Fox News has a new poll out. Full poll results are here. (pdf)

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The politician was doing what he had to do, but Barack Obama’s personal pain yesterday was palpable as he cut his ties to Jeremiah Wright.

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Barack Obama's campaign filed a complaint with the FEC today over a 527 group's ad attacking Obama's economic plan for having no specifics.

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Earlier today, I noted that the DNC has refused to stop airing false and misleading ads against John McCain, basically blowing their budget on the destruction of their own credibility.

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This looks like quintessential — and usually quite effective — damage control: politically sagging Democratic Presidential nomination contender Barack Obama is planning a major mutual T.V. appearance with his wife Michelle, the Los Angeles Times reports:

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Radio Free Europe has an interview with Randy Scheunemann, who is one of the McCain campaign advisers on our policy towards Russia, especially with regards to Georgia.

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Digby draws larger lessons for Democrats from the Wright Fiasco:

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William Ayers managed to avoid prosecution, thanks to illegal activities by the FBI during the investigation of the Weathermen, but that doesn’t mean his crimes have been forgotten. […] Read the rest »

Josh Marshall and Noam Scheiber try to get ahead of the Wright curve by anticipating the next question - why did Obama choose Wright as his pastor.

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The Washington Post editorial board follows the lead in some ways of the New York Times, which pretends that Jeremiah Wright suddenly popped out of the ground this week, offering lunatic conspiracy theories and insane racial genetics with no track record of it at all

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For a variety of reasons, I haven’t heard more than a few snippets of Rush Limbaugh’s show in years. I haven’t figured out yet whether his “Operation Chaos,” where he’s urging the Dittoheads to register as Democrats and vote for Hillary Clinton, is a serious bit of agitprop or camp.

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I grew up in the Baptist church. I was baptized by the Rev. Dr. Gardner C. Taylor, the "Dean of Black Preachers."

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When major political events occur, half of the fun is checking out how various media organs react to it. […] Read the rest »

Yesterday, Barack Obama tried to put an end to the Jeremiah Wright controversy, and probably at least minimized any impact Wright’s future statements might have on the campaign. […] Read the rest »

Al Franken accidentally forgot to pay $70,000 in taxes to 17 states over the past five years.

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At this point, I suspect some super-delegates, like freshmen Congressmen in tough districts, for instance, are worried about publicly declaring support for anyone. Rep. Chris Carney’s district went for Clinton but he’s got a tough re-election fight ahead of him; if Obama wins the nomination he’s going to need the help!

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Kevin Drum, upon learning that Hillary Clinton has joined John McCain in calling for a suspension of the federal

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Josh Marshall is angry at the press for buying into what he believes is a lie: That John McCain doesn’t want 100 years of war in Iraq but rather is willing to see a Germany-style long term, peaceful presence.

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Making a misstatement of fact once can rightly be called a mistake. […] Read the rest »

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In case you were wondering that in the midst of all the drama on the Democratic side of the aisle it was possible for the Republican party to remain brain dead on the seminal issues of our time… wonder no more.

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The story is as old as Cain and Abel.
Jealous that his younger brother’s sacrifice seemed more pleasing, Cain stuck his brother down.

Striking down. Striking against. In any group that has struggled so, this is not as rare an occurrence as one would wish. It’s often ubiquitous.

There’s an old story told amongst Latinos,

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More than enough has been written, here and everywhere else, about Barack Obama and his relationship with Jeremiah Wright.

What I'm wondering now, is how does his campaign get past this in time for North Carolina and Indiana? How does it affect the superdelegates? From tomorrow's New York Times:

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Earlier this evening, I participated in a round table for Rick Moran’s Internet radio show on the Barack Obama attempt to distance himself from Jeremiah Wright. […] Read the rest »

Much ado has been made of the so-called John McCain “flip flop” regarding his position on the fifty or one hundred year war in Iraq.

