| 8:49 PM: | Candidates Celebrate Independence Day. Obama and his family attend a July 4 parade and hold a picnic in the battleground state of Montana Friday. Meanwhile: McCain relaxes off the stump in Arizona after flying home from his Latin America trip. Mark Halperin. | |
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| 8:48 PM: | What John McCain didn't learn in Vietnam. In spite of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, the former POW insists we could have won. No wonder he talks of occupying Iraq for a century. Salon. | |
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| 8:48 PM: | Influential White House Staff Member Quits Job. Joe Hagin, the little known but influential White House staffer who supervised the renovation of the Situation Room and planned President Bush's secret trips to Iraq, surprised colleagues yesterday with his resignation. Washington Post. | |
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| 7:28 PM: | Obama Responds to FISA Protest on His Web Site. After a protest group gained prominence on Senator Barack Obama's own campaign Web site, the candidate has written a response to those who object to his support for the current compromise legislation in the Senate on immunity for telecoms. NYT. | |
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| 7:23 PM: | Obama pushes deep into Republican turf. Obama pushed deep into Republican territory in North Dakota on Thursday, saying he saw the potential for a significant political realignment in November's election. Reuters. | |
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| 7:23 PM: | Obama may accept nomination at Invesco Field. Obama's campaign is considering having him accept the Democratic presidential nomination at Invesco Field at Mile High instead of the Pepsi Center, the chosen site for the Democratic National Convention, two people with knowledge of convention planning said Thursday. AP. | |
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| 5:09 PM: | Obama says he could 'refine' Iraq policy. Obama said he had not changed his position regarding Iraq troop withdrawals, but that he could "refine" his policy after assessing the situation there. MSNBC. | |
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| 5:08 PM: | POLL: Georgia McCain 46, Obama 44, Barr 4. InsiderAdvantage/Majority Opinion 7/2/08 - 502 LV, 4.3% Georgia (view our chart here ) McCain 46, Obama 44, Barr 4 Pollster.com. | |
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| 5:05 PM: | Is Obama Sliding To The Center? Some of the Democratic candidate's supporters are expressing frustration with what they see as a slide toward the center. Markos Moulitsas, founder of The DailyKos political blog, discusses how Obama is trying to appeal to moderates. NPR. | |
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| 5:04 PM: | Poll: McCain, Obama are likable flip-floppers. How do voters feel about the two major-party presidential candidates this year? CNN. | |
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| 5:00 PM: | McCain to Spend Next Week Focusing on Jobs. The presumptive GOP nominee will kick off the post-Fourth of July stretch with a series of events in battleground states on the economy. He'll unveil his jobs-first economic plan in Colorado Monday, followed by stops in D.C., Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin. Mark Halperin. | |
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| 4:51 PM: | Obama wades into controversy with Iraq comments. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama waded into controversy on Thursday over his plans to withdraw U.S. combat troops from Iraq, first saying he might "refine" his views but later declaring his stance had remained unchanged for more than a year. Reuters. | |
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| 4:51 PM: | RNC to run its first ad of presidential campaign. An independent arm of the Republican National Committee plans to spend $3 million on an ad campaign contrasting GOP presidential candidate John McCain to Democrat Barack Obama on energy security. AP. | |
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| 4:50 PM: | McCain: Staff changes part of 'natural evolution' John McCain said Thursday that changes in the leadership of his campaign are part of a "natural evolution" as the organization. USA Today. | |
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| 2:04 PM: | Obama pushes deep into Republican turf. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama pushed deep into Republican territory in North Dakota on Thursday, saying he saw the potential for a significant political realignment in November's election. Reuters. | |
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| 2:03 PM: | Bush to attend China Olympics opening ceremonies. President George W. Bush will attend the opening ceremonies at the Olympics in China next month, the White House said on Thursday. Reuters. | |
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| 1:12 PM: | Poll shows U.S. terror fears lowest since 9/11. As Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama battle over who has the best approach to national security, a new CNN poll finds Americans' concerns about terrorism have hit an all-time low for the post-September 11 era. CNN. | |
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| 1:12 PM: | Message problems plagued McCain. Sen. John McCain's campaign was on the verge of making big mistakes before it announced a major power shift, Republican strategist Ed Rollins said. CNN. | |
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| 1:10 PM: | Bipartisanship Marks McCain Senate Tenure. For more than a decade, John McCain has championed high-profile legislation opposed by President Bush or others in his own party. CBS. | |
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| 1:10 PM: | If It's Like 1956, McCain Wins Big; If It's Like 1980, Obama Wins Bigger. Journalists love close elections. It's good for business, and they're more fun to cover. So it's not surprising that most pundits, backed by most polls, are forecasting a close presidential election this fall between Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain. CQ. | |
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| 1:10 PM: | Rove won't appear before House panel. Rove, scheduled to appear next week, refuses to testify on "politicization" within the Justice Dept. Politico. | |
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| 1:10 PM: | Obama Might 'Refine' Iraq Timeline. Barack Obama dropped a not so subtle hint today in North Dakota that his fixed, 16-month timetable for pulling US troops out of Iraq beginning in January 2009 may in fact not be so fixed. Time. | |
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| 1:09 PM: | McCain Slams Obama's Commitment to Hispanics. John McCain continued to court Hispanic voters today, hitting his opponent in a Spanish-language radio ad that questions Barack Obama's commitment to Hispanics. The Hill. | |
