Why They Lie

The latest round of right-wing lies, the "death panels", shouldn't be a surprise. They know that this type of lies work. The "Willie Horton" ads worked. The "Swift Boat" ads worked. They were lies, but they managed to obscure the truth in enough minds to actually win. So this shouldn't come as any surprise, either:

Leaked memo shows energy industry execs sending employees to industry sponsored events to play average citizens outraged about cap-n-trade.

In short, expect the same type of lies, loudly shouted, as we move toward any attempt at energy reform. The screams of "euthanasia" and "socialism" have effectively scuttled any real health reform, and those who oppose energy reform will adopt the same tactics.
Because lying, loudly and repeatedly, works.

The Commutation

I'm not surprised by the commutation. Outraged, yes. But not surprised. In the end, this was about protecting Rove and Cheney who were the true architects of the Plame outing. The other outrage is that 45% of the population don't know who Libby is. The administration has gotten away with constant lying because a large part of the population isn't paying attention. And that's another outrage.
Added: Here's the White House phone numbers if you'd like to express your opinion. Warning, the switchboards are pretty clogged up right now (Guess a few folks care). It took me 4 tries to get through.

The offices are taken from the White House site, and the numbers are formatted like so: 1-202-555-1212 / 1-202-555-1212, where the first number is via internet search, and the second, italic number is from the Directory:
The offices included in the Executive Office of the President.

1. Council of Economic Advisers: (202) 456-1414 / (202) 395-5084
2. Council on Environmental Quality: (202) 395-5750 / (202)
   456-6224
3. Office of Administration: (202)456-7921 / (202) 456-2861
4. Office of Management and Budget: (202) 395-4840 / (202) 395-4840
5. Office of National Drug Control Policy: (202) 395-6738
6. Office of Science & Technology Policy: (202) 456-6021 / (202)
   456-7116
7. President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board: (202) 456-2352
8. United States Trade Representative: (202) 395-7360 / (202)
   395-3230

The offices included in the White House Office.

1. Domestic Policy Council: (202) 456-1111 / (202) 456-5594
2. Homeland Security Council: (202) 456-1700
3. National Economic Council: (202) 456-1414 / (202) 456-2800
4. Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives: (202) 456-6708 / (202)
   456-6708
5. Office of the First Lady: (202) 456-7074 / (202) 456-7064
6. Office of National AIDS Policy : (202) 456-7320 / (202) 456-7320
7. Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board: (202) 456-1066
8. USA Freedom Corps: 1-877-872-2677 / 1-877-USA-CORPS
9. White House Fellows Office: (202) 395-4522 / (202) 395-4522
10. White House Military Office: / (202) 757-2151

And the Vice Presidential Entity, whatever branch he ends up in: Read more

1. Shooter: (202) 456-9000 / (202) 456-1414