memeorandum: MCCAIN'S NEW AD CONTAINS DUBIOUS CLAIMS (Mark Murray/MSNBC)

4:35 PM ET, August 8, 2008

Top Items:

Edwards Admits Sexual Affair; Lied as Presidential Candidate — In ABC News Interview, Edwards Says He Cheated, but Did Not Father Child — John Edwards repeatedly lied during his Presidential campaign about an extramarital affair with a novice filmmaker, the former Senator admitted to ABC News today.

Pete Yost / Associated Press:

Edwards admits to affair, denies fathering child — WASHINGTON - Former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards on Friday admitted to an extramarital affair while his wife was battling cancer. He denied fathering the woman's daughter. — Edwards told ABC News that he lied repeatedly …

Discussion: Washington Wire and Vox Popoli

Marc Ambinder:

More On Edwards's Admission — ** The interview airs tonight on ABC. — ** According to people close to the Edwardses, Elizabeth Edwards has secured a primetime speaking role at the Democratic National Convention; John Edwards, as of this point, does not, and people close to him think he will beg off …

Discussion: Salon and The Daily Dish

Allahpundit / Hot Air:

ABC News: Edwards admits affair; Update: David Shuster demands apology — to the media; Update: Campaign manager “betrayed” — Rielle Hunter is his lover — but the kid is not his son. Er, daughter: … Stand by for updates. — Update: Who forced him to finally 'fess up? The Enquirer?

Discussion: A Blog For All, Deceiver.com, Daily Mail and Media Blog

Stephen Spruiell / The Corner:

Nine Months — Overheard in the office: “Why would Edwards admit the affair but deny fathering the child?” — I'll tell you why: Elizabeth Edwards was diagnosed with incurable cancer in late March of 2007. Rielle Hunter's baby was born in late February of 2008.

New York Times:

Russia Threatens Retaliation After Georgia Says It Fired on Planes — MOSCOW — The sharpest fighting since the early 1990s in the disputed Caucasian enclave of South Ossetia threatened to draw Russia and the American-backed former Soviet republic of Georgia into direct military conflict on Friday.

Discussion: Think Progress, The Huffington Post, Washington Post, Washington Wire, Ben Smith's Blogs, Danger Room, Reuters, John McCain Report blog, Guardian, Commentary, FP Passport and PERRspectives Blog

CNN:

Georgia ‘under attack’ as Russian tanks roll in — TBLISI, Georgia (CNN) — Georgia's president said Friday that his country is under attack by Russian tanks and warplanes, and he accused Russia of targeting civilians as tensions over the breakaway Georgian region of South Ossetia appeared to boil over into full-blown conflict.

Discussion: The Corner, Commentary and Opinio Juris

James Joyner / Outside The Beltway:

Russia Invades South Ossetia, Georgia Shoots Down Russian Planes — Russian tanks have moved into the disputed Caucasus region of South Ossetia, dramatically escalating already high tensions with Georgia. … This is still a holdover from the breakup of the Soviet Union.

Discussion: Newshoggers.com, Associated Press, The Duck of Minerva, The Glittering Eye and Eunomia

Fox News:
Georgia, Russia ‘Very Close’ to War Over Breakaway Republic South Ossetia

Discussion: Commentary

Robert Farley / Lawyers, Guns and Money:
On the General Principles of the Russia-Georgia Issue

Discussion: Newshoggers.com, Wonk Room, The Duck of Minerva, Danger Room, USA Today and Washington Post

Amy Sullivan / Time:

An Antichrist Obama in McCain Ad? — It's not easy to make the infamous Willie Horton ad from the 1988 presidential campaign seem benign. But suggesting that Barack Obama is the Antichrist might just do it. — That's just what some outraged Christian supporters of the Democratic nominee …

Discussion: The Corner, Washington Post, The Swamp, Ross Douthat, Ben Smith's Blogs, Little Green Footballs, TPM Election Central, The Poor Man Institute, Hot Air and The Washington Note

Wall Street Journal: McCain Web Ad Is Accused Of Linking Obama to Antichrist

Mark Murray / MSNBC:

MCCAIN'S NEW AD CONTAINS DUBIOUS CLAIMS — From NBC's Mark Murray — The McCain campaign has announced it's running yet another TV ad hitting Obama for his “celebrity” and for wanting to raise taxes. — The campaign says the ad is being cycled into its buy in Colorado, Iowa, Michigan …

Discussion: MoJoBlog, The Caucus, The Anonymous Liberal, AMERICAblog News, Obsidian Wings and Open Left

Greg Sargent / TPM Election Central: Obama Camp: McCain's Latest Celeb Ad “Is A Lie”

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
MUST BE GRAND ... Must be grand to be flying in your private jet …

Discussion: TPM Election Central

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
YEP — Schumer: “I would answer back hard. What do you mean [Obama's] not one of us?

