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TPM Election Central

The latest from TPM's news blog "Election Central."

GOP Senators Facing Tough Races Are Skipping Republican ConventionJuly 25

Yet more evidence of just how abysmal the GOP brand is these days?

Nine of 12 targeted Republicans running in the most competitive Senate races this fall are either skipping the Republican convention in St. Paul, Minn., or have not decided whether to attend.

Among those who will not attend are Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska, who is not close to presumptive presidential nominee Sen. John McCain of Arizona, and Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who is a McCain loyalist. Stevens and Collins will use the convention week to focus on their campaigns.

Also sending regrets is former Rep. Bob Schaffer of Colorado, running for the seat being vacated by retiring GOP Sen. Wayne Allard.

Six others -- Sens. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, John Sununu of New Hampshire, Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina and Gordon Smith of Oregon and challengers John Kennedy of Louisiana and Rep. Steve Pearce of New Mexico are still on the fence. Their spokesman offered responses ranging from "there are no plans yet" to "no decisions have been made."

By contrast, most of the Dems in those races will be going to the Dem convention. Pretty telling stuff.

Pentagon Confirms That It Told Obama He Couldn't Visit Army Base With Campaign StaffJuly 25

I've just gotten clarification from the Pentagon on what really happened with regard to Barack Obama's canceled visit to an Army base in Germany, something the McCain campaign has been using to hit Obama since yesterday.

A Pentagon spokesperson confirms to me that because of longstanding Department of Defense regulations, Pentagon officials told Obama aides that he couldn't visit the base with campaign staff. This left Obama with little choice but to cancel the trip, since the plan to visit with campaign aides had been in the works for weeks.

The Obama campaign yesterday announced that it had decided to cancel the visit to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, saying that it would be "inappropriate" to make such a visit as part of a campaign trip.

The McCain camp has nonetheless been using Obama's canceled trip to insinuate that he's anti-troops. "Barack Obama is wrong," McCain spokesperson Brian Rogers said in a statement yesterday. "It is never 'inappropriate' to visit our men and women in the military."

But it turns out that the Pentagon did in fact tell Obama that in this case, it was not only "inappropriate," but against DOD rules, for him to conduct the visit with campaign staff.

"We have longstanding Department of Defense policy in regards to political campaigns and elections," Pentagon spokesperson Elizabeth Hibner told me. "We informed t

RNC's Clock On Obama's Iraq Trip Is Wrong By Over 900 DaysJuly 25

In yet another piece of evidence that the GOP really needs to get its online act together, the RNC's Web site still has their counter of how long it's supposedly been since Barack Obama went to Iraq, going all the way back to January 2006:

Um, the correct answer is more like four days.

Franken Ad: "I'm Not Proud Of Every Joke I've Ever Told"July 25

Check out this new ad from Al Franken, responding to an attack ad from Republican Sen. Norm Coleman that hit him for telling "tasteless, sexist jokes" and writing "juicy porn" as a comedian:

Election Central Morning RoundupJuly 25

Obama In France Today
Barack Obama is headed to Paris today for the next leg of his overseas tour, which has focused on the idea that he can repair America's relationship with allies and forge an international consensus. Obama will be meeting with the country's conservative (and colorful) leader, President Nicolas Sarkozy.

McCain To Speak To GI Convention And The Dalai Lama
John McCain has an interesting day ahead of him, with a speech in the swing state of Colorado before the annual American GI Forum convention. He will then meet with the Dalai Lama, giving him a chance to both talk about the honor of military service and a yearning for peace in one day.

Merkel's Office Praises Obama's Speech
Barack Obama's speech yesterday in Berlin is being praised by the office of Germany's conservative Chancellor Angela Merkel. Spokesman Ulrich Wilhelm said the speech "underlined the fact that the challenges of the 21st century can only be tackled together, only in international cooperation -- that corresponds with the German government's position."

WaPo: McCain Could Announce VP Pick Soon
The Washington Post