| 10:54 PM: | Op-Ed Columnist: Obama, Liberalism and the Challenge of Reform. Barack Obama is politically astute — giving everybody the impression he’s on their side — but substantively vague. Change just isn’t that easy. NYT. | |
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| 10:53 PM: | Editorial: Justice 5, Brutality 4. The Supreme Court’s recent ruling was a good day for people who abhor President Bush’s attempts to turn Guantánamo Bay into a constitutional-rights-free zone. NYT. | |
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| 10:41 PM: | Three's a charm? Gay California couples wed again. For many California gays and lesbians, getting married is nothing new. They've done it more than once -- to the same person. Reuters. | |
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| 10:41 PM: | Court says detainees have rights, bucking Bush. In a stinging rebuke to President Bush's anti-terror policies, a deeply divided Supreme Court ruled Thursday that foreign detainees held for years at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba have the right to appeal to U.S. civilian courts to challenge their indefinite imprisonment without charges. AP. | |
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| 10:40 PM: | Republicans Block Senate Debate on Medicare Physician Payment Bill. After Senate Republicans defeated Democrats' effort to bring up a Medicare bill for debate Thursday, Democratic leaders conceded that they will have to negotiate with the GOP on a compromise. CQ. | |
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| 8:19 PM: | McCain's last standing rival drops White House bid. Long-shot White House hopeful Ron Paul formally abandoned his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination on Thursday, vowing to remain on the political scene. Reuters. | |
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| 7:52 PM: | McCain NYC Town Hall Offers No Fireworks Without Obama. "I think this town hall meeting tonight would have been a little bit more interesting tonight if Senator Obama had accepted my request," McCain said early on in the evening. ABC. | |
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| 6:12 PM: | MP3 of Olbermann's special comment. Here's an MP3 of Keith Olbermann's special comment tonight to John McCain, re getting out of Iraq. Scripting News. | |
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| 5:53 PM: | World poll: Obama more likely to 'do the right thing' Barack Obama prevails easily in the worldwide matchup with John McCain. USA Today. | |
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| 5:29 PM: | McCain & Obama Invited to Debates at Reagan and Johnson Libraries. Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama have been invited to town hall meetings at the Presidential Libraries of Ronald Reagan and Lyndon Johnson. ABC. | |
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| 5:10 PM: | McCain to push free trade in Canada. John McCain is bullish on free trade. The country isn't. USA Today. | |
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| 4:53 PM: | Does the Obama Camp Even Check? Because every bad thing they can think up about George Bush needs to be tied to John McCain, the Obama camp simply assumes that McCain and Bush agree on certain issues even when they do not. Commentary. | |
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| 4:40 PM: | Fallout. The Guantanamo ruling's impact on US politics BBC. | |
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| 4:39 PM: | McCain Goes it Alone at Federal Hall. The presumptive GOP nominee takes the stage in New York City to answer questions from attendees. Mark Halperin. | |
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| 4:39 PM: | Obama Could Hurt Democrats in Louisiana Senate Race, But Help In Oregon: Ensign. Barack Obama's presidential candidacy will hurt the Democrats' incumbent senator in Louisiana but help the Democratic challenger for Senate in Oregon. CQ. | |
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| 4:38 PM: | Who are we more afraid of: enemy combatants or federal courts? The Supreme Court's decision Thursday in Boumediene v. Bush and Al Odah v. United States is as all the big enemy-combatant cases have been, both enormously important and relatively insignificant. Slate. | |
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| 4:37 PM: | Obama's new pro Wal-Mart economist. Organized labor isn't crazy about Jason Furman, but he's still a far cry from what you'll find on the other side of the political aisle Salon. | |
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| 3:19 PM: | Bachelor congressman wants special visa for models. A New York congressman who has been romantically linked by tabloid newspapers to several high-profile, beautiful women, is one step closer to creating a special work permit for foreign fashion models. Reuters. | |
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| 2:55 PM: | UnityWatch: Hillary Iowa Chairs Endorse McCain. The co-chair of Iowa Students for Hillary is endorsing John McCain. Marc Ambinder. | |
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| 2:53 PM: | More SCOTUS Reax. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC): "I am deeply disappointed in what I think is a tremendously dangerous and irresponsible ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court." Time. | |
