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Presidential candidate Obama to sponsor Cup car at Pocono race … SI.com has learned that for the first time in history, a major presidential candidate may sponsor a race car in NASCAR's premier series. According to sources, Barack Obama's campaign is in talks to become the primary sponsor …
Discussion:
The Swamp, The Corner, Spin Cycle, The Raw Story, Top of the Ticket, Media Blog, Donklephant, Riehl World View and Taylor Marsh
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New Obama Radio Ad Hits McCain As “Shameful” For “Makin' Stuff Up” — A source sends over a copy of a sharp new radio ad the Obama campaign will release a bit later today responding to this earlier RNC ad claiming Obama will hike taxes. — The Obama ad hammers McCain for the spot …


FIRST THOUGHTS: THE A.D.D. ELECTION — From Chuck Todd and Domenico Montanaro — *** The A.D.D Election: It's another whiplash week. It's amazing how many Fridays we look back at the week and just shake our head... This really is turning into the A.D.D. election.
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Phil Gramm — From a reader: … Me: Fair enough. My own excuse is that this is one of these stories that I somehow missed until late in the day, not sure why that is. Anyway, this is just another example of why I've always wanted Phil Gramm to be president of the United States and why that can never, ever, happen.
Discussion:
The Jed Report

Barnes Defends Gramm: Americans Are ‘Whining All The Way Through’ The Bad Economy


Hagel to Join Obama on Iraq Trip — Susan Davis reports on the presidential race. — The buzz this week that Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska is planning to join Sen. Barack Obama on an up-coming visit to Iraq is correct, two sources with knowledge of the trip confirmed Friday.
Discussion:
Comedy Central, The Carpetbagger Report, Marc Ambinder, Blue Girl, Red State, Hotline On Call and TIME.com

Obama's Iraq Withdrawal Plan May Prove Difficult — U.S. Commanders in Iraq Warn of Security Dangers, See Logistical Nightmare — Whatever nuance Barack Obama is now adding to his Iraq withdrawal strategy, the core plan on his Web site is as plain as day: Obama would “immediately begin to remove our troops from Iraq.
Discussion:
Wonk Room, Commentary, Austin Bay Blog, The Strata-Sphere, The Glittering Eye and TIME.com
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OBAMA vs. THE BRASS....If this Martha Raddatz piece at ABC News is any indication, the military doesn't intend to keep a low profile in this year's presidential election. In fact, they seem to be pretty loudly determined to make clear that they don't like Barack Obama's withdrawal plan one bit:


Donors Asked To Give for Two — The fundraising machine Sen. Barack Obama is relying on to overwhelm Sen. John McCain this fall has shown signs of wear in recent weeks, as Internet contributions have slowed and efforts to recruit top donors to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign have been beset by lingering tensions.
Discussion:
Firedoglake, Talking Points Memo, Newsweek Blogs, Political Buzz, The G Spot, TIME.com, MyDD, Spin Cycle, Redstate and protein wisdom
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McCain's broken marriage and fractured Reagan friendship — Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, walks with former first lady Nancy Reagan. Mrs. Reagan endorsed the Republican presidential candidate Tuesday, March 25, 2008 in Bel Air, Calif.

Who Will Be President? — An obscure government agency will soon decide whether citizens can get hold of information essential to modern democratic decision making. On Monday, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission began to analyze whether to create a safe harbor for prediction markets in the U.S. …

Como Se Dice? Obama Clarifies Comments Over Foreign Languages — ABC News' Sunlen Miller reports: Sen. Barack Obama reiterated his belief Friday that America's children to learn a foreign language, firing back against criticism he received from some conservative groups who suggested …

F.C.C. Chairman Favors Penalty on Comcast — WASHINGTON (AP) — The head of the Federal Communications Commission said Thursday that he would recommend that Comcast, the nation's largest cable company, be punished for violating agency principles that guarantee customers open access to the Internet.
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An Imminent Victory for ‘Net Neutrality’ Advocates
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Ars Technica, Mashable!, Broadband Politics, AMERICAblog News and Techdirt

Germany denies Bush thwarted Obama speech — BERLIN (Reuters) - The German government denied on Friday that Washington had put any pressure on Chancellor Angela Merkel to block a proposed speech by U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama in Berlin in late July.
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Attack of the Photoshopped Missiles (Updated) — Iran's propagandists aren't only ones who can photoshop a missile launch. We know how to do that on the intertubes, too. Here's an updated sample... Are We Lumberjacks?:

By Request: Does This Blog Suck? Do All Blogs Suck? — DeliciousPundit asks “What'd you think about David Appell's smackdown of you?” — The only thing I have to say to defend myself from those charges is that I don't think the post was really about why I suck, it was about why the punditsphere …

After Voting Against Equal Pay Legislation, McCain Claims He's ‘Committed To Equal Pay For Equal Work’ — Today, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) participated in a town hall meeting in Wisconsin. During the discussion, he claimed that he is a strong supporter of equal pay for women and other workers:
Discussion:
Fact Checker, Wonk Room, TIME.com, The Carpetbagger Report, Hullabaloo, Center for American Progress and Feministing


Iraq denies IAF using its airspace — Iraq denied on Friday reports claiming the Israeli Air Force has been practicing for a possible attack against Iran in its airspace. — “As the Ministry of Defense, we haven't observed any IAF warplanes practicing in Iraqi airspace,” …

Jonah Goldberg, Call Your Publisher — Conservative book editor Adam Bellow has a (subscriber-only) essay in World Affairs about book publishing and the cuurrent state of conservative intellectuals. I don't agree with all that much of it, but his candor is admirable.

McCain ad: “God's Children” — Team McCain has its latest ad out today, taken from a New Hampshire debate in June 2007, when John McCain soliloquized on the contributions of Hispanic citizens and residents to our efforts in Vietnam and Iraq. Titled “God's Children”, the ad matches imagery to McCain's impromptu salute: