“Will Bush pardon Libby?” Weekly Standard editor William Kristol asks. “Apparently not — even if it means a man who worked closely with him and sought tirelessly to do what was right for the country goes to prison. … So much for loyalty, or decency, or courage. For President Bush, loyalty is apparently a one-way street; decency is something he’s for as long as he doesn’t have to take any risks in its behalf; and courage–well, that’s nowhere to be seen. Many of us used to respect President Bush. Can one respect him still?”

(HT: Julia)

UPDATE: The Washington Post: “In the White House, Pardon Is A Topic Too Sensitive to Mention.”

The prospect of a pardon has become so sensitive inside the West Wing that top aides have been kept out of the loop, and even Bush friends have been told not to bring it up with the president. In any debate, officials expect Vice President Cheney to favor a pardon, while other aides worry about the political consequences of stepping into a case that stems from the origins of the Iraq war and renewing questions about the truthfulness of the Bush administration.

During tonight’s presidential debate, Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO) was asked how he would use President Bush if he were elected president. Tancredo said he has “been so disappointed in the president in so many ways,” and that he would tell Bush to “never darken the doorstep” of his White House. The audience applauded. Watch it:

Asked the same question about Bush, former governor Tommy Thompson said he “would put him out on a lecture series” talking to “the youth of America” about “honesty” and “integrity.”

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During tonight’s presidential debate, CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer asked all the candidates to say whether they would pardon Scooter Libby, who was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison today for his felony convictions related to the CIA leak case.

Former mayor Rudy Giuliani said the case “argues more in favor of a pardon,” calling today’s sentencing “way out of line” and “grossly excessive.” Giuliani said the case against Libby was “incomprehensible” because “ultimately, there was no underlying crime involved.”

Likewise, former governor Mitt Romney said it’s “worth looking at a pardon,” because special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald “clearly abused prosecutorial discretion” by going on a “political vendetta” against Libby despite knowing he was not the original source of the leak.

Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) and Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO) said definitively they would pardon Libby. Former governor Tommy Thompson said he likely would. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) answered, “He’s going through an appeal process. We’ve got to see what happens here.” Former governors Jim Gilmore and Mike Huckabee and Reps. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) and Ron Paul (R-TX) said they would not pardon him, at least without learning more about the case. Watch it:

The fact that Libby didn’t commit the “underlying crime” — i.e., the leaking of Valerie Plame’s CIA status — means nothing. Libby was convicted on obstruction of justice charges precisely because he prevented the special prosecutor from conclusively determining why Plame’s identity was disclosed. As Fitzgerald previously explained: “What we have when someone charges obstruction of justice, the umpire gets sand thrown in his eyes. He’s trying to figure what happened and somebody blocked their view.”

So much for “law and order” conservatism.

UPDATE: Note that Judge Reggie Walton echoed Fitzgerald during the sentencing today: “Your lies blocked an extremely serious investigation, and as result you will indeed go to prison,” Walton told Libby.

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To me, a shockingly large and diverse group of B List Republicans — Huckabee, Brownback, Tancredo, and even in their ways Paul and Thompson — are more impressive than the official “big three.” They all seemed to me to come much closer than Giuliani, McCain, or Romney to be coming at things from a principle, coherent point of view. The top contenders are all “Reagan! Terror! Bush! Terror! Reagan! Terreagan!” and weirdly busy running away from their actual records.

Former U.S. attorney in Arkansas and Karl Rove-protege Tim Griffin “is using a legal search firm and sources say Griffin is touting his political connections as leverage into a white collar or government relations practice.” But he’s having some trouble:

“His timing is just bad,” says a Washington recruiter at a national search firm. “He’s a politico, not a litigator, which people just don’t care about. If you’re a U.S. attorney with no experience someone is not going to bring you on board to create or enhance a practice.”

One chairman of a national firm says his firm was contacted regarding Griffin but declined. “We got a phone call from a recruiter on his behalf but wouldn’t touch it with a 10-foot pole,” says the chairman. “Colleagues who I trust and respect said to take a pass.”