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Elizabeth Edwards was on Countdown tonight. She said there's no reason for her husband, her or Gore to endorse. It wouldn't stop the "bloodletting" between the candidates and settle anything. In other words, endorsements are of limited value.

She also said while she prefers Hillary's health plan to Obama's, she's glad that both provide for universal coverage.

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(in happier times)

More than 700 comments and you all have more to say on Barack Obama's press conference renouncing Reverend Jeremiah Wright.

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Marc Ambinder at the Atlantic reports some Michigan Democrats have submitted a proposal to the state Democratic party.

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Last night, I met with a group of twenty adults from Saint Matthew Lutheran Church in Logan, Ohio, the congregation I serve as pastor. We were discussing some of the common reasons people give for not associating with a local church.

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I cannot help but recommend John Cole’s take on the whole Wright-Obama brouhaha.

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Barack Obama and his camp made the right political choice in having Barack Obama denounce and reject the Rev. Jeremiah Wright (and not just his words) today. This decision was also the right thing to do.

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Following up on the thread below about Barack Obama's press conference today on Rev. Wright, Chris Matthews says Obama needs to turn the conversation back to the economy and win both North Carolina and Indiana. If he doesn't and Hillary does well, the race will go on until August.

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PPP's Indiana poll has Clinton up 8, 50-42. The story is familiar:

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Barack Obama has unequivocally denounced the recent sermons of Rev. Jeremiah Wright in a press conference today.

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Looks like Senator Obama can’t take it anymore:

Obama strongly denounces former pastor

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Barack Obama is on CNN now giving a live press conference on Rev. Wright. I'll live blog.

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Barack Obama is on CNN now giving a live press conference on Rev. Wright. I'll live blog.

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In response to Pete Abel’s post this morning concerning Senator Obama, I wrote the following response:

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In the cover story of the new American Prospect, read more

Team McCain began his rollout on health-care policy with a speech earlier today in Tampa, followed by a media/blogger conference call. […] Read the rest »

Bill “Krazy” Kristol had this to say in his column in the Times yesterday:

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In the latest SUSA NC poll, Obama's lead is down to 5 (More on the flip on the SUSA poll.) In the latest Ras NC poll, Barack Obama maintains a healthy lea

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Sam Stein at the Huffington Post has what he believes is a reversal on the long-term prospects for an American presence in Iraq, based on an appearance by John McCain in 2005 on Hardball.

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As reported yesterday, North Carolina Governor Mike Easley today endorsed Hillary Clinton.

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The Wall St. Journal today (free link) examines the current preferences of the 795 superdelegates:

Obama leads among those who are elected officals (governors and senators) while Hillary leads among the non-elected state and party officials. 300 or so superdelegates remain uncommitted.

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I have found the only other person in America who agrees with me that Dems need a Unity Ticket, Dewayne Wickham of USA Today:

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John McCain continues his general-election campaign with another ad contrasting himself with the Democrats on health care, although passively. […] Read the rest »

It appears that the Reverend Jeremiah Wright may have officially crossed over from partisan target to widespread embarrassment between the hours of 6 pm ET Sunday and noon ET yesterday. […] Read the rest »

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As with most of the mini-scandals that have surrounded this campaign season, I have mostly dismissed the nutty remarks of Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

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A week from today, voters will go to the polls in North Carolina and Indiana. Voters in both states are eager to have their voices heard in the Democratic nomination battle.

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During a season when most all readings of tea leaves and chicken entrails have spoken of gloom and doom for the Republican party (none of which explain how John McCain seems to be doing so well) yet another factoid is being dumped on the log jam of bad news.

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Truckers rolled into Washington DC to protest the price of a fill-up, while Barack Obama continued to oppose both Hillary Clinton and John McCain on a gas-tax “holiday”.

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Regular gas was $3.55 a gallon here in southeastern Ohio yesterday.

Many people I know are curbing their summer travel plans. They’re even doing more planning when it comes to everyday errands, combining them so as not to waste gas.

