(From the diaries -- Susan)

Conservative columnists have been trying to make a big deal about a paper that Barack Obama wrote when he was a student at Columbia University - they seem to think the fact that no one has a copy is a sign that Obama has something to hide. MSNBC's First Read has the whole story.

Here's the reality - which I happen to know as a Professor of Communication and Media Studies at Fordham University:

1. Colleges and universities do not usually keep or formally retain copies of undergraduate papers. If we do not return them to students at the end of the term, we might hold on to them in our offices for a few months into the next term, in case a student wants to come by and pick up the paper. That's it - they're gone after that (even in my messy office).

2. PhD dissertations and sometimes Masters theses are indeed kept on file both by universities, and by central repositories (such as University Microfilms - UMI). But Obama's paper was neither a doctoral dissertation or a masters thesis.

3. In fact, it would be a violation of a student's privacy for a professor to provide any journalist with a copy of a student paper.

4. Students are of course free to do with their papers as they please. But how many of you still have copies of your college papers? I don't (though for some reason I did keep a high school paper I wrote about Charles De Gaulle way back when. Go figure.) But there's no reason to think that Obama kept any of his college papers.

Hey, this whole subject is a good topic for a paper - maybe I'll assign it to my students at Fordham this Fall.

(From the diaries -- SusanG)

I hope you enjoyed Austin as much as I did.  I hope your memories of the panels, the events and of each other are as fond and fresh as mine are, and that you are as energized as I am (well, maybe after more sleep) to take what you've learned and convert it into action, and to take all those business cards and email addresses you've accumulated and turn them into lasting relationships.

Right now, there's something else I'd like you to do, and it's absolutely essential for the enduring success of this conference.  You need to tell us what worked, and what didn't work.  

As chairman of the board of directors for NN, I need to know what you think.  You are our stakeholders, our constituents, and your satisfaction is essential to our continued success.  There is no aspect of this conference which cannot be rethought, and no detail not worth mentioning.  And, obviously, we don't want to forget anything that worked out better than our wildest expectations, and want to capture as much of that now while it's still fresh in your minds.

We've got a few ways you can register this feedback.  First off, we've set up an Online Feedback tool that you can use to post your thoughts and receive direct feedback from our staff.

Secondly, um, here.  I think you know how to do that.

And thirdly, if you'd like to keep it private, email me at adam [at] netrootsnation [dot] org.  I will make sure every email gets to the appropriate person(s) on our staff, and that each receives a response.

Finally, if you didn't hear it yet: we're going to Pittsburgh next year!  I am so excited to bring Netroots Nation to the Northeast, for our greenest conference ever (also: union-friendly!), and yinz are going to love coming to the Keystone State.  We are so excited that we've already opened registration, and a limited number of $175 tickets are available.  Once they're gone, they're gone, and the price goes up to $225.  And then more.  So if you're ready to join us in Pittsburgh from August 13-16, 2009, then register now.

"Could I mention the presence of my friend, Congressman Steve Pearce, who I believe will be joining me in the United States Senate?"  -  John McCain in New Mexico this week.

It just gets worse and worse for John McSame and the gop.
Full lineup and other goodies below...

[From the diaries - BarbinMD]

Stupid is as stupid does.

The White House this afternoon accidentally sent to its extensive distribution list a Reuters story headlined "Iraqi PM backs Obama troop exit plan - magazine."

The story relayed how Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki told the German magazine Der Spiegel that "he supported prospective U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's proposal that U.S. troops should leave Iraq within 16 months ... ‘U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama talks about 16 months. That, we think, would be the right timeframe for a withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes,'" the prime minister said.

The White House employee had intended to send the article to an internal distribution list, ABC News' Martha Raddatz reports, but hit the wrong button.

My take: The WH was obviously freaking out after the announcement that al-Maliki supports Obama's plan, and of course was planning to email this around internally get some some advice from advisers and get their talking points together. This also ensures additional coverage of this issue. The Obama camp of course has already pounced on this:

The national security adviser to the Obama campaign, Susan Rice, said the senator welcomed Maliki's support.

"This presents an important opportunity to transition to Iraqi responsibility, while restoring our military and increasing our commitment to finish the fight in Afghanistan," Rice said in a statement Saturday.

