The Supreme Court

Barack Obama

The general election strategy Barack Obama campaign manager David Plouffe mapped out during a meeting with reporters is being closely examined by bloggers Wednesday. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) rewrite up this week in the Senate and a coming Supreme Court decision on the Second Amendment also have bloggers talking.

Plouffe said the long Democratic primary will pay big dividends for Obama because he already has teams on the ground where John McCain, the GOP presidential candidate, never really campaigned, Marc Ambinder writes. Political Ticker meanwhile points out that Plouffe showed there are a lot of ways Obama can get to 270 electoral votes, but that most of the strategies depend on the same states that Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) had to win in 2004.

There seems to be growing opposition to the FISA overhaul among Democrats who many assumed would vote in favor, writes mcjoan from Daily Kos. Michelle Malkin begrudgingly agrees with the liberal blogger, pointing to Sen. Jay Rockefeller's (D-W.Va.) floor speech praising Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), who opposes the rewrite.

And while Wednesday's Supreme Court decisions were contentious, they may be dwarfed by tomorrow's ruling on a Second Amendment case, TalkLeft's Jeralyn writes. The Court's anticipated ruling Thursday may decide whether the Second Amendment does convey the individual right to bear arms, a decision that could send shock waves through much of the electorate going into November.

FROM THE BLOGS:
Judicial Activism - Ramesh Ponnuru, The Corner
No Decision Yet on D.C. Gun Case - Jeralyn, Talk Left
FISA on Floor - Michelle Malkin
Obama to Get Pentagon Briefing - First Read
FISA Action - Christy Hardin Smith, Firegdoglake
FISA on the Floor - Michelle Malkin
Nader Defends Remark - The Caucus
Plouffe on McCain's Squandered Time - Marc Ambinder
Alhurra Paid Former White House Aide, D.C. Journalists - Pro Publica

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
New Wine in Old Bottles - Washington Post
House Passes AMT Patch - The Hill
Court Cuts Damages Award in Exxon Valdez Spill - New York Times

The Supreme Court

A report that the Department of Justice had a bias for hiring young conservative lawyers for a non-partisan program gives liberal bloggers another opportunity to pounce on the Bush administration for playing politics. Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) turns to Barack Obama for help in his re-election race, while Rep. Chris Cannon (R-Utah) falls to an illegal immigration hawk, bloggers on both sides note.

The report, by the Justice Department's inspector general, reveals that hiring committees tried to make sure more conservatives and fewer liberals were hired for the department's honors program. It's evidence that the department tries to politicize everything, writes smintheus at Daily Kos. A player in another Justice Department controversy, fired U.S. Attorney Carol Lam, had appealed the exclusion of one candidate with Democratic credentials, notes Kate Klonick at TPMMuckraker. But the real injustice over the hiring program is that conservatives were only favored during two of the Bush administration's seven years, according to The Corner's Kathryn Jean Lopez.

Smith's new television ad highlights his work with Obama to achieve better car gas mileage rates and a cleaner environment. The ad makes the Republican look desperate and reinforces the idea that Obama, a supporter of Smith's opponent, is a consensus builder, writes MyDD's Todd Beeton. But the ad isn't that surprising since Smith is an anti-war senator in a blue state, writes Hot Air's Allahpundit, who adds that the Republicans need every Senate vote they can get.

"Pro-amnesty" Cannon, who had survived two close primaries in the past two cycles, lost Tuesday in a GOP primary against hard-line illegal immigration opponent Jason Chaffetz even though Cannon raised more money and got President Bush's endorsement, notes Mark Krikorian at The Corner. Cannon's loss, however, merely shows that that the United States is "no country for GOP incumbents" in 2008, writes TalkingPointsMemo's Josh Marshall.

FROM THE BLOGS:
Bush Justice Dept. Politicizes Everything - smintheus, Daily Kos
Fired U.S. Atty. Appealed DOJ's Hiring - K. Klonick, TPMMuck
Time for Inquest into Bush's Crimes - R. Borosage, HuffPo
Department of Injustice - Kathryn Jean Lopez, The Corner
Gordon Smith Clings to Obama - Todd Beeton, MyDD
Sen. Smith: I've Worked W/ Obama - Allahpundit, Hot Air
No Country for GOP Incumbents - Josh Marshall, TPM
Third Time's the Charm Against Cannon - M. Krikorian, The Corner
Obama Says Donors Should Help Clinton w/ Debt - M. Ambinder
McCain Camp Calls Obama 'Dr. No' - Michael Falcone, The Caucus
The Case for Hillary Clinton - Chris Cillizza, The Fix
Rep. Shadegg Says Everyone Has Healthcare - kos, Daily Kos
Second Poll Puts Mark Udall Up by 9 - Jonathan Singer, MyDD
McCain's Luck on Abortion Issue - Isaac Chotiner, The Plank
Virtues of Being a Midwest Dem - Nate Silver, The Plank
Commander in Chief, Not Cmdr. of Clicks - D. Glover, Next Right
Speculating About Speculators - P. Yousefzadeh, RedState

