pardon me...

From Jacob Sullum at Reason... (I was looking for Katherine Mangu-Ward's blurb on this in November's issue, but couldn't find it.)

Bush is averaging 18 acts of clemency a year, compared to 57 for Clinton, 19 for George H.W. Bush, 51 for Reagan, 142 for Carter, 164 for Ford, 168 for Nixon, 237 for Johnson, 192 for Kennedy, 145 for Eisenhower, 264 for Truman, and 301 for FDR. With less than 18 months left in his presidency, this is one area where Bush has room to improve and can still leave an admirable legacy.

The relevant data set from U.S. News and World Report on the numbers of pardons and commutations granted by recent presidents:

· John Kennedy: 472 pardons, 100 commutations
· Lyndon Johnson: 960 pardons, 226 commutations
· Richard Nixon: 863 pardons, 60 commutations
· Gerald Ford: 382 pardons, 22 commutations
· Jimmy Carter: 534 pardons, 29 commutations
· Ronald Reagan: 393 pardons, 13 commutations
· George H. W. Bush: 74 pardons, 3 commutations
· Bill Clinton: 396 pardons, 61 commutations
· George W. Bush: as of today, 113 pardons, 4 commutations

And the comprehensive data (except George W. Bush)...