Scooter

Like everyone who’s even vaguely awake in the “Western” world I’ve seen dozens of stories already about Bush’s commuting of Libby’s sentence.

Like everyone who’s even vaguely awake, I see this for what it is. As I read in the NYT: “in this case, Mr. Bush did not sound like a leader making tough decisions about justice. He sounded like a man worried about what a former loyalist might say when actually staring into a prison cell.”

However, so far my favourite headline (which comes attached to my favourite, and most-bile laden, analysis) is this: War Criminal Commutes Sentence of Convicted Perjurer at Behest of Traitor

Oh, and just in case that’s not enough of a rage-out, consider this: by commuting the sentence, but not fully pardoning Libby, what Bush has done is remove the punishment, but leave in place the Fifth amendment shield. “So what?” you say, “he’s already been convicted.” Yes, but a pardon would have meant that he could have been compelled to testify about his accomplices. Now he serves no jail time, but is still shielded from compulsion to testify, cutting off any chance of follow-up. Neat little package, that.