memeorandum: Sen. Warner avoids backing would-be GOP successor (The Hill)

11:05 AM ET, June 5, 2008

Top Items:

Jeanne Cummings / The Politico:

GOP fears Obama's money machine — With Hillary Clinton's campaign coming to an end this weekend, Barack Obama's rise as the Democratic nominee brings serious bad news to a new group — John McCain's finance team. — A review of campaign finance data offers not one ounce of good news …

Discussion: The Caucus, MSNBC, TIME.com and Real Clear Politics

Sam Stein / The Huffington Post:

McCain Rips Off Obama's Slogan And Logo — Is John McCain trying to be the older, whiter, more conservative Barack Obama? — On Tuesday, the Senator co-opted the slogan that has come to personify Obama's candidacy, taking the Illinois Democrat's “Change You Can Believe In” and altering it into “A Leader You Can Believe In.”

Discussion: Daily Kos, Nukes & Spooks and Threat Level

John Kass / Chicago Tribune:
Rezko is not just Obama's problem—he's the GOP's

Discussion: Emptywheel and Associated Press

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
GOP roots for Clinton

Discussion: The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, The Swamp, No More Mister Nice Blog, Hot Air and The Plank

Los Angeles Times:
Obama has cash advantage over McCain

Discussion: TIME.com

Jackie Calmes / Wall Street Journal:

Clinton Unlikely as No. 2 — Concession Expected Saturday; Obama Camp Discounts VP Talk — WASHINGTON — Supporters of Sen. Hillary Clinton suggested she would like to be Sen. Barack Obama's running mate, but close advisers to Sen. Obama are signaling that an Obama-Clinton ticket is highly unlikely.

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias, Comments from Left Field, the talking dog, Commentary, Roger L. Simon, PSoTD, Donklephant and Top of the Ticket

Washington Post:

Clinton Pullout Likely Saturday — Endorsement of Obama, Bid for VP Slot Seen — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is likely to suspend her presidential campaign on Saturday and endorse Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic Party's presumptive nominee, according to informed sources …

Discussion: The Politico, NY Daily News, New York Times, MSNBC, Law Blog, The Carpetbagger Report, Electoral-vote.com, Comments from Left Field, Wizbang, The Stump, PoliGazette, Boston Globe and Capitol Briefing

The Politico:

Dems struggle to heal wounds on Hill — Party unity may have been the theme of the day for Democrats on Wednesday, but as Barack Obama made his victory lap on Capitol Hill, there was no road map for how to heal the party's wounds, and Hillary Rodham Clinton's supporters — like the candidate herself …

Discussion: The Caucus, TIME.com, Los Angeles Times and New York Times

Washington Post:
‘She Could Accept Losing. She Could Not Accept Quitting.’

Discussion: New York Times, The Fix and The Stump

MinnPost:
Clinton supporters wowed with warm reception at Obama rally

Discussion: Balloon Juice, AMERICAblog, ABCNEWS, The Field and The Democratic Daily

The Hill:

Sen. Warner avoids backing would-be GOP successor — Sen. John Warner (R-Va.) is avoiding an endorsement in the closely watched Senate contest to succeed him, so far declining to support fellow Republican Jim Gilmore several days after the former Virginia governor clinched the GOP nomination.

Discussion: The Swamp, Ben Smith's Blogs, MyDD, The Plank and TPM Election Central

Mark Murray / MSNBC:

FIRST THOUGHTS: OBAMA'S WIDER MAP — From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro — *** Obama's wider map: About two months ago, we unveiled our early look at the electoral map. And this being the second official day of the general election, now's as good a time as any to see where we stand in the McCain vs. Obama race.

