I’ve written too much about Scooter Libby over the last two years to let today’s big news go by without comment (see previous posts). Today, President Bush commuted Scooter Libby’s two and half year prison sentence. Bush didn’t pardon Libby, he merely said that Libby would not have to go to jail. Libby will still have to serve probation, pay a $250,000 fine, and identify himself as a convicted felon. I have always held that if someone commits a crime, then they should pay their debt to society. But the sound and fury that you are hearing from the left side of the talking head class is disingenuous outrage.

I am calling once again for conservatives to reject the Coulterization of politics (read my previous posts on this topic). Ann Coulter brings public discourse to new lows on a regular basis, and Christian conservatives in particular should have no part of it. The latest example appears in an exchange that Coulter had with Elizabeth Edwards (wife of presidential candidate John Edwards) on “Hardball” with Chris Matthews. You can watch a video of the encounter, or you can read the following transcript of the exchange:

Well, maybe President Bush wouldn’t describe it as the “Kennedy Amnesty” bill, but he did call it “amnesty” yesterday. Talk about a misunderestimated Freudian slip! Here’s the money-line: “You know, I’ve heard all the rhetoric — you’ve heard it, too — about how this is amnesty. Amnesty means that you’ve got to pay a price for having been here illegally, and this bill does that.” Read about the gaffe here.

The Agence France-Presse reports that Iranian Revolutionary Guard forces have crossed the border into Iraq: Iranian Revolutionary Guard forces have been spotted by British troops crossing the border into southern Iraq, The Sun tabloid reported on Tuesday.

This news is not news to anyone who’s been paying attention. But it is interesting to read a statement like the following in the Op-Ed pages of the New York Times. Melinda Henneberger writes: “Democrats are too unwilling to tolerate dissent on abortion. It is a point of orthodoxy no more open to debate within the party than the ordination of women is in Rome.”

There are many reasons that conservatives have become disenchanted with President George W. Bush. But there is yet one thing to be thankful for. He is standing firm in favor of life. The Associated Press is reporting that he intends to veto legislation that would ease restrictions on federal funding for stem cell research. This veto means that the President will be taking a very unpopular stand, despite the political reality that he doesn’t need to be giving people any other reasons to dislike him. I’m thankful that he’s chosen the right thing over the expedient thing. “Bush to Veto Stem Cell Bill” – Deb Riechmann (Associated Press)

Have any of you wondered why Peggy Noonan has soured on President Bush? After all, she left her job as a columnist just to help him get re-elected in 2004. Yet, now she is one of his most ardent opponents. In a recent Op-Ed, she explains why she “let go” of President Bush and why she thinks other conservative supporters should do the same:

You can stick a fork in Mayor Rudy Giuliani because he’s done. At least that’s the judgment that James Dobson has made, and I fundamentally agree with him. In case you missed it last week, Dobson said this: The jig is up. Rudy Giuliani finally admitted in a speech at Houston Baptist University last week that he is an unapologetic supporter of abortion on demand. That revelation came as no great shock to those of us in the pro-life movement. His public pronouncements as mayor of New York, together with his more recent tap dances on the campaign trail, have told a very clear story.