[big campaign] '08 Daily News Clips - 7/31

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Election Daily News Clips July 31st, 2008 Candidate Tracking: ***All times in Eastern Standard Time 8:40am BUSH: Photo op with recipients of the Scouts in Action Commendation at the White House 10:30am BUSH: Speaks at the 2008 West Virginia Coal Association Meeting in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia 1pm McCain: Town Hall in Racine, WI - Tracking scheduled for this event 7pm McCain: Tele-Town Hall in Orlando, FL News Clips: MCCAIN NEWS As Aides Map Aggressive Race, McCain Often Steers Off Course (Washington Post 7/31/08) By Juliet Eilperin and Robert Barnes; A01 Sen. John McCain last week delivered one of his sharpest critiques yet of Sen. Barack Obama's Iraq policies, carefully reading a prepared speech that accused his Democratic rival of failing the commander-in-chief test and promoting ideas that would force American troops to "retreat under fire." http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/30/AR2008073003246.html?sid=ST2008073100013&pos= McCain Tries to Define Obama as Out of Touch (NYT 7/31/08) By JIM RUTENBERG After spending much of the summer searching for an effective line of attack against Senator Barack Obama, Senator John McCain is beginning a newly aggressive campaign to define Mr. Obama as arrogant, out of touch and unprepared for the presidency. ...The run of attacks against Mr. Obama over the last couple of weeks have been strikingly reminiscent of that drive, including the Bush team's tactics of seeking to make campaigns referendums on its opponents http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/31/us/politics/31campaign.html?_r=1&ref=politics&oref=slogin Roles Are Set, as Are the Perils (WSJ 7/31/08) By LAURA MECKLER and AMY CHOZICK; Page A5 Obama at Risk Of Arrogant Tag, McCain, Negative ... Presidential rivals Barack Obama and John McCain both appear to be seizing the roles in which they have been cast: Sen. Obama as front-runner and Sen. McCain as underdog. The approach carries perils for both men. http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB121746373339498571.html?mod=special_page_campaign2008_topbox McCain's cacophonous Cabinet (Politico 7/31/08) By: Kenneth P. Vogel Republican faithful have grumbled in recent weeks about the lack of a consistent message from John McCain's campaign on key issues, leading observers to wonder what McCain's top advisers are thinking. The answer, it turns out, could be part of the problem. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0708/12193.html AP: McCain Has Trouble With Details Because Of "Breezy Nature" (AP 7/30/08) By Charles Babington Details can bedevil any presidential candidate. Republican John McCain announced this week that he backs an anti-affirmative action referendum that has drawn sharp debate in Arizona, his home state. Then he added a curious note: He doesn't know that much about it. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/30/ap-mccain-has-trouble-wit_n_115919.html Analysis: McCain tries to sow doubts about Obama (AP 7/31/08) BY JIM KUHNHENN John McCain wants the presidential campaign to be about Barack Obama—that's why he talks about him so much. To that end, McCain is helping frame a not-so-flattering portrait of Obama for voters. His ads have become increasingly tough; a third of his commercials portray Obama negatively, a new study concluded. http://www.denverpost.com/ci_10052514?source=rss Ad compares Obama with Spears, Hilton (Gannett News Service 7/31/08) By Chuck Raasch In April, John McCain said Americans wanted a "respectful" presidential campaign, but lately he's shown anything but respect for Barack Obama. On Wednesday, presumptive Republican nominee McCain aired new ads comparing his Democratic rival Obama to troubled celebrities Paris Hilton and Britney Spears and asserting that celebrity is not presidential leadership. http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-07-30-AdObamaBritHilton_N.htm *Link to video of ad ("Celebrity"): * http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHXYsw_ZDXg Obama Responds to McCain Attacks (Washington Post blog 7/31/08) By Garance Franke-Ruta Barack Obama's campaign responded to weeks of taunts and accusations from an increasingly aggressive John McCain campaign with a new television ad, "Low Road." http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/07/30/obama_responds_to_mccain_attac.html *Link to video of ad ("Low Road"): * http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1185304443/bctid1701198911 Obama: McCain "Seems to Only Be Talking