memeorandum: China Shows Assertiveness in Weapons Test (Joseph Kahn/New York Times)

3:05 PM ET, January 20, 2007

Top Items:

Clinton Announces Step Toward '08 Bid — Six years after making history by winning a United States Senate seat as first lady, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton announced this morning that she was taking the first formal step to seek the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008 …

Discussion: The Carpetbagger Report, Booman Tribune, The News Blog, Outside The Beltway, Think Progress, Patrick Ruffini, Gothamist, A Blog For All, PoliBlog (TM), The Washington Note and PoliPundit.com

Dan Balz / Washington Post:

Sen. Clinton Launches 2008 Campaign — New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D) today announced she will establish a presidential exploratory committee, launching a 2008 campaign that could make her the first female president in history and the only former first lady to succeed her husband in the White House.

Discussion: Obsidian Wings, QandO, Blog P.I., Booman Tribune, Seeing the Forest, The Democratic Daily, BobGeiger.com, The American Street, Hotline On Call, The Swamp, The Heretik, The Impolitic, TalkLeft, Liberal Values, On Deadline and Rox Populi

Kevin Drum / Political Animal:

HILLARY FOR PRESIDENT?....So Hillary's in. John Podhoretz must be breaking out in a cold sweat right about now. Her decision to make the announcement on her website on a Saturday, rather than at a traditional press event on a weekday, was interesting, wasn't it?

Mark Finkelstein / NewsBusters.org:

Let's Go to the Video: When and Where Did Hillary Tape 'I'm In' Announcement? — If the timing came as a bit of surprise, nothing could have been less unexpected than Hillary's "I'm In" announcement of today. — But have a look at the video of her announcement.

Discussion: Reason Magazine, The Political Pit Bull, TPMCafe blogs, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Reaction, The Hillary Spot and Oliver Willis

CNN:

Hillary Clinton launches White House bid: 'I'm in' … WASHINGTON (CNN) — Sen. Hillary Clinton jumped into the fray as a 2008 presidential candidate with the words "I'm in" posted on her Web site. — "And I'm in to win," she added in a statement, announcing she has set up an exploratory committee …

Discussion: the talking dog

MSNBC:

Clinton: 'I'm in and I'm in to win' — Democratic senator discloses plans for presidential exploratory committee — NEW YORK - Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton unveiled her intentions to begin a widely anticipated campaign for the White House on Saturday.

Associated Press:

Clinton launches 2008 White House bid — NEW YORK - Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton embarked on a widely anticipated campaign for the White House on Saturday, a former first lady intent on becoming the first female president. "I'm in and I'm in to win," she said on her Web site.

Discussion: First Draft, Democratic Underground and Pandagon

New York Times:

Clinton Joins '08 Field, Fueling Race for Money — Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton jumped into the 2008 presidential race yesterday, immediately squaring off against Senator Barack Obama and the rest of the Democratic field in what is effectively the party's first primary, the competition for campaign donations.

Discussion: Political Insider

Nedra Pickler / Associated Press:

Richardson plans to take first step toward White House run — WASHINGTON (AP) - New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson intends to take the initial step toward the Democratic nomination, hoping his extensive resume will fuel an insurgent campaign to become the first Hispanic president.

Discussion: MyDD

Nedra Pickler / ABCNEWS:
Richardson to Launch Presidential Bid

Discussion: State of the Day

hillaryclinton.com:
Hillary Is the Democrats' Best Shot

Discussion: Dick Polman's American Debate

Captain Ed / Captain's Quarters:
Stop The Presses — Hillary Announces!

Discussion: Blogs of War

Washington Wire:
The Early Line on '08 — Democrats are poised to retain …

Discussion: Scared Monkeys

Taylor Marsh / The Huffington Post:
Clinton Announces for '08 on Web

Discussion: The Fix and Taylor Marsh

Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Video: Hillary's in — On a Saturday morning?

Discussion: Donklephant

James Gerstenzang / Los Angeles Times:
McCain's war stance alienates many

Discussion: The New Republic

Political Insider:
Clinton Campaign Memo

Discussion: The American Street

Mark Mazzetti / New York Times:

Leading Senator Assails President Over Iran Stance — The new chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee on Friday sharply criticized the Bush administration's increasingly combative stance toward Iran, saying that White House efforts to portray it as a growing threat are uncomfortably reminiscent …

Discussion: Prairie Weather, DownWithTyranny!, Associated Press, The Carpetbagger Report, Dr. Sanity, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES and Townhall.com Blog's …

Scott W. Johnson / Weekly Standard:

How Arafat Got Away with Murder — The State Department covered up his responsibility for the 1973 slaughter of two American diplomats. — Twenty years before he joined Bill Clinton and Yitzhak Rabin in Washington for that famous handshake—and proceeded to become Clinton's …

Discussion: Power Line

The Big Trunk / Power Line:
SCENES FROM A MISCARRIAGE — Thanks to John for his kind words …

Discussion: US Department of State

Nahal Toosi / Associated Press:

Former FEMA head in NYC: party politics played role in Katrina response — NEW YORK (AP) — Political storm clouds gathered again over the federal government's response to Hurricane Katrina as former Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Michael Brown said party politics influenced decisions …

Discussion: MyDD

Brian Braiker / Newsweek:

Dirge for a 'Surge' — In the latest NEWSWEEK poll Bush's approval rating remains at its all-time low as his plan to increase the number of U.S. troops in Iraq is met with widespread disapproval. Looking to '08, declared candidate Hillary Clinton is in a statistical dead heat with other potential nominees.

Discussion: Balloon Juice

George W. Bush / White House:

National Sanctity of Human Life Day, 2007 — A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America — America was founded on the principle that we are all endowed by our Creator with the right to life and that every individual has dignity and worth.

Discussion: BobGeiger.com

Benjamin Hufbauer / New York Times:

Archives of Spin — SINCE Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated the first federal presidential library — actually an archive and history museum — in 1941, each president has had a hand in developing his own memorial. The National Archives and Records Administration now oversees 11 presidential libraries …

Discussion: The Huffington Post