This is just starting to hit the media; unlike McCain leaking Obama's travel schedule, this is just too big to ignore. The implications are huge, when you consider what would have happened had the opposite occurred:

To really understand the importance of Maliki's comments, you need to consider their opposite. Imagine if Maliki had walked in front of the cameras and said, "at this stage, a timetable for withdrawal is unrealistic, and we hope our American friends will not bow to domestic political pressures and be hasty in leaving Iraq just as the country improves." It would be a transformative moment in this election. John McCain would talk of nothing else. The cable shows would talk of nothing else. Magazines would run thousands of covers about "Obama's Iraq Problem." Obama would probably lose the race.

Indeed.

Update: I just had to relay this post on what the al-Maliki statement means for McCain (per Ambinder):

Via e-mail, a prominent Republican strategist who occasionally provides advice to the McCain campaign said, simply, "We're fucked." No response yet from the McCain campaign, although here's what McCain said the last time Maliki mentioned withdrawal: "Since we are succeeding, then I am convinced, as I have said before, we can withdraw and withdraw with honor, not according to a set timetable. And I’m confident that is what Prime Minister Maliki is talking about, since he has told me that for many meetings we’'ve had."

DIGG IT UP!!

Has a presidential candidate ever had a worse week than John McSame just had?  Drowning in flop sweat, his campaign called Americans "whiners", social security "a disgrace", and had at least a dozen more flubs.  All of which deserve to be duly mocked.  As do reporters who think McCain "won the week."

Full Lineup and other goodies below..

(Promoted from the diaries. Bush's nomination on July 10 of one of the worst neocon hacks to the board that governs US broadcasting overseas is just the latest damage he's inflicted on the venerable VOA and related institutions. Though these broadcasts are for many millions of people worldwide the public face of America, the Bush administration's disastrous record of manipulating the BBG has largely gone unreported here. KingOneEye's excellent diary looks to be the first and only discussion on line so far of the nomination of NRO blowhard Clifford May. - smintheus)

The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) is the federal agency responsible for all U.S. government and government sponsored, non-military, international broadcasting. Its affiliates include the Voice of America, Alhurra, Radio Free Europe, and Radio and TV Martí. If its mission was not originally intended to be a purveyor of propaganda, the Bush administration has seen to it that that is what it has become.

Now President Bush has made his latest attempt to further mire the agency in disgrace by nominating Clifford May to the Board. May is a former Republican National Committee communications director and the President of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, whose list of directors and advisors reads like a who's who of neocon warmongers. He is an advocate of torture abroad, the suspension of civil liberties at home, and always the supremacy of America by virtue of its military might. As a writer for the National Review and a frequent guest on television news programs, he has a record of deliberately inflammatory and partisan rhetoric.

(More below the fold. -smintheus)

(From the diaries -- kos)

By now, most have read of the possibility that Obama would give an address before the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin on July 24th.  Arguably, alongside Normandy Beach, no other location in the world still holds the same symbolism for America's historical commitment to freedom and democracy.  

An address there would be a historic opportunity not only to announce a new direction in foreign policy, but to demonstrate Obama's unique ability to restore America's reputation abroad.

(Obama currently leads McCain in German opinion polls by a staggering 72% to 11% --- leading with an even more staggering 86% among adults with at least a high school diploma.)

Instead, the event risks being trivialized by a domestic German political squabble, as the German government responds to political pressure from the Bush administration.

What happened?

This week, the media continued to bend over backwards to repeat whatever narrative McCain wants them to.  He even refurnished his airplane with a VIP section for the most obedient reporters.

Top McCain aide Mark Salter said "‘only the good reporters’ would get to sit in the specially-configured section for interviews. ‘You’ll have to earn it,’ he said." So how can these reporters "earn" a seat? Never challenge the Senator,

Full Lineup and lots of other goodies below...

Reporter: "When was the last time you pumped your own gas and how much did it cost?"

MCCAIN: "Oh, I don’t remember. Now there’s Secret Service protection. But I’ve done it for many, many years. I don’t recall and frankly, I don’t see how it matters."

Full Lineup and other goodies below...

h/t Thinkprogress and Dustbowl Observer.

