memeorandum: Senator, Call Your Office (Jonathan Zasloff/The RBC)

4:35 AM ET, January 25, 2007

Top Items:

Kerry won't run for president in '08 — WASHINGTON —Senator John F. Kerry plans to announce today that he will not run in the 2008 presidential race, and will instead remain in Congress and seek reelection to his Senate seat next year, according to senior Democratic officials.

Adam Nagourney / New York Times:

Kerry Bows Out of 2008 Race — Senator John Kerry, the Massachusetts Democrat who narrowly lost the presidency to George Bush in 2004, stepped away today from what he had described as an almost all-but-certain second bid for the White House, bowing to a Democratic Party that was clearly unreceptive …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, The Democratic Daily, the talking dog, The BRAD BLOG, neo-neocon, Redstate and The Heretik

David Espo / Associated Press:

Kerry bows out of '08 presidential race — WASHINGTON - Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, the Democrats' losing presidential candidate in 2004, said Wednesday that he won't run for the White House again in 2008. — "I've concluded this isn't the time for me to mount a presidential campaign," Kerry said.

Discussion: Donklephant, The Democratic Daily, Pam's House Blend and Blue Crab Boulevard

CNN:

Source: Kerry decides against 2008 presidential run … WASHINGTON (CNN) — Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, the Democratic presidential nominee in 2004, won't make a second bid for the White House, sources familiar with Kerry's thinking said Wednesday. — A source close to Kerry …

Discussion: Pollster, MyDD, Sirotablog, Liberal Values, The Carpetbagger Report, Political Animal, TalkLeft and A Blog For All

Chris Cillizza / Washington Post:
Kerry Rules Out 2008 Run for President

Discussion: The Caucus and TPMCafe blogs

Joe Klein / Swampland:
Two Vets Passing in the Night

Discussion: Whiskey Fire

Jules Crittenden:
Run, Kerry, Run!

Discussion: Boston Herald, Gateway Pundit and Rox Populi

Paul Kiel / TPMmuckraker:

Transcript: CNN Interview with Cheney — We've just received the transcript for Vice President Cheney's interview with Wolf Blitzer this morning. It's posted in full below the fold. — Q And joining us now, the Vice President of the United States, Dick Cheney. Mr. Vice President, thanks very much for doing this.

Discussion: King of Zembla, Taylor Marsh, AMERICAblog, The Carpetbagger Report, CANNONFIRE, Happy Furry Puppy Story …, Horses Mouth and Suburban Guerrilla

SilentPatriot / Crooks and Liars:

Cheney Spars with Blitzer Over Criticism of Iraq, Mary's Pregnancy — During an exclusive interview with Wolf Blitzer on The Situation Room, an especially brash Vice President Cheney called criticism of his administration's handling of Iraq "hogwash" and questions about his daughter Mary's pregnancy …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, The Agonist and Hullabaloo

Drudge Report:

CHENEY CALLS BLITZER QUESTION ON DAUGHTER'S PREGNANCY 'OUT OF LINE' — In an interview taped to air for today's 'Situation Room' on CNN, Vice President Cheney responded sharply to anchor Woilf Blitzer's line of questioning regarding the pregancy of Cheney's lesbian daughter:

Discussion: Hot Air, Right Voices, NewsBusters.org and Andrew Sullivan

Peter Baker / Washington Post:
Defending Iraq War, Defiant Cheney Cites 'Enormous Successes'

Discussion: The Belgravia Dispatch

Huffington Post:
CRITICISM OF ME IS "HOGWASH"... Vice President Dick Cheney …

Discussion: Attytood

David Stout / New York Times:

Minimum Wage Bill Suffers Setback in Senate — WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 — Prospects for an increase in the minimum wage suffered a setback today in the Senate, where a move fell short, at least for now, to raise the minimum by $2.10 an hour without tax breaks for small businesses

Discussion: Shakespeare's Sister

Jim Kuhnhenn / Associated Press:
Tax breaks sidetrack minimum wage bill

Discussion: Donklephant, DownWithTyranny! and Redstate

Jim Kuhnhenn / Associated Press:
Tax break talks slow minimum wage hike

Discussion: AMERICAblog

Bob Geiger:
Senate Republicans Block Minimum Wage Increase

Discussion: The Carpetbagger Report, MyDD, Blue Crab Boulevard, Left in the West and The Reaction

Jonathan Zasloff / The RBC: Senator, Call Your Office

Washington Post:

Senate Panel Votes Against Bush on Iraq — The Senate Foreign Relations Committee today passed a nonbinding resolution opposing a troop surge in Iraq, rebuffing the key element of President Bush's new strategy to end the 46-month-old war, which has claimed the lives of more than 3,000 U.S. service members.

Discussion: DownWithTyranny!, Crooks and Liars and News Hounds

Hugh Hewitt / Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog:

Take The Pledge — Take the pledge. This is the temporary site. The full-service site will be up soon. — If you are a blogger who has taken the pledge and linked to the site, please send me a note so I can add your support here. — I interviewed Tony Snow at the top of the program today …

Discussion: Democracy Project, Captain's Quarters, Riehl World View, The Anonymous Liberal, Bill Hobbs, Blue Crab Boulevard, Instapundit.com, The Jawa Report, INSTAPUTZ, Drumwaster's Rants, TBogg, Wizbang and Oliver Willis

Nico / Think Progress:

Fox's Gibson: CNN Reporter Who Debunked Obama Smear Probably Went To The Same Madrassa — Last week, Fox News highlighted a right-wing report alleging that Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) attended an Islamic "madrassa" school as a 6-year-old child. In a memo released today, Obama's office specifically called …

Discussion: The Reaction, Liberal Values and Unfogged

Greg Sargent / Horses Mouth:
OBAMA TAKES ON FOX NEWS. If this is a sign of how Barack Obama intends …

Discussion: Obsidian Wings, Nitpicker, democracyarsenal.org, Hotline On Call, News Hounds, Unfogged and Oliver Willis

Reuters:

China's Hu vows to "purify" Internet — BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese Communist Party chief Hu Jintao has vowed to "purify" the Internet, state media reported on Wednesday, describing a top-level meeting that discussed ways to master the country's sprawling, unruly online population.

Discussion: The Belmont Club

Redstate:

They all suck. Let's just admit it. Every one of the thus far announced Republican candidates for President sucks. From the lecherous adulterer to the egomaniacal nut job to the flip-flopping opportunist with the perfect hair to the guy who hates brown people to the guy we've never heard …

Discussion: Liberal Values and The Sundries Shack