Bush: Do the Crime, But Not the Time

(Video from CNN)

Scooter Libby had already been issued an inmate number. He had one foot in the prison cell when, whaddaya know, here comes his buddy the president with a commutation of his sentence and saves him from serving 30 months in the slammer. Perjury? Obstruction of Justice? No problem. When you work for an administration that considers itself above the law, I guess you can pretty much do anything you want.

But perhaps the biggest hypocrite on this issue is Mitt Romney, who bragged that as governor of Massachusetts he NEVER issued a pardon, but when it comes to Scooter, well, that's a different matter. For Scooter, he thinks it's a swell idea.

Bush said in his commutation order that Libby's sentence was "excessive." Well, no, it wasn't. It was well within the sentencing guidelines for the crimes of which he was convicted. What IS excessive is the complete disregard for the rule of law demonstrated over and over again by the Bush administration.

Here's what Bush said about his pardon power as governor of Texas...

"I don't believe my role is to replace the verdict of a jury with my own, unless there are new facts or evidence of which a jury was unaware, or evidence that the trial was somehow unfair."

He doesn't claim that any of those factors were present in the Libby case. He's just doing a solid for a pal.

The commutation is also raising suspicion that Bush is trying to cover his own ass, fearful of what Libby might reveal about Bush's and/or Cheney's involvment in the Plame affair if sent to prison. Hopefully, Congress will do its job and try to get to the bottom of this fiasco.