Nobody Likes Us, We Don't Care

There's a furious reaction from Democrats to President Bush's decision to spare Scooter Libby jail. He's the former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, who was sentenced to 30 months for obstructing an inquiry into the leaking to the media of the identity of a CIA agent. Although he hasn't been fully pardoned, and will still have to pay a fine and so some probation, basically Bush has got him off.

It's almost traditional for presidents to issue pardons in this sort of case in the final days before they leave office, once the political damage doesn't really matter. Bill Clinton did it, when he pardoned dodgy oil trader Marc Rich. But by sparing Libby jail now, rather then letting him go to the slammer and pardon him later, Bush is showing us he's already past caring what his political opponents think of him. With Congress and most of the American people now apparently against him, the Libby decision is another sign we've now got the lamest of lame duck presidents.