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When I first saw the headline “Brent Scowcroft Echoes Obama” at memeorandum, I read it as “Br

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Keep in mind that Scaife’s paper didn’t even attempt to mask the fact that this accusation came from the House GOP press shop. So just how “serious” these allegations are is up to you. We report, you decide, and all that.

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The answer ranges from “some” to “not much.” There is not necessarily any carryover between this race and next year’s mayoral contest, but the fact that Obama won Pittsburgh but lost Allegheny County should tell us something, no?

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Barack Obama is not just lagging among blue collar voters, he's got a big age problem to overcome and his popularity with younger voters isn't enough compensation:

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Karl Rove, writing in Newsweek, says Obama needs to recover from his recent fumbles. He offers six tips:

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Both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have responded to today's Supreme Court ruling in Crawford v.

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Barack Obama, who has not been known for accessibility to the press the last few weeks (see the waffle story) called a "hastily arranged press conference" today to again disassociate himself from Rev.

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Well, why not? […] Read the rest »

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Bill Richardson brings all the campaign talent to Team Obama that took him from the most-experienced candidate to an embarrassing also-ran. […] Read the rest »

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama disagree about how to help consumers with the rising cost of gas.

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This seems significant:

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I like this Bowers proposal:

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Hillary Clinton and John McCain, each of whom has a hundred times the family money of Barack Obama, are out there claiming he is out of touch with the poor.

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The most recent AP/Ipsos poll shows Hillary Clinton well ahead of John McCain, and AP’s staff is using this to bolster Clinton’s campaign.

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While national attention continues to focus on the blood fued between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, I’ve been watching Ladies Logic for updates on Al Franken’s bid for the Senate in the midwest. One question leaps to mind.

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Greg Sargent reports that:

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Barack Obama’s torment continues as more excerpts from Jeremiah Wright’s appearance at the National Press Club today hits the Internet. […] Read the rest »

The spread is in line with other NC polls. But PPP previously had Obama up by 25 points in NC. Now it is 51-39. The why is important:

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It is too early to look too closely at GE head to heads but I must admit that recent events are making my Obama electability argument, particularly the Media darling Teflon argument, look weaker. The latest bit of evidence is the AP-Ipsos poll:

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Bill Kristol wonders why Hillary Clinton gets no credit for extending the primary season. […] Read the rest »

So says this NYTimes report:

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Would you take advice from Karl Rove? Should Sen. Obama? I don’t know. But this set of suggestions actually strikes me as sound counsel.

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Words matter. So in politics, words and associations are fair game. A reality that Barack Obama acknowledged on "FOX News Sunday":

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Barack Obama has a rhetorical gift that allows him to convince audiences to believe in him and in his arguments, a blend of charisma, intelligence, and argument. […] Read the rest »

Barack Obama told Chris Wallace during their Fox News interview that his former pastor was “a legitimate political issue,” and hours later, Jeremiah Wright proved him prophetic. […] Read the rest »

Howard Kurtz writes:

Barack Obama needed this like he needed a root canal.

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As usual, we’ve found a way to stop focusing on issues – you know, the things that affect peoples’ lives like the economy, war, etc – and are back to talking about process.

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The world shares the pain of Democrats, as Hillary continues to swing away at Barack Obama - statistics be damned.

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Politico reports on a new Republican attack ad on Obama that is airing on television in Mississippi.

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One stop voter registration and voting is already underway in North Carolina which holds its primary May 6.

Here are the latest voter registration stats for the state. They are broken down by county, but here are the totals as of April 26:

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Earlier today, I reviewed what I thought were the worst stumbles Barack Obama made in his Fox News interview with Chris Wallace this morning. […] Read the rest »

Barack Obama's new politics may not be exactly the same as his old politics. The LA Times reports he wrote a letter for a donor and client requesting and obtaining a $50,000 grant for a ping pong ball venture.

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Vast Left at Corrente: Obama's smart and charismatic and he voted against the war. Right?

