memeorandum: Henley Everywhere 2008alt. (Jim Henley/Unqualified Offerings)

5:55 AM ET, March 22, 2008

Top Items:

Story behind the story: The Clinton myth — One big fact has largely been lost in the recent coverage of the Democratic presidential race: Hillary Rodham Clinton has virtually no chance of winning. — Her own campaign acknowledges there is no way that she will finish ahead in pledged delegates.

New York Times:

First a Tense Talk With Clinton, Then Richardson Backs Obama — PORTLAND, Ore. — “I talked to Senator Clinton last night,” Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico said on Friday, describing the tense telephone call in which he informed Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton that, despite two months …

Discussion: PunditGuy

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

STEP 8: ACCEPTANCE? — This will probably bring the emails out of the woodwork. And that's fine; we can take it. But usually when we publish something that doesn't reflect well on either of the remaining Democratic candidates (was the same when Edwards was still in) we get a flood of really not very happy emails from readers.

Discussion: Cliff Schecter

Sam Stein / The Huffington Post:

Another Bill Clinton Moment On The Campaign Trail — Adding a bit of fuel to the political fire, Bill Clinton made a bizarre comment on Friday, leaving the impression that he believed Barack Obama's patriotism would be a general election issue. — MSNBC is reporting that on the campaign trail today …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Oliver Willis and The Reaction

Matt Apuzzo / Associated Press:

Obama aide: Bill Clinton like McCarthy — SALEM, Ore. - Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign is trying to clarify comments by former President Clinton that seemed to question Barack Obama's patriotism — comments an Obama aide likened to Joseph McCarthy. — Clinton's campaign said the comments …

Chuck Todd / MSNBC:
READING BETWEEN BILL CLINTON LINES ABOUT OBAMA?

Discussion: The Caucus and The Fact Hub

Marc Ambinder:
Stage Directions Anyone?

Discussion: Wonkette, Weekly Standard Blog, Hot Air, The Current, The Democratic Daily and Political Machine

Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Obama supporter Gen. McPeak calls Bill Clinton another Joe McCarthy

Discussion: Redstate and Gateway Pundit

WSJ.com:
Clinton Aide Says Richardson's Endorsement Is Insignificant

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, The Reaction, The Huffington Post, Matthew Yglesias, TPM Election Central, Wonkette, Donklephant, Balloon Juice, culturekitchen, AMERICAblog, Hotline On Call, Booman Tribune and CNN

Christopher Beam / Trailhead:
Clinton Facing Obstructed Path to the Nomination

Discussion: The Politico, The Caucus and Democratic Strategist

Ben Smith / The Politico:
Seeking, then downplaying, Richardson's endorsement

Discussion: The Swamp and The Page

Dan Balz / The Trail:
Five Ways the Richardson Endorsement Boosts Obama

Discussion: Prairie Weather, Cliff Schecter and THE LIBERAL JOURNAL

Greg Sargent / TPM Election Central:
Hillary Campaign “In The Red”

Discussion: The Caucus and MyDD

Mark Halperin / The Page: HALPERIN'S TAKE: Painful Things Hillary Clinton Knows — Or Should Know

The Huffington Post:

Mayhem At Fox News: Anchor Walks Off Set, Wallace Rails Network For “Obama-Bashing” — Fox News' very own anchors are speaking out — and walking off — over what they perceive to be “Obama-bashing” on their network. — This morning on “Fox and Friends,” Brian Kilmeade walked off the set …

Discussion: The Reaction, CANNONFIRE, Think Progress and the field negro

John Amato / Crooks and Liars:
Chris Wallace on FOX and Friends: “I heard enough Obama bashing”

Discussion: Left in the West

David Kurtz / Talking Points Memo:
AN UNLIKELY MESSENGER — Chris Wallace has had enough Faux News:

Discussion: Shakesville

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:
Obama campaign praises Wallace, says Fox has been “deeply irresponsible”

Discussion: Daily Kos, my.barackobama.com, NewsBusters.org, Think Progress and Hot Air

Roland S. Martin / CNN:

The full story behind Rev. Jeremiah Wright's 9/11 sermon — As this whole sordid episode regarding the sermons of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright has played out over the last week, I wanted to understand what he ACTUALLY said in this speech. I've been saying all week on CNN that context is important …

Discussion: MoJoBlog, The Mahatma X Files, NewsBusters.org and Cliff Schecter

Confederate Yankee:
Is [Anderson Cooper] Roland S. Martin Simply Making Things Up?

Discussion: Hot Air, Stop The ACLU and Weekly Standard Blog

Somini Sengupta / New York Times:

On Visit, Pelosi Offers Support to Dalai Lama — DHARAMSALA, India — As far as visits by American politicians go, it would be hard to stage a warmer reception. — Buddhist nuns waved American flags and the Dalai Lama ordered his followers to offer a standing ovation Friday morning as Nancy Pelosi …

Discussion: Winds of Change.NET

New York Times:
Bush Silent, but Others Speak Out on Tibet

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, The Independent and Times of London

Jim Henley / Unqualified Offerings:

Henley Everywhere 2008alt. — The following appeared this week in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Slate and The New Yorker in a parallel universe . . . How I Got It Right: Looking Back at a Time of Justified Opposition to a Mad, Violent Enterprise

John Cole / Balloon Juice:
My Iraq War Retrospective

Discussion: The Daily Dish, American Power, The Impolitic, Salon and Buck Naked Politics

CBS News:

CBS Poll: Good Reviews For Obama Speech — But Problems For Democratic Candidate Remain As Fewer Think He Could Unite The Country — (CBS) Sen. Barack Obama's speech on race this week, in which he discussed his relationship with Rev. Jeremiah Wright, his controversial longtime minister …

Discussion: Boston Globe, Donklephant and TPM Election Central

David Paul Kuhn / The Politico:

Edwards unlikely to endorse — John Edwards is unlikely to endorse either Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton before the nomination is decided, according to interviews with several members of the former candidate's inner circle. — At least three individuals who have recently spoken …

Discussion: Hot Air

Leslie Wayne / New York Times:

Democratic Donations Keep Pouring In, but for Clinton, There's a Catch — Democratic fund-raising continued at a breathtaking pace in February, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission, with candidates breaking records as soon as they were set.

Weekly Standard:

FDR's “indiscretions,” McCain's “gaffe,” etc. — The silver linings in any scandal, or so THE SCRAPBOOK has learned, are the more-in-sorrow-than-anger essays by friends and admirers of the person who's been caught with his hand in the till or sneaking out of the bedroom.

Discussion: The New Republic

Jacob Sullum / Reason Magazine:

Why Is Barack Obama Afraid of Decriminalization? — fYesterday I noted that the New Hampshire House of Representatives has voted to decriminalize possession of up to a quarter ounce of marijuana. (You can read more about that bill at the website of the New Hampshire Coalition for Common Sense Marijuana Policy.)

Discussion: Transterrestrial Musings