memeorandum: BET founder Bob Johnson criticizes Obama (Philip Elliott/Associated Press)

7:20 PM ET, January 13, 2008

Top Items:

Katharine Q. Seelye / The Caucus:

BET Founder Slams Obama in South Carolina — COLUMBIA, S.C. — Robert L. Johnson, the founder of Black Entertainment Television, who is campaigning today in South Carolina with Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, just raised the specter of Barack Obama's past drug use.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, FOX Embeds, Too Sense, Taylor Marsh, Buck Naked Politics, Prairie Weather, The Carpetbagger Report, politburo diktat 2.0, Riehl World View, CBS News, QandO, TPM Election Central and The Page

Sen. Hillary Clinton / MSNBC:

‘Meet the Press’ transcript for Jan. 13, 2008 — MR. TIM RUSSERT: Our issues this Sunday: Obama wins Iowa. — (Videotape): — SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL): Thank you, Iowa. — MR. RUSSERT: Clinton wins New Hampshire. — (Videotape): — SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D-NY) …

Discussion: History News Network, Political Radar, Ben Smith's Blogs, Riehl World View, Flopping Aces, Horses Mouth, The Caucus, Heading Right and New York Times

The Politico:

Hillary Clinton attacks Barack Obama — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) said on NBC's “Meet the Press” today that the presidential campaign of Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) was “deliberately distorting” remarks she had made about the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King.

Discussion: Hot Air, The Daily Dish, Scared Monkeys, Redstate, Wake up America, Patterico's Pontifications, Althouse, Irish Trojan in Tennessee and Balloon Juice

Hillary Clinton / CNN:

Clinton backer appears to raise Obama's drug use — (CNN) - BET founder and prominent Hillary Clinton supporter Bob Johnson said Sunday he is ‘insulted’ with the Obama campaign's latest criticisms of Clinton, and appeared to take aim at the Illinois senator for his admitted drug use as a young man.

Discussion: The Politico

Zzaki / Political Radar:

Clinton Surrogate Makes Veiled Reference to Obama's Drug Use — ABC News' Eloise Harper reports: Speaking in Columbia, S.C., BET founder Bob Johnson was introducing Clinton and made a veiled swipe at Barack Obama's past drug use. The last surrogate to talk about Obama and drugs …

Discussion: TalkLeft

New York Times:

Clinton and Obama Spar Over Remark About Dr. King — Escalating their fight for the Democratic presidential nomination, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and Senator Barack Obama engaged in a war of words on Sunday over Mrs. Clinton's recent remark about the role that the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. played …

Chris Cillizza / The Fix:

Obama Slams Clinton's ‘Meet’ Appearance — Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) dismissed an appearance made by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) on “Meet the Press” this morning as “political point scoring,” condemning his main rival for the Democratic presidential nomination for seeking to recast the events of the last several years.

Discussion: Firedoglake and TalkLeft

Philip Elliott / Associated Press:
BET founder Bob Johnson criticizes Obama

Discussion: New York Daily News Blogs and NY Daily News

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:
Obama: Clinton rewrites history

Discussion: TalkLeft

Mike Allen / The Politico:
Durbin warns Bill Clinton

Discussion: The Swamp, Sister Toldjah, The Democratic Daily, Redstate, TalkLeft, Riehl World View, Matthew Yglesias, Booman Tribune and Liberal Values

The Fact Hub:
On Meet the Press, Hillary Examines Sen. Obama On Iraq

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Washington Times, The Moderate Voice, Hotline On Call, TPM Election Central and Brave New Films blog

Gateway Pundit:
It Has Begun... Hillary Takes Credit For Surge She Opposed!!

Discussion: protein wisdom and Stop The ACLU

Domenico Montanaro / MSNBC:
Clinton justifies war vote, hits Obama

Discussion: The Moderate Voice

Phillip Elliott / Associated Press:
Clinton blames Obama camp over remark

Discussion: skippy the bush kangaroo

Mark R. Levin / The Corner:

Deplorable Campaigning — Mike Huckabee: “Many of us who have been Republicans out of conviction . . . the social conservatives,” he told reporters, “were welcomed in the party as long as we sort of kept our place, but Lord help us if we ever stood forward and said we would actually like to lead the party.”

Discussion: bustardblog, Right Wing News, Right Wing Nut House and RADAMISTO

Washington Post:

Huckabee: Evangelical Christians Now Have a Chance to Lead GOP — Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee touted his candidacy Saturday as a chance for evangelical Christians to lead the Republican Party rather than just support its candidates. — “I don't presume that you automatically support …

Discussion: Don Surber, Gateway Pundit, The Daily Dish, The Caucus, All Spin Zone and Balloon Juice

Jim Davenport / Associated Press:
Thompson keeps up Huckabee criticism

Discussion: Fred File, BitsBlog and Riehl World View

Glenn Greenwald / Salon:

The Noxious Fruits of Hate Speech laws — (updated below) — I've written several times before about the oppressive, dangerous hate speech laws which are common — increasingly so — in both Canada and Europe, whereby the Government is empowered to punish as criminals citizens …

Discussion: Liberty Street, Daimnation!, Firedoglake, Jay Currie, small dead animals, Ezra Levant, Neptunus Lex, Hot Air, BitsBlog, Classical Values, Atlas Shrugs and Little Green Footballs

Keith Bonnell / National Post:
Defiant Levant republishes cartoons

Discussion: Ezra Levant and Jules Crittenden

The Big Trunk / Power Line:
A CASE STUDY IN RESISTANCE

Discussion: The Corner, AMERICAN DIGEST, Commentary and QandO

Ross Douthat:

Liberal Fascism And Its Critics — Here is some free advice for liberals who don't care much for Jonah Goldberg or his (bestselling) new volume: Either confine yourself to dismissive snark, of the sort perfected by my colleague Matt, or buckle down and actually read the damn thing.

Discussion: The Impolitic, The Reaction and BitsBlog

Tom Hilton / If I Ran the Zoo:
Not-Much Shorter Jonah: “Tom Wolfe Likes It!”

Discussion: Orcinus and Sadly, No!

Caitlin Flanagan / New York Times:

Sex and the Teenage Girl — THE movie “Juno” is a fairy tale about a pregnant teenager who decides to have her baby, place it for adoption and then get on with her life. For the most part, the tone of the movie is comedic and jolly, but there is a moment when Juno tells her father about her condition …

Discussion: Pandagon, Lawyers, Guns and Money, Whiskey Fire, Publius Pundit, Cogitamus, Feministe, Vox Popoli and Keith Burgess-Jackson

The Corner:

GOP CDU USA — Jonah's excellent piece in today's Washington Post is well worth a look. When I look at this extract, I see something emerging that looks a lot like an American version of European Christian Democracy: … Hmmm

Discussion: Daily Pundit

Tyler Cowen / New York Times:

So We Thought. But Then Again . . . HARRY S TRUMAN once said he wanted to talk to a one-armed economist, “so that the guy could never make a statement and then say: ‘on the other hand.’ ” Yet economic knowledge continues to progress in unexpected ways. Here are a few of the things we learned in the last 12 months:

Discussion: The Big Picture, The Glittering Eye, Grasping Reality … and Marginal Revolution

Jeralyn / TalkLeft:

Another Sign Edwards Will Throw Support to Obama — South Carolina may be the end for John Edwards if he comes in third. It seems, once again, he's displaying his preference for Obama over Hillary. At a campaign event at a predominantly black Baptist church today Edwards said : … and,

Discussion: PoliGazette