Blackmail! Blackmail! Blackmail!
The President claimed that he wouldn't consider the Libby case as long as the appeals process continued. He broke his word. The appeals court said Libby had to go to prison pending an appeals court decision on the merits of the decision. At the last minute before Mr. Libby faced going to prison, President Bush commuted his sentence. Many think that President Bush commuted Lewis Libby's sentence to appeal to conservatives. I think that's nonsense. I think he did it because Mr. Libby threatened to flip on Vice President Cheney, and possibly President Bush. We may never know. Then again, we might know as soon as Mr. Libby writes his memoir. And I think President Bush just commuted Libby's sentence, and didn't pardon him, so the President still has a bargaining chip until the final day of his administration.
