Top Items:
The Trail:
Gramm Stands by Recession Comments — Former senator Phil Gramm — under fire for saying the United States has “become a nation of whiners” — said in an interview today that he meant the nation's leaders were whiners, not its citizens. — But the top adviser to Sen. John McCain repeated …
Discussion:
Marc Ambinder, The American Mind, MSNBC, Think Progress, Top of the Ticket, Spin Cycle, Political Buzz, TIME.com, Swampland and Blue Girl, Red State
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Mike Allen / The Politico:
Gramm calls slowdown ‘mental’ — Former Sen. Phil Gramm, a top economic adviser to presumptive GOP nominee John McCain, referred to the economic slowdown as “a mental recession” and called the United States “a nation of whiners.” — The comments, in an interview with The Washington Times …
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, The Swamp, The Fix, Jonathan Martin's Blogs, The Trail, Sadly, No!, Washington Wire, Firedoglake, Ross Douthat, The Caucus, Newshoggers.com, The American Conservative, MSNBC, Think Progress, The Raw Story, Hot Air, PoliticalBase.com Blog, Political Punch, Taylor Marsh and Glamocracy
Sam Stein / The Huffington Post:
McCain Campaign Initially Stood By Gramm Remarks — The McCain campaign is working hard to distance itself from statements made by economic adviser Phil Gramm describing the current economic downturn as a “mental recession” and saying America had “sort of become a nation of whiners.”
Jonathan Martin / Jonathan Martin's Blogs:
McCain forcefully rebukes Gramm — John McCain strongly disavowed the comments today of his campaign co-chair and economic adviser, saying Phil Gramm “does not speak for me — I speak for me.” — “So, I strongly disagree,” McCain told reporters gathered for a press conference that was added …
Kelly Moeller / Political Punch:Defensive McCain Campaign Emails Out Youtube Clip of McCain Bashing …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo
Telegraph:
President George Bush: 'Goodbye from the world's biggest polluter' — George Bush surprised world leaders with a joke about his poor record on the environment as he left the G8 summit in Japan. — The American leader, who has been condemned throughout his presidency for failing to tackle climate change …
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Karl Rove / Wall Street Journal:
Barack's Brilliant Ground Game — For a campaign that says it wants to end the politics of the Bush-Cheney years, the Obama for President effort has cribbed an awful lot from the Bush-Cheney playbooks of 2000 and 2004. — For starters, Barack Obama's manager admitted to the New York Times …
Sheryl Gay Stolberg / International Herald Tribune: Testing! Testing! Bush finds, again, that speaking softly isn't enough
Andrew Grice / The Independent:Bush to G8: 'Goodbye from the world's biggest polluter'
Discussion:
Gateway Pundit, Newshoggers.com, The Moderate Voice, The Reaction, Macsmind, Wizbang, Obsidian Wings and Riehl World View
Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:
The Hubris Of Obama? — A few things have unsettled me these past couple of weeks about the Obama campaign. It is not the small adjustments to previously-held positions - FISA, the Second Amendment, Iraq. It's a sense that Obama's ample self-regard is lapsing into hubris.
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Kevin Drum / Washington Monthly:
OBAMA'S KIDS....Andrew Sullivan goes ballistic about the Obama family interview with Access Hollywood: … I gather that a fair number of people feel the same way, and even Obama himself now says he wouldn't do it again. Am I living in a bubble when I say that I'm just flabbergasted by this reaction?
Discussion:
Corrente
John Bresnahan / The Crypt's Blogs:
Pelosi says House Judiciary may hold hearings on Kucinich impeachment resolution — Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said this morning that the House Judiciary Committee may hold hearings on an impeachment resolution offered by Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio).
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CNN:
Rove ignores panel's subpoena, refuses to testify — WASHINGTON (CNN) — Karl Rove, President Bush's longtime political guru, refused to obey an order to testify before a House Judiciary Committee hearing Thursday. — Rove's lawyer asserted that Rove was “immune” from the subpoena …
Dan Balz / The Trail:
Obama's Accidental Sister Souljah Moment — Barack Obama leads a charmed life. He finally had his Sister Souljah moment and didn't even have to show up. Jesse Jackson did it for him solo. — Sixteen years ago, Bill Clinton used a Jackson-sponsored forum to rebuke the rap singer …
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Matea Gold / Los Angeles Times:
Jackson's Obama comments almost went unnoticed — A Fox News technician transcribing the tape overnight heard it, and it took off from there. — NEW YORK — The news that the Rev. Jesse Jackson took a crude swipe at Sen. Barack Obama this week put renewed scrutiny on the relationship between …
The Lede:
In an Iranian Image, a Missile Too Many — Updated, 9:33 a.m., Agence France-Presse has retracted the image as “apparently digitally altered.” — As news spread across the world of Iran's provocative missile tests, so did an image of four missiles heading skyward in unison.
Jared Allen / The Hill:
Pelosi: Drilling in protected areas ‘a hoax’ — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Thursday shut the door on expanding oil and gas drilling beyond areas that have already been approved for energy exploration, drawing a clear distinction from her counterparts in charge of the Senate.
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Little Green Footballs:
Reality vs. Photoshop — Here's the genuine photo from Iran's missile test, showing the reason why it was altered: because one of the missiles failed to launch. — The Photoshopped version for comparison: — UPDATE at 7/10/08 1:51:09 pm: — Another of the photos released by Iran turns …
Discussion:
The Jawa Report
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Andrew Malcolm / Top of the Ticket:
Clinton and Obama do joint fundraiser but he forgets the fund part — The unity thing is proving something of a stubborn problem for the no longer officially dueling camps of Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. There've been reports in recent days of some die-hard Clinton supporters …
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Jim Kuhnhenn / Associated Press:
McCain has best fundraising in June, $22M — WASHINGTON - Republican presidential candidate John McCain raised more than $22 million in June, his best fundraising performance of the year, and ended the month with nearly $27 million cash on hand. — Campaign manager Rick Davis said Thursday …
Discussion:
Eunomia
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George F. Will / Washington Post:
Survival of the Sudsiest — Perhaps, like many sensible citizens, you read Investor's Business Daily for its sturdy common sense in defending free markets and other rational arrangements. If so, you too may have been startled recently by an astonishing statement on that newspaper's front page.
Rasmussen Reports:
Election 2008: North Dakota Presidential Election — North Dakota: McCain and Obama Tied — North Dakota is as safe a Republican state as any in Presidential elections. George W. Bush carried the state by twenty-seven points in Election 2004 and twenty-eight points four years earlier.
Eric Stirgus / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
‘Men At Work’ signs to disappear in Atlanta — In the battle of the sexes, women's magazine editor Cynthia Good said this was a skirmish she had to fight. — [Post comments below.] — Across Atlanta they stood, orange signs with black letters that read “Men At Work” or “Men Working Ahead.”
Discussion:
Moonbattery
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