memeorandum: 4 Spitzer Aides Broke Ethics Law, Panel Says (Nicholas Confessore/New York Times)

11:35 AM ET, July 25, 2008

Top Items:

Playing Innocent Abroad — Radical optimism is America's contribution to the world. The early settlers thought America's founding would bring God's kingdom to earth. John Adams thought America would emancipate “the slavish part of mankind all over the earth.”

Discussion: Spiegel Online, Donklephant, American Spectator, International Herald Tribune, Commentary, Crunchy Con, Washington Post, Sister Toldjah and TIME.com

Mike Allen / The Politico:

Obama promises to ‘remake the world’ — Addressing more than 200,000 elated Europeans massed in Berlin at twilight, presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama promised Thursday that he would work to unite Christians, Muslims and Jews in a safer, more united world.

Discussion: Washington Post, Agence France Presse, Wall Street Journal, The New Republic, Commentary, TPM Election Central, New York Times, American Thinker, Pajamas Media, michellemalkin.com, Towleroad.com and American Spectator

CNN:
Obama wins hearts, not minds, in Berlin

Discussion: Hot Air

Gerhard Spörl / Spiegel Online:
No. 44 Has Spoken — Anyone who saw Barack Obama at Berlin's …

Gerard Baker / Times of London:

He ventured forth to bring light to the world — The anointed one's pilgrimage to the Holy Land is a miracle in action - and a blessing to all his faithful followers — And it came to pass, in the eighth year of the reign of the evil Bush the Younger (The Ignorant), when the whole land …

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blogs, michellemalkin.com, www.redstate.com, Right Wing News, Swampland, Dr. Melissa Clouthier and Althouse

Washington Post:

McCain May Act Soon on VP Pick — Aides Predict Announcement Before Olympics — Anxious to counter the blanket media coverage that has followed Sen. Barack Obama on his overseas journey, Sen. John McCain is weighing whether to announce his running mate in the coming weeks before the spotlight shifts …

Discussion: The Swamp, Wall Street Journal, RealClearPolitics, MSNBC, TPM Election Central, TIME.com, Emptywheel, PoliBlog (TM) and Real Clear Politics

Mark Murray / MSNBC: FIRST THOUGHTS: THE TURNING POINT?

CNN:
McCain talks up Pawlenty

Discussion: Blue Girl, Red State and Power Line

Matthew Yglesias:

Thesis Follies — Steve Sailer darkly hints: … Meanwhile, Noam Scheiber writes about reporters' efforts to get their hands on a copy of Barack Obama's senior thesis, all copies of which have apparently gone missing from Columbia. The thesis was about nuclear negotiating strategies …

Discussion: The New Republic

Jaime Sneider / Weekly Standard Blog:

Obama's Missing Thesis — The latest report on Obama's missing thesis comes from MSNBC. Written his senior year at Columbia University, Obama's thesis was about Soviet nuclear disarmament. It's only natural to wonder what the budding socialist turned presidential candidate thought of nuclear proliferation in the early 1980s.

Discussion: MSNBC, Macsmind and Open Left

Alissa J. Rubin / New York Times:
U.S. Expands Visa Program for Iraqi Allies

Discussion: Newshoggers.com, Debbie Schlussel, rubber hose and On Deadline

Andrew Klavan / Wall Street Journal:

What Bush and Batman Have in Common — A cry for help goes out from a city beleaguered by violence and fear: A beam of light flashed into the night sky, the dark symbol of a bat projected onto the surface of the racing clouds . . . Oh, wait a minute. That's not a bat, actually.

Discussion: Blog P.I., protein wisdom, The New Republic, World-O-Crap, Political Machine, Fact-esque, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Gawker, democracyarsenal.org, The Daily Dish, Democratic Strategist and Cogitamus

Peter Nicholas / Los Angeles Times:

Obama's path to presidency is far from clear — The Democrat is winning fans on his trip abroad, but is struggling to gain real ground against McCain at home. Some key Clinton backers remain alienated. — WASHINGTON — Even as his turn on the global stage hit an emotional peak Thursday …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, MSNBC and Associated Press

Elisabeth Bumiller / New York Times:

Hey, Obama: There's Bratwurst in Ohio, Too (but No Cheering Masses) — COLUMBUS, Ohio — Senator John McCain's presidential campaign recovered from a near-death experience almost exactly a year ago, and political candidates stumble in and out of troughs all the time.

Discussion: Firedoglake, Salon, MSNBC, USA Today and TIME.com

Brad Friedman / The BRAD BLOG:

Rove Threatened GOP IT Guru If He Does Not ‘Take the Fall’ for Election Fraud in Ohio, Says Attorney — Karl Rove has threatened a GOP high-tech guru and his wife, if he does not “'take the fall' for election fraud in Ohio,” according to a letter sent this morning to Attorney General Michael Mukasey …

Discussion: Newshoggers.com, American Street and Blue Girl, Red State

Ben Smith / The Politico:

Sarkozy: Obama's my ‘pal’ — French President Nicolas Sarkozy is offering Obama a warm welcome on the day of their meeting, in an interview with the conservative daily Le Figaro. — “Obama? He's my pal,” the president told Le Figaro. “Unlike my diplomatic advisors, I never believed in Hillary Clinton's chances.

Discussion: The New Republic, TIME.com, Political Machine, Times of India, Booman Tribune and American Street

Jonathan Martin / Jonathan Martin's Blogs:

Obama camp says Pentagon nixed troop visit — Barack Obama's campaign issued a statement last night explaining that it canceled its planned visit to wounded American troops in Germany because the Department of Defense expressed concerns that it might appear overly political.

Lynn Sweet:
Pentagon tells Obama not to visit U.S. troops at German base …

Discussion: The Hill's Blog Briefing Room

Charles Krauthammer / Washington Post:

Maliki Votes for Obama — In a stunning upset, Barack Obama this week won the Iraq primary. When Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki not once but several times expressed support for a U.S. troop withdrawal on a timetable that accorded roughly with Obama's 16-month proposal, he did more than legitimize the plan.

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias, Swampland, ATTACKERMAN, Soccer Dad and American Prospect

Howard Kurtz / Washington Post:

Obama Abroad: We Get the Picture — The Candidate Looked Good This Week. Did the Press? — After saying little in public during a weekend in Iraq and Afghanistan, Barack Obama met with traveling reporters near Jordan's Temple of Hercules, a gladiator standing his ground against the media hordes.

Discussion: The Caucus, www.redstate.com and Commentary

Larry Margasak / Associated Press:

AP: Food industry bitten by its lobbying success — WASHINGTON - One of the worst outbreaks of foodborne illness in the U.S. is teaching the food industry the truth of the adage, “Be careful what you wish for because you might get it.” — The industry pressured the Bush administration years ago …

Discussion: AMERICAblog News and Corrente