The general counsels of Google Inc.[GOOG] and Microsoft Corp. [MSFT] were busy Sunday, and it went well beyond mixing up a batch of guacamole for the big game.

Google senior vice president and chief legal officer David Drummond blogged the first response issued by the search giant to  Microsoft's $44.6 billion unsolicted bid for Yahoo! Inc. [YHOO] announced Friday. Not suprisingly -- especially in light of all the grief Microsoft has given Google over its pending agreement to buy DoubleClick Inc. -- Drummond said that the deal raises "troubling questions." An excerpt:

Could the acquisition of Yahoo! allow Microsoft -- despite its legacy of serious legal and regulatory offenses -- to extend unfair practices from browsers and operating systems to the Internet? In addition, Microsoft plus Yahoo! equals an overwhelming share of instant messaging and web email accounts. And between them, the two companies operate the two most heavily trafficked portals on the Internet. Could a combination of the two take advantage of a PC software monopoly to unfairly limit the ability of consumers to freely access competitors' email, IM, and web-based services? Policymakers around the world need to ask these questions -- and consumers deserve satisfying answers.

A few hours later, Microsoft saw fit to fire back with a press release from general counsel Brad Smith, who countered that acquiring Yahoo! would make the market more competitive by creating a stronger number-two player in the Internet search and advertising markets. In his words:

Today, Google is the dominant search engine and advertising company on the Web. Google has amassed about 75 percent of paid search revenues worldwide and its share continues to grow. According to published reports, Google currently has more than 65 percent search query share in the U.S. and more than 85 percent in Europe. Microsoft and Yahoo! on the other hand have roughly 30 percent combined in the U.S. and approximately 10 percent combined in Europe.

These data points might lay out a case for a why a Microsoft-Yahoo! combination wouldn't hurt competition, but it also arguably shows how far Microsoft has to go to catch up with number one Google.
Google reportedly is doing more than just issuing statements in response to Friday's big news. Monday's Wall Street Journal reports that Google CEO Eric Schmidt reached out to Yahoo! co-founder and CEO Jerry Yang in an effort to help thwart Microsoft's bid.

One voice we haven't heard from yet: Yahoo! But with Yang having voiced opposition to an acquisition by Microsoft in the past, Yahoo! might no be ready to roll over quite yet, especially if it turns to Google for a helping hand. -- Olaf de Senerpont Domis
 

See Feb. 4 sory from Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
See Feb. 3 post from Google
See Feb. 3 press release from Microsoft
See Feb. 1 story from Tech Confidential

For more see Search Engine Journal, Reuters and WatchMojo.com