memeorandum: A U.S. Trial by Its Looks, but Only So (William Glaberson/New York Times)

10:20 AM ET, July 29, 2008

Top Items:

Sebelius, Kaine, Bayh, Biden — The following three Democrats are being vetted by Eric Holder and Caroline Kennedy and there is independent evidence that Obama is taking a serious look at them: — Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, Gov. Tim Kaine, Sen. Evan Bayh. — Additionally, allies …

Discussion: Spin Cycle

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.

The Politico:
Kaine ‘very, very high’ on VP shortlist

Discussion: The Swamp, Taegan Goddard's …, MSNBC, Political Machine, Politics Nation, FiveThirtyEight.com, Patterico's Pontifications, THE LIBERAL JOURNAL, Lonewacko, TIME.com, Boston Globe, The Fix, RealClearPolitics and The Democratic Daily

Richard Cohen / Washington Post:

Obama the Unknown — “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: protein wisdom, The Swamp, Firedoglake, Soccer Dad, www.redstate.com, Commentary, No More Mister Nice Blog, Rising Hegemon, Sadly, No! and Pajamas Media

Jill Lawrence / USA Today:
McCain gains on Obama in poll

Discussion: The Swamp, Real Clear Politics, Top of the Ticket, protein wisdom, NO QUARTER and Gun Toting Liberal Blog

David Rogers / The Politico:

Pelosi: 'I'm trying to save the planet' — Just call her Nancy the Navigator. — “I have always loved longitude,” Nancy Pelosi says before breaking into laughter. “I love latitude; it's in the stars. But longitude, it's about time. ... Time and clocks and all the rest of that have always been a fascination for me.”

Discussion: Don Surber, protein wisdom, The Corner, The Foundry and The Strata-Sphere

Andrew Malcolm / Top of the Ticket:

Bradley says No to Obama VP. What about Clinton? Not her. Him! — Just in case you're keeping score, yet another Democratic politician has said he would decline to be the vice presidential running mate of Sen. Barack Obama. — This one was a surprise too because, to be honest …

Discussion: Hot Air

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.

Discussion: Taegan Goddard's …, The Politico, Deadline USA, TIME.com, The Other McCain, FiveThirtyEight.com and The New Republic

Michael J. Boskin / Wall Street Journal:

Obamanomics Is a Recipe for Recession — What if I told you that a prominent global political figure in recent months has proposed: abrogating key features of his government's contracts with energy companies; unilaterally renegotiating his country's international economic treaties …

Discussion: Commentary and Betsy's Page

Cesar Conda / Weekly Standard:
Obama's Centrist Economic Team

Discussion: American Spectator

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.

Discussion: Patterico's Pontifications, The Other McCain and FactCheck.org

VoteVets.org:
Former Chief of Medical Operations for HQ USAFE at Ramstein Air …

Discussion: Balloon Juice, VetVoice and Spin Cycle

Alexander Marquardt / CNN:

Obama: Odds of winning are very good — ARLINGTON, Virginia (CNN) - Barack Obama told donors at a Monday night fundraiser just across the Potomac River from Washington that “the odds of us winning are very good.” — Obama was reflecting on how far the campaign had come since its early days when …

Discussion: TIME.com and Real Clear Politics

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.

Discussion: Washington Post, www.redstate.com, Hot Air and Political Machine

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: Washington Wire, Marc Ambinder and The Corner

The Politico:

The campaign is all about Obama — If you made a movie about the general election campaign so far, John McCain would be a supporting actor. — Despite vulnerabilities that have kept the race closer in polls than most analysts expected - and McCain even jumped to a four-point lead among likely voters …

Discussion: RADAMISTO

David Brooks / New York Times:

The Biggest Issue — Why did the United States become the leading economic power of the 20th century? The best short answer is that a ferocious belief that people have the power to transform their own lives gave Americans an unparalleled commitment to education, hard work and economic freedom.

The Campaign Spot:

If Pawlenty Was McCain's Pick, His Schedule Would Presumably Suddenly Change — A source tells me that Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty is John McCain's choice, and that the announcement is coming very soon. But I checked with the American Legislative Exchange Council, who Pawlenty is scheduled to address Wednesday at 11:30.

Discussion: Real Clear Politics, MSNBC, The Other McCain, American Spectator, Riehl World View and Hot Air