memeorandum: A Top Clinton Aide Draws Criticism From Unions (Steven Greenhouse/New York Times)

3:05 PM ET, June 5, 2007

Top Items:

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 …

Discussion: Booman Tribune, Balloon Juice, The Newshoggers, Daily Kos, Roger Ailes, Fact-esque, The Carpetbagger Report, Salon, The Sideshow, Wonkette, NO QUARTER, Little Green Footballs, PSoTD, On Deadline, Middle Earth Journal, Hullabaloo and My Two Sense

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, Associated Press, The Carpetbagger Report, Daily Kos, Don Surber, 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, TomPaine.com, Shakesville, 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 …

Discussion: Norwegianity, FP Passport and Wonkette

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.

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 …

Discussion: TalkLeft and Think Progress

Jeralyn / TalkLeft:

Scooter Libby: 30 Months in Prison, $250k Fine — Update: They are now arguing the issue of bond pending appeal. I didn't think they would do that before the Notice of Appeal and a formal motion for bond pending appeal was filed. Marcy is covering the arguments.

Discussion: Firedoglake, protein wisdom and Sentencing Law and Policy

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

Tom Maguire / JustOneMinute:
Libby Sentencing — Marcy Wheeler is liveblogging …

Discussion: Firedoglake

Emptywheel / Firedoglake:
Libby Sentencing One — Good morning firepups!

Discussion: TalkLeft

Tom Maguire / JustOneMinute: Libby's Sentence — Libby is sentenced to thirty months …

Emptywheel / Firedoglake:
Libby Sentencing Six

Discussion: JustOneMinute

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 …

Discussion: Blue Crab Boulevard and Sister Toldjah

Nico / Think Progress:
Breaking: Indicted Jefferson To Drop His Only Committee Seat

Discussion: The Politico, The Carpetbagger Report and Political Radar

CNN:
FBI: Congressman ran global scam

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Jack and Jill Politics, BuzzFlash.org, Times-Picayune and The Politico

Jonathan Weisman / Washington Post:
Democrats Fear a Wider Black Caucus-Pelosi Rift

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, Daily Kos, Slate, Michelle Malkin, American Pundit and MSNBC

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

The Atlantic Online:
Peril! — In the course of a post with which I otherwise agree …

Discussion: Reason Magazine and Needlenose

Associated Press:
Sen. Clinton: God got me through marital strife

Discussion: The Reaction, Shakesville, QandO and Confederate Yankee

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.

Discussion: Michael P.F. van der Galiën and Unqualified Offerings

The Palmetto Scoop:
Reaction to the "pole" controversy

Discussion: The New Republic, Redstate, Blogometer and skippy the bush kangaroo

Steven Greenhouse / New York Times:

A Top Clinton Aide Draws Criticism From Unions — The presidents of two large labor unions have written to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton to complain that Mark Penn, her pollster and chief strategist, is chief executive of a public relations firm that is helping a company fight a unionization drive.

Discussion: The Nation, The Politico, CNN Political Ticker, TIME, The Atlantic Online, MyDD and New York Post

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: The Moderate Voice, Michael P.F. van der Galiën, Confederate Yankee, 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.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Shakesville and Outside The Beltway

Hillel Fendel / Arutz Sheva:

Editor Admits: We Slanted the News — (IsraelNN.com) A former Israel Broadcasting Authority news editor admits: "We slanted the news towards a withdrawal from Lebanon - because we had sons there." — Speaking at the Haifa Radio Conference on Monday, several former and current news broadcasters …

Discussion: NewsBusters.org, Hot Air and Little Green Footballs