| 11:39 PM: | Op-Ed Columnist: Iraq: Still Inscrutable. What we do next in Iraq â€" how and why â€" is barely getting discussed in the presidential campaign. It might be useful to start talking about it. NYT. | |
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| 11:39 PM: | Op-Ed Columnist: Iraq: Still Inscrutable. What we do next in Iraq â€" how and why â€" is barely getting discussed in the presidential campaign. It might be useful to start talking about it. NYT. | |
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| 11:38 PM: | Editorial: Mr. Bush v. the Bill of Rights. A proposed bill that would expand President Bush’s powers to spy on Americans without a court order is a threat to the Bill of Rights. NYT. | |
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| 9:46 PM: | Special U.S. House Election in Maryland. Maryland held a special election to fill the vacant 4th district U.S. House seat, on June 17. The results: Democratic 79.6%; Republican 19.3%; Libertarian 1.1%. In November 2006, the vote in this district had been: Democratic 81.2%; Republican 18.8%. Ballot Access. | |
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| 9:45 PM: | Lieberman Passes on 'Awkward' Gathering With Top Obama Aide. Joseph I. Lieberman's endorsement of presumed Republican presidential nominee John McCain was bound to cause him some uncomfortable moments this election year. CQ. | |
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| 9:19 PM: | Campaigns in a Skirmish Over Terrorism and Law. A debate over terrorism, security and the rule of law broke out as the campaigns of Senator John McCain and Senator Barack Obama exchanged attacks Tuesday. NYT. | |
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| 9:08 PM: | The Taliban Are Back. What Now? The long road to fixing Afghanistan winds through Pakistan. Slate. | |
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| 8:45 PM: | After attacks, Michelle Obama looks for a new introduction. "You are amazed sometimes at how deep the lies can be," Michelle Obama says in an interview. Referring to a character in a 1970s sitcom, she adds: "I mean, 'whitey'? That's something that George Jefferson would say. Anyone who says that doesn't know me. They don't know the life I've lived. They don't know anything about me." IHT. | |
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| 8:25 PM: | Nothing has been learned. John McCain makes a typically Bush-like conflation: there are 21 million small business owners; there are small business owners in the top two tax brackets; therefore, Barack Obama plans to raise taxes on 21 million small businesses. Paul Krugman. | |
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| 8:23 PM: | Maryland elects 1st black woman to Congress. Democratic lawyer and nonprofit executive Donna Edwards won a special election Tuesday to become Maryland's first black woman elected to Congress. AP. | |
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| 8:07 PM: | Linguist explains Obama's appeal. Obama has an intuitive grasp of how rival parties can frame the same issues in radically different ways, says George Lakoff And, he adds, Obama deftly avoids the obsessive policy talk that many a candidate spouts, instead explaining his political position in terms of fundamental moral values. Phil Inquirer. | |
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| 7:40 PM: | Cycles in American National Electoral Politics. Statistical evidence suggests that, broadly speaking, the
partisan seat share of the Democratic and Republican
parties in the U.S. Congress and their vote share
for president has not varied randomly over time but
rather has oscillated back and forth in a fairly regular
pattern for the past 160 years. APSA. | |
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| 7:38 PM: | Obama: Boosting economy best way to aid dollar. White House hopeful Barack Obama said on Tuesday the weakness in the U.S. dollar reflects the soft economy and large trade deficits, and the best way to strengthen the currency is to restore the economy's health. Reuters. | |
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| 7:37 PM: | A McCain-Lieberman ticket? Joe-mentum slants too far right for Democrats, but it would (believe it or not) move the Republicans toward the center. Salon. | |
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| 7:36 PM: | Bush to Seek an End to Ban on Oil Drilling. Reversing a longstanding position, President Bush will call on Congress to end the ban on offshore drilling, underscoring how gas prices have become a major issue in the 2008 campaign. NYT. | |
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| 6:21 PM: | Bush to urge lifting of ban on offshore drilling. President George W. Bush will make an announcement on Wednesday about energy and call on Congress to pass legislation lifting a ban on offshore oil drilling, the White House said. Reuters. | |
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| 6:20 PM: | McCain, Obama battle on issue of handling terrorism. Republican John McCain's camp accused Democratic presidential rival Barack Obama on Tuesday of being weak on terrorism, drawing a sharp rebuke from Obama on the politically charged issue of how to deal with Islamic extremists. Reuters. | |
