memeorandum: Spinning the Bloodshed in Basra (Dan Froomkin/Washington Post)

4:50 AM ET, March 28, 2008

Top Items:

Obama Weathers the Wright Storm, Clinton Faces Credibility Problem — National Discontent Approaches 20-Year High, Bush Approval at 28% — Summary of Findings — The videos of Rev. Jeremiah Wright's controversial sermons and Barack Obama's subsequent speech on race and politics …

Discussion: Washington Wire, Bang the Drum, The Huffington Post, PewResearch.org, Daily Kos, The Trail, The New Republic, USA Today, Associated Press, Liberty Street, Taylor Marsh, Attytood, American Street, American Power, TPM Election Central and Taegan Goddard's …

CNN:

Clinton tells Democrats: Don't vote for McCain — FAYETTEVILLE, North Carolina (CNN) - Hillary Clinton pleaded for partisan unity on Thursday, urging Democrats not to abandon their party to vote for John McCain if their preferred candidate fails to secure the nomination.

Discussion: MyDD, TPM Election Central, The Moderate Voice, Political Machine, Middle Earth Journal, Wake up America, Whiskey Fire, Buck Naked Politics, Cliff Schecter.com and The Newshoggers

Southern Political Report:

New InsiderAdvantage Poll — Obama Leads Big In North Carolina — Hillary Clinton desperately needs to claim more white votes if she is to win a desperately needed primary by taking the Democratic presidential contest in North Carolina May 6. — But with five weeks to go …

Discussion: CNN, The Newshoggers, Balloon Juice and The Moderate Voice

Frank Newport / Gallup:
Democratic Groups Most at Risk of Deserting

Discussion: Stumper, The Fix, Marc Ambinder and protein wisdom

Beth Fouhy / Associated Press:
Clinton, Obama predict eventual unity

Discussion: The Democratic Daily and Jonathan Martin's Blogs

Gallup: Gallup Daily: Obama Now at 48% to Clinton 44%

CNN:

Analysis: Al-Sadr in trouble, Iraq headed for meltdown — (CNN) — The fighting among Shiite militias and government troops in Basra is a glimpse of Iraq's future, and pivotal cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is in deep trouble, according to two CNN correspondents and a CNN military analyst.

Discussion: Times of London, Informed Comment, Reuters, Donklephant, The Belmont Club and Hot Air

Washington Post:

U.S. Armor Forces Join Offensive In Baghdad Against Sadr Militia — Americans Appear To Take the Lead As Iraqi Units Wait — U.S. forces in armored vehicles battled Mahdi Army fighters Thursday in Sadr City, the vast Shiite stronghold in eastern Baghdad, as an offensive to quell party-backed militias entered its third day.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Newshoggers, abu muqawama, Reuters and Washington Monthly

Dan Froomkin / Washington Post:
Spinning the Bloodshed in Basra

Discussion: American Street, McClatchy Washington Bureau, AMERICAblog, Associated Press, Booman Tribune and Counterterrorism Blog

Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
Fred Kagan on Monday: “The civil war in Iraq is over”

Discussion: DownWithTyranny!, Crooks and Liars, Needlenose, Liberal Fascism and American Footprints

Fester / The Newshoggers:
Basra Force Ratios

Discussion: Time, Times of London and Balloon Juice

New York Times:
Thousands in Baghdad Protest Basra Assault

Discussion: Big Lizards, Daily Kos, PoliBlog (TM) and Angry Bear

James Hider / Times of London: Iraqi police in Basra shed their uniforms, kept their rifles and switched sides

Abu Aardvark:
another theory for the pile

Discussion: asharq-e.com, KIKO'S HOUSE, Swampland, Outside The Beltway, American Footprints, missing links, Weekly Standard Blog and Danger Room

Associated Press:

Obama would have left if Wright stayed — WASHINGTON - White House hopeful Barack Obama suggests he would have left his Chicago church had his longtime pastor, whose fiery anti-American comments about U.S. foreign policy and race relations threatened Obama's campaign, not stepped down.

