Top Items:
Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:
Political leverage in the 51st state — It's almost a convention of politics that when a politician says he was misquoted, but doesn't detail the misquote or offer an alternative, he's really saying he wishes he hadn't said what he did, or that he needs to issue a pro-forma denial to please someone.
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Spiegel Online:
Iraqi Leader Stirs up US Campaign — Obama is pleased, but McCain certainly is not. In an interview with SPIEGEL, Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki expressed support for Obama's troop withdrawal plans. Despite a half-hearted retraction, the comments have stirred up the US presidential campaign.
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
NICE TRY — Der Spiegel is standing by its story, its translation of what Maliki said. — And as Ben Smith aptly puts it, “It's almost a convention of politics that when a politician says he was misquoted, but doesn't detail the misquote or offer an alternative, he's really saying he wishes …
Discussion:
Eschaton
Tarek Al-Issawi / Bloomberg:
Maliki Doesn't Endorse Obama Troop Withdrawal Plan — Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki hasn't endorsed any specific plan for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, a government spokesman said, a day after a magazine report that he backed Barack Obama's proposal.
Discussion:
DownWithTyranny!, The Caucus, TIME.com, Right Wing Nut House, The Raw Story, Democrats.com, Wake up America and Washington Monthly
Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
Rendering public opinion irrelevant — One of the most striking aspects of our political discourse, particularly during election time, is how efficiently certain views that deviate from the elite consensus are banished from sight — simply prohibited — even when those views are held by the vast majority of citizens.
Little Green Footballs:
Obama Shunning Foreign Media — Christoph von Marschall of Germany's Der Tagesspiegel says the Barack Obama campaign has been making sure Obama doesn't have to answer any real questions from the international media: Snubbed by Obama. … My take: his staff is desperately worried …
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Christoph von Marschall / Washington Post:
Snubbed by Obama — Barack Obama is on his way to Europe, where an adoring public awaits. But I wonder if the reception would be quite so enthusiastic if Obama's fans across the Atlantic knew a dirty little secret of his remarkable presidential campaign: Although Obama portrays himself …
Discussion:
Commentary
Lee Siegel / New York Times:
We're Not Laughing at You, or With You — Enough of the labyrinthine Iraq war, the interminable mortgage crisis and the plummeting economy. Let's talk about the bloody crossroads where satire goes searching for its target. — Last week, in the aftermath of The New Yorker's …
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New York Times:
Political Memo: Closed Mouths, but Open Tryouts to Make the Team — Barack Obama and John McCain are in some ways hunting for running mates in plain sight.
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, The Carpetbagger Report, TPM Election Central, TIME.com, Brendan Nyhan and The Other McCain
Brian C. Mooney / Boston Globe:
Obama's paid staff dwarfing McCain's — Democrat targets 50 states as rival focuses on tossups — John McCain is sending smaller staffs to some states but spending more on TV ads than his rival, Barack Obama. (Carolyn Kaster/associated Press) — Behind the headlines about the unprecedented success …
MSNBC:
July 20: Al Gore, political roundtable — Al Gore, David Gregory, Chuck Todd — MR. TOM BROKAW: Our issues this Sunday: He served as Bill Clinton's vice president for eight years, then lost the presidential election to George W. Bush in 2000. He has since focused on his environmental crusade …
Gretchen Morgenson / New York Times:
Given a Shovel, Americans Dig Deeper Into Debt — The collection agencies call at least 20 times a day. For a little quiet, Diane McLeod stashes her phone in the dishwasher. — But right up until she hit the wall financially, Ms. McLeod was a dream customer for lenders.
Jim Tankersley / The Swamp:
Inauguration tix selling fast in Illinois — Like Cubs or White Sox fans booking their World Series seats at the All-Star Break, Illinois residents are snapping up tickets to celebrate Barack Obama's potential inauguration in Washington next year. — Never mind that native-son Obama …
CNN:
Obama: Situation in Afghanistan is ‘urgent’ — KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) — Sen. Barack Obama said Sunday that United States needs to focus on Afghanistan in its battle against terrorism. — “The Afghan government needs to do more. But we have to understand that the situation is precarious and urgent here in Afghanistan.
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