Top Items:
Paul Waldman / Washington Post:
On Iraq, let's ignore those who got it all wrong — At noon today, President Obama issued his first statement on the deteriorating situation on Iraq. “This is not solely or even primarily a military challenge,” he said. “The United States will do our part, but understand that ultimately it's …
Discussion:
Daily Kos, American Prospect, The Daily Banter, AEIdeas, Hullabaloo, Politico, Weekly Standard, emptywheel and New York Times
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Jonathan Topaz / Politico:
McCain Iraq interview gets heated — Sen. John McCain continued his blistering attack on President Barack Obama's handling of Iraq on Friday, again calling for his entire national security team to be replaced and saying his decisions have been very costly. — “The president wanted …
Discussion:
ABC News, The Daily Beast, Daily Kos, ABC News, No More Mister Nice Blog and Shakesville
CNN:
Obama says no combat troops to Iraq; U.S. weighs airstrikes — Washington (CNN) — No troops to Iraq, but other options are being considered. — That was President Barack Obama's message Friday in response to the lightning advance by Sunni militant fighters in Iraq that could threaten …
Washington Post:
Volunteers flock to defend Baghdad as insurgents seize more Iraqi territory — IRBIL, Iraq — Shiite clerics called on Iraqi civilians Friday to take up arms against advancing Sunni insurgents inspired by al-Qaeda, drawing the battle lines for a major sectarian confrontation in the fracturing state.
Fareed Zakaria / Washington Post:
Who lost Iraq? The Iraqis did, with an assist from George W. Bush — It is becoming increasingly likely that Iraq has reached a turning point. The forces hostile to the government have grown stronger, better equipped and more organized. And having now secured arms …
Discussion:
Hot Air, New York Times, CNN, The Dish, his vorpal sword, The Mahablog, The Week, National Review and The Daily Beast
Parisa Hafezi / Reuters:
Exclusive: Alarmed by Iraq, Iran open to shared role with U.S. - Iran official
Exclusive: Alarmed by Iraq, Iran open to shared role with U.S. - Iran official
Discussion:
New York Times, JustOneMinute, Blazing Cat Fur, Hot Air, American Spectator, Bloomberg View, The Dish, Informed Comment and Wall Street Journal
Washington Post:
Transcript: President Obama's remarks on the crisis in Iraq
Transcript: President Obama's remarks on the crisis in Iraq
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, National Review and TalkLeft
Washington Post:
Obama says he will not send troops to Iraq but is considering ‘other options’
Obama says he will not send troops to Iraq but is considering ‘other options’
Discussion:
Guardian, Weekly Standard and Little Green Footballs
Paul Lewis / Guardian:
Obama ‘urgently’ considering air assault on targets in Syria and Iraq
Obama ‘urgently’ considering air assault on targets in Syria and Iraq
Discussion:
Washington Post, ThinkProgress, The Daily Beast and The Dish
New York Times:
Prime Minister Maliki Panics as Insurgents Gain
Prime Minister Maliki Panics as Insurgents Gain
Discussion:
Washington Post, Slate, Politico, The Long War Journal, Firedoglake, Hit & Run, Daily Kos and Washington Free Beacon
Peter Baker / New York Times:
Obama Says He Will Decide on Military Support for Iraq in ‘Days Ahead’
Obama Says He Will Decide on Military Support for Iraq in ‘Days Ahead’
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, Politico and JustOneMinute
Reihan Salam / Slate:
We Never Should Have Left Iraq
We Never Should Have Left Iraq
Discussion:
Reuters, alicublog, The Dish, AEIdeas, Commentary Magazine, National Review, Hinterland Gazette, Washington Post, The Federalist, Hullabaloo, Telegraph, RedState and Foreign Policy
Fazel Hawramy / Guardian:
Kurdish peshmerga seize a chaotic victory in Kirkuk
Kurdish peshmerga seize a chaotic victory in Kirkuk
Discussion:
Business Insider, The Dish and RedState
Brian Umana / Washington Post:
I'm a Democrat and I helped the tea party unseat Eric Cantor — People are baffled today that Rep. Eric Cantor, the House majority leader, lost his job when he lost his GOP primary Tuesday night. A common refrain is, how could this have happened? (Sample headline: “Why Did Cantor Lose?
