A short recon of what’s out there that might draw your attention, updated throughout the day...so check back often.
In the News: (Registration may be required to read some stories)
U.S. to Hand Over Security Duties in Anbar to Iraqi Forces - The top Marine Corps general said yesterday that the U.S. military will hand over security responsibilities to Iraqi forces next week in Iraq's western province of Anbar, paving the way to reduce the 25,000-strong Marine contingent there and free up more Marines to go to Afghanistan. (READ MORE)
Obama Team Works With Hill Democrats - Eager to avoid the missteps that plagued the first months of the Clinton administration, aides to Barack Obama have begun working in concert with top Democrats in Congress to craft a preliminary legislative agenda that would guide the senator from Illinois should he capture the White House in... (READ MORE)
Peaceful Protests In Kashmir Alter Equation for India - SRINAGAR, India -- Inside dozens of cramped kitchens in this Kashmiri city on Saturday, mothers and daughters prepared to make packets of rice for the hundreds of thousands expected at a sit-in two days later. Outside, their sons and brothers collected change from motorists to buy water and juice. (READ MORE)
Obama seizes nomination, history - DENVER In a historic changing of the guard, Democrats formally anointed Sen. Barack Obama as America's first black major-party nominee for president Wednesday night and bade farewell to the party's two-decade domination by Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton. (READ MORE)
Archbishop grabs spotlight from Dems - DENVER In retrospect, maybe the Democrats should have included Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput in their convention activities after all. The party was accused of deliberately snubbing the outspoken archbishop by failing to invite him to lead prayers or participate on its religion panels. (READ MORE)
100 militants killed in Afghanistan - KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) – A four-day battle that began with an ambush on a joint U.S-Afghan patrol in southern Afghanistan has killed more than 100 militants, the coalition said Thursday. (READ MORE)
Giuliani warns of union vote - Republicans are aggressively courting blue-collar votes by adding a plank to their policy platform that demands workers retain the right to unionize through secret-ballot elections. One of the party's iconic law-and-order figures warned on Wednesday that Democratic efforts to change the labor voting system would leave workers vulnerable to corruption and intimidation. (READ MORE)
Convention swoons over Bill Clinton - DENVER For the third time since leaving office, former President Bill Clinton tried Wednesday to turn the reins of the Democratic Party over to a successor. This time, maybe it will stick. (READ MORE)
Obama votes cast him left of his own party - Sen. Barack Obama will portray himself Thursday night as an agent of change for mainstream America, but his eight-year voting record in the Illinois Senate shows the Democrat was on occasion an agent of isolation who took stands - particularly on anti-crime legislation - that put him to the left of his own party. (READ MORE)
On the Web:
Phyllis Chesler: The DNC: A Night of Political Soap Opera - It was an evening of political soap opera. Senator Biden’s wife, Senator Obama’s wife, each wept a little in their seats. Biden and his son hugged each other. In full view, both Democratic candidates kissed the other candidates’ female relatives. And although the speakers at the DNC got one rousing ovation after the other, even though I myself was sometimes moved by the theatrical tactics–the platitudes did not move me so much as sadden me. The speeches were fraught with promises which bore no relationship to reality and which failed to deal with the existential peril to America posed by Islamic jihad. (READ MORE)
Lawhawk: Only In California - Only in California could an idea as backwards as this could be even considered for statewide ballot for consideration in November. The ballot initiative would not only impose new taxes, but would actually impose a one-time tax on those who seek to leave the state to avoid paying those taxes, which is endearingly labeled the Hasta La Vista Tax. And that's not the half of it. This bill is proffered by one Paul McCauley who clearly thinks Karl Marx had economics right, and wants to engage in massive redistribution of wealth. Apparently, the progenitor of this proposal thinks that wealth is concentrated in too few people, and to rectify the situation, the money will be confiscated and redistributed. (READ MORE)
