Sunday Talk: If Only We Could Commute Bush's Presidency Edition

Below the fold: GOP looking to learn from the French?!, videos, funnies, calendar, headlines, lotsa fun tidbits, etc...

The Lineup (Copying to another site? Link back here):

* MTP: David Gregory is guest moderator; Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) talks Iraq & state of the GOP; roundtable of NYT's David Brooks, WaPo's Anne Kornblut, Vanity Fair's Todd Purdum, and WaPo's Eugene Robinson to discuss Libby, Billary * FTN: Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) & Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) discuss Libby and WH subpoenas; roundtable of Des Moines Register's David Yepsen, CBSNews.com's Vaugh Ververs, and Politico's Jeanne Cummings * This Week: Rep. John Conyers (D-MI); Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX); Mike Gravel (D-AK); NYT's Nicholas Kristof talks about Africa; roundtable of Fareed Zakaria, The Nation's Katrina vanden Heuvel, and National Review's Rich Lowry. * Fox News Sunday: Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) & Rep. Chris Cannon (R-UT) on Libby commutation; Rep. Pete Hoekstra on terrorism * Late Edition: Iraqi Natl Security Adv. Mowaffak al-Rubaie; Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN); Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT); Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA); Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch (Cmdr in Iraq); roundtable of Ed Henry, Joe Johns, & Suzanne Malveaux

NOTE: Due to Wimbledon coverage, MTP is airing at special times this Sunday. Click here to see when its airing in your area.

More TV Alerts (all subject to change) (would appreciate a link back to this diary or my Penndit post, for those copying this to other sites.)

* Live Earth performances on NBC on 7/7 * Political Capital with Al Hunt (Bloomberg, repeats throughout weekend): John Edwards (D-NC) on 7/6 * Chris Matthews Show 7/7-7/8: David Ignatius, Elisabeth Bumiller, Richard Stengel, Kathleen Parker discuss "Three GOP presidential candidates are cancer survivors -- will voters care? Why do the Iowa caucuses still matter?" Quotes here. * Newsmakers (C-SPAN): Rep. John Dingell (D-MI) on 7/8; * 60 Minutes: Possible Medicare bankruptcy on 7/8; Indian tigers on 7/8; unadopted foster care children on 7/8; * Road to the WH (C-SPAN): Michelle Obama on 7/8; Duncan Hunter on 7/8 * Q&A (C-SPAN, 8pm):  Asra Q. Nomani on the death of WSJ colleague Daniel Pearl on 7/8; * The Daily Show: reruns; Josh Rushing on 7/16; Christopher Walken on 7/17; Matt Groening on 7/18; Adam Sandler on 7/19; * The Colbert Report: reruns; Richard Florida on 7/16; John Mellencamp on 7/17; Mark Moffit on 7/18; Frank Sulloway on 7/19; Simon Schama on 7/23; Anthony Romero on 7/24; Charles Kaiser on 7/25; Robert Shrum on 7/26; Evan Osnos on 7/30; Kathleen Kennedy Townsend on 7/31; * CNN/YouTube Democratic debate on 7/23

Sunday Talk Ratings for Last Week's Shows
Meet the Press led the ratings race last week. Press release here.
Last week's guests here. Highlights & lowlights from last Sun: * Joe Lieberman embarrassed himself last week, repeatedly.  Joe Lieberman is NOT a serious person. * Joe Klein: Shopkeepers In McCain’s Baghdad Market Are All Supporters Of Al-Sadr * Clyburn: Immigration Bill failed "because the president failed" * Sen. Leahy (D-VT) itchin' for a showdown with BushCo * Dick Lugar (R-IN) tells Bush it's time to stop 'punting' the ball on Iraq. Ya think? * I'm waiting, Sen. Lugar.

Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN), on reax to his speech: "Most of my Republican colleagues were very interested in the speech. Some indicated they agreed with most of it. Some really wanted to say they'd like to take some action."

Chris Matthews Show Prediction of Note
Kathleen Parker:

"If you want to go to France this fall you'd better go ahead and buy your ticket, because I hear Republican operatives are going over to meet with their counterparts who got the new president, Nicolas Sarkozy, elected -- to find out how you distance yourself from an unsuccessful two-term president and get your party to still win."

Libby, Libby, Libby
There was lots of coverage throughout the blogosphere, but I just want to take note of how quick Bush was in commuting Libby's sentence once Libby lost his appeal. Less than 6 hours.  A lot quicker than his Katrina response. See how quickly he is to respond when he actually cares?

WH Comments # is 202-456-1111.
WH switchboard is 202-456-1414.
Fax is 202-456-2461.
Express your outrage to the interns who open emails sent to [e-mail]

Have you called your Republican member of Congress yet to ask how he/she feels about Bush's commutation of Libby's sentence? House numbers and Senate numbers.

