Obstruction of justice

Bush gave I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby a pass on thirty months of jail time.

Here's the President's rationale:

Mr. Libby was sentenced to thirty months of prison, two years of probation, and a $250,000 fine. In making the sentencing decision, the district court rejected the advice of the probation office, which recommended a lesser sentence and the consideration of factors that could have led to a sentence of home confinement or probation.I respect the jury’s verdict. But I have concluded that the prison sentence given to Mr. Libby is excessive. Therefore, I am commuting the portion of Mr. Libby’s sentence that required him to spend thirty months in prison.

My decision to commute his prison sentence leaves in place a harsh punishment for Mr. Libby. The reputation he gained through his years of public service and professional work in the legal community is forever damaged. His wife and young children have also suffered immensely. He will remain on probation. The significant fines imposed by the judge will remain in effect. The consequences of his felony conviction on his former life as a lawyer, public servant, and private citizen will be long-lasting….

Libby was convicted of outing an undercover CIA agent, Valerie Plame - which, from my perspective (and George H W Bush's) looks pretty close to treason.

That Dubya would undermine the justice system so brazenly just to protect one of his pawns is insane - not to mention, it puts a completely different meaning behind his promise that, "If there’s a leak out of my administration, I want to know who it is... If the person has violated law, that person will be taken care of".