MICHAEL O. ALLEN

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Conditions on the Ground

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The big political news of the last week has been Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s embrace of Sen. Barack Obama’s position on the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and Sen. John McCain’s subsequent embrace of Maliki’s position on withdrawal. As Josh Marshall observes, “Sen. McCain has gone from predicting a decades long presence of American troops in Iraq and attacking any discussion of timetables for withdrawal to endorsing Maliki’s push for a 16 month timetable and tying himself in knots trying to explain why what Maliki’s endorsing is any different from Obama’s.”

On CNN on Friday, McCain insisted that his withdrawal plans are “conditions-based,” and suggested that Obama’s are not.

Nevermind that Obama’s withdrawal plans have always been contingent on conditions on the ground. He has said that he would be as careful getting out of Iraq as Bush was careless getting in. The sixteen month timetable has been Obama’s judgment of how long it would take to redeploy U.S. troops safely given conditions on the ground.

But what, exactly, are the conditions that matter to McCain? Journalists haven’t yet asked McCain that question.

My guess, based on McCain’s recent assertions that he would rather lose a campaign than lose a war, is that McCain’s key condition is the appearance of victory. If sectarian violence increases, or if the Iraqi government starts to crack, look for McCain to halt the withdrawal even if U.S. troops could withdraw safely. If it takes 100 years to win this war, then that’s how long McCain would leave our troops there.

In the end, I don’t think that McCain’s recent embrace of a 16-month timetable changes much other than his rhetoric. There are still deep differences between McCain and Obama and a real choice for the American people.

Cross-posted from Facebook.

Political news from CNN and others

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Edwards recently said that while he is not interested in the vice presidency, he hasn't ruled it out if asked.

WASHINGTON (AP) — There’s new information about the hunt for a running mate for Barack Obama.

A member of the Congressional Black Caucus who’s met with Obama’s vice-presidential screening team says she offered the names of former senators John Edwards and Sam Nunn — and was told they’re on the list. Congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick of Michigan says when she mentioned that Al Gore is her favorite, the two members of Obama’s team smiled.

Kilpatrick wouldn’t say which names Obama’s team brought up.

Lawmakers who’ve been briefed say there are about 20 names on the prospective vice-presidential list, which is said to include current elected officials, former elected officials, and retired military generals.

Compiled by Mary Grace Lucas

CNN Washington Bureau

AP: Williams to do `Meet the Press’ Sunday
Top NBC anchorman Brian Williams will host the next “Meet the Press” but the network hasn’t chosen who will permanently replace Tim Russert, an NBC News spokeswoman said Thursday.

Washington Post: McCain Raises Money the Hard Way
John McCain’s campaign treated the news of Barack Obama abandoning the public financing system with the expected disdain, calling it evidence that Obama is “just another typical politician who will do and say whatever is most expedient for Barack Obama.”

Chicago Tribune: Without public funding, sky’s the limit for Obama
‘Raising a half-billion dollars is a very realistic figure for him,’ strategist says.

NY Times: For Bush, a New Town, a New Disaster, but Always the Memory of New Orleans
Try as he might, President Bush cannot escape the haunting memory of Hurricane Katrina. Mr. Bush toured flood-stricken areas here on Thursday, the latest in a string of disaster-zone visits he has made in his role as comforter in chief.

CNN: House approves war funding plan
Military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan would be funded into early 2009 under a compromise plan approved Thursday by the U.S. House.

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Obama seeks delegate majority in Ore., Ky. primaries

AP – 23 minutes agoAP – Barack Obama will reach for a symbolic tipping point in the Oregon and Kentucky primaries Tuesday — a majority of pledged delegates offered in the Democratic presidential contest. Buffett supporting Obama

Posted: 08:35 PM ET
From

Buffett is supporting Obama.

Buffett is supporting Obama.

