memeorandum: Bully For Him — Tim Noah says Bush did the right thing. (Digby/Hullabaloo)

5:50 PM ET, July 3, 2007

Top Items:

White House won't rule out Libby pardon — WASHINGTON - The White House on Tuesday declined to rule out the possibility of an eventual pardon for former vice presidential aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby. But spokesman Tony Snow said, for now, President Bush is satisfied with his decision to commute Libby's 2 1/2-year prison sentence.

Discussion: Think Progress, The Moderate Voice, Taylor Marsh, AMERICAblog and Democrats.com

Dan Froomkin / Washington Post:

Obstruction of Justice, Continued — During the course of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby's trial for obstruction of justice and perjury, we learned a lot about his bosses. — Incremental discoveries that didn't garner major headlines nevertheless added to what we know — and can reasonably surmise …

Discussion: Grasping Reality …

Amanda / Think Progress:

Snow: Bush's Commutation Of Libby's Sentence Was 'Routine' — During the White House press briefing this morning, spokesman Tony Snow characterized President Bush's commutation of Scooter Libby's prison term as "routine." — "The president spent weeks and weeks consulting with senior members …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Washington Post, TPMmuckraker, The Atlantic Online, Daily Kos, The Carpetbagger Report, No More Mister Nice Blog and BuzzFlash.org

Guardian:

Just another obstruction of justice — There are lots of unanswered questions surrounding the Valerie Plame saga, but Scooter Libby's commutation ensures they won't be answered. — On June 9, 2003, just one day after his national security advisor, Condoleezza Rice, got beaten …

Discussion: Hullabaloo, Firedoglake, DownWithTyranny!, Angry Bear, Left in the West and The Next Hurrah

Atrios / Eschaton:

Rich — Inevitably, the subject of Marc Rich comes up every time presidential pardons come up. Without going into all of the issues, can we just remind the world that... Marc Rich's lawyer was Scooter Libby.

Discussion: The American Street and The Atlantic Online

Editor and Publisher:

Editorials Hit Libby's Get-Out-of-Jail-Free Card — NEW YORK The bloggers, politicians, and TV pundits weighed in quickly Monday after President Bush took the surprisingly sudden step of commuting Lewis "Scooter" Libby's 30-month prison sentence for perjury and obstruction of justice in the CIA leak case.

Discussion: San Francisco Chronicle, Think Progress, Denver Post, The Carpetbagger Report, News Corpse and The Democratic Daily

White House:

Remarks by the President to the Travel Pool After Visiting with Wounded Military Personnel — AFTER VISITING WITH WOUNDED MILITARY PERSONNEL — Washington, D.C. — THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. General, thank you very much for your hospitality.

Robert D. Novak / Chicago Sun Times:

Only Libby smiling today — WASHINGTON — President Bush's commutation of Scooter Libby's sentence pleased but did not fully satisfy restive conservatives, while enraging his liberal critics. Libby himself can breathe a sigh of relief that he does not have to serve prison time, but hardly anybody else is all that happy.

Discussion: PERRspectives Blog, The Carpetbagger Report and The Strata-Sphere

Digby / Hullabaloo:

Bully For Him — Tim Noah says Bush did the right thing. In fact, he says "bully for him." His reasoning is that Walton did give poor Scooter an excessive sentence and that was wrong because he, Tim Noah, believes that Clinton committed perjury and he got away with it.

Discussion: Slate, Crooks and Liars, Firedoglake, A Chequer-Board of Nights …, The Anonymous Liberal, Norwegianity and The Next Hurrah

The New Republic:
STILL MORE LIBBY:

Discussion: The Carpetbagger Report, Dick Polman's American Debate, The BRAD BLOG and TalkLeft

Opinion Journal:
Bush and Libby — The commutation is a profile in non-courage.

Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
Lewis Libby owes his freedom to our corrupt political elite

Discussion: Harper's, Daily Kos and Norwegianity

David Brooks / New York Times:
[TS] Op-Ed Columnist: Ending the Farce

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Carpetbagger Report, WTF Is It Now??, The Volokh Conspiracy, bustardblog, Taylor Marsh, The Atlantic Online and The Moderate Voice

Associated Press:
Reaction to Bush's Libby Decision

Discussion: Right Wing News, Wizbang and Bluey Blog

Jane Hamsher / Firedoglake:
Dear MSM: You Ain't The Only Game In Town Any More, Honey

Discussion: pol.moveon.org, The Huffington Post, Suzie-Q and Riehl World View

Washington Post:
Too Much Mercy — IN COMMUTING I. Lewis Libby's prison sentence …

Macer Hall / Daily Express:

BROWN: DON'T SAY TERRORISTS ARE MUSLIMS — Gordon Brown has banned ministers from using the word "Muslim" in connection with the terrorism crisis. — The Prime Minister has also instructed his team - including new Home Secretary Jacqui Smith - that the phrase "war on terror" is to be dropped.

Discussion: Gateway Pundit, Michael P.F. van der Galiën, The American Mind, Weasel Zippers, Jules Crittenden, Little Green Footballs and Atlas Shrugs

Telegraph:
'Don't tell British about the EU treaty'

Discussion: EU Referendum

Melanie Phillips / Melanie Phillips's Diary:
The strategy of consensual dissimulation

Discussion: protein wisdom, Sister Toldjah, Telegraph and Solomonia

BBC:
Listen to Today's Programme in Full

Discussion: EU Referendum

Rasmussen Reports:

Romney Holds Nine-Point Lead in New Hampshire — Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney has the lead in the first Rasmussen Reports poll of New Hampshire's Republican Presidential Primary. Romney currently attracts support from 26% of Likely Primary Voters, nine points more than his nearest competitor.

Discussion: Michael P.F. van der Galiën, Captain's Quarters, Townhall.com and National Review

ABCNEWS:
Giuliani Campaign Pulls in $17M in 2Q

Discussion: CNN Political Ticker and The Politico

CNN Political Ticker:
Romney raises $14 million in second quarter

Discussion: The Politico

CBS News:

Al Qaeda In Iraq Behind U.K. Bomb Plot? — Sources Tell CBS News Suspects Recruited By Leader Of Terror Group's Iraq Branch — (CBS/AP) British intelligence services increasingly believe that the failed car bombings in London and Glasgow bare the fingerprints of al Qaeda in Iraq, CBS News has learned.

Discussion: Power Line, protein wisdom, Hot Air, A Chequer-Board of Nights …, Gateway Pundit, The Glittering Eye, Captain's Quarters, The Corner, TPMCafe blogs and Yourish.com

Amanda / Think Progress:

Rep. Hunter: Ann Coulter Is 'Approaching That Level Of Being A Great American' — Yesterday on MSNBC's Hardball, Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) defended Ann Coulter's attacks on John Edwards, including that she wishes he "had been killed in a terrorist assassination plot."

Discussion: DownWithTyranny!

New York Times:

U.S. Says Iran Helped Iraqis Kill Five G.I.'s — Agents of Iran helped plan a January raid in Shiite holy city of Karbala in Iraq in which five American soldiers were killed by Islamic militants, an American military spokesman said Monday. The charge was the most specific allegation …