The daily movements in a tracking poll are pretty meaningless but since a whole new group of McCain fans have shown up, I write this post for them. Gallup sez Obama by 6:

These results are based on July 18-20 polling, including two days since Obama began his much publicized overseas trip to visit the Middle East, Afghanistan, and Europe. It is unclear at this point whether the trip will boost Obama's poll standing, but his performance in Sunday interviewing was one of his stronger in Gallup Poll Daily tracking, and his current six percentage point lead is among the largest he has held over McCain to date. Tuesday's Gallup Poll Daily tracking report will be the first in which all interviews were conducted since Obama began his trip abroad.

By Big Tent Democrat

So is getting shot down in a fighter plane a qualification for being President? Apparently John McCain thinks so:

He disparaged Obama as "someone who has no military experience whatsoever." "When you win wars, troops come home," McCain said. "He's been completely wrong on the issue. ... I have been steadfast in my position."

For those wondering, John McCain has never won a war. He has no strategic experience and his judgment on urging the United States attack Iraq proved him capable of a strategic blunder of epic proportions. The Iraq Debacle completely undermined our efforts in Afghanistan against the Taliban and Al Qaida.

John McCain is not an incompetent on foreign policy because he served in the military. But he is not competent because he did serve in the military.

By Big Tent Democrat, speaking for me only

This seems obvious, but the argument for what McCain should be doing is well stated by Lowry and Ponnoru:

The first step toward getting [white working class voters] is to make the anti-Obama case. The cliché among political operatives and pundits is that this election is “about Obama.” The truth in the claim is that since the public would rather have a Democratic president, the race will turn largely on whether Obama is an acceptable one. It follows that McCain’s main task is to make him unacceptable to voters — and particularly to non-black working-class voters. He has to first raise concerns about Obama and then show how his candidacy addresses those concerns.

More . .

Jonathan Singer and Alan Abramowitz insist Obama has nothing to worry about concerning white voters. Singer writes:

Remember all of the talk about Barack Obama's unique weakness among White voters? I noted the absurdity of this assertion earlier this month, but I thought it would be worth passing on a portion of professor Alan Abramowitz's analysis on the issue.

So does Barack Obama have a problem with white voters? The answer is a resounding "yes." And so has every other Democratic presidential candidate in the past forty years. The last Democratic candidate for president to win a majority of the white vote was Lyndon Johnson in 1964. Al Gore lost the white vote by 12 points in 2000. John Kerry lost the white vote by 17 points in 2004.

[More . . .]

For months, John McCain and Barack Obama have been unable to agree on town hall forum debates. Today, however, they agreed on their first joint appearance -- at a megachurch.

The Rev. Rick Warren has persuaded the candidates to attend a forum at his Saddleback Church, in Lake Forest, Calif., on Aug. 16. In an interview, Mr. Warren said over the weekend that the presidential candidates would appear together for a moment but that he would interview them in succession at his megachurch.

....He said that both had readily agreed, perhaps reflecting how each candidate is courting the evangelical audience to whom Mr. Warren ministers.

Warren says he is friends with both candidates and there will be "no gotcha" questions.

As far as I'm concerned, I've heard more than enough already about the candidates' faith and religion. [More...]

This is not surprising:

[T]he interpreter for the interview works for Mr. Maliki’s office, not the magazine. And in an audio recording of Mr. Maliki’s interview that Der Spiegel provided to The New York Times, Mr. Maliki seemed to state a clear affinity for Mr. Obama’s position, bringing it up on his own in an answer to a general question on troop presence.

The following is a direct translation from the Arabic of Mr. Maliki’s comments by The Times: “Obama’s remarks that — if he takes office — in 16 months he would withdraw the forces, we think that this period could increase or decrease a little, but that it could be suitable to end the presence of the forces in Iraq.”He continued: “Who wants to exit in a quicker way has a better assessment of the situation in Iraq.”

By Big Tent Democrat

Chuck Todd on Meet the Press:

MR. BROKAW: But is Iraq going to be the fault line in the fall, or is it going to remain the economy, Chuck?

MR. TODD: I think it absolutely remains the economy, and I think it's possible we will see how both candidates use their vice presidential choices to make that emphasis.

If that's the case, then Bill Clinton is a shoo-in to be Obama's VP . . . But seriously, who exactly would be an "economy" emphasis pick? Not anyone not named Clinton frankly. I know some would argue John Edwards or Sherrod Brown but to me that is silly talk. One name means good economic times in the modern Democratic Party -- that name is Clinton.

By Big Tent Democrat, speaking for me only

John Avlon, a speechwriter for Rudy Giuliani writes in Politico:

Throughout the left-wing blogosphere, the cry has come: Barack Obama is moving away from them, and to the center. . . . But all this outrage ignores the obvious: Throughout his career, Obama has consistently framed himself as a post-partisan centrist. He’s been a bridge-builder all his life, first between black and white, and now between left and right.

Obama positioned himself to the right of the Democratic primary pack on virtually every issue except Iraq. . . . [T]he founder of the centrist (and historically Clinton-boosting) DLC, Al From, now sees a kindred spirit: “This general election, more than most we have seen, is going to be a battle for the center. ... The more we learn about Sen. Obama's policies, the more we will see some of the policies the DLC has championed for years.”

More . .

Over and over and over again. We knew that the Bush Administration would twist Maliki's arm and try to get a walkback from him. Obama should refuse to accept it. Kevin Drum writes:

"Maliki Endorses Obama Withdrawal Plan is a headline everyone can understand." True enough, but only if that's the headline the U.S. media actually decides on. . . . This ought to be a pretty good foreign policy moment for Obama, but we won't know for sure until the media narrative takes shape. Stay tuned.

It is up to Obama to demand the narrative he thinks is correct. Drum's approach is entirely too passive for my tastes. Maliki said what he said. Obama should discuss it truthfully. He should not let the Media decide what "the truth" is.

By Big Tent Democrat, speaking for me only.

Al Gore's new project, We Can Solve the Climate Crisis.

“America must commit to producing 100 percent of our electricity from renewable energy and other clean sources within 10 years.”

On a related note, Gore said today at Netroots Nation he will not accept a formal role in the next President's Administration: [More...]

An amusing 60 seconds to brighten your weekend.

Some folks are beginning to notice that Cass Sunstein is no defender of the rule of law. Via Glenn Greenwald, Ari Melber writes:

Cass Sunstein, an adviser to Barack Obama from the University of Chicago Law School, cautioned against prosecuting criminal conduct from the current Administration. Prosecuting government officials risks a "cycle" of criminalizing public service, he argued, and Democrats should avoid replicating retributive efforts like the impeachment of President Clinton--or even the "slight appearance" of it.

What people do not realize is Cass Sunstein has been defending the Bush Administration's illegal actions and the Bush Administration's preposterous claims for many many years now. This is who he is. I think that any connection he has to Barack Obama is extremely troubling.

By Big Tent Democrat, speaking for me only