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| 5:52 PM: | Bush to urge Congress to allow offshore drilling. President Bush plans to make a renewed push Wednesday to get Congress to end a long-standing ban on offshore oil and gas drilling, echoing a call by GOP presidential candidate John McCain. AP. | |
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| 5:46 PM: | The Canonization of Saint Russert. Russert's death at 58 is a sad occasion. Yet is it of such importance and momentum that his network, the other networks, and newspapers should continue to salute, remember, and otherwise memorialize him? Slate. | |
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| 5:40 PM: | Civitas Poll: Obama Closes Gap in North Carolina. According to a new Civitas Institute poll , Sen. Barack Obama has pulled to within four points of Sen. John McCain in North Carolina. Political Wire. | |
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| 5:15 PM: | Clinton and Obama, together at last. No, it's not for a joint ticket -- just a joint appearance. Salon. | |
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| 5:15 PM: | Obama: GOP needs to learn lessons of 9/11, not me. Democrat Barack Obama says he'll take no lectures from Republicans on who will keep America safer. USA Today. | |
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| 5:14 PM: | Indicted congressman to run for re-election. Democratic Rep. William Jefferson, who faces bribery charges over $90,000 found in his freezer, said on Tuesday that he plans to seek re-election. Reuters. | |
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| 5:14 PM: | Bush to urge lifting of ban on offshore drilling. President George W. Bush will make an announcement on Wednesday about energy and call on Congress to pass legislation lifting a ban on offshore oil drilling. Reuters. | |
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| 4:47 PM: | Obama: GOP made Iraq a 'distraction' Says GOP 'engineer[ed] the distraction of the war in Iraq' instead of pinning down Sept. 11th plotters. Politico. | |
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| 4:47 PM: | McCain plays with fire on offshore drilling. If wrong, McCain could seriously damage his chances in two key coastal states where opposition to offshore drilling for oil has been unwavering. Politico. | |
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| 4:46 PM: | Dodd: I Received No Special Deals from Countrywide. The Connecticut Senator said at a presser Tuesday that he didn't get preferential treatment from the embattled mortgage lender. Mark Halperin. | |
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| 4:44 PM: | McCain, Obama battle on issue of handling terrorism. Republican John McCain's camp accused Democratic presidential rival Barack Obama on Tuesday of being weak on terrorism, drawing a sharp rebuke from Obama on the politically charged issue of how to deal with Islamic extremists. Reuters. | |
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| 4:43 PM: | Emily's List founder and Obama campaign manager meet. Ellen Malcom, founder of Emily's List and a major Clinton supporter, met with Obama campaign manager David Plouffe at campaign headquarters in Chicago Tuesday. CNN. | |
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| 3:31 PM: | Hey AP -- that's 120 words. Have your lawyers call my lawyers. Media experts are swarming over the AP's takedown notice against two bloggers, claiming that no one is allowed to excerpt from AP stories anymore. Daily Kos. | |
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| 3:20 PM: | Clinton to appear with Obama at event. Donors are invited to the June 26 event in D.C. Politico. | |
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| 3:20 PM: | Obama comforts crying community college student. Pace broke down in front of Obama and began crying after explaining the financial stresses she is facing while trying to get her education, help take care of her disabled father, and cope with the costs of commuting to school with the high price of gasoline. CNN. | |
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| 3:08 PM: | Where They Are Wednesday. Obama: Washington, DC; McLean, VA. McCain: Springfield, MO. Mark Halperin. | |
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| 2:56 PM: | Obama Vice Presidential Team Meets. Sen. Barack Obama is at the Democratic National Committee right now for one meeting, and one floor away (I confess I'm not sure whether it's up or down), his vice presidential search committee chairs -- Caroline Kennedy and Eric Holder -- are meeting with prominent Democrats, including Rep. Charles Rangel. Marc Ambinder. | |
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| 2:38 PM: | Hundreds join president in mourning NBC's Russert. Hundreds of friends, colleagues and strangers joined President Bush and his wife, Laura, in paying respects on Tuesday. USA Today. | |
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| 2:38 PM: | KY Poll: McCain +12, McConnell +4. SurveyUSA is out with new numbers in Kentucky. Time. | |
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| 1:32 PM: | McCain aide says Obama has Sept. 10 mind-set. Republican John McCain's campaign accused Barack Obama of having a dangerous and naive Sept. 10 mind-set toward terrorism because the Democrat spoke approvingly of the successful prosecution and imprisonment of those responsible for the 1993 World Trade Center bombings. AP. | |
