Top Items:
Shailagh Murray / Washington Post:
Senator's Number on 'Madam' Phone List — Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) apologized last night after his telephone number appeared in the phone records of the woman dubbed the "D.C. Madam," making him the first member of Congress to become ensnared in the high-profile case.
Discussion:
Sister Toldjah, Althouse, Jon Swift, The Newshoggers, TIME, Say Anything, Balloon Juice, Outside The Beltway, Taylor Marsh, CBS News, The Carpetbagger Report, Mercury Rising, DownWithTyranny!, wtopnews.com, PoliBlog (TM), Abovethelaw.com, Beltway Blogroll, Corrente, Firedoglake, State of the Day, The Atlantic Online, The Democratic Daily, Seeing the Forest and Charleston Daily Mail
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Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
Sen. David Vitter, a leading Christian social conservative — Republican Senator David Vitter of Louisiana was not merely a supporter of last year's proposed constitutional amendment to "protect the sanctity of traditional marriages" by amending our Constitution to ban same-sex marriages …
Discussion:
MSNBC, The Rude Pundit, The Carpetbagger Report, MoJoBlog, Democratic National Committee, TIME and No More Mister Nice Blog
Susan Page / USA Today:
Anti-war views on Iraq rise to record — Poll: Bush approval drops to low of 29% — WASHINGTON — Opposition to the Iraq war has reached a record high, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds, a development likely to complicate President Bush's efforts to hold together Republican support …
Discussion:
Salon, The Moderate Voice, Gallup Poll, The Politico, Middle Earth Journal and Liberal Values
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CNN:
White House touts 'retooled' Iraq mission — WASHINGTON (CNN) — As President Bush faces GOP pressure to change his war strategy, the White House announced Tuesday that an upcoming progress report will result in "the beginning of a new way" in Iraq. — Six months after announcing an increase …
The Hill:
Iraq Study Group plan puts Dems in defense-bill bind
Iraq Study Group plan puts Dems in defense-bill bind
Discussion:
The Politico, Washington Post, The Huffington Post, Weekly Standard, The Corner, The Influence Peddler and Whiskey Fire
Washington Post:
Bush Plans To Stress Next Phase In Iraq War
Bush Plans To Stress Next Phase In Iraq War
Discussion:
CNN, The Influence Peddler, New York Times, BAGnewsNotes, Dick Polman's American Debate, The Carpetbagger Report, Daily Kos, Jules Crittenden, MSNBC, A Chequer-Board of Nights …, The Mahablog, Corrente, The Moderate Voice, ABCNEWS, The Atlantic Online, Rising Hegemon, Reason Magazine and The Xsociate Files
Liz Sidoti / Associated Press:
McCain shakes up staff — WASHINGTON - John McCain's campaign manager and chief strategist are gone from their leadership roles, a major staff shake-up for the struggling Republican presidential candidate who is all but broke and trails in opinion polls. — In statements, Terry Nelson …
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The Atlantic Online:
More On McCain Campaign Decimation: UPDATE — One Republican directly connected to today's events said that Mark Salter, McCain's long-time chief of staff and co-author of his five books, had also left the campaign payroll. — But Salter will remain as an adviser.
Jonathan Martin / The Politico:
Davis in charge as Nelson fired and Weaver and Salter quit — Rick Davis, who managed Sen. John McCain's 2000 presidential campaign but had a more limited role in this contest, will take the helm of the Arizonan's troubled candidacy, according to two McCain sources.
Ana Marie Cox / TIME: Swampland:
McCain's Sad Finale — Marc Ambinder is reporting that McCain has also lost Mark Salter. The departure of Salter and Weaver marks the end of one of the most charismatic and legendary political braintrusts this town has seen — especially considering that they never actually won the presidency.
Discussion:
The Newshoggers
John Solomon / Washington Post:
Gonzales Was Told of FBI Violations — After Bureau Sent Reports, Attorney General Said He Knew of No Wrongdoing — As he sought to renew the USA Patriot Act two years ago, Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales assured lawmakers that the FBI had not abused its potent new terrorism-fighting powers.
Discussion:
Firedoglake, TPMmuckraker, Think Progress, Reason Magazine, The Next Hurrah, Wonkette, Obsidian Wings, New Pairodimes, The Carpetbagger Report, On Deadline, Capitol Hill Blue, The American Mind, Mercury Rising, Democratic National Committee, Prairie Weather, Bark Bark Woof Woof, Daily Kos, The Raw Story and The Heretik
MichaelMoore.com:
'SiCKO' Truth Squad Sets CNN Straight — DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN: "(Moore says) the United States slipped to number 37 in the world's health care systems. It's true. ... Moore brings a group of patients, including 9/11 workers, to Cuba and marvels at their free treatment and quality of care.
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The Hill:
Pelosi lines up Iraq votes — House Democrats are planning a series of votes this month on Iraq that they hope will ratchet up pressure on the White House and congressional Republicans to change course on the unpopular war or suffer political consequences. — Sensing that additional GOP …
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Isambard Wilkinson / Telegraph:
Chief siege cleric killed as rebel mosque falls — The chief cleric of the radical Red Mosque in Islamabad has been killed after Pakistani special forces launched a bloody assault on his compound. — The body of Abdul Rashid Ghazi, who earlier had predicted that his "martyrdom was certain" …
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The Hill:
Ex- convicts and addicts may get DoD clearance — At the Pentagon's request, Senate defense authorizers tucked deep within a defense bill a repeal of the department's restriction on granting security clearances to ex-convicts, drug addicts and the mentally incompetent.
Mixter / Mixter's Mix:
Blogger challenge - Let's really put the netroots to work! — You gotta admit, Cindy Sheehan has got a pair! — Cindy Sheehan has threated to run against Nancy Pelosi for Congress as a third party candidate in 2008 unless Pelosi introduces articles of impeachment against Bush by July 23rd.
Richard Cohen / Washington Post:
They Honor Us With Their Hate — Tidying up the other day, I came across an old newspaper and, flipping through it, saw a picture that made my heart stop. It showed Palestinians, most of them young, all of them male, reacting with glee to a particularly heinous terrorist attack.
Discussion:
Captain's Quarters