memeorandum: McCain Rises in Fluid G.O.P.; Obama Gains on Electability (New York Times)

1:45 AM ET, January 14, 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 Swamp, FOX Embeds, The New Republic, JustOneMinute, politburo diktat 2.0, Taylor Marsh, Too Sense, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Moderate Voice, Riehl World View, The Carpetbagger Report, Prairie Weather, Booman Tribune, Buck Naked Politics, CBS News, QandO and The Page

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

NOT BEAN BAG — We seem to be at the point where there are now two credible possibilities. One is that the Clinton campaign is intentionally pursuing a strategy of using surrogates to hit Obama with racially-charged language or with charges that while not directly tied to race nonetheless play to stereotypes about black men.

Discussion: Eschaton, TPM Election Central, Open Left and politburo diktat 2.0

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: Political Radar, History News Network, The Campaign Spot, Hot Air, Don Surber, Macsmind, Flopping Aces, Riehl World View, Althouse, Ben Smith's Blogs, Wake up America, Patterico's Pontifications, The Caucus, Heading Right, Horses Mouth and New York Times

Ezra Klein / American Prospect:

CLINTON, OBAMA, IRAQ. — Just got this e-mail from the Clinton campaign: … On one level, this is true. Barack Obama did not step into the Senate and seek leadership in the anti-war movement. When Elizabeth Edwards said Obama's Senate record showed “a relatively complacent and go-along Senator,” she wasn't necessarily wrong.

Discussion: TalkLeft

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: Ben Smith's Blogs and 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: The Daily Dish, MoJoBlog, TalkLeft and politburo diktat 2.0

Gateway Pundit:

It Has Begun... Hillary Takes Credit For Surge She Opposed!! — CAUTION: DON'T READ THIS WITH WHILE EATING... It has begun... Democrats are now taking credit for the surge... A surge they all opposed! — Hillary takes credit for the sucess in Iraq on Meet the Press.

Discussion: Hot Air, protein wisdom, Stop The ACLU, Blue Crab Boulevard and Irish Trojan in Tennessee

Jeralyn / TalkLeft:
Another Sign Edwards Will Throw Support to Obama

Discussion: protein wisdom and PoliGazette

New York Times: Clinton and Obama Spar Over Remark About Dr. King

Philip Elliott / Associated Press:
Bob Johnson criticizes Obama

Discussion: MyDD and NY Daily News

Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
Obama Slams Clinton's ‘Meet’ Appearance

Discussion: The Reaction, TalkLeft, Firedoglake, The Moderate Voice, Associated Press, MSNBC and Balloon Juice

David Greenberg / Washington Post:
Why Obamamania? Because He Runs as The Great White Hope.

Discussion: The New Republic, democracyarsenal.org and The Carpetbagger Report

Michael Medved / Townhall.com:

PRESIDENTIAL TRIAL HEATS: WHO'S WEAKEST FOR G.O.P? — This weekend, CNN released results of general election trial heats, pitting each of the four leading Republican candidates for President against both of the leading Democrats. — The unmistakable message from this national exercise …

Discussion: Riehl World View

New York Times:

McCain Rises in Fluid G.O.P.; Obama Gains on Electability — WASHINGTON — Republican voters have sharply altered their views of the party's presidential candidates following the early contests in Iowa and New Hampshire, with Senator John McCain, once widely written off …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Truthdig, Taegan Goddard's … and American Power

CBS News:

CBS Poll: McCain Surges To National Lead — On Democratic Side, Clinton Maintains Double-Digit Lead Over Obama — (CBS) Surging after his win in the New Hampshire primary, Arizona Sen. John McCain has come from behind to now lead the national Republican race, according to a new CBS News/New York Times poll.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice and TalkLeft

George F. Will / Washington Post:
A GOP Numbers Crunch

Discussion: Firedoglake, Shakespeare's Sister, Hot Air and PoliGazette

Gary Langer / ABCNEWS:
POLL: Transformed by Iowa and N.H., '08 Kicks Off as a Free-for-All

Discussion: Riehl World View and Hot Air

Clark Hoyt / New York Times:

He May Be Unwelcome, but We'll Survive — IN 1972, Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, the publisher of The New York Times, was looking for a conservative columnist for his left-leaning Op-Ed page. — At a charity dinner, he wound up sitting next to William Safire, the Nixon White House speechwriter …

Discussion: Think Progress, TigerHawk and toohotfortnr

Timothy Noah / New York Times:
Fathers and Sons — To be neoconservative is to bear almost …

Discussion: Roger L. Simon and toohotfortnr

Ray Duckler / Concord Monitor:

Paul supporters ‘freak out’ town clerk — Vote-counting flub draws ire, threats — January 12. — Jennifer Call's eyes searched the office for nothing in particular. Her arms waved and her fear spilled out. — “This is where I grew up,” Sutton's town clerk said yesterday.

Discussion: Transterrestrial Musings

Keith Bonnell / National Post:

Defiant Levant republishes cartoons — Complaint from Muslims sparks rights hearing — Jim Young, Reuters File PhotoEzra Levant: “To me, this is offensive." — A controversial conservative commentator was unrepentant going into a Human Rights and Citizenship Commission hearing yesterday …

Discussion: Ezra Levant and Jules Crittenden

Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
The Noxious Fruits of Hate Speech laws

Discussion: protein wisdom, The Corner, Reason Magazine, small dead animals, Liberty Street, Daimnation!, GINA COBB, Jay Currie, Firedoglake, Power Line, Neptunus Lex, Ezra Levant and Atlas Shrugs

Randal C. Archibold / New York Times:

Mail-In Voters Become the Latest Prize — LOS ANGELES — The first Tuesday in February, when 22 states hold primaries, may turn out to be the biggest day of the presidential campaign. But for many voters, half or more in some states, the polling place will be the kitchen table …

Mad Kane's Political Madness:

Is Black The New Teflon? — The impression I've been getting lately is that every barb and criticism aimed at Obama is almost bound to be characterized as racist by Obama surrogates. — Isn't there something wrong when a candidate (or commentator) has to fear the racism card each …

Discussion: TalkLeft

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:

Obama: Clinton rewrites history — Obama, during his endorsement from Claire McCaskill, accused Hillary of distorting her words and his and of trying to change her story on Iraq. — Here's the whole thing: … The Clinton campaign backed up Hillary's comments here.

Discussion: TalkLeft