About Me" (ThePage 7/31/08) The Senator accuses his opponent of going negative in his new attack ad "Celeb" while speaking to reporters in Missouri Wednesday. Says he doesn't pay attention to McCain ads, but adds "I do notice that he doesn't seem to have anything very positive to say about himself, does he." http://thepage.time.com/2008/07/30/obama-mccain-seems-to-only-be-talking-about-me/ *Link to video*: http://thepage.time.com/obama-responds-to-mccain-ad/ Weaver, McCain's Former Strategist, Calls "Celeb" Ad "Childish" (Atlantic Online 7/30/08) By Marc Ambinder John Weaver, for years one of John McCain's closest friends and confidants, has been in exile since his resignation from McCain's presidential campaign last year. With the exception of an occasional interview, he has, by his own account, bit his tongue as McCain's campaign has adopted a strategy that Weaver believes "diminishes John McCain." http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/07/weaver_mccains_former_strategi.php *See The Page's "Axelrod Indignant About McCain Ad":* http://thepage.time.com/2008/07/29/mccain-targets-obamas-celebrity-like-popularity-in-new-tv-spot/ Top McCain Surrogate Refuses To Endorse McCain Attack On Obama (TPM 7/30/08) By Greg Sargent This is pretty great. John McCain's claim that Barack Obama would rather lose the war than lose the presidential race is so repugnant that one of his most prominent surrogates -- Florida Governor Charlie Crist, who's also talked about as a potential Veep -- refused to endorse it. http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/07/top_mccain_surrogate_refuses_t.php Starry-Eyed Media Breed Green-Eyed Candidates (NYT 7/30/08) By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE ...Senator John McCain has ushered "the media" back to the stage early this year. He seems to be newly amazed, and annoyed, at each turn by how deeply in the tank the press allegedly is for Senator Barack Obama. It is no secret, of course, that Mr. McCain himself has enjoyed one of the coziest relationships with the media for years. A pair of new studies of the network evening news suggests that it continues: While Mr. Obama has received almost twice as much coverage as Mr. McCain since the end of the Democratic primaries, Mr. McCain's coverage is proportionately more positive than Mr. Obama's, the studies conclude. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/30/us/politics/30web-seelye.html The Recession Election (TIME 7/31/08) By JOE KLEIN ...Debates about budget policy have rested in this comfortable if unedifying rut for too long. In fact, the most striking thing about McCain's plan was how closely it mimicked the dismal debates of over 20 years ago, when Congress passed massive tax cuts and then pasted on Band-Aids like Gramm-Rudman-Hollings legislation to compel reductions in spending that never materialized.... http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1828093,00.html McCain: No New Taxes (Redux) (NYT blog 7/30/08) By Michael Cooper Senator John McCain, whose recent suggestion that an increase in the Social Security payroll tax would not be off the table infuriated some fiscal conservatives, sought to reassure people here Wednesday that he opposes tax increases. http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/30/mccain-no-new-taxes-redux/ The McCain Record: Taxes (Slate 7/30/08) By Timothy Noah Toward a unified field theory of McCainsian fiscal policy. http://www.slate.com/id/2196336/ In Earmark Remarks, McCain Doesn't Mention Stevens (WSJ blog 7/30/08) Laura Meckler As he often does, Sen. John McCain spoke out against legislative earmarks at a town hall meeting today in Aurora, Colo., and he singled out the "bridge to nowhere" in Alaska as the worst of the lot. But he avoided any mention of Sen. Ted Stevens, the patron of that earmark, indicted this week on public corruption charges. http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/07/30/in-earmark-remarks-mccain-doesnt-mention-stevens/ On bundlers, some "straight talk" (Salon 7/30/08) By Alex Koppelman On Wednesday, the Center for Responsive Politics released a report comparing the campaigns of John McCain and Barack Obama on their openness about campaign donors. The result? To this point, McCain has been more transparent about his donors, especially the "bundlers" -- individuals who raise massive sums of money for a campaign. http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2008/07/30/campaign_bundlers/index.html?source=rss McCain resists calls to remove embattled Catholic aide (The Arizona Republic 7/31/08) by Ronald J. Hansen For weeks, Sen. John