Politico: McCain to address Obama directly in TV ad tonight - 8/28/2008 In light of this, VP speculation skyrockets. Oddly, Lieberman's and Pawlenty's stock seem to rise in the wake at the cost of Romney's, even though Mitt had been the clear front runner for a few weeks now. [Permalink]
Politico: Black perspectives on Obama's nomination - 8/28/2008 "To call this a historic moment feels like understatement. Obama's nomination represents a sea change, a psychological shift in a country that still struggles with the painful and complicated legacy of slavery." [Permalink]
Video: Roll call as seen from the nosebleeds - 8/27/2008 8-minute video from way up in the stands gives an excellent perspective on the expertly orchestrated moment that transpired just now, complete with Sen. Clinton as deus ex machina.
WARNING: **LOUD** digital audio clipping from noise in the hall - and rather poor picture quality. Still, a great vantage point, and uploaded insanely quickly by zennie62. [Permalink]
The Fix: Five things Hillary needs to do tonight - 8/26/2008 I tend to dislike "X must do Y"-style opinioneering -- but Cillizza's top five seems to hit the mark. Money quote (and also the last line of the piece):
"And, the more gracious Clinton is tonight, the easier it is for Obama to return the favor on Thursday and, in doing so, start the healing process in earnest." [Permalink]
Rep. Dennis Kucinich: "Wake Up America" - remarks to the DNC - 8/26/2008 "If there was an Olympics for misleading, mismanaging and misappropriating, this administration would take the gold. World records for violations of national and international laws. They want another four-year term to continue to alienate our allies, spend our children's inheritance and hollow out our economy." [Permalink]
Ted Sorensen: Remarks to the DNC - 8/26/2008 Former advisor and speechwriter to JFK: "I have long dreamed that our party would produce another president matching John F. Kennedy’s intellect and integrity, his capacity to inspire justice at home and peace around the world —- and this week my dream is coming true. Once in a lifetime, said the poet, hope and history meet in one extraordinary man and movement —- I thank the good Lord that I've lived long enough to meet and help such men twice in my lifetime, John Kennedy and Barack Obama." [Permalink]
Michelle Obama: Text of speech to the DNC - 8/25/2008 "All of us driven by a simple belief that the world as it is just won't do - that we have an obligation to fight for the world as it should be." [Permalink]
NYT: DNC seating plan - 8/25/2008 See which delegations got premium floor seats, and which states and territories have to make do in the nosebleed section. Spoiler: Delaware got moved up, natch. [Permalink]
NYT: Delegates for Clinton Back Obama, but Show Concerns - 8/24/2008 "'Clinton and Obama were close together all the time, and Hillary didn't make it [...] It was easy to switch because I feel we need to get a Democrat in because the Republicans have really messed up the country.'" [Permalink]
HuffPo - Sandy Goodman: What Happens To Biden's Senate Seat If He Becomes VP - 8/24/2008 "[...] Biden's successor would be named by Delaware's 73-year-old Democratic governor, Ruth Ann Minner. [I]f Biden is chosen vice president and resigns his Senate seat before her term runs out in January, she's sure to appoint another Democrat to succeed him, according to James Soles, a retired professor of political science at the University of Delaware." [Permalink]
Slate: How Michelle's speech will humanize Barack Obama - 8/24/2008 Liza Mundy explains how on Monday, Michelle Obama will face the unenviable task of emphasizing her husband's personal story while reassuring Americans that she and Barack are just like everybody else. [Permalink]
Politico: Biden for dummies - 8/23/2008 "Over that long career, Biden has depicted in many ways: A grieving young senator, an undisciplined campaigner, a foreign policy wonk, a happy warrior presidential candidate waging a quixotic campaign. If nothing else, Saturday’s announcement that he will join the Democratic ticket is a remarkable high point for someone who is the political equivalent of a marathon runner -- Barack Obama was 11 years old when Biden was first elected to the Senate." [Permalink]
The Caucus: The 3 A.M. Text Message - 8/23/2008 "A user named Bonnie said the early morning text was the 'only way I’d ever dream about Joe Biden.' And Pat Byrne, a Twitter user in Detroit, changed their cellphone settings so the text message would specifically 'wake me up at night.'