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| 1:31 PM: | Rangel taps private equity to pay for AMT. Rangel introduces plan to extend protections from the alternative minimum tax. The Crypt. | |
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| 1:30 PM: | Obama leads McCain in first General Election Poll of Polls. Barack Obama is leading John McCain in the first General Election CNN Poll of Polls since Hillary Clinton ended her presidential bid. CNN. | |
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| 12:30 PM: | The death of U.S. strategy in Iraq. Senator McCain has yet to give the American people clear answers to three fundamental questions: What, exactly, are the political objectives of keeping large numbers of American soldiers in Iraq for years to come? What plausible outcome would benefit the United States enough to justify the wrenching costs of achieving those objectives? And what, concretely, is the strategy for getting there? CSM. | |
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| 12:27 PM: | Obama, McCain Have Wide Gulf On Tax Policy. Barack Obama seemingly has a liberal outlook of taxing the rich more while having the government help people of more modest means. John McCain advocates a conservative vision of cutting taxes - many geared toward businesses - to promote competition. CBS. | |
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| 12:26 PM: | Obama, in Beijing's Eyes. "The skin color of Senator Barack Obama poses the greatest focus of attention in the ongoing U.S. presidential election campaign this year," writes People's Daily, the Chinese Communist Party's self-described mouthpiece, in an awkward and embarrassing editorial in yesterday's online edition. Commentary. | |
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| 12:25 PM: | Obama plans Iraq trip but not to change position. While Sen. Barack Obama says he'll visit Iraq and Afghanistan before the election, he's staying consistent with his plans to start withdrawing U.S. troops almost immediately should he become president. CNN. | |
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| 12:24 PM: | Obama promises tuition tax credit. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama recalled paying off his own mountain of student loan debt and promised struggling college students Tuesday he would help them pay for school. AP. | |
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| 12:23 PM: | Pres. Bush, first lady pay respects to Russert. President Bush and his wife, Laura, went to a wake for Tim Russert, the television newsman who died last Friday. Bush and his wife rode in a short, unmarked motorcade to St. Albans School in Northwest Washington, where the wake was being held Tuesday in the refectory. CNN. | |
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| 12:23 PM: | Axelrod meets with Senate Democrats. Obama campaign chief David Axelrod meets with Senate Democrats. The Crypt. | |
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| 12:22 PM: | California gay couples rush to wed as vote looms. Hundreds of gay and lesbian couples rushed to wed on Tuesday on the first full day that same-sex marriages were allowed across California, filling city halls with cheers -- and politics. Reuters. | |
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| 12:21 PM: | Giuliani Resurfaces, Teams Up with McCain to Attack Obama on Security. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) is back in the mix as he surfaced today to attack Barack Obama over national security. The Hill. | |
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| 12:21 PM: | Hutchison: Biggest Election Issues Are Energy, Gas Prices, Food Costs. For anyone still thinking that foreign policy will dominate this year's election cycle, a Senate Republican press conference Tuesday will serve as a wake-up call. The Hill. | |
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| 12:01 PM: | 60% Believe Supreme Court Justices Have Their Own Political Agendas. Sixty-percent (60%) of voters believe Supreme Court Justices have their own political agendas, while just 23% believe they remain impartial, according to the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Rasmussen. | |
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| 11:58 AM: | Obama Gets the Gore Ticket Question. Speculation about another turn by Gore in the vice presidential role NYT. | |
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| 11:57 AM: | New McCain slogan: "Reform, Prosperity, Peace" That's the official slogan of the McCain campaign, and it makes its first formal appearance this morning in a new McCain television advertisement about global warming and the environment. Marc Ambinder. | |
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| 11:57 AM: | The new racist, anti-Obama fashion statement. One vendor at the Texas Republican Convention made no bones about a racist attitude towards the presumptive Democratic nominee. Salon. | |
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| 11:56 AM: | Axelrod Briefs Senate Democratic Caucus. Top Obama strategist drops in on the group's weekly lunch to talk about the campaign. Mark Halperin. | |
