| 10:38 PM: | Obama's Playing Small Ball. Obama and his team are looking to pull a Tom Delay. The Next Right. | |
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| 10:14 PM: | Dodd And Feingold Will Filibuster Telecom Immunity. Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Russ Feingold (D-WI) released the following statement today in response to the announcement that the Senate this week will consider the compromise legislation that would reform the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). HuffPo. | |
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| 10:10 PM: | AFL-CIO prepares to endorse Obama this week. The AFL-CIO is preparing to give its stamp of approval to Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama. USA Today. | |
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| 9:03 PM: | Stars give Obama $5M at L.A. event. Barack Obama raised nearly $5 million Tuesday at a celebrity-packed fundraiser. USA Today. | |
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| 8:37 PM: | Approval Is Near for Bill to Help U.S. Homeowners. With sinking home values continuing to drag down the economy, Congress is poised to approve a huge package of housing legislation, including a refinancing program aimed at rescuing hundreds of thousands of homeowners in danger of foreclosure. NYT. | |
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| 8:27 PM: | MTV Will Accept Political Ads. The Viacom MTV Networks channel says it will now take political ads, though only from political candidates and party political committees -- not from third parties. Marc Ambinder. | |
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| 7:56 PM: | Obama Has Edge on Key Election Issues. Americans see Barack Obama as better able than John McCain to handle energy issues and the economy, the two most important election issues in the public's eyes, according to a recent Gallup survey. Gallup. | |
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| 7:52 PM: | Senate Confirms FEC Nominees, Allowing Agency to Resume Work. The Senate on Tuesday confirmed five nominees for the Federal Election Commission, breaking a prolonged partisan logjam and allowing the agency to resume functioning. AP. | |
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| 7:50 PM: | Analysis: Presidential Campaign Enters New Phase. In this first official week of summer, the presidential campaign enters a new phase. Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama are engaging each other in the battle for general election votes. NPR. | |
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| 7:29 PM: | I've Never Seen An Ad Like This. Sen. Gordon Smith (R-OR) brags in a new television advertisement that he was worked closely and fruitfully with -- and the music really does swell -- Barack Obama. The Atlantic. | |
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| 6:28 PM: | The Inner Obama. From Rolling Stone magazine, we learn that Senator Barack Obama's musical tastes are pretty mainstream. His reading list is, well, a little dark. NYT. | |
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| 6:18 PM: | Reid to co-sponsor effort to strip retroactive immunity from FISA bill. Sens. Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Russ Feingold (D-WI) promised to do everything they can to strip retroactive immunity from "compromise" wiretapping legislation, including a filibuster. Think Progress. | |
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| 6:17 PM: | Senate Confirms FEC Nominees. After months of squabbling over new members for the Federal Election Commission, the Senate confirmed five new officials Tuesday with little fanfare, putting the long defunct commission back in working order. CQ Politics. | |
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| 6:16 PM: | New Four-Way Presidential Poll. A Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll released on June 24 shows these results when four candidates are listed: Obama 48%, McCain 33%, Nader 4%, Barr 3%, other 2%, don't know 10%. Here are the details. Scroll down to the 3rd chart to find these numbers. Thanks to Tim Brace for this news. Ballot Access. | |
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| 5:56 PM: | Imagining the Pentagon Under a New President. The next president will be the first in 40 years to inherit the Pentagon during wartime. While the two candidates' foreign policy advisers both advocate greater accountability at the Pentagon, they disagree on how to handle Iraq. NPR. | |
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| 5:49 PM: | Surveying the race. Barack Obama's campaign manager paints a mostly rosy picture supported by recent polling, while John McCain's media buys give some insight as to where he'll be trying to compete. Salon. | |
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| 5:17 PM: | Ideology-Based Hiring at Justice Broke Laws, Investigation Finds. Senior Justice Department officials broke civil service laws by rejecting scores of young applicants who had links to Democrats or liberal organizations, according to a biting report issued yesterday. Washington Post. | |
