Scooter Libby Gets Special Treatment

The commutation of Scooter's Libby's prison term is not totally unexpected from a president that values loyalty to himself over adherence to the laws of the United States. Congress has more than enough evidence of high crimes and misdemeanors, perhaps it is time to put impeachment back on the table.

From AFP:

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President George W. Bush commuted a 30 month jail term imposed on a former top White House aide for lying to federal investigators, sparking outrage from opposition Democrats.

The special prosecutor in the case also complained about Bush's comment in calling the sentence against Lewis 'Scooter' Libby "excessive".

The US president commuted the prison term but did not pardon the conviction which arose out of Libby's defense of the White House's justification for the March 2003 invasion of Iraq.

"I respect the jury's verdict. But I have concluded that the prison sentence given to Mr. Libby is excessive," Bush said in a statement.

"Therefore, I am commuting the portion of Mr. Libby's sentence that required him to spend 30 months in prison."

Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid called the action "disgraceful."

Bush's decision came after a US judge ordered on June 14 that Libby had to go to jail while his lawyer appealed his sentence.

The move provoked a slew of reactions along political lines.

Nancy Pelosi, Democratic leader in the House of Representatives, branded it a "betrayal of trust of the American people."

"The cause of equal justice in America took a serious blow today," said former senator John Edwards, a Democratic presidential hopeful.

Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, who brought the Libby case, disputed Bush's view that the sentence was "excessive," stressing that Libby "remains convicted by a jury of serious felonies, and we will continue to seek to preserve those convictions through the appeals process."