McCain's campaign has quietly resisted calls to dump one of his leading religious representatives who critics say is an inappropriate surrogate because of links to allegations of sexual impropriety. http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2008/07/31/20080731mccaincatholics0731.html McCain Talks Energy (San Francisco Chronicle 7/31/08) By Debra Saunders I'll say this for John McCain - he doesn't hide behind his staff. The Republican candidate for president holds town meetings across the country and takes questions from critics and supporters alike. Regular citizens, who often depart from the news-pack question du jour, get to tell him what they think about Washington. If in reply McCain says something dicey, he can't blame his staff for filling out a questionnaire incorrectly, as Democratic candidate Barack Obama has done, because McCain said it himself. http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/07/mccain_talks_energy.html McCain talks up economy during Colorado swing (Rocky Mountain News 7/31/08) By Roger Fillion, Republican presidential hopeful John McCain talked up the economy on a swing through Colorado, declaring Wednesday he opposes raising taxes and wants to boost oil production at home. http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jul/30/live-updates-mccain-aurora/ McCain in Colorado: 'I have to win here' (The Denver Post 7/31/08) By Karen Crummy Republican presidential candidate John McCain played up his maverick image today, saying he wasn't beholden to any party or special interest and was the only candidate who could bring change to Washington, D.C. http://www.denverpost.com/election/ci_10044479 Ticketed McCain protester pleads not guilty (The Denver Post 7/31/08) By Felisa Cardona Carol Kreck, who was cited for trespassing while holding a sign outside Sen. John McCain's town-hall meeting in Denver on July 7, pleaded not guilty today in Denver County Court. The librarian and former Denver Post reporter was removed from the galleria at the Denver Performing Arts Complex while holding a sign handed to her by a protest group that read "McCain = Bush." http://www.denverpost.com/election/ci_10044416 McCain pledges to work with Pelosi (AP 7/30/08) Republican presidential hopeful John McCain says, if elected, he'd work closely with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, despite her less-than-amicable relationship with current Republican leaders. http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-07-30-mccain-pelosi_N.htm McCain raises about $500,000 at Tahoe (AP 7/30/08) A fundraiser at Lake Tahoe attended by Republican presidential candidate John McCain netted about $500,000, organizers said. More than 100 people attended the private event Tuesday afternoon at the Incline Village home of Jan and Bob Davidson, a pioneering couple in the children's computer software industry. http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-07-30-mccain-nevada_N.htm Paul Finds Backers In West (AP 7/31/08) By KATHLEEN HENNESSEY Dueling delegations pitting Ron Paul's Nevada supporters against those of John McCain vow to take their fight to the Republican National Convention. That's just one sign that the outsider, Internet-fueled movement led by the feisty Republican congressman from Texas remains afloat in the wake of McCain's victory in the GOP primaries. http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1828132,00.html Fact Check: No evidence for McCain ad's claim that Obama troop visit was to be media event (PolitiFact.com 7/30/08) By Robert Farley A John McCain campaign ad claims that Barack Obama "made time to go to the gym, but canceled a visit with wounded troops. Seems the Pentagon wouldn't allow him to bring cameras." Mr. Obama's campaign denies the Democrat ever planned to take reporters with him, and The Washington Post reported Wednesday that there was no evidence that media would be invited. Some background: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/politics/topstories/stories/073108dnpolfactcheck.1a2b2fec.html A Week In John McCain's Shoes — His $520 Ferragamo Loafers, That Is (Huffington Post 7/30/08) Isabel Wilkinson This summer John McCain is traveling in style. He has worn a pair of $520 black leather Ferragamo shoes on every recent campaign stop — from a news conference with the Dalai Lama to a supermarket visit in Bethlehem, PA. The Calfskin loafers, with silver-tone "Gancini" buckles, are imported from Italy. