memeorandum: Obama trip abroad doesn't move poll numbers (Alexander Mooney/CNN)

10:50 PM ET, July 30, 2008

Top Items:

Weaver, McCain's Former Strategist, Calls “Celeb” Ad “Childish” — John Weaver, for years one of John McCain's closest friends and confidants, has been in exile since his resignation from McCain's presidential campaign last year. With the exception of an occasional interview, he has …

Discussion: Hullabaloo, Talking Points Memo, NewsBusters.org, TIME.com, The Politico, The New Republic, Pajamas Media, Campaign Diaries, Hot Air, The Nation, Tom Watson and Political Punch

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

Keeping Track — I note with interest today, John McCain's new tactic of associating Barack Obama with oversexed and/or promiscuous young white women. (See today's new ad and this from yesterday.) Presumably, a la Harold Ford 2006, this will be one of those strategies that will be a matter …

Isabel Wilkinson / The Huffington Post:

A Week In John McCain's Shoes — His $520 Ferragamo Loafers, That Is — This summer John McCain is traveling in style. He has worn a pair of $520 black leather Ferragamo shoes on every recent campaign stop — from a news conference with the Dalai Lama to a supermarket visit in Bethlehem …

Discussion: The Nation, Spin Cycle, Newsweek Blogs, D-Day, Oliver Willis, Political Radar, Pam's House Blend, Outside The Beltway, The Carpetbagger Report and The Anonymous Liberal

Chris Cillizza / The Fix:

McCain's Risky Ad Strategy — UPDATE, 6:30 pm: Barack Obama's campaign has quickly turned around a response ad that bashes John McCain for practicing the “politics of the past.” — The key image? McCain and President Bush standing side by side while the words “John McCain: Same Old Politics, Same Failed Policies” appear on screen.

Discussion: The Trail, The New Republic and Truthdig

David Weigel / Reason Magazine:

I Used to Love Her, But I Had to Kill Her — Ben Smith analyzes the blowback from John McCain's new-ish, two-pronged strategy of negative (embellished) attacks on Obama and media-bashing. … Robert Stacy McCain (no relation) has data on the effects: according to Gallup …

Discussion: The Crossed Pond

Massie Ritsch / OpenSecrets.org:

Watchdogs Compare McCain, Obama on Donor Disclosure — If you follow this blog closely, you know that the Center for Responsive Politics and seven other watchdog groups asked John McCain and Barack Obama to disclose more information to the public about two segments of their fundraising bases …

Discussion: protein wisdom, Flopping Aces, Ben Smith's Blogs and Salon

Mark Murray / MSNBC:

AXELROD RESPONDS TO MCCAIN TV AD — From NBC's Andrea Mitchell — Obama senior strategist David Axelrod called into the 1:00 pm MSNBC hour to respond to McCain's latest TV ad. Having watched McCain campaign policy adviser Nancy Pfotenhauer defend it, Axelrod called in and said the latest ad is both “sophomoric” and “negative.”

New York Observer:
Mac Attack — They Adored Him! Senator McCain Had the Press Eating …

Discussion: Wonkette

Greg Sargent / TPM Election Central:
New McCain Ad Attacks Obama As A “Celebrity”

Discussion: Hullabaloo and No More Mister Nice Blog

Jim Rutenberg / New York Times:
With Commercial, McCain Gets Much More Than His Money's Worth

Discussion: FiveThirtyEight.com, Open Left, Newsweek Blogs, The Caucus, Gawker and Wake up America

Mark Murray / MSNBC:
OBAMA = BRITNEY AND PARIS?

Discussion: Firedoglake, Boston Globe, PoliticalBase.com Blog, The Swamp, American Power and protein wisdom

Alexander Mooney / CNN:

Obama trip abroad doesn't move poll numbers — WASHINGTON (CNN) — It was a weeklong trip that drew blanket media coverage and sharp criticism from Republicans, but Sen. Barack Obama's recent tour abroad did little to alter his standing in the presidential race, according to a new CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll.

