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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.”
Juliet Eilperin / Washington Post:
McCain Says Obama Plays Politics on Iraq — Some Fellow Republicans Question Tactics — In his most direct challenge yet of his Democratic presidential rival's Iraq policy, Sen. John McCain suggested yesterday that Sen. Barack Obama had crafted a war strategy designed to further his own political advancement.
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Domenico Montanaro / MSNBC:
FIRST THOUGHTS: ANALYZE THIS — From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro — *** Analyze this: We've now crossed the 100-day mark before Election Day, and the chattering class is going to obsessed with two things this week: 1) over-analyzing the veepstakes and 2) over-analyzing any overseas bounce for Obama.
Jerry Jones / Out & About Newspaper:
Several people shot at gay affirming church in Knoxville — Shooter may have targeted church because of its support for gays — [Editor's note: If you are gay and attend this church, please contact O&AN Editor Joey Leslie at jleslie@outandaboutnewspaper.com or call 615-596-6210.] — Publisher
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J.J. Stambaugh / Knoxville News-Sentinel:
Neighbors: Accused shooter everyone's friend, questioned Christianity
Neighbors: Accused shooter everyone's friend, questioned Christianity
Duncan Mansfield / Associated Press:
Police: Man shot churchgoers over liberal views
Police: Man shot churchgoers over liberal views
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JONATHAN TURLEY
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 …
Carl Hulse / New York Times:
Democrats Try to Break Grip of the Senate's Dr. No — WASHINGTON — Congress has dealt for decades with catchall bills known as omnibus legislation. Now, for the first time, comes the Tomnibus. — A product of Democratic frustration with the tactics of Senator Tom Coburn …
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Ezra Klein / American Prospect:
TOO HARD FOR YOU TO UNDERSTAND. — For reasons that I try not to speculate on before 9am, the media likes to make policy disputes sound incredibly complicated. Much too complicated for mortals to understand, or base electoral behavior on. Take this Time article on the various tax plans floating around the election.
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Robert D. Novak / Washington Post:
Closer Than He Should Be — In the contest for president, Barack Obama is a magnetic candidate supported by a disciplined, well-organized campaign. John McCain seems wooden, with a campaign that appears to be in shambles. Yet Obama's lead in the polls over McCain is fragile because he so far …
Christopher Conkey / Wall Street Journal:
Funds for Highways Plummet As Drivers Cut Gasoline Use — An unprecedented cutback in driving is slashing the funds available to rebuild the nation's aging highway system and expand mass-transit options, underscoring the economic impact of high gasoline prices.
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Washington Post:
For Obama, Hurdles in Expanding Black Vote — MACON, Ga. — Amanda Bass, a volunteer for Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign, had already tried once to get Wilmer Gray to register to vote. But when she glimpsed him in a black T-shirt and White Sox cap again on a recent weekday …
Keith Bradsher / New York Times:
Fuel Subsidies Overseas Take a Toll on U.S. — JAKARTA, Indonesia — To understand why fuel prices in the United States have soared over the last year, it helps to talk to the captain of a battered wooden freighter here. — He pays just $2.30 a gallon for diesel, the same price Indonesian motorists pay for regular gasoline.
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New York Times:
Bomb Attacks in Baghdad and Kirkuk Leave Dozens Dead — BAGHDAD — Female bombers struck Kurdish political protesters in Kirkuk and Shiite pilgrims in Baghdad on Monday morning, leaving at least 48 people dead and 249 wounded in one of the bloodiest sequences of attacks in Iraq this year.
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Richard Wolf / USA Today:
Record deficit expected in 2009 — WASHINGTON — The White House has increased its estimate for next year's deficit to nearly $490 billion, a record figure that will saddle the next president with deepening budget problems in his first year in office, a report due out Monday shows.
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Jonathan Weisman / Washington Post:
Federal Deficit Grows After Three Years of Decline
Federal Deficit Grows After Three Years of Decline
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Wall Street Journal:
Docking Paychecks for Politics — The mighty Service Employees International Union (SEIU) plans to spend some $150 million in this year's election, most of it to get Barack Obama and other Democrats elected. Where'd they get that much money? — That's a question the Departments of Labor …
The Politico:
McCain takes aim at Obama's character — As Barack Obama traveled overseas, the campaign against him appeared to take a decisive new turn when John McCain zeroed in on his Democratic opponent's character. — In a year when polls show an easy victory for a generic Democratic candidate …
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Matthew Yglesias:
Shame Economics — Many analysts believe that the incidence of the gas tax falls mostly on oil companies rather than on gasoline consumers and that, therefore, a “gas tax holiday” as proposed by John McCain would do much more to increase the profitability of oil firms than to help out average Americans.
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” …
Pierre Thomas / ABCNEWS:
U.S. Headed for ‘Heightened Alert’ Stage — Exclusive: Major Events on the Horizon Prompt a Surge in Anti-Terror Efforts — Government officials have been quietly stepping up counterterror efforts out of a growing concern that al Qaeda or similar organizations might try to capitalize …
Nancy A. Youssef / McClatchy Washington Bureau:
Petraeus won't join bandwagon for Iraq withdrawal timetable — BAGHDAD — The top U.S. military commander in Iraq isn't buying the increasingly popular idea of a publicly stated timetable for American troop withdrawal. — Gen. David Petraeus, the Iraq commander, said in an interview …
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