Discussion: Newshoggers.com, The Corner and Ben Smith's Blogs

Adam Serwer / American Prospect:

When Identity Politics Backfire — Nikki Tinker's resounding defeat in her primary challenge to Rep. Stephen Cohen may suggest that identity politics don't work quite as well as they used to. — This week the Democratic primary in the mostly African-American Ninth District in Memphis, Tennessee made national headlines.

Discussion: Ta-Nehisi Coates

Ryan / Think Progress:
‘Selling Out To Big Oil’ Costs Rep. David Davis His Job

Discussion: Associated Press and Washington Post

Beth Rucker / Associated Press:
Incumbent Tenn. congressman loses primary

Discussion: Washington Wire, TPM Election Central and Booman Tribune

Paul Krugman / New York Times:

Know-Nothing Politics — So the G.O.P. has found its issue for the 2008 election. For the next three months the party plans to keep chanting: “Drill here! Drill now! Drill here! Drill now! Four legs good, two legs bad!” O.K., I added that last part.

Discussion: Weekly Standard Blog, TalkLeft, Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Carpetbagger Report, The New Republic, Dump Michele Bachmann, Bloggopher, The Seminal, Wizbang and The Mahablog

Dean Barnett / Weekly Standard Blog: Required Reading: Don't Drill Mania!

Peggy Noonan / Wall Street Journal:
Political Cycles

Discussion: The Moderate Voice

Michael Luo / New York Times:

Group Plans Campaign Against G.O.P. Donors — Nearly 10,000 of the biggest donors to Republican candidates and causes across the country will probably receive a foreboding “warning” letter in the mail next week. — The letter is an opening shot across the bow from an unusual …

Discussion: The Caucus, Weekly Standard Blog, Jonathan Martin's Blogs, TownHall Blog, The Raw Story and Balloon Juice

Michelle Malkin: Document drop: The “Accountable America” warning letter targeting GOP donors

Denver Post:

Clinton backers want vote — Brenda Krause is tired of fearmongering among the Democrats. — The 55-year-old delegate to the Democratic National Convention doesn't think the party — or its unity — is in any way compromised by her voting for Hillary Rodham Clinton at the roll call.

Discussion: TalkLeft, Tom Watson and Corrente

Anne E. Kornblut / Washington Post:
Democratic Aides Working on Plan To Keep the Peace At the Convention

Discussion: Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Opinionator, The New Republic, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, The Corner, TalkLeft, The Caucus and The Reaction

Jeff Stein / SpyTalk:

Suskind to Release CIA Interview Transcripts on ‘Forged’ Document — Author Ron Suskind says he will release transcripts of his interviews with a top CIA official that will confirm his story that in 2003 the White House ordered the agency to fabricate a phony document linking Iraq to the Sept. 11 …

Discussion: Think Progress

Joe Conason / Salon:
New evidence suggests Ron Suskind is right

Discussion: TPMMuckraker

Glenn Greenwald / Salon:

Accountability Now/Strange Bedfellows money bomb — Richard Nixon, August 8, 1974, 9:01 p.m. from the Oval Office: … Thirty-four years ago today, Richard Nixon was forced from office as a result of mounting public anger, which in turn fueled the bipartisan intent of Congress to impeach him …

Discussion: Open Left, Accountability Now PAC, Lean Left and Firedoglake

Sarah Wheaton / The Caucus: Stung By FISA, Group to Drop Money Bomb

Washington Post:

Atlantic Scores Internal Clinton Campaign Emails — Just when you thought everyone had moved on... former advisers to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton are in a tizzy over an upcoming piece in the Atlantic Monthly that chronicles the inner workings of the now-defunct campaign.

Discussion: MSNBC and Washington Monthly

Kimberley A. Strassel / Wall Street Journal:

Republican Energy Fumble — Politics has its puzzling moments. John McCain and most of the GOP experienced one late last week. That was when five of their own set about dismantling the best issue Republicans have in the upcoming election. — It's taken time, but Sen. McCain and his party …

Discussion: The Corner and www.redstate.com

Marc Ambinder:

Just Asking... If there were a group of questionable donations all with the name Abdullah — that were funneled through a guy in Jordan — who is under investigation for war profiteering — would this be a bigger deal?

Discussion: TPM Election Central, New York Times and The Washington Note

Brian Goldsmith / CBS News:

Evangelical Leader Warns McCain On VP Pick — Political Players: Richard Land Says VP Selection Is The “Most Important” Decision Of The Campaign … CBSNews.com: You've not always been the biggest McCain fan. Has he done a good job in this campaign reaching out to you, and reaching out to the Southern Baptists you represent?

Discussion: The Swamp

Nick Bunkley / New York Times:

Detroit Mayor Charged With Assaulting Officer — DETROIT — Mayor Kwame M. Kilpatrick, already fighting eight felony charges including perjury, was charged Friday with two felony counts of assaulting or obstructing a police officer. The officer, a sheriff's deputy, was attempting to serve a subpoena.

Discussion: TalkLeft and Top of the Ticket