Bush Pardons 14. Who Made the List?

You know a president's time in the Oval Office is nearing a close when the press starts betting on who's going to get pardoned and officially forgiven for their crimes.

Well, AP now has the list of 14 people President Bush today granted pardons to and their crimes. The pardons are Bush's first since March, and include leniency for those involved in drug offenses, income tax evasion and bank embezzlement. These pardons are the last word, there's no overturning them. To date, Bush has granted 171 pardons and eight sentence commutations - less than half of what Presidents Clinton or Reagan delivered. Maybe we'll see more before he officially moves out of the White House...

On the latest pardon list were:

-Leslie Owen Collier of Charleston, Mo.
(Offense: the unauthorized use of a pesticide in killing bald eagles, convicted 1996. (Not a joke.))

-Milton Kirk Cordes of Rapid City, S.D. (Offense: Conspiracy to
violate the Lacey Act, which prohibits importation into the
country of wildlife taken in violation of conservation laws.)

-Richard Micheal Culpepper of Mahomet, Ill.

-Brenda Jean Dolenz-Helmer of Fort Worth, Texas.

-Andrew Foster Harley of Falls Church, Va.

-Obie Gene Helton of Rossville, Ga. (Offense: unauthorized acquisition of food stamps.)

-Carey C. Hice Sr. of Travelers Rest, S.C.

-Geneva Yvonne Hogg of Jacksonville, Fla.

-William Hoyle McCright Jr. of Midland, Texas.

-Paul Julian McCurdy of Sulphur, Okla.

-Robert Earl Mohon Jr. of Grant, Ala.

-Ronald Alan Mohrhoff of Los Angeles. (Offense: unlawful use of a telephone in a narcotics felony.)

-Daniel Figh Pue III of Conroe, Texas. (Offense: illegal treatment, storage and disposal of a hazardous waste without a permit.)

-Orion Lynn Vick of White Hall, Ark.

Bush also commuted the prison sentences of John Edward Forte of North Brunswick, N.J., and James Russell Harris of Detroit. Forte was a backup singer to Carly Simon who was convicted of aiding the distribution of cocaine.

Sadly, the 11- and 12-year prison sentences of former Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean were not commuted. They were found guilty of shooting a Mexican drug runner in the butt while on duty in 2005. The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans ordered Ramos and Compean to be resentenced after the appeals court dropped a tampering-with-evidence conviction. But that didn't change their overall sentence.

Sure, they probably shouldn't have shot at a man while he was running away and they shouldn't have tried to cover up the shooting, but do they deserve more than a decade in prison for doing their jobs?

Last week, Reps Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., and William Delahunt, D-Mass., sent an official letter to U.S. Pardon Attorney Ronald Rogers, asking for his recommendation to Bush for commutation. Several congressional appeals have been sent directly to the president in the past, but this was the first attempt to voice support through the "official process."

"President Bush still has time to do the right thing and commute wrongly imprisoned Border Agents Ramos and Compean. If he doesn't, while at the same time pardoning blatant criminals, then he will be remembered for the personal persecution and values that decision reflects," Rohrabacher said today. "The fact that the president has neglected to free these men from their imprisonment while freeing drug dealers, embezzlers and other criminals is insulting to the American people who have been begging and pleading for the President to release the agents whose prosecution was unjust from the beginning. For the sake of justice, let's hope this is not the last round of pardons and commutations."

Former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R-Calif., and four-term Democratic Louisiana Gov. Edwin W. Edwards - both convicted of public corruption - are also asking for shorter prison terms. But no such luck yet. The New York Times has more on the pardons.

Alaska Republican Sen. Ted Stevens, however, won't be seeking a pardon for his recent seven-count felony conviction.

The Washington Post has more on how the pardons work. Justice Department regulations say that people are eligible for pardons if they have been convicted, served their sentence and waited five years since their prison release.