Donald Douglas: Avoiding an Invesco Fiasco for Barack Obama - Barack Obama's acceptance speech tonight at Denver's Invesco Field at Mile High Stadium represents the challenge of a lifetime. The nominee's acceptance speech is the year's most anticipated campaign event before the post-Labor Day general election battle begins. For Obama, the stakes are the highest: He's not simply "the candidate of change" because of his biracial background. He's genuinely different in ideology and outlook than any presidential candidate before him. Doubts about his affinity to nation haven't gone away, because the more we learn of him, the more it seems he has something to hide. (READ MORE)
Chickenhawk Express: It's Not Nice to Criticize The One.... - While the Obamatrons are weeping for joy in Denver, The One has initiated another attack on free speech. Howard Kurtz, who has been researching the facts of the Ayers-Obama connection, is scheduled to be on WGN Radio for 2 hours this evening. Kurtz wrote the incredibly detailed piece on Obama's past connections in the Weekly Standard a few weeks ago, has been digging through the just released Annenberg Challenge files. Well you can guess what happens next....Yes - the Obama hit squad sent out an email blast calling for supporters of The One to call the station and complain. Now just forget that the Station Manager invited a rep for Obama to be on the show at the same time but the Obama camp said "nope".... that's just not good enough. You can't speak ill of The One. (READ MORE)
Confederate Yankee: Ayers: Bombing America Not A Big Deal - Someone should ask Barack Obama point blank: at what point during his 21-year relationship with domestic terrorist Bill Ayers (and to a lesser-documented but no less real extent, Ayer's terrorist wife and Charles Manson fan, Bernadine Dohrn) did Ayers and Obama discuss Ayer's involvement with the Weather Underground, and what was said? In over two decades of knowing each other and running in Chicago's political cauldron of aging New Left radicals, SDS leftovers, graying Weatherman, Marxist-Leninists, angry activist priests and fringe religions, the "glory days" of the 1960s and 70s must have come up in conversation. Did the bombings ever come up in conversations at one another's homes? (READ MORE)
Dadmanly: Boxing for Obama - AP triumphantly proclaims, Clintons throwing a one-two punch at McCain. If that’s true, I think the Fix is in. I also think the AP is trying to carry water for the DNC and the Presidential Candidacy of Sen. Obama, based on their straight-faced portrayal of the Clintons as gone all pugilistic against Sen. McCain. McCain’s not the guy staggering at the ropes with his eyes starting to swell. Completely ignoring insider complaints, and supporter controversies swirling around the Clintons, tepid support for Obama, and numerous Clinton affronts and insults to the presumptive Democratic Party nominee, the AP sticks to the script: (READ MORE)
Don Surber: The Kos PUMAs - While the liberal Kos blog says PUMA are a myth, where are its PUMA bloggers who went on strike in March? So Kos thinks the Party Unity My Ass people are a figment of Rupert Murdoch’s imagination. From yesterday: “PUMAs though are a rare breed. To put things into perspective, a rally for Clinton here yesterday reportedly drew about 1,000 people. Keep in mind there are about 50,000 here for the convention. Yes, they do exist, but in small, clustered numbers, and by all measures, they are an endangered species of voter. A March 2008 Gallup poll showed that 28% of Clinton voters would vote for McCain in the fall. Now, that same poll shows that number standing at just 16%. Other polls have the number in closer to 20%.” 18 million Hillary voters, times 16% equals 3 million votes, which equals the margin of victory in 2004. But they don’t exist. The party is united. So where is Alegre? Alegre is the Kos poster who, on March 15, went on strike: (READ MORE)
Ed Morrissey: Dems getting nervous about the Temple of O - Politico reports that “senior Democratic officials” have had second thoughts about the wisdom of the scope, scale, and setting for tonight’s Barack Obama speech at Invesco Field. The Greek temple set design appears to have been the last straw, and they now worry about the “rock star” impression that this will leave with American voters who increasingly see Obama as a fad and not a serious candidate. Democrats failed to foresee this despite nominating their least qualified and experienced candidate in decades, if not in their entire history: “From the elaborate stagecraft to the teeming crowd of 80,000 cheering partisans, the vagaries of the weather to the unpredictable audience reaction, the optics surrounding the stadium event have heightened worries that the Obama campaign is engaging in a high-risk endeavor in an uncontrollable environment.” (READ MORE)
Allahpundit: McCain to air ad tonight directly addressing Obama - Between this and Drudge’s teaser about possibly leaking the VP pick, they’re clearly very nervous about letting this speech go off without the GOP getting a word in edgewise. I can’t imagine what he’d have to say “to” Obama unless it’s a challenge for more townhall debates.
