Top Items:
Rich Lowry / The Corner:
VP Alert — NR has learned that the McCain campaign has been calling key state GOP officials around the country the last couple of days and sounding them out about the consequences of a pro-choice VP pick. The campaign is asking about the reaction of conservative grass-roots activists …
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Nedra Pickler / Associated Press:
Obama veep announcement expected in coming days — CHICAGO (AP) — Barack Obama will publicly disclose his vice presidential choice in the coming days, though the Democrat is keeping most aides who are preparing for the announcement in the dark and is giving away nothing to voters as he campaigns.
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:
Washington Wire, Outside The Beltway, No More Mister Nice Blog, MSNBC, www.redstate.com, The Washington Independent, Political Perceptions, Boston Globe, The Next Right, Shakesville, Real Clear Politics, Philly.com, TownHall Blog, Tales from the Trail, Hot Air, Wake up America, TRAIL BLAZERS, DemConWatch, TPM Election Central, TIME.com, MyDD and PolitickerOH
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 …
Discussion:
The Swamp, Hotline On Call, Jezebel, FiveThirtyEight.com, MSNBC, The Carpetbagger Report, The Strata-Sphere, Electoral-vote.com, BuzzFlash.org, The Anonymous Liberal, Greatscat!, Associated Press, marbury, Rumproast, Buck Naked Politics, FP Passport, Hot Air, Ace of Spades HQ, TownHall Blog, Taylor Marsh, Drudge Report, Viking Pundit, Washington Post, Gothamist, TIME.com, TPM Election Central, Cogitamus, The Other McCain and Sister Toldjah
Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Inverted optics: DNCC wraps Obama in upside-down flag; A familiar look? — Maybe the DNCC has kept track of the polling this summer and figures the Democratic nominee is officially in distress. That's the only explanation for a silly gaffe by the convention committee for the graphics …
Discussion:
Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, Nice Deb, NewsBusters.org, Confederate Yankee, Sister Toldjah and Argghhh!
Karen Tumulty / Time:
Obama Sharpens the Message — Barack Obama seems to have gotten the message about his message. In the past few days, amid growing concerns among Democratic allies, Obama has begun campaigning in a different gear, one that is more aggressive in attacking John McCain and more focused on the economic concerns of struggling Americans.
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Washington Post:
Obama Tells Allies He Is Ready to Hit Back — As GOP Attacks Grow, He Links McCain, Bush — Sen. Barack Obama returned to the presidential campaign trail on Monday after a week-long Hawaiian vacation and tried to assure anxious Democrats that he is ready to fight back against Republican character attacks …
Andrew Malcolm / Top of the Ticket:
Hillary Clinton gives ‘Judas’ Richardson a hug or a shrug — It was, if memory and The Ticket's search function serves, back in March that big Bill Richardson, the goateed governor of New Mexico who'd built his impressive resume largely on important assignments for the Clintons …
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Mike Allen / The Politico:
Bob Woodward to reveal ‘The War Within’ — Bob Woodward's new book is shrouded in such mystery that even the title was a secret until now. — Publishing sources say the book, completed just three weeks ago and out Sept. 8, is titled “The War Within: A Secret White House History 2006-2008.”
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Hillel Italie / Associated Press:
AP: Title, print run on Woodward book announced
AP: Title, print run on Woodward book announced
Discussion:
TIME.com
David Brooks / New York Times:
The Education of McCain — On Tuesdays, Senate Republicans hold a weekly policy lunch. The party leaders often hand out a Message of the Week that the senators are supposed to repeat at every opportunity. Sometimes there will be a pollster offering data that supposedly demonstrates …
Quinnipiac University:
McCain, Seen 2-1 As Better Against Russia, Gains On Obama, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Men And White Voters Go Republican — American likely voters say 55 - 27 percent that Arizona Sen. John McCain is better qualified than Illinois Sen. Barack Obama to deal with Russia …
Discussion:
Taegan Goddard's …, www.redstate.com, TPM Election Central, Hotline On Call and The Strata-Sphere
Denver Post:
Invesco's top seats go to big donors — SUITES, CLUB LEVEL SAVED FOR FUNDRAISERS, VIPs — Barack Obama's big-money donors are being offered premier seats to his acceptance speech at Invesco Field at Mile High, according to information obtained by The Denver Post.
RoseanneWorld:
democrats want to lose — and therefore did not fully vet the candidate they shoved down everyone's throat. I am the first blogger to blog about Obama's abortion vote and how it would become the october surprise...they have michelle obama on tape defending live birth abortion, and raising money for it too...
Discussion:
Don Surber
Jonathan Martin / The Politico:
McCain finally gets to oil rig — John McCain is taking a helicopter from New Orleans to a Gulf Coast oil rig this morning - the energy photo op that had been originally planned to counter-program Barack Obama's speech in Berlin. — McCain is visiting Chevron's Genesis spar, a platform about 150 miles off the Louisiana coast.
Discussion:
Matthew Yglesias
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Richard Rainey / New Orleans Times-Picayune:
McCain to visit Gulf oil rig as Fay's winds keep to east
McCain to visit Gulf oil rig as Fay's winds keep to east
Discussion:
Think Progress
Elizabeth Williamson / Wall Street Journal:
As U.S. Economic Problems Loom, House, Senate Sweat the Small Stuff — Members of Congress Love a Good Resolution; Watermelons and Undertakers Fit the Bill — WASHINGTON — The 110th Congress, whose term officially ends in January, hasn't passed any spending bills or attacked high gasoline prices.
Justin Pope / Associated Press:
College Presidents Want Lower Drinking Age — College presidents from about 100 of the nation's best-known universities, including Duke, Dartmouth, and Ohio State, are calling on lawmakers to consider lowering the drinking age to 18 from 21, saying current laws actually encourage dangerous binge drinking on campus.
Catherine Lucey / Philly.com:
Obama to pony up street money in November — REST ASSURED, Philadelphia. Come Election Day, there will be street money. — According to U.S. Rep. Bob Brady, the local Democratic Party chairman, Sen. Barack Obama's general-election presidential campaign in Philadelphia will be run different …