Top Items:
Ben Smith / The Politico:
Some on left target McCain's war record — The highest voltage third rail of this presidential campaign may not be race, sex, or age, but Senator John McCain's military service. — McCain's campaign Sunday issued a pair of outraged statements after retired general and Barack Obama supporter Wesley Clark …
Discussion:
The Daily Dish, TownHall Blog, Washington Wire, Confederate Yankee, GINA COBB, The Strata-Sphere, American Power, Cold Fury, TIME.com and Neptunus Lex
RELATED:
John Aravosis / AMERICAblog News:
Honestly, besides being tortured, what did McCain do to excel in the military? — It's not “nice” to ask the question, but it's actually a pretty good question. Yes, we all know that John McCain was captured and tortured in Vietnam (McCain won't let you forget).
CNN:
Gen. Clark challenges McCain's qualifications — (CNN) — Retired U.S. General Wesley Clark, a supporter of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, questioned Sunday whether Sen. John McCain's military experience qualified him to be commander-in-chief. — The McCain campaign called for Obama to condemn the remarks.
Discussion:
Althouse, Towleroad.com, Fox News, The Debate Link, Donklephant, The Mahablog, Top of the Ticket, Wake up America, Outside The Beltway and QandO
Mike Allen / The Politico:
Romney tops McCain veep list — Surprising many Republican insiders, Mitt Romney is at the top of the vice-presidential prospect list for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). But lack of personal chemistry could derail the pick. — “Romney as favorite” is the hot buzz in Republican circles …
RELATED:
Steven Thomma / McClatchy Washington Bureau:
Lack of funds hobbling the ‘Republican attack machine’ — WASHINGTON — Democrats and the media have used the term so much that it's almost an article of faith. But the so-called “Republican attack machine” waiting with piles of unregulated cash to chew up Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is anything but.
RELATED:
Michael D. Shear / Washington Post:
GOP Sharpens Attacks on Obama — Allies of McCain Casting Democratic Candidate as Unprincipled, Opportunistic — CLEVELAND — Sen. John McCain's allies have seized on a new and aggressive line of attack against Sen. Barack Obama, casting the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee …
Kate Zernike / New York Times:
Veterans Long to Reclaim the Name ‘Swift Boat’
Veterans Long to Reclaim the Name ‘Swift Boat’
Discussion:
Hullabaloo, Sweetness & Light, The Huffington Post, Democracy Project and JammieWearingFool
Eli Saslow / Washington Post:
In Flag City USA, False Obama Rumors Are Flying — FINDLAY, Ohio — On his corner of College Street, Jim Peterman stares at the four American flags planted in his front lawn and rubs his forehead. Peterman, 74, is a retired worker at Cooper Tire, a father of two, an Air Force veteran and a self-described patriot.
Simon / Bloggasm:
Who's responsible for shutting down a number of anti-Obama Blogspot accounts? — When Carissa Snedeker went to log into her Blogspot account Wednesday evening at about 7:30, she had no idea what would be waiting for her. She had created her blog, Blue Lyon, three years ago and up until …
RELATED:
George Packer / New Yorker:
OBAMA'S IRAQ PROBLEM — In February, 2007, when Barack Obama declared that he was running for President, violence in Iraq had reached apocalyptic levels, and he based his candidacy, in part, on a bold promise to begin a rapid withdrawal of American forces upon taking office.
Jonathan Cohn / The New Republic:
So Maybe That Long Primary Race Wasn't So Bad — As the primaries dragged on—and on and on and on—many pundits worried that it was damaging Barack Obama's chances to win the presidency. (And, just to be clear, by the last few primaries I was agreeing with them.)
Discussion:
Gallup
RELATED:
New York Times:
Amid Policy Disputes, Qaeda Grows in Pakistan — WASHINGTON — Late last year, top Bush administration officials decided to take a step they had long resisted. They drafted a secret plan to make it easer for the Pentagon's Special Operations forces to launch missions into the snow-capped mountains …
Discussion:
Think Progress, News Hounds, AMERICAblog News, Atlas Shrugs, the talking dog, TigerHawk, Brilliant at Breakfast, TIME.com, On Deadline and Oliver Willis
RELATED:
Mark Preston / CNN:
Congressional Democrats hire Bush impersonator — WASHINGTON (CNN) — House Democrats will use a President Bush impersonator in a new radio advertising campaign that seeks to link 13 incumbent Republicans to rising gas prices as the country heads into the Fourth of July holiday.
William Kristol / New York Times:
The Choice They Made — Half a century ago the philosopher Leo Strauss remarked that the passage in which the Declaration of Independence proclaims its self-evident truths “has frequently been quoted, but, by its weight and its elevation, it is made immune to the degrading effects …
Discussion:
Firedoglake
Washington Post:
A Death Penalty Puzzle — The Murky Evidence for and Against Deterrence — Although the Supreme Court banned capital punishment for child rape last week, the justices have made it clear that for homicide, states may inflict the ultimate penalty. Last month, capital punishment resumed after a seven-month moratorium.