Top Items:
The Politico:
Kaine ‘very, very high’ on VP shortlist — As Senator Barack Obama turns to the choice of his running mate, Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine has emerged as one of the campaign's potential finalists, sources familiar with conversations in Richmond and in Chicago said.
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Washington Post:
Kaine in ‘Serious’ Talks With Obama — Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine has told close associates that he has had “very serious” conversations with Sen. Barack Obama about joining the Democratic presidential ticket and has provided documents to the campaign as it combs through his background, according to several sources close to Kaine.
Discussion:
TalkLeft, The Strata-Sphere, Needlenose, The Swamp, Hot Air, Shakesville and RealClearPolitics
Adam Nagourney / New York Times:
Obama-Clinton Ticket Is Seen as Unlikely — WASHINGTON — When Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton abandoned her bid for the presidency and endorsed Senator Barack Obama in June, she made clear that she was interested in becoming his running mate, and Mr. Obama and his associates signaled respectfully that she would get full consideration.
The New Republic:
Is Anything Sacred? — Israeli newspaper Ma'ariv was lambasted for printing the note that Obama placed in the Western Wall, allegedly stolen by a Yeshiva student. “Notes which are placed in the Western Wall are between the person and his Maker; Heaven forbid that one should read them or use them in any way …
Discussion:
Pajamas Media, Political Machine, Jerusalem Post, Gateway Pundit, American Spectator and www.redstate.com
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Israel Insider:
Paper, rapped for outing Obama note, claims campaign pre-approved leak — What initially seemed to be a journalistic scoop of dubious moral propriety now seems to be a case of an Israeli paper being played by the Barack Obama campaign. Maariv, the second most popular newspaper in Israel …
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Reid plan splits Dems — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has split the Democratic front opposed to drilling with a plan that would open new areas for exploration. — Reid's proposal was meant to insulate Senate Democratic candidates from public anger over gas prices.
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Jeff Zeleny / New York Times:
A Canceled Obama Visit, and the Story Behind It — WASHINGTON — For four days, Senator John McCain has sought to keep alive a story about how Senator Barack Obama called off a visit to American troops recuperating from war wounds at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany.
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Steven Lee Myers / New York Times:
Bush Praises Pakistan Just Hours After U.S. Strike — WASHINGTON — President Bush on Monday praised Pakistan's commitment to fighting extremists along its deteriorating border with Afghanistan, only hours after an American missile strike destroyed what American and Pakistani officials described …
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MSNBC:
Transcript: ‘Response ... will be a positive one’ — Ahmadinejad welcomes ‘new behavior’ from United States, if sincere … WILLIAMS: Mr. President, I know you wanted to begin with a statement. — AHMADINEJAD: In the name of God, the compassionate, the merciful, a prayer for the emergence of the 12th imam.
Wall Street Journal:
The Price of RomneyCare — Gearing up for 2009, liberals are eager to claim Massachusetts as a Valhalla of health reform. Their enthusiasm is apparently evidence-proof. — Even Mitt Romney, who should know better, took to these pages recently to proclaim, “Health-care reform is working in Massachusetts.”
Discussion:
The Corner
American Prospect:
How Important Was the Surge? — Ten Iraq experts weigh in on the effectiveness of the surge. — The past few weeks have been momentous for the national conversation about Iraq. Nouri al-Maliki's explicitly stated insistence on a timetable for American withdrawal was transformative.
Discussion:
Outside The Beltway, Winds of Change.NET, The Anonymous Liberal, JustOneMinute, The Daily Dish, Hot Air and CNN
Richard Cohen / Real Clear Politics:
Known Unknowns About Obama — “Just tell me one thing Barack Obama has done that you admire,” I asked a prominent Democrat. He paused and then said that he admired Obama's speech to the Democratic convention in 2004. I agreed. It was a hell of a speech, but it was just a speech.
Discussion:
Commentary
RJ Eskow / The Huffington Post:
Monster: Who Really Killed the Knoxville Unitarians? — I'd say that Unitarians were God's thoughtful people, but they make no particular claims about God. In some parts of the country that takes real courage. — My first wife and I joined a Unitarian church in suburban DC and raised our kids there.
Barry Ritholtz / The Big Picture:
Merrill's $5.7B Write-Down, $8.5B Share Issuance — I'm on an earlier than usual train home today, to take the missus out to dinner (she just flew back into NY today). Change at Jamaica, bump into a Natexis derivative trader I know from my old neighborhood. Our train comes, I sit with him, along with his pals from Merrill.