memeorandum: President respects justice (Tony Snow/USA Today)

8:45 PM ET, July 5, 2007

Top Items:

Domenici Breaks with Bush War Policy — Sen. Pete Domenici (N.M.), a 36-year Republican veteran of the Senate, abandoned President Bush's Iraq war policy today by publicly endorsing legislation designed to withdraw nearly all U.S. troops from Iraq by March 2008.

Discussion: The Gavel, The Moderate Voice, The Carpetbagger Report, Left in the West, DownWithTyranny!, Redstate, Outside The Beltway, Hot Air and Prairie Weather

Greg Mitchell / Editor and Publisher:

Paper With Strong Military Readership Calls for Iraq Pullout — NEW YORK Even though U.S. casualties in Iraq continue to mount — and we have now been there longer than we were involved in World War II — surprisingly few newspaper editorial pages have come out for any kind of withdrawal …

Eric Kleefeld / Election Central:

Domenici Breaks With White House, Calls For Implementing ISG Recommendations — Put down the name of Senator Pete Domenici (R-NM) as the latest Republican to break with the Bush Administration's policies on Iraq, after a long history of backing their positions in Congress.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Daily Kos and Michael P.F. van der Galiën

Heath Haussamen / Heath Haussamen …:
Domenici wants new, reduced U.S. mission in Iraq

Discussion: Think Progress, Crooks and Liars and Booman Tribune

Carrie Budoff / The Politico:
Domenici breaks with Bush

Discussion: CNN Political Ticker and Townhall.com

The Smoking Gun:

Libby Pays The Man — Sentence commuted, convicted felon scoots to take care of 250K fine — On the same day that President George W. Bush wiped away his 30-month prison sentence, convicted former White House aide Lewis "Scooter" Libby purchased a $250,400 cashier's check to cover fines imposed …

Discussion: Wonkette and The Next Hurrah

Mark Murray / MSNBC:

LIBBY PAYS $250,000 FINE — From NBC's Joel Seidman and Mark Murray — Convicted former top White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby has paid the fine of $250,400.00. The U.S. District Court has posted the canceled check on the docket this afternoon. (Our question: Where did Libby get this money to write this hefty check?)

Discussion: Think Progress, The Huffington Post, Firedoglake and The Carpetbagger Report

Paul Kiel / TPMmuckraker:
Libby Fallout: House Committee Plans Hearing, Defense Lawyers Rejoice

Discussion: TalkLeft, New York Sun, White Collar Crime Prof Blog, Rising Hegemon and Think Progress

Tony Snow / USA Today:

President respects justice — So he lifted excessive sentence but left convictions, fine, probation. — President Bush commuted part of Lewis Libby's sentence because he considered a 30-month stretch in prison too severe. Libby was convicted of obstruction of justice and perjury …

Discussion: Washington Post, TalkLeft, The Carpetbagger Report, The Anonymous Liberal, Happy Furry Puppy Story …, Shakesville, The Daily Background, Washington Monthly, MSNBC, The Heretik, Think Progress, Sister Toldjah, Sentencing Law and Policy, White Collar Crime Prof Blog and New York Times

CNN:
White House attacks Clinton 'chutzpah'

Discussion: bustardblog

Michael Kinsley / New York Times:
The Lying Game — WHEN the Republicans in Congress impeached …

Discussion: Firedoglake, Greg Mankiw's Blog, Booman Tribune, The Carpetbagger Report, Commentary, Multi Medium, Captain's Quarters and EconLog

Glen Johnson / Associated Press:

Romney Criticized for Hotel Pornography — BOSTON — Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney, who rails against the "cesspool" of pornography, is being criticized by social conservatives who argue that he should have tried to halt hardcore hotel movie offerings during his near-decade on the Marriott board.

Discussion: Redstate and Baseball Crank

Eye / eyeon08.com:
Christian right dated Mitt, married Fred?

Discussion: Weekly Standard and Beliefnet

Paul Kiel / TPMmuckraker:

White House: "Equal Justice?" — Sometimes it's just too easy. From this afternoon's White House press briefing: … More below.... From the briefing:

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Talking Points Memo and The Carpetbagger Report

White House:

Press Briefing by Scott Stanzel — Dwight D. Eisenhower Executive Office Building — MR. STANZEL: Good afternoon, everybody. Happy July 5th. Hope you all had a wonderful Independence Day. I don't have anything off the top, so I'll take your questions.

Discussion: Dick Polman's American Debate, Hullabaloo and Daily Kos

Izhar Wani / Agence France Presse:

Muslim 'Rage Boy' says he's really angry — SRINAGAR, India (AFP) - He has become the face of Muslim fury: an angry young man whose bushy beard and fiery-eyed scowl take centre stage at nearly every pro-Islamic demonstration in Indian Kashmir. — Shakeel Bhat, 31, has been displaying …

Discussion: Jihad Watch, The Jawa Report, Gateway Pundit and Weasel Zippers

Little Green Footballs:
Rage Boy: The Interview

Discussion: Power Line, Hot Air, Riehl World View, legacyeditorial …, Solomonia and TigerHawk

Josh Rogin / wexler.house.gov:

Congressman Wexler to File Resolution Censuring President Bush for Commuting Libby's Prison Sentence — (Washington, D.C.) Congressman Robert Wexler (D-FL) has drafted and will file a Congressional resolution censuring President George W. Bush for his egregious and politically motivated commutation of Scooter Libby's prison sentence.

Discussion: Democrats.com and Firedoglake

Larry Lipman / Q: The Florida Politics Blog: WEXLER: CENSURE BUSH OVER LIBBY

Rasmussen Reports:

Election 2008: Clinton, Thompson Tied — Clinton (D) 46% Romney (R) 42% — The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds New York Senator Hillary Clinton (D) tied with former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson (R) in an Election 2008 match-up. Both candidates attract support from 45% of voters.

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, The American Street, DownWithTyranny!, Charleston Daily Mail, The Moderate Voice, PoliPundit.com, UrbanGrounds, Pajamas Media, The Corner, Rasmussen Reports, Bluey Blog and Taylor Marsh

The Atlantic Online:

Gary Hart, Lynne Cheney, and War with China — I mentioned this yesterday in the (somewhat-insiderish) realm of the Atlantic's "Aspen Ideas Festival" blog, but the point seemed worth repeating in this marginally more public venue. The item appears after the jump, or at this link.

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns and Money, Ezra Klein and The Peking Duck

Bob Geiger:

GOP Senators Who Voted For Clinton Impeachment Dead Silent On Libby — Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) was aghast. He was indignant as hell about how having a high public official involved in something like perjury and obstruction of justice can damage the very foundation on which our nation was built …

Discussion: Think Progress

John Steel / Telegraph:

45 Muslim doctors planned US terror raids — A group of 45 Muslim doctors threatened to use car bombs and rocket grenades in terrorist attacks in the United States during discussions on an extremist internet chat site. — Police found details of the discussions on a site run by one of a three-strong "cyber-terrorist" gang.

Discussion: Fausta's blog, GINA COBB, Jules Crittenden, Outside The Beltway, NewsBusters.org, ThreatsWatch, Captain's Quarters, JammieWearingFool, Michael P.F. van der Galiën, Jihad Watch, Townhall.com and Confederate Yankee

Washington Post:

Paganism May Not Pass Religious Muster — It is debatable whether paganism is a religion, per say. It is generally defined as a pre-Christian state, but it takes a wide variety of forms—all the way from relatively benign New Age-style nature worship, to pantheism, to witchcraft, and even human sacrifice.

Discussion: BlondeSense, The Newshoggers and Shakesville