memeorandum: Obama in perspective — Give Barack Obama his due. (Robert J. Caldwell/San Diego Union …)

9:45 AM ET, January 7, 2008

Top Items:

William Kristol / New York Times:

President Mike Huckabee? — MANCHESTER, N.H. — Thank you, Senator Obama. You've defeated Senator Clinton in Iowa. It looks as if you're about to beat her in New Hampshire. There will be no Clinton Restoration. A nation turns its grateful eyes to you.

Discussion: Real Clear Politics, Outside The Beltway, Middle Earth Journal, Eunomia, Unqualified Offerings, Hullabaloo, James Fallows, TPMCafe blogs, Jules Crittenden, Matt Zeitlin, Connecting.the.Dots, Don Surber, Too Sense, TBogg, The RBC, alicublog and Lawyers, Guns and Money

Robert Shrum / NY Daily News:

Sen. Clinton's massive mistake - and the final chance to fix it — Be Our Guest — If (although I strongly suspect the right word is “when") Hillary Clinton loses tomorrow's New Hampshire primary, there will be a few proto-obituaries for her campaign and many more stories about how it will be “shaken up” or “relaunched.”

Discussion: Riehl World View and Blue Crab Boulevard

Mark Leibovich / New York Times:

In New Hampshire, Bill Clinton Finds Less Spark — DURHAM, N.H. — Is this what it would have been like had Elvis been reduced to playing Reno? — Former President Bill Clinton has been drawing sleepy and sometimes smallish crowds at big venues in the state that revived his presidential campaign in 1992.

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, Times of London, Booman Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Kiko's House, DownWithTyranny!, Betsy's Page, Sweetness & Light, USS Neverdock, Riehl World View and Althouse

Washington Times:

Clinton recruits out-of-staters to pack rally — Reporters who walked into this Nashua high school today were immediately struck by the crowd — there are visibly more people here for Sen. Hillary Clinton than were here for Sen. Barack Obama yesterday in the same location.

Discussion: TownHall Blog, New York Observer, GINA COBB, JammieWearingFool, Wizbang, QandO, Jules Crittenden and Gateway Pundit

Roger Simon / The Politico:

Can you win on dull? — NASHUA, N.H. — Two candidates, one room, two days and two worlds apart. — That was Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton at the Nashua High School North gymnasium Saturday and Sunday. — And the difference between the two candidates was never more apparent.

Discussion: Captain's Quarters

John Whitesides / Reuters:

Obama rockets past Clinton in New Hampshire — MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (Reuters) - Democrat Barack Obama rocketed to a 10-point lead over Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire one day before their showdown in the state's presidential primary, according to a Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby poll released on Monday.

Discussion: The Reaction and American Street

Zogby:

Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby New Hampshire Tracking Poll: Big “Mo-bama” Grabs Dems in Granite State; McCain Regains Lead Over Romney in GOP Battle — UTICA, New York - Democrat Barack Obama's dramatic post-Iowa momentum has come to full bloom in the Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby New Hampshire daily tracking poll …

Discussion: Pollster.com and TPM Election Central

The Politico:

Romney dials down expectations hard — Mitt Romney, a dominant favorite in New Hampshire just weeks ago, said Sunday that a “close second” to Arizona Sen. John McCain would be a significant feat on Tuesday. — The almost frantic downsizing of expectations for the former Massachusetts governor came …

Discussion: Daily Pundit

Joe Klein / TIME: Swampland:

McCain's Lost Weekend — The polls still have John McCain comfortably ahead of Mitt Romney in the New Hampshire primary, but I don't believe them. For one thing, McCain has just dragged himself through two of his worst debate performances ever. For another, Mitt Romney …

Discussion: Ross Douthat and The New Republic

USA Today:

Obama up by 13 points, McCain up by 4 in USAT/Gallup Poll in N.H. — Sen. Barack Obama has opened up a 13 percentage point lead over Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in the battle for votes in Tuesday's New Hampshire primary, according to a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll conducted in the state from Friday through this afternoon.

