He hadn't been found guilty of anything; that was a pre-emptive pardon. Some people thought it wouldn't have stood up.
The pardon of Nixon ended any efforts to prosecute him. Here we already have a conviction. It is not legally necessary to wait for the appeals process to run its course.
Having said that, I do not believe it would be a good idea for the President to pardon him just yet. Pardon him on January 19, 2009 or on the day he is sent to prison -- whichever comes first.
If only Scooter had had sex with Tim Russert and lied about it,it wouldnt be so bad