MORNING READ

by Walter Alarkon - 07/21/08 9:20 AM ET

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has endorsed Barack Obama’s plan and has thus changed the way people will see the Iraq war, according to liberal bloggers. But those bloggers simply get it wrong, according to conservatives. Obama has given his online critics more fodder to attack his ego. And as Congress gets ready to approve a housing bill, bloggers on both sides blame the lawmakers for past actions that led to this point.

Even the White House’s explanation for Maliki’s remark — that he was bowing to Iraqi public opinion — shows that the days of the U.S. military presence are numbered, writes Josh Marshall at TalkingPointsMemo. McCain won’t be able to paint Obama’s plan as irresponsible or naive if the Iraqis themselves support it, writes The Plank’s Jonathan Chait. But liberal pundits are ignoring the fact that Maliki’s spokesman has tied a troop withdrawal to security on the ground, a position that puts Maliki closer to President Bush than to Obama, according to RedState’s Pejman Yousefzadeh.

Obama should worry about “Obamania” developing into a concept that showcases his arrogance, writes Carol Platt Liebau at Townhall.com. Obama, who said during his trip abroad that he’d be dealing with foreign leaders for the next “eight to 10 years,” doesn’t help himself when he talks extemporaneously, writes The Corner’s Victor Davis Hanson.

Congress this week appears set to approve a housing bill that will give relief to distressed homeowners and embattled mortgage companies Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, reports The Caucus’s Carl Hulse. But it was lawmakers’ decision to deregulate the housing market that caused the bubble and the current danger to the economy, writes The Huffington Post’s Jared Bernstein. The Republican-led Congress of the early 2000s deserves blame for excessive domestic spending and size of the federal deficit, which is now putting pressure on lawmakers to allow the expiration of Bush tax cuts, writes The Corner’s Peter Robinson.

FROM THE BLOGS:
New Details of Maliki Remark – J. Marshall, TPM
Maliki’s Endorsement – Jonathan Chait, The Plank
Don’t Know Much About Arabic – P. Yousefzadeh, RedState
Iraq, Looking Back, And Forward – mcjoan, Daily Kos
The Iranians Aren’t Interested in Talks – H. Hewitt, Townhall
EgObamaniacal – Carol Platt Liebau, Townhall.com
Another 58 States Thing: Decade Presidents – V.D. Hanson, Corner
Enthusiasm Over Electability – Patrick Ruffini, The Next Right
Obama Stronger Among White Voters than Kerry – J. Singer, MyDD
Congress Moving To Approve Housing Bill – C. Hulse, Caucus
$125 Billion Binge – Peter Robinson, The Corner
The Shampoo Economy – Jared Bernstein, Huffington Post
First Joint Appearance: Warren to Moderate ‘Non-Debate’ – Ambinder
Netroots Nation Musings – DemFromCT, Daily Kos
Conservatives Aren’t Behind? Yeah, Right – A. Marks, Next Right
America’s Gone ‘Dark Knight’ Mad – I. Chotiner, The Plank