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Jeff Zeleny / The Caucus:
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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Mike Allen / The Politico:
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.
New York Times:
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
Joe Rospars / my.barackobama.com:
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.
Discussion:
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BBC:
Google must divulge YouTube log — Google must divulge the viewing habits of every user who has ever watched any video on YouTube, a US court has ruled. — The ruling comes as part of Google's legal battle with Viacom over allegations of copyright infringement.
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Kurt Opsahl / Electronic Frontier Foundation:
Court Ruling Will Expose Viewing Habits of YouTube Users
Court Ruling Will Expose Viewing Habits of YouTube Users
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Threat Level, Wampum, Discourse.net, Stop The ACLU, TechCrunch, Reason Magazine, Hot Air, The Impolitic, Wake up America and The Volokh Conspiracy
Michael Arrington / TechCrunch:
Judge Protects YouTube's Source Code, Throws Users To The Wolves
Judge Protects YouTube's Source Code, Throws Users To The Wolves
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars, Scholars and Rogues, Scripting News, RConversation and Silicon Alley Insider
Matthew Yglesias:
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, Macsmind, Grasping Reality …, Eschaton, American Power, NewsBusters.org and TalkLeft
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Douglas J. Feith / Wall Street Journal:
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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Doyle McManus / Los Angeles Times:
A short but sweet gathering — Barack Obama's campaign and the Democratic National Committee are toying with a convention scheduling change that has been broached before in theory but never seriously considered: cutting the party's conclave in Denver short by one day to give Obama an extra …
Discussion:
The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, DemConWatch, Marc Ambinder, Redstate, Hot Air, The Trail, TIME.com and The Political Carnival
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ABC News:
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.
Jim Kuhnhenn / Associated Press:
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.
Allahpundit / Hot Air:
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.
David Matthews / The Hill:
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 …
Steve Doughty / Daily Mail:
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 …
Rasmussen Reports:
Election 2008: Montana Presidential Election — Montana: Obama Leads McCain By Five — Barack Obama is leading John McCain by five percentage points in Montana. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in the state shows Obama attracting 48% of the vote while McCain earns 43%.
CNN:
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.
Discussion:
The New Republic