memeorandum: A Biden Problem: Foot in Mouth (Jake Tapper/ABCNEWS)

7:45 PM ET, January 31, 2007

Top Items:

Biden Unbound: Lays Into Clinton, Obama, Edwards — Loquacious Senator, Democratic Candidate on Hillary: 'Four of 10 Is the Max You Can Get?' Edwards 'Doesn't Know What He's Talking About' — Senator Joseph Biden doesn't think highly of the Iraq policies of some of the other Democrats who are running for President.

Discussion: newsjournal.com, The Moderate Voice, Redstate, The Caucus, GregsOpinion.com, CNN Political Ticker, The Right Angle, Political Animal, FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog, The Corner, Macsmind and Transterrestrial Musings

Jake Tapper / ABCNEWS:

A Biden Problem: Foot in Mouth — After Announcing Presidential Bid, Biden Slammed for Obama Remarks — Senator Joe Biden, D-Del., the loquacious chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee who launched his presidential campaign today, may be experiencing an ailment not entirely unknown to him: foot in mouth disease.

Discussion: TAPPED, Balloon Juice, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES and The Caucus

Roger Simon / The Politico:

Edwards '08: Talking Tough — In 2004, John Edwards rarely had an unkind word to say about his rivals for the presidency. But it isn't 2004 any more. — Should Hillary Clinton apologize for backing the Iraq war? "That is a moral decision she has to make," Edwards told me.

Discussion: Swampland, The Carpetbagger Report and Washington Post

ABCNEWS:

Joe Biden: Hillary Clinton's Plan for Iraq a 'Disaster' — Delaware Senator Enters '08 Race for White House — New presidential candidate Sen. Joe Biden says rival Sen. Hillary Clinton's plan for Iraq would be a "disaster," as he filed papers to form an exploratory committee today for a run for the White House in 2008.

Discussion: Hotline On Call, Joe Biden for President and Booker Rising

Kos / Daily Kos:
Giving Biden the benefit of the doubt?

Discussion: Attytood, Power Line, AMERICAblog, On Deadline, Booman Tribune, Ezra Klein, Suburban Guerrilla and Hughes for America

Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Biden announces, immediately destroys presidential hopes; Update: Comma misplaced?

Discussion: Associated Press, The Jawa Report, La Shawn Barber's Corner, Washington Wire, David Corn, Michelle Malkin, Hullabaloo, Outside The Beltway, Talking Points Memo, Scared Monkeys, The Political Pit Bull and Confederate Yankee

Dan Balz / Washington Post:
Biden Enters Race for 2008 Presidential Bid

Discussion: Firedoglake, DownWithTyranny! and TIME

Sky News:

Terror Plot: Ninth Arrest — A ninth suspect has been arrested by police investigating an alleged Iraq-style kidnapping and beheading plot in the UK. — It follows the detention of eight people at addresses in Birmingham earlier. — Assistant Chief Constable David Shaw, of West Midlands Police …

Discussion: The Political Pit Bull, Andrew Sullivan, On Deadline, Power Line, Hang Right Politics and Daimnation!

George Pascoe-Watson / The Sun:

Blair blackmail terror bid foiled — EVIL Muslim terrorists were to kidnap a British soldier on UK streets and force him to plead with Tony Blair for his life in return for a pull-out of troops from Iraq, The Sun can reveal. — The soldier would have been filmed begging the PM to withdraw …

Discussion: Telegraph, The Blotter, Pajamas Media, Jules Crittenden, It Shines For All, Hot Air, Melanie Phillips's Diary, Hyscience, Ace of Spades HQ and Wizbang

Dr. Rusty Shackleford / The Jawa Report: Soldier Beheading Plot Foiled in Britain (Bumped, Updated)

CBS4Boston:

Devices Part Of Cartoon Marketing Campaign — (WBZ) BOSTON The suspicious devices which forced bomb units to scramble across Boston today were actually magnetic lights that are part of a marketing campaign for a television cartoon. — The reports forced the temporary shutdowns of Interstate 93 …

Discussion: Scared Monkeys, Little Green Footballs and The News Blog

Ken Maguire / Associated Press:
Boston devices a cartoon marketing ploy

Discussion: Outside The Beltway, Blue Crab Boulevard and First Draft

WCVB-TV:
TV Network Takes Responsibility For 'Hoax Devices'

Discussion: Reason Magazine and On Deadline

Associated Press:

Gonzales to Release Spy Program Details — WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said Wednesday he will turn over secret documents detailing the government's domestic spying program, ending a two-week standoff with the Senate Judiciary Committee over surveillance targeting terror suspects.

