Top Items:
David Paul Kuhn / The Politico:
Wesley Clark ‘moving on’ — Four days after his controversial “Face the Nation” appearance, retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark is taking a break from the presidential campaign — but many Democratic insiders think he has already been crossed off the list of Barack Obama's potential running mates.
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Mike Tackett / The Swamp:
‘Patriot Games’ of the wrong kind — The Republican consultant had it all figured out. — His candidate: The hero. Wounded in war, stand-up guy, the real face of a generation. His opponent: No military service. Suspicious activity in his past. — He had an unofficial slogan in mind: The patriot vs. the punk.
Sheryl Gay Stolberg / New York Times:
Tiptoeing on Bush and Convention — WASHINGTON — What if your family was planning a big end-of-summer bash (a Grand Old Party, you might call it) but preferred that you not be seen — or heard? — That is the question hanging over President Bush, with eight weeks to go until Republicans gather …
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Israel Insider:
Blogger admits Hawaii birth certificate forgery, subverting Obama claims — Posted on Photobucket and in comments attached to the Daily Kos blog post where the purported Obama birth certificate appears — Jay McKinnon, a self-described Department of Homeland Security-trained document specialist …
Alexander Mooney / CNN:
Poll: Bill Clinton's popularity down from last year — WASHINGTON (CNN) — One week after Sen. Hillary Clinton made a public show of unity with Sen. Barack Obama, a new survey suggests supporters of the New York senator are increasingly less likely to follow her lead.
Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
The political establishment and telecom immunity — why it matters — Nancy Soderberg was deputy national security advisor and an ambassador to the United Nations in the Clinton administration. Today, she has an Op-Ed in the Los Angeles Times defending the FISA bill and telecom amnesty.
Discussion:
TalkLeft
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Nancy Soderberg / Los Angeles Times:
A good-enough spy law — The FISA bill isn't perfect, but it's a compromise that the Senate should accept. — In their rush to get home for their Fourth of July vacations, the members of the Senate left some important work on their desks — the FISA Amendments Act of 2008.
Craig Timberg / Washington Post:
Inside Mugabe's Violent Crackdown — Notes, Witnesses Detail How Campaign Was Conceived and Executed by Leader, Aides — HARARE, Zimbabwe — President Robert Mugabe summoned his top security officials to a government training center near his rural home in central Zimbabwe on the afternoon of March 30.
Discussion:
On Deadline
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Associated Press:
Obama, Clinton to hold joint fundraisers in NY — BUTTE, Mont. - Now that they're allies, Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton will help each other raise money in a series of fundraisers in New York next week. — Obama campaign spokesman Jen Psaki said the Democratic nominee …
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Faiz / Think Progress:
FLASHBACK: Ten Years Ago, Bin Laden Demanded Barrel Of Oil Should Cost $144 — FLASHBACK: Ten Years Ago, Bin Laden Demanded Barrel Of Oil Should Cost $144 — In a 1998 interview, Osama bin Laden — the terrorist who organized 9/11 — listed as one of his many grievances against the U.S. that Americans …
Matthew Yglesias:
The Helms Legacy — One fascinating thing about the death of Jesse Helms is the conservative reaction. One might expect that Helms' death would prompt from conservatives the sorts of things that I might say if, say, Al Sharpton died — that he and I had some overlapping beliefs and I don't regard …
Mike Allen / The Politico:
McCain to get air cover from vets — For the first time, the presidential campaign of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is about to get a substantial hand from advertisements by an outside group. — Conservative and Republican groups have been largely quiet, leaving McCain heavily outmatched …
Discussion:
The Caucus
Karl / protein wisdom:
The corn-fueled economy and the corn-fueled candidate — The Guardian claims to have a confidential World Bank report which concludes that biofuels have forced global food prices up by 75% — more than the IMF estimate of 20-30%, and far more than the US government's claims that biofuels contribute less than 3% to food-price rises.
Johanna Neuman / Los Angeles Times:
Former Sen. Jesse Helms dies at 86 — President Bush calls the uncompromising Republican from North Carolina a ‘great patriot.’ He infuriated liberals with his race-baiting tactics and presidents of both parties with his use of senatorial — WASHINGTON — Jesse Helms …
Discussion:
NewsBusters.org, ABCNEWS, Tennessee Guerilla Women, Top of the Ticket, Firedoglake, Truthdig, Washington Post, Gawker, DownWithTyranny! and Wonkette
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Michael Grynbaum / The Caucus:
Jesse Helms Dies at 86
Jesse Helms Dies at 86
Discussion:
Washington Post, Lance Mannion, Ben Smith's Blogs, Gothamist, Matthew Yglesias, Political Machine and American Spectator