Top Items:
Joe Klein / Swampland:
McCain Meltdown — John McCain said this today in Rochester, New Hampshire: … This is the ninth presidential campaign I've covered. I can't remember a more scurrilous statement by a major party candidate. It smacks of desperation. It renews questions about whether McCain has the right temperament for the presidency.
Discussion:
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Thomas L. Friedman / New York Times:
All Hail ‘McBama’ — John McCain needs to wake up and smell the Arabic coffee. — I know this is not an easy time for him. When you have been beaten up for four years because of your support for the Iraq war, and then you get something big right — your support for the surge — you want to be able to savor that for a while.
Washington Post:
Mr. Obama in Iraq — THE INITIAL MEDIA coverage of Barack Obama's visit to Iraq suggested that the Democratic candidate found agreement with his plan to withdraw all U.S. combat forces on a 16-month timetable. So it seems worthwhile to point out that, by Mr. Obama's own account …
Discussion:
Matthew Yglesias, Betsy's Page, ATTACKERMAN, Back Talk, NewsBusters.org, Hot Air, www.redstate.com, MSNBC, The Strata-Sphere, JustOneMinute, Firedoglake, Commentary and Rising Hegemon
Greg Sargent / TPM Election Central:
Washington Post Editorial Falsely Claims Iraqi Political Leaders …
Washington Post Editorial Falsely Claims Iraqi Political Leaders …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo
Jeff Zeleny / New York Times:
On Mideast Tour, Obama Meeting Olmert and Abbas
On Mideast Tour, Obama Meeting Olmert and Abbas
Discussion:
Ben Smith's Blogs, Pajamas Media, The Caucus, TIME.com, Real Clear Politics, FP Passport and Israel Matzav
The Politico:
Breaking: Novak cited after hitting pedestrian — Syndicated columnist Robert D. Novak was cited by police after he hit a pedestrian with his black Corvette in downtown Washington, D.C., Wednesday morning. — A Politico reporter saw Novak in the front of a police car with a citation in his hand …
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Faiz / Think Progress:
Witness: ‘No way’ Novak didn't know he hit someone; victim was ‘splayed across the front’ of his car. — Politico reports that conservative pundit Robert Novak “was cited by police after he hit a pedestrian with his black Corvette in downtown Washington, D.C., Wednesday morning.”
Carrie Budoff Brown / The Politico:
Obama tour staged for political pop — JERUSALEM - Democrat Barack Obama doesn't travel light. — Halfway around the world, the Obama campaign machine appears as sprawling and seamless as it is on its home turf. As the presumptive Democratic nominee tours five countries in five days …
Discussion:
New York Times, The Caucus, Gateway Pundit, Spin Cycle, Blue Girl, Red State and Donklephant
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New York Times:
Bush Drops Opposition to Housing Bill — WASHINGTON — The White House said Wednesday that President Bush had dropped his opposition to the housing bill moving through Congress, clearing the way for a broad package of legislation that would shore up the nation's troubled mortgage companies …
Will Lester / Associated Press:
Obama daughters keep hectic schedules of their own
Obama daughters keep hectic schedules of their own
Discussion:
michellemalkin.com
CNN:
Is McCain inching towards Pawlenty? — ROCHESTER, New Hampshire (CNN) - It's VP tea leaf reading season, and a Republican source who attended a small private meeting with John McCain Tuesday in New Hampshire tells CNN that the GOP candidate dropped a serious hint about Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty.
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Fox News:
Jindal Says He's Not Interested in No. 2 Spot With McCain — Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said Wednesday he will not run for vice president on the GOP ticket, making him among a growing number of those pulling themselves out of the race. — Jindal's comments come as speculation is swirling …
Byron York / The Corner:
So Presidential. So Supremely Confident. So Confidently Striding. The Jacket... The New York Times critic Alessandra Stanley, last mentioned in the Corner for her assertion that Rev. Jeremiah Wright “revealed himself to be the compelling but slightly wacky uncle who unsettles strangers …
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Alessandra Stanley / New York Times:
Obama Overseas! In Presidential Mode! Back Home, It's McCain in a Golf Cart. — It wasn't a television blackout of John McCain; it was worse: split-screen contrasts that at times made it seem as if Barack Obama was on a state visit while back home his opponent chafed at the perks and privileges of an incumbent commander in chief.
Dean Barnett / Weekly Standard Blog:
Obama Ignorance Watch (A Very Special Edition!) — As you know, Barack Obama is still trotting across the globe, sinking three pointers, ignoring military counsel and healing the occasional leper. Amidst all the hullabaloo, these Obama comments regarding Israel and terrorism have been sadly overlooked:
Patrick Ruffini / The Next Right:
Obama Campaign Prints German-language Flyers for Berlin Rally — This is pretty extraordinary. A candidate for the American Presidency is using flyers printed in German to turn people out for his campaign rally in Berlin on Thursday. This flyer can be found on a bilingual page on BarackObama.com advertising the event:
Sam Stein / The Huffington Post:
McCain Camp Attacks Obama's Holocaust Museum Statement — The McCain campaign implied on Wednesday that Barack Obama's commitment to preventing a future genocide was not sincere, attacking the Democratic candidate during his appearance at the Israeli Holocaust Memorial Yad Vashem.
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Ilan Goldenberg / democracyarsenal.org:
Not a Gaffe: A Fundamental Misunderstanding of Iraq — John McCain made a mistake this evening, which as far as I'm concerned disqualifies him from being President. It is so appalling and so factually wrong that I'm actually sitting here wondering who McCain's advisers are.
Discussion:
AMERICAblog News, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, Ben Smith's Blogs, Washington Post, The Opinionator, The Huffington Post, DownWithTyranny!, Eschaton, Shakesville, ATTACKERMAN, The Washington Independent, The Jed Report, The Swamp, CBS News, Reason Magazine, The Carpetbagger Report, Matthew Yglesias, SquareState.net, Think Progress, Lawyers, Guns and Money and Hullabaloo
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Miya Shay / Houston Political Blog:
What did Bush say at Olson Fundraiser? — The President's folks didn't let the press in, but we got some exclusive video of POTUS talking up a storm at Pete Olson's fundraiser on July 18th. Click and take a look. transcript below the video. — What President Bush said:
Mark Halperin / TIME.com:
HALPERIN'S TAKE: What John McCain Needs to Win — What McCain needs to win: — Stuff he can't control: —For Obama to make a substantive mistake on his overseas trip that changes the vector direction of the coverage — especially while he is in Israel.
Marc Ambinder:
Tales From The JV Squad: No Press Avail — WILKES-BARRE, PA — The one scheduled McCain press conference of the week has just been canceled, we are told. No word as to why. Grumble, grumble. — Why? Scheduling. Which is like answering “food” to “what did you eat for breakfast.”