memeorandum: The Real Joke in Minnesota (Michael Kinsley/Washington Post)

5:25 PM ET, July 7, 2008

Top Items:

Mark Murray / MSNBC:

WEBB DOESN'T WANT TO BE VP — From NBC's Mark Murray — Virginia Sen. Jim Webb just issued a statement from his Senate office saying that — “[u]nder no circumstances” — does he want to be considered as Obama's veep. “Last week I communicated to Sen. Obama and his presidential campaign …

Discussion: Taylor Marsh, Open Left and Eunomia

Krooney / TIME.com:

Cross Webb Off Obama Veep List — Virginia freshman Senator is Shermanesque in removing himself from the running. — Says in statement: “Last week I communicated to Senator Obama and his presidential campaign my firm intention to remain in the United States Senate...Under no circumstances will I be a candidate for Vice President.”

Discussion: The Crypt's Blogs and Slog

Ben Pershing / Capitol Briefing: Webb Takes Himself Out of VP Race

Jonathan Allen / CQ Politics:
Webb Says He Won't Accept Vice Presidential Nod

Discussion: Power Line

Chris Dodd / The Huffington Post:
Opponents of Retroactive Immunity Live To Fight Another Day

Discussion: Firedoglake, MyDD and Shopfloor

David S. Broder / Washington Post:

Jesse Helms, White Racist — This column appeared in The Post Aug. 29, 2001 — one week after Jesse Helms, who died Friday, announced his retirement from the Senate. — (Have an idea for RePosted? Send it to reposted@washingtonpost.com.) — Those who believe that the “liberal press” …

Discussion: The Daily Dish, michellemalkin.com, NewsBusters.org, Booman Tribune, The Reaction, Jezebel and Confederate Yankee

Marc Thiessen / Washington Post:

The Jesse Helms You Should Remember — With the passing of Sen. Jesse Helms, the media have demonstrated one final time that they never fully understood the power or impact of this great man. Consider, for example, The Post's obituary of Helms; here are some things you would not learn about his life and legacy by reading it:

Discussion: Commentary, American Power, Swampland, Outside The Beltway, Fact-esque, The Next Right and democracyarsenal.org

Ross Douthat:

The Case of Jesse Helms — The liberal blogosphere wants to know: Why have conservatives lined up to say kind things about the late Jesse Helms? Partially because nobody wants to speak ill of the dead, but largely because Helms was an sometimes-effective, always-steadfast champion …

Discussion: The RBC, The Carpetbagger Report, The Corner and The New Republic

Gateway Pundit:

DEM SHOCKER!!... Speaker Pelosi Was Sending Messages to FARC Terrorists While Undermining Colombian Government! — New information reveals that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was indirectly sending messages to the FARC. The Marxist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) is designated as a terrorist group by the US government.

Discussion: protein wisdom, Babalu Blog, Don Surber, Atlas Shrugs and JammieWearingFool

Mary Anastasia O'Grady / Wall Street Journal:

FARC's ‘Human Rights’ Friends — As we learn more about the Colombian military's daring hostage rescue last week, one detail stands out: In tricking FARC rebels into putting the hostages aboard a helicopter, undercover special forces simply told the comandantes that the aircraft was being loaned …

Discussion: EU Referendum and Stop The ACLU

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

WE'LL GET BACK TO YOU ON THAT — I think we may have come to that moment, that quick turn of events, that encapsulates the fact that there is apparently no limit to the howlers and nonsense that John McCain can throw out and still not generate collective guffaws or even scrutiny from the national political press.

Discussion: MSNBC, Matthew Yglesias, Political Machine, The Carpetbagger Report, Cogitamus, Outside The Beltway, TPM Election Central, The Jed Report and Balloon Juice

Marc Ambinder:
How Will McCain Balance The Budget?

Discussion: Obsidian Wings, The Caucus, Think Progress, Daily Kos, Political Machine and Talking Points Memo

Ezra Klein / American Prospect:
MCCAIN'S PLAN TO CUT SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE, OR DRASTICALLY RAISE TAXES.

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias, The Room and Think Progress

CBN.com:

Christian Group Launches “Abortion President” Campaign against Barack Obama — Oh my. The fight against Barack Obama on abortion has officially begun. The Christian Defense Coalition, who are known to shock folks from time to time, have come up with a new campaign called: “Barack Obama: The Abortion President”.

Discussion: Newshoggers.com, pandagon.net, Newsweek Blogs, TIME.com, Wake up America, Ben Smith's Blogs, Political Punch, Wonkette, MSNBC, The Jed Report and Gateway Pundit

Stuart Rothenberg / Real Clear Politics:

Where the Race for the White House Stands Right Now — This column is not a prediction. Predictions aren't worth much. Instead, readers should view what follows as an assessment — an assessment that leads to a relatively obvious conclusion, but one that is not set in stone.

