Barack Obama's move toward the center in the general election has his staunch online supporters disappointed. His defense of his patriotism has yet to win over his conservative blogging critics, already outraged by retired Gen. Wes Clark's (D-Ark.) questioning of John McCain's military service. And both Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and House Democrats take heat from Republicans for stances on two recent topics to come before Congress, energy sources and foreign surveillance, bloggers on both sides write.

Because Obama is "cross" at Clark for raising questions about the pertinence of McCain's military service to the White House race and at MoveOn.org, kos has decided not to give the max donation to Obama's campaign this fundraising quarter. Obama should talk more about healthcare and workers' rights, which have been liberal causes, instead of adopting the right's messages about the "dignity of work" in his new television ad, writes MyDD's Todd Beeton. The Netroots online movement may become even less enthusiastic about Obama after he criticized MoveOn.org's "General Betray Us" ad in his speech Monday defending his patriotism, writes RedState's Pejman Yousefzadeh.

Obama and Democrats don't understand that their candidate's real problem with patriotism is that he's trying to remake the United States, a country that is already inherently "good," writes Jonah Goldberg at The Corner. Efforts to debunk those smearing Obama's patriotism are one thing, but they go too far when they dismiss Obama

Barack Obama repudiating a comment made by retired General Wesley Clark has not been enough to repel attacks from the John McCain campaign, bloggers find. Obama finally getting a phone call from former President Bill Clinton and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee hiring a President Bush impersonator to attack House Republicans also has bloggers talking Monday.

Clark saying that McCain getting shot down over North Vietnam is not a

Barack Obama has failed to practice what he preaches on equal pay, conservatives charge, while John McCain

Barack Obama and Democrats shouldn't worry about appearing soft on terrorism by opposing the overhaul of the Federal Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), according to liberal bloggers, but conservative bloggers disagree. In fact, Democrats are playing with fire when they go after John McCain's military record and his supposed lack of knowledge about gas prices, according to bloggers on right who find the critiques less than accurate.

Some of Obama's own supporters are adopting his grassroots methods to urge the Illinois Democrat to vote against the FISA bill that includes telecom immunity, writes MyDD's Jerome Armstrong. That approach is more effective than Keith Olbermann's loud support of Obama's decision to back the bill, Armstrong notes. But liberal blogger Glenn Greenwald gets it wrong in suggesting that the 2006 elections are evidence that Obama and Democrats can win the national security debate, since many of those congressional Democrats beat Republicans by highlighting GOP ties to Jack Abramoff and other Republican scandals, writes Sean Oxendine at The Next Right.

While Gen. Wesley Clark (D-Ark.) is questioning McCain's military record by pointing out that the Republican never commanded a squadron or ordered bombings, the same critique can be made of Obama, who never served in the military, notes RedState's Pejman Yousefzadeh. Matthew Yglesias calls McCain "out of touch" for failing to know how to use a computer or the price of gas. But the criticism over the gas prices gaffe is based on an inaccurate quote, according to Patterico, who digs up a recent McCain remark in which the Republican talked about gas costing more than $4 a gallon.

FROM THE BLOGS:
Obama's FISA - Jerome Armstrong, MyDD
Beating Battle-Tested Republicans - brownsox, Daily Kos
Greenwald Wrong on 2006 Lesson - Sean Oxendine, The Next Right
Clark's McCain Attacks Apply to Obama - P. Yousefzadeh, RedState
Lies About McCain - Patterico's Pontifications
McCain Out of Touch - Matthew Yglesias
Baiting McCain on Immigration - Mark Krikorian, The Corner
Why Can't the Networks Read Polls? - DarkSyde, Daily Kos
Obama Opposes Calif. Gay Marriage Ban - J. Armstrong, MyDD
McCain Coverage is Predictable - Atrios, Eschaton
The New DLC World - Matthew Yglesias
End the Judgeocracy - Mark Krikorian, The Corner
Jim Webb Pulls a Pelosi - Erick Erickson, RedState

