Top Items:
Hilton Check-In / The Smoking Gun:
Scooter Libby Love Letters — Washington elite petition judge on behalf of convicted Cheney aide — Donald Rumsfeld, Henry Kissinger, Paul Wolfowitz, and John Bolton top the list of individuals who wrote a federal judge on behalf of former White House aide Lewis "Scooter" Libby …
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Matt Apuzzo / Associated Press:
Libby sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison — WASHINGTON - Former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison Tuesday for lying and obstructing the CIA leak investigation. — Libby, the former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney …
Discussion:
Captain's Quarters, The Carpetbagger Report, Daily Kos, The Newshoggers, CorrenteWire, The American Mind and All Spin Zone
Washington Post:
Libby Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison, Fined $250K — I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, former chief of staff to Vice President Cheney, was sentenced today to 30 months in prison and fined $250,000 for lying to investigators about his role in leaking the identity of an undercover CIA officer.
Discussion:
Firedoglake, USA Today, Shakesville, TomPaine.com, DownWithTyranny!, Stubborn Facts, Prairie Weather, Midtopia, Macsmind, Buck Naked Politics and Wonkette
David Stout / New York Times:
Libby Gets 30 Months in Prison in C.I.A. Leak Case — I. Lewis Libby Jr., once one of the most powerful men in government as Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, was sentenced today to two and a half years in prison for lying to a grand jury and F.B.I. agents who were investigating …
Emptywheel / Firedoglake:
Libby Sentencing Five — Need to consider seriousness of offense. Investigation extremely serious. Conduct of Mr Libby is serious behavior. Has to be a sentence that promotes respect for law. Indivs should understand there are consequences. Obviously, punishment has to be considered.
Emptywheel / Firedoglake:
Libby Sentencing Eight — Okay, so here is the summary so far: — Walton basically accepted the premise of Fitz' sentencing arguments, which put the range for the obstruction up to 30-37 months, but on the basis of the fact that Libby is a nice guy, took the lowest end of that range, 30 months.
Discussion:
NO QUARTER
CNN:
Libby sentenced to 30 months … WASHINGTON (CNN) — I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, was sentenced Tuesday to 30 months in prison for lying to investigators looking into the leak of a CIA operative's identity. — He also was fined $250,000.
Discussion:
Firedoglake, Sentencing Law and Policy, WorkingForChange and Michael P.F. van der Galiën
Emptywheel / Firedoglake:
Libby Sentencing Seven — Wells: all we're asking is a right to file a full brief. — Wells Fitz told me it was his position that he did not see Libby as flight risk. Would agree to reasonable surrender date. I told him in light of that. — Walton: I don't have a problem with having …
Tom Maguire / JustOneMinute:
Libby Sentencing — Marcy Wheeler is liveblogging the Libby sentencing hearing (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8). — I am particularly intrigued by the cross-referencing issue - in short, even though neither Libby nor anyone else was charged with violating the Intelligence Identities Protection Act …
Discussion:
Firedoglake
Nico / Think Progress:
Breaking: Indicted Jefferson To Drop His Only Committee Seat — A Democratic congressional aide tells ThinkProgress that Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA) has informed Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) by letter that he is "temporarily" stepping down from his only committee assignment …
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CNN:
FBI: Congressman ran global scam
FBI: Congressman ran global scam
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Jack and Jill Politics, BuzzFlash.org, Times-Picayune and The Politico
NewDonkey.com:
Two What-Ifs — The big what-if in the news today was in sports, when Florida basketball coach Billy Donovan scuttled back to Gainesville four days after penning a big-bux contract to go to the NBA's Orlando Magic. This was a what-if not only for the Magic, but for the daisy-chain of hirings …
Discussion:
Sports Illustrated
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Libby Spencer / The Newshoggers:
Jeri Thompson - asset or albatross? [Part Two] — It never fails. You do a throw-away post at the end of the day that you think no one is even going to read and it generates a firestorm of criticism. After over four years of blogging, I'm used to that.
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Susan Jo Keller / New York Times:
Senator Craig Thomas of Wyoming Dies at 74 — Senator Craig Thomas, a three-term Republican from Wyoming, died Monday evening, just hours after his staff reported that the treatment he was receiving for leukemia was no longer working. He was 74. — Under Wyoming's election laws …
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Dan Senor / Opinion Journal:
Realists on Iraq — Democratic presidential candidates should listen to the "experts" they so often cite. — During Sunday night's Democratic presidential debate, the candidates cited an oft-repeated source of the mess in Iraq: The White House's refusal to heed knowledgeable advice.
Discussion:
Confederate Yankee, The Moderate Voice, Jules Crittenden, TBogg, Blue Crab Boulevard and New York Times
Damien Cave / New York Times:
Cheated of Future, Iraqi Graduates Want to Flee — They started college just before or after the American invasion with dreams of new friends and parties, brilliant teachers and advanced degrees that would lead to stellar jobs, marriage and children. Success seemed well within their grasp.
Las Vegas Review-Journal:
Democratic earmark reforms lasted 100 days — When Democrats took control of Congress four months back, incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., bragged it would take her party less than 100 hours to curb wasteful pork spending by requiring members to attach their names to their …