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| 1:09 PM: | McCain Retools His Economic Message. The McCain campaign will focus next week on the economy, with an emphasis on job creation. The Republican candidate will not announce new proposals, said a top aide, but rather repackage his current ideas. WSJ. | |
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| 1:06 PM: | McCain and Obama put it on the line. Both presidential candidates have been known to enjoy gambling. CNN. | |
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| 1:06 PM: | Talk about timing for McCain's trip south of the border. McCain, who often invokes former President Ronald Reagan, had an almost Reaganesque moment this week -- a hostage rescue. Reuters. | |
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| 1:06 PM: | Bush will attend opening of Beijing Olympics. President Bush will attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Beijing on August 8, the White House announced Thursday. CNN. | |
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| 11:13 AM: | McCain Derangement Syndrome? An interesting exchange on Morning Joe today between John Ridley and Pat Buchanan, who were filling in as guest hosts. Time. | |
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| 11:12 AM: | On Tracking Polls. On the differences between rolling-average tracking polls and other "traditional" surveys. Pollster.com. | |
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| 11:07 AM: | Medicare Battle Will Resume Next Week. Senate Republican leaders on Friday called for a one-month hiatus in the partisan battle over Medicare physician payment rates, a bid that is likely to fall on deaf ears. CQ. | |
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| 11:07 AM: | MT Poll: Obama +5. In a new Rasmussen poll in Montana Obama leads McCain by 5 points. Montana is a red state the Obama campaign is pursuing (he's already aired two TV ads there). Time. | |
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| 11:01 AM: | Obama focuses on turning red states blue. It will be a red-state Fourth of July for Barack Obama, who hopes to find votes as well as fireworks. USA Today. | |
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| 11:00 AM: | Pumping Up the Anxiety. It's not clear what was going through President Bush's head yesterday morning, but his words certainly didn't dampen the growing speculation that the U.S. -- or Israel -- is planning to attack Iran before January. Washington Post. | |
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| 11:00 AM: | Obama Camp to Put Focus on Afghanistan. Foreign policy advisor Susan Rice and former Clinton Deputy Assistant Defense Secretary Sarah Sewall discuss the need for more troops in the region in 2 pm ET media call. Mark Halperin. | |
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| 9:16 AM: | Obama, McCain Tied Among Catholics. A new Time poll of Catholic voters that reveals that Sen. Barack Obama has pulled even with Sen. John McCain among that constituency -- Obama now polls 44% to McCain's 45%. Political Wire. | |
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| 9:14 AM: | McCain Memo: Strengthening National Campaign. Steve Schmidt, the newly installed senior adviser for John McCain's presidential bid, is moving quickly to strengthen the power of the operation's national headquarters by hiring a political director and a field director. Washington Post. | |
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| 9:14 AM: | Obama says Bill Clinton thinks he has a chance in Colorado. Bill Clinton thinks Barack Obama might have a chance to become the first Democrat to win Colorado since his own 1992 victory, the presumptive nominee told supporters at a fundraiser in the state Wednesday night. CNN. | |
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| 6:40 AM: | Oil prices near $146 a barrel for 1st time ever. Oil prices neared $146 a barrel Thursday for the first time ever on reports of declining U.S. stockpiles and the threat of conflict with Iran. AP. | |
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| 6:37 AM: | 62,000 jobs lost in June. Employers trimmed jobs from their payrolls in June for the sixth straight month, as the government's closely watched report Thursday showed continued weakness in the labor market. CNN. | |
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| 6:37 AM: | Jeb Bush meeting up with McCain. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, the brother of President Bush, is meeting up with John McCain Thursday in Mexico City to visit the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe, his campaign has announced. CNN. | |
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| 4:37 AM: | Inside the Obamacans and McCainocrats. Defining two new terms entering the political lexicon. Politico. | |
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| 4:37 AM: | Job news to get worse, experts say. Economists are forecasting that the unemployment rate retreated slightly in June after May's big spike. But few believe that is a sign that the battered labor market is at or even near the bottom. CNN. | |
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| 4:37 AM: | Caroline Kennedy: The reluctant operative. Kennedy is an active VP vetter, slipping around Capitol Hill for private meetings and exercising the discretion that made her an appealing choice. Politico. | |
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| 4:36 AM: | McCain's TV biopic, reconsidered. GOP candidate tells director he enjoyed "good times" during POW stay. Politico. | |
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| 4:35 AM: | The 'mushy middle' hard to reach for Obama, McCain. They're the most fickle voters, and potentially the most powerful. Thus, with party nominations secure, John McCain and Barack Obama now are pushing toward the center to win them over. AP. | |
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| 4:34 AM: | Poll: Public cool to Michelle, doesn't know Cindy. The public hasn't taken to Michelle Obama yet, especially whites. And it's got a question about Cindy McCain: Who is she? AP. | |
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| 4:34 AM: | Poll: Obama beats McCain as barbecue guest. People would rather barbecue burgers with Barack Obama than with John McCain. AP. | |
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| 4:34 AM: | Consuming The 2008 Campaign. As the marathon presidential campaign heads for the autumn stretch, voters should consider going on a media diet, be honest about their own biases and search out sources with views other than their own. NPR. | |
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| 4:34 AM: | Behind The Scenes Of The McCain Campaign. For the next 19th weeks, newly promoted McCain adviser Steve Schmidt has a motto to match his expanded portfolio. "Perfection is our goal," he said to members of McCain's staff yesterday morning. Marc Ambinder. | |
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