'Unless you are Barack Obama, please don’t text me in the middle of the night,' the user added." [Permalink]
TNR: What the Hell Is Taking So Long? - 8/22/2008 "You can let the suspense build and build if you've got a Hillary or a Gore socked away somewhere. Possibly a Biden or a Webb (or some unorthodox pick like a general or a Republican). But you'd better not come with Jack Reed or Evan Bayh after toying with people for over a week." [Permalink]
Politico: In VP timing, Obama defies pols' expectations - 8/22/2008 "In dragging out the announcement of his vice-presidential nominee to almost the eve of the Democratic National Convention, Barack Obama has at once demonstrated his willingness to defy conventional political expectations -- and to hold the news media in his thrall while doing it." [Permalink]
RCP: McCain raises the bar - 8/22/2008 In memo, McCain camp tries to raise expectations by suggesting Obama should get a 16 point bump out of the convention. [Permalink]
PoliticalFilter: Community Weblog - 8/21/2008 PoliticalFilter is a community blog about politics (US and international). It's sort of a spin-off from Metafilter. "Anyone, regardless of political affiliation, can sign up for an account at PoliticalFilter and then make blog posts on political subjects or comment on other blog posts." [Permalink]
Time: Obama Sharpens the Message - 8/19/2008 "Ironically, the very things that helped Obama win the Democratic nomination are unsettling his party now. Democrats fear that his lofty style of politics will be little match for a Republican opponent who is looking to be tougher than they had thought, and they worry that his message of hope -- which has drawn crowds in the tens of thousands and inspired a record primary turnout -- is not specific enough for people who are trying to figure out how to pay for their next tank of gas and hold on to their homes." [Permalink]
MSNBC: Biden the clear frontrunner for Veep - 8/19/2008 With Biden in the spotlight, NBC highlights the Delaware Senator's strengths and weaknesses.
"'Joe won't be afraid to get in McCain's face, which is what Obama needs,' said one non-contender source. Others have pointed out to Obama that this is why Biden would be hard to control as vice president. But maybe Obama has decided to worry about that later." [Permalink]
Spaceref: Obama's space program - 8/19/2008 Speeding next-gen vehicle development while retaining the Shuttle option, embracing human space exploration while also conducting robot missions and emphasizing earth-oriented research. Looking forward while hedging one's bets. [Permalink]
DCW: Clinton and the roll call vote - 8/13/2008 DemConWatch makes a lucid suggestion:
"Here's how it could go: Time it to end at 10:05 - just after the networks come on the air. Obama goes over the top - everyone celebrates - great visuals. Then, the NY delegation asks to be recognized. A certain former president, and superdelegate, asks that the nomination of Obama be made unanimous. The motion passes, and a great celebration of party unity follows. Five minutes of that, and a voice comes on the loudspeaker, saying, ladies and gentlemen, the next vice president of the United States, and the VP nominee comes to the podium." [Permalink]
HuffPo - Paul Hunt: Obama, The Change Candidate Abroad, Too - 8/13/2008 Electicker's first humble submission to the Huffington Post.
"Until recently, when people asked me why I'm so engrossed in an election being contested in a country thousands of miles from mine, my stock reply was 'Well, I heard it's a pretty important country.' A pithy yet truthful rejoinder, I thought -- now I realize it was a lame cop-out. Or at the least, it's hardly the most compelling reason for non-Americans to pay attention to this election.
So here's a better one." [Permalink]
Slate: The Lives of Barack Obama - 8/12/2008 Interactive timeline lists the Senator's previous residences and occupations, and tallies the number of times they are mentioned in his own words and in news coverage. [Permalink]
DNC: Release on Convention's Nightly Themes - 8/11/2008 And they are:
Monday, August 25 -- One Nation
Monday’s headline prime-time speaker will be Michelle Obama.
Tuesday, August 26 -- Renewing America's Promise
Senator Hillary Clinton will be the headline prime-time speaker on Tuesday night.
Wednesday, August 27 -- Securing America's Future
The Vice Presidential Acceptance Speech
The headline prime-time speaker on Wednesday will be Barack Obama's Vice Presidential Nominee.
