memeorandum: Small Miracles — There was a shooting at the Tennessee Valley … (Confederate Yankee)

7:20 PM ET, July 28, 2008

Top Items:

Gains for McCain in latest USA TODAY/Gallup Poll — Republican presidential candidate John McCain moved from being behind by 6 points among “likely” voters a month ago to a 4-point lead over Democrat Barack Obama among that group in the latest USA TODAY/Gallup Poll.

Discussion: TIME.com, The Huffington Post, TPM Election Central, Campaign Diaries, Newsweek Blogs, Political Machine, The Nation, Taegan Goddard's …, Hot Air, Don Surber, MyDD, Boston Globe, American Spectator, The Other McCain and American Power

Gallup:

Gallup Daily: Obama 48%, McCain 40% — No further gains for Obama in latest update — PRINCETON, NJ — Barack Obama's lead over John McCain has settled back slightly to a 48% to 40% margin among registered voters in Gallup Poll Daily tracking conducted July 25-27.

Discussion: The Campaign Spot, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room and Washington Wire

Adam Nagourney / New York Times:

Where's the Bounce? — WASHINGTON — It is a question that has hovered over Senator Barack Obama even as he has passed milestone after milestone in his race for the White House: Why is he not doing better? — It shadowed him as he struggled against Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton …

Discussion: Taylor Marsh, puma pac and Connecting.the.Dots

Tom Bevan / Real Clear Politics:

Gallup/USA Today Poll: McCain +4 — This one should set the tongues wagging: … This is the first poll showing McCain with a lead over Obama since a May 1-3 Gallup/USA Today survey showed him with a slim 1 point lead. A Fox News poll at the end of April had McCain up 3.

Discussion: Weekly Standard Blog, TalkLeft, Commentary, The Volokh Conspiracy and Patterico's Pontifications

Hayes Hickman / Knoxville News-Sentinel:

Bill O'Reilly, Michael Savage, Sean Hannity on accused shooter's reading list — 4-page letter outlines frustration, hatred of ‘liberal movement’ — Please download the latest version of Adobe Flash Player, or enable JavaScript for your browser to view the video player.

Discussion: Firedoglake, Orcinus, Out & About Newspaper, Sister Toldjah, INSTAPUTZ, alicublog, Macsmind, No More Mister Nice Blog, On Deadline, Open Left, Pam's House Blend, The Mahablog and Left in the West

Confederate Yankee:

Small Miracles — There was a shooting at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville, TN yesterday during a children's play. Two people have died, and seven more are recovering from injuries that resulted when an unemployed man with a long history of verbal hostility …

Discussion: Reuters

Associated Press:
Police: Killer targeted liberal church

Discussion: Firedoglake, Shakesville, MSNBC, The Daou Report, Pam's House Blend and WBIR-TV

Bob Fowler / Knoxville News-Sentinel:
Accused church shooter threatened to kill wife, himself

Discussion: Shakesville and Pharyngula

Maureen O'Donnell / Chicago Sun Times:

Sun-Times columnist Robert Novak says he has brain tumor — Biopsy set for later today — Chicago Sun-Times columnist Robert Novak said today he has been diagnosed with a brain tumor but says that, “God willing,” he plans to be back at work soon. — Novak said he was diagnosed Sunday …

Discussion: The Swamp, Hot Air, The LA Times President … and Top of the Ticket

Human Events:

Robert Novak Hospitalized — Robert Novak was admitted yesterday to a Boston hospital where he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. In a written statement given to his publisher, Novak said: — “On Sunday, July 27, I was diagnosed with a brain tumor. I have been admitted to Brigham …

Discussion: New York Times, American Street, NewsBusters.org, The Other McCain, Taegan Goddard's …, Patterico's Pontifications and protein wisdom

Associated Press:

Columnist Robert Novak has brain tumor — BOSTON - Syndicated columnist and former “Crossfire” host Robert Novak has been diagnosed with a brain tumor and is suspending his journalistic work. — Novak issued a statement Monday saying the tumor was found Sunday after he had been rushed …

Discussion: The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, michellemalkin.com and Salon

Carrie Johnson / Washington Post:

Justice Officials Repeatedly Broke Law on Hiring, Report Says — Former Justice Department counselor Monica M. Goodling and former chief of staff D. Kyle Sampson routinely broke the law by conducting political litmus tests on candidates for jobs as immigration judges and line prosecutors …

Discussion: TPMMuckraker, Associated Press, Washington Monthly, The Gavel, Matthew Yglesias, The New Republic, The Washington Independent, The Carpetbagger Report, DownWithTyranny!, Martini Revolution and The Huffington Post

Ali / Think Progress:

Goodling Passed Over Experienced Counterterrorism Prosecutor Because Wife Was A Democrat — In today's Justice Department report on Monica Goodling's and other DOJ officials' politicization of the department, the investigators reveal that Goodling's political considerations were …

Discussion: Happy Furry Puppy Story … and Hullabaloo

Jonathan Godfrey / The United States House …:
Conyers, Sánchez Consider Criminal Referral Concerning DoJ …

Discussion: AMERICAblog News and The LA Times President …

Lara Jakes Jordan / Associated Press:
Report finds Justice aides illegally discriminated against career …

Discussion: Firedoglake, Los Angeles Times, Emptywheel, Think Progress and Group News Blog

Eric Lichtblau / New York Times:
Gonzales Aides Broke Laws in Hiring, Report Concludes

Discussion: The Swamp, Secrecy News, Prairie Weather and ACSBlog

Satyam / Think Progress:
Goodling Rejected ‘Outstanding’ …

Discussion: TPMMuckraker and Blue Girl, Red State

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.

