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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.”


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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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.


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 …

Neighbors: Accused shooter everyone's friend, questioned Christianity — The man accused of a mass church shooting this morning was described by his Powell neighbors as a helpful and kind man, but one who had issues with Christianity. — Jim D. Adkisson, 58, has been charged …
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Several people shot at gay affirming church in Knoxville
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protein wisdom, Shakesville, Pam's House Blend, Orcinus, pandagon.net, Scared Monkeys, The Moderate Voice, Wake up America, On Deadline and WBIR-TV

Police: Man shot churchgoers over liberal views
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JONATHAN TURLEY


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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Senate's ‘Dr. No’ Spurs Showdown Over Spending — Instead of a keepsake photo of a political hero or his family, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) has a large framed picture next to his desk that serves as a constant reminder of his political ideology. Inside the black frame and matting is a single word, in large white letters: “No.”

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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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 …


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.
Discussion:
Newshoggers.com, Outside The Beltway, Eschaton, The Impolitic, Don Surber and The American Mind


China's Cars, Accelerating A Global Demand for Fuel — SONGJIANG, China — Nodding his head to the disco music blaring out of his car's nine speakers, Zhang Linsen swings the shiny, black Hummer H2 out of his company's gates and on to the spacious four-lane road.
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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 …


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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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 …


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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Jonathan Martin's Blogs
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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” …

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 …
Discussion:
Buck Naked Politics, rubber hose, QandO, ATTACKERMAN, Gateway Pundit, A Newt One, Connecting.the.Dots, LewRockwell.com Blog and CNN

Cuomo to Obama: Be specific — Former governor, at FBI fete, says he's unhappy with presidential race — COLONIE — Former Gov. Mario Cuomo expressed concern Friday night that Sen. Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, is not offering specific policy positions.