Dante
"The Libido for the Ugly"
Bush didn't pardon the men for their crimes, but decided instead to commute their prison sentences because he believed they were excessive and that they had already suffered the loss of their jobs, freedom and reputations, a senior administration official said.
Pardoned and commuted are two very different things with different criteria.
The agents would not have been pardoned since they have no admitted guilt or remorse. Excessive sentences and suffering? Sounds like the Libby justification.