(CNN) — Warren Buffett, a longtime friend of both Hillary and Bill Clinton, told CNN Monday Barack Obama would be his choice for the next President of the United States. Speaking with CNN’s Becky Anderson, the billionaire investor said he would gladly vote for either candidate, but said it is clear the senator from Illinois will be the party’s nominee. “So it would be Barack Obama, — [he] would be my preference,” Buffett said. Buffett had refused to take sides in the prolonged Democratic presidential race. The Nebraska Democrat hosted million dollar fundraisers for both last summer, and had previously held back on endorsing one over the other. Though he reportedly said at the Clinton fundraiser that the New York senator is “the person to run the country.” Buffett also has offered Clinton informal advice on the economy, and the two led a question-and-answer session about the economy with voters at a San Francisco campaign event in December. Buffett, the world’s richest man according to Forbes Magazine, runs Omaha-based Berkshire Hathaway Inc. The company’s assets total more than $260 billion.

Filed under: Barack ObamaHillary Clinton

Posted: 08:30 PM ET
From

CNN=Politics Daily is The Best Political Podcast from the Best Political Team.

CNN=Politics Daily is The Best Political Podcast from the Best Political Team.

(CNN)—Barack Obama has his eyes on the general election on the eve of the next set of Democratic primaries in Kentucky and Oregon, while Hillary Clinton tells voters the race is “nowhere near over.” In the latest installment of CNN=Politics Daily , Suzanne Malveaux reports on the ongoing foreign policy dispute between Obama and John McCain —a preview of what we may see this fall. Meanwhile, Clinton’s counting on a big win in Kentucky Tuesday and bracing for a loss in Oregon, but she also took the time to remind Obama that he hasn’t locked up the nomination yet. Senior Political Correspondent Candy Crowley reports from the campaign trail in Kentucky. The presumptive GOP nominee aimed fire at Obama Monday, in an attempt to draw attention away from the fact that five of the Arizona senator’s aides have left his campaign due to new self imposed policies against campaign staffers with ties to lobbyist groups and special interests. CNN’s Dana Bash has the details. Finally: Internet Reporter Abbi Tatton takes you online to the latest Democratic National Committee attack aimed at highlighting McCain’s weaknesses. Click here to subscribe to CNN=Politics Daily.

Filed under: Barack ObamaHillary ClintonJohn McCain

Posted: 05:02 PM ET
ALT TEXT Barack Obama held a rally in Crow Agency, Montana at the Crow Indian Reservation. Obama was given the name of “Awe Kooda bilaxpak Kuuxshish” which means “One who helps people throughout the land.” Obama was adopted by a Crow couple named Black Eagle. He joked that he very much liked the idea of “Barack Black Eagle.” (Photo Credit: Mike Roselli/CNN)

Filed under: Barack Obama

Posted: 04:45 PM ET
From

Hillary Clinton campaigns in Kentucky Monday ahead of the states primary.

Hillary Clinton campaigns in Kentucky Monday ahead of the states primary.
PRESTONSBURG, Kentucky (CNN) – Hillary Clinton defended her reasoning for staying in the presidential race Monday afternoon by pointing out that Karl Rove’s analysis shows her to be the strongest candidate against John McCain in November.
“There has been a lot of analysis about which of us is stronger to win against Sen. McCain, and I believe I am the stronger candidate,” said Clinton, repeating a line from her stump speech. Then she veered from her usual argument. “Just today I found some curious support for that position when one of the TV networks released an analysis done by – of all people – Karl Rove, saying that I was the stronger candidate,” said Clinton. “Somebody go a hold of his analysis and there it is.” Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: Hillary Clinton

Posted: 04:35 PM ET
From

An estimated 75,000 people came out to support Barack Obama Sunday in Oregon.

An estimated 75,000 people came out to support Barack Obama Sunday in Oregon.

(CNN) – Amid reports that the Democratic Party’s leaders and largest fundraisers are beginning to take steps to try to bring their party together after a long, hard-fought primary campaign, the latest Gallup daily tracking poll suggests Democratic voters are beginning to coalesce around Sen. Barack Obama. Obama holds a 16-point lead over Sen. Hillary Clinton in Gallup’s latest daily tracking poll released Monday. He has the support of 55 percent of Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters while Clinton’s support is at 39 percent. Previously, Obama’s largest lead over Clinton was 11 percentage points, in daily tracking polls conducted in mid-May and mid-April, according to Gallup. Prior to John Edwards’s exit from the Democratic nomination race, Clinton held a 20-point lead over Obama in mid-January. The results are based on a survey of 1,261 Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters using combined data from May 16-18, 2008. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points. Kentucky and Oregon hold their Democratic primaries Tuesday. Obama is favored in Oregon’s contest and Clinton in Kentucky’s, according to CNN’s latest poll of polls in each state.