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Amid Policy Disputes, Qaeda Grows in Pakistan - NYT
Pentagon Fights EPA on Pollution Cleanup - Washington Post
Obama and McCain Search for Running Mates - Los Angeles Times
Veterans Long to Reclaim the Name 'Swift Boat' - New York Times

The practice of ardent Barack Obama supporters taking the Democrat's middle name, Hussein, as their own is a gift to John McCain, conservative bloggers write. McCain, however, is bringing more trouble upon himself by not knowing the price of a gallon of gas, liberal bloggers write. And one of McCain's possible running mates, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R), has undermined himself by backing legislative measures that won't win him broad support, according to bloggers on both sides.

By taking Obama's Muslim-sounding middle name, his supporters are being "pathetic" and are hardly making Obama sound mainstream, which was their goal, writes Moe Lane at RedState. Perhaps the supporters see their lives as "weak and meaningless" and can only find substance by identifying themselves with a "great leader," writes Glenn Reynolds satirically.

McCain's statement that he doesn't know the last time he pumped his own gas and how much a gallon costs hurts him because gas prices are among Americans' top concerns and because the Republican has "demagogued" by calling for a gas tax holiday, according to Jonathan Singer at MyDD. Unlike similar "gotcha" questions, like the one about the price of a gallon of milk, failing to know the price of gas can sting McCain because it shows he isn't paying attention, writes Atrios.

Jindal is taking heat for signing into law a massive pay increase for state workers and a bill allowing the teaching of creationism in public schools. By emphasizing social conservatism while alienating fiscal conservatives, Jindal has shown that he's less like President Reagan and more like former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R), writes DaveG at Race 4 2008. Jindal should know better than to encourage the teaching of creationism alongside evolution in science classes since he majored in biology at Brown University, notes Daily Kos's DarkSyde.

FROM THE BLOGS:
Hussein as Middle Name - Glenn Reynolds, Instapundit
NYT Helps Ensure McCain's Election - Moe Lane, RedState
McCain Doesn't Know Gas Price - J. Singer, MyDD
Clueless - Atrios, Eschaton
Jindal's Creationism Bill - DarkSyde, Daily Kos
Jindal's Stock Waning By Following Huckabee - DaveG, Race 4 2008
Why is McCain Outspending Obama in Mo.? - Josh Marshall, TPM
Machinists Say 'Present' To Obama - John Judis, The Plank
Is Cheney Trying to Start Another War? - Isaac Chotiner, The Plank
Don Young Is a Hero? - Jon Henke, The Next Right
Tracing an E-mail Smear - Chris Cillizza, The Fix
Obama's Aides Urging Him to Retain Gates - Allahpundit, Hot Air
Anthony Kennedy's Song of Himself - Scott Johnson, Power Line

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Obama Supporters Take His Name As Own - New York Times
McCain Meets With Graham and Son - Associated Press
Preparing the Battlefield - Seymour Hersh, The New Yorker

Barack Obama may be moving toward the center in the general election, but bloggers on the left tell readers Saturday that it's not the end of the world. The latest book proposing a new Republican direction won't save the party, pro-Democratic bloggers write. And Rep. Bill Delahunt (D-Mass.) should be censured for using al Qaeda during his grilling of a Bush administration official, according to conservative bloggers.

While liberals have the right to raise a ruckus over Obama's decision to support the proposed overhaul of foreign surveillance law, they can't run screaming from the Democratic Party just because Obama doesn't do the right thing on one issue, writes blueness at Daily Kos. After all, Obama, famous for his 2004 speech about blurring differences between red states and blue states, was never much of a liberal, reminds TalkLeft's Jeralyn. But the handwringing among Obama supporters over his "flip-flopping" on surveillance, guns, foreign policy and other issues is welcomed by Townhall's Hugh Hewitt.