Discussion:
TheBlaze.com
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Kyle Rothenberg / Fox News:
Cochran campaign says senator just joking when claimed ignorance of Cantor loss — Two days after Eric Cantor's primary loss received national attention, Mississippi GOP Sen. Thad Cochran — who's caught in a tight primary race of his own — said he had no idea what happened in Virginia …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Washington Monthly, Politico, The Week, WJTV and MSNewsNow.com
Matthew Boyle / BREITBART.COM:
THAD COCHRAN: I GREW UP DOING ‘ALL KINDS OF INDECENT THINGS WITH ANIMALS’ — Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS) provided his latest head-scratching comment in public, this time joking he engaged in illicit activities with animals as a child. — “[We'd] get back [to the Pine Belt-Hattiesburg area of Mississippi] …
Discussion:
New York Times, Liberaland, The Week, The Daily Caller and Riehl World News
New York Times:
David Brat and Jack Trammell show unease in the spotlight
David Brat and Jack Trammell show unease in the spotlight
Discussion:
Daily Kos and Washington Post
Kevin Bohn / CNN:
First on CNN: Chamber mounting new effort for embattled Cochran
First on CNN: Chamber mounting new effort for embattled Cochran
Discussion:
Washington Post
Geoff Pender / The Clarion-Ledger:
Cochran ‘indecent things with animals’ creates buzz
Cochran ‘indecent things with animals’ creates buzz
Discussion:
Liberaland, The Raw Story, Hinterland Gazette, Riehl World News, BuzzFeed, Hot Air and PoliticusUSA
waysandmeans.house.gov:
IRS Claims to Have Lost Over 2 Years of Lerner Emails — f t # e — Washington, DC - Today, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) issued the following statement regarding the Internal Revenue Service informing the Committee that they have lost Lois Lerner emails from a period of January 2009 - April 2011.
Discussion:
Associated Press, Power Line, Ed Driscoll, Washington Free Beacon, Mediaite, Wall Street Journal and NewsBusters
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Patrick Howley / The Daily Caller:
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) claimed Friday that it cannot …
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) claimed Friday that it cannot …
Discussion:
The Jawa Report
Congressman Raul Labrador:
LABRADOR ANNOUNCES CANDIDACY FOR HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER — “I want a House Leadership that reflects the best of our Conference” — BOISE, ID - Rep. Raúl Labrador (R-ID) announced his candidacy today to serve as House Majority Leader. He released the following statement:
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, OnPolitics, Daily Kos, The Daily Signal, Hot Air, Washington Post, The Week and National Review
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JSOnline:
Scott Walker declines to define stand on gay marriage today — For years, Gov. Scott Walker has been a rock-solid proponent of traditional marriage between one man and one woman. — As Milwaukee County executive, he opposed efforts to provide health care benefits to the gay partners of county employees.
Discussion:
Metro Weekly, Althouse, The Daily Beast, Hot Air, Talking Points Memo, Outside the Beltway and Daily Kos
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Politico:
Chelsea Clinton paid $600K by NBC — Chelsea Clinton earned an annual salary of $600,000 at NBC News before switching to a month-to-month contract earlier this year, sources with knowledge of the agreement told POLITICO. — Clinton, who joined NBC News as a “special correspondent” …
WSB-TV:
Police: Waffle House employee shoots, kills customer — FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Police say a Waffle House cook shot and killed a customer after an argument Friday morning. — Officers said they were called to the restaurant on Fulton Industrial Boulevard and Shirley Drive just after 4:30 a.m.
Discussion:
Liberaland, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Blazing Cat Fur, The Raw Story and WTVR-TV
Stephanie Simon / Politico:
The fall of teachers unions — As the two big national teachers unions prepare for their conventions this summer, they are struggling to navigate one of the most tumultuous moments in their history. — Long among the most powerful forces in American politics, the unions are contending …
Discussion:
Sister Toldjah, Daily Kos, New York Times, The Daily Caller and Diane Ravitch's blog
Conor Friedersdorf / The Atlantic Online:
Hillary Clinton's Gay-Marriage Problem — Until 2013, she held a position that lots of Democratic voters now regard as deeply wrongheaded. Some even insist that it is hateful and bigoted. — Hillary Clinton didn't refrain from supporting same-sex marriage for political reasons-prior to last year …
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway, Hot Air, The Dish, Politico, CNN, NY Daily News, Wall Street Journal and Mediaite
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NPR:
Hillary Clinton: The Fresh Air Interview
Hillary Clinton: The Fresh Air Interview
Discussion:
Ed Driscoll, CBS DC, PoliticusUSA, NewsBusters and BuzzFeed