President Bush pardons 29 convicts, but not 'Scooter' Libby

~ Libby recently dropped appeals to have his convictions overturned.

WASHINGTON -- President Bush granted pardons Tuesday to carjackers, drug dealers, a moonshiner and an election-laws violator but not to I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, his vice president's former top aide who was convicted in the case of the leaked identity of a CIA operative.

In all, Bush pardoned 29 convicts and reduced the prison sentence of one more in the end-of-the-year presidential tradition.

Justice Department spokesman Erik Ablin said Bush has granted 142 pardons and commuted five sentences since taking office in 2001 -- lagging far behind the pace set by most modern presidents.

The list was issued with little fanfare Tuesday afternoon by the Office of the Pardon Attorney at the Justice Department. Bush was not expected to issue any more pardons this year.

In July, Bush commuted Libby's 2 1/2 year sentence, sparing Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff from serving any prison time after being convicted of perjury and obstructing justice. Libby, who recently dropped appeals to have his convictions overturned, has paid a $250,000 fine and remains on two years' probation.

Libby was the only person to face criminal charges in the case of the 2003 leak of then-CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity. Plame, who has since left the CIA, contends the White House was trying to discredit her husband, a critic of Bush's Iraq policy.

A pardon amounts to federal forgiveness for one's crime, while a commutation cuts short an existing prison term.

Nearly all of those to win pardons this year were small-time crooks who were imprisoned for five years at most. Many of them never served time at all, and instead were fined or put on probation.

Compared to most of his immediate predecessors, Bush has granted far fewer pardons for the length of time he's been in the White House.

President Clinton issued a total of 457 in eight years in office. Bush's father, George H. W. Bush, issued 77 in four years. President Reagan issued 406 in eight years, and President Carter issued 563 in four years.

Since World War II, the largest number of pardons and commutations -- 2,031 -- came from President Truman, who served 82 days short of eight years.