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, Middle Earth Journal, Times of London, Democrats.com, The Seminal, MyDD, Pam's House Blend, Taegan Goddard's …, Washington Wire, Pollster.com, Blue Crab Boulevard and Zogby

CNN:
Poll: Obama jumps ahead of Clinton in New Hampshire

Geoff Earle / New York Post:
HILL TRAILING AND FLAILING

Discussion: Don Surber

Kate Phillips / The Caucus:
Clinton-Obama Phone Call Flap

Discussion: The RBC and Gateway Pundit

Washington Post:
McCain Asserts That He Could Beat Obama in Nov.

Discussion: The Caucus and New York Times

New York Times: Retracing Steps, McCain Is Feeling Rejuvenated

Dean Barnett / Weekly Standard:
Is There Something Happening Here? — Something rather odd …

Discussion: UNCoRRELATED and Hot Air

USA Today:
Poll: Obama, McCain leap ahead in N.H.

Discussion: Washington Post, Captain's Quarters, Dick Polman's American Debate, American Power, Oliver Willis, The Trail, The Caucus, Los Angeles Times, CNN and Hotline On Call

The Politico:
Hillary advisers fear N.H. loss

Discussion: The Swamp, Scared Monkeys, New York Times, You Decide 08!, Boston Globe, The Moderate Voice, YID With LID, protein wisdom, Doug Ross, The Caucus, American Street, Liberal Values, Political Machine, 2008Central.net, MSNBC, Blue Crab Boulevard and The New Republic

Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
Polls Picking Up an Obama Surge?

Discussion: WMUR, Outside The Beltway, Truthdig, Hotline On Call and AMERICAblog

BBC:

Britons ‘richer than Americans’ — The average UK person will this year have a greater income than their US counterpart for the first time since the 19th Century, figures suggest. — Analyst Oxford Economics said the UK's GDP per head of population will reach £23,500 - £250 higher than in the US.

Discussion: QandO

CNN:

Musharraf: Bhutto to blame for own death — RAWALPINDI, Pakistan (CNN) — Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's assassination was her own fault, the country's president, Pervez Musharraf, said in an interview that aired Sunday on U.S. television.

Discussion: Firedoglake, Unqualified Offerings and PoliBlog (TM)

WORLDMEETS.US:

Obama: 'A Man Who Will Restore America's Image in the World' — “How many politicians are capable of arousing such emotions? How many have done it since John F. Kennedy? ... Obama should thank Bush in his prayers. Without him, America wouldn't be seeking a uniter - let alone a redeemer. ”

Discussion: The Moderate Voice

Robert J. Caldwell / San Diego Union-Tribune:
Obama in perspective — Give Barack Obama his due.

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, Wall Street Journal, Betsy's Page and Flopping Aces

Paul Krugman / New York Times:

From Hype to Fear — The unemployment report on Friday was brutally bad. Unemployment rose in December, while job creation was minimal — and it's highly likely, for technical reasons, that the job number will be revised down, showing an actual decline in employment.

Discussion: American Street and Prairie Weather

Tim Golden / New York Times:

Defying U.S. Plan, Prison Expands in Afghanistan — WASHINGTON — As the Bush administration struggles for a way to close the military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, a similar effort to scale down a larger and more secretive American detention center in Afghanistan has been troubled by political …

Discussion: Think Progress, The Daily Dish, FP Passport, On Deadline and Prairie Weather

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

GOP DEBATE WRAP-UP — First, I think you have to say that tonight's Republican debate didn't hold a candle to yesterday's in terms of entertainment firepower. That said, all jokes aside, Mitt Romney did much, much better than he did last night. It didn't take much of course.

Discussion: The Caucus, The Carpetbagger Report, Los Angeles Times, The Corner, Matthew Yglesias and American Street