Top Items:
Ian Welsh / Firedoglake:
The Real FISA Vote Passes 80 to 15 With the Presidential Nominees Passing — They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin — The FISA Cloture vote just passed. The Senate will now consider the motion …
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Greg Sargent / TPM Election Central:
Obama On FISA: Telecom Immunity Issue Doesn't Override National Security — At a presser today, Obama weighed in again on the FISA cave, and suffice it to say that what he said won't make opponents any less unhappy about Obama's position than they were already.
Linda Greenhouse / New York Times:
Justices Bar Death Penalty for the Rape of a Child — WASHINGTON — The death penalty is unconstitutional as a punishment for the rape of a child, a sharply divided Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday. — The 5-to-4 decision overturned death penalty laws in Louisiana and five other states.
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Redstate:
Gov. Bobby Jindal Signs Bill to Chemically Castrate Sex Offenders
Gov. Bobby Jindal Signs Bill to Chemically Castrate Sex Offenders
Discussion:
Political Machine
Domenico Montanaro / MSNBC:
OBAMA'S NON-DUKAKIS ANSWER
OBAMA'S NON-DUKAKIS ANSWER
Discussion:
Scared Monkeys, Associated Press, TalkLeft, Hullabaloo, The Caucus, Majikthise, Grits for Breakfast, Blue Crab Boulevard and Neptunus Lex
New York Times:
Democrats in Delicate Talks to Unify Party — WASHINGTON — With the help of one of Washington's best-connected lawyers, Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton are negotiating a thicket of complicated issues, like how to repay Mrs. Clinton's campaign debt and her role at the Democratic convention.
Discussion:
The Corner, Political Radar, Daily Kos, Prairie Weather, TIME.com, On Deadline and marbury
Dan Eggen / The Trail:
While Fundraising, Bush Mounts Attack on Obama — LIVONIA, Mich. — President Bush came to suburban Detroit Wednesday to mount a clear attack on Sen. Barack Obama, though he never actually mentioned the Democratic candidate's name. — Instead, Bush suggested through red-meat GOP rhetoric …
Discussion:
TIME.com
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Jann S. / Rolling Stone:
A Conversation With Barack Obama
A Conversation With Barack Obama
Discussion:
NewsBusters.org, Top of the Ticket, The Swamp, Jack and Jill Politics, The Opinionator, Macsmind and Rolling Stone
New York Post:
KEITH GOES NUTS OVER KETCHUP — MSNBC blowhard Keith Olbermann couldn't even control his temper at a memorial reception for beloved Tim Russert. — Network sources told Page Six Olbermann was furious last week when MSNBC didn't get him a first-class ticket to Washington, DC …
Jonathan Martin / The Politico:
John McCain doesn't work weekends — Since effectively capturing the Republican nomination when Mitt Romney dropped out of the race on February 7, John McCain has held just one public campaign event on a weekend. — Instead, after workweeks full of fundraisers, town hall meetings and interviews …
Belle Waring / John & Belle Have A Blog:
Pretty Girls...Rock and Roll...America....RULES! — I'm in America! So, New York is wonderful, my children are horribly jet-lagged...uh, what was I talking about again? Need...more...coffee—hey, it's thin, old school, regular New York coffee, I forgot about that.
Discussion:
Outside The Beltway
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Alexa Ainsworth / Political Radar:
Obama Camp Disavows Last Year's ‘Inartful’ Statement on D.C. Gun Law — ABC News' Teddy Davis and Alexa Ainsworth Report: With the Supreme Court poised to rule on Washington, D.C.'s, gun ban, the Obama campaign is disavowing what it calls an “inartful” statement to the Chicago Tribune last year …
Sue Littlemore / BBC:
Law ‘will ban age discrimination’ — The government is to bring forward new legislation to outlaw all forms of age discrimination, the BBC has learned. — Equalities Minister Harriet Harman is expected to announce the plan on Thursday as part of a package of measures in an Equalities Bill.
TBogg:
“Optical intercourse” — TPM Muckraker adds to the rogues gallery that made up the Justice Department's God-Squaders: … Thanks to TPM reader Citoyen92, we learn a few things about Pensacola Christian College which makes the Yearning For Zion Ranch look like Hef's mansion:
Matthew Mosk / Washington Post:
Top McCain Adviser Has Found Success Mixing Money, Politics — As Sen. John McCain's top presidential campaign adviser, Richard H. “Rick” Davis has worked for almost a year without compensation, telling reporters that the sacrifice shows his dedication to the cash-strapped Arizona Republican.
Discussion:
TIME.com
Clifford Krauss / New York Times:
Parties Split on How to Expand Offshore Drilling — HOUSTON — The two political parties have settled on markedly different strategies for improving domestic oil supplies to help lower gasoline prices. — Republicans want to end the 27-year ban on offshore drilling along much of the nation's coastline …
Discussion:
Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog
Paul Kane / Washington Post:
Senate Debates Rewrite of '78 Law That Created Secret Intelligence Court — The Senate, clearing a key parliamentary hurdle, yesterday voted to begin debating a broad revision of U.S. intelligence laws that includes a controversial plan to grant immunity to telecommunications companies …
Discussion:
The Corner
Mark Halperin / TIME.com:
HALPERIN'S TAKE: What Smart Republican Strategists Think Should Be on John McCain's To-Do List — 1. Prove to your staff you can drive a message for more than one consecutive day. — 2. Tell Americans what the one, key difference is between you and Obama.
Maura Reynolds / Los Angeles Times:
75% blame Bush's policies for deteriorating economy — The figure includes large numbers of dissatisfied Republicans and represents a sharp increase in pessimism over the last year. Higher fuel prices have sharpened the criticism. — WASHINGTON — Three out of four Americans …