Scooter walks ... so far, so good

To celebrate the very holiday folks used to call Independence Day, President George Bush has sprung you-know-who -- I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby.

That Dubya is such a hoot!

Please allow me to remind SLANTblog’s readers of a prediction I posted a couple of weeks ago:

“...To me, it isn’t a question of whether Bush will intervene. I have little doubt that eventually he will. It’s a matter of how and when. Which means I see Bush as facing the decision of whether to pardon Lewis, outright, or to reduce his 30-months sentence. And, it means that Cheney needs to decide when is the best time to tell Bush to make such a tricky move -- one that surely will draw fire from many Democrats, as well as some Republicans.

“This situation screams out for predictions. So, here is mine:

“SLANTblog says Bush will commute Libby’s sentence, rather than pardon him. Dubya will proclaim his action to spring Scooter to be a strictly “humanitarian” move. This will happen in the Dog Days of August. And, to provide some cover for trumping what a jury decided and a judge ruled, Bush will ‘regretfully’ also accept the resignation of his embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales within days, maybe even hours, of springing Libby from the pokey.”

OK, I was off by a whole month. But I say that was still close enough.

So, who wants to bet that I’m wrong about Gonzales getting the ax soon, as a package made to deflect criticism of letting Scooter walk?

Meanwhile, I'm sure the blogosphere will roil over this event. Reading some of the shamefully lame defenses for this rather clumsy affront to justice, that are no doubt coming -- from supposed law-and-order conservatives, trying to play team-ball -- should provide fodder for some good laughs soon.