Top Items:
Marc Ambinder:
Penn: Never Out, Still In — Demoted Hillary Clinton strategist Mark Penn may no longer have the coveted title of chief strategist, but he remains a key member of the campaign's senior staff. — Mr. Penn took part on the campaign's morning message call this morning, as usual.
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Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
CHIEF GOOF — TPM Reader JM laments how Penn destroyed Hillary's campaign ...
CHIEF GOOF — TPM Reader JM laments how Penn destroyed Hillary's campaign ...
Gallup:
Gallup Daily: Obama Moves to 9-point Lead Over Clinton — McCain, Obama remain tied in general election trial heat — PRINCETON, NJ — Barack Obama has gained support in the latest Gallup Poll Daily tracking report for April 4-6, and now leads Hillary Clinton by a statistically significant margin, 52% to 43%.
Discussion:
The Daily Dish, Washington Wire, The Moderate Voice, iPol, TPM Election Central and Donklephant
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Wall Street Journal:
Iraq and Its Costs — When Gen. David Petraeus testifies before Congress tomorrow, he will step into an American political landscape dramatically different from the one he faced when he last spoke on Capitol Hill seven months ago. — This time Gen. Petraeus returns to Washington having led …
Discussion:
Wonk Room, Think Progress, Boston Globe, Reuters, Salon, Examining Presidential …, American Street and Washington Post
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M. Duss / Wonk Room:
Neocons Preparing The Ground For Petraeus Testimony By Hyping Threat Of Iran — A story yesterday in Britain's Sunday Times suggested that General David Petraeus “is expected to tell Congress [that] Iranian forces were involved in the recent battle for Basra” when he testifies before Congress this week.
Steve Coll / New Yorker:
MILITARY CONFLICT … General Richard A. Cody graduated …
MILITARY CONFLICT … General Richard A. Cody graduated …
Discussion:
The Daily Dish
Pundit Review Radio / BLACKFIVE:
ADVANCE COPY OF PETRAEUS' TESTIMONY TO CONGRESS
ADVANCE COPY OF PETRAEUS' TESTIMONY TO CONGRESS
Discussion:
Outside The Beltway
Sean Wilentz / Salon:
If the system made sense, Clinton would be far ahead — Under a winner-take-all primary system, Hillary Clinton would have a wide lead over Barack Obama — and enough delegates to clinch the Democratic presidential nomination by June. — Hillary Clinton celebrates with supporters …
Discussion:
Matthew Yglesias, Wonkette, The Confluence, Outside The Beltway, Donklephant, Lawyers, Guns and Money and The Jed Report
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Jonathan Chait / The New Republic:
No Really, You Should Go — Wretched rationalizations for Hillary Clinton's kamikaze campaign. — Last week, Senator Pat Leahy suggested that Hillary Clinton ought to quit the presidential race. How insensitive! How boorish! Pundits gasped, Clinton took umbrage …
Matthew Yglesias:
Worst President Ever — In a History News Network poll, 61 percent of historians say that George W. Bush has been the worst president ever. It's very hard to know what to make of these kind of questions. How can you possibly try to evaluate someone like, say, Andrew Jackson in contemporary terms?
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Nick Timiraos / Wall Street Journal:
Obama May Not Have Fully Contained Damage From Ex-Pastor — Sen. Barack Obama's Philadelphia speech on race relations last month seemed to put the controversial remarks of his former pastor behind him. But three weeks later, there is evidence of lingering damage.
Discussion:
Chicago Tribune, Outside The Beltway, Stumper, PoliGazette, GINA COBB, Hot Air and Real Clear Politics
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William Kristol / New York Times:
The Shape of the Race to Come
The Shape of the Race to Come
Discussion:
Craig Crawford's Trail Mix, Shakesville, Booman Tribune, Hoffmania!, The Campaign Spot and Soccer Dad
Marc Ambinder:
McCain Raises $15M In March — Sen. John McCain's fundraising is picking up, relatively speaking. — In March, officials said he raised about $15M, his best month since early 2007 and well above his $2M-per-month pace in late 2007. The final number is still being tallied.
Discussion:
The American Mind, MyDD, The Other McCain, Wonkette, Donklephant, MSNBC, Oliver Willis and The Page
SilentPatriot / Crooks and Liars:
60 Minutes: Doug Feith once again earns his nickname — (click image to see full 12:00 report) — As John noted the other day, Douglas Feith is one of the most deceitful war architects, a difficult distinction to attain considering the company. On “60 Minutes” this Sunday …
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Paul Krugman / New York Times:
Grains Gone Wild — These days you hear a lot about the world financial crisis. But there's another world crisis under way — and it's hurting a lot more people. — I'm talking about the food crisis. Over the past few years the prices of wheat, corn, rice and other basic foodstuffs …
Media Matters for America:
On Tim Russert , Hitchens said to Sullivan: “Oh, well don't be such a lesbian. Get on with it” — On the April 5 edition of MSNBC's Tim Russert, Andrew Sullivan and Christopher Hitchens debated the significance for Sen. Barack Obama of comments made by his former pastor Jeremiah Wright …
Discussion:
Pandagon
Amanda / Think Progress:
McCain's Speech On Progress In Iraq Interrupted By News Of Mortars Hitting The Green Zone — Today, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) spoke to the Veterans of Foreign Wars, making the case for the “unmistakable progress” in Iraq. — A telling moment in his remarks came when he was arguing why President Bush's surge …
Chicago Tribune:
Representative tries to put the fear of God in atheist — Did you hear about the state legislator who last week blasted a Lutheran minister during a committee hearing for spewing dangerous religious superstitions, and then attempted to order the minister out of the witness chair on the grounds …
Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
Cokie Roberts speaks out on the war on behalf of the American people — The single most dishonest and propagandistic tactic of establishment journalists is to take their own opinion and assert as a fact that “most Americans” agree with them, even when that assertion is indisputably false.