Discussion: MSNBC, Hot Air and TIME.com

Jeffrey Ressner / The Politico:
The Streisand interview — “She sometimes answers questions by e-mail …

Discussion: The Swamp and Top of the Ticket

Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
Veepstakes: Divining Obama's Thinking

Discussion: Washington Post, Consortiumnews.com and NO QUARTER

Andrew Malcolm / Top of the Ticket:
Staunch Hillary Clinton delegate axed by Wisconsin party

Discussion: Hot Air, Wake up America and The Other McCain

Marc Ambinder:

Double Entendre Kisses Off MoveOn's Youth Moblization Effort — MoveOn.Org claims this is the first political ad to air on Comedy Central: — “I've been living with it for a while now.” — No, not the syph. — It's “hope.” The guy on the right is Rider Strong from “Boy Meets World.”

Discussion: protein wisdom

Mark Silva / The Swamp:
‘Hope, it could happen to you:’ (on MTV)

Discussion: Top of the Ticket

Allahpundit / Hot Air: New MoveOn ad: This is your brain on Hope

Mark Murray / MSNBC:
MOVEON UP WITH NEW PRO-OBAMA AD

Discussion: Gateway Pundit, Ben Smith's Blogs and Wonkette

Jerusalem Post:

Attorney: Probe Israeli paper for printing Obama note — Attorney Shahar Alon petitioned Attorney-General Menahem Mazuz on Sunday to order police to open a criminal investigation against the editor of Ma'ariv and other correspondents from the newspaper following its publication …

Discussion: Israel Insider, Ben Smith's Blogs and Hot Air

The New Republic:
Is Anything Sacred? — Israeli newspaper Ma'ariv was lambasted …

Discussion: American Spectator

JTA / Jerusalem Post:
Yeshiva student returns Obama's Kotel note

Discussion: MEANINGFUL DISTRACTION

James Gordon Meek / NY Daily News:

Go take a hike, injured vets tell nervy Cheney — WASHINGTON - Vice President Cheney's invitation to address wounded combat veterans next month has been yanked because the group felt his security demands were Draconian and unreasonable. — The veep had planned to speak to the Disabled American Veterans …

Discussion: The LA Times President …, The Sideshow and The Carpetbagger Report

William Kristol / New York Times:

Be Afraid. Please. — Life is full of disappointments. — Early Friday, I went to the Real Clear Politics Web site, as I do every morning, for my fix of political news and commentary. I perked up when I saw the third entry on the list of that day's notable articles — “No. 44 Has Spoken.”

Discussion: Washington Post, Weekly Standard Blog, The Daily Dish, The Moderate Voice, Martini Revolution, The Raw Story, No More Mister Nice Blog, I Don't Like You Either, The Huffington Post, TPMCafe, The New Republic and dallasmorningviewsblog …

Roger Runningen / Bloomberg:

U.S. Deficit to Reach Record $490 Billion in 2009 — The U.S. budget deficit will widen to a record of about $490 billion next year, an administration official said, leaving a deep budget hole that will constrain the next president's tax and spending plans.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice and The Washington Independent

Brianna Keilar / CNN:
White House projects record deficit for 2009

Discussion: USA Today, Crooks and Liars and Pensito Review

Katie Fretland / The Swamp:

McCain has spot removed, awaits biopsy — Sen. John McCain, who survived melanoma three times after suffering sun damage from his years as a Vietnam POW, said he had a spot of skin removed from his right cheek today. Doctors will perform a biopsy of the spot, AP reports.

Discussion: Jonathan Martin's Blogs

Reuters: McCain has spot removed from his face: aide

Mark Murray / MSNBC:

A NOTE ABOUT THE OBAMA STAFFING TODAY — From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli — Obama departed Reagan-National Airport in DC 10 minutes ago en route to his economic event. — It's worth noting that campaign manager David Plouffe is traveling with the candidate today (which I understand has happened …

Discussion: TIME.com and Taegan Goddard's …

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: CNN, The Daily Dish and JustOneMinute

Andrew Malcolm / Top of the Ticket:

Change Obama can't believe in; he's on a ticket with Larry Craig — Here's how Republican Idaho is: — In 1992, Bill Clinton came within 1 percentage point of finishing third there in the general election behind President George H.W. Bush and Ross Perot.

Discussion: The Sleuth, The Swamp and Wake up America

Associated Press: Oops! Wrong Larry shown on Idaho campaign buttons

Bonnie Fuller / AdAge:

Bonnie Fuller on Team Obama's Tabloid Strategy — Portraying Barack and Michelle as Brangelina Is Working — It's official. The Obamas are just like us. With their latest PR move — being photographed as a family for this week's People magazine cover story titled “The Obamas At Home” …

Discussion: protein wisdom, Marc Ambinder, Gawker, michellemalkin.com and Taylor Marsh