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Inquiry Shows Hiring Based on Ideology - Wall Street Journal
Approval is Near For Bill to Help U.S. Homeowners - New York Times
Obama Holds a 12-Point Lead Over McCain - Los Angeles Times
GOP Going for Green - The Hill

Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) is being cheered by the liberal blogosphere Tuesday for calling out Democrats who supported the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act overhaul. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) suggesting that sexism has yet to fade from politics and Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.) pushing illegal immigration back at his party

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) has upped her stock in the GOP veepstakes by calling for drilling in her state while John McCain should not bring columnist Bill Kristol on board as an adviser, conservatives note. Liberals meanwhile slam House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) for claiming of victory on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) overhaul after caving into GOP demands.

Palin is now a politician to watch after she penned a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) imploring him to ok drilling, The Weekly Standard

A top adviser for John McCain is taking heat from liberal bloggers for suggesting that McCain would benefit politically from a terror attack, while conservative bloggers say the aide is telling the truth. Catholics are trending toward Democrats, according to a new poll picked up by pundits online. And two more Republican Senate candidates remain in trouble, pro-Democratic bloggers note.

Charlie Black said in Fortune magazine that McCain would gain a "big advantage" if terrorists struck in the United States. Barack Obama's campaign called the remark a "complete disgrace," and its response shows that Democrats won't cede the national security debate this year, writes Greg Sargent at TPM Election Central. But "everyone" knows that Black is right, including Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), who said during the primaries that she was the only Democratic presidential candidate who could keep Republicans from winning an advantage on the issue, according to RedState's Erick Erickson. Debating terrorism may be the Republicans' best bet this year, but it won't be as effective as it has been in past years, writes The Fix's Chris Cillizza.

According to a new Georgetown University survey, more Catholics now see themselves as Democrats just four years after they helped George W. Bush win a second White House term, notes Jonathan Singer at MyDD. But Republicans may eventually have an opening with black churchgoers, as many of them are pro-life and are conservative when it comes to homosexuality, notes Townhall's Amanda Carpenter who looks at a Pew Research survey.

Liberal bloggers continue to claim the advantage in Senate races. Voters will see through Sen. Gordon Smith's (R-Ore.) opposition to the Iraq war, according to Daily Kos's mcjoan, who suggests that Smith turned against the war for political reasons. Republicans have failed to find a strong candidate in Montana, where their candidate, Bob Kelleher, is a Democrat and Green Party member who wasn't even allowed to speak at the GOP state convention, notes Daily Kos's brownsox.

FROM THE BLOGS:
McCain Adviser's Claim "Complete Disgrace" - G. Sargent, TPM EC
Black Just Said What Everyone Knows - E. Erickson, RedState
Charlie Black and the Terror Card - Chris Cillizza, The Fix
Charlie Black's Kinsleyian Gaffe - Marc Ambinder
Catholics For Democrats - Marc Ambinder
Catholic Voters Swing Away from GOP - Jonathan Singer, MyDD
Pew Research on Black Church - A. Carpenter, Townhall.com
Sen. Smith Still Trying to Run As Dem - mcjoan, Daily Kos
Mont. Sen.: More Stellar GOP Recruitment - brownsox, Daily Kos
Obama's 'Get Over It' Moment W/ Women - K. Phillips, Caucus
Obama Women Comments 'Patronizing' - A. Carpenter, Townhall
Campaigning in Unity Doesn't Make Unified - Yousefzadeh, RedState
Symbolic Overkill - Christopher Orr, The Plank
The Real Problem With Telecom Immunity - Josh Orton, MyDD
Obama Campaign Blocks and Tackles Well - Dayton, Next Right
Why McCain Camp Needs Kristol - Rich Lowry, The Corner
Dems Giving McCain a Big Pass - Josh Marshall, TalkingPointsMemo
McCain Campaign Fundraising Hypocrisy - A. Huffington, HuffPo

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Internal Docs: Capitol Ill-Prepared for Bomb Attack - The Hill
GAO Report Faults Post-Surge Planning - Washington Post
Muslim Voters Detect a Snub from Obama - New York Times
McCain Disavows Aide's Comment About Terrorism - Associated Press

Former White House adviser Karl Rove