Top Items:
Drudge Report:
PAPER: OBAMA READY TO ANNOUNCE HIS VP — The NYT newsroom was buzzing late Monday afternoon after Obama-beat reporter Jeff Zeleny learned how the Dem hopeful has now finalized his choice for a running-mate. — Obama has set an elaborate roll-out to announce his decision that will begin …
Discussion:
TIME.com, TRAIL BLAZERS, Top of the Ticket, FOX Embeds, The Other McCain, The Next Right and TPM Election Central
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Mike Allen / The Politico:
Exclusive: McCain to name VP on Aug. 29 — Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) plans to celebrate his 72nd birthday on Aug. 29 by naming his running mate at a huge rally in the battleground state of Ohio, Republican sources said. — That's a week from this Friday, and the day after Sen. Barack Obama …
Discussion:
PolitickerOH, Tales from the Trail, Wake up America, Open Left, Political Radar, TPM Election Central, MyDD, Hot Air and TIME.com
New York Times:
Obama Appears Ready to Announce His Running Mate — WASHINGTON — Senator Barack Obama has all but finalized his choice for a running mate and set an elaborate roll-out plan for his decision, beginning with an early morning alert to supporters, perhaps as soon as Wednesday …
Alexander Mooney / CNN:
Obama VP buzz squarely on Biden — (CNN) - When Joe Biden returns to Capitol Hill Monday from his two-day trip to embattled Georgia, vice presidential speculation will rest squarely on him. — The longtime Delaware senator and former presidential candidate has long been considered …
Michael Goldfarb / John McCain 2008:
Smears the Left Can Fight For — In the least credible and most vicious corner of the internet, liberal bloggers at the Daily Kos are accusing John McCain of plagiarizing from Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. The story Solzhenitsyn told was of a prisoner who drew a cross in the dirt in a Soviet Gulag.
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Byron York / The Corner:
Fellow POW: I Remember McCain Telling the “Cross in the Dirt” Story — You've probably seen that there are some out there in the blogosphere questioning the authenticity of John McCain's “cross in the dirt” story, which McCain told Saturday night at the Saddleback Summit.
John Cole / Balloon Juice:
Increasingly Bizarre- Michael Goldfarb's +7 Rapier of Jackassery — I really don't care to spend the next few weeks arguing whether or not McCain is lying about his Christ/Cross/guard moment and will let others chase after things that can not be proven one way or another …
Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:
McCain Responds — Michael Goldfarb calls any questions about the cross-in-the-dirt story desperate smears: … Here is how Swindle describes it to Byron York: … Convinced? The answer as to why McCain never mentioned this in his first account or for a quarter century since …
Byron York / The Corner:
Mark Salter: McCain Told Me the “Cross in the Dirt” Story — I just got off the phone with Mark Salter, John McCain's closest aide whom some in the blogosphere are suggesting made up, or embellished, or did something to create the “cross in the dirt” story. Salter told me that he absolutely did not do that.
Discussion:
The Daily Dish
Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:
The Cross In The Dirt, Ctd — Many readers have noted that versions of this story - attributed to Solzhenitsyn by Chuck Colson - have been a staple of evangelical sermons for a very long time. They aren't always attributed to Solzhenitsyn, but this sermon, preached by Father Luke Veronis, is a classic of the genre.
Ben Smith / The Politico:
Swindle backs McCain cross story
Swindle backs McCain cross story
Discussion:
Jonathan Martin's Blogs, The Daily Dish, Political Machine, Commentary and Political Insider
Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:
The Dirt In The Cross Story, Ctd
The Dirt In The Cross Story, Ctd
Discussion:
The Jed Report, Reason Magazine, The Washington Independent, Wonkette and Sister Toldjah
Hilzoy / Obsidian Wings:
More Digging — My last post, about McCain's story …
More Digging — My last post, about McCain's story …
Discussion:
The Political Carnival
Sarah Posner / American Prospect:
WHY RICK WARREN MATTERS. — Tim thinks I exaggerate Rick Warren's role in the presidential forum Saturday night. He's not, as Tim suggests, just some pastor who decided to invite the presidential candidates to a forum at his church, and somehow got them to accept.
