Top Items:
Jaime Sneider / Weekly Standard Blog:
The Obama Campaign's Out of Control Spending — The $52 million figure may not be a disaster for the Obama campaign, but it is hardly a success. Not just because it's far below what the Obama campaign projected in June. It's a disappointment because it includes general election contributions from those who had previously maxed out.
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Mikki Halpin / Glamocracy:
Barack Obama tells Glamour: “Debate me, not Michelle” — On Wednesday Senator Barack Obama talked to Glamour's editor-in-chief Cindi Leive and answered questions from our readers about his policies and about women's issues. (Thanks to the many of you who submitted those queries!)
Howard Kurtz / Washington Post:
3 Anchors to Follow Obama's Trek Abroad — The three network anchors will travel to Europe and the Middle East next week for Barack Obama's trip, adding their high-wattage spotlight to what is already shaping up as a major media extravaganza. — Lured by an offer of interviews …
Mark Silva / The Swamp:
Barack Obama's $52 million June — Sen. Barack Obama's campaign raised $52 million in June, his campaign manager said Thursday morning - not quite a record for the high-flying campaign, but close to it. The campaign had raised $55 million in February, during the Democratic primaries.
John Santucci / Political Radar:
Obama Hits the Gym, With Multiple Repetitions — ABC News' Sunlen Miller Reports: While Obama spent 91 minutes at a campaign event yesterday, the Illinois Senator spent a total of 188 minutes in the gym yesterday - making three separate stops to Chicago gyms over the course of one day.
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Associated Press:
Political Play of the Day: Obama becomes a gym rat — CHICAGO (AP) - Sometimes it's hard to tell if Barack Obama is running for president of the United States or Mr. Universe. — The Democratic presidential contender exercises regularly, but over a 24-hour span this week, he took it to a new extreme.
David Stout / New York Times:
Gore Calls for Carbon-Free Electric Power — WASHINGTON — Former Vice President Al Gore said on Thursday that Americans must abandon electricity generated by fossil fuels within a decade and rely on the sun, the winds and other environmentally friendly sources of power …
Discussion:
European Tribune, Dot Earth, The Politico, Prairie Weather, Donklephant, The Carpetbagger Report and TIME.com
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Murphy / puma pac:
GOD WILL GUIDE THE HAND OF JUDGMENT THAT WILL STRIKE YOU DOWN! — A note to maniacs who make death threats: They don't work. They harden the opposition to your cause because they expose your true nature as a homicidal bully. They also rally the support of the vast majority of decent people who are outraged by the tactic.
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Julia Hoppock / Political Radar:
Biden hits back - More on Obama's Committee — ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf reports: The case of the European Affairs Subcommittee hearings continues. Biden writes a passive aggressive letter to answer DeMint's passive aggressive letter. — Sen. Jim DeMint, R-SC, the ranking member on that committee …
Discussion:
Weekly Standard Blog
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Larry Hunter / NY Daily News:
Hunter: This conservative activist is backing Obama — I'm a lifelong Republican - a supply-side conservative. I worked in the Reagan White House. I was the chief economist at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for five years. In 1994, I helped write the Republican Contract with America.
Discussion:
Eunomia, PoliBlog (TM), Liberal Values, American Spectator, Left in the West, Balloon Juice and NewsBusters.org
Sean Tevis for Kansas State Representative:
Running for Office: It's Like A Flamewar with a Forum Troll, but with an Eventual Winner — My name is Sean Tevis [photo]. I'm an Information Architect in Kansas running for State Representative. I've decided to “retire” my current State Representative. I'm going to win.
Discussion:
The Other McCain
Ewen MacAskill / Guardian:
US plans to station first diplomats in Iran since 1979 — Washington move signals thaw in relations — The US plans to establish a diplomatic presence in Tehran for the first time in 30 years as part of a remarkable turnaround in policy by President George Bush.
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Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Are the media airbrushing Obama's speeches? Update: Wouldn't ICE qualify? — World Net Daily does not have a great reputation for accuracy in its reporting, but Bob Unruh has pretty solid evidence for his report on a disappearing section of a speech given by Barack Obama.
Discussion:
Silent Running
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Ben Smith / The Politico:
McCain's humor often backfires — Ever hear that joke about waterboarding? How about the one about killing Iranians? And why is Chelsea Clinton so ugly? — If you aren't familiar with those witty japes, then you've missed out on John McCain's lighter side.
Discussion:
The Hill, First Draft, pandagon.net, Taylor Marsh, Donklephant, TPM Election Central, Think Progress and Political Punch
Jonathan Chait / The New Republic:
Old Flame — Why I still kinda like John McCain. — The presidential election has an oddly placid feel to it. Four years ago, the notion that George W. Bush would get another four years in office, actually ratified by a plurality of the voters, was more than any liberal could bear …
Carrie Johnson / Washington Post:
Administration Wanted Loyalist As Justice Dept. Legal Adviser — Top Officials Sought to Defend Interrogation Practices — Then-Attorney General John D. Ashcroft offered the White House a list of five candidates to lead the Justice Department Office of Legal Counsel in early 2003 …
New York Times:
Judge Refuses to Postpone Trial of Bin Laden's Driver — A federal judge on Thursday refused to postpone the first military trial set for next week at the Guantánamo Bay detention center, rebuffing a last-minute plea from lawyers for Salim Hamdan, an accused member of Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden's former driver.
Discussion:
The Swamp