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| 11:55 AM: | What Does the Goreacle's Endorsement Mean? Former Vice President Al Gore's decision to endorse Sen. Barack Obama drew wall-to-wall coverage across the media spectrum. But, will it carry significant weight with voters? Washington Post. | |
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| 10:43 AM: | McCain hits Obama on windfall profits tax. Sen. John McCain criticized Barack Obama's call for a windfall profits tax on the oil industry on Tuesday, despite seeming to leave the door open to the same suggestion last month. AP. | |
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| 10:42 AM: | Gallup Daily: Race Remains at Obama 46%, McCain 42% Barack Obama's lead over John McCain in the latest Gallup Poll Daily tracking update remains 46% to 42% for the second day in a row. Gallup. | |
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| 10:42 AM: | Obama to seek AFL-CIO backing in meeting. Democrat Barack Obama is seeking the backing of the AFL-CIO in hopes of quickly unifying the nation's labor movement behind his candidacy. AP. | |
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| 10:41 AM: | Obama to meet with Hispanic lawmakers. The candidate returns to Washington Tuesday night to brief members, answer questions. The Crypt. | |
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| 10:40 AM: | Poll: Fired-up factor favors Obama. Could a battered economy, waning enthusiasm for the war in Iraq and President Bush's low approval ratings spell trouble for Sen. John McCain and other Republicans in November? According to a new poll, the answer depends on who you ask. CNN. | |
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| 10:27 AM: | McCain: The Answer To Our Energy Problems Is To Do Exactly What Big Oil Wants. McSame is giving a speech on energy kissing Big Oil's ass in Houston today with proposals that sound oddly familiar. Firedoglake. | |
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| 9:54 AM: | DNC plans lawsuit to press McCain investigation. DNC said Tuesday it plans to file a lawsuit next week to try to force a federal investigation over whether John McCain's withdrawal from the public financing system violated the law. CNN. | |
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| 9:21 AM: | McCain Camp Hits Obama On Guantanamo. The McCain campaign today attacked Obama over statements he made to ABC in an interview yesterday in Flint, Mich., regarding the handling of terrorists in Guantanamo Bay. Time. | |
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| 9:21 AM: | Pro-Obama 527 defying Obama, staying in business. Steve Phillips, whose California-based pro-Obama PowerPAC.org backed the Illinois Senator with paid media and minority voting drives in the primarie Ben Smith. | |
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| 9:21 AM: | McCain would let states decide on offshore drilling. Sen. John McCain on Tuesday will propose lifting the ban on offshore drilling as part of his plan to reduce dependence on foreign oil and help combat rising gas prices. CNN. | |
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| 9:19 AM: | Obama Meets With Detroit's Black Leaders. The Land of Lincolner addresses a group of elected officials, community and faith leaders, focuses on how activism at the community level is needed to progress his national political agenda. Mark Halperin. | |
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| 7:38 AM: | Paul Says He Won't Endorse McCain. Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), who just ended his libertarian-minded presidential bid last week, said that he doesn't plan to endorse either of the major party candidates for president this year. The Hill. | |
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| 7:37 AM: | McCain Plans Decentralized Campaign. Jonathan Martin, senior political correspondent at Politico.com, looks at John McCain's campaign strategy. NPR. | |
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| 7:36 AM: | Obama to Mend Rifts With Congressional Black Caucus. The presumptive Democratic nominee will meet with the key group of black lawmakers Thursday to try to heal the wounds inflicted by his battle against Clinton. Mark Halperin. | |
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| 7:35 AM: | Ford to idle Michigan SUV plant for nine weeks. Ford Motor Co plans to close a Michigan plant that builds large sport utility vehicles for nine weeks as demand for the vehicles has declined amid record high U.S. gas prices. Reuters. | |
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| 7:34 AM: | MoveOn Ad Targets McCain On Iraq War. A major labor union and the liberal organization MoveOn.org are joining forces to air a provocative new ad portraying John McCain's Iraq policy as a prolonged presence that would involve a new generation of Americans. CBS. | |
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| 7:33 AM: | The MTP Horse Race. Who will host Meet the Press on Sunday? Politico. | |
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| 5:41 AM: | McCain to Outline Energy Plan in Houston. Houston Chronicle: The presumptive GOP nominee will outline his energy self-sufficiency plan centered on aggressive domestic production, increased use of alternative energy sources at 5 pm ET speech. Mark Halperin. | |