Let's talk about the reasons to like him -- and more importantly, reasons he should be the Democratic nominee for President. Or not.

AdamB is living in the past. In 2006, Barack Obama may have been the fresh face for Claire McCaskill in Missouri. But things change:

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Since you are reading this, you’re clearly already in front of a computer with a browser window open. Let’s play a quick game this Sunday, shall we?

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Did Barack Obama make a payoff to a campaign contributor with a state grant? […] Read the rest »

Elizabeth Edwards, who despite no public policy credentials other than having been married to a one-term senator and yet oddly seems to get op-ed space in the major papers whenever

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Give Barack Obama this: he performed a lot better on Fox News Sunday today than he did in the debate on April 16th. […] Read the rest »

John McCain (who, as we all know, is the beneficiary of kid gloves treatment from the mainstream press while the two contenders for the Democratic nomination are constantly getting unfair coverage) has been targeted with another read more

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Michael Barone at Real Clear Politics examines the popular vote totals, including caucus states, and says Hillary Clinton is ahead.

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Bill Moyers did his best last night on PBS to put Barack Obama’s controversial pastor into perspective. He succeeded in showing the man’s brilliance but created unease in an observer who, by taste and temperament, is not attracted to apocalyptic preaching about the human condition.

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Add to the increasingly long list of bad news for Senator Barack Obama in his battle for the 2008 Democratic Presidential nomination the latest Newsweek poll which shows him losing ground shockingly fast to Senator Hillary Clinton:

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The Associated Press reports on the state of the electoral map and says right now it favors Democrats. It includes 14 states as battleground states that could go either way.

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As the craze for Obama spreads across the French countryside, the concern of Democrats Abroad is growing, as fear that Hillary could be doing irreparable harm to the Party’s likely standard-bearer in November starts to take hold.

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Hillary Clinton today asked Barack Obama to participate in a Lincoln-Douglas style debate without moderators. They would each ask the other questions.

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Just out from Newsweek:

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Rush Limbaugh has been dreaming, he says.

I dont know. John Mark Carr said he was dreaming he killed Jon Bonet Ramsey, too

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I lived in Chicago for some years in the 60s, and have also lived in the Rockies and Sangre de Cristos for many years.

Here in the Rockies, down in Denver, there’s been a nest of meetings between Denver City Council Members and representatives of protest groups… regarding their spaces, durations, permits, etc., at Democratic National Convention scheduled for August 08.

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Some Congressional Obama (I know some pretend to be "neutral") supporters seem intent on damaging Barack Obama's candidacy.

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Alice Palmer is campaigning for Hillary Clinton today in Indiana:

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Former President Bill Clinton is taking on a greater role Hillary's campaign. The Wall. St. Journal today:

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There are signs of what could be a shift in the news media conventional wisdom: for the first time in months, some key pundits are hinting and even saying that Senator Barack Obama could lose the Democratic nomination to what has long been described as a seemingly-impossibly behind Senator Hillary Clinton.

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The Democrats have another reason to worry about California. […] Read the rest »

Susan Estrich voiced what many pundits suspect will be the resolution to the Democratic primary: a ticket that combines Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. […] Read the rest »

Supporters of both Obama and Clinton seem unable to even consider a Unity Ticket. I think that is exactly why it is necessary. The divisions are extreme now. They are not ideological. Heck, how could they be? There is not a dime's worth of difference between the candidates on the issues.

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The Democratic Party has an identity-politics meltdown on its hands, and right now it looks like nothing will stop it. […] Read the rest »

In her book, The Guns of August, historian Barbara Tuchman, told the story of how, seemingly against its collective will, Europe moved inexorably toward World War 1.

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Howard Dean said:

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Rhodes Cook:

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A new Rasmussen Pennsylvania poll finds Hillary Clinton still more likely than Barack Obama to beat John McCain in in November.

Key points:

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If the Obama campaign is behind Rep. Jim Clyburn's boneheaded attacks on the Clinton camp, they are making a big mistake. Sending Clyburn on to Olbermann tonight (when Rev.

