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Gary Johnson Calls Family Leader Pledge “Offensive and Unrepublican” — July 9, 2011, Las Vegas, Nevada - Presidential candidate and former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson charged today in a formal statement through his campaign that the Family Leader “pledge” Republican candidates for President …
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway, A plain blog about politics and The Agitator
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Bachmann Stands By Marriage Pledge That Links Slavery to Black Family Values — Republican presidential candidate Michelle Bachmann is standing firm behind a pledge she signed Thursday that promotes marriage and social conservative values, but includes a passage in the opening statement …
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers and Little Green Footballs

Conservative group backtracks on marriage pledge slavery language — A social conservative Iowa group has retracted language regarding slavery from the opening of a presidential candidates' pledge, amid a growing controversy over the document that Michele Bachmann had signed and Rick Santorum committed to.
Discussion:
Little Green Footballs


FAMiLY LEADER Statement Suggests Pledge, Signed By Bachmann, Requires Her To Prosecute Essentially All Porn — New audio of statements by the prominent Iowa social-conservative group THE FAMiLY LEADER suggests the group believes essentially all pornography is illegal.
Discussion:
Washington Post, Verum Serum, Dump Michele Bachmann and The Hill


Boehner's Obama Gamble — A tax increase now for the promise of tax reform later won't fly. — President Obama wants Congress to raise the $14.3 trillion national debt limit, which means he needs House Republican votes. Yet Mr. Obama and the Washington chorus are insisting that in return …
Discussion:
James Pethokoukis, The Hill, Speaker, The Lonely Conservative, The Daily Beast, Connecting.the.Dots, The Politico and National Review
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Conrad budget cuts $800B from Defense — The secret Senate Democratic budget resolution relies heavily on $800 billion in cuts to the Pentagon. — The secret Senate Democratic budget resolution drafted by Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) and shared with the White House relies heavily …
Discussion:
Say Anything and Balloon Juice

Has Nancy Pelosi Been Marginalized in the Debt Debate?
Discussion:
Suburban Guerrilla, Hot Air and Moe Lane

Progressives and tea party lawmakers pressure leaders on debt deal


U.S. Is Deferring Millions in Pakistani Military Aid — WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is suspending and, in some cases, canceling hundreds of millions of dollars of aid to the Pakistani military, in a move to chasten Pakistan for expelling American military trainers and to press its army to fight militants more effectively.
Discussion:
ThinkProgress
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Panetta Says Defeat of Al Qaeda Is ‘Within Reach’ — KABUL, Afghanistan — Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta, who arrived in Kabul on Saturday, said that the United States was “within reach of strategically defeating Al Qaeda” and that the American focus had narrowed to capturing or killing 10 …
Discussion:
Attackerman, ThinkProgress and Daily Pundit

Panetta says U.S. is ‘within reach’ of defeating Al Qaeda
Discussion:
Salon and Emptywheel

The new oppo research: Spotting the labels on the wine on the politician's restaurant table. — Some busybody business professor named Susan Feinberg pulled this trick on Paul Ryan and Talking Points Memo is lapping it up: … So, Feinberg was appalled, stunned, and outraged. That's got to hurt.
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, The Gateway Pundit, Moe_Lane's blog, Say Anything, Lippmann's Ghost, The TrogloPundit, Advice Goddess Blog, The Debate Link, The Moderate Voice, Lawyers, Guns & Money, AMERICAblog News, The Agitator, National Review, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Outside the Beltway and Cold Fury


After Years of Struggle, South Sudan Becomes a New Nation — JUBA, South Sudan — The celebrations erupted at midnight. Thousands of revelers poured into Juba's steamy streets in the predawn hours on Saturday, hoisting enormous flags, singing, dancing and leaping on the back of cars.
Discussion:
USA Today, Truthdig, Outside the Beltway, The Gateway Pundit and The Lede
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A real problem vs. an imaginary one — After the release of the June job numbers, there were plenty of worthwhile charts and graphs making the rounds, but this one from Paul Krugman was especially helpful. — In case it's a little hard to see, that red line is the unemployment rate …
Discussion:
Zandar Versus The Stupid
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Clueless about jobs — America's economy grew by a minus cule 18,000 jobs in June, and unem ployment rose to an eye-popping 9.2 percent. Since April, the economy has produced a mere 43,000 new jobs. — Responded President Obama yesterday: “We still have a long way to go and a lot of work …
Discussion:
JammieWearingFool
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Obama turns to small-scale solutions to a weak economy
Discussion:
Firedoglake, Weasel Zippers and Right Wing News

Ninety Percent of Obama Travel at Least Partly Politics
Discussion:
The Lonely Conservative, Poor Richard's News and Weasel Zippers


China vs. America: Which Is the Developing Country? — From new roads to wise leadership, sound financials and five-year plans, Beijing has the winning approach. — Recently I flew from Los Angeles to China to attend a corporate board-of-directors meeting in Shanghai, as well as customer and government visits there and in Beijing.
Discussion:
Say Anything


Sheila Bair's Bank Shot — 'They should have let Bear Stearns fail," Sheila Bair said. — It was midmorning on a crisp June day, and Bair, the 57-year-old outgoing chairwoman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation — the federal agency that insures bank deposits and winds down failing banks …
Discussion:
naked capitalism and The Big Picture


Sixteen Senators Ask DOJ To Investigate Potentially Illegal State Voter Disenfranchisement Laws — Sixteen senators led by Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) submitted a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder last week asking him to examine whether the Voting Rights Act's prohibitions …
Discussion:
Balloon Juice


Trailing G.O.P. With Cameras, Seeking Gaffes — AMHERST, N.H. — Aaron Fielding quietly stalks his prey — Republicans — with his video camera, patiently waiting for a political moment worthy of YouTube. — At 27, he is a full-time “tracker” for American Bridge 21st Century …
Discussion:
National Review, The Gateway Pundit, Balloon Juice and The Lonely Conservative


The Trouble With Approval Ratings — They provide only a very fuzzy picture of the electorate's attitudes. — Political observers love presidential approval ratings, which seem to make elections predictable, at least in those years when an incumbent is running.
Discussion:
Betsy's Page