The Democratic National Committee is happily sending this around -- Weekly Standard's Bill Kristol, a leading conservative voice, called on Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele to step down from his post after being filmed at an RNC event talking about Afghanistan.

Steele called the war there "of Obama's choosing" and "not something the United States had actively prosecuted or wanted to engage in."

Kristol strikes down those positions in a letter posted on the Weekly Standard web site. He writes, "Needless to say, the war in Afghanistan was not 'a war of Obama's choosing.' It has been prosecuted by the United States under Presidents Bush and Obama. Republicans have consistently supported the effort. Indeed, as the DNC Communications Director (of all people) has said, your statement 'puts [you] at odds with about 100 percent of the Republican Party.' "

Read the full letter after the jump:
(more...)

The Bureau of Labor Statistics announced this morning that the unemployment rate edged down last month to 9.5 percent, though total nonfarm payroll employment declined by 125,000. That number was affected by the end of the Census Bureau's temporary worker program; private sector payroll employment actually increased by 83,000, though that was reportedly below expectations.

The results were mixed, and therefore both parties are reacting to it differently. Here is how the White House and the Republican National Committee responded to the news:

Christina Romer, chairwoman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers:

"Today's employment report shows continued signs of gradual labor market recovery. Private nonfarm payroll employment increased by 83,000 in June and the unemployment rate fell two-tenths of a percentage point to 9.5%. June marks the sixth month in a row that private sector employment has increased. These continued signs of healing are important, particularly given the recent volatility in world markets and the mixed behavior of other recent economic indicators. However, much stronger job gains are needed to repair the damage caused by the financial crisis and put the millions of unemployed Americans back to work."

RNC Chairman Michael Steele:

"For the millions of American families that are continuing to struggle, no amount of White House spin can cast 9.5 percent unemployment in a positive light. While a dip in the unemployment rate should be welcome news, this decline should be taken with a grain of salt. The 125,000 jobs lost last month coupled with a sharp drop in employment reflects a labor force that continues to deteriorate."

On RCP, David Paul Kuhn writes about the increased polarization of the Supreme Court. Kyle Trygstad reports on the tight race in North Carolina's 8th District.

On RCS, Art Spander argues that Roger Federer is in denial about his decline and demonstrated poor sportsmanship after his defeat at Wimbledon.

Also, visit the Media Watch blog for the latest from the media world.

And, finally, have a safe and enjoyable Fourth of July weekend.

A third poll this week shows the Ohio Senate race up for grabs, as Republican Rob Portman and Democrat Lee Fisher fight for the open seat being vacated by retiring Republican George Voinovich. Rasmussen finds Portman leading by 4 points -- still within the margin of error but a change from the week's earlier polls that both found Fisher up 2 points.

Portman 43 (nc vs. last poll, June 3)
Fisher 39 (-4)
Und 13

RCP rates this race a Toss Up. Along with Florida and Missouri, Ohio is one of three open Republican seats RCP has in that category.

The survey of 500 likely voters was conducted June 29 with a margin of error of +/- 4.5%.

A new Gallup report finds that 79% of Tea Party supporters consider themselves Republicans and 62% consider themselves conservative Republicans. As Gallup's Frank Newport writes: "Their similar ideological makeup and views suggest that the Tea Party movement is more a rebranding of core Republicanism than a new or distinct entity on the American political scene."

Just 6% called themselves a pure independent and 15% placed themselves somewhere on the Democratic spectrum.

Polling shows Tea Partiers are just as enthusiastic about voting as conservative Republicans and 80% said they would vote for a Republican in November -- though that's lower than the 95% of conservative Republicans who plan to vote GOP.

"Republican leaders who worry about the Tea Party's impact on their races may in fact (and more simply) be defined as largely worrying about their party's core base," Newport notes. "Additionally, GOP leaders eager to maximize turnout this fall may do just as well by targeting the more traditional voting category of conservative Republicans as by expending energy and effort to target those who identify with the Tea Party movement."

