Santa Maria- HE WALKED out of court a free man, not guilty on all counts. But Michael Jackson is so much more than free.

He now has carte blanche to live his life any way he wants, with whomever he wants, because who would ever try to prosecute Michael Jackson now?

Twice now, once in 1993 and again in 2003, authorities tried to make a case against the former King of Pop and failed.

In January 1994, the family of a Los Angeles boy took $25 million from Jackson instead of pressing criminal charges.

In 2003, Santa Barbara District Attorney Tom Sneddon decided to take another crack at it. His team and investigators from the local sheriff’s department worked double overtime for over a year to pull together the most mysterious and secretive parts of Jackson’s life to present to a jury.

But the panel of eight women and four men found reasonable doubt in the story told by a young cancer survivor of nights spent at Neverland looking at porn, drinking alcohol and sleeping with his then-45-year-old friend.

Maybe it found more than reasonable doubt. Maybe it came to see Michael Jackson as defense attorney Tom Mesereau had painted him: as the most uniquely different man on the face of the planet, someone who shouldn’t be held to society’s rules for relationships with kids.

Jackson did not testify, but he did appear in videos – the Martin Bashir documentary and two hourlong outtake reels.

Over and over, the jury heard him declare his pure and innocent love for children. It heard him describe sleeping with children as “very charming,” “very sweet” and “what the whole world should do.”

He said he wanted to become a global ambassador for kids and establish International Children’s Day – one day when, every year, parents would simply spend quality time with their offspring.

What a wonderful idea! What a controversial envoy!

As he left court for the last time yesterday surrounded by family members and cheered by loyal fans, it was all too clear that this Michael Jackson was a very different man than the one who first came here. He now looks like the walking wounded.

Let’s hope he uses this opportunity to do something positive for children. But he should probably start that process at home with his own three kids – and leave it at that.