memeorandum: Giuliani Camp Pulls in $15M; Romney $12M (Jim Kuhnhenn/Associated Press)

10:40 AM ET, July 4, 2007

Top Items:

Bill Clinton Criticizes Bush on Libby Move — Former President Bill Clinton criticized President Bush on Tuesday for commuting the prison sentence of I. Lewis Libby Jr. and tried to draw a distinction from his own controversial pardons. — In Iowa to promote the presidential candidacy of his wife …

Discussion: Hot Air

New York Times:

Bush Is Said to Have Held Long Debate on Decision — Before commuting the prison sentence of I. Lewis Libby Jr., President Bush and a small circle of advisers delved deeply into the evidence in the case, debating Mr. Libby's guilt or innocence and whether he had in fact lied to investigators …

Discussion: Hullabaloo and Washington Post

Washington Times: The Libby affair — President Bush's commutation of the 30 …

Patrick Healy / New York Times:
The Clintons: Oldies but Goodies?

Discussion: The Atlantic Online and Redstate

Mike Glover / Associated Press:
Clinton slams Bush over Libby maneuver

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, Outside The Beltway, Macsmind and HillaryClinton.com

Nicole Belle / Crooks and Liars:

Keith Olbermann's Special Comment: You ceased to be the President of the United States — Keith Olbermann delivers arguably his most pointed and most powerful Special Comment yet on the ramifications of Bush's commutation of Libby's sentence. — Download (9997) | Play (12513) Download (4995) |

Discussion: The Sideshow, Suburban Guerrilla, RADAMISTO, Dyre Portents, DownWithTyranny!, Liberal Values and TalkLeft

Keith Olbermann / MSNBC:

Bush, Cheney should resign — 'I didn't vote for him, but he's my president, and I hope he does a good job.' — Special Comment: Bush, Cheney should resign — July 3: Keith Olbermann questions Bush's actions in commuting the sentence of Scooter Libby. — Countdown — SPECIAL COMMENT

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, Right Wing Nut House, Taylor Marsh, Jules Crittenden, Don Surber, News Corpse, Think Progress, The Garlic, Pandagon, The Democratic Daily, Thought Theater, Brilliant at Breakfast, The Reaction and AfterDowningStreet.org

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:

IN THE MONEY, PART II....I had an item earlier this week on Democratic presidential candidates' fundraising in the second quarter, so it seems only fair to note the Republicans' fundraising efforts as well. For the GOP, the results are less than encouraging.

Discussion: Eschaton

Michael D. Shear / Washington Post:

A Stark Edge in Race for '08 Cash — New Numbers Heavily Favor The Democrats — Campaign contributors to the 2008 presidential candidates heavily favored Democrats in the three-month period that ended Saturday, giving three dollars to the party's leading contenders for every two dollars they gave to the top Republican candidates.

Discussion: The Carpetbagger Report, The Crone Speaks, Associated Press, CNN and The American Mind

Jim Kuhnhenn / Associated Press:
Giuliani Camp Pulls in $15M; Romney $12M

Discussion: MSNBC, Michael P.F. van der Galiën, The Daily Background, MyDD, Captain's Quarters and Bluey Blog

Sam Youngman / The Hill:
McCain is on the ropes — Sen. John McCain's (R-Ariz.) …

Discussion: Strategist and The Corner

Adam Nagourney / New York Times:
Romney and Giuliani Trail Democrats in Fund-Raising

Discussion: Wonkette and DownWithTyranny!

Reuters:

BBC Gaza journalist Alan Johnston freed — GAZA (Reuters) - Alan Johnston, the BBC journalist held hostage in Gaza, was freed early on Wednesday after a late-night deal between the ruling Hamas Islamists and the al Qaeda-inspired clan group that kidnapped him in March. — "It is just the most fantastic thing to be free.