Filed under: Barack ObamaHillary ClintonPolls

Posted: 04:00 PM ET
From

Obama has been focusing lately on campaigning in general election states.

Obama has been focusing lately on campaigning in general election states.

WASHINGTON DC (CNN)– He’s not declaring victory in the Democratic primaries, but if you listen to Barack Obama, you get a clear sense he’s more than ready for a fall fight with John McCain. “Everybody is surprised that I am standing here. Lets face it, nobody thought a 46 year old black guy named Barack Obama was going to be the Democratic nominee. The reason this has worked is because of you. You decided you wanted to take your government back and that is what we are going to be fighting for all the way through November,” the Senator from Illinois told the crowd at a rally in Oregon Sunday. An interesting choice of words from a candidate who lately has been careful to not proclaim victory in his long and bitter battle with Senator Hillary Clinton (D-New York) for the Democratic Presidential nomination. But there’s more. “Senator Clinton and I have had a terrific contest and she has been a formidable candidate,” Obama said Sunday while being questioned by reporters. The slip into the past tense is telling. Obama’s choice of where he holds primary night campaign rallies is also a sign that he’s looking ahead to the general election. Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: Barack ObamaHillary ClintonJohn McCain

Posted: 03:50 PM ET
From

Clinton said Monday the Democratic race is not over.

Clinton said Monday the Democratic race is not over.

MAYSVILLE, Kentucky (CNN) — Hillary Clinton took a hard line on the state of the Democratic race Monday morning, telling supporters that it is “nowhere near over.” “I’m going to make [my case] until we have a nominee,” she told a crowd at a high school gym, “but we’re not going to have one today and we’re not going to have one tomorrow and we’re not going to have one the next day. “This is nowhere near over, none of us is going to have the number of delegates we’re going to need to get to the nomination,” she argued. A campaign spokesman clarified, explaining that short of a deluge of superdelegates, Clinton believes neither candidate will have the necessary 2,210 delegates by the last primary on June 3, the number she says is needed because she argues Michigan’s and Florida’s delegates must be counted. The Democratic National Committee has set the number of delegates needed at 2,026 after stripping those states of their delegates for moving up their primaries. Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: Barack ObamaHillary Clinton

Posted: 03:25 PM ET
From

Spouses of all three remaining presidential candidates have been on the hot seat this campaign season.

Spouses of all three remaining presidential candidates have been on the hot seat this campaign season.

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Barack Obama came out swinging Monday – not only in defending his national security stance on Iran but also in defending his wife, Michelle. At issue: GOP ads in Tennessee railing against Michelle Obama’s comment a few months back that “for the first time in my adult lifetime, I’m really proud of my country.” The senator told ABC “these folks should lay off my wife.” He said his critics can say whatever they want when it comes to his track record. “If they think that they’re going to try to make Michelle an issue in this campaign, they should be careful because that I find unacceptable, the notion that you start attacking my wife or family.” He praised Michelle as “the most honest, the best person I know” and “one of the most caring people I know. She loves this country. And for them to try to distort or to play snippets of her remarks in ways that are unflattering to her, I think, is just low class.” Spouses of candidates have been targeted in this campaign. Bill Clinton’s comments and record have been widely scrutinized. Cindy McCain’s wealth and her refusal to release her income tax and other financial records have been examined. Four years ago, John Kerry’s wife, Teresa, was criticized for various comments. Back in 1992, Hillary Clinton became an issue when she said she was not going to sit around and simply “bake cookies.” There are many other historic examples of wives of presidential candidates coming under attack. But is it right? It’s certainly understandable that presidential candidates don’t want their spouses to be attacked. But when someone wants to be president, is almost everything fair game?

