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Reuters:
Iraqi PM backs Obama troop exit plan: report — BERLIN (Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki told a German magazine he supported prospective U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's proposal that U.S. troops should leave Iraq within 16 months.
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The Moderate Voice, democracyarsenal.org, Matthew Yglesias, Washington Monthly, Think Progress, TIME.com, AMERICAblog News, www.redstate.com, pandagon.net, Brilliant at Breakfast, Talking Points Memo, Commentary, The Carpetbagger Report, Harry's Place, BBC, Hullabaloo and The Political Carnival
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Jeff Zeleny / New York Times:
Obama Lands in Afghanistan for First Tour of War Zones — WASHINGTON - Senator Barack Obama arrived in Afghanistan early Saturday morning, opening his first overseas trip as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, to meet with American commanders there and later in Iraq to receive …
Ezra Klein / American Prospect:
MALIKI BACKS BARACK OBAMA'S IRAQ PLAN. — To really understand the importance of Maliki's comments, you need to consider their opposite. Imagine if Maliki had walked in front of the cameras and said, “at this stage, a timetable for withdrawal is unrealistic, and we hope our American friends …
Spiegel Online:
Iraq Leader Maliki Supports Obama's Withdrawal Plans — In an interview with SPIEGEL, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Barack Obama's 16 timeframe for a withdrawal from Iraq is the right one. — Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki supports US presidential candidate Barack Obama's plan …
Spiegel Online:
‘The Tenure of Coalition Troops in Iraq Should Be Limited’ — The situation in Iraq seems to be improving. SPIEGEL spoke with Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki about his approval of Barack Obama's withdrawal plans and what he hopes from US President Bush in his last months in office.
Jim Lindgren / The Volokh Conspiracy:
BARACK OBAMA ON IRAQ.— The McCain campaign has a long, nearly 8-minute ad up on its website, which is mostly just video clips of Barack Obama's statements on Iraq, interspersed with derogatory slides expressing negative conclusions about Obama. Personally, I could do without the ominous music …
CNN:
Obama lands in Afghanistan — KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) — Sen. Barack Obama arrived Saturday in Afghanistan on the first stop of his tour of the Middle East and Europe, aimed at boosting the U.S. Democratic presidential hopeful's foreign policy credentials, his campaign confirmed.
Washington Post / The Trail:
Obama Travels to Afghanistan — Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama arrived in Afghanistan Saturday, according to a campaign spokesman, the first stop on a weeklong foreign tour that will take him to seven countries, including Iraq. — Details of his itinerary in the war zone …
Think Progress:
Live Blogging: Al Gore To Appear This Morning At Netroots Nation Convention — Live Blogging: Al Gore To Appear This Morning At Netroots Nation Convention — “Former Vice President Al Gore is scheduled to speak this morning to more than 2,000 bloggers and others meeting at the Netroots Nation convention.
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Katharine Q. Seelye / The Caucus:
Al Gore Is Special Guest Star at Netroots Nation
Al Gore Is Special Guest Star at Netroots Nation
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The Huffington Post
Andrew Malcolm / Top of the Ticket:
McCain, 71, nods off on ‘Late Night with Conan’ — By the time Sen. John McCain gets on NBC's “Late Night with Conan O'Brien” tonight, it's gonna look like it's way past the veteran senator's bedtime. — The show was, of course, taped this afternoon, a little bit late due to a very surprising event …
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, Outside The Beltway, Wake up America, Boston Globe, Wonkette and CNN
Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
Political harmony v. the rule of law: an easy choice for the political establishment — (updated below) — Former Congressman Harold Ford appeared at the Netroots Nation conference yesterday, argued that Bush officials shouldn't be held accountable for crimes they committed while in office …
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Stephen F. Hayes / Weekly Standard:
‘Stunningly Shameful’ — The Bush administration flip-flops on Iran. — On January 23, 2008, during her keynote speech at the glitzy World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Condoleezza Rice made a surprisingly friendly gesture to the Iranian regime. She said, in this final year …
Gateway Pundit:
McCAIN CLAIMS VICTORY IN IRAQ— Let the Gnashing of Teeth Begin — My, what a difference 2 years and a successful surge make in a political landscape. — Two years ago Republicans cringed when Iraq was discussed. — ...Not any more. — It's about time that Republicans start to hammer …
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Dan Ariely / New York Times:
Eyes Off the Price — Durham, N.C. — AS I stand at the gas station filling my tank, the meter tallies how much it's going to cost me. At this station, a gallon is $4.26, and as the meter passes the $20 mark, then the $30, I realize that I am paying too much attention to the price of gasoline.
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice
Jonathan Martin / Jonathan Martin's Blogs:
Gramm stands down — Former Sen. Phil Gramm is stepping down from his post as national co-chair for John McCain a week after creating headaches for the campaign by calling Americans “whiners” and saying the country was only experiencing a “mental recession.”
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