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| 5:05 PM: | Oregon's Republican Senator Cozies Up to Obama. Sen. Gordon Smith, an Oregon Republican who finds himself in a tough re-election fight, is airing a new television ad in which he touts his work with Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. ABC. | |
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| 3:59 PM: | Bush, Talabani to meet Wednesday on Iraq security. President George W. Bush will meet Iraqi President Jalal Talabani on Wednesday to discuss a long-term security pact for U.S. forces to stay in Iraq, among other issues, the White House said on Tuesday. Reuters. | |
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| 3:58 PM: | Gallup Daily: Obama Holds Slight Edge, 46% vs. 43% Voters' presidential preferences remain closely divided between Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain, with Obama maintaining a slight edge, 46% to 43% in June 21-23 Gallup Poll Daily tracking. Gallup. | |
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| 3:56 PM: | Clinton turns attention back to Senate. After wrapping up the longest presidential primary campaign in modern history, Sen. Hillary Clinton told reporters Tuesday she is ready to turn her attention back to being the junior senator from New York. CNN. | |
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| 3:37 PM: | Oil drilling question looms as election issue. In an election year when Republicans are bracing to lose seats in Congress and major issues from Iraq to the economy appear to favor the Democrats, the GOP is betting that an aggressive push to drill for new domestic energy will be their ticket to success. SF Chronicle. | |
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| 3:36 PM: | The truth about drilling and gas prices. Republicans are slamming Democrats for their opposition to offshore oil drilling, but new drilling wouldn't bring relief at the pump any time soon. Salon. | |
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| 3:25 PM: | Color Oregon blue? A fairly stunning new ad from Oregon's Republican senator Gordon Smith leaves little doubt as to which way the wind is blowing there. Ben Smith. | |
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| 2:57 PM: | Five more senators disclose their mortgages. Five more senators disclose their mortgages in Politico's survey. The Crypt. | |
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| 2:50 PM: | Campaign 08: No Straight Talk Express Rolls On. A strategist is blunt about counting on terror to help the campaign. But McCain prefers off-the-record cheap shots. The Nation. | |
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| 2:38 PM: | Obama holds 12-point lead over McCain, poll finds. A Times/Bloomberg Poll says that in a two-man contest, 49% of respondents favor Barack Obama, while 37% support John McCain. With Ralph Nader and Bob Barr added to the mix, Obama holds 15-point edge. LA Times. | |
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| 2:38 PM: | McCain Camp Calls Obama ‘Dr. No' of Energy Security. What do a James Bond villain and Barack Obama have in common? Ask the McCain campaign. NYT. | |
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| 2:35 PM: | McCain to visit Colombia next month. Sen. John McCain is taking another foreign trip, this time to Colombia. AP. | |
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| 2:34 PM: | Michelle Obama Will Keynote Gay and Lesbian Leadership Gala. Michelle Obama will be the keynote speaker at Thursday's Gay and Lesbian Leadership Council (GLLC) Gala at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) announced today. Obama will be joined by DNC Chairman Howard Dean as well as New York first lady Michelle Patterson. The Hill. | |
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| 2:34 PM: | McCain Energy Panelist Attacks Candidate. After saying he was a "bit bemused" he ended up on the panel, the chair of the Santa Barbara Land Trust slammed McCain's proposal to build more nuclear plants during afternoon energy briefing event. "I don't understand how it's not compromising our environmental standards…" Mark Halperin. | |
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| 2:33 PM: | Democrats Re-File Lawsuit Against Federal Election Commission Over McCain Primary Season Matching Funds. On August 13, 2007, John McCain filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission, to establish his interest in receiving primary season matching funds. Later he demonstrated that he had qualified (by raising more than $5,000 from each of 20 states). However, he never accepted primary season funds. Ballot Access. | |
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| 1:17 PM: | McCain Statement on Zimbabwe. The Robert Mugabe regime and its armed forces have created a vicious climate of fear in order to defy the will of the people and manipulate the outcome of the June 27 presidential run-off. I fully support the decision of Morgan Tsvangirai and the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) to withdraw from the elections. John McCain. | |
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| 1:15 PM: | Obama Condemns Mugabe, Speaks With Tsvangirai. Barack Obama condemned the actions of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and said he shares the concerns of Morgan Tsvangirai, the opposition leader who ended his presidential bid amid pressure from the government. The Hill. | |
