MORNING READ

by Walter Alarkon - 07/02/08 9:17 AM ET

As the debate over retired Gen. Wesley Clark’s remark about John McCain’s military service barrels on, conservative bloggers try to figure out what the brouhaha is all about. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) doesn’t impress liberal bloggers as a potential running mate for John McCain. And one Republican’s effort to regain control of the House is lacking a key factor: candidates, writes pro-Democratic bloggers.

Clark and Sen. Jim Webb’s (D-Va.) comments about McCain’s service aren’t smears, but they do raise questions about the political relevance of military service, which both Clark and Webb have used in past campaigns, writes The Next Right’s Jon Henke. Because Barack Obama has yet to stop the attacks on McCain, the Democrat has shown himself to be willing to do anything to win or too weak to rein in his supporters, writes RedState’s Erick Erickson. Clark, however, should reject Republican calls for him to apologize, since his own background as a military man and a politician gives him standing to question McCain’s, according to MyDD’s Todd Beeton.

Romney, reportedly at the top of McCain’s running mate shortlist, could help McCain with his wallet and his economic expertise, writes The Fix’s Chris Cillizza. But Romney, a Mormon, could hurt McCain among evangelicals, a group that’s already skeptical of the Arizonan, writes sabatia on The Plank. Romney has also shown himself to be a “flip-flopper” and would be vulnerable to attacks on his corporate executive past, according to The Plank’s Eve Fairbanks.

In Congress, House Minority Whip Roy Blunt’s (R-Mo.) new effort to help GOP House candidates, the Regain Our Majority Program (ROMP), features only two challengers, which is 17 short of the number needed to actually recapture control of the House, notes TPM Election Central’s Eric Kleefeld and Greg Sargent. Liberal activists should support Sens. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.), Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) and Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) in their efforts to strip telecom immunity from the foreign surveillance bill and make sure that the process of granting any future immunity requires a rigorous oversight process, writes Daily Kos’s mcjoan.

FROM THE BLOGS:
Webb, Clark and McCain’s Service – Jon Henke, The Next Right
Obama Is Full of It or Ineffectual or Weak – Erick Erickson, RedState
Gen. Clark Still Refusing to Apologize – Todd Beeton, MyDD
Obama Didn’t Repudiate Clark’s Comments? – Matt Lewis, Townhall
The Case for Mitt Romney – Chris Cillizza, The Fix
Would Romney Cost McCain Evangelicals? – sabatia, The Plank
Why Romney Doesn’t Make Sense – Eve Fairbanks, The Stump
A Pro-Obama Spot on Christian Radio – Marc Ambinder
Obama and Same-Sex Marriage – Ramesh Ponnuru, The Corner
Is Obama’s Gay Marriage Stand Incoherent? – J. Patashnik, The Plank
Feingold’s Message on FISA – mcjoan, Daily Kos
GOP Promises to ‘ROMP’ in House Races – Sargent/Kleefeld, TPM EC
McCain Needs to Stick With An Issue – P. Ruffini, Next Right
Obama Shifts, Moves Center – Matt Lewis, Townhall.com