Democrats are outraged, outraged, that President Bush has spared Scooter Libby from 2 1/2 years in prison. The President, yesterday, reduced Libby's sentence to probation and a hefty fine, causing apoplexy on the left and generating an outpouring of outrage not seen since terrorists were forced to wear panties on their heads.

 

Mr. Libby was convicted in March on charges of perjury, making false statements and obstruction of justice. Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff had told the FBI and a grand jury that he had not leaked the identity of CIA employee Valerie Plame to journalists, but a jury concluded that he lied. He was sentenced to 30 months in jail and a $250,000 fine.

As word came that Libby would be spared prison, Democrats donned somber, concerned expressions and beat a path to the nearest microphones in order to express their outrage.

In a striking example of the pot calling the kettle black, Hillary, the Queen of angst, spoke 'truth to power' with her strongly worded statement: "In this administration, cronyism and ideology trump competence and justice."  In the liberal worldview of Hillary, justice depends on party affiliation. Which is why husband Bill isn't in jail for perjury.

 

Not to be outdone, Obama released a statement reflecting his outrage: "This decision to commute the sentence of a man who compromised our national security cements the legacy of an Administration characterized by a politics of cynicism and division, one that has consistently placed itself and its ideology above the law. This is exactly the kind of politics we must change...." The good news is, Obama is finally on the record against compromising national security.

 

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., went on the record, saying, "No one in this administration should be above the law." I imagine unindicted co-conspirator Jack Murtha is quaking in his boots right about now. To say nothing of William Jefferson, Valerie Plame, and...well, you get the message. It would be a scary day on the Hill if all members of Congress were held to the same standards exacted in the Scooter Libby case.

 

First prize for chutzpah, however, has to go to Joe Wilson, the fellow whose overriding ego is responsible for this faux investigation. Suitably outraged, he opined, "Congress ought to conduct an investigation of whether or not the president himself is a participant in the obstruction of justice."  Personally, I think Joe is pushing it and ought to be glad he doesn't get what he asks for. Otherwise, Valerie Plame, the mother of his children, could very well be convicted of the very same perjury Scooter was.

 

Not one to forego a moment in the spotlight, presidential hopeful and pander-master John Edwards added his two cents to the national conversation: "President Bush has just sent exactly the wrong signal to the country and the world."

Let's get this straight...if a Democrat is pardoned, the message to the country and the world is 'compassion' and 'redemption.' If a Republican is pardoned, it is an outrage. I guess there really are 'Two America's' after all. Let me 'channel' that...

 

Sen. Joe Biden has called for the American people to "flood the White House with phone calls tomorrow expressing their outrage over this blatant disregard for the rule of law." The good news is, Democrats are finally in favor of the rule of law and allowing the 'American people' to be heard. (Except on immigration, which is too 'nuanced' for the average Joe Blow to comprehend) The bad news is, the rule of law is still whatever the Democrats say it is.

 

Personally, I'm getting a little tired of Democrat 'outrage.' It might resonate with me if all that 'outrage' was directed at, say, America's enemies. You know, those guys that kill women and kids. Surely Democrats could gin up a little outrage when innocent Americans are beheaded by barbarians. Or when Iran and Korea diss us on the world stage. Or when our President gets caught with his pants down in the Oval office and then lies about it. Or say, when our President is caught selling our nuclear secrets to China. I digress..

 

I, too, am experiencing outrage. In these perilous times, our elected officials are spending their time playing political 'gotcha' instead of attending to the business of our survival as a country. I'm outraged that the rule of law is increasingly arbitrary and subjective. I'm outraged that our media is aiding and abetting our enemies. The list goes on.

 

Outrage and two bucks will get you a cup of coffee. Remember that as you listen to the steady stream of Democrats jockeying for the spotlight and their version of the moral high ground as they pick clean the carcass of Scooter Libby