SUNDAY ROUNDUP

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