Filed under: Barack ObamaHillary ClintonJohn McCainWolf Blitzer

Posted: 03:20 PM ET
From

 Hillary Clinton has said she's trying 'to break the highest and hardest glass ceiling'.

Hillary Clinton has said she’s trying ‘to break the highest and hardest glass ceiling’.

Hillary Clinton says she’s running for president “to break the highest and hardest glass ceiling” in the United States. But every day, it looks less and less likely that she’ll succeed. The New York Times reports today about what Clinton’s all-but-certain defeat will mean for women. Clinton set records for a campaign by a woman, raising more than $170 million, often getting better debate reviews than her male competitors, rallying older women and getting white men to vote for her. There are even those who believe Clinton was able to use sexism on the trail to her advantage, by bringing in more votes and donations after instances where many believed she was being unfairly picked on because she is a woman. There is no question she has done exceedingly well only to finish second behind Barack Obama. To read more and contribute to the Cafferty File discussion click here

Filed under: Cafferty File

Posted: 02:33 PM ET
From

 Ferraro is a supporter of Clinton's presidential campaign.

Ferraro is a supporter of Clinton’s presidential campaign.

(CNN) — Geraldine Ferraro, the outspoken former Democratic vice presidential candidate and a supporter of Hillary Clinton’s White House bid, told the New York Times she may not vote for Barack Obama should he be the party’s nominee. Ferraro, a former member of Clinton’s finance committee who resigned that post earlier this year after making comments many viewed as racially offensive, also said she thinks the Illinois senator has been “terribly sexist” over the course of the presidential campaign. The comments appear to underscore the potential difficulty Obama may have courting some women voters in the fall — many of whom have said they feel a solidarity with the New York senator over the barriers Clinton faces in her bid to become the first female president. Ferraro has not shied away from discussing the impact of race and gender throughout the Democratic presidential campaign. In March, the former congresswoman told a California newspaper the chief reason Obama’s candidacy was successful was because he was black. “If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position,” she told The Daily Breeze. “And if he was a woman, he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept.” Ferraro also said Clinton had been the victim of a “sexist media.” Obama later called those comments “ridiculous,” and Clinton said she disagreed with them. Ferraro maintained her comments were not racist, but ultimately resigned from the Clinton campaign after they caused an uproar. “The Obama campaign is attacking me to hurt you. I won’t let that happen,” she wrote in her resignation letter to Clinton, adding, “I am who I am and I will continue to speak up.”

Filed under: Barack ObamaGeraldine FerraroHillary Clinton

Posted: 01:00 PM ET
From

Sen. Byrd endorsed Obama's presidential bid Monday.

Sen. Byrd endorsed Obama’s presidential bid Monday.

(CNN) — Sen. Robert Byrd, the longest-serving senator in American history, announced Monday he is endorsing Barack Obama’s White House bid. Byrd, 90, has served as West Virginia’s senator for nearly fifty years, and is one of the chamber’s most vocal critics on the war in Iraq. “After a great deal of thought, consideration and prayer over the situation in Iraq, I have decided that, as a superdelegate to the Democratic National Convention, I will cast my vote for Senator Barack Obama for President,” Byrd said in a statement released by his office. “Both Senators Clinton and Obama are extraordinary individuals, whose integrity, honor, love for this country and strong belief in our Constitution I deeply respect.” “I believe that Barack Obama is a shining young statesman, who possesses the personal temperament and courage necessary to extricate our country from this costly misadventure in Iraq, and to lead our nation at this challenging time in history,” Byrd also said. “Barack Obama is a noble-hearted patriot and humble Christian, and he has my full faith and support.” The endorsement is not without symbolism. Byrd was a leader of the local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan as a young man and was, along with several southern Democrats, an opponent of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. He has since denounced his previous views on racial segregation. West Virginia’s other senator, Jay Rockefeller, endorsed Obama earlier this year. Hillary Clinton carried the state by 41 points last week.

Filed under: Barack ObamaRobert Byrd

Posted: 12:45 PM ET
From

McCain took a shot at Obama Monday.

McCain took a shot at Obama Monday.

