memeorandum: Mitt Romney's Conservative Initiation (Matt Lewis/TownHall Blog)

3:15 PM ET, February 9, 2008

Top Items:

Ariel Alexovich / The Caucus:

Paul Concedes Race, Sort Of — In a message to supporters sent just before 11 p.m. Friday night, Representative Ron Paul, a long-shot G.O.P. candidate from Texas, basically conceded that he's not going to win the party's nomination. — That said, he's scaling back his campaign — but not entirely.

Discussion: The Other McCain, Wake up America, The Moderate Voice, The Carpetbagger Report, DownWithTyranny!, PoliBlog (TM), A Blog For All and Don Surber

Ron Paul 2008:

Message from Ron — Whoa! What a year this has been. And what achievements we have had. If I may quote Trotsky of all people, this Revolution is permanent. It will not end at the Republican convention. It will not end in November. It will not end until we have won the great battle on which we have embarked.

Discussion: Donklephant and Reason Magazine

Jonathan Martin / The Politico: Ron Paul appears to have Kucinich moment

Howard Kurtz / Washington Post:

Chelsea Remark Earns MSNBC Correspondent A Suspension — In case there was any doubt, using a prostitution metaphor for the daughter of a presidential candidate is not a good career move. — MSNBC suspended correspondent David Shuster yesterday for an undetermined period for making a disparaging on-air remark about Chelsea Clinton.

Discussion: The Gun Toting Liberal™, Captain's Quarters, Outside The Beltway, PERRspectives Blog, The Radio Equalizer, The Politico, Political Punch, Gateway Pundit and Associated Press

Ann Althouse / Althouse:

NBC wimped out over “pimped out.” — David Shuster said — about Chelsea Clinton — “Doesn't it seem like she's being pimped out in some weird sort of way?” — Now, MSNBC has suspended him, after pressure from the Clinton campaign: … Really, how bad is it to say “pimped out”?

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Scared Monkeys, TVNewser and FishBowlDC

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

HE'S OUTTA HERE — We now know that MSNBC's David Shuster has been suspended over the Chelsea ‘pimp’ comment. It seems to me there are a couple possibilities for what is happening here. — What Shuster said was tasteless and crude. And even the logic behind it, let alone the way he said it, didn't really make sense to me.

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias, Lawyers, Guns and Money, MyDD and Eschaton

Media Matters for America:
“Media Matters”; by Jamison Foser

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, NewsBusters.org and The Democratic Daily

Jc Reindl / Toledo Blade:

Mayor to Marines: Leave downtown — He says urban exercises scare people — A company of Marine Corps Reservists received a cold send-off from downtown Toledo yesterday by order of Mayor Carty Finkbeiner. — The 200 members of Company A, 1st Battalion, 24th Marines, based in Grand Rapids …

Discussion: michellemalkin.com, The Jawa Report, Wizbang, BLACKFIVE, BizzyBlog, Atlas Shrugs, The Strata-Sphere, Little Green Footballs and Instapundit.com

Pajamas Media:
Toledo to Marines: Drop dead

Discussion: The Corner

Serge F. Kovaleski / New York Times:

Friends Say Drugs Played Only Bit Part for Obama — Nearly three decades ago, Barack Obama stood out on the small campus of Occidental College in Los Angeles for his eloquence, intellect and activism against apartheid in South Africa. But Mr. Obama, then known as Barry, also joined in the party scene.

Discussion: The Newshoggers, Ben Smith's Blogs, The Carpetbagger Report, the talking dog, The Reaction, Outside The Beltway, MSNBC and Reason Magazine

Jill Miller Zimon / The Moderate Voice:

Superdelegate Issue Produces Threats of Quitting Democratic Party — Donna Brazile was quoted as saying, “If 795 of my colleagues decide this election, I will quit the Democratic Party. I feel very strongly about this,” Brazile said. — And Chris Bowers of Open Left wrote this post …

Discussion: QandO, Viking Pundit and CNN

Chris Bowers / Open Left:
How I Could Quit The Democratic Party

Discussion: michellemalkin.com, Booman Tribune and ABCNEWS

Dan Balz / Washington Post:

Sanctioned States Put Democrats in Quandary — The clever people in Michigan who decided to get into a game of chicken with New Hampshire last fall over the timing of their Democratic primary should be having second thoughts this weekend. — Had Michigan Democrats not engaged in gamesmanship …

Discussion: protein wisdom, Jules Crittenden, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Captain's Quarters, Wake up America, Blue Crab Boulevard, You Decide 08! and Right Voices

Brian Braiker / Newsweek:

McCain romps while the Dems divide in the NEWSWEEK poll. — Mr. Electable? McCain is the man to beat on the GOP side — Sen. John McCain, whose campaign to win the Republican Party's presidential nomination was all but declared dead last summer, has cemented a commanding lead …

Discussion: Pajamas Media and Liberal Values

Mona Charen / The Corner:

Discordant Note — This is the most graceless stunt I've seen a while. Leon Fleisher, the conductor and pianist, received a Kennedy Center honor. As part of the weekend of festivities associated with this prestigious award, Fleisher was invited to attend a White House reception along …

Discussion: Roger Ailes

Leon Fleisher / Washington Post: My White House Dilemma

Robert Barnes / Washington Post:

Cheney Joins Congress In Opposing D.C. Gun Ban — Vice President Breaks With Administration — Vice President Cheney signed on to a brief filed by a majority of Congress yesterday that urged the Supreme Court to uphold a ruling that the District of Columbia's handgun ban is unconstitutional …

Discussion: Think Progress

Lyle Denniston / SCOTUSblog:
Cheney disagrees in D.C. gun case

Discussion: The Moderate Voice

Jonathan Martin / Jonathan Martin's Blogs:

At CPAC, Huck embraces new role — Mike Huckabee is the master of the metaphor, and he seized on one this morning that captures his new role in the GOP primary: sparring partner. — “No boxer is prepared to go into the ring if he's never sparred,” Huckabee said at a press conference after his speech at CPAC.

Discussion: The Page

Mark Silva / The Swamp: Huckabee-McCain: A ticket made in marriage

Libby Spencer / The Newshoggers:

When — not if — martial law is declared — I've taken a lot of criticism over the last year about my speculation that our government is preparing to declare martial law. Unfortunately, it looks like I'll get the last laugh, only it's no laughing matter and it's a lot bigger than just Blackwater.

Amanda Carpenter / Townhall.com:

Coulter Speaks to CPAC — Best-selling author and columnist Ann Coulter elaborated to Conservative Political Action Conference participants why she said she would campaign for Democrat Hillary Clinton for president over Republican John McCain. — “She won't want to be the first girl President …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice

William Kristol / Weekly Standard:

Good News for Conservatives — We have a great opportunity in 2008. — What a moment! Having learned nothing from the left's Bush Derangement Syndrome, the conservative movement's big talkers spent the days before Super Tuesday indulging in a fiery display of McCain Derangement Syndrome.

Discussion: The Corner

Jules Crittenden / Pajamas Media:

MCCAIN WON, YOUR GUY LOST — NOW DO WHAT'S BEST FOR AMERICA — Elections have consequences, writes Jules Crittenden. Sitting out Election '08 because you don't like McCain could mean a defeat in Iraq and a nuclear-armed Iran in four years' time. Will that make you feel better?

Discussion: Real Clear Politics, Wolf Howling, Classical Values and Jules Crittenden

Robynn Tysver / Omaha World-Herald:

Live updates from the Nebraska Democratic caucuses — It doesn't look good for Clinton at Monroe Middle School. — The line to the Clinton box is empty. The line to vote for Obama is about a half block long. — Order is finally being restored at Monroe Middle School.

Discussion: Wake up America and New York Times

Matt Lewis / TownHall Blog:

Mitt Romney's Conservative Initiation — I've tried to make this point in previous blog posts, but I don't think I have effectively — or eloquently — expressed my rationale for why I believe Mitt Romney's future is brighter than ever. I'll try to do so here...

Discussion: My Man Mitt.com