The suggestion in the new book "Grand New Party" that downtrodden Republicans look to GOP moderates won't gain much traction this year, as the Republican chattering classes are blaming the party's current crisis on insufficient conservatism, writes Ed Kilgore, The Democratic Strategist. While New York Times columnist David Brooks sees authors Ross Douthat and Reihan Salam as possible GOP saviors along with young bloggers, The Plank's Isaac Chotiner points out that many of those bloggers are libertarians who wouldn't agree with the book's big government argument.

Delahunt should be censured for saying during a House subcommittee hearing that he's glad al Qaeda gets a chance to finally see David Addington, chief of staff for Vice President Dick Cheney, on television, according to RedState's Directors and Power Line's Scott Johnson. While Delahunt denies that he was implying that Addington should be a terror target, the remark is still far worse than the comment by Charlie Black, a John McCain adviser, that Republicans could benefit politically from a terror strike, writes Hot Air's Ed Morrissey.

FROM THE BLOGS:
Dog Soldiers - blueness, Daily Kos
Obama Shifts to the Center - Jeralyn, TalkLeft
Corruption of Moving to Center - Matt Stoller, Open Left
Bipartisan Confusion - Tim Fernholz, TAPPED
Obama Has Flip-Flopped - Hugh Hewitt, Townhall.com
The Next Conservatives - Isaac Chotiner, The Plank
A New Deal for GOP? - Ed Kilgore, Dem Strategist
A Choice, Not an Echo - Ross Douthat
Delahunt's Disgrace - Scott Johnson, Power Line
Delahunt Backpedals on Cheerleading Terror - E. Morrissey, Hot Air
Call Bill, Barack - Joe Klein, Swampland
The Agony of Defeat - Carol Platt Liebau, Townhall.com
Extremes of Justice - Eli, Firedoglake
Court Brings Conservatives Closer to McCain? - E. Morrissey, Hot Air
Pawlenty Does Stamford - Ironman, The Next Right
Rep. Arcuri in Fundraiser Flap - Rob Bluey, RedState

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
As Bill Evolves, Mortgage Debt is Snowballing - NYT
McCain, Obama Court Hispanic Voters - Reuters
Obama Plans Visits to Europe, Mideast This Summer - AP

Barack Obama and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) looked unified in Unity, N.H., bloggers say Friday. Liberal bloggers are being forced to pick sides between two of their favorites and some are wondering how wise it was for Sens. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) and David Vitter (R-La.) to sign on as sponsors of a bill re-introducing that Federal Marriage Amendment.

Obama and Clinton played nice in New Hampshire, showing lots of smiles and singing each other's praises, Top of the Ticket writes. On Call points out that the two were so focused on unity they even wore matching outfits.

MSNBC host Keith Olbermann and Salon blogger Glen Greenwald are dividing the liberal blogosphere by feuding over Obama's support for the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) rewrite, The Huffington Post writes. Firedoglake's Jane Hamsher points out the whole fight erupted because Greenwald wrote that Olbermann is excusing Obama's stance on the bill because of "blind devotion to Barack Obama."

And having Craig and Vitter attached to a marriage protection amendment may not lend the bill a whole lot of credibility, writes the Carpetbagger Report. The blog points put the two senators are not ideal poster boys for the sanctity of marriage.

FROM THE BLOGS:
U-N-I-T-Y - The Trail
Vitter & Craig Sponsor Marriage Protection - The Carpetbagger Report
Watching the Left, Post Gun Ruling - Jon Henke, The Next Right
Olbermann and Greenwald Feud on FISA - The Huffington Post
Glenzilla vs. Olbermann - Jane Hamsher, Firedoglake
The Case Against HRC - The Fix
New Talk of Justice Clinton - Allahpundit, Hot Air
This Week in Scandals - Pro Publica
Gay Marriage - Mike Potemra, The Corner
Coleman Rents Cheap Crash Pad - TPM

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Rewriting the Rules - Newsweek
GOP Hopes to Keep Guns in Spotlight - The Hill
Oil Hits New High - New York Times

Allegations that Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.) illegally entered a restricted online site and probed for information prior to a hearing have one conservative crying foul. And President Bush has forgotten the war in Afghanistan as U.S. casualties peaked this month, liberals charge, while a new Time poll showing a tighter race for the presidency also has bloggers talking.

