First it was Mudcat, who works for Edwards. Now it is Robert Bauer, who is General Counsel for the Obama campaign, who presents the "Progressive Case for a Libby Pardon." Both prove Garance's point:

You know, I thought everyone realized this during the Amanda Marcotte flap, but since that's clearly not the case, perhaps the latest to-do over Steve "Mudcat" Saunders's comments over at Time magazine's Swampland will drive the point home. People who are working for presidential candidates -- and this goes for all of them, and not just John Edwards -- are ill-served by engaging in anything but the most innocuous personal blogging efforts. They're likely to get their candidate in trouble if they speak freely but in a way that's off-message for the campaign . . .

Yep. BTW, for Ezra's edification, it is a Wanker post. I'll explain why on the flip.

If current national polling of presidential preferences for 2008 matter, then Senator Hillary Clinton and former Mayor Rudy Giuliani are the clear favorites to win their respective nominations. Historically, national polling has not meant that much. The early primary results have been much more important. Look we know who is not going to win I think - anyone not named Clinton, Obama, Edwards, Gore, Giuliani, McCain, Romney or Fred Thompson. But which of these will?

The most important factor that can change where we are today is the results of the early primaries. Some candidates in the past have withstood losses in early primaries and cacuses. Ronald Reagan withstood losing Iowa in 1980. George H.W. Bush and Michael Dukakis also lost in Iowa in 1988. They needed to win in New Hampshire to win the nomination and they did. In 1992, Tom Harkin ran for President and took Iowa out of play. Bill Clinton finished second in New Hampshire but it was deemed a "win" for the Comeback Kid.

Here's the bottom line. In the modern era, other than the exceptional circumstances of Clinton in 92, no candidate who has lost both Iowa and New Hampshire has captured the nomination. I do not believe this year will be any different.

How much does a major Hollywood endorsement help a presidential candidate? I don't know, but if it does, Hillary Clinton just scored a major win by getting the backing of Director and mogul Steven Spielberg.

Influential filmmaker and philanthropist Steven Spielberg today announced that he is officially endorsing Hillary Clinton for President. Spielberg said that he has chosen to endorse Clinton because of her experience and strength.

“I’ve taken the time to familiarize myself with the impressive field of Democratic candidates and am convinced that Hillary Clinton is the most qualified candidate to lead us from her first day in the White House,” Spielberg said. “Hillary is a strong leader and is respected the world over. As president, she will bring America back together, rebuild our prestige abroad and ensure our protection here at home.”

In what I envision as true mogul ego style, one paragraph of the endorsement contains quotes about Hillary and the rest is about Spielberg's accomplishments and career. One would think he's the candidate.

Nonetheless, good for Hillary. He's a big fish.

Ten years ago today, a Denver federal jury returned a death verdict against Timothy McVeigh for the Oklahoma City bombing.

A few weeks ago I sat down with Colorado 850 KOA News Radio host Steffan Tubbs for an interview about what it was like to defend McVeigh. Tubbs also interviewed Houston lawyer Chris Tritico, another principal member of the trial team . The interview aired today as part of a five part series that looks back at the trial.

McVeigh was executed by lethal injection six years ago on June 11, 2001.

What is like to defend the most hated man in America? Would I do it again? You can listen here.

Other parts of the series which include interviews with the prosecutors, victims' families, members of the media and a juror are here.

[Cross-posted at 5280.com]

The Supreme Court will decide "whether investors can pursue lawsuits to recover investment losses if they can prove collusion between Wall Street institutions and scandal-ridden companies." Seems like a no-brainer that investors should be entitled to sue the entities that helped defraud them, right? Not to the Decider.

"We think the SEC is the right entity to bring those lawsuits and make sure investors are protected," [economic advisor Al] Hubbard said in describing the president's views. "We are in a society that is overly litigious and it's very harmful to society, very harmful to investors."

The president wants to curb "unnecessary lawsuits," with "unnecessary" evidently defined as any lawsuit he doesn't personally authorize. The SEC disagrees.

