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- The New York Times writes about the 300 foreign policy experts advising Barack Obama on the eve of his overseas trip and Marc Ambinder identifies a 301st adviser. Obama's "foreign policy voice" is speechwriter Ben Rhodes, one of the authors of the 9/11 commission report and a participant in the Iraq Study Group.
- John McCain surrogate and 2004 swiftboater Bud Day on the threat from Islamic extremism: "The Muslims have said either we kneel or they're going to kill us." How sophisticated! And McCain, calling to extend the gas tax holiday, noted that Obama has "the most extreme" record in the Senate, "more to the left than the announced socialist in the United States Senate, Bernie Sanders of Vermont.” Asked whether this made Obama a socialist, McCain replied that he "didn't know." Straight Talk!
- The Markham Group, a company associated with the Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, has purchased the domain name HRC2012.com, although it is unclear whether this is for a second presidential run or the second defense of her New York Senate seat. Clinton used the more familiar hillaryclinton.com domain during her 2006 Senate reelection campaign.
- Robert Novak reports that Phil "mental-recession-in-a-nation-of-whiners" Gramm and John McCain are BFFs again and that Gramm has resumed advising the campaign on the economy.
- Rocky Mountain News reports on the wide variety of protesters who will descend on Denver next month for the Democratic National Convention.
- The Wall Street Journal confirms how far conservatives are lagging behind the progressive netroots, who are holding a conference in Austin, Texas this week.
- Rasmussen has Barack Obama behind John McCain by a single point in Virginia, 48-47, in a new poll.
- Josh Marshall summarizes the Bush White House/John McCain campaign's slow embrace of Barack Obama's positions on Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran. Supposedly this is to take Middle East foreign policy "off the table" as a campaign topic. But I'm confused. Isn't foreign policy supposed to be McCain greatest -- if not his sole -- advantage? Doesn't taking these issues off the table mean voters will focus, even more than they are now, on the economy and domestic issues, where Democrats in general and Obama in particular have a distinct advantage? I realize McCain and Bush are trying to force Obama into contradicting himself by saying the surge worked, for instance, but this seems to me to have the makings of a colossal error in tactical judgment.
--Mori Dinauer
