President Bush’s abrupt commutation of the prison portion of convicted felon I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby’s sentence took a lot of people by surprise. It wasn’t the action itself that was surprising - nobody in Washington ever believed that the White House would let Scooter Libby spend a single night behind prison bars even after being convicted on five counts of obstruction of justice, perjury, and making false statements - but the timing of Mr. Bush’s intervention caught even members of his own inner circle unawares. Needless to say, tongues immediately started wagging across all parts of the political universe. Here’s what some of the key players on the Democratic side of the aisle had to say in response:

Senator John Kerry:

“President Bush’s eleventh hour commutation of Scooter Libby’s sentence makes a mockery of the justice system and betrays the idea that all Americans are expected to be held accountable for their actions, even close friends of Vice President Cheney. It’s a tragedy that with young Americans paying the ultimate price in Iraq for this administration’s mistakes, this White House continues to avoid accountability and reward deceit for their friends and supporters.”

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid:

“The president’s decision to commute Mr. Libby’s sentence is disgraceful. Libby’s conviction was the one faint glimmer of accountability for White House efforts to manipulate intelligence and silence critics of the Iraq War. Now, even that small bit of justice has been undone. Judge Walton correctly determined that Libby deserved to be imprisoned for lying about a matter of national security. The Constitution gives President Bush the power to commute sentences, but history will judge him harshly for using that power to benefit his own Vice President’s Chief of Staff who was convicted of such a serious violation of law.”
<!-more-> Senator Tom Harkin:

“We have known for a long time that this Administration has contempt for the Constitution and the rule of law, but today’s action by the President to intervene to save a high-ranking member of his Administration – who was found by a jury to have broken the law and obstructed justice, on behalf of the Vice President – is a new low. It shows that this President believes there is one set of rules for his friends, and another set for everyone else. The American people believe that government officials should be held to a higher standard. President Bush believes that his cronies should be held to no standard at all.”

Senator Richard Durbin:

“When it comes to the law, there should not be two sets of rules—one for President Bush and Vice President Cheney and another for the rest of America. Even Paris Hilton had to go to jail. No one in this administration should be above the law.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi:

“The President’s commutation of Scooter Libby’s prison sentence does not serve justice, condones criminal conduct, and is a betrayal of trust of the American people. The President said he would hold accountable anyone involved in the Valerie Plame leak case. By his action today, the President shows his word is not to be believed. He has abandoned all sense of fairness when it comes to justice, he has failed to uphold the rule of law, and he has failed to hold his Administration accountable.”

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer:

“The charges against Mr. Libby were not insubstantial; a jury convicted him of lying to authorities and obstructing the investigation into the public disclosure of a CIA operative’s identity. In the last election, accountability for wrongdoing was a major issue. With this decision today in the Libby case, the President continues to demonstrate that he rejects accountability for wrongdoing in his Administration.”

Representative John Conyers:

“Until now, it appeared that the President merely turned a blind eye to a high ranking Administration official leaking classified information. The President’s action today makes it clear that he condones such activity. This decision is inconsistent with the rule of law and sends a horrible signal to the American people and our intelligence operatives who place their lives at risk everyday. Now that the White House can no longer argue that there is a pending criminal investigation, I expect them to be fully forthcoming with the American people about the circumstances that led to this leak and the President’s decision today.”

Representative Tom Lantos:

“This decision sends the wrong message about the rule of law in the United States, just as the president is meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. How can we hold the line against injustices in other countries when our own executive branch deliberately sets out to smear its critics, lies about it and then wriggles away without having to pay the price in prison?”

DNC Chairman Howard Dean:

“Once again President Bush and the GOP have undermined a core American value: equal justice under the law for every American. By commuting this sentence, President Bush is sending a clear message that the rules don’t apply to the Bush White House or loyal Republican cronies. After promising that anyone who violated the law would be ‘taken care of,’ President Bush instead handed Scooter Libby a get out of jail free card.

Though Libby was convicted by a jury of lying about a matter of national security, President Bush is sparing him the consequences ordinary Americans would face. This conviction was the first moment of justice in a Bush Administration void of accountability. It’s a sad day for America when the President once again puts protecting his friends ahead of equal justice under the law.”