Bush's commutation of Libby opens up a whole can of worms...

DNC web video:

Libby responses you may not have seen. Collected from Hotline 7/3 and other sources:

Rep. Tom Lantos (D-CA): "This decision sends the wrong message about the rule of law in the United States, just as the president is meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin" (AP, 7/3).

Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL): "Mr. Libby was tried by a jury of his peers and was convicted of a felony. The fact that Mr. Libby committed this crime while serving as a public official makes it all the more egregious. Excessive or not, Mr. Libby’s sentence should be respected." link

Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD): "I always think about my neighborhood and guys who go to prison for stealing a bicycle. ... Most Americans want fairness: You have to serve the sentence, period" (Nitkin/Hay Brown, Baltimore Sun, 7/3).

Solomon Wisenberg, deputy to Kenneth Star during the Monica Lewinsky probe, called Bush's move "really outrageous" (Meek, NYDailyNews.com, 7/2).

GOP strategist Ed Rollins: "The only guy who benefits from this is John McCain, who had to fire 50 staff people, and this may knock his story off the front page. Also, the other person who's breathing a sigh of relief tonight besides Scooter Libby is Vice President Dick Cheney. Because this story ends today. And the true facts of this case will never truly be told to the American people" ("Lou Dobbs Tonight," CNN, 7/2).

FNC's Colmes: "What does it say, Scooter Libby, four felonies, no jail. Paris Hilton, misdemeanor, 23 days in jail?" ("Hannity & Colmes," 7/2).

Matt Cooper: "At the end of the day, Scooter Libby was indicted by a Republican, Bush-appointed prosecutor. He was sentenced by a jury of his peers before a President Bush-appointed judge. His appeals were denied by many Republican-appointed appellate judges. It's hard to see the gross miscarriage of justice that required presidential intervention, especially from a president who has been very loathe to give out pardons in other circumstances" ("Hardball," MSNBC, 7/2).

FNC's Barnes: "I expect the president to follow through with the full pardon on January 20, 2009" ("Special Report," 7/2).

Kate O'Beirne Is Reminded That She Is An Intellectually Consistent Liar

GOP Senators Who Voted For Clinton Impeachment Dead Silent On Libby

Headlines * LiveEarth videos here * TX: former state Sen. Drew Nixon (R) was convicted on 2 counts of election oppression before the 06 elections. * Was campaigning against voter fraud a Republican ploy? Is the sky blue? * Neocons are bleeping psychos... * ... whose influence is on the wane. Hopefully. * Construction Woes Add to Fears at Embassy in Iraq BushCo can't do a f***ing thing right. * Private contractors outnumber U.S. troops in Iraq * Specter's Presidential Signing Statements Act of 2007 was introduced on 6/29. Let's see how hard he works to get it passed. The legislation is designed to rein in Bush's abuse of signing statements. * Secret Service stretched thin; protecting candidates will be costly * OH: Gov. Strickland (D) Signs First Budget, Vetoes 38 Items * HI: I forgot to include this in last week's edition, but Gov. Linda Lingle's (R-HI) chief of staff resigned on 6/29. Bob Awana is caught up in 2 federal investigations. * More headlines were covered at TPM (and its sister sites) and Think Progress. Videos of Libby coverage at Veracifier

Media * Bush says that the NYT, WashTimes, WaPo and USAToday are the 4 papers delivered to him. I'm surprised that the WSJ isn't on the list. * Aaron Brown on CNN, Fox and more. Part 2 here * Sometimes it appears as though the only person (other than Keith Olbermann) who eats his Wheaties on MSNBC is David Shuster. * Late night talk show ratings here. If memory serves, The Daily Show was delivering close to 1.5M viewers for original episodes and The Colbert Report was delivering around 1M viewers for original episodes. This was sometime last year.  For Q2 of 2007, TDS is averaging 1.7M viewers for original episodes and TCR is delivering 1.3M for original episodes.  At first glance, TDS and TCR are growing their audiences... or the newer Nielsen ratings adjustments take into account college-age viewers who were underrepresented before. * Nightline ratings are up * Fox News Channel showed ratings gains, as did Nancy Grace's show. Grace's show did better than Countdown and Paula Zahn Now in total viewers and in the 25-54 demo in June. * Countdown's ratings in the demo were up in Q2 of 2007 compared to Q2 of 2006. * CNN's ratings are up, too. * Q2 Evening News ratings: ABC tops NBC