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/isabel-wilkinson/a-week-in-john-mccains-sh_b_115692.html OPINIONS AND EDITORIALS Is John McCain Stupid? (WSJ 7/31/08) By DANIEL HENNINGER Is John McCain losing it? On Sunday, he said on national television that to solve Social Security "everything's on the table," which of course means raising payroll taxes. On July 7 in Denver he said: "Senator Obama will raise your taxes. I won't." This isn't a flip-flop. It's a sex-change operation. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121745962594698731.html?mod=todays_columnists McCain's True Voice (Washington Post 7/31/08) By David Ignatius; A19 In the dog days of summer, John McCain's political personality has become so fuzzy that even some Republicans are worrying about his viability. But if you want a reminder of why McCain should be a formidable candidate, take another look at his remarkable 1999 autobiography, "Faith of My Fathers." http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/30/AR2008073002948_pf.html McCain's Oil Drilling Hoax (NY Observer 7/31/08) By Joe Conason Forced to cancel a planned visit to an oil platform off the Mississippi coast last week because of inclement weather — and the untimely leaking of hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil by a shipwreck in the vicinity — John McCain finally got his photo op at a Bakersfield derrick on July 28. Speaking on site, the Arizona senator delivered extraordinarily good news to the beleaguered gasoline-consuming public as he explained why we must drill offshore. ...The prospect of significant new petroleum resources that could be available so soon would be excellent news — aside from the obvious impact of burning still more oil — if only what the senator said was true. http://news.yahoo.com/s/uc/20080731/cm_uc_crjcox/op_456900 McCain Payroll Tax Pain - Gymnastics Edition (FOX News blog 7/30/08) by Major Garrett Under fire since Sunday for opening the door to payroll tax increases as part of a Social Security deal, John McCain escaped a policy full-nelson of his own creation, telling himself as much as his audience in Aurora, Colo., that he won't raise taxes . http://bourbonroom.blogs.foxnews.com/2008/07/30/mccain-payroll-tax-pain-gymnastics-edition/ McCain Is Taking Foreign Policy Advice From This Guy? (Huffington Post 7/30/08) By Lionel Beehner Nothing pleases me more than listening to the sage wisdom of McCain's chief ideologue and foreign policy adviser, Randy Scheunemann. If you listen to him talk enough, your head may develop sore spots from scratching. I don't mind that he never passes up a chance to take a pot shot at Obama -- that's what campaign strategists are paid to do. What puzzles me is his long and distinguished résumé of being wrong on pretty much every major foreign policy issue of our time. http://news.yahoo.com/s/huffpost/20080731/cm_huffpost/115983 New Premises in Iraq (Washington Post 7/31/08) By Henry A. Kissinger; A19 Prospects for Withdrawal Have to Be Viewed Through the Lens of Progress http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/30/AR2008073002947.html Obama up, McCain on low road (Boston Globe 7/31/08) By Dan Payne FOR MONTHS, John McCain and the Republicans have been taunting Barack Obama for not having visited Iraq since 2006. So Obama goes to the Middle East and Europe, reminds people of John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan, and comes home to a 49-40 percent lead in Gallup's Sunday tracking poll. http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2008/07/31/obama_up_mccain_on_low_road/ Obama's best strategy? Attack (LA Times 7/31/08) By Jonathan Chait McCain's 'maverick' myth and ties to Bush should be prime targets. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-chait31-2008jul31,0,4864579.story BUSH NEWS Biden joins Bush as he signs global AIDS bill (Gannett News Service 7/30/08) By NICOLE GAUDIANO President Bush signed landmark legislation Wednesday authorizing a tripling of funding to fight global HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis over the next five years. http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080730/NEWS/80730057 Bush threatens to veto equal pay for women. (ThinkProgress 7/30/08) This week, the House is expected to bring the Paycheck Fairness Act to the floor for a vote, legislation that would help close the wage gap between working men and women and "close loopholes that have allowed employers to avoid responsibility" for discriminatory pay. In an official statement, the White House said it would veto the bill: http://thinkprogress.org/2008/07/30/bush-threatens-to-veto-equal-pay-for-women/ Bush Says Progress Made in Iraq (AP 7/31/08) President Bush declared significant progress in the Iraq war Thursday, saying terrorists "are on the run" and that generally improved security likely will permit further U.S. troop reductions. http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB121750587972600601.html?mod=special_page_campaign2008_leftbox Overhaul Elevates Intelligence Director (WSJ 7/31/08) By SIOBHAN GORMAN; Page A3 The White House is expected Thursday to unveil the largest overhaul of intelligence powers in a generation, spelling out the responsibilities of each intelligence agency in the wake of several reforms following the 2001 terrorist attacks, according to government officials familiar with the plans. http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB121746456551398575.html?mod=special_page_campaign2008_leftbox Secretary Of Energy Repeats Katrina Oil Spill Lie: 'Not One Case' Where Oil 'Spilled In The Environment' (ThinkProgress 7/30/08) After meeting with his cabinet today, President Bush renewed his call for "Congress to lift the legislative ban that prevents offshore exploration on the Outer Continental Shelf." Bush has previously claimed that such offshore drilling can be done in a manner that will "ensure that our environment is protected." http://thinkprogress.org/2008/07/30/bodman-katrina-spill-lie/ OTHER TOP NEWS ExxonMobil profit, $11.7B, sets U.S. record (AP 7/31/08) By John Porretto ExxonMobil reported second-quarter earnings of $11.68 billion Thursday, the biggest quarterly profit ever by any U.S. corporation, but the results fell well short of Wall Street expectations and shares fell in premarket trading. http://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/earnings/2008-07-31-exxonmobil_N.htm Gates Sees Terrorism Remaining Enemy No. 1 (Washington Post 7/31/08) By Josh White; A01 Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates says that even winning the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan will not end the "Long War" against violent extremism and that the fight against al-Qaeda and other terrorists should be the nation's top military priority over coming decades, according to a new National Defense Strategy he approved last month. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/30/AR2008073003240.html Al-Qaeda in Iraq Leader May Be in Afghanistan (Washington Post 7/31/08) By Amit R. Paley; A01 The leader of the Sunni insurgent group al-Qaeda in Iraq and several of his top lieutenants have recently left Iraq for Afghanistan, according to group leaders and Iraqi intelligence officials, a possible further sign of what Iraqi and U.S. officials call growing disarray and weakness in the organization. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/07/31/ST2008073100531.html?sid=ST2008073100531&pos=list House panel votes to cite Rove with contempt (Washington Examiner 7/31/08) The House Judiciary Committee has voted to hold former White House strategist Karl Rove in contempt of Congress for ignoring a subpoena to testify. http://www.examiner.com/a-1512579~House_panel_votes_to_cite_Rove_with_contempt.html<http://www.examiner.com/a-1512579%7EHouse_panel_votes_to_cite_Rove_with_contempt.html> Olmert to Quit After Elections in September (NYT 7/31/08) By ISABEL KERSHNER Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, embroiled in a high-profile corruption investigation, announced on Wednesday that he would resign after his party chose a new leader in September elections. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/31/world/middleeast/31mideast.html?hp POLLS New Battleground Numbers (The Page 7/31/08) From Quinnipiac University: Florida: Obama: 46 McCain: 44 Ohio: Obama: 46 McCain: 44 Pennsylvania: Obama: 49 McCain: 42 Polls conducted: July 23-29. Error margin: 2.7-2.8 points. http://thepage.time.com/2008/07/31/new-battleground-state-numbers-out-wednesday/ Poll: Despite Obama Trip, McCain Still Holds Edge On Foreign Policy (TPM 7/30/08) By Eric Kleefeld A new CNN poll just released today has the first numbers taken entirely since Obama's overseas trip on key national-security readiness questions -- and the survey finds that McCain still holds an advantage in these areas. http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/07/poll_despite_obama_trip_mccain.php -- Sara DuBois Tracking / Communications Manager ProgressiveAccountability.org [email protected] 202-609-7681 (office) 410-967-7306 (cell) --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the "big campaign" group. To post to this group, send to [email protected] To unsubscribe, send email to [email protected] E-mail [email protected] with questions or concerns This is a list of individuals. 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