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| 1:11 PM: | Obama calls McCain energy plan a 'gimick' Sen. John McCain on Tuesday told voters that energy efficiency "should begin at home" and proposed that the federal government purchase more environmentally friendly vehicles. CNN. | |
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| 1:11 PM: | Why Bill Clinton's Miffed At Obama. Bill Clinton has a beef. A Democrat who has spoken directly to Clinton about his feelings said that the former president remains “miffed” for two reasons. Marc Ambinder. | |
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| 12:15 PM: | McCain's media spending. McCain is currently spending about $1.5 million per week on TV. Concentrated buys in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin aimed at working class Reagan Democrats. McCain also targets western battleground states, Nevada and Colorado. Marc Ambinder. | |
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| 11:53 AM: | Is Obama moving to the center? Some reporters suggest that positions he's taken recently on illegal wiretapping and foreign policy are an indication that Barack Obama is trying to shake the dreaded liberal label. Salon. | |
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| 11:31 AM: | Christian leader says Obama distorting the Bible. A leading conservative evangelical on Tuesday said Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama had distorted the Bible and espouses a "fruitcake" approach to the U.S. Constitution. Reuters. | |
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| 11:29 AM: | Clinton gets royal treatment upon Senate return. Clinton returns to cheering senators, interns in Senate. The Crypt. | |
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| 11:28 AM: | McCain's Psychological Benefits. McCain said yesterday that he doesn't "see an immediate relief" on gas prices from offshore oil drilling, and that "though it may take some years, the fact that we are exploiting those reserves would have psychological impact." Time. | |
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| 11:27 AM: | Obama criticizes McCain's nuclear power plan. U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama on Tuesday criticized his rival John McCain's proposal to encourage the building of 45 new nuclear reactors by 2030. Reuters. | |
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| 11:27 AM: | Can Iraq Sink Obama? Could positive developments on the ground in Iraq force Barack Obama to reconsider his position on the war in Iraq? And, if so, how would such a reconsideration impact the current dynamic between Obama and John McCain? Washington Post. | |
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| 10:54 AM: | A proposed script for the vice president's chief of staff. David S. Addington, Vice President Cheney's formidable and reclusive chief of staff, is scheduled to appear before the House judiciary committee Thursday for a hearing on how the Bush administration developed its interrogation policies. Signs are that he actually intends to show up. Slate. | |
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| 10:11 AM: | Gallup Daily: Obama Holds Slight Edge, 46% vs. 43% Barack Obama leads John McCain in national voter preferences by 46% to 43%, exactly the same as Gallup reported on Monday, and similar to where the race has been for the past five days. Gallup. | |
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| 9:42 AM: | Bill Clinton backs Obama, but through spokesman. Two weeks after his wife ended her White House bid, former Democratic President Bill Clinton offered a faint voice of support for Barack Obama -- through a spokesman. Reuters. | |
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| 9:41 AM: | Michigan poll: Obama 48%, McCain 39% While it is, of course, still early, the more state polls that are released, the more Barack Obama appears to be shoring up the Kerry coalition of states. The latest to fall into its natural state of blueness: Michigan. MyDD. | |
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| 9:38 AM: | Plouffe Powerpoint Sets The Stage For The General Election. Here's a new Powerpoint briefing from Obama campaign manager David Plouffe that's making the rounds of Clinton donors. It's a fairly standard presentation, but it makes a few points about where the campaign sees itself as the general election begins. One slide reads: "Obama poised to win historic amount of support from women," with data points showing that Obama's margin over John McCain is nearly equivalent to Bill Clinton's margin over Bob Dole in 1996. Another notes that "Obama Holds Dominant Lead Over McCain Among Hispanics, A Key Swing Group," with polls showing that Obama recieves the same percentage of the Hispanic vote that Al Gore did in 2000. Citing Rassmussen's weekly tracking, the Plouffe briefing claims that "Obama [is] Consolidating Democrats as He Builds Strength Among Independents," although the data shows that Obama still lacks the support of between 20% and 22% of Democrats. The Powerpoint also answers a question many of us have had for a while now: just how big is Obama's e-mail list? The answer: 5 million strong. The campaign also claims to have more than one million volunteers. Marc Ambinder. | |
