There are two items in the news today that I thought were worthy of comment on this blog.

The first was the sad news in the music world of the passing of Beverly Sills. I am sure that I saw and heard her sing on television when I was a child but unfortunately I can’t remember it clearly.

Thank goodness for YouTube to be able to re-experience such a tremendous talent.

In other news, Bush has commuted the sentence of Scooter Libby, stating that:

“I respect the jury’s verdict,” Bush said in a statement. “But I have concluded that the prison sentence given to Mr. Libby is excessive. Therefore, I am commuting the portion of Mr. Libby’s sentence that required him to spend thirty months in prison.”

Of course, outing a CIA agent whose husband criticized you wasn’t excessive at all, but hey, whatever floats your boat. I shouldn’t be surprised at anything that happens in Washington and I don’t know why this news caught me off guard either, because after doing a bit of reading, it makes perfect (twisted and warped) political sense.

And politically the move will probably change little. Those who suspect the worst about the Administration’s role in the Plame case are not likely to become any more motivated than they already were against Bush and the Republicans. On the right, the Republican base, which demanded mercy for Libby, will be placated.

Hey, at least whoever wins the Democratic nomination next year will be able to re-use Bush’s 2000 stump speech about restoring “honor and dignity to the White House.”