(CNN) — Campaigning in Barack Obama’s hometown of Chicago on Monday, John McCain sought to impugn the Illinois senator’s judgment on national security by slamming Obama’s statement that Iran poses a less serious threat to the United States than the Soviet Union did. “Sen. Obama claimed that the threat Iran poses to our security is ‘tiny’ compared to the threat once posed by the former Soviet Union,” McCain said at the beginning of his speech to the National Restaurant Association. “Obviously, Iran isn’t a superpower and doesn’t possess the military power the Soviet Union had. But that does not mean that the threat posed by Iran is insignificant.” McCain was referring to Obama’s comments on Sunday in Pendleton, Oregon, in which Obama asserted that his administration’s foreign policy would allow for negotiations with hostile nations. (Related: McCain slams Obama for downplaying threat from Iran ) “Strong countries and strong Presidents talk to their adversaries,” Obama remarked. “That’s what Kennedy did with Khrushchev. That’s what Reagan did with Gorbachev. That’s what Nixon did with Mao. I mean, think about it: Iran, Cuba, Venezuela — these countries are tiny compared to the Soviet Union.” “They don’t pose a serious threat to us the way the Soviet Union posed a threat to us,” he said. “And yet we were willing to talk to the Soviet Union at the time when they were saying ‘we’re going to wipe you off the planet.’ ” McCain, who regularly assails Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on the stump, suggested in Chicago that Obama doesn’t understand the “basic realities of international relations” and that engaging Ahmadinejad diplomatically would only embolden him. Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: Uncategorized

Posted: 11:50 AM ET
From ,

The DNC launched an anti-McCain Web site Monday.

The DNC launched an anti-McCain Web site Monday.

(CNN) — The Democratic National Committee launched a new Web site Monday promising to be an online clearinghouse for opposition research on John McCain. “McCainPedia” compiles DNC research on the presumptive Republican nominee under topics like “Economy,” “Ethics” and “Security” and targets McCain’s “empty rhetoric” on Iraq as well as his role in the Keating Five scandal of the early 1990s. Users are also invited to access DNC video from both YouTube and FlipperTV, the Democratic Party’s archive of campaign tracking video. In launching the site, the DNC claims that anyone can research and share the material. Unlike Wikipedia, on which the site is modeled, edits can be made only by DNC staff — not members of the public. “This allows us to fully validate all of the information that appears, ensuring accuracy and reliability,” the “About” section of the site says. Instead, the site is “run by the DNC’s Research, Communications, and Internet teams.” Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: John McCain

Posted: 11:45 AM ET
 Sen. John McCain will call Sen. Barack Obama's call for a renegotiation of NAFTA 'bad judgment.'

Sen. John McCain will call Sen. Barack Obama’s call for a renegotiation of NAFTA ‘bad judgment.’

(CNN) — Sen. John McCain is again expected to question Sen. Barack Obama’s judgment on Monday, this time on the Democratic front-runner’s trade policies. The presumptive Republican presidential nominee did not wait for the Democratic presidential race to officially end before attacking Obama, who is likely to capture the Democratic nomination over rival Sen. Hillary Clinton. In a speech in Chicago, Illinois, McCain will label Obama’s call for a renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada “bad judgment and a bit inconsistent,” according to the prepared text of the speech. Full story