Thursday, August 28 -- Change You Can Believe In
Barack Obama's Acceptance Speech [Permalink]
Photo: Suckerpunch - 8/10/2008 You know how they say a picture is worth a thousand words?
I have no idea as to its origin - it looks like a magazine scan is all I can tell - but this is seriously making the rounds online, as in this Digg post for one. Its historical (Senatorial?) context will conceivably be pointed out by someone soon - but expect it to be referred to often in the weeks to come.
A photo like this, you just can't make it up. [Permalink]
Barack Obama: VP alert via email/text message - 8/10/2008 Another clever marketing/database-building strategy from the Obama camp: if you sign up on the campaign's website you are promised a heads-up via email and/or text message as soon as Sen. Obama announces his running mate. [Permalink]
Politico: 'Invasion of Georgia' a '3 a.m. moment' - 8/10/2008 "When the North Caucasus slid into war Thursday night, it presented John McCain and Barack Obama with a true '3 a.m. moment,' and their responses to the crisis suggested dramatic differences in how each candidate, as president, would lead America in moments of international crisis. " [Permalink]
Newsweek: The 'Process' President - 8/08/2008 "The election will not be won on [Obama's] energy policy or health-care policy. If he wins, it will be because voters want to fix the way we make decisions." [Permalink]
Democratic Party: Renewing America's Promise - 8/07/2008 The draft of the 2008 Democratic National Committee platform has been released. Ambinder links to the pdf and provides some short summaries and analysis. [Permalink]
Financial Times: Democratic jitters as Obama heads for Hawaii - 8/07/2008 "With polls showing him neck-and-neck with John McCain at a stage at which many Democrats expected he would be in the clear lead, they worry about the kind of stray image that helped to defeat John Kerry in 2004." [Permalink]
The Trail: The Clinton Question - 8/07/2008 Dan Balz explores President Clinton's hypothermic stance towards Senator Obama: "You can argue a lot of things, or discuss or debate them into the wee hours of the night, but a brief television interview is not the time or place to do so. " [Permalink]
Kos: McCain vs. McCain - 8/06/2008 dansac describes a more aggressive Obama at today's town hall in Indiana: McCain's lobbyist ties and Bushist voting record are all there, and the kicker: "In the coming days it's going to be interesting to see this coming debate between John McCain and... John McCain!" [Permalink]
Politico: The biggest flip-flops of 2008 (so far) - 8/06/2008 "Politico, in conjunction with PolitiFact, a partnership between the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times and Congressional Quarterly, sorts through the charges to get to the truth of five key flip-flop allegations." [Permalink]
538: Election flowchart - 8/06/2008 Nate Silver has become an authority of sorts on the mathematically more advanced aspects of this election: or, you could say, he's this cycle's resident numbers guy. (Whatever happened to Tanenbaum?)
Anyhow, he presents a three-point sequence of Election Day events that I feel compelled to share:
"1. Can McCain win Michigan? If so, McCain is very likely to win the election.
2. If McCain loses Michigan, can Obama win Ohio? If so, Obama is very likely to win the election.
3. If Ohio and Michigan are split, can Obama win Colorado or Virginia? If so, Obama is very likely to win the election, having essentially to pick off just one or two smaller states West of the Mississippi (Iowa, New Mexico, Nevada, Montana) while perhaps also having to defend New Hampshire." [Permalink]
NYT Mag: Is Obama the End of Black Politics? - ESSENTIAL - 8/06/2008 Must-read, thorough examination of what Obama's candidacy means to black communities. It veers off into inexplicable directions at times ("And as in the rest of the political world, this rebellion is happening on the Internet, driven by ordinary Americans with laptops and a surprising amount of free time"), but more importantly it offers seldom-seen lucidity like in this passage:
"For most black Americans, Obama's candidacy represented a kind of racial milestone, the natural next phase of a 50-year movement. But for Michael Nutter, the reverse was also true: not supporting Obama's candidacy marked a kind of progress, too. [...] I asked Nutter if he found it insulting to have me come barging into his office, demanding to know why he didn't pick the black guy. [...] 'It's presumptuous. It demonstrates a continuation of this notion that the African-American community, unlike any other, is completely monolithic [...] I don't remember seeing John Kerry on TV and anybody saying to him, "I can’t believe you’re not for Hillary Clinton." Why?' [Permalink]
Barack Obama: Text of energy speech - 8/04/2008 "You won't hear me say this too often, but I couldn't agree more with the explanation that Senator McCain offered a few weeks ago. He said, 'Our dangerous dependence on foreign oil has been thirty years in the making, and was caused by the failure of politicians in Washington to think long-term about the future of the country.'