Tonight, John McCain will talk directly to his opponent in a television ad his campaign is airing in battleground states, around the time Barack Obama accepts the presidential nomination, McCain’s campaign said…McCain campaign communications director Jill Hazelbaker said in an MSNBC appearance that the battleground spot is ‘an historic ad — I think this is the first of its kind.’” (READ MORE)
Michelle Malkin: Next, the Obama thugs came for Stanley Kurtz - First, they came for TV stations daring to air an independent ad about Barack Obama and unrepentant Weather Underground terrorist Bill Ayers. Next, they came for GOP donors. Now, they are shamelessly attacking National Review investigative journalist Stanley Kurtz — one of conservatism’s most thoughtful and penetrating writers on academic and educational affairs. Kurtz has been at the forefront probing Obama’s relationships with left-wing ideologues. It was his public information request and public call for help that led to the University of Illinois - Chicago finally releasing tons of files that shed light on the Obama/Ayers working relationship. The Obama camp is condemning Kurtz in harsher terms than it ever condemned the terrorist Ayers. Kurtz has been attacked now as a “right-wing hatchet man” and “slimy character assassin.” Here are the Kurtz-smearing talking points the Obama campaign sent to its worshipers. (READ MORE)
Paul Mirengoff: So, how are they doing so far? - The Demcrats came to the convention with two imperatives: win over Hillary Clinton's feminist supporters who are angry with Barack Obama and win over independent voters who are fearful of him. As I wrote here, "there is an obvious tension between these two vital objectives; Clinton’s core supporters are liberal feminists, while independent voters tend toward political moderation." The Democrats have tackled these two challenges one night at a time. On Tuesday, Hillary Clinton made a strong case for why liberal feminists should vote for Obama, not McCain. It's a case that basically makes itself, but, given the audience, it's also a case that may prevail only in slow motion. On Wednesday, the convention turned to a broader audience, and Bill Clinton, the only living Democratic politician who has had sustained success with that audience, took center stage. (READ MORE)
Right Wing Nut House: OBAMA’S FULL COURT PRESS AGAINST FREE SPEECH - With many liberals cheering them on, the Obama campaign is putting on a full court press on several fronts to silence critics and quash Conservatives attempts to publicize the candidate’s relationship with former Weather Underground terrorist William Ayers. In effect, the Obama camp is putting the entire nation on notice; screw with us and we will make your life so miserable you will wish you had never heard the name “Bill Ayers.” I can sympathize with their frustration. Their attempts to carefully craft an image and narrative of a political moderate who could bring both sides together may not be able to stand the revelation that not only did Obama seek out radicals in his spiritual life by joining the church of a conspiracy minded bigot but also made alliances with political radicals like Ayers (and the Maoist New Party) to advance his career. (READ MORE)
Winds of Change: A Completely Non-Hostile Question About Liberal v. Conservative Thought - Tensions are getting higher with the election's approach, so I want to emphasize that this post is in no way intended to be disrespectful of either side. A liberal friend brought up an interesting point, and I wanted to bring it to your attention here because of Winds' location right at the center of the blogosphere. My only interest is to expose the question to a larger community, to see if the observations hold true in a broader sense than in the smaller community that reads Grim's Hall. We were recently welcoming a new reader, and asking her to tell us a bit about herself. In return, I thought perhaps we should all tell her a bit about ourselves. (Which is a useful exercise, actually -- it might make a good concept for the Winds community as well.) (READ MORE)
Ron Winter: What If McCain Picks A Woman VP? - Well, what if McCain does select a woman as his running mate? Personally, I think it would be the death knell for the Democratic campaign, based of course on the assumption that his selection is a good one and can stand up to campaign scrutiny. I've heard the same point made by quite a few of my veteran friends - male veterans - and if you can convince that crowd, I think the American voter is more than ready for a woman in one of the top executive posts. There are at least two Republican women whose names have been mentioned as possible VP selections, but the MainStream Media, well, actually, all the media, have given them short shrift. They are Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. (READ MORE)
Lorie Byrd: Free Speech for Me, Not Thee (if thee is a Republican) - MSNBC is not even trying to hide their partisan Democrat bias any longer. I used to watch MSNBC from time to time, but rarely do anymore. It is just hard to take seriously any network that tries to pass off Keith (Kos diarist) Olbermann as objective, or as a journalist for that matter. I have been channel surfing during the convention this week though and was surprised to find that the network is even farther in the tank for the Democrats than they were when I last watched. I didn't think it was possible. To call the "coverage" of the convention provided by Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann a lovefest does not quite go far enough to tell the story. (READ MORE)
Harmless Beyond a Reasonable Doubt: Who Serves in the Military? - Remember Senator John Kerry’s pronouncement in 2006 that “if you study hard and do your homework, and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don’t, you get stuck in Iraq.” I know that Senator Kerry intended it to be a joke, but humor (at least good humor) is based on either fact or a person’s perception of fact. Otherwise, it’s just not funny. Senator Kerry was trying to play to the commonly-held idea that people volunteer for the military because they’re from low-income, disadvantaged homes, they cannot find another job, or they’re too dumb to make it anywhere else. Nothing can be further from the truth! (READ MORE)
Have an interesting post or know of a "must read?" Then send a trackback here and let us all know about it. Or you can send me an email with a link to the post and I'll update the Recon.
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