MORNING READ

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