Top Items:
New York Times:
Poll Finds Obama's Run Isn't Closing Divide on Race — Americans are sharply divided by race heading into the first election in which an African-American will be a major-party presidential nominee, with blacks and whites holding vastly different views of Senator Barack Obama …
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Washington Post:
Obama Leads by 8 Points In Poll — Sen. Barack Obama holds his biggest advantage of the presidential campaign as the candidate best prepared to fix the nation's ailing economy, but lingering concerns about his readiness to handle international crises are keeping the race competitive, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.
Discussion:
The Swamp, The Daily Dish, LiberalOasis, Real Clear Politics, Hot Air, Democratic Strategist and MSNBC
Tedski / Rum, Romanism and Rebellion:
The Comedy Stylings of Shecky McCain — I made the mistake of watching Verdict yesterday where they had a John McCain sycophant go on and on about how McCain stuck by his principles when he bucked his party on immigration. He and the host failed to note that he was lining up with the president …
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Glen Johnson / Associated Press:
Obama says New Yorker insulted Muslim Americans … CHICAGO (AP) - Democrat Barack Obama said Tuesday that the New Yorker magazine's satirical cover depicting him and his wife as flag-burning, fist-bumping radicals doesn't bother him but that it was an insult to Muslim Americans.
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Christopher Hitchens / Mirror.co.uk:
Christopher Hitchens on the Barack Obama cartoon controversy
Christopher Hitchens on the Barack Obama cartoon controversy
Discussion:
Hot Air, Buck Naked Politics, American Power, protein wisdom, The Politico, Vodkapundit and Scared Monkeys
Ann Scott Tyson / Washington Post:
Gates Warns of Militarized Policy — Defense Secretary Stresses Civilian Aspects of U.S. Engagement — Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates warned yesterday against the risk of a “creeping militarization” of U.S. foreign policy, saying the State Department should lead U.S. engagement with other countries …
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Allahpundit / Hot Air:
NYT poll: Majority now believes Obama says what he thinks people want to hear — From tonight's monster 33-page omnibus poll, the “new politics” halo is officially off. Note the trend: — McCain does almost as badly at 46/49 but then McCain's not supposed to be a “Lightworker.”
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Lydia Saad / Gallup:
Congressional Approval Hits Record-Low 14% — Democrats less positive than Republicans about Congress — PRINCETON, NJ — Congress' job approval rating has dropped five percentage points over the past month, from 19% in June to 14% in July, making the current reading the lowest congressional …
Thomas L. Friedman / New York Times:
So Popular and So Spineless — Much ink has been spilled lately decrying the decline in American popularity around the world under President Bush. Polls tell us how China is now more popular in Asia than America and how few Europeans say they identify with the United States.
Dean Barnett / Weekly Standard Blog:
Most Offensive Quote of the Day — If we had a “Most Offensive Quote of the Day” every day, Joe Biden would probably come to own the prize. But even by the senator's lofty standards of chronic obtuseness, he outdid himself this afternoon: … I know Democrats get a certain tingling …
Alegre / alegrescorner.soapblox.net:
Breaking: Eight Supers Switching to Hillary — Big news folks - it looks like our efforts in contacting those Superdelegates are starting to pay off, so keep on writing to them (ok, maybe Donna B's a waste of time). There are unconfirmed reports, based on phone banking efforts to reach out to Super Ds …
Adam Liptak / New York Times:
Court Backs Bush on Military Detentions — President Bush has the legal power to order the indefinite military detentions of civilians captured in the United States, the federal appeals court in Richmond, Va., ruled on Tuesday in a fractured 5-to-4 decision.
Discussion:
Buck Naked Politics, The Sideshow, The Raw Story, The Reaction, TalkLeft, Comments from Left Field, Pirate's Cove and At-Largely
Max Blumenthal / The Nation:
Phil Gramm's Porn Stash — Phil Gramm's recent disparaging of “a nation of whiners” complaining about a “mental recession” did more than offend the sensibilities of economically struggling Americans. His gaffe also served as a reminder that McCain had appointed one of the most reactionary …
Maureen Dowd / New York Times:
May We Mock, Barack? — When I interviewed Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert for Rolling Stone a couple years ago, I wondered what Barack Obama would mean for them. — “It seems like a President Obama would be harder to make fun of than these guys,” I said. — “Are you kidding me?” Stewart scoffed.
PR Newswire:
New Report Shows Saudi Ministry Textbooks Still Teach Extreme Intolerance — WASHINGTON, July 15, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ — State Department-Negotiated Deadline for Reform Nears — Today the Center for Religious Freedom of the Hudson Institute released a 90-page report …
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers
Wall Street Journal:
The New Reality in Iraq — All of the most important objectives of the surge have been accomplished in Iraq. The sectarian civil war is ended; al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) has been dealt a devastating blow; and the Sadrist militia and other Iranian-backed militant groups have been disrupted.
Howard Kurtz / Washington Post:
Brit Hume to Step Down as Fox News Anchor — Brit Hume, a top anchor and executive with Fox News since the channel was launched 12 years ago, plans to step down at year's end. But he won't disappear entirely. — Sources familiar with the situation say that Hume, 65 …
Cristina Page / The Huffington Post:
HHS Moves to Define Contraception as Abortion — In a spectacular act of complicity with the religious right, the Department of Health and Human Services Monday released a proposal that allows any federal grant recipient to obstruct a woman's access to contraception.