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Huckabee jokes about Obama ducking a gunman — (CNN) - During a speech before the National Rifle Association convention Friday afternoon in Louisville, Kentucky, former Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee — who has endorsed presumptive GOP nominee John McCain …
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Huckabee Jokes About Obama Getting Shot At — During a speech to the National Rifle Association convention in Louisville, Kentucky Friday, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee joked to the audience that an offstage noise was Barack Obama avoiding gunfire.
Discussion:
American Spectator

Obama on McCain: Hypocrisy and fear-mongering — In an appearance in South Dakota just now, Barack Obama came back at yesterday's attacks from George W. Bush and John McCain, accusing them of “hypocrisy, fear-peddling, and fear-mongering.” — He responded first to the charge from Bush …
Discussion:
The Swamp, TPM Election Central, Weekly Standard Blog, The Carpetbagger Report, American Street, The Other McCain and Slog
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Obama Admires Bush — Hezbollah is one of the world's most radical terrorist organizations. Over the last week or so, it has staged an armed assault on the democratic government of Lebanon. — Barack Obama issued a statement in response. He called on “all those who have influence with Hezbollah” to “press them to stand down.”

FEVER DREAM TICKETS — That was an astounding speech John McCain delivered this morning in Columbus, Ohio. On almost every issue except Iraq, it was a ringing declaration of rhetorical (though not always substantive) independence from the Bush Administration.

McCain campaign responds: ‘Hysterical diatribe’ — This general election campaign is getting off to a rollicking start. — From McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds: … Oddly, McCain's response also contained the claim he'd distorted Defense Secretary Robert Gates' willingness to meet the leaders of Iran …


Obama: Bush and McCain ‘have a lot to answer for’
Discussion:
michellemalkin.com, The Moderate Voice, Top of the Ticket, American Power and If I Ran the Zoo

Bush Assails ‘Appeasement,’ Touching Off Storm
Discussion:
The Caucus, Marc Ambinder, The Page, Salon, Los Angeles Times, Guardian Unlimited, The Washington Independent, New York Post and Power Line


Bush Rebuffed on Oil Plea in Saudi Arabia — RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — With the price of oil hitting record highs, President Bush used a private visit to King Abdullah's ranch here Friday to make a second attempt to persuade the Saudi government to increase oil production and was rebuffed yet again.
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The White House Changes Targets — Ed Gillespie, gaggling to reporters today in Saudi Arabia, said that the White House really meant to Get Carter, not Obama:

Oil sets record near $128; pump price at high, too
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Commentary


Pity Party — Big picture, May 2008: — The Democrats aren't the ones falling apart, the Republicans are. The Democrats can see daylight ahead. For all their fractious fighting, they're finally resolving their central drama. Hillary Clinton will leave, and Barack Obama will deliver a stirring acceptance speech.
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Flirting With Disaster — Republicans are shellshocked over losing a third House seat in a special election this year. Much as a series of special-election defeats by Democrats in 1994 augured that the first midterm election of the Clinton years would be bad for the party …

The Long Night of an Obama Presidency — Reading this piece about the Edwards endorsement of Obama, a cold shiver went down my spine. As scary as a Deval Patrick appointment as AG would be (I've long thought he would be Obama's likely choice), the suggestion that John Edwards …

What Went Wrong? — The exclusive story of Hillary's fall, as told by the high-level advisors, staffers, fundraisers, and on-the-ground organizers who lived it. — Endings are rarely as joyous as beginnings—and in the case of a long, wearing, and ultimately disappointing campaign, they can be downright brutal.
Discussion:
Democratic Strategist, Swampland, Ben Smith's Blogs, The Daily Dish, Real Clear Politics and Real Clear Politics

Belittled Woman — At some point along the way, Hillary Clinton became “poor Hillary” and it stuck. — She went up against a charmer who once made an audience cheer just by blowing his nose (poor Hillary), and she lost states and delegates and she bet on a filly that died (poor Hillary) …
Discussion:
protein wisdom, michellemalkin.com, American Street, The Other McCain, Hot Air, TalkLeft, The Caucus and The Mahablog

McCain reaches out to blogs...on the left; Update: “A new standard for transparency and accountability” — Scroll down for updates... The McCain campaign holds weekly blogger conference calls with its candidate. There are many questions I know you'd like asked, but I've never been able …

FIRST THOUGHTS: BUSH'S GIFT TO OBAMA — From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro — *** Bush's gift to Obama: When President Bush — thousands of miles away in Israel — decided to fire his thinly veiled shot at Obama yesterday, it was a giant gift to the Illinois senator and his campaign.
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, Boston Globe, Swampland, The New Republic, Liberal Values, Marc Ambinder and Donklephant