The Daily Digest

Steve Chapman picks apart the straw men in Rudy Giuliani's foreign policies.

Leona Helmsley, the millionaire businesswoman who was convicted in 1989 of tax evasion, died today. In April, I faulted her prosecutor—Rudy Giuliani—for "trumpet[ing] this indictment on par with his going after Tony Soprano. . . . [P]rosecutors wield enormous discretion as to which cases they prosecute, and it's unfortunate that Rudy made his bones on Leona Helmsley's back."

Jennifer Rubin explains why Fred Thompson's defense of his lobbying for abortion rights rings hollow. "First, he wasn't lawyering; he was influence peddling and not engaging in any legal advice when he was phoning Sununu or speaking to his former congressional colleagues. . . . Second, everyone makes choice[s] about how they want to use their time and make money."

Last week, Team Thompson suffered another senior resignation: spokeswoman Burson Snyder. "I support Senator Thompson fully and plan to assist in any way I can in the future, but I plan to pursue a better professional fit," Synder tells Jonathan Martin. Her gripe echoes that of J.T. Mastranadi, who resigned after less two weeks as research director. According to a friend, Mastranadi was "fed up" with the "lack of structure" and was unclear about his role in the coming campaign. According to sources, as paraphrased by Martin, Synder chafed "at the uncertain lines of authority and chain of command within both the communications team and the broader campaign staff."