Bush Commutes Libby's Sentence -- What Did You Expect?

This evening, President Bush commuted Scooter Libby's 30-month prison sentence for four counts of perjury. The proclamation was issued late in the afternoon on a day when Washington was already half-empty, with people taking a long Fourth of July holiday.

The precipitation factor, according to Bush: the failure of Scooter's efforts to remain out of jail indefinitely while his high-priced lawyers launched prolonged appeals of his conviction. "With the denial of bail being upheld and incarceration imminent," Bush said, "I believe it is now important to react to that decision."

I'm sure the image of Paris Hilton (or was it her mom?) hyperventilating and crying like a baby after one night in jail was enough to weaken the resolve of even the toughest law-and-order Republicans, at least when it came to one of their own. Members of their "set" simply do not go to prison and suffer the associated indignities, and I am sure the pressure on Bush grew intolerable.

Several reactions:

1. What, you're surprised?

2. Ironic Bush Statement # 37,868: "If there's a leak out of my administration, I want to know who it is. If the person has violated law, that person will be taken care of." He said what he meant, and he meant what he said.

3. Patrick Fitzgerald, in his statement reacting to Bush's decision, defended the sentence, which Bush had termed "excessive:"

We comment only on the statement in which the President termed the sentence imposed by the judge as “excessive.” The sentence in this case was imposed pursuant to the laws governing sentencings which occur every day throughout this country. In this case, an experienced federal judge considered extensive argument from the parties and then imposed a sentence consistent with the applicable laws. It is fundamental to the rule of law that all citizens stand before the bar of justice as equals. That principle guided the judge during both the trial and the sentencing.

But not, apparently, when the President is getting ready to commute a sentence for a loyal functionary.

4. The Democratic and, more broadly, progressive frothing at the mouth seems predictable. What's may be interesting in the next few days is the reaction from the hard-core conservative Libby-lovers who think Bush is a pussy for not granting an outright pardon. Anyone want to lay odds on what Bush does in the last month of his presidency?