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Big Media Matt and Brendan Nyhan and Tom Maguire are puzzling over what motive Bush might have for commuting Libby's sentence. Since Maguire was helpful enough to quote from Team USA, I'll offer an explanation offered by Team Libby. (I could point to a number of Fitzgerald quotes about clouds and VicePresidents that Maguire is overlooking, but I find that Jeffress isbetter at soundbite than Fitzgerald.) In his closing argument, Bill

I mentioned in my celebration of Jeralyn my friend whose clients never get the luxury of Presidential commutations. Well, he says this is an accurate quote, so I thought I'd let him have his say on Libby's commutation. David Moran, associate dean of the Wayne State University Law School,said Libby's commutation directly contradicts the Justice Department'sposition in the case of Victor Rita, a highly decorated veteranimprisoned for perjury under circumstances strikingly similar

In my post on the felon of considerable means, rhfactor noted that Libby's check paying his fine was dated July 2--the same day Bush obstructed justice commuted Libby's prison sentence. What a coinkydink, huh? But I checked with the good folks at the Prettyman Courthouse, and at least on the surface, there's nothing untoward about the date.

Let me say straight out. Punishing Bush's commutation of Libby's sentence with censure would be like punishing Libby's obstruction of justice with just 400 hours of community service. It would simply reinforce the notion that Bush's Administration is above the law. It would be a punishment wholly unfit for the crime that has been committed:

Just to put a little perspective to Scooter Libby's little get out of jail almost-free check today, I remind you of this quote from the government's filing on Libby's PSR: Any suggestion the defendant is entitled to leniency based onthe loss of income he suffered as a result of his decision to work ingovernment rather than in the private sector should be rejected out ofhand, particularly in light of the fact that,

Say, did you notice who wrote the talking points for Tony Snow's press briefing yesterday? The Probation office (only Snow makes the same mistake I did when I first talked about this, calling it the parole office--though I guess if you work for the guy who simply disappears all prison sentence, parole might come more easily to the tongue). MR.

Say, does anyone remember the Off the Record Club? It was one of the most interesting details revealed at the Libby trial--that there's this group of GOP-lobbyist-hacks who meet monthly and serve as an on-call damage control group for the Republicans. But [Richard] Hohlt's more significant role may be his leadership of a secretivesocial group of GOP heavy hitters and, occasionally, White Houseofficials, who convene to smoke cigars and mull over politics.

I will return to the Libby commutation, I promise. But like Josh, I think this IG report is very very important--perhaps as bad as Nixon on steroids. To review what I presented yesterday just as the Libby thing was exploding, DOD's IG has released its report on the CIFA and TALON domestic spying program.