[Promoted by DHinMI: Take a little time to read this diary (that started out on the "right side of the site") and ponder blueness' ruminations about clear-eyed commitment to principles, about being honest, but also about having a sense of proportion.]

Over here on the right side of the site things feed on frenzy, and so there have been several self-immolations of late occasioned by Barack Obama's serpentine pronouncements on FISA.

As we watch these Kossacks consume themselves in flames, we hear them roar that on FISA Obama has sounded a Retreat, on a Principle, one that is Not To Be Borne. Better, they snarl, to vote for Nader, or Barr, or no one at all, than to continue to fetch, roll over, play dead for such a man. Better to die like a lion, bay they, than to live like a dog.

Since that Saturday when Senator Clinton at last acknowledged defeat, this site has become increasingly aware that Obama is, uh, Not Perfect. It is going to be a long summer, and an even longer fall. And in that time, Obama will, many times, Disappoint.

What to do, what to do . . . .    

The most under-reported story of the campaign continues to be McSame flip-flopping on every issue that come out of his mouth.  Drilling offshore, tax cuts, immigration reform.

No issue is too wide for McSame to wrap his arms around every side of it.

Full Lineup and other goodies below...

THE LINEUP -

Meet The Press:  Brian Williams hosts.  Hopefully not for long.  Joe Biden (D-BULLSHIT!), Huckleberry Graham (R-McSame).  Very Serious Discourse John Harwood and Andrea Mitchell.

Tweety:  Jim Cramer, Andrew Sullivan, Katty Kay, Kathleen Parker.  Russert Tribute.

This Weak:  Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA), Big Oil CEO Red Cavaney, Columbia Univ. Earth Institute dir. Jeffrey Sachs.  Donna Brazile, former Bush enabler Matthew Dowd, relic Cokie Roberts and relic Sam Donaldson talk shop.

Face the Nation:  McSame 'Victory' chair Carly Fiorina, Bill Richardson and Clinton biographer/Politico Maestro John Harris.

Fake Noise:  Tom Daschle (D) and former PA Gov. Tom Ridge (R).

Late Edition with Wolf:  Bearded Richardson, Failed infrastructure Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R).  SuperPatriot Robert Wexler (D-FL), Eric Cantor (R-VA), Robert Reich, McCain econ adviser Douglas Holtz-Eakin, some Pakistani journalist, CNN's Peter Bergen.  Gloria Borger, The Hotline's Amy Walter and Ed Henry weep for their lost Obama virginity because he let them down by refusing to be broke during the election 'cause he'd rather win.

60 Minutes:  US-funded Arab TV bashes Israel constantly, Anderson Cooper on PlumpyNut (heh), Salmon vs. Hydroelectic dams.

100 years ago this month, the United States held its first modern
Father's Day celebration in Fairmont, West Virginia.
In 2008, Presidential Nominee Barack Obama will spend it with his family at church, preaching the value and virtue of responsible fatherhood.  Many in the political world will spend it mourning the passing of Tim Russert.

Full Lineup and other goodies below...

(From the diaries -- kos)

In light of kos' display of Barack Obama's birth certificate, John McCain's campaign has released a rare glimpse of the Republican candidate's own birth certificate.

Thought lost for the ages, the document was found in a clay jar, in an abandoned cave, on the outskirts of Sedona, by a shepherd boy in 1947. The desert climate and the dry atmosphere in the caves kept the parchment remarkably well preserved.

Unfortunately, the language on the document is in Essene, a language which has been dead for about 1,900 years. So, much like a lot of Senator McCain's modern-day speeches, press releases, and interviews, nobody can really comprehend what it says.

(Promoted by kos)

Dear ex-Hillary fans who are showing their support for her by ignoring her call to support Obama and supporting McCain,

First, I'd like to congratulate you. You've asked yourself WWJMD and you've decided to vote against your own interests and principles while furthering Senator McCain's. Before you're allowed on the band wagon, we are asking you to sign the following oath. A McCain presidency will mean different things for different people, so we have tailored the oaths accordingly.

The McCain Loyalty Oath for Gays

I, _____________, pledge to transfer my support from Hillary Clinton to John McCain. I agree to do all I can do to get McCain the vote. In order to achieve this noble goal I promise to support McCain's

   * commitment to the Army's Don't Ask Don't Tell policy because to "even reopen the issue" would be a "terrific mistake."