Discussion: Weasel Zippers

CNN:
Freed journalist 'so glad to be free'

Discussion: Michael P.F. van der Galiën and Blogs of War

BBC:
BBC's Alan Johnston is released

Discussion: The Belmont Club and Harry's Place

Adam Liptak / New York Times:

Commuting Prison Term Is Implicit Critique of Sentencing Standards — In commuting I. Lewis Libby Jr.'s 30-month prison sentence on Monday, President Bush drew on the same array of arguments about the federal sentencing system often made by defense lawyers — and routinely and strenuously opposed by his own Justice Department.

Discussion: PoliBlog (TM), The Volokh Conspiracy, The Daily Background, The Moderate Voice, Sister Toldjah, TalkLeft, Sentencing Law and Policy, Prairie Weather and Lawyers, Guns and Money

Los Angeles Times:
Libby's sentence not unusually long

Discussion: Patterico's Pontifications

Rasmussen Reports:

Washington, Lincoln Most Popular Presidents: Nixon, Bush Least Popular — Seven American Presidents are viewed favorably by at least 80% of all Americans. Those esteemed seven are led by the first President George Washington. The Father of our Country is viewed favorably by 94% of Americans.

Rasmussen Reports:
46% Say Congress Doing Poor Job, 16% Say Good or Excellent

Discussion: Rasmussen Reports, The Jawa Report, Captain's Quarters and The Strata-Sphere

T. Christian Miller / Los Angeles Times:

Private contractors outnumber U.S. troops in Iraq — New U.S. data show how heavily the Bush administration has relied on corporations to carry out the occupation of the war-torn nation. — The number of U.S.-paid private contractors in Iraq now exceeds that of American combat troops …

Discussion: The American Street, Global Guerrillas, Outside The Beltway, Angry Bear, The Gun Toting Liberal™, Reuters, The Huffington Post and Riehl World View

Los Angeles Times:

Mayor reveals romantic link with TV newscaster — Both seek privacy but the admission raises questions about ethics. — At 4 p.m. on June 8, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa issued a terse statement announcing that he and his wife, Corina, were separating after 20 years of marriage.

Associated Press:
LA mayor in 'relationship' with reporter

Discussion: Washington Monthly, The Debate Link and The Carpetbagger Report

White House:

Press Briefing by Tony Snow — MR. SNOW: Good morning. Good to see you all. Couple of notes, first on the President's day. The President had his normal briefings in the morning. At 10:30 a.m. he'll have a visit with wounded military personnel at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

Discussion: Salon, Firedoglake, WTF Is It Now??, CREW, Crooks and Liars, Power Line, The Daily Background, Corrente, The Huffington Post, Daily Kos and First Draft

David Brooks / David Corn:
A Memo for David Brooks

Discussion: TalkLeft

David Leonhardt / New York Times:

The Tricky Part of an E-ZPass Economy — There is a stretch of the Garden State Parkway that used to feel like the tollbooth capital of America. In a span of 100 miles — from Pascack Valley, in northern New Jersey, to Barnegat, along the coast — eight different toll plazas greeted drivers.

Discussion: Economist's View, Outside The Beltway and The Agitator

Curt Anderson / MiamiHerald.com:

Prosecution Padilla expert admonished for appearing on CNN — MIAMI — The federal judge in Jose Padilla's terrorism support case asked the prosecution's star expert witness to forego future media appearances after he spoke to CNN on Tuesday about the bomb investigation in Britain.

David Oscar Markus / Southern District of Florida Blog:
Dress up day... So, I thought I was being extremely festive today …

Discussion: Discourse.net

Simon Crerar / Times of London:

The baggage handler who tackled terrorists — Watch John Smeaton describe the incident — A baggage handler who helped to foil Saturday's terrorist attack on Glasgow airport has become an internet star, with a tribute website set-up in his honour describing him as a Scottish hero in the mould of William Wallace.

Times of London:

Website bomb-making lessons to be outlawed across Europe — David Charter, Europe Correspondent and Jonathan Richards — Placing instructions on how to make a bomb on the internet will become a criminal offence across Europe under plans outlined by Brussels yesterday.

Discussion: Tim Worstall