memeorandum: The great escape — Hillary Clinton came back from the dead … (Andrew Sullivan/Times of London)

3:35 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: FOX Embeds, politburo diktat 2.0, The Swamp, No More Mister Nice Blog, Taylor Marsh, The New Republic, Too Sense, The Moderate Voice, The Carpetbagger Report, Riehl World View, 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, Open Left, TPM Election Central and politburo diktat 2.0

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

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

Andrew Sullivan / Times of London:

The great escape — Hillary Clinton came back from the dead last week with the help of a legion of sympathetic housewives. But, our correspondent says, she is in danger of handing victory to Barack Obama — Once again, at the last minute, against the odds, the Clintons' enemies saved them.

Discussion: Spectator, democracyarsenal.org and The Daily Dish

Zzaki / Political Radar:
Clinton Surrogate Makes Veiled Reference to Obama's Drug Use

Discussion: Tammy Bruce, The Daily Dish, MoJoBlog, New York Daily News Blogs, TalkLeft and politburo diktat 2.0

Hillary Clinton / CNN:
Clinton backer appears to raise Obama's drug use

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blogs

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

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

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

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

Discussion: The New Republic 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:

Fluidity in G.O.P. Race; Democrats Eye 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, now viewed more favorably …

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

Joe Gandelman / The Moderate Voice:

National Polls: Clinton And McCain Lead But More Contradictory Than Ever — A new ABC News/Washington Post poll reveals two things: Presidential campaign 2008 is a free for all- and Republican Senator John McCain and Democratic Senator Barack Obama are picking up steam in the battles for their parties' nominations.

Discussion: ABCNEWS and The Reaction

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: TalkLeft

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

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

Discussion: Firedoglake, Shakespeare's Sister, Hot Air and American Power

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

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 …

City Journal:

Abu Dhabi: East Leans West — Each month, 25,000 people from around the globe arrive in the United Arab Emirates, seeking jobs, contracts, and political stability. Walk past the gleaming new skyscrapers, government buildings, fountains, and shopping malls that line the immaculate tree-lined corniche …

Discussion: Gateway Pundit

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, toohotfortnr and TigerHawk

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

Discussion: Norwegianity, Roger L. Simon and toohotfortnr

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