While people are right to howl about the arrogance, corruption and unfairness that George W. Bush’s commutation of Lewis Libby’s sentence entailed, from a strategic standpoint this is another political embarrassment for Republicans, who have another terrible decision done by their leader that they will have to try to (pretend to) run away from in the next elections. (Well maybe not if the nominee is Fred Thompson, who after all lobbied for a pardon.)

There’s no real limit to the brazen disdain for laws applying to them–so why not a pardon too?

Liberal blogs are voicing outrage and disdain. MSNBC anchor Keith Olberman made his contempt for the president clear in his special comment, which concluded thusly:

‘Pressure, negotiate, impeach — get you, Mr. Bush, and Mr. Cheney, two men who are now perilous to our Democracy, away from its helm.

And for you, Mr. Bush, and for Mr. Cheney, there is a lesser task.

You need merely achieve a very low threshold indeed.

Display just that iota of patriotism which Richard Nixon showed, on August 9th, 1974.

Resign.’

While Bush may not resign or be impeached, and Scooter Libby may not do thirty months in federal prison as sentenced, the Republican party might see many more months than that out of power as the political fallout unfolds in favor of Democrats, even as remaining power increasingly slides away from the isolated, lame duck president. Better to show that the Republican corruption that voters tried to punish in 2006 continues on than send one man to prison for his lies, which were probably told in service of the president and vice president. It’s not personal, really, (unless you’re, say, Joe Wilson), mainly it’s political.

Glenn Greenwald puts it this way:

‘That Lewis Libby has been protected by George Bush from the consequences of his crimes only highlights how corrupt and broken our political system is. It reveals nothing new. This is the natural, inevitable outgrowth of our rancid political culture, shaped and slavishly defended by our Beltway ruling class and our serious, sober opinion-making elite.’

So more votes against the Republican culture of corruption and the “Beltway ruling class” in 2008, right? That’s one way to think about it.

Speaking of 2008, it looks like Barack Obama is leading in fundraising for either party, and with an enormous base of donors. Might they not get the anti-Hillary election that they want over at the RNC after all?

And if you’re wondering why the debates are starting so early this time, why are you wondering that? Bush is finished politically, his followers are in shock and denial, and Obama looks ready to take advantage of the disillusionment.