Scooter's Independence Day

Yesterday, Bush commuted Scooter Libby's sentence for obstructing justice and lying to a grand jury for the purpose of covering up a retaliatory leak of the identity of a covert, CIA operative who also happened to be a political enemy. This effectively imposes little more than a fine that will likely be paid by not by Libby, but instead by wealthy Republican donors. I guess it's not all that surprising, given Libby's history of loyal service to his former boss, Dick Cheney. Of course, the comedic media frenzy of last few weeks provides the starkest of backdrops to this stunning miscarriage of justice. In a truth-is-stranger-than-fiction drama too over-the-top for even a paperback thriller to convincingly pull off, Paris Hilton actually did time for driving on a suspended license, was released on house arrest, and then did time again after the judge got pissed off at the Sheriff who let her go out of concern for her own well being. Yep, that's right. Paris Hilton did more time for driving on a suspended license than Scooter Libby will do for obstructing a federal investigation with national security implications. And in case you were wondering, the penalty in Virginia for serving teenagers beer and wine at a birthday party (something that is a routine occurrence in the countries of most of our European war allies), is 27 months in prison. Coming from a President who as Governor of Texas presided over more executions than any other in modern times, and who actually mocked the first woman executed in Texas in over 100 years, I remain skeptical of Bush's preposterous justification for letting go this particular crook.