Does outrage over Libby have an outlet?

Not a pardon
For those members of Congress who voiced shock or disappointment Monday, it was no solace that Bush only commuted Libby’s sentence.

Bush did not pardon Libby, thus making him innocent in the eyes of the law. Instead he acknowledged his offense and erased his prison sentence as excessive.

Impeachment remains a possibility, but impeachment of whom?

The impeachment movement is a house divided against itself, with some, such as Democratic presidential contender Rep. Dennis Kucinich pushing for impeachment of Vice President Cheney, while others such as Tom Hughes, head of Democracy for America, the group founded by Howard Dean, calling for impeachment of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s “majority makers” — the two dozen freshman Democrats from Republican-leaning districts — have shown no interest in the impeachment of Cheney or anyone else.

Make predictions on news events President Bush will pardon Libby

Three freshman Democrats have signed on to Kucinich’s impeachment resolution, but they come from the Democratic bastions of Minneapolis, Minn., Brooklyn, N.Y., and DeKalb County, Ga.

Cheney under greater scrutiny?
Left-of-center blogger Jane Hamsher called the commutation "nothing less than obstruction of justice and the latest chapter in the criminal conspiracy that has sought to cover up the administration's tracks."

She said "the impeach Cheney impetus may be energized in the long run. During the Libby trial, (special prosecutor) Patrick Fitzgerald said there was a cloud over the Vice President that would not go away because Scooter Libby was obstructing the investigation."

She added, "Since George Bush has now ensured that Scooter Libby will not need to be forthright with the Special Counsel to avoid jail time, congressional investigation is the only recourse available to hold Dick Cheney accountable. I think that is something that the public wants and a responsibility that members of Congress should take very seriously."

Most of the reaction from Democratic congressional leaders was milder than Hamsher's, with House Democratic Leader Steny Hoyer simply calling Bush's action "very disappointing."

Democratic presidential contender John Edwards concluded in his statement Monday Bush was “clinically incapable of understanding that mistakes have consequences.”

Whether or not the act of clemency was a mistake, it seems unlikely to have consequences for Bush himself.

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