memeorandum: Iraq's projected $80 billion surplus stirs anger on Hill (CNN)

12:55 AM ET, August 6, 2008

Top Items:

Paris Hilton Responds to McCain Ad

Discussion: The New Republic, TalkLeft, Open Left, Tennessee Guerilla Women, Economist's View, Fox News, Liberal Values, Dean's World, Political Radar, The World Newser, TIME.com, FOX Embeds and The Raw Story

TMZ.com:

McCain — Paris Is My Energizer Bunny — John McCain's mouthpiece has responded to Paris Hilton's stinging retort — but he's not attacking Hiltie! — In the unkindest cut of all, McCain's spokesperson Tucker Bounds tells TMZ that on the subject of energy, Paris is deeper than Barack.

Discussion: Hot Air, TalkLeft, www.redstate.com and Stop The ACLU

Greg Sargent / TPM Election Central:
New McCain Ad: “He's The Original Maverick”

Discussion: MyDD, The Carpetbagger Report, www.redstate.com and D-Day

Natalie Gewargis / Political Punch:

Obama Pushes Back on GOP Tire Pressure Attack: “It's Like These Guys Take Pride in Being Ignorant” — At a town hall meeting in Berea , Ohio, today, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, pushed back against the GOP attack on his advice to a voter last week that having a tuned up car and fully inflated tires would help save energy.

Discussion: The New Republic, No More Mister Nice Blog, Associated Press, Obsidian Wings, skippy the bush kangaroo, Liberal Values, TPM Election Central, www.redstate.com, Pajamas Media, TIME.com and Gateway Pundit

Faiz / Think Progress:

Exclusive: Auto Makers Deflate McCain's Ignorant Hot Air On Value Of Proper Tire Inflation — In a series of public events today, John McCain has ramped up his disingenuous attack on the impact proper tire inflation can have in saving energy. At a rally in South Dakota …

Discussion: TownHall Blog, I Don't Like You Either, Wonk Room, Gristmill and The Anonymous Liberal

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:
Obama responds: 'It's like these guys take pride in being ignorant"

Discussion: The Swamp

Peter Hamby / CNN:

McCain makes the rounds at biker rally — STURGIS, South Dakota (CNN) - Standing on the main stage at a world famous motorcycle rally in rural South Dakota on Monday, John McCain looked out on a sea of denim-wearing bikers and told them he enjoyed their company much more than that of the 200,000 Germans …

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, Wonkette, Taylor Marsh, The Carpetbagger Report, Political Machine, DownWithTyranny!, The Seminal, Shakesville, The Huffington Post, Commentary, TalkLeft and D-Day

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

TAKE MY WIFE, PLEASE! — We're trying to find out a bit more about the Bikini Beauty Pageant at the Buffalo Chip, where John McCain showed up and offered up wife Cindy as a contestant. ESPN says the event is topless and “occasionally bottomless”. Actually their description is worth quoting in full ...

Discussion: I Don't Like You Either, Obsidian Wings, American Street, Political Machine, Taylor Marsh and The G Spot

Ben Smith / The Politico:
Topless in Sturgis — Meanwhile, at a biker rally in Sturgis …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, The Caucus, The Huffington Post, Wonkette and The Jed Report

Greg Gordon / McClatchy Washington Bureau:

Queens couple's $61,600 donation to McCain questioned — WASHINGTON — Alice Rocchio is an office manager at the New York headquarters of the Hess Corp., drives a 1993 Chevy Cavalier and lives in an apartment in Queens, N.Y., with her husband, Pasquale, an Amtrak foreman.

Discussion: Happy Furry Puppy Story … and The RBC

Patrick Ruffini / The Next Right:

dontgo: A Turning Point for the Right — #dontgo is officially a movement. MoveOn is mobilizing against the House Republicans and the rightosphere this afternoon. I don't think they've ever done this in response to a grassroots conservative protest. Something has changed.

