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Washington Wire:
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:
Hotline On Call, Newshoggers.com, Comedy Central, The Carpetbagger Report, MyDD, Blue Girl, Red State, Macsmind, VP Watch, TIME.com, Taylor Marsh and Donklephant
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Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Newsweek Poll: Obama drops like a rock — Last month, Newsweek's poll surprised many by showing a huge gap between Barack Obama and John McCain, with the Democratic nominee-apparent enjoying a 15-point lead over the Republican. One month later, Obama has lost all of the momentum and has dropped into a virtual tie with McCain.
Discussion:
Newsweek, Real Clear Politics, Newsweek Blogs, Bucks Right, The Other McCain and Patterico's Pontifications
Jonathan Darman / Newsweek:
Glow Fading? — The latest NEWSWEEK Poll shows Barack Obama leading John McCain by only 3 points. What a difference a few weeks can make. — Jae C. Hong / AP — Poll Drop: Obama is down is the latest poll, but still shows signs of strength — A month after emerging victorious …
Zogby:Zogby Poll: McCain Leads in FL while Obama is Up in Key Western States …
Discussion:
Donklephant
Noah Shachtman / Danger Room:
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?:
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Little Green Footballs:
More Iranian Fauxtography Discovered — (Hat tip: Fluffster.) — UPDATE at 7/11/08 1:54:59 pm: — Also see: — Attack of the Photoshopped Missiles (Updated).
Discussion:
QandO
Drudge Report:
IRAN MISSILE TEST BLUFF: OLD ROCKETS, BOGUS VIDEO — Many of Iran's claims related to missile tests during “Great Prophet III” war games — appear to be smoke and mirrors! — The missiles tested DID NOT not have 2,000-kilometer range, the NEW YORK TIMES is planning to report on Saturday.
Discussion:
Gateway Pundit
Karl / protein wisdom:
The Iranian threat, real and Photoshopped — Wired's Noah Shachtman rounds up some of the better mockeries of Iran's attempt to Photoshop a failed missile launch into a success. My favorite may be the old school approach of a Boing Boing commenter: — While the Photoshop folly is deserving …
Tom Bowles / Sports Illustrated:
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 …
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Greg Sargent / TPM Election Central:New Obama Radio Ad Hits McCain As “Shameful” For “Makin' Stuff Up”
Discussion:
Eschaton
Wall Street Journal:
U.S. Shuts Big Bank As Crisis Intensifies — IndyMac Bank, a prolific mortgage specialist that helped fuel the housing boom, was seized Friday by federal regulators in one of the largest bank failures in U.S. history. — The Pasadena, Calif., thrift was one of the largest savings and loans …
Discussion:
Associated Press, The American Mind, Hot Air, Angry Bear, Hullabaloo, Redstate and Bucks Right
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Louise Story / New York Times:
Regulators Seize Mortgage Lender — Banking regulators seized IndyMac Bancorp, one of the country's largest mortgage lenders, on Friday evening. — The bank, a star in the subprime era, is the second largest ever to fail and the first major bank to shut its doors since the savings and loan crisis of the 1980s.
Brad DeLong / Grasping Reality with Both Hands:
Every Time I Try to Crawl Out, They Pull Me Back in! — You know something? … No, that is not right: … No, that is still not right: … Maybe this will do it: … Called on forty minutes' notice, I trot over to the J-School studio to be a talking head on BBC/Newsnight about Fannie and Freddie.
Discussion:
Discourse.net
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Michael M. Grynbaum / New York Times:
Woes at Loan Agencies and Oil-Price Spike Roil Markets — Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac shares fell again Friday — and the broader stock market followed suit — as concern mounted that the government will be forced to take over the beleaguered mortgage finance companies, which some investors fear are at risk of default.
Discussion:
Connecting.the.Dots, Don Surber, DownWithTyranny!, Comedy Central, AMERICAblog News and The Corner
Jennifer Parker / Political Radar:
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 …
Discussion:
Weekly Standard Blog, The Corner, DownWithTyranny!, Hot Air, NewsBusters.org, Hullabaloo, The Campaign Spot and TIME.com
Jonah Goldberg / The Corner:
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.
RELATED:
Domenico Montanaro / MSNBC:FIRST THOUGHTS: THE A.D.D. ELECTION
Discussion:
NFL Fanhouse, The New Republic, The Washington Independent, Newshoggers.com, MyDD, Political Insider, David Corn and The Trail
Martha Raddatz / ABCNEWS:
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.
RELATED:
Mohammad Rafiq / Reuters:
U.S. air strike kills 47 civilians: official — JALALABAD, Afghanistan (Reuters) - A U.S. coalition force air strike on Sunday killed 47 civilians, including 39 women and children, in the eastern province of Nangarhar, an Afghan official said on Friday. — The issue of civilian casualties …
John O. McGinnis / Wall Street Journal:
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. …
Felisa Cardona / Denver Post:
McCain staff asked for protester's ouster — “He was simply trying to uphold the policy.” — It was Sen. John McCain's staff who asked security at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts to remove people holding protest signs at the venue — not U.S. Secret Service agents …
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