Your Law and Order Republicans

Rudy Giuliani

After evaluating the facts, the president came to a reasonable decision and I believe the decision was correct.

Tell us, Mr. Former-Federal-Prosecutor, what exactly is reasonable about commuting the sentence of a man convicted of lying to federal investigators about his role in a conspiracy to out the secret identity of an undercover CIA agent?

John McCain:

Election Central just sent an e-mail to John McCain campaign spokesman Danny Diaz, asking if the Senator has any comment on the Libby commutation. His reply: "Nope."

Because, God knows, leaders know when to lead.

Mitt Romney:

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who as Massachusetts governor refused to pardon an Iraq war veteran's pellet gun conviction, on Tuesday called U.S. President George W. Bush's commutation of Scooter Libby's prison sentence "reasonable."

Defending Bush, Romney said at a campaign stop that "the president looked very carefully at the setting" before deciding to commute the 2 1/2-year sentence of Libby, the former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, who was convicted in the CIA leak case.

The prosecutor in the case "went after somebody even when he knew no crime had been committed," Romney said. "Given that fact, isn't it reasonable for a commutation of a portion of the sentence to be made?"

No crime? You mean other than perjury and obstruction of justice? Very carefully? You mean that, facing actual prison time, Libby might have decided to talk to prosecutors about who else was involved in the criminal conspiracy to out the CIA agent's identity, so Bush very carefully concluded that any minor backlash against the commutation would be better than risking the truth being revealed?

Fred Thompson

I am very happy for Scooter Libby. I know that this is a great relief to him, his wife and children. While for a long time I have urged a pardon for Scooter, I respect the President's decision. This will allow a good American, who has done a lot for his country, to resume his life.

Thanks for your concern for the treasonous felon. Any concern for the former CIA agent, whose career was destroyed? Any concern for the lives of the network of undercover agents she managed? Any concern for our nation, which lost a critically important national security team that was specifically focused on stopping the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction?

As Joshua Marshall points out:

Paris Hilton did more time than Scooter Libby.