Electoral Stuff
'08 and General Stuff * Fred Thompson (R-TN) has graduated from the Alberto Gonzales School of Denial and says he has "no recollection" of lobbying for pro-choice group. * GOP consultant Patrick Ruffini has an interesting post on online politicking. * Reaching Out Early for the Youth Vote * Illness. It affects everyone. * The GOP share of the Hispanic vote is shrinking * Romney's Big Dig problem * Romney Finds Classmate Bush's Management Lapses Unlikely Hurdle Both were Harvard Business School classmates in 1975.  I swear that that Harvard B-school grads I know are much nicer/saner/smarter than these two. * Was I wrong to laugh when I heard about John McCain's political woes?  Terry Nelson (McCain's campaign manager) sounded awfully sad in the audio clips shown on CNN. Couldn't happen to a nicer fella. Also, funnier: Ron Paul Tops McCain in Cash on Hand. * Wake me when the MSM stops harping on Obama's 'inexperience' (and to a lesser extent John Edwards) and takes a hard look at the BS coming from Fred Thompson and Rudy Giuliani. At this rate, it seems to me that Obama knows more than all the GOP candidates combined. I'm also wondering where the plans are from the GOP field. Say what you want about the plans coming from our candidates, but they've got plans on a number of issues. (And after I wrote this earlier in the week, the AP does due diligence on Fred Thompson who managed to do little in his years as a Senator. I wonder which GOP campaign suggested the story to the AP. Now which GOP campaign will be smart enough to propose a story about Giuliani's hackery?) * Denver cmte hosting 08 Dem convention short on $
Down the Ticket: * House: DCCC web videos targeting Republicans who are failing on veterans issues * House: SEIU made an ad buy that targeted 12 CDs. The ads went up 7/3. * CA: Looks like we'll need a strong challenger to Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA). * CA: Pitter patter. Is that the sound of Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA-04) saying that US troops should be redeployed or is that the sound of a tough re-election and possible indictment? * CO-04: Rep. Musgrave Pumps Gas for the People She got snippy. * IL: Land of Lincoln Could Be Land of Opportunity for House Democrats * KS-02: GOP Ideological Rift Hits Second District in Kansas * KY-Gov: Ex-official Gov. Ernie Fletcher (R) played politics with road projects * MN-Sen: Talk to Al Franken staffers about campaign * MN-Sen: Norm Coleman (R) continues to enable Bush's lawlessness LOL at "Norm Coleman Weasel Meter" * NM: Two NM House Challengers ActBlue Faves * NM-Sen: Did you hear? Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM) is up for re-election in 2008 * OH: OH-15, OH-14 lock in top tier candidates * PA: Skulnick's diary on our chances to hold on to our 4 PA pickups from 06: PA-04, PA-07, PA-08, PA-10. * NJ: Blue Jersey blogger Jay Lassiter gets a profile in NYT * SD: Republicans Find Fringe Candidate In South Dakota He's state Rep. Joel Dykstra. Sen. Tim Johnson (D-SD) is not going to be everyone's cup of tea policy or politics-wise, but the man was against the abortion ban that the state legislature passed in 06.  He wasn't quiet about it either. * New challengers (compiled from Hotline): Attorney Christopher Robinson (D) to challenge Rep. Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD-01). Ret. Army Lt. Col./ex-appeals court judge/'06 OH Supreme Court nominee William O'Neill (D) is challenging Rep. Steve LaTourette (R-OH-14). Historian David Shreve (D) to announce after the 11/2007 election that he's challenging Rep. Virgil Goode (R-VA-05). * DSCC and DCCC have CoH advantages so far. * For more info on the 08 electoral cycle, check The Right's Field,  Election Central, Swing State Project, Senate 2008 Guru and 2008 Race Tracker. * Donate to Rep. Tom Allen (D-ME) who is running against Susan Collins in ME's US Sen race in 08. BTW, Allen has introduced legislation that bans permanent US military bases in Iraq. * Donate to the DNC * Donate to the Democratic Governors Association * Donate to the DLCC: Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee * Act Blue

House Race Hotline 7/3 had this:

-- Dems see a perfect opportunity in NJ-02. Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R) has never gotten below 60%, but Pres. Bush won the CD by only 1% in '04, and Gore got 54% in '00. Numbers like that are dangerous for GOPers. Ex-Rep. Nancy Johnson (R-CT) sat in a very similar CD, and in '06, she got crushed.
-- For the GOP, a less obvious target is Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D-PA 11). By any recent measure, the CD is not competitive, but GOPers think the culturally conservative nature of the CD, combined with the re-drudging of earmark news against Kanjorski, will help them win in '08. Also, it may be no coincidence that the CD came back on the GOP radar during the immigration debate. '02 nominee/Hazelton Mayor Lou Barletta (R) has been outspoken on the issue, and he's mentioned as a possible cand.

Bloomberg's Switch. Watch him dance.

Bloomberg Supporting NY GOP If his "independence" is just a ploy for votes or power, then, the MSM should call him on the BS.