Filed under: Barack ObamaJohn McCain Elections

All American Patriots (press release)
Clinton fights on, Obama returns to Iowa CNN – 3 hours ago Sen. Barack Obama campaigned in Montana Monday while Sen. Hillary Clinton addressed voters in Kentucky. Sen. Hillary Clinton will spend Tuesday night in Kentucky to celebrate what’s expected to be a big win in that state’s primary. Obama seeks to extend poll lead BBC News Barack Obama expects big day in Oregon and Kentucky primaries Los Angeles Times Boston GlobeNewsdayReutersSeattle Times all 2,397 news articles »
PRESS TV
Memo To Michelle Obama: Toughen Up Sweetie Houston Chronicle – 52 minutes ago In an interview with Good Morning America, during which Barack Obama called the so-called attacks on his wife Michelle “low class” and “detestable” and warned the Republicans to “lay off my wife” he seems to ignore a basic reality of politics–when Obama: ‘Lay off my wife’ Chicago Sun-Times Tennessee Senator Takes On His Own Party New York Times New York Daily NewsABC NewsReutersNECN all 118 news articles »
Spiegel Online
McCain Opens Virginia Headquarters Washington Post – 7 hours ago By Tim Craig Arizona Sen. John McCain’s presidential campaign opened its Virginia headquarters yesterday in Pentagon City, sending a signal that Republicans plan to fight hard to keep the state from turning blue this year. Gilmore shuns Bush in race for Senate Washington Times Bush and McCain’s Awkward Embrace TIME Detroit Free PressBillings GazetteThe MissoulianPolitico all 769 news articles »
Seattle Post Intelligencer
Obama leads field in unsolicited campaign songs San Jose Mercury News – 5 hours ago By Nekesa Mumbi Moody AP Barack Obama is closing in on the Democratic nomination for president, but he clinched the race for the best campaign soundtrack long ago – no superdelegates needed. McCain Visiting Miami’s Cuban Independence Day Party Central Florida News 13| Big Money on Barack Obama as Hillary Clinton’s Donors Defect U.S. News & World Report Washington PostMason City Globe GazetteThe Associated PressSeattle Times all 1,077 news articles »
AlaskaReport
Barack rips McCain, basks in mammoth crowd Chicago Sun-Times – 2 hours ago GRESHAM, Ore. — Democrat Barack Obama told seniors Sunday that Republican John McCain would threaten the Social Security that they depend on because he supports privatizing it. Clinton, Obama expected to split today’s votes San Francisco Chronicle Obama makes case for diplomacy, loud and clear Boston Globe Seattle TimesWashington PostThe Associated PressNew York Times all 1,453 news articles »
Telegraph.co.uk
McCain Finds a Thorny Path in Ethics Effort New York Times – 9 hours ago By BARRY MEIER and KATE ZERNIKE Sorting out the lobbying entanglements of his campaign advisers is proving to be a messy business for Senator John McCain. Lobbying Policies Washington Post Texan’s lobbying success becomes liability for McCain Houston Chronicle The Associated PressDetroit Free PressLos Angeles TimesMSNBC all 842 news articles »
PR-Inside.com (Pressemitteilung)
Sen. Robert Byrd, one-time KKK member, backs Barack Obama Los Angeles Times – 11 hours ago Sen. Robert Byrd’s endorsement today of Barack Obama was both oddly timed and illustrative of the state of the Democratic presidential race. US senator and former Klansman endorses Obama Monsters and Critics.com Obama gets a boost in the Mountain State Kansas City Star abc7news.comThe Associated PressWashington PostCBS News all 232 news articles »
The Southern Ledger
Tally one more superdelegate for Obama Seattle Post Intelligencer – 6 hours ago By GREGORY ROBERTS Barack Obama picked up the support of another Democratic superdelegate from Washington on Monday when state party Chairman Dwight Pelz announced his endorsement. State’s Democratic superdelegates lean to Obama Anchorage Daily News (subscription) Iowa Democratic Party chief backs Obama DesMoinesRegister.com Molokai TimesBennington BannerRadio IowaThe Olympian all 890 news articles »
Salon
Breaking News: Hillary Clinton now thinks Karl Rove’s a political Los Angeles Times – 10 hours ago Until very recently — like suddenly this afternoon — Karl Rove was to most Democrats the Great Satan, the political mastermind of two outrageously stunning Republican presidential victories by a Texas goofball governor and, before that, Clinton’s Favorite Political Pundit Is…Karl Rove? CBS News Karl Rove’s sly deal with Fox Salon FOXNewsWall Street Journal BlogsNewsMax.comABC News all 8 news articles »
