Top Items:
Satyam / Think Progress:
Maverick Fails The Test: McCain Votes Against Waterboarding Ban — Today, the Senate brought the Intelligence Authorization Bill to the floor, which contained a provision from Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) establishing one interrogation standard across the government.
Discussion:
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Talal Al-Khatib / Political Radar:
McCain Adviser Won't Fight Obama — ABC News' Teddy Davis Reports: On Wednesday, a top adviser to John McCain said more definitively than he has in the past that he will step down from the Arizona senator's presidential campaign if the presumed GOP nominee faces Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., in the general election.
Discussion:
The Fix, Jules Crittenden, The RBC, NPR, Outside The Beltway, Comments from Left Field, The Swamp, PoliPundit.com and Truthdig
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Foon Rhee / Boston Globe:
Clinton counts on superdelegates — WASHINGTON — Hillary Clinton will take the Democratic nomination even if she does not win the popular vote, but persuades enough superdelegates to vote for her at the convention, her campaign advisers say. — The New York senator …
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Domenico Montanaro / MSNBC:
CLINTON TO FIGHT FOR EVERY DELEGATE — From NBC's Domenico Montanaro — The Clinton campaign is not about to give up anything without a fight. — Strategists said in a conference call with reporters the campaign will go after delegates wherever they can be found — including in Michigan and Florida.
Howard Kurtz / Washington Post:
Hardbrawl — Last fall, as network executives, members of Congress and other hotshots gathered beneath a massive tent at Washington's Decatur House to celebrate the 10th anniversary of “Hardball,” Chris Matthews began to address the crowd.
New York Times:
Making (Some) Progress in Iraq — Good news is rare in Iraq. But after months of bitter feuding, Iraq's Parliament has finally approved a budget, outlined the scope of provincial powers, set an Oct. 1 date for provincial elections and voted a general amnesty for detainees.
Discussion:
Captain's Quarters
Adam Nagourney / New York Times:
Obama's Lead in Delegates Shifts Focus of Campaign — WASHINGTON — Senator Barack Obama emerged from Tuesday's primaries leading Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton by more than 100 delegates, a small but significant advantage that Democrats said would be difficult for Mrs. Clinton …
Sara Robinson / Orcinus:
The Cult of Obama — Every political news outlet, from the networks to the blogs, is abuzz today with the question: Is the Obama phenomenon a cult? — People — particularly Hillary partisans — are eagerly putting this idea out there. I want to make it very clear before I get started …
Paul Kane / Washington Post:
Ethics Panel Admonishes Craig for Conduct in Sex Sting — Sen. Larry E. Craig (R-Idaho) was rebuked yesterday by the Senate ethics committee over his conviction for disorderly conduct in an airport men's restroom, with the panel concluding that he committed the offense and citing him for actions …
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Eliot Spitzer / Washington Post:
Predatory Lenders' Partner in Crime — How the Bush Administration Stopped the States From Stepping In to Help Consumers — Several years ago, state attorneys general and others involved in consumer protection began to notice a marked increase in a range of predatory lending practices by mortgage lenders.
Paul Kane / Washington Post:
Candidates' Earmarks Worth Millions — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton helped secure more than $340 million worth of home-state projects in last year's spending bills, placing her among the top 10 Senate recipients of what are commonly known as earmarks, according to a new study by a nonpartisan budget watchdog group.
Nicholas D. Kristof / New York Times:
When We Torture — The most famous journalist you may never have heard of is Sami al-Hajj, an Al Jazeera cameraman who is on a hunger strike to protest abuse during more than six years in a Kafkaesque prison system. — Mr. Hajj's fortitude has turned him into a household name in the Arab world …
John Hawkins / Right Wing News:
Be My Political Valentine — Are you in love with a staffer on Capitol Hill, someone who works at a think tank, or just a plain, old political wonk? Well, then today's your lucky day because you can show them that you really do understand their weird obsession with monetary policy …
Richelieu / Weekly Standard:
The Huckabee Tab — There is one small but influential group of GOP political insiders who are praying for Mike Huckabee to continue his increasingly Quixotic campaign for the Republican nomination: voter mail and list consultants. Huckabee is doing a great job of showing state-by-state exactly …
Wall Street Journal:
Clinton Team Seeks to Calm Turmoil — MCALLEN, Texas — With Spanish music blaring, Sen. Hillary Clinton campaigned across South Texas yesterday with a more populist message, as her new campaign manager sought to reshape a campaign that has lost eight straight primaries in a week.