Discussion: ABCNEWS, JustOneMinute, Taylor Marsh, Don Surber, Redstate, The Caucus, Sweetness & Light and Cliff Schecter.com

Amanda / Think Progress:

EXCLUSIVE: McCain's Foreign Affairs Speech Plagiarizes 1996 Address By Adm. Timothy Ziemer (UPDATED) — EXCLUSIVE: McCain's Foreign Affairs Speech 1996 Address By Adm. Timothy Ziemer (UPDATED) … Yesterday, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) gave a foreign policy speech to the Los Angeles World Affairs Council.

Discussion: JustOneMinute, The Washington Independent, Weekly Standard Blog, TownHall Blog, Matthew Yglesias, The Swamp and Macsmind

al.com:

Siegelman to be released from prison, Scrushy must stay in — MONTGOMERY — A federal appellate court today ordered former Gov. Don Siegelman released from prison while he appeals his 2006 conviction, but denied co-defendant Richard Scrushy's request to be released.

Discussion: TPMMuckraker, Blue Girl, Red State, Cliff Schecter.com, Oliver Willis, The Washington Independent, American Street, Hullabaloo and Middle Earth Journal

Adam Nossiter / New York Times:
Court Orders Release of Ex-Governor From Prison

Discussion: The Raw Story, Buck Naked Politics, TalkLeft and Facing South

Lindsay Renick Mayer / Capital Eye:

Democratic Donors Send $24 Million Letter to Pelosi — Major fundraisers, who support Hillary Clinton, urge the Speaker of the House not to meddle with superdelegate votes—and millions of dollars are behind their message. — Prominent backers of Hillary Clinton sent a multi-million-dollar message …

Discussion: Boston Globe, The Corner, The Mahablog, Fox News, The Caucus, Washington Wire, The Trail and Spin Cycle

Marc Ambinder:
Clinton Donors Circulate Florida/Michigan Petition

Discussion: Open Left, Taylor Marsh, Daily Kos and The Page

Mark Halperin / The Page:

Transcript of Dodd's Interview With National Journal — Q: As I mentioned earlier, you were the General Chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Now, you know that a lot of Democrats feel that this increasingly bitter race between Obama and Clinton is hurting the party.

Discussion: Commentary

NationalJournal.com:
Transcript: Sen. Christopher Dodd On The Fight For The Democratic Nomination

Discussion: Liberal Values

Greg Risling / Associated Press:

Woman says TSA forced piercings removal — LOS ANGELES - A Texas woman who said she was forced to remove a nipple ring with pliers in order to board an airplane called Thursday for an apology by federal security agents and a civil rights investigation. — “I wouldn't wish this experience upon anyone …

Discussion: PoliBlog (TM)

Fox News:

Obama's Former Pastor Getting $1.6M Home in Retirement — This was supposed to be the week that the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr. returned to the pulpit to preach for the first time since his anti-American sermons generated nationwide outrage and drew condemnation from his longtime parishioner, Barack Obama.

Discussion: Gateway Pundit, BizzyBlog, Sweetness & Light and THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS

Slate:

The Hillary Deathwatch — GAUGING THE ODDS THAT CLINTON WILL WIN THE NOMINATION. — Hillary Clinton is as good as dead. This became the consensus over the past week, when the media awoke en masse to the dual reality that 1) Clinton can't close the pledged-delegate gap and 2) Obama has her beat in the popular vote.

Discussion: Spin Cycle, The New Republic, Brendan Nyhan, Tim Blair and Patterico's Pontifications

Steven Emerson / Articles by the Investigative Project …:

Exclusive Photos Show Al-Hanooti's Political Clout — Before he was alleged to have become a spy for Saddam Hussein's regime, Muthanna Al-Hanooti's charity work and political activism provided him with access to the highest echelons of government. — Newsletters collected by the Investigative Project …

Discussion: Hot Air, Little Green Footballs, Israpundit, On Deadline and Counterterrorism Blog