Top Items:
USA Today:
Clinton strategist says Obama 'can't win the general election' — Though the campaign later argued that he hadn't said it, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's chief campaign strategist told reporters this morning that Sen. Barack Obama “can't win the general election.”
Discussion:
Slog, Buck Naked Politics, The Politico, The Moderate Voice, TPM Election Central, Wonkette, The Jed Report, Matthew Yglesias, Balloon Juice, Donklephant, Booman Tribune, AMERICAblog, The Impolitic, Scripting News, Don Surber, Jules Crittenden, TalkLeft, Political Punch, The Times-Tribune and NPR
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Gallup:
Gallup Daily: Obama, Clinton Equally Matched vs. McCain — Democratic race: Obama 48%, Clinton 46% — PRINCETON, NJ — Although the November presidential election is still eight months away, the results of Gallup Poll Daily tracking shows that if that election were held today …
Jonathan Chait / The New Republic:
Making Obama Unelectable — Mark Penn declared today that Barack Obama “really can't win the general [election].” Of course, it's silly to say that Obama or Clinton “can't” win the general. There's not even good evidence to suggest that Obama is less likely than Clinton to win the general.
Jeralyn / TalkLeft:
Obama's 2006 Earmarks — Update: The AP says Obama has not responded to repeated requests to release his earmark legislation for six of his eightyears in the Illinois Senate. Yet, he's criticizing Hillary on this score: … Sen. Barack Obama released his list of 2006 legislation with earmarks today.
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Lynn Sweet:
Sweet scoop: Obama, after initial refusal, releases all earmark requests. Read them here. UPDATES — WASHINGTON—After refusing since June to make public earmark requests from 2005 and 2006, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) is releasing Thursday all the earmark requests he has made since he entered the Senate in 2005.
Discussion:
Stumper, Atlas Shrugs, Macsmind, Betsy's Page, TownHall Blog, The Page and Reason Magazine
Nitya / Rapid Report:
Report Shows No Link Between Saddam and al Qaeda — ABC News has requested and obtained a copy of the Pentagon study which shows Saddam Hussein had no links to Al Qaeda. — (READ THE FULL REPORT HERE.) — It's government report the White House didn't want you to read …
Discussion:
Hot Air, Whiskey Fire, Weekly Standard Blog, Wonkette, Big Brass Blog, Liberal Values, TPMMuckraker and Hoffmania!
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Warren P. Strobel / McClatchy Washington Bureau:
Pentagon cancels release of controversial Iraq report
Pentagon cancels release of controversial Iraq report
Paul Krugman / New York Times:
Betting the Bank — Four years ago, an academic economist named Ben Bernanke co-authored a technical paper that could have been titled “Things the Federal Reserve Might Try if It's Desperate” — although that may not have been obvious from its actual title, “Monetary Policy Alternatives at the Zero Bound: An Empirical Investigation.”
Juliet Eilperin / Washington Post:
Ozone Rules Weakened at Bush's Behest — The Environmental Protection Agency weakened one part of its new limits on smog-forming ozone after an unusual last-minute intervention by President Bush, according to documents released by the EPA. — EPA officials initially tried to set …
The Hill:
Hoyer agrees to closed FISA session — House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) has agreed to a GOP request for a secret House session Thursday to discuss the Foreign Surveillance Intelligence Act (FISA). — House Republicans had been seeking the closed session to delay a vote …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Capitol Briefing, The Swamp, The Crypt's Blogs, Salon, Hullabaloo, Commentary and Jules Crittenden
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Megan McArdle:
What's sauce for the goose . . . I've had a few people email me to ask “if prostitution is so great, how come you're not a prostitute?” Huh? — Look, first of all, there are lots of jobs that I would never want to do. I like to shoot a little hoops now and again, but I would never …
Jay Jochnowitz / Capitol confidential:
Not Exactly A Yes Or No (Updated, With Answer) — Gov.-in-waiting David Paterson just wrapped up a news conference in the governor's Red Room (more on that shortly), but before he finished, the question that seems to hang over him this week finally got asked: Has he ever patronized a prostitute?
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New York Times:
U.S. Is Examining Spitzer's Funds — ALBANY — Federal prosecutors are investigating whether Gov. Eliot Spitzer used campaign funds in connection with his meetings with prostitutes, including payments for hotels or ground transportation, three people with knowledge of the investigation said.
Cameron W. Barr / Washington Post:
Petraeus: Iraqi Leaders Not Making ‘Sufficient Progress’ — Iraqi leaders have failed to take advantage of a reduction in violence to make adequate progress toward resolving their political differences, Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, said Thursday.
The Page:
Details of a possible delegate plan under discussion: —Michigan's 156 delegates would be split 50-50 between Clinton and Obama. —Florida's existing delegates would be seated at the Denver convention—but with half a vote each. That would give Clinton a net gain of about 19 elected delegates.
Tabassum Zakaria / Reuters:
Bush says if younger, he would work in Afghanistan — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush got an earful on Thursday about problems and progress in Afghanistan where a war has dragged on for more than six years but been largely eclipsed by Iraq.
Logan Murphy / Crooks and Liars:
Big Story: John Gibson's Show Yanked At FOXNews — The New York Times: … Let's walk down the memory lane of shame, shall we? Gibby insulted actor Heath Ledger shortly after his death, accused outed CIA operative, Valerie Plame of being part of an anti-Bush cabal within the CIA …
Discussion:
Shakesville