Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, says he doesn't always agree with the president, but he defended the commutation of I. Lewis Libby's perjury sentence on Fox News this weekend.

Invited by Fox News, Cannon faced off against Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., on "Fox News Sunday" with Chris Wallace.

One topic was the hot-button issue of whether President Bush should have commuted Libby's 30-month sentence in the Valerie Plame CIA leak case.

The other topic was a favorite of Cannon's: The firings of eight U.S. attorneys and questioning of U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Cannon sits on the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Listening to Cannon speak via satellite in his Provo office gives one only half the story -- because the audio is piped into Cannon's ear, not the room.

"No, no, he was fired because he was an idiot," thundered Cannon at one point from his seat in front of the camera.

After the show, Cannon and Chief of Staff Joe Hunter discussed the quote. Cannon said that he was trying to figure out how to make sure that the "he was an idiot" quote didn't end up as the headline in the newspaper.

"It's fine if you use it," Cannon said, but he asked that context be used.

Cannon was talking about former U.S. Attorney David Iglesias, one of eight U.S. attorneys allegedly fired for not following partisan political orders.

Cannon firmly disputes those claims.

Iglesias, he said, was an idiot because he did not properly report congressional contacts with his superiors.

Cannon related a story of talking with Iglesias, who told him that he did, in fact, report a particular set of contacts with two representatives. Cannon said he was shocked to hear this, only to discover that Iglesias had "reported" it by holding a press conference.

But for all the fun that was had discussing U.S. attorneys, Cannon's real zeal showed with his defense of Libby.

Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald went after Libby for inconsistencies in his testimony and won a conviction which included prison time and a $250,000 fine.

Cannon said that Fitzgerald is a high quality prosecutor and person, but that it was perfectly prudent for the president to issue a commutation because this didn't boil down to a Republican or Democrat issue, but instead to a "societal issue."

Cannon also disputed that President Bush has been inconsistent by getting involved in the case.

He said that the president could have pressed for perjury charges against former president Bill Clinton but didn't because Bush wanted to put those things behind and move forward.

He said that perjury is a serious offense, and Libby has been punished with a fine and a career destroying record.

He also argued, however, that these kinds of prosecutions create an environment where a president can't get the advice he needs.

"What you had is a guy who had a memory issue," he said. Later he noted, "I would prefer that we not waste our time in Congress on these witch-hunts and frivolous activities."

The Sunday morning show segment was short -- taking only a few minutes -- and Cannon came armed with more than a few minutes of things to talk about.

He says he enjoys the morning show circuit but is frustrated by his debate opponents using rehearsed and well-used talking points.

"It's as if they have a script on the back of their eyeballs," said Cannon, describing how he has heard the same people say the same words in the same way several times before.

"I don't do talking points," he said.

And if you have a few minutes to talk with him, you may get a long conversation on the intricacies of the congressman's political theory -- a chance to determine for yourself whether he is shooting straight or talking on point.

Nathan Johnson can be reached at njohnson@heraldextra.com

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A1.