Edwards to introduce plan to dramatically change the way pharmaceutical drugs are patented and marketed. That and other political news of the day in today’s Election Central Morning Roundup.

Reed Hundt lays out the winning platform for an anonymous third party candidate.

Gen. Petraeus, perhaps giving a peek at what he’ll be telling Congress in September about Iraq, proclaims that he’s seen “astonishing signs of normalcy” in the country.

Yesterday we showed you Part 1 of our conversation with Al Franken. In today’s episode of TPMtv we bring you Part 2, in which the Senate candidate from Minnesota expounds on Iraq …

Hans von Spakovsky, Bradley Schlozman’s former tag team partner on the voter suppression cause at the Civil Rights Division, went before a Senate panel yesterday. And wouldn’t you know it, it turns out that he just isn’t responsible for the stuff that happened there. The former chief of the voting rights section disagrees.

Jerusalem Post announces it will stop its bizarre practice of sending out Rudy’s fundraising mail under the paper’s name.

Ready the pardon pen!

From the AP: “A federal judge said Thursday he will not delay a 2 1/2-year prison sentence for I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, a ruling that could send the former White House aide to prison within weeks.”

Tony Snow: Bush fights on the front lines.

Late Update: Here’s a transcript of the exchange at today’s White House Press Briefing:

Q I have one follow-up. Are there any members of the Bush family or this administration in this war?

MR. SNOW: Yes, the President. The President is in the war every day.

Q Come on. That isn’t my question.

MR. SNOW: If you ask any President who is a Commander-in-Chief —

Q On the front lines —

MR. SNOW: The President.

Rudy Giuliani takes indirect swipe at Bush, says we’re lacking “strong, bold, aggressive leadership.”

Alberto Gonzales under investigation by his own department.