Calendar (subject to change) * 7/9: Senate meets to consider H.R.1585, the FY2008 Defense Authorization bill. Votes on judicial nominations are also scheduled. * 7/10: Senate Homeland Sec & Govt Affairs Cmte hearing on FEMA and Gulf Coast rebuilding. * 7/10: House Edu & Labor Cmte hearing on mental heatlh and substance abuse health coverage. HELP subcmte meets to discuss H.R.1424, a.k.a. "Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act of 2007" * 7/11: Senate Judiciary Cmte hearing on US Attys purge. Sara Taylor is scheduled to testify. She's an ex dep. asst to Bush and dir of political affairs. She's a Rove protege. Nevermind. * 7/11: House Armed Svcs Cmte hearing on diplomacy & the war on terrorism. * 7/11: House Judiciary Cmte hearing on "The Use and Misuse of Presidential Clemency Power for Executive Branch Officials." * 7/11: House Workforce Protections Subcmte hearing on H.R.1338, the "Paycheck Fairness Act" * 7/12: House Armed Svcs Cmte hearing on "alternatives for Iraq's future" * 7/13: House Judiciary Cmte on US Attys purge. Fmr WH counsel Harriet Miers is scheduled to testify. * 7/18: WH compliance deadline on warrantless surveillance subpoenas. * 7/26: House Cmte on Oversight & Govt Reform hearing on US Embassy in Iraq construction delays and problems. * Many cmtes meeting to discuss FY2008 budget issues and nominations to various posts. Tons of hearings on all sorts of topics. This list is a small sample of them.

Tidbits
Much luck to Al Gore III. Get well soon.

Al Gore III's speeding arrest = good marketing for Toyota Prius? I didn't know the Prius could go 100mph either, but I assure the people of New Jersey that I won't be driving at that speed in my family's Prius.

Kristin Gore (daughter of Al) has a new book out. It's a comic follow-up to her successful debut "Sammy's Hill." WaPo review here.

Sasha Obama beats dad at Uno. Way too cute.

Jenna Bush's book 'Ana's Story' She is NOT for abstinence-only sex ed.

Bruce Willis gives thumbs up to Fred Thompson.

Chris Dodd at the plate. Nice job working the count, Senator!

Ted Kennedy makes a cameo in the video for Springfield, MA, which is vying with other Springfields in the US to be the town where the Simpsons movie premieres. Go here and click on Springfield, MA to catch Kennedy. He appears 3:44 into the video. Contest voting ends 7/9.

Colbert's Americone Dream charity beneficiaries

A major focus of the event is to raise awareness about the Stephen Colbert AmeriCone Dream Fund. The national fund – managed by the Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina - is a non-profit endeavor to benefit children, veterans and the environment.

Earlier this year Ben & Jerry’s announced a flavor to honor the comedian/satirist. Stephen Colbert’s AmeriCone Dream, vanilla ice cream with fudge covered waffle cone pieces and a caramel swirl is available in supermarkets and convenience stores nationwide. Colbert is donating all of his proceeds from the sales of the flavor to the fund.

To help launch the AmeriCone Dream Fund the Ben & Jerry’s of Charleston is offering a challenge to other businesses in the greater Charleston area. "This is what being a socially responsible business is all about." said Fred vom Lehn, owner of the Charleston ice cream business. "We’re challenging other local businesses to step up to the plate and help us hit this fund-raising opportunity out of the park," adds manager Terri Gould. The goal of the campaign is to raise $10,000 for the AmeriCone Dream Fund. For each $1,000 donor, Ben & Jerry’s of Charleston will provide an AmeriCone Dream ice cream office party for up to 100 people delivered Friday, July 6, the day before the big game. The RiverDogs organization is also generously sweetening the deal for the $1,000 donors who will receive 20 tickets to the July 7 game.

Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) sings "Western Town."  Listen to his recording (HT First Read) and watch the "pop-up" style video:

The Funnies
Leno: "Experts say the price of milk could rise to as much as $4 a gallon. $4 a gallon for milk? I didn't know Dick Cheney was involved with the dairy industry"

SNL: Nancy Grace

Bill Maher's New Rules: Makes fun of Romney, right-wing media

Sighting!
Al Rodgers posted recently. I'm still going to do Sunday Talk. Hope he drops by with fun photos and stuff! (Waves hello!)

One Billion Bulbs
Join the DKos group. Change your lightbulbs from the old kind to the energy efficient kind and join the DKos group. We're competing with Instapundit's group to see who can save more energy. They got a head start on us, so help DKos catch up. If you don't want to do it for DKos pride, do it for Al. (Gore or Rodgers... your pick, lol!)

More solutions to the climate crisis here.