What Senator McCain neglected to mention was that during those thirty years, he was in Washington for twenty-six of them. " [Permalink]
Wkly Std: Barack Obama's Lost Years - 8/02/2008 Conservative commentator Stanley Kurtz pieces together an ideological image of Obama's writings in Chicago papers over the years. [Permalink]
Youtube: Hillary and the convention ballot - 8/01/2008 "What we want to have happen is for Senator Obama to be nominated by a unified convention of Democrats, and as I have said the best way (...) to do that is to have a strategy so that my delegates feel like they had a role and that their legitimacy has been validated, and that (...) there is a catharsis, and (...) everybody can go 'Great, let's go out and win.'" [Permalink]
538 ESSENTIAL: Sebelius Shell Game? - 7/30/2008 Required reading: more on the "the buzz on Kaine means we should keep an eye on Sebelius" theory. Nate Silver makes a level-headed argument on signal vs. noise and how much, if anything, we should read into the campaign reverse psych strategy we're conjuring up in our very own heads. [Permalink]
Ambinder: Kaine & Sebelius - 7/30/2008 Ambinder is right: if Kaine is supposed to be the running mate in waiting, the silence from the Sebelius camp is deafening in comparison. [Permalink]
Slate: Teflon to the core - 7/30/2008 It's not that the media refrain from attacking Obama; it's just that nothing seems to stick. [Permalink]
RCP: ESSENTIAL - Our First Transnational President? - 7/29/2008 Rich Lowry's well-written op-ed at first masquerades as a puff piece but quickly unmasks itself as a damning critique of Sen. Obama while concisely defining the fine line between global interests and American values he has to walk. Essential reading. [Permalink]
Ambinder: Sebelius, Kaine, Bayh, Biden - 7/29/2008 Marc Ambinder mulls over the alleged Obama VP shortlist: "(T)he way to look at these names, I think, is to analyze what picking each would say about the Obama presidency and what he expects in a vice president." [Permalink]
Youtube: Kaine endorses Obama in Spanish - 7/28/2008 In light of the growing speculation about the Virginia Governor's ranking on the shortlist, here's a shaky but amusing video of Tim Kaine singing the praises of Obama en Español. [Permalink]
NYT Op-Ed: How Obama Became Acting President - 7/27/2008 "It almost seems like a gag worthy of 'Borat': A smooth-talking rookie senator with an exotic name passes himself off as the incumbent American president to credulous foreigners. But (what drew heads of state and talking heads) was the raw power Mr. Obama has amassed: the power to start shaping events and the power to move markets." [Permalink]
Spiegel: No. 44 Has Spoken - 7/25/2008 Opinion: "Anyone who saw Barack Obama at Berlin's Siegessäule on Thursday could recognize that this man will become the 44th president of the United States. He is more than ambitious -- he wants to lay claim to become the president of the world." [Permalink]
The Page: RNC announces convention schedule - 7/25/2008 "The party announces the block schedule for their convention in St. Paul starting Sept. 1. The festivities will kick off at 3:30 pm and go until 11 pm ET (with a 30-min break at 7:30 pm)." [Permalink]
Spiegel: Obama camp 'frustrated' over Berlin - 7/23/2008 "Spiegel has learned that the Obama team is frustrated by the controversy surrounding the candidate's Germany visit, with some asking why the trip is so difficult for the Germans to comprehend." [Permalink]
Spiegel: Berlin Reopens World Cup 'Fan Mile' for Obama - 7/22/2008 "Don't bring bags or placards, but make sure to smile for the camera! Barack Obama doesn't want to let anything steal the show at his Berlin debut, where the streets and the Victory Column are being transformed into a 'fan mile' for the US Democratic Party's presidential candidate." [Permalink]