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| 9:33 AM: | Dems Giving McCain a Big Pass. It's almost surreal that McCain is being allowed to get on his high horse on anything remotely connected to the public financing system. Josh Marshall. | |
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| 9:33 AM: | McCain's Campaign Funding Hypocrisy: Why Are the Media Looking the Other Way? Isn't it interesting how, after largely ignoring the issue for the last 30 years, during which the GOP consistently outfundraised and outspent Democrats in election after election, the media are suddenly all atwitter about whether the campaign finance system is "basically fair"? How dare Obama inspire 1.5 million donors, giving an average of $197 apiece, to help him raise more money than McCain? Arianna Huffington. | |
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| 9:10 AM: | Obama camp blasts Black's terrorism comments. The Obama campaign Tuesday blasted senior McCain adviser Charlie Black's comments that a terrorist attack would benefit the Arizona senator's campaign, accusing them of viewing terror 'through a political lens.' CNN. | |
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| 9:08 AM: | Obama as Reagan 2.0. Look at how Obama appeals. Ask What are the deeper sensibilities he is appealing to? Then look back at what Reagan did in 1980, and through the presidency that followed. Then look at how well Obama is raising money and weakening the oppositional resolve of conservatives like George Will. Doc Searls. | |
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| 8:59 AM: | DNC files lawsuit over McCain financing. With so much attention on Obama's reversal on public financing, liberal bloggers like Arianna Huffington and Josh Marshall have wondered why McCain's own apparent flip flop on the subject hasn't received as much scrutiny. MSBC. | |
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| 8:58 AM: | Obama’s Fundraising Slowdown: Will It Cause Him to Look More toward Large Donors? According to monthly reports filed with the Federal Election Commission on June 20, Barack Obama’s primary fundraising totals decreased in May for the third straight month. Campaign Finance. | |
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| 8:58 AM: | Bill Clinton offers support to Obama. Former President Clinton said through a spokesman Tuesday that he is committed to helping Barack Obama become president. USA Today. | |
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| 8:57 AM: | Battered Congress Syndrome. President Bush doesn't hesitate to kick Congress around, but Congress just can't bring itself to kick back. Washington Post. | |
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| 8:55 AM: | Pelosi: Yes, sexism hurt Clinton; but that's just the way it is. At a breakfast with reporters hosted by the Christian Science Monitor this morning, USA TODAY's Washington Bureau chief Susan Page asked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi if she thought sexism had played a significant role in Hillary Rodham Clinton's failure to win the Democratic presidential nomination. USA Today. | |
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| 8:53 AM: | Bill Clinton ready to do 'whatever he can' to help Obama. The Associated Press believes the tough battle between Democrats Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama has led to things being "frosty" between former president Bill Clinton and the man who defeated the former first lady for their party's presidential nomination. USA Today. | |
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| 8:16 AM: | McCain's Web attack on Obama. McCain camp continues to hit Obama on his declining public funding -- now with this Web video. MSNBC. | |
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| 6:17 AM: | What Obama means for business. The first-term Senator from Illinois -- unheard of on the national scene until his "audacity of hope" speech at the 2004 Democratic convention -- was an improbable nominee. Fortune. | |
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| 6:16 AM: | Barack Obama, Serial Flip-Flopper. Change we can believe in? No, change we can count on, because as soon as he takes a position, we can count on the fact he's going to change it in front of the next audience. US News. | |
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| 6:14 AM: | Obama Courts the Unregistered. Presumptive presidential nominee Barack Obama wants to rewrite the list of states where Democrats will be competitive in the fall election. In states like North Carolina and Georgia, his campaign is going after eligible but unregistered voters, many of whom are black. NPR. | |
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| 6:13 AM: | Clinton returns to Senate. Hillary Rodham Clinton is returning to Congress Tuesday for the first time since suspending her presidential campaign. AP. | |