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| 5:40 AM: | Bush to Visit Midwest Flood Areas Thursday. Bush returned late Monday from his trip to Europe, is set to be briefed on flood damage Tuesday morning. Mark Halperin. | |
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| 5:39 AM: | Political Perceptions: Obama and Iraq: New Thinking Needed? With Sen. Barack Obama talking about going to Iraq before the election, Robert Kaplan in The Atlantic says it's time for him to adjust his position on the war there to account for improvements on the ground. WSJ. | |
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| 5:36 AM: | 06.16.08. Barack Obama receives Al Gore's endorsement. Nightline. | |
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| 5:35 AM: | AP to meet with blogging group to form guidelines. The Associated Press, following criticism from bloggers over an AP assertion of copyright, plans to meet this week with a bloggers' group to help form guidelines under which AP news stories could be quoted online. AP. | |
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| 5:33 AM: | Independents' Day. The election will be fought over independent voters -- which is a decided contrast from 2004, when Karl Rove had all but declared the swing voter an extinct species, and both sides were battling to bring out their bases. Time. | |
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| 5:29 AM: | Nat'l Poll: Obama +6. A new national poll by Washington Post/ABC News (June 12-15, 1,125 A) shows Obama leading McCain by 6 points. Time. | |
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| 5:28 AM: | McCain to Lay Out His Energy Prescription. The presumptive Republican nominee is to call for unfettering domestic oil exploration, building new nuclear plants, and taking conservation more seriously. NYT. | |
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| 5:27 AM: | McCain Up With Global Warming TV Ad. New spot airing in battleground states says the Arizonan starting fighting to curb greenhouse gas emissions five years ago. Watch it above. Mark Halperin. | |
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| 5:25 AM: | CBS Poll: Changing Views On Gay Marriage. Most Americans continue to think there should be some legal recognition of gay and lesbian couples, and 30 percent say same-sex couples should be allowed to marry - the highest number since CBS News began asking this question in 2004. CBS. | |
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| 5:24 AM: | The not talkin' policy is working out well preemptively for McCain. Suddenly, those decrying appeasement are doing what they decried as "appeasement" -- what will John McCain do now? Firedoglake. | |
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| 5:24 AM: | Why It Sounds So Childish. At times Barack Obama seems to engage in a childlike model of international affairs: we should all sit down and chat and respect one another. If you have kids in grade school it will sound awfully familiar. Commentary. | |
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| 2:21 AM: | AFSMCE, MoveOn ad targets McCain on Iraq war. A major labor union and the liberal organization MoveOn.org are joining forces to air a provocative new ad portraying John McCain's Iraq policy as a prolonged presence that would involve a new generation of Americans. AP. | |
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| 2:21 AM: | Obama Drops By Michigan GM Plant. The Illinois Senator gets caught in the rain as he stands outside the Flint factory to shake hands during a shift change. Town has been hurt hard by the decline of American automobile manufacturing. Mark Halperin. | |
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| 2:20 AM: | McCain, Obama offer different visions on taxes. Make more than $250,000 a year? Watch out. Barack Obama wants to raise your income taxes. Social Security taxes, too. AP. | |
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| 2:20 AM: | New General Election Numbers. If the election were being held today, for whom would you vote? Obama: 48%; McCain: 42% Poll conducted June 12-15; Error margin: 3 points. Mark Halperin. | |
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| 2:19 AM: | McCain would pursue strong dollar policy. McCain would pursue a strong U.S. dollar policy as president and would be prepared to consider the "strong medicine" of intervention if circumstances demanded. Reuters. | |
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| 2:19 AM: | Unhappiness in Clinton camp over Obama hire. The news of Patti Solis Doyle's hire by Barack Obama is not being well-received by many of those close to the New York senator and by former members of her campaign team. CNN. | |
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| 2:18 AM: | Obama returns Chicago to center stage. This year Democrats have two candidates with Chicago roots and Obama propels it to the new capital of the Democratic Party. Politico. | |
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| 2:18 AM: | Where's the wealth gap? Try Congress. Pelosi and her husband may own a vineyard, but Hoyer holds a much more modest investment portfolio. Politico. | |
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