Time: Never Underestimate McCain, But ... - 7/22/2008 Michael Grundwald argues that the nation's yearning for change, coupled with McCain's inability (thus far) to find a voice, amount to a 'perfect storm' against the Republican candidate. [Permalink]
Spiegel: Will Europe's Adulation of Obama Soon End? - 7/21/2008 A summary of German press on the Senator's upcoming visit. "Germans are infatuated with the Democrat, particularly because he isn't George W. Bush. But German commentators doubt the love affair will survive this week's foreign policy speech." [Permalink]
Kos: Obama, one million Germans, and history - 7/21/2008 MBNYC explains how almost no location in Berlin is free from symbolic ambiguity. "Obama has chosen a location that speaks to a history we're well advised to understand and remember. In practical terms, he also picked the one spot in Berlin that can accommodate the huge crowds inspired by his candidacy and by the idea that America is turning over a new leaf. As to the larger symbolism, there are few places I can think of in Berlin better suited for a repudiation of America's own recent war of conquest and aggression than the German Empire's shattered monument to its own futile triumphs." [Permalink]
NYT: Veepstakes in plain sight - 7/20/2008 "Mr. Obama is likely to announce his choice the week before the Democratic convention begins on Aug. 25, party officials said. Mr. McCain is leaning toward announcing his as soon as the Democratic convention is over, though associates said he had not ruled out making the announcement before the Olympics begin on Aug. 8." [Permalink]
Ambinder: Al-Maliki agrees with Obama - it's a big deal - 7/19/2008 "This could be one of those unexpected events that forever changes the way the world perceives an issue. Iraq's Prime Minister agrees with Obama, and there's no wiggle room or fudge factor. This puts John McCain in an extremely precarious spot: what's left to argue?" [Permalink]
NYT: The Buzz About a McCain-Romney Ticket - 7/19/2008 "These days Mr. Romney, a telegenic former Massachusetts governor, is serving as a wingman extraordinaire for Mr. McCain on cable television. (...) Now Mr. Romney is attracting perhaps more buzz than anyone else as a potential running mate for the man he once derided. " [Permalink]
WaPo: McCain to Focus On Domestic Issues - 7/19/2008 "As Sen. Barack Obama takes a highly publicized trip abroad over the next week, Sen. John McCain plans to highlight his commitment to the nation's domestic challenges in stops across the country." [Permalink]
Electicker: OBAMA'S TRAVEL SCHEDULE - 7/18/2008 Here's what we've been able to piece together from news reports and other public sources. All of this is of course tentative and subject to change.
Sat Jul 19: Sen. Obama arrives in Afghanistan Saturday, after a short stopover in Kuwait, with Sens. Hagel (R-NE) and Reed (D-RI) as part of a Congressional delegation.
Tue Jul 22: The Senator is expected to visit Israel, where he will meet with Pres. Peres, PM Olmert, Ministers Barak of Defense and Livni of Foreign Affairs and opposition leader Netanyahu. Additionally, he is slated to visit Jordan and meet with King Abdullah II.
Wed Jul 23: The Haaretz report cited above also quotes Palestinian peace negotiator Saeb Erekat as saying Sen. Obama will meet with Pres. Mahmoud Abbas and PM Salam Fayyad of the Palestinian National Authority in Ramallah on this day. However, further meetings with Israeli leaders on this day cannot be ruled out.
Thu Jul 24: In the morning, Sen. Obama will arrive at Berlin's Tegel Airport for what is claimed to be the overseas trip's main PR event. During the day he will meet with Chancellor Merkel of Germany and Foreign Minister Steinmeier. At 7 PM, he is scheduled to speak for up to an hour about Euro-American relations at the Victory Column in the Tiergarten park, with the Brandenburg Gate behind the crowd, which will likely flood Strasse des 17. Juni. Sen. Obama will spend the night in Berlin.
