Top Items:
Redstate:
Who Won & Who Lost — First Take — THE GUY WHO WASN'T THERE AND ADVANTAGE MCCAIN — John McCain won. Let's not dance around this. Mitt Romney shined, he stood out, he did well. Rudy Giuliani imploded. Rudy totally and utterly self-destructed tonight.
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Michelle Malkin:
The 1st GOP debate — Man, is it crowded. — HA thread here. PJM reaction coming Bear are at the Reagan Library. Power Line coverage here. Heading Right live-blogging here. — Rich Lowry: "They're all talking too fast..." — Can't blame them. What do they have each— 6 minutes total?
Alex Johnson / MSNBC:
Republicans walk tightrope over war in Iraq — In first debate, 2008 hopefuls say conflict mismanaged, but worthwhile — Presidential contenders Mitt Romney, Sam Brownback and Ron Paul line up Thursday on stage before the first Republican presidential debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.
Ryan Sager / New York Sun Politics:
Who Won? Who Lost? — Well, my first thought is just how much more substantive that debate was than the Democratic debate, in terms of both specificity and grappling with deep, philosophical questions. — But, now, to name the winners and losers. Off the bat, let me stipulate …
Discussion:
Ross Douthat
Deacon / Power Line:
SOME IMPRESSIONS OF TONIGHT'S DEBATE. . . before Dallas and Golden State tip off. — 1. The format was poor. You can't have a good debate with this many people, but at least you can have serious questions and an opportunity to discuss them. The questions from Politico's readers …
Discussion:
The Anonymous Liberal
Dean Barnett / Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog:
A Quickie Debate Recap — Okay, the Opening Day equivalent of the race for the Republican nomination has come and gone. You want to know how everyone did. I have the answers. — THE TOP TIER: — 1) Mitt Romney - Romney was clearly the class of the field. I know, I'm biased, blah, blah, blah.
Peggy Noonan / Opinion Journal: An Incomplete Field — First impressions of the GOP's 2008 candidates.
Dale Carpenter / The Volokh Conspiracy:
BUSH TO VETO EXPANDED HATE-CRIMES LAW: The bill passed the House today, 237-180. It goes on to the Senate. A statement released by the administration says that Bush's senior advisors will recommend a veto. That's not quite the same as saying he will veto it, but it's pretty close.
Discussion:
Balkinization, Bradford Plumer, Clayton Cramer's BLOG, The Daily Dish and Sister Toldjah
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Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:
Hate Crimes and Double Standards — There are, I think, two coherent positions on hate crime laws. The first is opposition to the entire concept, its chilling effect on free speech, its undermining of the notion of equality under the law, and so on. That's my position.
CNN:
Obama placed under Secret Service protection … (CNN) — Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, a U.S. senator from Illinois, has been placed under the protection of the Secret Service, the agency said Thursday. — The government is not aware of any specific, credible threat against Obama …
Discussion:
The News Blog, The Carpetbagger Report, Outside The Beltway, Oliver Willis and Raising Kaine
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Richard Esposito Reports / The Blotter:
Barack Obama Gets Secret Service Protection
Barack Obama Gets Secret Service Protection
Discussion:
The Democratic Daily
SilentPatriot / Crooks and Liars:
Who Doesn't Believe in Evolution? — A show of hands please... Let me remind you this is the only top vote-getting question asked. — Download (5323) | Play (8659) Download (2561) | Play (6568) — (That's Brownback, Tancredo and Huckabee with their hands up.)
Gene Johnson / Seattle Times:
McKay made firing list in March '05; was Wales killing a factor? — Former U.S. Attorney John McKay's name was on a list of federal prosecutors to be fired in March 2005, 18 months earlier than previously reported, according to a document released by the House Judiciary Committee today.
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HillaryClinton.com:
From the Senate: Hillary Statement on Deauthorizing the War — Washington, DC — In remarks on the Senate floor, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton announced that she and Senator Robert Byrd will introduce legislation to end authority for the war in Iraq. The legislation will propose October 11 …
Discussion:
The Caucus, Capitol Briefing, On Deadline, The Democratic Daily, Daily Kos and Raising Kaine
Hotline On Call:
Anti-Escalation Group Buzzes GOP Debate — Those small planes circling over the Reagan library were rented by Americans Against Escalation in Iraq — They're bearing two banners: "Republicans, Mission Accomplished?" and "McCain, Mission Accomplished?" — Unless the folks …
Richard Pérez-Peña / New York Times:
The Times Names Public Editor — The New York Times today named its next public editor, Clark Hoyt, a former Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and editor who oversaw the Knight Ridder newspaper chain's coverage that questioned the Bush administration's case for the Iraq war.