   * promise to protect "the sanctity of marriage as between a man and woman."
   * commitment to banning federal recognition of gay marriage and domestic partnerships.
   * opposition to gay adoption which he doesn't think is "appropriate."
   * opposition to expanding the federal hate crimes law to include sexual orientation.

Sincerely,
Signature __________

The McCain Loyalty Oath for Women

I _____________ pledge to transfer my support from Hillary Clinton to John McCain. I agree to do all I can do to get McCain the vote. In order to achieve this noble goal I promise to support McCain's...

Sincerely,
Signature __________

The McCain Loyalty Oath for Straight White Men

Straight white men, I bet you thought we left you out. This country may have turned its back on you, but we haven't. Here's a pledge of your own:

I _____________ pledge to transfer my support from Hillary Clinton to John McCain. I agree to do all I can do to get McCain the vote. In order to achieve this noble goal I promise to support McCain's...

Sincerely,
Signature ________________________________

**Although McCain and Hagee have since un-endorsed each other, that was not until Hagee's controversial Holocaust speech was discovered. McCain didn't think Hagee's position on gay people (or women of Muslims, for that matter) warrant his disavowal.

[originally posted at http://katiehalper.com/ and Living Liberally]

Full Lineup, Full Unity and McSame mockery below...

Promoted from the diaries (with much more below the fold). I judge EMILY's List by the company they keep. This is despicable. - smintheus

EMILY's List, known for funding female candidates for public office, has two main qualifications for getting their endorsement. You have to be female and you have to be pro-choice. The organization recently endorsed Nikki Tinker in her run for Congress from Tennessee.

Tinker is running against sitting Representative Steve Cohen, a fellow Democrat.  Cohen is one of the most liberal members of Congress with a history of supporting pro-choice and LGBT issues.  Why would EMILY's List work to defeat an incumbent Congressman with a history of working in favor of their chosen issue?  The answer has to be sexism; he's a man. No other explanation can possibly make sense.

After all, Tinker's campaign has been engaging in one of the most vitriolic anti-Semitic, racist and homophobic campaigns in Tennessee history. Black Baptist ministers have publicly called for Cohen's defeat because of his race, a flier declaring "Steve Cohen and the Jews Hate Jesus" has been circulated throughout Memphis, and Tinker's campaign has refused to denounce or repudiate these tactics.  EMILY's List has invested resources in this campaign - and they did in 2006 too.

"In 2006, EMILY's List endorsed Tinker and spent $500,000 on her behalf in the form of negative direct mail pieces with scores of lies about Cohen's record," Cohen campaign director Jerry Austin told me. Austin suggested that more of the same could be expected before the August 7th primary.  One flier condemned Cohen for missing a few votes as a state legislator, but neglected to mention that the Congressman was in the hospital recovering from an illness.

Race tracker wiki: TN-09

(From the diaries, as I dab a tear from my eye. I still have the program from his lovely funeral services on my night table. I can't believe it's been a year... -- kos)

In an article James Wolcott wrote for the June Vanity Fair on battling bloggers, his section on Daily Kos and Markos included the following:

Apart from the late Steve Gilliard, a blogger whose untimely death left an unfillable void in the warrior class, few have set a healthier example of consuming concern trolls for breakfast than Markos. So the site that bears his name is not for the demure.

Steve died a year ago today, and that void still echoes.

promoted with title editing by DemFromCT

Senator Ted Kennedy will undergo brain surgery this morning at Duke University Medical Center for the treatment of his recently diagnosed brain tumor.

Statement of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy

DURHAM, NC — U.S. Senator Edward M. Kennedy this morning released the following statement:

"I am deeply grateful to the people of Massachusetts and to my friends, colleagues and so many others across the country and around the world who have expressed their support and good wishes as I tackle this new and unexpected health challenge. I am humbled by the outpouring and am strengthened by your prayers and kindness. Over the past several days, Vicki and I, along with my outstanding team of doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital, have consulted with experts from around the country and have decided that the best course of action for my brain tumor is targeted surgery followed by chemotherapy and radiation.