memeorandum: How to Stop the Downturn — AMERICA'S economy is headed for a major slowdown. (Joseph E. Stiglitz/New York Times)

11:45 AM ET, January 23, 2008

Top Items:

Obama's Clinton Education — One of our favorite Bill Clinton anecdotes involves a confrontation he had with Bob Dole in the Oval Office after the 1996 election. Mr. Dole protested Mr. Clinton's attack ads claiming the Republican wanted to harm Medicare, but the President merely smiled …

Discussion: QandO, Maggie's Farm, TownHall Blog, NewsBusters.org and Betsy's Page

Washington Post:

Clinton Now Looking Beyond S.C. — Focus on 4 Delegate-Rich States Is Considered Risky — The next Democratic presidential nominating contest will take place in South Carolina on Saturday, but Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has already turned her full attention to places such as this …

Discussion: protein wisdom, Wall Street Journal, Zogby, Donklephant, The Strata-Sphere, National Review, Booman Tribune, The Field, MSNBC, TalkLeft, The Democratic Daily and Cliff Schecter

Maureen Dowd / New York Times:

Two Against One — GREENVILLE, S.C. — If Bill Clinton has to trash his legacy to protect his legacy, so be it. If he has to put a dagger through the heart of hope to give Hillary hope, so be it. — If he has to preside in this state as the former first black president stopping the would-be first black president, so be it.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Prairie Weather and New York Post

Greg Sargent / Horses Mouth:

ABC News Badly Mischaracterizes Obama's Alleged “Testy Exchange” With Reporter — Okay, this is really a bad one. Late yesterday, ABC News posted a story called: “Is Bill Clinton getting in Obama's head?" — The piece reported that Obama had had a “testy exchange” with New York Times reporter Jeff Zeleny …

Discussion: FOX Embeds and TPM Election Central

David S. Broder / Washington Post:

Now or Never for Obama — COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina has become a must-win state for Barack Obama. — Whatever the outcome of Saturday's Democratic presidential primary here, the Illinois senator has the money and the organization to compete in the nearly two dozen states voting on Feb. 5.

Discussion: Captain's Quarters and DownWithTyranny!

NY Daily News:
Mud, muddier, muddiest

Discussion: Redstate

James Rainey / Los Angeles Times:
Clinton gets warm welcome from Latinos

Discussion: The Huffington Post

Talal Al-Khatib / Political Radar:
Is Bill Clinton Getting in Obama's Head?

Discussion: TPM Election Central and Spin Cycle

Ed Morrissey / Captain's Quarters:

George Soros Funded Study Says Bush Lied — The AP reports, and the New York Times expands, on a new study by a supposedly “independent” organization that claims to have assembled hundred of “false statements” by the Bush administration in the course of the Iraq war.

Discussion: The Opinionator, protein wisdom, Firedoglake, Brave New Films blog and On Deadline

Associated Press:

Study: False statements preceded war — WASHINGTON - A study by two nonprofit journalism organizations found that President Bush and top administration officials issued hundreds of false statements about the national security threat from Iraq in the two years following the 2001 terrorist attacks.

John H. Cushman Jr / New York Times:
Web Site Assembles U.S. Prewar Claims

Discussion: The Swamp, Big Lizards, CNN, Commentary, Outside The Beltway, The Glittering Eye, DownWithTyranny!, The Carpetbagger Report, The Mahatma X Files and RADAMISTO

David Leonhardt / New York Times:

Worries That the Good Times Were Mostly a Mirage — So, how bad could this get? — Until a few months ago, it was accepted wisdom that the American economy functioned far more smoothly than in the past. Economic expansions lasted longer, and recessions were both shorter and milder.

Discussion: Suburban Guerrilla, Brilliant at Breakfast and PrestoPundit

Robert J. Samuelson / Washington Post:
Capitalism's Enemies Within

Discussion: EconLog, Economist's View and The Glittering Eye

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:

Sen. McCain starts urgent dash for cash — Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has scheduled at least seven fundraisers in the week leading up to Tuesday's Florida primary, scrambling to raise enough money to compete with a rival who can loan his campaign tens of millions of dollars.

Discussion: TownHall Blog, PoliGazette, American Power and TPM Election Central

Jay Cost / HorseRaceBlog:
Is McCain Inevitable? — James Madison had nothing …

Discussion: protein wisdom, BobKrumm.com and The Strata-Sphere

Haaretz:

UN: Some 350,000 Gazans stream into Egypt as militants blast border wall — Some 350,000 Palestinians poured out of Gaza and into Egypt early Wednesday, the United Nations said, after masked gunmen blew dozens of holes in the wall delineating the border. — The Gazans rushed to purchase food …

Discussion: Jerusalem Post, Commentary, American Footprints, Yourish.com, Israellycool and Ynetnews

Ynetnews:
Hundreds of thousands cross into Egypt from Gaza

Discussion: A Blog For All and Yourish.com

Jill Zuckman / The Swamp:

‘Stormin’ Norman' Schwarzkopf goes for McCain — Orlando, Fla. - One of Florida's most famous military men, General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, has put his weight behind Sen. John McCain's bid for the presidency today. — “Stormin' Norman” Schwarzkopf, a retired four-star general who was commander …

Discussion: UrbanGrounds and Daimnation!

Mike Allen / The Politico: Schwarzkopf to endorse McCain

Joseph E. Stiglitz / New York Times:

How to Stop the Downturn — AMERICA'S economy is headed for a major slowdown. Whether there is a recession (two quarters of negative growth) is less important than the fact that the economy will operate well below its potential, and unemployment will grow.

Discussion: Balloon Juice, The Glittering Eye, Norwegianity, Alterdestiny and Prairie Weather

Amir Shah / Associated Press:

Afghan Journalist Sentenced to Death — KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — An Afghan court on Tuesday sentenced a 23-year-old journalism student to death for distributing a paper he printed off the Internet that three judges said violated the tenets of Islam, an official said.

Discussion: Jules Crittenden and Jihad Watch

Jennifer Rubin / American Spectator:

Wow[UPDATE: Not A Big Wow] - Tuesday, January 22, 2008 @ 11:10:28 PM — McCain, according to this, leads in California 41% to 17% for Romney, Rudy at 13% and Huckabee at 10%. What?! Yeah, I read it a few times to make sure I had it right. (SurveyUSA by the way was very accurate on SC.)

Discussion: protein wisdom and UrbanGrounds

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

NOT FOR DEBATE — I was a little surprised when one of the questioners at last night's Democratic debate — I think Joe Johns, but I'm not certain — referenced the new and long-awaited Iraqi ‘de-Baathification’ law as an undisputed sign of political progress.

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias, rubber hose, The Carpetbagger Report and Balloon Juice