A possible FBI investigation into Cooper

Publicly, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's (D-N.Y.) first day as a surrogate for Barack Obama went well, but, privately, fissures remain within the party, bloggers write. Obama's campaign and his supporters are optimistic about his chances in several formerly Republican states in November, according to liberal bloggers. But conservative bloggers can claim victories this week in Supreme Court cases.

In her first appearance as an Obama backer, Clinton made the case Thursday to elect him before a Latino American group, which approved of both Clinton and and the idea of an Obama presidency, writes Sam Stein at the Huffington Post. At an event for Democratic donors, Obama wisely wrote a personal check to help pay off Clinton's campaign debt and Clinton wisely said that she herself would pay off the $12 million of her personal money she loaned to her campaign, according to MyDD's Todd Beeton. But once the press was ushered out of the room, the questions from Clinton donors became edgier, with one Clinton supporter directly asking Obama if he would put her on the ticket, reports Marc Ambinder.

From the looks of poll numbers, Obama is poised to become the first Democrat since Jimmy Carter to win a majority of the popular vote, notes kos. Even Alaska has become a battleground, as Obama's campaign is talking about investing resources that McCain won't be able to match, writes MyDD's Beeton. If John McCain is smart, he won't cede Wisconsin and Minnesota, two states where Obama has double digit leads, since that would free up Obama to contest Virginia and other states that have gone Republican in the past, suggests Noam Scheiber at The Stump. The silver lining for conservatives in recent polls is that majorities in four swing states want U.S. troops to remain in Iraq until the country is stable, writes Hot Air's Allahpundit.

Conservatives have more to like in the Supreme Court's decisions this week to strike down the District of Columbia handgun ban and the "millionaire's amendment" in campaign finance law. Conservatives should applaud the ruling on the ban, as it affirms their right to bear arms and also reminds voters of how important the next election is, writes former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) at The Next Right. The high court's opinion against the campaign finance law provision weakens legislation that conservatives had seen as restricting free speech, notes Hot Air's Ed Morrissey.

FROM THE BLOGS:
Clinton's First Appearance as Obama Surrogate - Sam Stein, HuffPo
Obama Reaches Out to Clinton Donors - Todd Beeton, MyDD
After the Press Leaves, Some Edgy Questions - Marc Ambinder
A Cautionary Tale for Obama - Michael Crowley, The Stump
Popular Vote Landslide - kos, Daily Kos
Those Midwestern Poll Numbers - Noam Scheiber, The Stump
Four States Want Troops in Iraq Until Stable - Allahpundit, Hot Air
Sorting Out the Pres. Playing Field - C. Cillizza, The Fix
Obama Camp: Alaska is a Battleground - Todd Beeton, MyDD
Supreme Court Deals Blow to BCRA - Ed Morrissey, Hot Air
Stand Up and Applaud Sup. Court - Mike Huckabee, Next Right
Prospects for Holding Fossella's Seat Worsen - Kleefeld, TPM EC
Coburn Omnibus - Kagro X, Daily Kos
Senate Fails to Block Cut in Medicare Fees - Herszenhorn, Caucus
Sadr's Army Dissolving? - Ed Morrissey, Hot Air
The Fool's Cap - Andrew Stuttaford, The Corner
Sally Quinn's Communion - Ramesh Ponnuru, The Corner
AEY, on State Watchlist, Signed Contracts - Tilghman, TPMMuck

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Justices Reject D.C. Ban on Handgun Ownership - WaPo
After Ruling, Expect Court Fights on Guns in Cities - New York Times
Bush Rebuffs Hard Liners to Ease N. Korean Curbs - NYT
Obama, Clinton in Show of Unity - Washington Post