memeorandum: The Big Contest — And so we come to Florida for the ultimate … (Ed Morrissey/Captain's Quarters)

1:50 PM ET, January 21, 2008

Top Items:

GOP Field Readies for True Test In Florida — The Top Candidates Finally Go All-Out In a Closed Primary — Riding the momentum from his weekend victory in South Carolina, John McCain turned his attention Sunday to Florida and the high-stakes primary there that will test whether …

Discussion: Time, New York Times, Matthew Yglesias, Political Machine, Macsmind, The Caucus, DownWithTyranny!, Riehl World View and MSNBC

Howard Kurtz / Washington Post:

Accessibility Opens Doors For McCain — SPARTANBURG, S.C. — As the JetBlue charter from Michigan touched down in South Carolina, I strolled up to John McCain's front-row seat — none of his aides batted an eye — and asked if he would continue to chat with reporters around the clock if he won the Republican nomination.

Discussion: Salon, The Right's Field, D-Day, TPM Election Central and MSNBC

John Fund / Wall Street Journal:

Base Runner — Huckabee tries but fails to win the votes of non-evangelicals. — Mike Huckabee tried his best to expand beyond his evangelical base in South Carolina and appeal to what his campaign called “Joe Six Pack” voters. Mr. Huckabee was the only candidate to pander to devotees …

Discussion: The Corner, Little Green Footballs, Transterrestrial Musings and Betsy's Page

Jonathan Martin / The Politico:

Huckabee: McCain-lover, Mitt-killer — COLUMBIA, S.C.—For people reading between the lines, Mike Huckabee's concession speech here Saturday night dropped some enticing hints that his presidential campaign now has an agenda other than getting elected president. — Huckabee's new role: Mitt-killer.

Discussion: michellemalkin.com and Riehl World View

The Corner: The Weak Frontrunner — I still believe that McCain …

The Campaign Spot:
Weird Florida Polls

Discussion: protein wisdom

Wayne Washington / The State:
Dems to stump at rally

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, MSNBC and Greenville News

Ed Morrissey / Captain's Quarters:
The Big Contest — And so we come to Florida for the ultimate …

Discussion: Political Machine, The Jawa Report and Ground Game

Carrie Budoff Brown / The Politico:

Obama faces off against both Clintons — ATLANTA - Illinois Sen. Barack Obama launched Sunday what his top aides described as a more aggressive bid to challenge “unbelievable falsehoods” pressed last week in Nevada by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and former President Bill Clinton.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, The Hill, Agence France Presse, Comments from Left Field, Deadline USA, Political Machine, TIME, Truthdig, Liberal Values, Blue Crab Boulevard, The Huffington Post, Reuters, Patterico's Pontifications, Gateway Pundit, Cliff Schecter and Wizbang

Aaron Gould Sheinin / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Atlanta mayor takes political shot at Bill Clinton — During the MLK service, Franklin addresses Clinton's reference to Barack Obama's rise as a 'fairy tale' — With former President Bill Clinton standing not 20 feet in front of her, Atlanta mayor Shirley Franklin took what appeared …

Discussion: Political Radar and The Page

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
THE PROBLEM WITH BILL — Yesterday I wrote that I was troubled …

Discussion: The Carpetbagger Report, James Wolcott's Blog, Althouse, Political Machine and Comment is free

baldilocks:
It's On! (UPDATED: Video)

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, michellemalkin.com, Dick Polman's American Debate, Taylor Marsh, Redstate, Captain's Quarters, Sister Toldjah, Say Anything, Classical Values, Hot Air and The Glittering Eye

Greg Sargent / TPM Election Central:
Video: Obama Pushes Back Aggressively Against Bill Clinton

Discussion: The Trail and Ben Smith's Blogs

Jason Horowitz / New York Observer:

Obama Addresses Homophobia, Anti-Semitism and Xenophobia Among Black Americans — In a speech today at Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.served as pastor, Barack Obama talked about the existence of institutional racism, the sensationalizing of race “by the media” …

Discussion: MSNBC, The RBC and Hold Fast

Pam / Pam's House Blend:

Obama addresses homophobia, anti-Semitism and xenophobia in MLK Ebenezer Baptist Church speech — Today Barack Obama zeroed in on equal opportunity bigotry — and why everyone should strive to not only elevate the political discourse, but to be honest about the base instincts, words and deeds that divide, not unite.

