Top Items:
Hindrocket / Power Line:
MCCAIN HITS HARD — Before a military audience in Denver today, John McCain launched his strongest attack yet against Barack Obama. The attack was devastating because it is true. Here are some excerpts; McCain began by recalling the beginning of the surge: … That recitation of Obama's conduct is entirely factual.
Bob Herbert / New York Times:
Getting to Know You — The conventional wisdom in this radically unconventional presidential race is that the voters have to get to know Barack Obama better. That's what this week's overseas trip was about: to showcase the senator as a potential commander in chief and leader of U.S. foreign policy.
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Think Progress:
McCain Embraces 16-Month Withdrawal: 'I Think It's A Pretty Good Timetable' — Following Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's declaration of support for a 16-month withdrawal timeline from Iraq, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) has been struggling to respond. He spent most of this week railing against any …
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, The Carpetbagger Report, New York Times, Mercury News, Firedoglake, democracyarsenal.org and RADAMISTO
Michael Cooper / The Caucus:
McCain: A ‘Pretty Good Timetable’ — First the Iraqi government gave Senator Barack Obama a boost by seeming to embrace his proposal for a 16-month timetable for withdrawing American troops from Iraq. But could Senator John McCain, who built his candidacy in large part on his opposition …
The Politico:
Obama veep team floats Republican name — Barack Obama's vice presidential search team has floated the name of a member of President Bush's first-term Cabinet, Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman, as Obama's running mate. — The search committee, now led by Caroline Kennedy and Eric Holder …
New York Times:
4,000 U.S. Combat Deaths, and Just a Handful of Images — BAGHDAD — The case of a freelance photographer in Iraq who was barred from covering the Marines after he posted photos on the Internet of several of them dead has underscored what some journalists say is a growing effort …
John E. Mulligan / Projo Politics Blog:
Reed on the vice presidency: I want to stay in Senate — WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, the object of heightened speculation this week after his tour of Afghanistan and Iraq at the side of Barack Obama, today played down the suggestion that the Democratic presidential candidate would consider him as a running mate.
Gavin M. / Sadly, No!:
Throughline — I'm working on the unfinished Obama/Goldberg post below, but in the meantime, please enjoy this emerging classic of the mass-forwarded email genre. — This isn't one of those snarky jokes we're so often accused of making. It's real, and it's likely coming soon to an inbox near you …
Discussion:
Hullabaloo
Mark Murray / MSNBC:
GRATION AND THE LANDSTUHL CONTROVERSY — From NBC's Jim Miklaszewski — In his official capacity as a sitting US senator, Obama has every right to stay in touch with America's men and women in uniform. According to Pentagon officials, the problem was that Obama's request to visit Landstuhl included …
Christopher Beam / Trailhead:
The $2.8 Trillion Deficit Gap: Holtz-Eakin Responds — John McCain's tax policy has come under fire in the past, particularly for its dependence on huge revenue windfalls to balance the budget. But now a new study from the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center (a joint venture between Brookings …
Discussion:
Wonk Room
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Stuart Taylor Jr / National Journal Online:
In the Balance — DEPENDING ON WHO WINS THE PRESIDENCY, THE SUPREME COURT COULD TURN SHARPLY TO THE RIGHT OR SEE ITS FIRST CRUSADING LIBERAL JUSTICE IN MANY YEARS. — Sat. — Among the starkest contrasts between John McCain and Barack Obama is the dramatic difference in their promised approaches …
Matt Stoller / Open Left:
Democratic Congressional Candidate Alan Grayson on Iraq Reckoning: “We'll Put People in Prison” — One of the most exciting candidates I've met this cycle is Alan Grayson, a high profile trial lawyer who has been suing defense contractors for fraud, and is now running for Florida's eighth district in central Florida.
Rasmussen Reports:
55% Rate Obama's Berlin Speech Good or Excellent; 46% Think Europe Should Be More Like U.S. — Over half of Americans (55%) rate Barack Obama's historic speech in Berlin yesterday good or excellent, and the Democratic presidential candidate is experiencing a modest bounce over John McCain nationally …