memeorandum: The FISA Shaft Is Underway (Bmaz/Emptywheel)

10:55 AM ET, June 19, 2008

Top Items:

Obama to Break Promise, Opt Out of Public Financing for General Election — In a web video to supporters — “the people who built this movement from the bottom up” — Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, announced this morning that he will not enter into the public financing system, despite a previous pledge to do so.

Discussion: Redstate, Marc Ambinder, Salon, Democratic Strategist and alicublog

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:

Obama aide blames McCain on public-financing — Obama spokesman Bill Burton is blaming Senator John McCain's campaign for failing, he says, to negotiate in good faith on a course to public financing. — “In the past couple of weeks, our campaign counsels met and it was immediately clear …

Discussion: MSNBC, Salon and TIME.com

John McCormick / The Swamp:

Obama rejects public financing — by John McCormick, updated with McCain response — In a widely expected decision, Sen. Barack Obama announced this morning that his Democratic presidential bid will reject public financing, abandoning an earlier pledge to participate in the system if his Republican challenger agreed to do the same.

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blogs, Jonathan Martin's Blogs, Comments from Left Field and Reason Magazine

Lynn Sweet: Obama told Tim Russert at Feb. 27 debate he would “sit down with …

Associated Press:
Obama opts out of public funding

Discussion: Washington Wire and MyDD

Krooney / TIME.com:
OBAMA OPTS OUT OF PUBLIC FUNDING

Discussion: The Other McCain

Andrew E. Kramer / New York Times:

Deals With Iraq Are Set to Bring Oil Giants Back — BAGHDAD — Four Western oil companies are in the final stages of negotiations this month on contracts that will return them to Iraq, 36 years after losing their oil concession to nationalization as Saddam Hussein rose to power.

Discussion: The Daily Dish, Attackerman, Matthew Yglesias, Firedoglake, Obsidian Wings, Bang the Drum, TPMMuckraker, The Washington Independent, About.com US Politics, TIME.com, Whiskey Fire, Don Surber, Daily Kos and Think Progress

David Weigel / Reason Magazine:

More Fun in Obamaconspiracyville: In Which Larry Sinclair Gets Arrested — I blogged a few weeks back about a convicted criminal, Larry Sinclair, who'd been begging the media to cover his wild allegations about Barack Obama. Today Sinclair trotted into the National Press Club to air …

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:
Sinclair arrested, and other notes from the Press Club

Discussion: The Carpetbagger Report, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Moderate Voice, Political Machine, Redstate, Lonewacko, Towleroad.com, AMERICAblog News, Liberal Values and The Politico

Bmaz / Emptywheel:

The FISA Shaft Is Underway — As you know, the FISA Amendments Act has been being negotiated behind closed doors by Steny Hoyer, Kit Bond and friends for some time now. See here and here. Well, the action is coming a little faster than we all anticipated.

Discussion: Firedoglake and SquareState.net

Mike Soraghan / The Hill:
House, Bush reach deal on war supplemental

Discussion: Daily Kos

CQ Politics:
Blue Dogs' Resistance Could Force Compromise on Surveillance Bill

Discussion: Salon, War and Piece, Daily Kos and CNN

Associated Press:

Cindy McCain visits Vietnam — NHA TRANG, Vietnam - Cindy McCain ranged far afield from the U.S. presidential campaign trail Thursday to showcase her charity work helping Vietnamese kids born with facial deformities. — McCain has made several trips to Vietnam, where her husband …

Discussion: Don Surber

Ed OKeefe / Political Radar:
Cindy McCain Presses Obama Patriotism Case

Discussion: INSTAPUTZ, AMERICAblog News, Salon, Hot Air, The LA Times President …, Sister Toldjah, Spin Cycle, Michelle Obama Watch, TIME.com and The Caucus

Roxana Tiron / The Hill:

Rumsfeld repays McCain; declines to back candidate — Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld recently declined to answer whether he will support Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) for president. — McCain, the GOP presidential standard-bearer, has been one of Rumsfeld's harshest critics.

Discussion: Shakesville, MyDD, The Other McCain and The Raw Story

Jacques Steinberg / New York Times:

Russert's Son Sounds a Theme of Unity at Funeral — WASHINGTON — In death, Tim Russert did on Wednesday what no living journalist has accomplished this campaign season: he got Barack Obama and John McCain to sit together and talk, quietly. — Specifically, it was Mr. Russert's son, Luke …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Jon Swift, skippy the bush kangaroo, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, Romenesko and James Wolcott's Blog

CNN:

Americans drive 1.4 billion fewer highway miles — WASHINGTON (CNN) — Americans drove 1.4 billion fewer highway miles in April than they did in April 2007, the Department of Transportation said Wednesday. — That marks the sixth consecutive monthly drop and coincides with record gas prices …

Discussion: JammieWearingFool and Donklephant

Harry Siegel / The Politico:

Specter of 2000 could haunt Obama — Until 2000, it hadn't happened in more than 100 years, but plugged-in observers from both parties see a distinct possibility of Barack Obama winning the popular vote but losing the Electoral College — and with it the presidency — to John McCain.

Discussion: Liberty Pundit, The New Republic and Open Left

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:

Rep. Young's interns cite do's, don'ts — Several lobbyists, including hired guns who worked on transportation, Interior and Alaska issues, had unparalleled access to Rep. Don Young's (R-Alaska) congressional staff, according to an unofficial office document .

Discussion: Club for Growth, Redstate, The Crypt's Blogs, Washington Wire and Talking Points Memo

Chuck Bennett / New York Post:

SUBPOENA BLITZ PUTS HEAT ON AL — IRS SEEKS INFO FROM TOP DONORS — The probe into the Rev. Al Sharpton's finances intensified this week, with the IRS sending out a flurry of subpoenas to his most generous corporate donors, The Post has learned. — Anheuser-Busch, the brewer of Budweiser …

Discussion: Hot Air and JammieWearingFool

New York Times:

Obama's Campaign Tightens Control of Image and Access — At a rally for Senator Barack Obama in Detroit on Monday, two Muslim women said they were prohibited from sitting behind the candidate because they were wearing head scarves and campaign volunteers did not want them to appear …

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blogs, The Caucus, New York Post, MSNBC, Media Blog and Lynn Sweet

ConnPolitics:

Dodd and CT residents speak out — By WTNH Chief Political Correspondent Mark Davis, on Jun 18, 2008 — (WTNH) _ Senator Chris Dodd's nearly 28 years as Connecticut's United States Senator is being seriously tested. He says he thought the VIP treatment he got from Countrywide Financial …

Discussion: Macsmind

Jeff G. / protein wisdom:

“House Democrats call for nationalization of refineries” — From FOXNews: … Not only that, but then — according to an Obama supporter who represents the non-profit group Oil Change International — the government can set prices! After all, what's the use of going Communist …