Early reactions to President Bush's commutation of Libby's prison sentence

Along with my own initial feelings about the Libby commutation, here are some other notable early reactions to President Bush's notable sentencing "ruling":

From my thoughtful colleague Alan Michaels via e-mail:

The President's statement says that he "respects the jury's verdict," which I take to mean concedes Libby's guilt, but that "the prison sentence given to Mr. Libby is excessive," noting the "harsh punishment" of a fine and probation, given the suffering his family and the impact on his personal and professional reputation. I'm sure you'll be making hay of this for your clients, but I am struck by the remarkable hypocrisy of this statement from an administration seeking to have the force of the Sentencing Guidelines restored.

From John here at PowerLine:

This strikes me as an excellent resolution. To my knowledge, it was first advocated by Paul's friend Bill Otis, a former federal prosecutor, in an op-ed in the Washington Post.  The idea quickly gained support.  I also think the President's commutation of Libby's sentence will go over well with the party's conservative base and will contribute, to some degree, to a restoration of Bush's standing with conservatives.

From the often fiery Big Tent Democrat here at TalkLeft:

In the most blatant disregard for the law in quite a while, President Bush commuted Scooter Libby's sentence.  The man is the worst President in the history of the nation and this is merely confirmation of the contempt he holds for the law, the Constitution, and the American People.

CNN's Political Ticker has a lot more reactions here.

UPDATE:  Orin Kerr and Eugene Volokh both "find Bush's action very troubling because of the obvious special treatment Libby received."  Similarly, as noted in this new post, Patrick Fitzgerald and Bill Richardson are also expressing concerns about unequal justice.