headlines” about Rezko. In this context Headlines refers to RNC press releases as opposed to … ya know.. NEWS headlines.

The whole aim is to cast doubts on Obama’s judgement and fitness to serve in office. The fun part of all this is that it took less than five minutes over on OpenSecrets.org to discover that Mr. Rezko was an equal opportunity donor.

He donated money to over two dozen candidates and issue groups over the period for which there are electronic, searchable records. Those candidates are of both parties, but one two time recipient of Mr. Rezko’s largess jumped out at me.

To the best of my recollection, George W. Bush was running for President in October of 1999 and December of 2003. During those campaigns Mr. Rezko donated $5,000 to Mr. Bush.

This is the same George W. Bush who, according to the RNC’s Party Leadership page, heads the very organization that has created and promoted RezkoJudgement.com. Now that takes REAL balls.

When I see such stunning hypocrisy right there out in the open I can understand why Blanca DeBree loves her Republicans. If the National Democratic party tried something like this they’d be flayed alive on Fox News and the rest of the TV news channels, but the thing is, the RNC will get away with it.

And of course, it wouldn’t be a proper Republican “viral” ad without the requisite “Angry Black Man” shot included for good measure.