Berliner Zeitung (DE): More Obama Berlin details - 7/18/2008 The gist: Obama will speak for up to an hour - stage to be set up with Victory Column behind the Senator and the Brandenburg Gate behind the audience, allowing video shots of both - Large video screens to be erected along 17th June St. [Permalink]
RCP: Laugh, Obama, Laugh - 7/18/2008 "Barack Obama's levity-free reaction to the now-famous New Yorker cartoon leaves one reluctantly wondering: Is he humor-challenged?," Kathleen Parker asks. And, "the wicked retort is invariably more effective than righteous indignation." [Permalink]
Times (UK): Hysteria alert: Barack Obama starts world tour - 7/18/2008 "(T)here's something a bit deeper, a bit more meaningful about the enthusiasm that will be on display next week. Part of it is doubtless that Europeans simply think they recognise one of their own - the closest thing America can produce to a social democrat. (...) The rise of Senator Obama is a reminder of what the rest of the world still admires - sometimes very grudgingly - about America: a constant capacity to renew itself." [Permalink]
WaPo Op-Ed: The Audacity of Vanity - 7/18/2008 Charles Krauthammer: "What Obama does not seem to understand is that the Brandenburg Gate is something you earn." [Permalink]
Rolling Stone: Kanye, Wyclef, N.E.R.D. at convention - 7/17/2008 "On the celebrity front, Scarlett Johansson, Ben Affleck, Warren Beatty and Annette Bening are all planning on appearing. Both Coors and Anheuser-Busch are sponsoring, so a good time will be had by all." [Permalink]
Seattle P-I: The candidates that roared - 7/17/2008 Marianne Means in the Post-Intelligencer: "(Obama) originally planned a photo opportunity in front of Berlin's Brandenburg gate, which [...] stands not far from the city hall where President John F. Kennedy in 1963 made his dramatic declaration 'Ich bin ein Berliner' before a cheering, weeping crowd of more than 100,000.
I was there, and I have never experienced such a public wave of emotion -- the Berlin airlift of 1948-1949 was fresh in memory and the tensions in the beleaguered city were still high. [...] What has Obama ever done for Berlin, or Germany? A stranger not yet a president high-handedly usurping a nation's premier symbol of unity and peace for selfish campaign purposes is not a very smart way to improve our relations with that foreign country." [Permalink]
Cologne Stadt-Anzeiger (DE): Obama to speak at Victory Column - 7/17/2008 Government sources in Berlin say he will speak at the famous Tiergarten monument during the evening of the 24th, according to the paper. He will allegedly meet with Chancellor Merkel earlier in the day while also making stops at the Jewish Museum and the US Embassy, the latter providing a Brandenburg Gate photo op after all. [Permalink]
TPM: Bayh as Veep? - 7/16/2008 Sen. Bayh might be a tough sell:
"That's because in 2003, Bayh was an honorary co-chair of the neocon pro-war Committee for the Liberation of Iraq -- a group he joined along with none other than John McCain and Joe Lieberman, according to a press release from during the run-up to the invasion." [Permalink]
Politico: 'Idiot's Veto' not worth the cost - 7/16/2008 Roger Simon on the New Yorker cover flap: "If a single person might not get a joke, then you should not tell the joke. All humor (and everything else) should be reduced to the lowest common denominator just to make sure nobody misunderstands anything.
This would, of course, remove a lot of the humor from life." [Permalink]
Observer (UK): The world is waiting to love America again - 7/16/2008 "An Obama presidency would certainly make many nations feel better about American leadership. He has expressed a willingness to listen more to allies and talk more to potential foes. He has taken domestic political fire for saying he would open a dialogue with Tehran. But he has also shown a reflex to make hawkish statements. His mixture of dialogue and firmness would make a refreshing change." [Permalink]
WaPo: Anchoring Obama's Trip - 7/16/2008 US network anchors are gearing up to interview the Senator in Europe:
"The Washington Post has learned that Brian Williams, Charlie Gibson and Katie Couric will travel overseas next week, lured by the prospect of interviews with the presumed Democratic candidate. That means the NBC, ABC and CBS newscasts will originate from stops on the trip and undoubtedly play it up." [Permalink]
CBS: Will Romney's Combative Style Net VP Nod? - 7/15/2008 "Since dropping out of the Republican race in February, he has gone from being John McCain's fiercest rival to one of the Arizona senator's most visible surrogates. What was inconceivable during the height of their primary battles, the prospect of a McCain/Romney ticket, is now a real possibility." [Permalink]
