Commutation

It seems to me that the big news this evening (which of course, at 9pm local time was being ignored by all the major cable news companies in favour of wrestler-murder-suicides, homophobic-remarks-by-actors, etc) of Bush's commutation of the Libby sentence is not that the sentence has been commuted, and hence that he won't have the pain of prison, it is that the sentence has been commuted, and hence he no longer has any incentive imposed by the courts to come clean on his testimony and tell the true story to the prosecutor. Oh, and how has this incentive been taken away? By one of the people who might conceivably have most to lose if he were to testify truthfully! Yes, Bush has the right to commute whatever sentence he wishes, but this one was not extreme by comparison with sentences for similar crimes --- and just because he has the right to do it doesn't mean that he has the right to not be criticized for it!

The story in the press should be that this is an attempt, albeit probably legal, to have an end run around the judicial system by the administration.

Oh, and the point that he will face huge fines and the lack of his livelihood because he is a convicted felon and will lose his law license? Sure. I'll believe that none of the administration's financial backers will pump any money his way --- just like they haven't paid for his defense fund, and they won't employ him at the heritage foundation or some other rightwing foundation. Yeah, right. By the way, d'you have any bridges you can sell me???

Yours with conviction,
N.