Democrats and the Language of Governing through Crime

While President Bush's grant of clemency to Louis Scooter Libby this afternoon is execrable because of his record of denying such relief to many more worthy claims by federal prisoners. A range of condemnation should and will rain down his head. But at the outset of what is likely to be a news-cycle or two such condemnation, let us take note of the very first words of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, our leading model of what a more liberal Democratic government might lead America toward, and observe they are right from the "governing through crime" hymnal (read the entire NYT story):

The House speaker, Nancy Pelosi of California, said the decision showed Mr. Bush “condones criminal conduct,”

I've been saying for sometime that we cannot look to the Democratic Party to lead us out of Governing through Crime. Indeed, I'm not even convinced Democrats represent the more changeable of the two parties on crime.