Discussion: Taegan Goddard's … and TPM Election Central

inRich.com:

Three Va. figures probably long shots for VP — These days Virginia looks like the mother of vice presidents. — But it could be a long shot for one to surpass such prospects as Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. — The state's top three Democrats — Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, U.S. Sen. Jim Webb …

Discussion: Associated Press and TIME.com

Sam Stein / The Huffington Post:

Obama In Heated Conversation With Lieberman — Update: Obama and Lieberman had a heated conversation on the floor of the Senate later today. Details below. — Senator Joe Lieberman, serving aptly as John McCain's foreign policy attack dog, jumped on a conference call with reporters …

Discussion: CNN, The Carpetbagger Report, The Sideshow, The Impolitic and D-Day

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
CONVERSATION

Discussion: TBogg, Riehl World View and Wonkette

Matthew DeLong / The Washington Independent:
Lieberman Questions Obama's Judgment On Iran and Israel

Discussion: Crooks and Liars and Attackerman

Karen Tumulty / Time:

How Obama Did It — Barack Obama was campaigning last October in South Carolina when he got an urgent call from Penny Pritzker, the hotel heiress who leads his campaign's finance committee. About 200 of his biggest fund raisers were meeting in Des Moines, Iowa, and among them, near panic was setting in.

Discussion: The Huffington Post and Swampland

Andrew Malcolm / Top of the Ticket:
Inside Hillary Clinton's decision to quit: The 5 hidden emotional stages

Discussion: FP Passport, Salon, Patterico's Pontifications and The Washington Independent

Greg Gordon / McClatchy Washington Bureau:
Clinton's dilemma: Awash in both cash and debt

Discussion: Eschaton

ABCNEWS:
Clinton Will Drop Out of Presidential Race

Marcus Mabry / New York Times:

Many Blacks Find Joy in Unexpected Breakthrough — Kwabena Sam-Brew, a 38-year-old immigrant from Ghana, doubted that Nana, his 5-year-old American-born daughter, would remember the rally that effectively crowned Senator Barack Obama as the Democratic nominee Tuesday night.

Discussion: JustOneMinute, Althouse and AMERICAblog

Wall Street Journal:
Democrats Hoping For ‘Obama Effect’

Discussion: The Caucus

Hilary Bok / Washington Monthly:
HISTORY... I didn't support Barack Obama because of his race.

Discussion: Newshoggers.com and Eschaton

Robert M. Goldberg / New York Post:

HOW ‘LIBERAL’ CARE WOULD KILL TED — IRONICALLY enough, the dangers of the lib eral health-care agenda are being made clear by the care that a liberal icon, Sen. Ted Kennedy, has received since his brain seizure last month. — One day after an MRI detected a tumor, Kennedy was quickly diagnosed …

Discussion: Don Surber, Rhymes With Right and Betsy's Page

CBS News:

CBS Poll: Obama Leads McCain — Obama Ahead By Six Points; But Many Clinton Voters Plan To Back McCain — (CBS) Presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama holds a six point lead over his Republican counterpart John McCain, a new CBS News poll finds. Obama leads McCain 48 percent …

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias, Taegan Goddard's …, Think Progress, The Carpetbagger Report, Rising Hegemon, Daily Kos and TPM Election Central

George F. Will / Washington Post:

The Gas Prices We Deserve — Rising in the Senate on May 13, Chuck Schumer, the New York Democrat, explained: “I rise to discuss rising energy prices.” The president was heading to Saudi Arabia to seek an increase in its oil production, and Schumer's gorge was rising.

Patrick Cockburn / The Independent:

Revealed: Secret plan to keep Iraq under US control — Bush wants 50 military bases, control of Iraqi airspace and legal immunity for all American soldiers and contractors — A secret deal being negotiated in Baghdad would perpetuate the American military occupation of Iraq indefinitely …

Discussion: VetVoice, The Swamp, Attackerman, Philly.com, Informed Comment, Rising Hegemon, Newshoggers.com and Think Progress

Kevin Sullivan / Washington Post:

Overseas, Excitement Over Obama — In Presumptive Nominee, Many See Chance for New Direction and New Attitude — For much of the world, Sen. Barack Obama's victory in the Democratic primaries was a moment to admire the United States at a time when the nation's image abroad has been seriously damaged.

Discussion: The Daily Dish, Yourish.com, DownWithTyranny!, Associated Press and Commentary