memeorandum: Britain's Lucky Escape (Daniel Johnson/New York Sun)

6:40 AM ET, July 3, 2007

Top Items:

Scooter skates — WASHINGTON (CNN) — President Bush commuted Monday the prison term of former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, facing 30 months in prison after a federal court convicted him of perjury, obstruction of justice and lying to investigators.

The Corner:

From the White House — The United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit today rejected Lewis Libby's request to remain free on bail while pursuing his appeals for the serious convictions of perjury and obstruction of justice. As a result, Mr. Libby will be required to turn himself …

Discussion: The Huffington Post, The Politico, FRAMESHOP, Democrats.com, New York Times, GINA COBB, The Anonymous Liberal, JURIST, DownWithTyranny!, UrbanGrounds, Economist's View, LiberalOasis, TalkLeft, The Raw Story, Bluey Blog, Macsmind, Firedoglake and Daily Kos

Speaker Pelosi / The Gavel:

A Betrayal of Trust of the American People — The President's commutation of Scooter Libby's prison sentence does not serve justice, condones criminal conduct, and is a betrayal of trust of the American people. — The President said he would hold accountable anyone involved in the Valerie Plame leak case.

Discussion: The Sideshow, BobGeiger.com, Firedoglake, Michael P.F. van der Galiën, Democrats.com, Discourse.net, CNN Political Ticker, Sisyphus Shrugged and Roger Ailes

Sheryl Gay Stolberg / New York Times:

Bush Spares Libby 30-Month Jail Term — President Bush said today that he had used his power of clemency to commute the 30-month sentence for I. Lewis Libby Jr., the former top aide to Vice President Dick Cheney, who was convicted of perjury in March and was due to begin serving his time within weeks.

Discussion: TalkLeft, Opinions You Should Have, Prairie Weather, TBogg, Group News Blog, Althouse and Air America Radio

Emptywheel / The Next Hurrah:

Fitz Speaks — Via email from his spokesperson: … For the record, when I said almost the same thing on Hardball, I hadn't gotten this yet in the email. Glad to see that my feeble mind is thinking along the lines of a great mind. — Update: Oh wait, I think I said the bit about the fact …

Discussion: Hullabaloo, NO QUARTER and DownWithTyranny!

New York Times:

Bush Spares Libby 30-Month Jail Term — President Bush spared I. Lewis Libby Jr. from prison Monday, commuting his two-and-a-half-year sentence while leaving intact his conviction for perjury and obstruction of justice in the C.I.A. leak case. — Mr. Bush's action, announced hours …

Discussion: TPMCafe blogs and ParaPundit

CNN:

Libby commutation: Washington responds — WASHINGTON (CNN) — Following are reactions to President Bush's announcement Monday that he has commuted the sentence of former vice presidential chief of staff Lewis "Scooter" Libby: — Melanie Sloan, legal counsel to Joe and Valerie Wilson

Discussion: TPMmuckraker, The Left End of the Dial v2.0, protein wisdom, MyDD, A Tiny Revolution and Sentencing Law and Policy

Michael Abramowitz / Washington Post:

A Decision Made Largely Alone — President Bush limited his deliberations over commuting the prison term of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby to a few close aides, opting not to consult with the Justice Department and rebuffing efforts by friends to lobby on Libby's behalf, administration officials and people close to Bush said yesterday.

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, The Huffington Post and Time

Orin Kerr / The Volokh Conspiracy:

BUSH SETS LIBBY FREE: Wow, that was fast: President Bush set Scooter Libby free today, just hours after the D.C. Circuit's ruling. — Bush "commuted" Libby's sentence, which means that Libby doesn't have to go to jail but he still has to be on probation for two years and still must pay the fine imposed by the District Court.