Discussion:
Firedoglake
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Sally Quinn / Washington Post:
Worlds Apart — When I was little, I had a recurrent dream …
Worlds Apart — When I was little, I had a recurrent dream …
Discussion:
Fox News, Don Surber, neo-neocon, Towleroad.com, The Mahablog, TalkLeft, New York Times, Political Punch, The Corner, Jezebel, NewsBusters.org and Swampland
Jennifer Parker / Political Radar:
Obama Camp: Ralph Reed Uninvited to McCain's Fundraiser — ABC News' Ron Claiborne reports: The Obama campaign is continuing to hammer Republican Sen. John McCain for former Christian Coalition director Ralph Reed's involvement in a McCain fundraising event in Atlanta.
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Aaron Gould Sheinen / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Protesters mark McCain's visit to Atlanta for fund-raiser
Protesters mark McCain's visit to Atlanta for fund-raiser
Philip Elliott / Associated Press:
McCain nets $1.75 million at Reed-linked event
McCain nets $1.75 million at Reed-linked event
Discussion:
Political Machine
John Drescher / Raleigh News & Observer:
Edwards went for big time — Forgive me if I'm straining to believe John Edwards' version of events. My last conversation with him wasn't a good one. — In some ways, that talk reflected the difficult relationship we've had with him since he became a national political figure.
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Catholic League:
DEMOCRATS MUST NIX OFFENSIVE BLOGGERS — Over 120 blogs have been credentialed as members of the media for the Democratic National Convention; those who have received credentials are allowed to cover the Convention at the Pepsi Center. While most of them offer legitimate commentary, some do not.
Stanley Kurtz / National Review:
Chicago Annenberg Challenge Shutdown? — The problem of Barack Obama's relationship with Bill Ayers will not go away. Ayers and his wife, Bernardine Dohrn were terrorists for the notorious Weather Underground during the turbulent 1960s, turning fugitive when a bomb …
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Sam Stein / The Huffington Post:
Bloomberg Set To Be On Presidential Ballot In Virginia — The state of Virginia is, for the first time in many decades, a toss up in the presidential election. And with its 13 electoral votes and polls showing a tight race, the commonwealth should host a fierce competition between Barack Obama and John McCain.
RELATED:
Elizabeth Benjamin / NY Daily News:
Benjamin: Mike still a Prez hopeful - in Virginia!
Benjamin: Mike still a Prez hopeful - in Virginia!
Discussion:
Sister Toldjah
Ben / Think Progress:
Gingrich Claims Tire Inflation Lines Big Oil's Pockets — Last night on Fox News, host Sean Hannity and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) returned (as they often do) to Sen. Barack Obama's (D-IL) recent suggestion that Americans inflate their tires properly in order to save energy costs.
James S. Robbins / The Corner:
Mapping the Election — A handy feature on the electoral-vote.com web site is a one-click comparison of the current electoral map projections with those on the same date four years ago. Today's map shows Obama with a projected 275 votes to McCain's 250, with 13 up for grabs.
Discussion:
Electoral-vote.com
Rasmussen Reports:
Election 2008: Illinois Presidential Election — Illinois: Obama Still Holds Double-Digit Lead at Home — Barack Obama remains comfortably ahead of his Republican presidential rival John McCain — 53% to 38% — in his home state of Illinois, according to the latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of voters in the state.
Greg Sargent / TPM Election Central:
McCain Outspending Obama By Hundreds Of Thousands In Many Core Battleground States — The McCain campaign has outspent the Obama camp by hundreds of thousands of dollars, and in some cases by as much as a million dollars or more, in virtually all of the nearly dozen battleground states …