Discussion: The Carpetbagger Report and TPMmuckraker

New York Times:
Senate Allies of Bush Work to Halt Iraq Vote

Discussion: Washington Times, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, TalkLeft, The Left Coaster, TPMmuckraker, Brilliant at Breakfast, Cato-at-liberty, Thomas P.M. Barnett and AMERICAblog

Washington Post:
For GOP, Discord In Dissent On Iraq

Discussion: New York Times, Balkinization, Dick Polman's American Debate, The Caucus, FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog, The Mahablog, DownWithTyranny!, Crooks and Liars, The Heretik, On Deadline and AMERICAblog

Associated Press:

Syndicated columnist Molly Ivins dies at 62 — Best-selling author, sharp-witted Texas liberal succumbs to breast cancer — Syndicated columnist Molly Ivins poses for a portrait at her home Sept. 22 in Austin, Texas. She died Wednesday at 62 after a long battle with breast cancer.

John Moritz / Dallas Star-Telegram:

Columnist Molly Ivins dies — AUSTIN — Molly Ivins, whose biting columns mixed liberal populism with an irreverent Texas wit, died at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at her home in Austin after an up-and-down battle with breast cancer she had waged for seven years. She was 62.

Discussion: Firedoglake, On Deadline and Romenesko

New York Times:

Honesty in Elections — On Election Day last fall in Maryland, fliers were handed out in black neighborhoods with the heading "Democratic Sample Ballot" and photos of black Democratic leaders — and boxes checked off beside the names of the Republican candidates for senator and governor.

Discussion: Election Law and Liberal Values

Captain Ed / Captain's Quarters:
Another Pandora's Box On Political Speech

Discussion: The Carpetbagger Report, The Jawa Report, Media Blog and Daily Pundit

louise.house.gov:

Slaughter Condemns Military Equipment Shortages as Waste Persists — New Pentagon Audit Confirms Troops Sent into Iraq and Afghanistan Without Adequate Equipment, Armored Vehicles, while Reconstruction Funds Squandered by Perpetual Waste, Fraud, and Abuse — Washington, DC …

Discussion: TPMmuckraker, Think Progress, AMERICAblog and Business Week

truthout:

Cheney's Handwritten Notes Implicate Bush in Plame Affair — Copies of handwritten notes by Vice President Dick Cheney, introduced at trial by defense attorneys for former White House staffer I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, would appear to implicate George W. Bush in the Plame CIA Leak case.

Discussion: All Spin Zone, Wonkette and The BRAD BLOG

John Edwards '08 Blog:

New Blogmaster — This is both my first post to the Edwards blog and my announcement that I'm joining the presidential campaign for John Edwards for 2008. I'll be taking over the job of Blogmaster (mistress?) over the course of the month of February. — The main two questions this brings up are: Why me?

Discussion: protein wisdom, Pandagon, The Sideshow, Pacific Views, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES, Tim Worstall and Feministe

John Distaso / New Hampshire Union Leader:

News tips & feedback — Manchester - He didn't directly take himself out of presidential contention, but former New York Gov. George Pataki told key Granite State Republicans last night he won't object if they want to closely examine and endorse other candidates.

Akersm / The Sleuth:

Obama's Grudge Factor — These are chilly days on Capitol Hill ... and on the campaign trail for Fox News journalists — at least when they're anywhere near Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.). — Sources tell The Sleuth that the Obama camp has "frozen out" Fox News reporters and producers in the wake …

Discussion: The Carpetbagger Report, Taylor Marsh, Political Insider, MyDD, blackprof.com, Liberal Values, FishBowlDC, Tennessee Guerilla Women, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES, Daily Kos, Balloon Juice and Romenesko

Julian E. Barnes / Los Angeles Times:

Air Force's role in Iraq could grow — More flights are likely along the Iranian border, sources say. — WASHINGTON — The Air Force is preparing for an expanded role in Iraq that could include aggressive new tactics designed to deter Iranian assistance to Iraqi militants, senior Pentagon officials said.

Discussion: Hullabaloo, Lawyers, Guns and Money and TPMCafe blogs

David Lightman / Hartford Courant:

Dodd's Showing In Polls Laughable — At Least Comedians Have Noticed It — WASHINGTON — When pollster John Zogby asked a group of 339 likely Democratic voters earlier this month whom they wanted for president in 2008, one or two mentioned Connecticut's senior senator.

Discussion: Pollster, Redstate and My Left Nutmeg

Rob Hotakainen / Minneapolis Star Tribune:

Franken tells DFLers he's running for Senate — WASHINGTON - Comedian and radio talk show host Al Franken has begun calling Democratic members of Congress and prominent DFLers to tell them he will definitely challenge Republican Sen. Norm Coleman in 2008, the Star Tribune has learned.

Discussion: Ace of Spades HQ