McCain to Rely on Party Money Against Obama New York Times – 23 hours ago By MICHAEL LUO and MIKE McINTIRE Pivoting toward the general election, Senator Barack Obama is turning again to his history-making fund-raising machine, which helped to anoint him as a contender against Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and then became a McCain addresses economy in Obama’s backyard Boston Globe Spare Us the “Conversation” on Race Washington Post CBS NewsABC OnlineHuffington PostDaily Mail all 42 news articles »
Boston Globe
Ex-Clinton adviser, Obama aide talk Nashua Telegraph – 1 hour ago NEW YORK (AP) – A top strategist for Barack Obama has reached out to Hillary Clinton’s former campaign manager about joining forces for the general election, the latest sign of political reconciliation between the two rivals as Obama begins CAUCUS POLITICS FROM CT TO DC Hartford Courant Clinton Insider Jumping to Obama? AOL News Newsbloggers Atlantic OnlinePRESS TVPolitico all 178 news articles »
Canoe.ca
Myth of the white working-class voter Christian Science Monitor – 16 hours ago By Crispin Sartwell For example, pundits and pollsters held that the Democratic contests in Ohio and Pennsylvania between Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama turned on the vote of “white working-class men,” a constituency seemingly in thrall to The white vs. off-white election Chicago Tribune Working-class whites a key segment in presidential race Kansas City Star Human EventsThe Canadian PressDetroit Free PressVanguard all 59 news articles »
Canoe.ca
Why She Fights On Washington Post – 8 hours ago By Richard Cohen The New York Times recently ran down a list of women who might someday become the nation’s first female president. Clinton Supporters Threaten To Vote For McCain 10TV Sexism, Racism, and Rhetoric Huffington Post New York TimesThe Canadian PressProvidence JournalSarasota Herald-Tribune all 262 news articles »
Raw Story
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Malaysia Star
Phila. judge likely to grant NRA request Philadelphia Inquirer – 5 hours ago By Jeff Shields A Philadelphia judge appeared poised yesterday to grant the National Rifle Association’s request to block enforcement of recently enacted city gun laws, with a final decision almost certainly headed for the state’s high court. Michelle Obama says she’s proud Kentucky.com McCain: Not ‘Bush Three’ Washington Times KULR-TVNew York TimesWashington PostLos Angeles Times all 287 news articles »
Los Angeles Times
Large crowds at rallies an Obama trademark The Associated Press – 4 hours ago NEW YORK (AP) – Barack Obama is well known for his ability to draw large crowds, but 75000 in Portland, Ore.? The mass of people who converged by foot and by boat on a Willamette River park on Sunday was the largest rally to date for the Democratic A Shift in Voters, but Oregon Still Embraces the Unconventional New York Times Barack Obama steps up attacks on John McCain Los Angeles Times Arkansas OnlineChicago TribuneWashington PostNew York Daily News all 178 news articles »
The Washington Independent
Kentucky happy to be focus of Democratic politics Reuters – 17 hours ago By Andrea Hopkins COVINGTON, Ky (Reuters) – The state of Kentucky, best known for thoroughbred horses and bourbon, is surprised and a little excited to find itself at the center of Democratic presidential politics. Video: Loyalty to Clintons Runs Deep in Bluegrass State AssociatedPressFive things to watch in Kentucky Politico WSAZ-TVWAVEWZTVLouisville Courier-Journal all 355 news articles »
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New York Daily News
Final arguments in challenge to Phila. gun laws Philadelphia Inquirer – 1 hour ago By Jeff Shields Final arguments are slated for this afternoon in the National Rifle Association’s court challenge to five new city gun laws. Video: Huckabee: NRA Obama Remark ‘inappropriate’ AssociatedPressKnown for his wit, Mike Huckabee shows none in NRA “joke” Los Angeles Times Houston ChronicleLouisville Courier-Journal411mania.comFOXNews all 184 news articles »
TopNews
As Time Runs Short, Clinton Claims Lead in Popular Vote New York Times – 8 hours ago By PATRICK HEALY Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton is entering the Kentucky and Oregon primaries on Tuesday with one of the most pugnacious political messages of her campaign: That she is ahead in the national popular vote when all votes are counted, Democrats return to Florida Boston Globe Bill Clinton campaigns across Kentucky Chicago Tribune Miami Poetry ReviewThe Newark AdvocateWashington PostLos Angeles Times all 1,250 news articles »

