In my column today, I took on a lot of items dealing with the Scooter Libby case.

But one thing needs to be expanded on, the obvious deal Scooter made to stay out of jail, or rather the threat he made to get it.

At the start of his trial, his lawyers argued that Libby was the fall guy for Karl Rove, and that Dick Cheney knew everything and he would be called to testify about how their client was set up.

That could not have set well with Bush, Cheney or Rove. Libby's apparent strategy was to spread the blame to everyone else. That could have caused a lot of pain in a lot of places.

But it didnt' happen. Libby defense team mounted almost no defense for his actions. The fact that they didn't present the blockbuster evidence they promised at the beginning of the trial killed any credibility they had with the jury. It was a very poor performance for such a high-powered legal team. In fact, their defense was so bad that Libby could sue them for malpractice.

But of course that will not happen. The only explanation that makes any sense is that those blockbuster revelations on Day One was a shot across the bow of the White House, a way to tell them that unless there is a pardon forthcoming, the family secrets would be spilled for all to see.

Obviously, there was some communication made between the White House and Libby after that first day, and a deal was struck. Libby would stay quiet as long as they took care of him.

Bush's supposed deliberations on this issue were similar to how he handled Iraq. The question he pondered wasn't whether he should let Libby off the hook, but how to do it. His commutation was an attempt to blunt the criticism a pardon was likely to bring. The pardon will likely come later, in the final days of Bush's presidency. Even if it doesn't Libby's fine and legal bills have already been paid, he has a nice think-tank job that pays more than what he was making working for Cheney, and he can make many times that on the lecture circuit.

Not bad pay for being a fall guy.

Ever read something that makes you spit out your nose whatever you happen to be drinking at the time?

Here's a good one, from Bush spokesman Tony Snow:

"The president believes pardons and commutations should reflect a genuine determination to strengthen the rule of law and increase public faith in government."

Yes, commuting the sentence of an aide who covered up for his boss serves to increase faith in government. Wanna try that again, Tony?

For more on Snow's snow job, see Froomkin.

I watched Bush today as he explained his commuting the jail sentence of Scooter Libby. He claimed that he agreed with the conviction. This is interesting, in that, if Bush really agreed with the conviction, then he knows that Libby lied and obstructed justice. But why was Libby lying? Why did he obstruct justice? In the past, the president had praised Libby, and certainly thinks he is an honorable man. What would make an honorable man break the law?

Unless you believe Bush is an absolute moron, you have to think that he gave this some thought. What was Libby trying to cover up? Certainly, if Bush was as disengaged from this case as he pretends, he would have tried to find out exactly why Libby lied.

The other option, of course, is that Bush knows full well why Libby lied. It's really the only option that makes sense.

I'm waiting for some Bush defenders to trot out the "Bill Clinton pardoned Marc Rich" line, how when Clinton was leaving office he gave a pardon to this notorious tax cheat, probably because of the generous donations of his ex-wife.

Yes, bring it on.

Because you see, Scooter Libby was Marc Rich's lawyer! In fact, Clinton specifically cited Libby as a Republican lawyer who "reviewed and advocated" the pardon.

Yes, let's dredge up how terrible that pardon was, and how Libby supported it, and how his position in the Bush Administration might have stalled any investigation into this pardon.