If any prison time for Libby is excessive and inappropriate, what about…

some other notable federal sentences like…

• the 33-month federal prison sentence for nearly identical crimes for decorated military veteran Victor Rita (basics here)?
• the 60-month federal prison sentence for minor drug sales for decorated military veteran Patrick Lett (basics here)?
• the 11- and 12-year federal prison sentences for bad mistakes made while protecting our border for Agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean (basics here)?
• the 55-year federal prison sentence for minor drug sales for Weldon Angelos (basics here)?

or some notable state sentences like…

• the 27-month state prison sentence for providing alcohol at their son’s teenage birthday party for two parents (basics here)? 
• the 10-year state prison sentence for consensual oral sex between teenager for Genarlow Wilson (basics here)?
• the 200-year state prison sentence for downloading child porn for Morton Berger (basics here)?

I must note that I have been arguing (mostly informally but sometimes formally) for shorter sentences in all of these cases, so I am a bit biased when I contend that these sentences all seem to me a lot more excessive than having Libby serve at least some time behind bars. 

Critically, my chief goal in this post is not to assert that all the persons should be able to escape all punishment.  Indeed, as President Bush stressed in his commutation statement, Libby still has not (yet) escaped all punishment.  Rather, I wish primarily to urge anyone and everyone defending President Bush’s sentencing determination in the Libby case to explain why all these less prominent defendants — most of whom are now locked in a cell while Libby now makes plans for the paid lecture circuit — don’t also merit some executive sympathy.