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| 6:00 AM: | Pennsylvania: Obama up by 4. Barack Obama has now taken a four-point lead over John McCain in Pennsylvania 46% to 42%, according to the latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of state voters. Rasmussen. | |
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| 5:56 AM: | On the trail. Sen. John McCain is in California, holding a morning briefing and an afternoon town hall meeting. * Sen. Barack Obama holds an afternoon campaign event in Las Vegas, NV. CNN. | |
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| 5:50 AM: | Obama Camp Keeps McCain Aide's Terrorism Remark Alive. The campaign plans a 10 am ET media call with 9/11 Commission member Richard Ben-Veniste to discuss Charlie Black's comments. The top strategist told Fortune that another terror attack would be 'a big advantage' to McCain's campaign. Black apologized and McCain rebuked the statement Monday. Mark Halperin. | |
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| 5:47 AM: | First Lady stakes. Will Michelle Obama help or hurt Barack's chances? BBC. | |
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| 5:47 AM: | Analysis: Obama's 'Shock and Awe' Barack Obama's decision to forgo public financing for his presidential campaign provides him with the tools needed to implement a "Shock and Awe" television ad strategy designed to paralyze John McCain's campaign, an expert on political TV advertising said in an interview with CNN. CNN. | |
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| 5:46 AM: | New South Florida Numbers. From Miami Herald/Zogby poll, surveying Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties: Obama 46, McCain 30 Error margin: 3.5 points. Mark Halperin. | |
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| 4:18 AM: | Morning Show Summary. McCain camp manager Rick Davis, Obama communications director Robert Gibbs, Minnesota Gov. Pawlenty on MSNBC's "Morning Joe". ABC's "Good Morning America" reports on Charlie Black's terrorism comment. George Stephanopoulos said the McCain team is "tearing their hair out" over these "unforced errors." Mark Halperin. | |
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| 4:18 AM: | Political Perceptions: Obama Really Is Experienced. We shouldn't dismiss or denigrate the most important piece of Sen. Barack Obama's political resume, his considerable time in the Illinois state legislature. WSJ. | |
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| 4:17 AM: | Poll: Obama vs. McCain, Issue by Issue. Americans currently put more faith in Barack Obama than John McCain to do a good job on energy, the economy, healthcare, and taxes, but say McCain would do a better job than Obama on terrorism. Gallup. | |
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| 4:16 AM: | Obama on wrong side of Elian Gonzalez saga. Eight years after the furor over the repatriation of a little boy, the international custody saga returns to haunt another Democratic presidential nominee. Politico. | |
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| 4:14 AM: | Senators' mortgages under microscope. Politico asked the offices of all 100 senators to describe how they obtained their own home loans. Politico. | |
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| 4:12 AM: | Barr is Media's Favorite Spoiler. Funny how Bob Barr gets more news media attention than Ralph Nader . Never mind that Nader is the third-party presidential candidate with a proven track record of making a difference. Craig Crawford. | |
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| 4:12 AM: | Dobson Accuses Obama of 'Distorting' the Bible. The top evangelical leader criticizes the Land of Lincolner for comments made in a 2006 speech to a liberal Christian group, says he's pushing a "fruitcake interpretation" of the Constitution. Mark Halperin. | |
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| 12:47 AM: | Internal documents:Capitol ill-prepared for bomb attack. A future terrorist attack on the U.S. Capitol is highly probable, and Congress’s specialized bomb squad is unlikely to be able to deal with it, according to internal U.S. Capitol Police documents obtained by The Hill. The Hill. | |
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| 12:30 AM: | McCain veep helper is discreet lawyer. The choice for John McCain's running mate is such a mystery that few people even know who is helping in that search. AP. | |
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| 12:18 AM: | Aide: plot to kill Ahmadinejad thwarted at U.N. meet. An adviser of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said there was a plot to assassinate the Iranian president during a U.N. food crisis summit in Italy earlier this month, an Iranian daily reported on Tuesday. Reuters. | |
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| 12:17 AM: | Big Oil isn't the big problem. After bungling the energy challenge in the 1970s, America now has a second chance to liberate itself. It should embark on a program of conserving energy, encouraging new technologies and developing alternative fuels, from solar to nuclear power, that will help wean it from its dependence on foreign oil. LA Times. | |
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