President Bush claims he is commuting Scooter Libby’s sentence because the sentence is excessive. Bush further explains his decision by noting that Libby's $250K fine and felony conviction still stand (for now).

For 20-30% of the population, this is a satisfactory explanation. For the remaining 70-80%, I have a question. How does it feel to be flipped off by the President of the United States two days before Independence Day?

In his last movie, The Shootist, John Wayne's aging gunfighter character is asked how he managed to survive and thrive during his lifetime. Wayne's reply is something to this effect. "When you live in the wild country, you have to have a code of ethics you follow. I had three rules for myself. I will not be wronged, I will not be laid a hand on, I will not suffer an insult. I don't do these things to other people. I require the same from them."

My platoon evaluator at summer camp when I was cadet (a short, blunt-spoken New Yorker) made much the comment to several of us one day. He said, "If you let people crap on you, then you're going to come out of this world brown." (Realize, if you will, that every human being on this planet bleeds red and craps brown.)

Those of us in the 70-80% have just suffered an insult. We have been crapped on. We have just been told that it’s OK if the President and Vice President of the United States manipulate intelligence and use deceit in order to commit this country to a war they want to fight, even if it goes against the rule of law.

But I digress. Bush did not commute the sentence because Libby’s punishment was excessive. Here is why I think, based on my knowledge of human beings and their frailties, Bush took the action he did. Bush commuted the sentence because Scooter Libby was threatening to expose Dick Cheney and George Bush to their own legal vulnerabilities. As I detailed in an earlier blog this week, a move is afoot to oust Cheney as Vice President. If Cheney goes then Bush will be vulnerable. The lever I believe was being used against Cheney was the potential of Libby being converted to a state’s witness in some sort of formal proceeding in a court of law or even impeachment. Commuting the sentence buys Libby’s silence. (Imagine Libby’s side of the conversation in arguing his case to Bush and Cheney. “I was only doing what you guys told me to do. You said you would take care of me. I’m not going to jail and be away from my family for following your orders. If I’m going down, then you’re going down with me.”

But what about the fine, you ask? $250K is a relatively small sum for the Republican fund raising machine to gather and present to Libby for his use. The fund-raising letters are already out. (I know. I take my own advice and get literature from both parties so I can see what each is saying about the other.)

But what about the felony conviction? Win or lose in November 2008, there will be that time between the election and the inauguration of January 2009 for Libby to be completely relieved of his burden by a Presidential pardon.

I subscribe to the same theory I’m sure many of you do. My reaction to suffering a wrong is not to get mad. My reaction is to get even. How do we do that? Well, that’s one of the things I want to talk about on this blog. Let me know your thoughts.