The Securities and Exchange Commission voted 3-2 to ask the solicitor general to support shareholders in the pending court case.

Rudy Giuliani unveiled his 12 step plan for America today.

Shorter version: What war in Iraq, the only war I'm equipped to deal with is the war on terror.

[N]oticeably absent from the speech was any mention of the war in Iraq, likely to be the central challenge for any new president.

Asked afterward about the omission, the candidate said Iraq must be viewed in the context of a broader fight against terrorism. It was not dealt with singly in the speech, he said, because the fluid situation there makes it hard to speak in specifics about the war.

More...

I'm always the last to know. From a diary at Daily Kos:

And today you have the opportunity to listen to [Big Tent Democrat, aka Armando on] On Topic at Political Nexus.  The show will begin tonight at 5pm PST (8pm EST)--those who wish to listen live can do so at the "On Topic" BlogTalkRadio page (the only show currently listed is the one we did with MSOC on abortion; it will appear when the show goes live.)  Otherwise, you can access the archives of the show either at Political Nexus or at the BlogTalkRadio On Topic page.

Among the topics we'll be discussing during the half-hour show include:

More...

The downside to sending out mass fund-raising letters is that you never know in whose hands they will wind up.

This one from Mary Matalin, in which she pleads for contributions for Scooter Libby's appeal and argues Libby is innocent, ended up in mine.

Here it is in its entirety. Enjoy.

Durham, N.C. District Attorney Mike Nifong faces the music today for his conduct during the debacle that became the Duke lacrosse players' non-sexual assault case.

The ethics trial is being streamed at WRAL.com and you can watch live here.

The bar prosecutor's side:

"This didn't have to happen and the horrible consequences were entirely foreseeable," State Bar Counsel Katherine E. Jean said during her opening statement. "The harm done to these three young men and their families and the justice system of North Carolina is devastating."

More....

I put up a Sopranos open thread before the start of Sunday night's finale as I have every week the past two seasons. I was too angry after the show to add my thoughts. I waited until I slept on it and watched it again. My final reaction: Count me among those who are livid.

Like many viewers I've watched every episode of the show. Unlike the most obsessed viewers, I cannot recall all the players in all the episodes in all the seasons. I just enjoyed the show as I watched. It was entertainment. I never saw any greater message in the show, never cross-checked the minor characters with their real actor names to see if they re-appeared in future episodes and didn't analyze the dialog or action searching for clues.

But, at the end of each show I wondered what would happen next. I never expected that the final episode would be one in which nothing happened.

More...

(larger and original version here, via TMZ.com.)

Many believe that Paris Hilton deserves the same lousy treatment that a pauper might receive after being sentenced to 45 days in a Los Angeles jail, if only to teach her (and other privileged youth) that society's laws apply to the privileged and poor alike. Others would like to see indigent inmates treated as well as Paris. The salient question is whether Paris has been singled out for particularly harsh treatment because of her celebrity status.

At a news conference on Friday, Sheriff Baca said: “The special treatment appears to be her celebrity status. She got more time in jail.” Under the normal terms of the early release program, he said, Ms. Hilton would not have served “any time in our jail.”

Jonna Spilbor explains how the court could have put Paris' celebrity status to good use.

[T]he judge might have given Paris an equivalent sentence that recognized the reality of her celebrity status - incorporating a few days in jail, but also perhaps an anti-DUI public service announcement, or serious community service contribution. Such efforts might have far longer-lasting effects on both Paris and the rest of the world, than any amount of time she spends languishing in jail. ... Paris, unlike the average defendant is likely to have lived a life of privilege that means she might benefit from learning about the lives of the less fortunate, and doing some good - whether it means donating computers, working with kids, or volunteering for the Red Cross.

Spilbor projects Paris' release date to be between June 22 and June 25.

When the headline reads "Butts Charged With Stealing Toilet Paper," there's really nothing left to do but provide a link to the story. (Despite Bart Simpson's dream headline, the underlying story is sad, given the risk of jail for a woman who probably lacked the funds to buy her own tp.)