Dear Mr. President: Somewhere in South Florida, in the dreary and close quarters of a federal prison, a die-hard Democrat is probably cheering you. So is his newest lawyer. Your decision to commute I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby Jr.’s sentence is the best news Bill Campbell has had in a long time.

You see, one of Mr. Campbell’s attorneys, Ohio State law professor Douglas Berman, went to court just last month to argue that Mr. Campbell’s sentence, too, is excessive. Mr. Campbell, like Mr. Libby, was sentenced to serve 30 months. His sentence, like Mr. Libby’s, was within federal guidelines.

Mr. President, let me tell you a little about Mr. Campbell, a two-term mayor of Atlanta. He should have been one of the best chief executives in modern times; he was bright, well-educated and frequently charming. But it turns out he was also mean, petty, narcissistic and greedy. He headed one of the most corrupt administrations in modern Atlanta history: The federal investigation that led to his conviction also resulted in the convictions or guilty pleas of a dozen other people.

Mr. Campbell richly deserved his prison cell. Of course, the same could be said of Mr. Libby.

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