Politico: Hill Democrats miffed at Obama - 7/15/2008 'After a brief bout of Obamamania, some Capitol Hill Democrats have begun to complain privately that Barack Obama’s presidential campaign is insular, uncooperative and inattentive to their hopes for a broad Democratic victory in November. ' [Permalink]
Politico: 5 presidential campaign cash myths - 7/13/2008 527s don't matter that much, McCain's not really running a publicly financed campaign for the general election, he did not break campaign finance law in the primary, Lobbyists and PACs don't matter that much either, and Hillary Clinton's debt doesn't matter that much either. There, now you don't have to read the article. [Permalink]
Telegraph (UK): Brown, Cameron prioritize Obama - 7/13/2008 'Barack Obama has been told that Gordon Brown and David Cameron are prepared to drop all other business to meet him when he travels to Britain later this month.' [Permalink]
WSJ: Hagel to Join Obama on Iraq Trip - 7/11/2008 'The buzz this week that Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska is planning to join Sen. Barack Obama on an up-coming visit to Iraq is correct, two sources with knowledge of the trip confirmed Friday.' [Permalink]
The Trail: Obama's Accidental Sister Souljah Moment - 7/11/2008 The Washington Post blog posits Jesse Jackson handed the Democractic candidate his Sister Souljah moment: 'Barack Obama leads a charmed life. He finally had his Sister Souljah moment and didn't even have to show up. Jesse Jackson did it for him solo.' [Permalink]
Guardian: In praise of... Rathaus Schoeneberg - 7/10/2008 Is the town square at the former West Berlin city hall - where JFK gave his famous 'Ich bin ein Berliner' speech and which is now named John-F.-Kennedy-Platz - the obvious compromise for what people are starting to refer to as 'Brandenburg Gate'? [Permalink]
Ambinder: Obama's Europe Trip, Risks And Benefits - 7/10/2008 'Obama's trip to Europe will be a huge event (...) If Obama does speak at the Brandenburg gate -- and it's unclear whether he will at this point -- you could envision a crowd of more than 200,000 watching and cheering him. (...) His trip has to be flawless, message-wise, tone-wise and in its execution.' [Permalink]
ESSENTIAL - NYT: The Audacity of Listening - 7/10/2008 Gail Collins provides a powerful companion piece to last week's 'New and Not Improved' editorial. 'When an extremely intelligent politician tells you over and over and over that he is tired of the take-no-prisoners politics of the last several decades, that he is going to get things done and build a 'new consensus,' he is trying to explain that he is all about compromise.' [Permalink]
NYT: Prospect of Obama at Brandenburg Gate Divides German Politicians - 7/09/2008 With the pillars of the Brandenburg Gate looming in the background, tens of thousands of adoring Berliners turn out to greet Senator Barack Obama with wild cheering. It may have seemed like the perfect campaign stop on the candidate’s highly anticipated European tour, an ideal way to burnish his foreign policy credentials.
Instead, the plan — widely dissected in the German news media but never confirmed by the Obama campaign — has exposed fissures in the German government, with the conservative chancellor, Angela Merkel, strongly criticizing the proposal and the Social-Democratic vice chancellor and foreign minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, speaking out in favor of it. The ensuing uproar here has underscored the hazards for Mr. Obama in taking his presidential campaign overseas. [Permalink]
Politico: Networks may limit convention coverage - 7/08/2008 'Major television networks are considering curtailing coverage of the Democratic National Convention after Monday’s announcement that Barack Obama will accept his party's nomination in a Denver stadium. According to several broadcast executives, the networks will still cover all the major speeches. But beyond that, all options are open as they look for savings to balance out the anticipated costs surrounding the stadium event. The acceptance event is an unexpected departure from the traditional convention hall format for which they have spent months planning.' [Permalink]
Times (UK): Obama's Berlin visit sparks German row - 7/08/2008 '(A) simmering row between the German Government and the local Berlin authorities could rob the Democratic politician of a photogenic moment at the Brandenburg Gate and derail his flagship tour of Europe this month.