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| 2:50 PM: | Where They Are Friday. Obama: Columbus, OH. McCain: Pemberton, NJ. Mark Halperin. | |
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| 1:33 PM: | McCain targets message to Clinton backers. Sen. John McCain is working hard to win over supporters of Sen. Hillary Clinton who may not be ready to back Sen. Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee. CNN. | |
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| 1:32 PM: | Obama moves DNC operations to Chicago. Blog: In a major shakeup at the Democratic National Committee -- and a departure from tradition -- large parts of the committee's operations are relocating. Ben Smith. | |
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| 1:15 PM: | Berlusconi, younger by one month, backs McCain. Silvio Berlusconi, 71, said on Thursday he backed John McCain, also 71, to be the next U.S. president because if McCain wins, the Italian prime minister won't feel so old. Reuters. | |
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| 1:14 PM: | McCain says "we have to talk up the dollar" Republican presidential candidate John McCain said on Thursday it was important to "talk up" the U.S. dollar and short-term steps were needed to strengthen its value. Reuters. | |
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| 1:12 PM: | Obama: Court Decision Helps Reestablish U.S. Credibility. Barack Obama applauded the 5-4 U.S. Supreme Court decision Thursday establishing that prisoners in Guantanamo Bay have the right to challenge their detention in civilian courts. The Hill. | |
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| 1:11 PM: | Next president will dictate court's future. The latest five-to-four decision by the U.S. Supreme Court on the status of terror suspects at the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba once again underscores the deeply divided nature of the court and the huge stakes in the presidential election. CNN. | |
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| 1:11 PM: | NRCC Was Embezzled for $725,000, Audit Says. A former treasurer for House Republicans allegedly pocketed $725,000 over at least six years while shifting money among various accounts he controlled, officials said Thursday. CQ. | |
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| 12:58 PM: | Picture of the day. 
Scripting News. | |
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| 12:57 PM: | Pew world poll: Obama is overseas favorite. The center finds people all over the world following our presidential campaign closely and most of them preferring Democrat Barack Obama to Republican John McCain. USA Today. | |
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| 12:54 PM: | Political News Fast. I've updated Political Wire 's breaking news aggregator to include even more sources. There is simply no faster way to scan the latest political news. Political Wire. | |
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| 12:49 PM: | Gaddafi Hits Obama Over Israel, Says He Has 'Inferiority Complex' Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi criticized Barack Obama for saying that Jerusalem should remain undivided and the capital of Israel. The Hill. | |
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| 12:48 PM: | The Opening on Exiting Public Financing that Sen. Obama Has Been Waiting For? Sen. McCain says that there's nothing he can do to stop 527 attacks on Sen. Obama. Election Law. | |
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| 12:47 PM: | Top Campaign Official: GOP Hopes to Lose Only Three Senate Seats. The Republicans' Senate campaign chief acknowledged Thursday that his party almost guaranteed to lose Senate seats this fall. ABC. | |
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| 12:46 PM: | Undecided Mayor. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg told National Journal reporters at the Watergate this afternoon that he is not sure which presidential candidate will ultimately win his vote. Natl Journal. | |
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| 12:44 PM: | Fox News responds. The network blames "poor judgment" for the description of Michelle Obama as "Obama's baby mama." Salon. | |
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| 11:59 AM: | POLL: Rasmussen North Carolina. Rasmussen Reports North Carolina McCain 45, Obama 43. Pollster.com. | |
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| 11:58 AM: | Huckabee Signs With Fox. The former Arkansas governor has finalized a one-year deal with the network, where he'll sound off on a variety of programs. Mark Halperin. | |
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| 11:58 AM: | What Do People Want in a First Lady? The primary season is over, but scrutiny of the candidates -- and their wives -- has just begun. NPR. | |
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| 11:57 AM: | The Obama holdouts. Ryan Grim did a bit of a canvass of House Democrats, and seems to have found six who haven't endorsed Obama. Ben Smith. | |
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| 11:55 AM: | Rezko: Feds pushed for dirt on Obama. Tony Rezko accuses federal prosecutors of improperly pressuring him to implicate Obama in a corruption case. Politico. | |