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American Research Group has released a new Indiana poll. Hillary leads Barack Obama, 50% to 45%. 5% are undecided.

Barack Obama leads Hillary Clinton 51% to 43% among men (43% of likely Democratic primary voters). Among women, Clinton leads 56% to 40%.

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Not everyone can get their questions asked in a 30-minute conference call, and today John McCain ran out of time before he got to me. […] Read the rest »

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As I've written before, Barack Obama tends to be all over the place on gun rights.

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Did anyone really think that Barack Obama’s comments in San Francisco really amounted to a gaffe, a misconstructed statement that didn’t reveal a bigotry against small-town Americans and generally anyone between the two coasts? […] Read the rest »

Via Confluence, Obama Campaign Manager David Plouffe says:

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Mark Blumenthal examines the ongoing argument as to which of the Democrats have the most popular votes.

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How frustrating is it for Iraqis, caught militarily and diplomatically between America and Iran?

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The Gallup Daily tracking poll shows a boost for Hillary Clinton and a tie between her and Barack Obama wth Obama at 48% and Hillary at 47%.

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John McCain has a nice, pithy response to his endorser Rev. John Hagee’s claim that the “sins” of New Orleans and the city’s acceptance of homosexuality were the reasons why God punished the City by sending Hurricane Katrina:

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Sean Hackbarth reports on a recent weblogger conference with John McCain. I don’t know if my colleague James participated in this one, though I know that he has in the past. What Hackbarth highlighted from the conference, and no doubt everyone else will, too, is this:

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And so, with Pennsylvania now behind us — and what a wild time it was (and how much we now know about the state’s fascinating demographics!) — we turn our rapturous attention to Indiana and North Carolina and their upcoming May 6 primaries. (Oh, right. Sorry, Guam. You hold your caucuses on May 3. We’ll try not to forget.)

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McCain Then and Now:

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Since when did we get so many sticks-in-the-mud inside the Beltway? […] Read the rest »

Elizabeth Drew writing in Politico confirms what we have been seeing for months - the House Dem leadership is populated by fools. Consider this unforgivable ignorance:

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The FL/MI issue will not go away:

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What emerges from watching the endless YouTubing of Jeremiah Wright is not the picture of a religious or political fanatic but a world-class attention-seeker. In those operatic video clips, there is a dashiki-dressed performer playing to the crowd, a soulmate, not of Louis Farrakhan, but of Bill Maher, whose imprudent comments on 9/11 cost him his network gig.

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Hillary Clinton said after her Pennsylvania win that the tide is turning. Thomas Edsell, political director of Huffington Post, today says the media has begun to turn on Barack Obama.

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Barack Obama will win North Carolina by double digits. The demography of North Carolina assures it. And that big win will help assure Obama's hold on the pledged delegate lead and improve his chances for holding the popular vote lead. North Carolina matters.

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Rev. Jeremiah Wright is starring in numerous YouTube videos and an endless loop on FOX News. In defiance of John McCain, North Carolina Republican Chairman Linda Daves says the show will go on:

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John McCain held another blogger conference call, and started off talking about his effort to reach out to “areas that haven’t been able to participate” in economic expansion. […] Read the rest »

The lines keep blurring so often between real news and satire that keeping them separate grows more difficult. […] Read the rest »

The lines keep blurring so often between real news and satire that keeping them separate grows more difficult. […] Read the rest »

Thomas Barnett damns John McCain with feint praise saying, essentially, that his foreign policy would be reckless but not as bad as the alternatives.

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Remember when Barack Obama tried to explain why his lack of experience didn’t really matter? […] Read the rest »

Remember when Barack Obama tried to explain why his lack of experience didn’t really matter? […] Read the rest »

The real point is that Senator Casey backed the man who will eventually be the Democratic nominee and perhaps the next president. That’s worth a lot more than a bit of bruising in his home state. No big deal.

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