It's real and it won't go away. When he did that, the vice president himself raised the possibility that pardoning Clinton is exactly what he will do. At the very least, it begs clarification. It obviously didn't do Ford a great deal of good in his own failed attempt in the presidential election two years after he pardoned Nixon. Don't expect enlightenment on this whole subject from the mainstream news media until the moment is actually upon them.
Beagles sniff in circles, run in packs and do a lot of yipping.
They're not a whole hell of a bunch of help about what lies over the next hill.