Discussion: MyDD, Reason Magazine, TPM Election Central and Taegan Goddard's …

Alexander Mooney / CNN:
Poll: Most Americans want offshore drilling

Discussion: Commentary and TIME.com

Gallup:
Gallup Daily: Presidential Race Tightens to 4 Points

Discussion: The Other McCain, Weekly Standard Blog, Hot Air and American Spectator

Ben Smith / The Politico:

Obama camp condemns song: Ludacris ‘should be ashamed’ — Barack Obama's campaign is condemning a song by the rapper Ludacris that praises Obama and bitterly attacks Senators Hillary Clinton and John McCain. — “As Barack Obama has said many, many times in the past, rap lyrics today …

Discussion: Wake up America, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES, NewsBusters.org, Top of the Ticket, Gawker, Weekly Standard Blog, Political Machine, Blogs of War, Political Punch and Fox News

Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Audio: This is not the Ludacris that Barack Obama thought he knew …

Discussion: Marc Ambinder, Gateway Pundit, macsmind.com, American Power and ATTACKERMAN

Amanda Erickson / The Swamp:
Obama + Ludacris = best friends 4eva

Discussion: Jonathan Martin's Blogs

The Onion:

Al Gore Places Infant Son In Rocket To Escape Dying Planet — EARTH—Former vice president Al Gore—who for the past three decades has unsuccessfully attempted to warn humanity of the coming destruction of our planet, only to be mocked and derided by the very people he has tried to save …

Dana Milbank / Washington Post:

President Obama Continues Hectic Victory Tour — Barack Obama has long been his party's presumptive nominee. Now he's becoming its presumptuous nominee. — Fresh from his presidential-style world tour, during which foreign leaders and American generals lined up to show him affection …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Flopping Aces, NO QUARTER, The Sideshow, Don Surber, MyDD, D-Day, Matthew Yglesias, Democratic Strategist, Commentary and TownHall Blog

Jonathan Weisman / The Trail:
Obama's Symbolic Importance

Discussion: Firedoglake, Weekly Standard Blog, The Daily Dish, New York Times, Grasping Reality …, The Next Right, Crunchy Con, Robert's Stochastic thoughts, NO QUARTER, Commentary, www.redstate.com, Open Left and The Carpetbagger Report

Mark Murray / MSNBC:
FIRST THOUGHTS: ROCK BOTTOM FOR GOPERS?

Discussion: The New Republic

The Hill:

50 Most Beautiful People on Capitol Hill 2008 - Top 10 — Political party: Democrat. — Dating status: “Happily single” — She's striking - and accident-prone. — Three weeks ago, Tulani Elisa, a legislative assistant for Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), fell down while going up the Metro escalator that leads into Dupont Circle.

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias and skippy the bush kangaroo

Charlie Savage / New York Times:

For White House, Hiring Is Political — WASHINGTON — On May 17, 2005, the White House's political affairs office sent an e-mail message to agencies throughout the executive branch directing them to find jobs for 108 people on a list of “priority candidates” who had “loyally served the president.”

Discussion: Think Progress, TPMMuckraker, The Swamp and Hullabaloo

David Stout / New York Times:
Democrats Call for Contempt Charges Against Rove

Discussion: TPMMuckraker, The Swamp, Salon, Buck Naked Politics, The New Republic, michellemalkin.com, The Hill and The Carpetbagger Report

Mother Jones:

There's Something About Mary: Unmasking a Gun Lobby Mole — NEWS: Mary McFate was a prominent gun control activist. Mary Lou Sapone was a freelance spy with an NRA connection. They are the same person. A Mother Jones investigation. — This is the story of two Marys.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Blue Girl, Red State and MoJoBlog

Ari / ProgressiveAccountability.org:

John McCain and Britney — McCain Defended Bush Administration Strategy In Iraq … - John McCain [ABC, The View, 4/10/08] — McCain Agreed With Bush's Strategy For Victory In Iraq — McCain Said I Have “No Qualms About Our Strategic Plans.” Just prior to the invasion of Iraq John McCain said …

Discussion: D-Day and Democrats.com

Frank James / The Swamp:

Pawlenty: Let's govern like Sam's Club — Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, a potential Republican vice presidential nominee, urged a conference of conservative state lawmakers today to look toward a Sam's Club approach to government by providing value at a low cost.