Despite receiving horrible press recently, Republican Illinois Senate candidate Mark Kirk put out some good news on his own -- announcing a strong quarter of fundraising, as well as a strong showing in June, when his campaign hit its first major stumble.

From the Chicago Tribune:

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mark Kirk has $4 million in the bank after raising $2.3 million this spring, his campaign said today.

Aides said the campaign raised more than $1 million alone in June — a month in which the Republican was forced to acknowledge and apologize for embellishing his resume, including his military record.
...
Kirk has sought to regain the offensive after weeks of news coverage and criticism from Giannoulias over misstating his resume by airing two new television ads critical of his opponent. A source familiar with the Chicago television market, who was not authorized to speak about ad sales, said Kirk purchased a modest $160,000 in commercials.

Democrat Alexi Giannoulias has yet to announce his second quarter fundraising figure. He received some help from the White House last month, when President Obama's campaign manager David Plouffe, Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Vice President Joe Biden all appeared at separate fundraising events for Giannoulias.

RCP rates this race a Toss-Up.

Joe Hallett reports:

GOP gubernatorial nominee John Kasich, a staunch fiscal conservative, today endorsed a federal extension of unemployment benefits.

Asked whether Kasich opposes or supports an extension of unemployment benefits, Rob Nichols, campaign spokesman, said in an email that "John believes that it needs to be extended. Given the current state of Ohio's economy, we're left without a lot of choices in the short term. We certainly need to fix this program, but, right now, people still need help."

Two polls out yesterday show what a tight battle Kasich is in with incumbent Governor Ted Strickland. Quinnipiac University has Strickland leading Kasich by five points - which is down from a 6 point lead in April - while the Democratic firm Public Policy Polling has Kasich ahead by two, but which is also down from the Kasich five point lead they reported in back in late March. Overall, Strickland leads by less than a single point in the RCP Average. This race is currently rated a Toss Up, and barring some unforeseen twist it may well stay that way through Election Day.

The polling community has been rocked this week with allegations that longtime pollster Research 2000 defrauded one of its clients, DailyKos.  On Tuesday, Kos published a study by three statistical “wizards,” that examined three facets of the Research 2000 poll that they considered odd: the tight correlation between trailing digits in certain crosstabs that should be independent; the unusual variance (or lack thereof) in certain crosstabs; and the paucity of observations where Obama's approval did not change at all.

Immediately after publishing this report, Kos announced that he was suing Research 2000 for fraud, and disclaimed any faith in the results of the polls.  Research 2000 President Del Ali is claiming that he will counterclaim against Kos, and that the website owes him tens of thousands of dollars in unpaid bills.

On Politics Nation, Kyle Trygstad writes about the new Gallup poll that shows that independents favor the GOP in House races by 12 percent.

On RCP, Victor Davis Hanson writes about the power of words in foreign policy and argues that a deferential and apologetic President Obama makes the world less secure. Cathy Young argues that the Supreme Court's ruling in Christian Legal Society v. Hastings sacrifices "freedom for equality's sake."

On RCM, John Tamny takes on Paul Krugman's arguments in favor of more government spending. Diana Furchtgott-Roth argues that expanding the "living wage" in New York City will add to the city's budget problems and hurt young and low-skilled workers.

On RCS, Jeff Neuman writes about Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari's emphasis on recruiting "one-and-done" players. Finally, Tim Joyce argues that Roger Federer's early exit at Wimbledon should not come as a surprise.

Republican Pat Toomey's lead over Democrat Joe Sestak has remained stable in the last month, a new Rasmussen poll finds (June 29, 500 LV, MoE +/- 4.5%).

Sestak wins 70% of the Democratic vote, compared with Toomey's 81% take of Republicans. President Obama's approval rating in the state is 47%, in line with the rest of the country.

Toomey 45 (nc vs last poll, June 2)
Sestak 39 (+1)
Und 11

RCP rates this race a Toss Up.