Discussion: Power Line, TPMmuckraker, Sentencing Law and Policy, The Impolitic, All Spin Zone, TalkLeft, The Agitator and The Moderate Voice

Edwin Chen / Bloomberg:

Bush Commutes Libby's Prison Term in CIA Leak Case — July 2 (Bloomberg) — President George W. Bush commuted Lewis ``Scooter'' Libby's 2 1/2-year prison sentence in the CIA leak case, sparing him from punishment the president called ``excessive.'' — Bush acted after a U.S. appellate …

Discussion: JustOneMinute, Balloon Juice, All Spin Zone, Booman Tribune, WILLisms.com and The Democratic Daily

Jane Hamsher / Firedoglake:
Fitzgerald's Statement

Discussion: Daily Kos

George W. Bush / White House:
Grant of Executive Clemency

Discussion: JURIST, Outside The Beltway, About U.S. Politics, Blogs of War and The Democratic Daily

Paul Kiel / TPMmuckraker:
Bush Commutes Libby Sentence

Discussion: Firedoglake, Needlenose, Daily Kos, Washington Monthly, Obsidian Wings, Campaign for America's Future, MyDD and Mercury Rising

Atrios / Eschaton:
Bush Justice — President Bush engages in ongoing obstruction …

Discussion: Firedoglake, Crooks and Liars and Lean Left

New York Times:
Soft on Crime

Discussion: Wonkette

Orin Kerr / The Volokh Conspiracy:
"POLITICS" AND THE LIBBY PROSECUTION: The Scooter Libby case …

Discussion: The Atlantic Online and Blog of the Moderate Left

Brad DeLong / Grasping Reality with Both Hands:
Jeff Lomonaco, Please Report to the Department of Pre-Crime

Discussion: The Democratic Daily

Emptywheel / The Next Hurrah:
George Bush Obstructs Justice

Discussion: Think Progress, Hullabaloo, CANNONFIRE, Crooks and Liars, TalkLeft, The Carpetbagger Report, Left in the West and Middle Earth Journal

The Raw Story:
GET OUT OF JAIL FREE: SPARES LIBBY SLAMMER

Discussion: The BRAD BLOG, Wonkette, culturekitchen and Suzie-Q

The Poor Man Institute:
Justice — Bush, today, on overturning the sentence of a traitor to the United States:

Discussion: Booman Tribune

Jane Hamsher / Firedoglake: Justice For Thee But Not For Me … If your primary source …

Atrios / Eschaton:
Evening Thread

Discussion: The American Street, Democratic National Committee and Daily Kos

Sheryl Gay Stolberg / New York Times:
For Bush, Action in Libby Case Was a Test of Will

Discussion: ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES

Tom Brune / Newsday:
Bush commutes sentence for Libby

Discussion: The Liberal Avenger

David G. Savage / Los Angeles Times:
Bush spares Libby from jail

Discussion: skippy the bush kangaroo and The Galloping Beaver

Byron York / The Corner:
Fitzgerald Statement on Libby

Discussion: The American Mind

Susie / Suburban Guerrilla:

James Capozzola, 1962-2007 — Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone, — Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone, — Silence the pianos and with muffled drum — Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come. — "Funeral Blues," W.H. Auden. — My friend Jim died this evening.

Discussion: The Sideshow, skippy the bush kangaroo, Shadow of the Hegemon, rubber hose, Pen-Elayne on the Web, The American Street, Hullabaloo, All Spin Zone, TalkLeft, TBogg, the talking dog, Ezra Klein, Jesus' General, Wampum and Pharyngula

Sisyphus Shrugged:
aw, Jim. — Susie just e-mailed me to let me know that Jim is gone.

Discussion: The American Street and Wampum

The Independent:

Terror plot hatched in British hospitals — A suspected secret cell of foreign militants, believed to be linked to al-Qa'ida and using British hospitals as cover, are being questioned over the terrorist attacks in London and Glasgow. — Five of the eight people under arrest last night are said to be doctors.

Discussion: Brisbane Times, NEWS.com.au, The Strata-Sphere, Tim Blair, Secular Blasphemy and Riehl World View

Telegraph:
Seven doctors held over al-Qa'eda bomb plot

Discussion: Slate, TigerHawk, Media Blog and Atlas Shrugs

Hassan Butt / Daily Mail:

I was a fanatic...I know their thinking, says former radical Islamist — When I was still a member of what is probably best termed the British Jihadi Network - a series of British Muslim terrorist groups linked by a single ideology - I remember how we used to laugh in celebration whenever people …