memeorandum: Where Is The Love? — A day after insinuating that John McCain … (Ed Morrissey/Captain's Quarters)

McCain's Lying Problem — It's weird to think of something so random as a ten year-old purchase of a television station in Pittsburgh as posing a major political problem for John McCain, but much more so than other politicians he's made the myth of some kind of preternatural powers of honestness central to his persona.

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, Oliver Willis, The Carpetbagger Report and IntoxiNation

Stephen Labaton / New York Times:

Files and McCain Letter Show Effort to Keep Loophole — WASHINGTON — In late 1998, Senator John McCain sent an unusually blunt letter to the head of the Federal Communications Commission, warning that he would try to overhaul the agency if it closed a broadcast ownership loophole.

Discussion: Commentary, JustOneMinute, Washington Post and Needlenose

Ed Morrissey / Captain's Quarters:

Where Is The Love? — A day after insinuating that John McCain had an affair with lobbyist Vicki Iseman, all of the romance appears to have disappeared from the New York Times. Faster than one can say Roberta Flack, the flak taken by the Gray Lady has apparently resulted in a Soviet-style purge …

Discussion: The Caucus, Ed Driscoll.com and democracyarsenal.org

Emptywheel:

McCain's Favors for Iseman Involved Helping Far Right-Wing Families to Sustain their Shell Companies — When I noted that John McCain's lobbyist gal had represented the two networks that would, in 2004, show the anti-Kerry propaganda piece, Stolen Honor, I admitted I didn't know precisely whether …

Discussion: Daily Kos

Nicole Belle / Crooks and Liars:
Countdown: Did The NY Times Give The Right Wing Noise Machine …

Discussion: Hullabaloo and American Street

Julie Bosman / The Caucus:

Clinton Slams Obama Tactics — CINCINNATI - Accusing the Obama campaign of using tactics “that are right out of Karl Rove's playbook,” Senator Hillary Clinton angrily denounced Senator Barack Obama on Saturday for sending flyers to Ohio voters that she called misleading and false.

Discussion: The Newshoggers and PoliGazette

Kenneth P. Vogel / The Politico:

HRC: ‘Shame on you, Barack Obama’ — CINCINNATI, Ohio — Hillary Rodham Clinton ripped Barack Obama Saturday for mailings his campaign is sending to Ohio voters that Clinton said distorted her record on NAFTA and universal health care. — “Shame on you, Barack Obama,” …

Discussion: The Swamp, The Trail and FOX Embeds

Frank James / The Swamp:

Clinton: Obama untested, just like Bush was — CINCINNATI — Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton lashed out at rival Barack Obama today for using a strategy out of “Karl Rove's playbook” by making grandiose speeches of hope while sending Ohioans what she called …

Discussion: Too Sense

Washington Wire: Clinton Draws Bush, Obama Comparisons

Glenn Greenwald / Salon:

McConnell/Mukasey: Eavesdropping outside of FISA is “illegal” — (updated below - Update II) — The White House yesterday escalated its most brazen, Orwellian campaign of the last eight years — shrilly accusing House Democrats of jeopardizing the nation's security by allowing …

Discussion: The Newshoggers, PERRspectives Blog, Balkinization, Crooks and Liars and The Politico

Washington Post:

Spy Law Lapse Blamed for Lost Information — Some Telecom Firms Not Cooperating for Fear of Liability, U.S. Says — The Bush administration said yesterday that the government “lost intelligence information” because House Democrats allowed a surveillance law to expire last week …

Discussion: Associated Press, Balloon Juice, Flopping Aces, The Sundries Shack, protein wisdom, Stop The ACLU and Wake up America

Stephen F. Hayes / Weekly Standard:

New York Times vs. — John McCain — All the rumors fit to print. — Shortly after sundown on Wednesday night, the New York Times posted on its website a long story about John McCain, a female lobbyist, and the relationship—professional and perhaps personal—between the two.

Discussion: Power Line

Elisabeth Bumiller / New York Times:
In Aftermath of Article, McCain Gathers Donations

Discussion: Instapundit.com, No More Mister Nice Blog and American Power

Lisa Girion / Los Angeles Times:

Health Net ordered to pay $9 million after canceling cancer patient's policy — The punitive damage award is the first of its kind and has prompted the giant medical insurer to scrap practices that have recently come under fire. — One of California's largest for-profit insurers stopped …

Discussion: On Deadline

Thomas Watkins / Associated Press:
Cut-off cancer patient to get $9M

Discussion: Wizbang and Mercury Rising

Mark Leibovich / New York Times:

No Longer in Race, Richardson Is a Man Pursued — SANTA FE, N.M. — Lots of people are calling Gov. Bill Richardson these days, “just to check in.” — Barack Obama calls every three days or so. He called on Friday of last week, but Mr. Richardson was tied up with the Legislature …

Discussion: Althouse and RobertEmmet

Jeffrey Young / The Hill:

Michael Moore says insurance industry would love Clinton's healthcare plan — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's (D-N.Y.) proposal to mandate that all people purchase health insurance would be a boon to the industry, filmmaker Michael Moore said Friday. — “Can you imagine, every time Sen. Clinton …

Discussion: Redstate and NewsBusters.org

Washington Post:

Clinton Soldiers On Despite Setbacks — » NO VALEDICTORY | COLUMBUS, Ohio, Feb. 22 — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton insisted Friday that she had not meant to signal surrender when she shook hands with Sen. Barack Obama during their Democratic presidential debate in Austin the night before.

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, Liberal Values, TIME: Swampland, Political Punch, The Page and Time