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| 10:52 AM: | Obama has edge on economy in poll. Barack Obama has a slight edge over presidential rival John McCain on the economy, according to a poll of registered voters released Thursday. CNN. | |
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| 10:52 AM: | Editorial Note: No Gallup Daily Reports Today. Heavy storms and tornadoes shut down Gallup interviewing centers in Omaha and Lincoln, Neb., Wednesday night, as a result Gallup will not be publishing new Gallup Poll Daily tracking results Thursday, June 12. The next report will be Friday, June 13. Gallup. | |
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| 10:51 AM: | Obama moves DNC operations to Chicago. In a major shakeup at the Democratic National Committee -- and a departure from tradition -- large parts of the committee's operations are relocating. Ben Smith. | |
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| 10:50 AM: | Bush meets 'old friend' Berlusconi in Italy. President Bush's farewell tour of Europe took him Thursday to Rome, where he was meeting his friend and ally, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. CNN. | |
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| 10:49 AM: | Where They Are Thursday. Obama: Kaukauna, WI. McCain: Boston, MA; Nashua, NH; New York, NY. Mark Halperin. | |
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| 10:48 AM: | McCain Gets This Stage All to Himself. John McCain is forging ahead with the first town hall meeting he planned to hold with Barack Obama, even though his Democratic opponent has no plans to show up. WSJ. | |
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| 10:47 AM: | McCain camp goes after Obama on gas prices. The McCain campaign held a conference call to hit Obama on his stance on gas prices, accusing him of having said in an interview with CNBC's John Harwood that Americans should get used to higher gas prices. MSNBC. | |
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| 10:46 AM: | POLL: Diageo/Hotline National. Which Candidate Would Do The Best Job Handling The War In Iraq? 49% McCain 41% Pollster.com. | |
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| 10:44 AM: | Dobbs for N.J. governor? CNN's Lou Dobbs is thinking of running for governor of New Jersey. Star-Ledger. | |
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| 7:30 AM: | Polls: Obama extending lead over McCain. Barack Obama is continuing to extend his lead over John McCain in a head-to-head matchup nationwide, a new CNN poll of polls indicates. CNN. | |
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| 7:28 AM: | McCain, Obama Reach Out To Women Voters. John McCain's campaign is hoping to capitalize on the "security moms" who backed President Bush over Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) in the 2004 election, the Washington Post reports. CBS. | |
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| 7:27 AM: | McCain and Technology, Building a Bridge to the Nineteenth Century. John McCain, we've learned, is computer illiterate. Daily Kos. | |
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| 7:26 AM: | The Lieberman Friction. The McCain-supporting independent Democrat — who gives the Dems the Senate majority — is ruffling some of his colleagues' feathers as the general election gets underway and he's more critical of Obama. Lieberman tells the LA Times: "Sure, it's somewhat awkward. What I did was unconventional. I understand that." Mark Halperin. | |
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| 7:24 AM: | Wisconsin Poll: Obama Way Ahead of McCain. Sen. Barack Obama is way ahead of Sen. John McCain, 50% to 37%. Political Wire. | |
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| 7:22 AM: | Obama camp denies racial slur, confronts false web rumors. Democrat Barack Obama's campaign said Thursday that Michelle Obama never used the word "whitey" in a speech from the church pulpit. USA Today. | |
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| 7:22 AM: | The Fundraisers. Barack Obama courting Hillary Clinton's big dollar fundraisers . What happens here is, I think, the best test of to what extent the Clintons are really behind Obama. Yglesias. | |
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| 7:21 AM: | The Secret of My.BarackObama.com? eGroups! This isn't rocket science. This stuff been around for more than a decade. Patrick Ruffini. | |
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| 7:17 AM: | Meet The (Actual) Vetters. Veepstakes vetting is kind of a specialty for a handful of prominent Washington lawyers who take time every four years to help out. Marc Ambinder. | |
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| 7:16 AM: | World's love for Obama may not win votes in the US. Obama's nomination has achieved in one night what hand-wringing Bush diplomacy has failed to deliver in four years: a powerful signal that America still has the power to surprise and inspire. BBC. | |
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| 12:48 AM: | Not all Democrats falling for Obama. Nothing personal, Sen. Obama, but our re-election comes first. AP. | |
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| 12:47 AM: | Analysis: Town halls have risks, benefits for each candidate. Two political rivals on a stage, unfiltered questions from undeclared voters, thoughtful answers, no soundbites. Democracy at its best or risky politics? AP. | |
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