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Thumbs on the scale

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FROM MEDIA MATTERS FOR AMERICA
During a speech to the Israeli parliament yesterday morning, President Bush attacked Barack Obama, comparing him to Nazi appeasers for the Illinois senator’s willingness to hold discussions with Iran.
One problem: Bush’s speech came just hours after The Washington Post reported that Bush’s defense secretary, Robert Gates, said that the United States needs to “sit down and talk with” Iran. Not only that, Gates added, “We can’t go to a discussion and be completely the demander.”
Oops.

McCain Was For Talking To Hamas: Before He Was Against It…

Naturally, then, a media firestorm erupted, with the Bush administration and its political allies questioned all day about whether Bush has any idea what he is talking about, whether he has lost control over the Pentagon, whether Gates will be fired, what Gates thinks about Bush’s comparison of those (like Gates) who advocate dialogue between the United States and Iran to appeasers of Adolf Hitler, and whether the fiasco will remind voters that the Bush administration’s foreign policy has been marked by incompetence and dishonesty, thus doing irreparable electoral damage to John McCain and other Republican candidates.
Sorry — what was I thinking? That didn’t happen.
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Another case of substance abuse

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I cannot explain why this New York Times story got under my skin so.

The Times basically celebrated flash over substance in choosing to focus on John King of CNN and his giant computer board that has dominated the cable news network’s coverage of the elections this year. The fact is that CNN is not using the teleprompter to deepen its coverage of the elections.

Measuring nearly seven and a half feet diagonally, the screen, along with its database, seems more suited to a commander moving troops around a battlefield, which is no accident. David Bohrman, who oversees CNN’s political coverage, fell in love with the monitor after seeing it at a military intelligence trade show last year. (Mr. Bohrman refused to say how much CNN had paid for the device, which is made by a company called Perceptive Pixel.)

Asked about his new toy on a recent morning at CNN’s New York City headquarters as his fingers darted from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh to Erie in a dry run of the Pennsylvania primary on Tuesday night, Mr. King said the technology enabled him to turn back the clock as much as move it forward. For more than a decade before joining CNN in 1997, Mr. King was a reporter for The Associated Press, and election nights usually found him systematically telephoning precincts to collect their tallies.

“I’m in TV 10 years, but in my head and heart, I’m still an old wire guy, a grunt,” Mr. King said. “You can use this new technology to look at politics the old-fashioned way, which is: who’s finding their people and turning them out?”

And yet Mr. King said that his touch screen allows him to present data in ways far more dazzling and compelling than in his days tapping out election results in A.P. bureaus in Providence, R.I., and later Washington, or even in his early years at CNN. The technology has also helped him solve a problem with which he has occasionally wrestled in his career at CNN: adapting his just-the-facts-ma’am approach to a visual medium.

This is ridiculous. CNN does not have more reporters out in the field to deepen its coverage of the elections. Its staff is not out talking to people in Erie, PA, for instance. Most of the staff, as a matter of fact, are sitting behind desks in the studio, either as analysts, or as producers. The CNN coverage is a lot of lips flapping, adding up to a vapid picture of what is taking place.

No matter how fast Mr. King talks into the camera, or snaps his finger across a screen to enlarge a map, what this new highfalutin machine masks too often in primary after primary and caucus after caucus is the lack of real news to report by CNN, especially in the early hours after the polls close.

Then the Times allowed King to say this without challenge:

“Nothing against white guys, but I’m a white guy talking in a box,” he said, stripping his broadcast performance to its essence. “If all I’m doing is saying, ‘6 percent, 8 percent, 10 percent, 12 percent,’ there’s that glaze-over factor at home. You’ve lost them.”

“The wonder of this,” he said a moment later, gesturing toward what is essentially a giant Etch-a-Sketch, “is that you can show it. You can make the math accessible.”

Since when has being a “white guy” disadvantaged anyone in any way from working in broadcast journalism? This was a ridiculous, stupid, vacuous statement that was just dropped in there and the Times just let it go without challenging its validity.

The Times compounded this ridiculousness by bringing in some story about Mr. King’s wedding to a CNN colleague. Why did the Times spend such valuable news space enhancing Mr. King’s celebrity?