Now that Scooter Libby has his get-out-of-jail-free card, the coverup of the Valerie Plame affair is complete. Scooter took the fall for his boss Dick Cheney, and when his lawyers couldn't get him off in court, George W. Bush nixes his jail sentence.

By not pardoning Libby, Bush wanted to tippy toe his way through the minefield of this issue. He thinks that the fine and probation will be punishment enough. Yea, like that will interfere with him getting a golden parachute from Cheney's friends in high places.

This appears to be Bush's first commutation of sentence, and goes against his own stated guidelines for granting relief to convicted felons. He can try to call it a rose, but we can smell the stench from here.