Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Ref's Best
Key Obama strategy threatens his chances | Political Ref
Obama backs oil reserve release | Wash. Times | Ref's Call: It's hard to believe that the Obama campaign would make the mistake of calling for opening the reserve. This action would have no lasting impact on price and little to none on short-term price. Also, it is relatively easy to argue that Obama is putting political considerations ahead of emergency considerations, what the reserve is intended to address.
McCain Visits Nuclear Power Plant | Townhall
House GOP returns with no plans to stop | Politico
McCain likely to let Obama choose VP first | Politico
McCain Takes a Page From Clinton’s Playbook | NYT
Why Isn't Obama Further Ahead? | Wash. Post
Mitt For Veep, Stopping Joggers In Their Tracks | Wash. Post
Cantor Won't Talk About the VP Slot | Wash. Post
Critic's Notebook: The failure of Ludacris' pro-Bama song was inevitable | LA Times
Bush Says It's 'Important to Engage' China | Wash. Post
McCain to stop at biker rally | FNC
(Obama's) VP pick may chafe Hillary supporters | Politico
Bill Clinton Has Regrets on Campaign for Wife, Insists, 'I Am Not a Racist' | ABC News
One Week, 9-Point Lead Lost for Obama in Tracking Poll | FNC
Lift drilling ban or risk shutdown | Wash. Times
McCain Leans Toward a Compromise on Offshore Drilling | NYT | Ref's Comment: McCain seems to be calling Obama's bluff, hoping to get a vote on the compromise. Obama will be faced with two tough choices, vote for it and alienate many of his supporters or opening himself to the argument that he is sticking with his anti-drilling stance.
Obama Central: Peace, Harmony and Deep Secrecy | Wash. Post
Bush tweaks China ahead of games | Wash. Times
Pelosi Backs Bush Congressman for Obama Veep | FNC
Vetting Obama's 'man' | Wash. Times
McCain is vetting Cantor | Politico | Ref's Comment: This might neutralize a Kaine selection by Obama. Cantor has power in the Republican Congressional conference, giving him a national role, while Kaine is not a particularly popular governor of the state. Cantor is also Jewish which would help McCain with a segment of the electorate that tends to vote Democratic.
Obama Backs Away From McCain Town Hall Challenge | FNC
Editorials/Op-Eds
How Barack's Berlin Bull Bombed | George Will, NY Post
Come One, Come All to the Genocide Olympics | Paul Greenberg, Townhall
McCain's Problem Isn't Bush | William McGurn, WSJ
The color of politics | Tara Wall, Wash. Times
The Right Way: Why there's nothing the matter with Kansas - and conservatives will prevail | James W. Ceaser, NY Post
Obama's Drill Bit | WSJ
Newspapers in difficult times | Wash. Times
The Race Issue Isn't Going Away | Juan Williams, WSJ
What Conservatives Believe | Phil Valentine, NY Post
What Bush Should Ask for in Beijing | Sasha Gong, Wash. Post
Religious liberty | Wash. Times
Non-Political Stories
Scientists: Martian soil may be harsh to life | AP
Oil Falls to Three Month Low as Storm May Miss U.S. Gulf Fields | Bloomberg
China clears streets for the Olympics | LA Times | Ref's Comment: China can usually guarantee clear streets, but at a great cost.
Unrelenting Grief May Be Sign of Distinct Syndrome | Wash. Post
Solar-Power Breakthrough | FNC
Spaceflight's not easy: Space X loses "Scotty" (and a rocket) | ars technica
Comcast told to stop blocking Web tool | UPI
Solzhenitsyn, chronicler of Soviet gulag, dies | AP, Yahoo
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