memeorandum: Clinton campaign retools delegate math (Christina Bellantoni/Washington Times)

12:10 PM ET, May 6, 2008

Top Items:

DANGER DAY: HILLARY FACES ‘15-POINT DEFEAT’ IN NC; SEES INDIANA WIN — Hillary Clinton's inner circle now fears a stinging defeat is likely in North Carolina. — “Look, we worked hard and gave it our best shot, but the demographics, well, they are what they are,” a top campaign source explained …

Discussion: The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, The New Republic, Salon, The Strata-Sphere, The Page, Donklephant and Confederate Yankee

Zogby:

Zogby Poll: Obama Expands Lead in NC; Dems Still Biting Nails in Indiana! — Obama enjoys a strong final day of polling before the elections — UTICA, New York—On the strength of good polling numbers on the final day before the primary elections in Indiana and North Carolina …

Discussion: TalkLeft, The Field, The Opinionator, The Moderate Voice, US News, The New Republic, Daily Kos, CCPSBlog, MyDD, Boston Globe, Open Left, Pollster.com, Donklephant, Charlotte Observer and SurveyUSA

Dan Balz / Washington Post:

Eight Questions About Today's Primaries — Has Obama put the Rev. Jeremiah Wright controversy behind him? — 1. Barack Obama dealt forcefully with the issue last Tuesday, breaking with his former pastor and denouncing his words in strong language. Many Democrats think he's done the best …

Discussion: ipsos-na.com, protein wisdom, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, New York Post, The Caucus, MSNBC, michellemalkin.com, AMERICAblog, American Power, The Page and marbury

ABCNEWS:

Obama Heats Up Indiana, North Carolina Primaries — Sen. Barack Obama Addresses Wright Controversy, Clinton's Claims — On the eve of two crucial primaries in Indiana and North Carolina, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., campaigned across both states in a last-ditch effort to woo undecided voters …

Discussion: RADAMISTO

E. J. Dionne Jr / Washington Post:

Obama vs. Clinton 2.0 — ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. — At this crucial moment, the Democratic presidential battle is a puzzle wrapped in two ironies. — The first: Hillary Clinton found a compelling voice and a plausible strategy only after she had squandered her chances of winning the nomination without …

Discussion: protein wisdom and Hot Air

Peter St. Onge / Charlotte Observer:

Polls open in North Carolina — Some long lines reported — pstonge@charlotteobserver.com; slyttle@charlotteobserver.com — Long lines were reported this morning at some polling places across North Carolina in the state's first significant presidential primary election in two decades.

Discussion: Sister Toldjah, Open Left and The Page

Carrie Budoff Brown / The Politico:
... and in North Carolina — If Barack Obama's late decision …

Discussion: Democratic Strategist

David Brooks / New York Times:

Combat and Composure — Life is short, but campaigns are long. And during the course of them, each candidate will have impressive and pathetic moments. But underlying the highs and lows, there are the fundamentals. The fundamentals of the Obama-Clinton race were on display Sunday morning.

Discussion: Spin Cycle, Connecting.the.Dots, The Fact Hub, Brendan Nyhan, Chronicle of the Conspiracy, TPMCafe and No More Mister Nice Blog

Jill Zuckman / The Swamp:

McCain on Obama: “Too lofty” on judges — While we await results in Indiana and North Carolina today, Sen. John McCain appears to expect that Sen. Barack Obama will win the Democratic nomination for president. — During a speech today on his judicial philosophy at Wake Forest University …

Discussion: Jonathan Martin's Blogs, New York Times and The Caucus

Marc Ambinder:
What McCain's Speech Isn't About — Journalists who pressed …

Discussion: TownHall Blog

CNN:
McCain touts ‘Gang of 14,’ immigration reform

Discussion: The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, Hot Air and michellemalkin.com

Juan Cole / Informed Comment:

Khatami's Charges Provoke Row in Iran: How Important is Iranian/ Hizbullah Training — Khatami's Charges Provoke Row in Iran: — How Important is Iranian/ Hizbullah Training — Former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami has caused a firestorm of criticism in Iran. AFP writes:

Discussion: Agence France Presse, Swampland, Attackerman and Gateway Pundit

Ned Parker / Los Angeles Times:
Iraqi militia commanders harden stance toward U.S.

Discussion: Washington Monthly and The Strata-Sphere

The Big Trunk / Power Line:

MICHELLE OBAMA'S GOSPEL OF BITTERNESS — This past Friday Michelle Obama gave essentially the same stump speech in Charlotte, North Carolina that she had given the week earlier in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Based on the stump speech, Yuval Levin calls Mrs. Obama “The unhappiest millionaire.”

Discussion: National Review, QandO and PrestoPundit

Dana Milbank / Washington Post:

It's About Nothing — Dispatches from the twilight of a presidency: — 7:13 a.m.: The South Lawn. President Bush, determined to dispel doubts about his relevance, grants an early-morning interview to Robin Roberts of ABC News's “Good Morning America.” Joined by the first lady …

Discussion: The Corner, The New Republic, The Poor Man Institute and Dependable Renegade

George Frost / Salon:

Obama is wrong about the gas tax — Think Clinton's plan to suspend the gas tax temporarily is a bad idea? A similar measure in Illinois — which Obama backed — seems to have helped consumers. — Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has repeatedly accused rival Hillary Clinton of …

Discussion: MyDD, The Confluence, CANNONFIRE and Buck Naked Politics

David Goldman / CNNMoney.com:
$5 gas near, 78% of Americans say

Discussion: DownWithTyranny!, Buck Naked Politics, Outside The Beltway and The Democratic Daily

Juliet Eilperin / The Trail:

McCain Addresses Charlotte Chamber of Commerce — CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A day before North Carolinians head to the polls, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) addressed Charlotte's Chamber of Commerce on slew of business-oriented issues. — Since McCain isn't worried about Tuesday's primary …

Discussion: QandO

Jazz Shaw / The Moderate Voice: For McCain, There Goes the Roofers' Vote

Libby Copeland / Washington Post:

Middletown, Teetering On the Divide — An Indiana City With an Average Past Anxiously Faces an Uncertain Future — In the 1920s, two amateur sociologists went searching for a city that was singularly unexceptional. They wound up here. — They made a study of Muncie …

Discussion: PSoTD

Daily Mail:

You hippy-crites! When it comes to saving the planet do celebrities practise what they preach? — Is the hot air emitted by celebrities when they spout ecological platitudes a greenhouse gas? — If so, then the melting of the polar ice caps just moved a step closer, following calls by Trudie Styler …

Discussion: NewsBusters.org

Dan Collins / protein wisdom:

The Fempest [Dan Collins; UPDATE] — Thor notifies me of more delectable fallout from Amandaquiddick: namely, she's been accused of stealing ideas from women-of-color feminist bloggers and peddling it as her own. This leads us to the general victimology premise:

Discussion: Don Surber and QandO

Christina Bellantoni / Washington Times:

Clinton campaign retools delegate math — DURHAM, N.C. — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign yesterday tried to redefine the delegate math for securing the Democratic presidential nomination, signaling its willingness to wage a divisive battle with front-runner Sen. Barack Obama through the summer.

Discussion: TalkLeft and Donklephant

Christian Grantham / Nashville is Talking:

Bible Theme Park Backer Photographed Women For Adult Magazines — One of the backers of the proposed Bible Theme Park USA in Murfreesboro is a very successful businessman but was once more known for his photographs of cover girls and “Pets of the Month” for Penthouse Magazine.

Discussion: The Huffington Post and KnoxViews