The plan, Obama advisers have told Der Spiegel magazine, is to use the visit on July 24 to signal an imminent improvement in the transatlantic relationship.' [Permalink]
Salon: Barack by the books - 7/08/2008 'The works that have influenced Obama illustrate that he would be the most literary president in recent memory -- and one likely to govern from the center.' [Permalink]
Ambinder: Invesco Field announcement 'monday' - 7/06/2008 An official announcement that Obama will accept his candidacy not at Denver's Pepsi Center but at the nearby Invesco Field at Mile High stadium (which can accommodate at least 75,000) will come Monday, according to Marc Ambinder's sources. [Permalink]
Spiegel: Obama may speak in front of Brandenburg Gate - 7/05/2008 Obama is likely to visit Europe before the end of July, and Berlin Senate has reportedly been asked whether Obama can speak in Pariser Platz, in front of the Brandenburg Gate, where President Reagan gave his famous 'Tear down this wall' speech. [Permalink]
NYT: Rising Convention Costs and Delays Worry Democrats - 7/05/2008 "For all Senator Barack Obama's success at raising money and generating excitement among voters, he faces a daunting challenge as he prepares to claim the nomination in August: a Democratic convention effort marred by costly setbacks and embarrassing delays." [Permalink]
CNN: Why Europe loves Barack Obama - 7/05/2008 Today's Eurobamania, by way of CNN: "Leaving Amsterdam, I was slightly alarmed when the security agent inspecting my bags asked me to step aside. The agent, a Dutchman of African descent, leaned over the table and asked me in a lowered voice: 'Do you think Barack Obama really has a chance to win the election?'" [Permalink]
WSJ: Can Barack Buy the Presidency? - 7/04/2008 Karl Rove makes his point about money and how it relates to the Obama campaign. "Mr. Obama may be overreaching by running ads in (...) states Republicans won by comfortable margins in recent years. It would require a shift of (a size that rarely happens). Big shifts do occur – witness West Virginia in 2000, which swung more than 20 points between 1996 (when Bill Clinton carried the state) and 2000 (when George W. Bush did) – but these require sharp contrasts on big issues, not just money." [Permalink]
HuffPo: Europe is Obamaland: Senator's Remarkable Popularity Transcends Borders - 7/04/2008 More swooning on the Old Continent, with an ominous nod at the Kerry campaign: "Europe, and much of the world, awaits the coming of Obama, and a political dawn to sweep away the long night of the Bush era. Of course, it may only be a matter of time before Republicans start accusing Obama of being, 'too French.'" [Permalink]
ESSENTIAL • NYT: New and Not Improved - 7/04/2008 Essential reading: the NYT blasts Sen. Obama's post-primary revisiting of issues in a short, sincere, clearly laid-out editorial [Permalink]
Slate: Political predictions markets explained - 7/02/2008 "The idea behind political prediction markets is simple. Lots of people wager on the outcome of political campaigns: Who's going to be the Democratic presidential nominee? Will the Republicans take back the House? And when the votes are counted, the winning bettors collect." [Permalink]
Newsweek: Inside Obama's 50-state strategy - 6/27/2008 "Let's do the math. If Obama holds all the Kerry states, he's at 252. Add Iowa for 259. Add a win in Virginia or North Carolina, 'and it's game, set, match,' says Plouffe." [Permalink]
RCP: Obama's 50-state strategy - 6/26/2008 "If everything goes according to the campaign's plan, Barack Obama should win all of the states John Kerry carried in 2004, plus a few that haven't been seriously challenged by a Democratic candidate in years." [Permalink]
NYT: Leader of the Pack - 6/22/2008 Pamphleteer Tony Horwitz pleads with Barack to get back into the habit: "To capture voters in coal country and smokestack towns, he needs an old-fashioned coffin nail." [Permalink]
NYT: Comparing Bush and McCain - 6/19/2008 "Democrats say that electing John McCain would bring the equivalent of a third Bush term, while Republicans say these charges are just political spin. Here is where Mr. McCain and Mr. Bush stand on key issues." [Permalink]
The Bush Years; C.E.O., U.S.A. - 6/17/2008 Lest we forget: a prescient assessment of a dawning George W. Bush administration, a week before Inauguration Day, 2001. [Permalink]
NYT: At the Brokered Convention - 6/10/2008 Amusing "What If?" fantasy By William Safire musing on the possibility of delegate mayhem on the floor of the Democratic convention... of 2004. [Permalink]
