Top Items:
David Brooks / New York Times:
Obama's Money Class — Barack Obama sells the Democratic Party short. He talks about his fund-raising success as if his donors were part of a spontaneous movement of small-money enthusiasts who cohered around himself. In fact, Democrats have spent years building their donor network.
Byron York / The Corner:
Obama and “False Rumors” — In a story reporting that Obama “fiercely” defended his patriotism in his Independence, Missouri speech yesterday, Washington Post reporters Jonathan Weisman and Michael Shear write: … I keep seeing the flag-pin issue included among the alleged falsehoods about Obama.
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Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:
Clark won't back down — In a statement to reporters, retired General Wes Clark repeats that McCain is a “hero” but also reiterates his point that McCain's service didn't give him “executive experience”:
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Eric Kleefeld / TPM Election Central:
Clark Stands By Comments About McCain
Clark Stands By Comments About McCain
Discussion:
Salon, MyDD, The Carpetbagger Report, State of the Day, Lawyers, Guns and Money and The Debate Link
Jonathan Karl / ABCNEWS:
Pentagon Official Warns of Israeli Attack on Iran — U.S. Offical Sees Two ‘Red Lines’ That Could Prompt Strike — Senior Pentagon officials are concerned that Israel could carry out an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities before the end of the year, an action that would have enormous security …
William Glaberson / New York Times:
Evidence Faulted in Detainee Case — In the first case to review the government's secret evidence for holding a detainee at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, a federal appeals court found that accusations against a Muslim from western China held for more than six years were based on bare and unverifiable claims.
Juliana Barbassa / Associated Press:
Obama's sister helps reach out to Asian-Americans — SAN FRANCISCO - The throng of Asian-American donors drew closer, drinks in hand, to hear Barack Obama's sister describe the wide arc of his life: beyond politics and Chicago, into his childhood in Indonesia and Hawaii.
Thomas F. Schaller / New York Times:
The South Will Fall Again — THE interim between the primaries and the parties' nominating conventions is, according to ancient writ, a fertile period for presidential campaigns to talk about how they plan to expand the political map in the fall. This year is no different.
Andrew J. Bacevich / Boston Globe:
What Bush hath wrought — FEW AMERICANS, whatever their political persuasion, will mourn George W. Bush's departure from office. Democrats and Republicans alike are counting the days until the inauguration of a new president will wipe the slate clean. — Yet in crucial respects, the Bush era will not end Jan. 20, 2009.
Discussion:
Matthew Yglesias
Martin Feldstein / Wall Street Journal:
We Can Lower Oil Prices Now — Although most experts agree that financial speculation was not responsible for the surge in the global prices of food and energy, many people remain puzzled about the source of these remarkable price rises. Economics offers a simple supply-and-demand explanation …
Noam Scheiber / The New Republic:
Obama's Ricochet Pander — No doubt the Obama campaign is aggressively courting evangelicals because it thinks it can erode the GOP's traditional dominance there. If Obama can cut the 80-20 Bush-Kerry split among evangelical voters to 60-40—something an evangelical PR-man connected …
Discussion:
The Opinionator
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Brian C. Mooney / Boston Globe:
Bush base yet to rush to donate to McCain — Funding woes tied to candidate's stances, GOP standing in polls — President Bush has headlined a fund-raising event to help John McCain finance his campaign to succeed him, but most of the big-money backers who helped reelect Bush in 2004 …
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Frank Phillips / Boston Globe:
Firm gets big cut of campaign donations
Firm gets big cut of campaign donations
Discussion:
The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, Hullabaloo, Talking Points Memo, TPMMuckraker, Unfogged and Redstate
Joby Warrick / Washington Post:
Ex-Agent Says CIA Ignored Iran Facts — A former CIA operative who says he tried to warn the agency about faulty intelligence on Iraqi weapons programs now contends that CIA officials also ignored evidence that Iran had suspended work on a nuclear bomb. — The onetime undercover agent …
E. J. Dionne Jr / Washington Post:
The Court vs. Voters — If the long conservative era that began with Ronald Reagan's election is over, will the judges appointed during the right's ascendancy be able to block, frustrate and undermine the efforts of a new progressive majority? — Consider this analysis …
Discussion:
The Volokh Conspiracy
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Jonathan Martin / The Politico:
NRA plans $40M fall blitz targeting Obama
NRA plans $40M fall blitz targeting Obama
Discussion:
Sentencing Law and Policy, TPM Election Central, The Caucus, TIME.com and The Political Carnival
blogs.abcnews.com:
Obama Shifts on Welfare Reform — ABC News' Teddy Davis and Gregory Wallace Report: Barack Obama aligned himself with welfare reform on Monday, launching a television ad which touts the way the overhaul “slashed the rolls by 80 percent.” Obama leaves out, however, that he was against the …
Adam Nagourney / New York Times:
Timing the Unveiling of Running Mates Will Be Tricky — WASHINGTON — It is a given these days that the toughest decisions Senators John McCain and Barack Obama will make this summer will be choosing running mates. But there is another choice that might prove important as well: when to make the announcement.
Jennifer Loven / Associated Press:
Obama to expand Bush's faith based programs — CHICAGO - Reaching out to evangelical voters, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is announcing plans to expand President Bush's program steering federal social service dollars to religious groups and — in a move sure to cause controversy …
Aurelio Rojas / Sacramento Bee:
Obama rejects proposed California gay marriage ban — Story appeared in MAIN NEWS section, Page A3 — Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, who previously said the issue of gay marriage should be left up to each state, has announced his opposition to a California ballot measure that would ban same-sex marriages.