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Obama Might ‘Refine’ Iraq Timeline — Barack Obama in Fargo, N.D. (Photo: Jae C. Hong/Associated Press) — FARGO, N.D. - Senator Barack Obama said Thursday the United States cannot sustain a long-term military presence in Iraq, but added that he would be open to “refine my policies” …
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The Carpetbagger Report, TIME.com, Power Line, The Corner, Major Garrett's Bourbon Room, Hot Air, The Moderate Voice, Sister Toldjah, Real Clear Politics, Hullabaloo, Taylor Marsh, Eunomia, THE LIBERAL JOURNAL, The Impolitic, The New Republic, Talking Points Memo, Weekly Standard Blog, The News Buckit, TPM Election Central, Gateway Pundit, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, Swampland and Truthdig
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Obama to ‘refine’ Iraq plan — Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) on Thursday backed off his firm promise to withdraw combat forces from Iraq immediately and instead said he could “refine” his plan after his trip to Baghdad later this month. — Earlier, a top Obama adviser had said that the senator is not “wedded” to a specific timeline.
Discussion:
NO QUARTER, The Sundries Shack, Pajamas Media, Wake up America, TownHall Blog, Redstate, The New Republic and American Spectator


Obama Strives to Retain Some Flexibility on His Iraq Policy — Senator Barack Obama said Thursday that he might “refine” his plans for a phased withdrawal from Iraq after meeting with military commanders there later this summer. But later, he hastily held a second news conference …
Discussion:
democracyarsenal.org


Obama Softens on Iraq Withdrawal Timeline
Discussion:
The American Mind

Obama says Iraq trip could refine his policy
Discussion:
Democrats.com

News Orgs Already Getting It Wrong On Obama's Iraq Remarks
Discussion:
The Jed Report


Response from Barack on FISA and Discussion with Policy Staff — Barack is on the road today, but he wrote a response that he asked be posted on the blog. You'll find it below. — In addition, for the next 30 minutes or so, three members of our policy staff will be in the comments on this post to respond to any questions you have.
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My Position On FISA — Today, Barack Obama posted a message to supporters on my.barackobama.com about the FISA legislation. — I want to take this opportunity to speak directly to those of you who oppose my decision to support the FISA compromise. — This was not an easy call for me.

Obama: Mental distress can't justify late abortion — WASHINGTON - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama says “mental distress” should not qualify as a justification for late-term abortions, a key distinction not embraced by many supporters of abortion rights.
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Obama: Mental Distress Can't Justify Late Term Abortion — Here's Obama reaching out to the evangelical right. The Associated Press reports: … Obama made no such distinction last year: … NARAL leaders ought to feel like idiots. [More...] … A leading anti-choice group …

Google Told to Turn Over User Data of YouTube — SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge has ordered Google to turn over to Viacom its records of which users watched which videos on YouTube, the Web's largest video site by far. — The order raised concerns among YouTube users and privacy advocates …
Discussion:
Electronic Frontier Foundation
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Judge Protects YouTube's Source Code, Throws Users To The Wolves
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Crooks and Liars, Scholars and Rogues, Scripting News, Silicon Alley Insider and RConversation

I'm Worried — David Broder: … And yet here we are in 2008. And I don't think anyone can seriously dispute that the current President of the United States violated the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act or any number of legal commitments to refrain from torture.
Discussion:
Washington Post, Washington Monthly, Grasping Reality …, Macsmind, Eschaton, American Power, NewsBusters.org and TalkLeft
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Why We Went to War in Iraq — A lot of poor commentary has framed the Iraq war as a conflict of “choice” rather than of “necessity.” In fact, President George W. Bush chose to remove Saddam Hussein from power because he concluded that doing so was necessary.
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Plasma, LCDs blamed for accelerating global warming — Audio: Flat screen TVs ‘contribute to global warming’ (The World Today) — A gas used in the making of flat screen televisions, nitrogen trifluoride (NF3), is being blamed for damaging the atmosphere and accelerating global warming.


Sharia law SHOULD be used in Britain, says UK's top judge — The most senior judge in England tonight gave his blessing to the use of sharia law to resolve disputes among Muslims. — Lord Chief Justice Lord Phillips said that Islamic legal principles could be employed to deal with family …


CNN Poll: Voters say both candidates likeable, flip-floppers — (CNN) - How do voters feel about the two major-party presidential candidates this year? — As the marathon 2008 campaign for the White House enters its final four months, a solid majority views both Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain favorably.

MSNBC host: Was the Colombia hostage rescue a sham designed to benefit McCain? — Like so many conspiracy theorists these days, he doesn't have the balls to level the accusation squarely, preferring instead to “just ask questions.” It falls to Buchanan to flesh out the theory before rejecting it.

Philly radio station refuses to run Democratic ad — A Philadelphia news radio station has rejected a Democratic ad that features an impersonator of President Bush thanking GOP congressional candidates for supporting the “Big Oil” agenda. — Philadelphia KYW-AM Vice President …