memeorandum: Why Obama Kinda Likes the FISA Bill (But He Won't Come Out and Say It) (Balkinization)

2:35 AM ET, June 21, 2008

Top Items:

OBAMA ON FISA — Obama on the FISA ‘Compromise’ ...

Discussion: MyDD, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Sister Toldjah, NO QUARTER, Booman Tribune, First Draft, Liberal Values, Redstate, Macsmind, Newshoggers.com, Flopping Aces, Wake up America, Washington Post, Eschaton and rubber hose

Greg Sargent / TPM Election Central:

Why Obama's Support For FISA Cave-In Is Such A Downer — Here's what's so dispiriting about it. One of the riveting things about Barack Obama's candidacy is that since the outset of the campaign he's seemed absolutely dead serious about changing the way foreign policy is discussed and argued about in this country.

Discussion: Hullabaloo, Salon, Paul Krugman, Seeing the Forest, RADAMISTO and JustOneMinute

Greg Sargent / TPM Election Central:

Obama Backing FISA “Compromise” — Obama's statement on the FISA “compromise” is in, and suffice it to say that it won't make opponents of the Dem cave-in very happy. He's supporting it. — Here's the key part: … Full statement after the jump. — Late Update: My take on his decision is here.

Discussion: Hullabaloo, Obsidian Wings, The Moderate Voice and Unqualified Offerings

Balkinization:

Why Obama Kinda Likes the FISA Bill (But He Won't Come Out and Say It) — Emily Bazelon wonders, entirely correctly, why Barack Obama has been missing in action on the FISA compromise bill passed by the House today. Finally, the Obama campaign sent a lukewarm endorsement of the measure …

Discussion: Daily Kos, TalkLeft, Buck Naked Politics and Discourse.net

Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
What Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer and Fred Hiatt mean by “bipartisanship”

John Amato / Crooks and Liars:
Where is Obama on the FISA fight? Obama responds! UPDATED 1,2, &3

Discussion: Bloomberg, Emptywheel, Daily Kos and Hot Air

John M. Broder / The Caucus:

The Great Seal of Obamaland? — At a discussion with a dozen Democratic governors in Chicago on Friday morning, each of the governors was identified with a small name plate but Senator Barack Obama sat behind a low rostrum to which was attached an official-looking seal no one had seen before.

Discussion: TIME.com, Media Blog, Macsmind, Weekly Standard Blog, Donklephant, Spin Cycle and John McCain Report blog

Alexander Marquardt / CNN:

When the Obama logo and presidential seal collide — CHICAGO, Illinois (CNN) - Presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama sat down in Chicago Friday morning to discuss the economy with visiting Democratic governors, but all eyes were on the Illinois senator's podium bearing …

Discussion: Pat Dollard, Hot Air, JammieWearingFool and liza's blog

John McCormack / Weekly Standard Blog:

Is Obama's Great Seal Illegal? — Did Obama break the law? … Bummer. The Great Seal of Barack would have made for a, like, totally fierce and rad lapel pin.

Discussion: Your Right Hand Thief, DPGI - the return and Gateway Pundit

Michael Hirsh / Newsweek:

Barack's Bounce — The latest NEWSWEEK Poll shows the Democrat with a 15-point lead over McCain. — Barack finally has his bounce. For weeks many political experts and pollsters have been wondering why the race between Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain had stayed so tight …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, The Jed Report, The New Republic, TIME.com, MyDD, TPM Election Central, The Daily Dish, Daily Kos, Donklephant and Scripting News

Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:

Confidence in Congress: Lowest Ever for Any U.S. Institution — Just 12% of Americans express confidence in Congress — PRINCETON, NJ — Gallup's annual update on confidence in institutions finds just 12% of Americans expressing confidence in Congress, the lowest of the 16 institutions tested this year …

Discussion: Neptunus Lex, The Swamp, The Trail, Whiskey Fire and Flopping Aces

Gallup:
Gallup Daily: Obama 46%, McCain 44%

Discussion: USA Today, FiveThirtyEight.com and The Swamp

Greg Sargent / TPM Election Central:

Exclusive: MoveOn To Close Its 527 In Response To Obama's Candidacy — MoveOn, the advocacy group supporting Barack Obama, has decided to permanently shutter its 527 operation, partly in response to the Illinois Senator's insistence that such groups should not spend on his behalf during the general election …

Discussion: Salon, The Swamp, Slog, MoJoBlog, MyDD, Jonathan Martin's Blogs, Ben Smith's Blogs, Donklephant, Hot Air and The Democratic Daily

Lawrence B. Lindsey / Wall Street Journal:

Obama Turns FDR Upside Down — Sen. Barack Obama has a bad idea for “extending the life of Social Security.” He has proposed applying the Social Security tax to incomes above $250,000, in addition to the current tax on incomes up to $102,000. It's unfair, he explained …

Discussion: The Daily Dish, Babalu Blog, Viking Pundit and American Spectator

Jay Mandle / Washington Post:

The Small-Donor Fallacy — Not long ago, Sen. Barack Obama criticized special-interest lobbies that “use their money and influence to stop us from reforming health care or investing in renewable energy for yet another four years.” He has said that his army of small donors constitutes …

Discussion: The Huffington Post, The Campaign Spot, Winds of Change.NET and Wall Street Journal

Brooks Jackson / FactCheck.org:

Obama's Lame Claim About McCain's Money — Obama says McCain is “fueled” by money from lobbyists and PACs, but those sources account for less than 1.7 percent of McCain's money. — Obama announced he would become the first presidential candidate since 1972 to rely totally on private donations …

Discussion: Hot Air, Wake up America, The News Buckit and Centerfield

Michael Barbaro / City Room:

Bloomberg Criticizes ‘Whisper Campaign’ Around Obama — BOCA RATON, Fla. — Injecting himself directly into the presidential campaign and speaking before one of its most crucial constituencies, Jewish voters, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg on Friday morning forcefully rejected what he called a …

Discussion: The Washington Independent, The Moderate Voice, Salon and The New Republic

Alan Boyle / MSNBC:

REPORT RULES OUT SUBATOMIC DOOMSDAY — Europe's CERN particle-physics lab has issued its long-awaited report on safety issues surrounding the Large Hadron Collider, the world's biggest and most expensive atom-smasher. Some have feared that when the collider reaches full power, sometime next year …

CNN:

McClellan: Cheney should testify about CIA leak — WASHINGTON (CNN) — Vice President Dick Cheney should testify before Congress about his role in the leaking of a CIA agent's identity, former White House spokesman Scott McClellan told members of the House Judiciary Committee on Friday.