Top Items:
Dan Eggen / The Trail:
Maliki Aide's Statement Came After U.S. Call — The statement by an aide to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki calling his remarks in Der Spiegel “misinterpreted and mistranslated” followed a call to the prime minister's office from U.S. government officials in Iraq.
Discussion:
Firedoglake, DownWithTyranny!, Newshoggers.com, Oliver Willis, Obsidian Wings and TIME.com
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New York Times:
Comment Stings Maliki on Eve of Obama Visit — BAGHDAD — On the eve of Senator Barack Obama's visit to Iraq, its prime minister tried to step back Sunday from comments in an interview in which he appeared to support Mr. Obama's plan for troop withdrawal. — The interview with the prime minister …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Patterico's Pontifications, Washington Monthly, The Daily Dish, Flopping Aces and Fox News
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.
Discussion:
Patterico's Pontifications, Commentary, Los Angeles Times, politburo diktat 2.0, The Swamp, Booman Tribune, American Power, Macsmind, New York Times, NewsBusters.org, CNN, Right Wing Nut House, The Strata-Sphere, Matthew Yglesias, Taylor Marsh, The Impolitic, Jonathan Martin's Blogs, The Raw Story, The Political Carnival, Wake up America, Democrats.com, The Moderate Voice and Political Punch
Hilzoy / The Daily Dish:
More On Maliki — I've been thinking about the Maliki statement and its implications. Here's my take. — McCain's entire rationale, as a candidate, turns on Iraq and related issues, like terrorism and (to a lesser extent) Iran. What else is he going to run on? His grasp of the economy?
Discussion:
Newshoggers.com, Jack & Jill Politics, Matthew Yglesias, The Moderate Voice and The Carpetbagger Report
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
NICE TRY — Der Spiegel is standing by its story, its translation of what Maliki said.
NICE TRY — Der Spiegel is standing by its story, its translation of what Maliki said.
Jane Merrick / The Independent:
Brown plans to withdraw troops as he backs Obama over ‘war on terror’
Brown plans to withdraw troops as he backs Obama over ‘war on terror’
Tahman Bradley / Political Punch:
Barack Obama's Butterfly Effect — Today on CBS's Face the Nation, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., in Afghanistan, told the paparazzi-pursued correspondent Lara Logan that “the objective of this trip was to have substantive discussions with people like President Karzai or Prime Minister Maliki …
Pamela Geller / Atlas Shrugs:
ATLAS EXCLUSIVE: FINAL REPORT ON OBAMA BIRTH CERTIFICATE FORGERY CHANGE YOU CAN BELIEVE IN — Techdude delivers a final report that exceeds my wildest expectations. It is irrefutable, empirical evidence - Obama's birth certificate is a forgery. … My deepest thanks and appreciation …
Discussion:
Israel Insider, Scared Monkeys, The Strata-Sphere, pandagon.net, American Power, A Newt One and Gateway Pundit
Nicole Belle / Crooks and Liars:
The Chris Matthews Show: Why The White House REALLY Wants McCain To Win — We've long since documented the desperate lengths that John McCain is willing to go to win the office of the Presidency, even to the point of hiring the same people responsible for those whisper campaigns in 2000 …
Eric Gorski / Associated Press:
Dobson shifts positions, may endorse McCain — Conservative Christian leader James Dobson has softened his stance against Republican presidential hopeful John McCain, saying he could reverse his position and endorse the Arizona senator despite serious misgivings.
Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Obama flunks history, again — After receiving a hailstorm of criticism for considering Brandenburg Gate for a public speech, as well as official German dissuasion, Barack Obama moved the venue to the Siegessäule monument. Obama will speak about “historic” US-German relations …
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Lindsay Beyerstein / Majikthise:
McCain's senior foreign policy advisor tied to global petro-influence peddling — John McCain's senior foreign policy adviser is a close business associate of Stephen Payne, the lobbyist caught on tape offering access to top administration officials in exchange for donations to the Bush Library.
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 …
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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.
Snubbed by Obama — Barack Obama is on his way to Europe, where an adoring public awaits.
Discussion:
protein wisdom, www.redstate.com, Blue Girl, Red State, No More Mister Nice Blog, Wake up America and Commentary
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.
Discussion:
Calculated Risk, The Democratic Daily, slacktivist, Fact-esque, Don Surber, CL&P Blog and The Big Picture
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Mark Hemingway / The Corner:
Those Wily Evangelicals — Despite all the hype over Obama's religious outreach, a new Pew survey indicates Obama actually has slightly less support from evangelicals than John Kerry had at this point four years ago. Not that this translates into evangelical enthusiasm for 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 …
Hindrocket / Power Line:
BLOWING THE WHISTLE ON GLOBAL WARMING — David Evans was a consultant to the “Australian Greenhouse Office” from 1999 to 2005. He is a former global warming alarmist; however, he is also a scientist who goes where the evidence leads him. In this important article in The Australian …