memeorandum: Schlozman takes the stand, Leahy gets angry (Alex Koppelman/Salon)

4:50 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: Balloon Juice, The Newshoggers, Booman Tribune, Daily Kos, bustardblog, Salon, Roger Ailes, The Sideshow, Fact-esque, The Carpetbagger Report, Wonkette, NO QUARTER, On Deadline, Little Green Footballs, PSoTD, 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, WTF Is It Now??, CorrenteWire, Don Surber, 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, BeldarBlog, Shakesville, TomPaine.com, DownWithTyranny!, Stubborn Facts, Prairie Weather, Macsmind, Midtopia, 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: TalkLeft, FP Passport, Norwegianity and Wonkette

CNN:

Libby sentenced, Cheney 'saddened' … 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

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

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 One — Good morning firepups!

Discussion: TalkLeft, Daily Kos and Needlenose

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

Discussion: Firedoglake and American Thinker

Associated Press:

Sen. Clinton: God got me through marital strife … WASHINGTON (AP) — In a rare public discussion of her husband's infidelity, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton said Monday that she probably could not have gotten through her marital troubles without relying on her faith in God.

Discussion: Shakesville, The Reaction, QandO, Connecting.the.Dots and Confederate Yankee

NewDonkey.com:
Two What-Ifs — The big what-if in the news today was in sports …

Discussion: Sports Illustrated

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

Discussion: Reason Magazine and Needlenose

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, Little Green Footballs, Secular Blasphemy, Wizbang and Jihad Watch

Laura McGann / TPM Muckraker:

Leahy And Feinstein Question Schlozman On Voter Fraud — Bradley Schlozman has been criticized for bringing voter fraud charges against several ACORN registration organizers just days before a close election in 2006. The decision appears to be in conflict with Department of Justice policy.

Discussion: The BRAD BLOG

Alex Koppelman / Salon:
Schlozman takes the stand, Leahy gets angry

Discussion: The Carpetbagger Report, Think Progress and Buck Naked Politics

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 …

Discussion: The Politico, The Carpetbagger Report, Jack and Jill Politics, Blog of the Moderate Left, Political Radar and Times-Picayune

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

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, Jules Crittenden, Confederate Yankee, TBogg and Blue Crab Boulevard

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: St. Petersburg Times, National Review, Blue Crab Boulevard, A Chequer-Board of Nights …, Stubborn Facts and Sister Toldjah

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