Discussion: The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, Open Left, Right Wing News, Bang the Drum, The Carpetbagger Report, The Politico, Lonewacko and RAGGED THOTS

Peter Kirsanow / The Corner:

25 Reasons You May be a Racist — The tendency of Obama supporters to see racist impulses behind every criticism of their candidate has evolved into absurdity. Now even the first black president feels compelled to declare he's not a racist. By this measure, nearly every American …

CNN:

Iraq's projected $80 billion surplus stirs anger on Hill — WASHINGTON (CNN) — Iraq is raking in more money from oil exports than it is spending, amassing a projected four-year budget surplus of up to $80 billion, U.S. auditors reported Tuesday. — Leading members of Congress …

Discussion: LewRockwell.com Blog and Connecting.the.Dots

James Glanz / New York Times:
Iraq Government Has $79 Billion in Unspent Cash

Discussion: Political Radar, The Lede, Think Progress and Truthdig

The Politico:

Tenet statement on Suskind — Statement by former CIA director George J. Tenet regarding the publication of “The Way of the World,” by Ron Suskind: — New York, New York - — I have not yet been afforded the opportunity to read Ron Suskind's latest literary effort.

Discussion: Washington Post, Associated Press, Daily Kos, Emptywheel and NPR

Bob Considine / MSNBC:
Author claims White House knew Iraq had no WMD

Discussion: The LA Times President …, TalkLeft and The Swamp

Wall Street Journal:

Obama's Muslim-Outreach Adviser Resigns — The Muslim-outreach coordinator to the presidential campaign of Barack Obama has resigned amid questions about his involvement in an Islamic investment fund and various Islamic groups. — Chicago lawyer Mazen Asbahi, who was appointed volunteer …

Discussion: michellemalkin.com, Debbie Schlussel and Riehl World View

Richard Spertzel / Wall Street Journal:

Bruce Ivins Wasn't the Anthrax Culprit — Over the past week the media was gripped by the news that the FBI was about to charge Bruce Ivins, a leading anthrax expert, as the man responsible for the anthrax letter attacks in September/October 2001. — But despite the seemingly powerful narrative …

Discussion: Washington Post, Opinion L.A., Unqualified Offerings and Law Blog

Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
The FBI's emerging, leaking case against Ivins

Discussion: Unqualified Offerings, Frederick News-Post, The BRAD BLOG, Baltimore Sun, Time, Firedoglake and D-Day

Mary Beth Schneider / Indianapolis Star:

Bayh: Obama hasn't asked me to join ticket — Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., told The Indianapolis Star today that Sen. Barack Obama has not asked him to be his running mate and that he's not expecting Obama to announce his vice presidential pick when Obama is in Indiana Wednesday.

Discussion: Open Left, The Reaction, DownWithTyranny!, TIME.com, The Washington Note and The Swamp

Matthew Mosk / Washington Post:

McCain Bundler Collects From Unlikely Donors — The bundle of $2,300 and $4,600 checks that poured into Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign on March 12 came from an unlikely group of California donors: a mechanic from D&D Auto Repair in Whittier, the manager of Rite Aid Pharmacy No. 5727 …

Discussion: TIME.com

Glenn Reynolds / Pajamas Media:

AUTOBLOG: Obama: 1 million plug-in hybrid vehicles by 2015. — UPDATE: Dave Ivers is unimpressed: … Actually, I think the grid could easily absorb a million plugin hybrids, since they'd mostly be charging at night when consumption is way off-peak. But ultimately you've got to have lots …

Discussion: Power Line

Washington Post:

Energy Returns as Major Issue — Obama Links McCain to Administration — Barack Obama shakes hands at a town hall meeting at Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, Ohio. Rival John McCain was campaigning in neighboring Michigan. (By Alex Brandon — Associated Press)

Jason Zengerle / The New Republic:

Does Tom Cruise Know About This? — The newest McCain ad describes McCain as “the original maverick”: — Actually, I think this is a pretty good ad. It suggests that, at least when he's not cutting nasty spots comparing Obama to Britney and Paris, Steve Schmidt is going to steer McCain …

Discussion: The Monkey Cage