Top Items:
Michael Isikoff / Newsweek:
A Hole in McCain's Defense? — An apparent contradiction in his response to lobbyist story. — A sworn deposition that Sen. John McCain gave in a lawsuit more than five years ago appears to contradict one part of a sweeping denial that his campaign issued this week to rebut a New York Times story …
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New York Times:
The McCain Article — A recent New York Times article examined a number of decisions by Senator John McCain that raised questions about his judgment over potential conflicts of interest. The article included reporting on Mr. McCain's relationship with a female lobbyist whose clients often …
Discussion:
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Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
OOPS ... I was wondering when we'd hear from Isikoff on this McCain business. (Remember, he was one of the other reporters in the hunt, one or more of whom seems to have prompted the Times to pull the trigger.) It seems that one of McCain's sweeping denials from that presser yesterday morning …
Discussion:
RobertEmmet
The Big Blog:
Why we didn't run the McCain story — I chose not to run the New York Times story on John McCain in Thursday's P-I, even though it was available to us on the New York Times News Service. I thought I'd take a shot at explaining why. — To me, the story had serious flaws.
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, Los Angeles Times, The Jawa Report, Captain's Quarters, Think Progress, michellemalkin.com, amyproctor.squarespace.com, TIME: Swampland, The Washington Independent, Hold Fast, Personal Democracy Forum, Atlas Shrugs, News Hounds, Wake up America, The Seminal and The Politico
David Brooks / New York Times:
The McCain World Rift — The staff of the McCain campaign had a rude awakening last Jan. 25th. They opened The Washington Post and found a front-page story linking McCain's campaign manager, Rick Davis, to the Russian aluminum magnate Oleg Deripaska. Who, some wondered, was feeding damaging information about Davis to the press?
Discussion:
The Daily Dish, The New Republic, Washington Post, Hullabaloo, Don Surber, DownWithTyranny! and Reason Magazine
Stephen Singer / Associated Press:
Lieberman defends McCain from suggestion of improper relationship
Lieberman defends McCain from suggestion of improper relationship
Jennifer Parker / Political Punch:
From the Fact Check Desk: Obama's Army Anecdote — At last night's debate in Texas, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, told an anecdote about an Army captain that is causing a lot of chatter in the political world. — Obama was making a point about what he called “the single …
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Stuart Koehl / Weekly Standard:
Obama Heard Wrong — There is a lot about Obama's story that makes no sense. Let us start with the opening line: … Well, captains command companies, not rifle platoons. A rifle platoon is normally commanded by a 2nd lieutenant, sometimes (if short handed) by a senior sergeant.
Matthew Yglesias:
Platoon — Conservatives have been all over Barack Obama (here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here) for telling the following anecdote during last night's debate: … Basically, as you can see if you check the conservative blogs above …
Curt / Flopping Aces:
Obama on Afghanistan. — It appears that ABC News' Political Punch Blog has tried to confirm this story, and is claiming that Sen Obama's story is true (though not told directly to him, but through a staffer). Readers are encouraged to not only read the ABC News comments, but the comments to the contrary posted here at Flopping Aces.
Discussion:
amyproctor.squarespace.com
Michael Goldfarb / Weekly Standard:
US Troops Scavenging Weapons? — During tonight's debate, Barack Obama related this stunning anecdote: … As soon as the Senator made the claim he looked as though he knew he'd gone too far. The Corner reports the campaign is already backtracking. After the debate Obama advisor David Axlerod told Stephen Spruiell,
Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Obama: U.S. troops in Afghanistan forced to arm themselves …
Obama: U.S. troops in Afghanistan forced to arm themselves …
Discussion:
Cop The Truth, The Strata-Sphere, Gateway Pundit, Charlie Foxtrot, A Blog For All, The Jawa Report and The Corner
Gerard Baker / Times of London:
Obama: is America ready for this dangerous leftwinger? — Listen to the rhetoric of Barack Obama ... For most ordinary Americans, those not encumbered with an expensive education or infected by prolonged exposure to cosmopolitan heterodoxy, patriotism is a consequence of birth.
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CNN:
Clinton faces claims of borrowed language — (CNN) - Hillary Clinton - whose campaign has spent the past several days pointing to instances of borrowed language in the speeches of rival Barack Obama - is being accused of lifting words from one very familiar politician: her own husband, former President Bill Clinton.
Discussion:
The Democratic Daily, The Daily Dish, Balloon Juice, Angry Bear, Ben Smith's Blogs and KnoxViews
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Lara Jakes Jordan / Associated Press:
Congressman Charged in Land Deal — WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Rep. Rick Renzi has been indicted for extortion, wire fraud, money laundering and other charges related to a land deal in Arizona. — A 26-page federal indictment unsealed in Arizona accuses Renzi and two former business partners …
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Megan McArdle:
Clarification — The debate over whether people want higher taxes on themselves is, I think, slipping back and forth between two debates: a normative and a positive one. I started out with a positive claim: … This is simply observationally true. People do not voluntarily give money …
Discussion:
11D
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Sam Hananel / Associated Press:
Nader to discuss election plans — WASHINGTON - Ralph Nader could be poised for another third party presidential campaign. — The consumer advocate will appear on NBC's “Meet the Press” on Sunday. Nader launched his 2004 presidential run on the show. — A spokesman for Nader did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
Discussion:
driftglass
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Ben Smith / The Politico:
Obama once visited '60s radicals — In 1995, State Senator Alice Palmer introduced her chosen successor, Barack Obama, to a few of the district's influential liberals at the home of two well known figures on the local left: William Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn.
Discussion:
Commentary, Hot Air, Reason Magazine, Taylor Marsh, Redstate, culturekitchen, JustOneMinute, Dr. Sanity, Macsmind, Suburban Guerrilla, NO QUARTER, IMAO.US, Random Thoughts from Reno and MSNBC
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Jim Forsyth / WOAI-TV:
Huckabee: A Deadlocked Convention is My Goal — Insurgent Republican giving up dream of winning in primaries — In an interview with 1200 WOAI news during his swing through Texas, longshot Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee outlined a strategy which has him not winning …
Discussion:
Political Radar, Salon, FOX Embeds, Hot Air, All Spin Zone, Outside The Beltway and PoliPundit.com
Evan Smith / Poll Dancing:
Hillary: Seat Michigan, Florida Delegates — I just finished a thirty-minute interview with Hillary Clinton — it will air statewide next week, just before the Texas primary, on “Texas Monthly Talks” — and among the topics we discussed was the controversy over whether the Michigan …
Matt / Think Progress:
Coburn: ‘I Think It Was Probably A Mistake Going To Iraq’ — During a town hall meeting in Muskogee, Oklahoma this past weekend, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) admitted that it was “a mistake” for the United States to invade Iraq in 2003. “I will tell you personally that I think it was probably …
Discussion:
Tulsa World