Discussion: The Next Right, Daily Kos and Democratic Strategist

Associated Press:
McCain touts plan to create jobs, help workers

Discussion: WTF Is It Now?!?

Sam Stein / The Huffington Post:
GOP Looks To Redistrict Itself Back Into Power

Discussion: Political Machine, Jack & Jill Politics and Facing South

Rick Maze / Military Times HOME:

Obama: I need to earn troops' trust — Candidate lays out defense policies, touts his judgment over McCain's, holds civilians accountable for missteps in Iraq — COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama knows that to win the vote of current and former military members …

Discussion: Jonathan Martin's Blogs, Spin Cycle, Political Punch, Taylor Marsh and TIME.com

Military Times HOME: Military Times editorial board meeting with Sen. Barack Obama

Rosa Prince / Telegraph:

Toddlers who dislike spicy food ‘racist’ — Toddlers who turn their noses up at spicy food from overseas could be branded racists by a Government-sponsored agency. — The National Children's Bureau, which receives £12 million a year, mainly from Government funded organisations …

Discussion: Moonbattery, Debbie Schlussel, Sister Toldjah, Little Green Footballs, Outside The Beltway, Daimnation!, The Sundries Shack and QandO

Ben / Think Progress:

Lieberman: After Iran wipes out Israel and ‘Arab countries’ in the Middle East, 'we're next!' — Yesterday on ABC's This Week, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I- CT), chief surrogate for Sen. John McCain's (R-AZ) presidential campaign, complained that the “Iranians have consistently” refused to suspend its uranium enrichment.

Discussion: Newshoggers.com, DownWithTyranny! and Eschaton

Robert D. Kaplan / The Current:
Will Israel Attack Iran?

Discussion: Haaretz, Eunomia and TPMCafe

Reuters:

Iraq says may agree timetable for U.S. withdrawal — BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki raised the prospect on Monday of setting a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops as part of negotiations over a new security agreement with Washington.

Discussion: Agence France Presse, Rising Hegemon, Firedoglake, QandO, Don Surber, Washington Monthly, The Crypt's Blogs, Democrats.com and Connecting.the.Dots

Washington Wire:

Obama's New Convention Venue Seats 75,000 — Susan Davis reports on the presidential race. — The Democratic National Convention Committee formally announced today that it will shift venues for the final day of the convention in Denver, Colo., on Aug. 28 to Invesco Field at Mile High …

Discussion: Newsweek Blogs, Politics Nation and Flopping Aces

Associated Press:

Poll: Old used most for McCain, change for Obama — The top 10 answers people volunteered when asked to describe presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama, according to an Associated Press-Yahoo News poll released Monday. Included is the percentage of people who gave each answer.

Discussion: The Fix, Open Left and MSNBC

The Politico:
Obama's apple pie campaign

Discussion: The Swamp and The Next Right

William Kristol / New York Times:

So Where's Murphy? — From the gun clubs of Northern Virginia to the sports bars of Capitol Hill — wherever D.C.-area Republicans gather — you hear the question: — “Where's Murphy?” — “Murphy” is Mike Murphy, the 46-year-old G.O.P. strategist who masterminded John McCain's 2000 primary race …

Discussion: Blog P.I., The Corner, Marc Ambinder, Weekly Standard Blog, The New Republic, Top of the Ticket, MSNBC, FP Passport, The Moderate Voice, TownHall Blog, Bark Bark Woof Woof and TBogg

Zogby:

Zogby Poll: Building Mo-bama! Democrat Leads McCain in Electoral College Tally, 273-158... The Democrat also leads 44% to 38% in the nationwide horserace test as Libertarian Bob Barr wins 6% — UTICA, New York - As the race for President passes the Independence Day holiday and heads toward …

Discussion: The Raw Story, DownWithTyranny!, THE GUN TOTING LIBERAL™, The Moderate Voice, American Spectator and The Swamp

Kelly Kennedy / Army Times:

Medic in famous photo dies after PTSD struggle — During the first week of the war in Iraq, a Military Times photographer captured the arresting image of Army Spc. Joseph Patrick Dwyer as he raced through a battle zone clutching a tiny Iraqi boy named Ali. — The photo was hailed as a portrait …

Discussion: Firedoglake, Balloon Juice and Crooks and Liars

Bloomberg:

Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae Plunge on Capital Concerns — Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae fell to the lowest in 13 years in New York Stock Exchange composite trading as concerns grew the two largest U.S. mortgage-finance companies may need to raise more capital to overcome writedowns and satisfy new accounting rules.

Discussion: The Volokh Conspiracy