This was no surprise. Libby was not going to prison. The President does what he believes is right, and he willingly takes the heat.
He has always done that, and he’s also capable of taking the heat.
In this case, the President is going to take the heat from everyone, since he has no intention of ever pardoning Libby...
Bush only threw Libby a bone. He did not pardon Libby. Libby is still stuck with a 250K fine, two years probation, and a felony conviction which destroys his career.
Bush is certainly loyal to himself but not Libby. In my opinion he screwed Libby to placate the non-existent center. As LBJ once said " the only things in the middle of the road are yellow lines and dead armidillos."