Discussion: The New Republic, Open Left, Hold Fast, Obama'08, Booman Tribune, Pacific Views, New York Observer, The Carpetbagger Report, Firedoglake, UrbanGrounds, Middle Earth Journal and New York Daily News Blogs

CNN:
S.C. debate to highlight Democratic fight for black vote

Discussion: TalkLeft and Hullabaloo

Michael Weiss / Pajamas Media:
IDENTITY POLITICS: NOT WHAT DR. KING WAS ABOUT

Discussion: Sadly, No!

Paul Krugman / New York Times:

Debunking the Reagan Myth — Historical narratives matter. That's why conservatives are still writing books denouncing F.D.R. and the New Deal; they understand that the way Americans perceive bygone eras, even eras from the seemingly distant past, affects politics today.

Discussion: MyDD, The Newshoggers, The Huffington Post, Norwegianity, Booman Tribune, Hullabaloo, Taylor Marsh, The Sideshow, Cogitamus, The Heretik, Make Them Accountable, Brilliant at Breakfast, American Power, Hold Fast, Prairie Weather, Middle Earth Journal and Economist's View

Matthew Yglesias:
Obama v. Krugman Round A Million

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Paul Krugman and TPMCafe blogs

Confederate Yankee:

The Scott Thomas Beauchamp “ Shock Troops” Military Investigation, Statements 13-24 — Documents released by the Office of the Chief of Staff, U.S. Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base Florida, in relation to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests files for documents relating …

siena.edu:

Rudy Falls Behind McCain; Hillary Still Has 2-to-1 Lead — Spitzer Favorable Rating Edges Positive; Sees Gain in Job Performance — Voters Overwhelmingly Support Property Tax Cap and S-CHIP Expansion; — Also Support Higher Education Endowment with Lottery Sale or Lease

Discussion: Outside The Beltway, TPM Election Central and Political Radar

Sam Stein / The Huffington Post:
Poll: Giuliani Loses Lead In New York

Discussion: Marist Poll

James Joyner / Outside The Beltway:

Fred Thompson Loss Ends Republican Party — Steve Bainbridge is preparing to sit out the 2008 election rather than vote for anyone but Fred Thompson. … If only Fred Thompson were a better candidate, the party and the Republic could have survived. Pity.

Discussion: Stop The ACLU, PoliBlog (TM), PrestoPundit and The Moderate Voice

Jackson Williams / The Huffington Post:
Huckabee Spokesman Chuck Norris Confirms that Reagan Was Too Old …

Discussion: Comments from Left Field, Political Punch and Baltimore Sun

Richard Pérez-Peña / New York Times:

Frontline Blogger Covers War in Iraq With a Soldier's Eyes — Michael Yon was not a journalist, and he wasn't sure what a blogger was. He had been in uniform but not in combat, and he wanted to keep it that way. He went to Iraq thinking he would stay for a month, and maybe find a way to write about the war after he got home.

Discussion: Power Line, Michael Yon, JammieWearingFool, TigerHawk, Gateway Pundit and QandO

New York Times:

Stocks Plunge in Europe and Asia on U.S. Recession Fear — PARIS — Global stock markets plunged on Monday as fears spread that the turmoil in United States mortgage markets is spreading. Indexes in Europe fell as much as 7 percent after a huge selloff in Asia.

Discussion: Associated Press, Washington Monthly, Matthew Yglesias, Publius Pundit and The Agonist

The Bashman / Pat Dollard:

Widow Of Bronze Star Iraq War Hero Scammed Out Of $57,000 — Iraq War widow Julie Shumney accepts the Bronze Star with Combat “V” Device for USMC 1st Lt. Dustin Shumney. — Widow Of Bronze Star Hero Marine Scammed Out Of $57,000 — By Bashman — 1st Lt. Dustin Shumney was a devout Catholic …

Discussion: michellemalkin.com, Confederate Yankee and JammieWearingFool