Top Items:
Mike Allen / The Politico:
Dems pound McCain for new Iraq quote — The Obama campaign and Democratic leaders accused Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) of being confused and heartless after he told NBC's “Today” show Wednesday that it's “not too important” when U.S. troops return from Iraq. — Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) …
Discussion:
Ben Smith's Blogs, The Swamp, Confederate Yankee, Taylor Marsh, rubber hose, The Gavel and Daily Pundit
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Marc Ambinder:
It's Not Important? Context Is Always Important — Democrats and allies are jumping on John McCain for telling NBC's Matt Lauer that “it's not important” when troops return from Iraq. Period. There's no because. There's almost never a because when one side seizes on the comments of another.
Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:
Kerry: McCain confused, ‘unbelievably out of touch’ — John Kerry, who's served in the past as Obama's heavy-hitter on national security, expressed incredulity at McCain's remark this morning that the timing of troops return is “not too important.” — “It is unbelievably out of touch …
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
EX POST MCCAINO — The McCain campaign is hitting back hard against Democratic criticism of his “not that important” quote this morning on Today. But as often is the case with McCain, the explanations of what he said are even sillier than the original statement.
Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:
A Question Of Empire — That's the critical question …
A Question Of Empire — That's the critical question …
Discussion:
Political Machine
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
JOHN MCCAIN: I AM VIRAL VIDEO! — McCain: Bringing Troops Home from Iraq “Not Too Important” ... Get a good look. Within a day or so he won't have said it.
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars
RELATED:
Mark Leibovich / New York Times:
Those Loyal to the Clintons Take Note of Who Was Not — WASHINGTON — Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton was gracious in her full-throated endorsement of Senator Barack Obama. But that does not mean all is forgiven by others in the Clinton universe. — For proof, look no further than Doug Band …
Discussion:
Power Line, The Swamp, The New Republic, Political Punch, Achenblog, I Am TRex, AMERICAblog, The Sundries Shack, MSNBC and Media Blog
Nick Timiraos / Wall Street Journal:
Some Buy a New Home to Bail on the Old — Fannie Plans Rules To Avoid Practice Described as Fraud — Next month, Michelle Augustine plans to walk away from her four-bedroom house in a Sacramento, Calif., subdivision and let the property fall into foreclosure.
Discussion:
Newshoggers.com, michellemalkin.com, Donklephant, The Volokh Conspiracy, AMERICAblog and Calculated Risk
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Wall Street Journal:
Friends of Barack — Barack Obama may have come up with a creative way to solve the housing recession: Let everyone buy property at a discount the way he did from Tony Rezko, and give everyone in America a discount mortgage the way Angelo Mozilo of Countrywide did for Fannie Mae's Jim Johnson.
Maureen Dowd / New York Times:
Mincing Up Michelle — Hillary and Bill are busy updating their enemies lists. And Obama is racking his brain trying to figure out where to stash his erstwhile rival. — If a President Obama put her on the Supreme Court, of course, we would have the infinite fun of hearing Bill rant about how Scalia …
Discussion:
michellemalkin.com, Big Brass Blog, Reason Magazine, No More Mister Nice Blog, Too Sense, WE Blog and TownHall Blog
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Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:
Obama Gains Among Women After Clinton Exit — Now running as strongly vs. McCain among women as Clinton did — PRINCETON, NJ — Since Hillary Clinton decided to concede the Democratic nomination to Barack Obama last week, Obama has established a lead over Republican John McCain in general-election polling.
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, The Caucus, Hotline On Call, PoliGazette, American Street and The Political Carnival
Camille Paglia / Salon:
Obama's best veep choice — Here's a hint: She's not Hillary! Plus: Talk radio's paranoid delusions and a Brazilian diva Madonna could aspire to. — Shuddering, lurching and stumbling, the 2008 general election has finally, mercifully begun. For a year and a half …
John Cole / Balloon Juice:
High Comedy at the McCain Golf Store — Via the comments section in another post, when you buy your McCain '08 Golf gear, you are asked to post a helpful review: — Some helpful customers decided to take him up on the offer, and hilarity breaks out all over:
Kate Barrett / Political Radar:
Obama Admits Smoking Cigarettes in Last Few Months — ABC News' Sunlen Miller Reports: Senator Barack Obama told reporters in St. Louis today that he has fallen off the wagon and smoked cigarettes in the last few months. — Watch the VIDEO HERE. — The presumptive Democratic nominee …
Ben Pershing / Washington Post:
Kucinich Forces Vote On Bush's Impeachment — Having failed in efforts to impeach Vice President Cheney, Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich (D-Ohio) escalated his battle against the administration this week by introducing 35 articles of impeachment against President Bush, using a parliamentary maneuver that will probably force a vote today.
Discussion:
Capitol Briefing, Open Left, Raw Story, Democrats.com, the talking dog, DownWithTyranny! and Firedoglake