With a vacation on appeal, Fitzslime would be legally wrong and judged to have operated outside the law, restoring Libby's reputation and rights. A pardon would make this point legally impossible to achieve.
However, Bush does not make good use of any legal backing he gets by taking it to the bully pulpit and forcing it into the MSM, and he is playing catch up, if he is trying to legally vindicate Libby with this process. It would have been much easier and absolutely effective to control the investigation and Fitzpervert from the start, and whitewash the control of the investigation again from the bully pulpit, making it a sure win.
Day late and dollar short.
“Day late and dollar short” and no pardon coming later on...
I respectfully submit you had it right in your first paragraph.
Bush hasn't done well with the bully pulpit, and any machinations--"controlling Fitz"--would have been clear as day.
This way, he gives Libby the opportunity to be FOUND not guilty. Then, there's simply nothing to say about it--done and done.
And if he's not successful on appeal, who knows? But I think Bush made the correct decision here, as he's so unpopular that anything done from the bully pulpit in Libby's defense would be seen as a cover-up of SOME kind by those who aren't paying close attention to the details of the case.