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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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 …
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:
MyDD, Salon, The Carpetbagger Report, State of the Day, Lawyers, Guns and Money and The Debate Link
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.
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
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.
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 …
Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:
Americans Worry McCain Would Be Too Similar to Bush — About half are concerned Obama would go too far in changing Bush policies — PRINCETON, NJ — A recent USA Today/Gallup poll finds about two in three Americans concerned that John McCain would pursue policies as president that are too similar to what George W. Bush has pursued.
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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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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 …
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
Jonathan Martin / The Politico:
NRA plans $40M fall blitz targeting Obama — The National Rifle Association plans to spend about $40 million on this year's presidential campaign, with $15 million of that devoted to portraying Barack Obama as a threat to the Second Amendment rights upheld last week by the Supreme Court.
Discussion:
Sentencing Law and Policy, Donklephant, TPM Election Central, The Caucus, TIME.com and The Political Carnival
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Raymond Hernandez / New York Times:
A New Campaign Charge: You Supported Clinton — Brooklyn's 10th Congressional District, home to more African-Americans than any other in New York, gave Senator Barack Obama his highest margin of victory in the state. But the district's longtime congressman, Edolphus Towns, did not share his constituency's preference for Mr. Obama.
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 …
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.
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 …