memeorandum: John McCain clearly the best in GOP primary (The State)

10:55 PM ET, January 12, 2008

Top Items:

George W. Bush / Newsweek:

Sorry, Barack, You've lost Iraq. — Bush's efforts to negotiate a long-term U.S-Iraq pact may remove troops as an '08 election issue for Obama, Clinton. — Camp Arifjan in the desert kingdom of Kuwait, America's depot to the Iraq war, feels about as far away as you can get from South Carolina …

Discussion: Wizbang, MoJoBlog, Wake up America, Redstate, UrbanGrounds, Middle Earth Journal, Blue Crab Boulevard, The Strata-Sphere, QandO, Cliff Schecter and RADAMISTO

Gateway Pundit:
VICTORY!... In Kuwait Bush Claims Surge a Huge Success! (Video)

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, The Strata-Sphere and Jules Crittenden

The State:

John McCain clearly the best in GOP primary — FOR SOUTH CAROLINA, and to some extent for the nation, the choice among Republican candidates for president has come down to two men. — First Rudy Giuliani, then Mitt Romney looked at political realities and fled the Palmetto State, deciding their priorities lay elsewhere.

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, The Swamp, Macsmind and race42008.com

Robert Novak / Real Clear Politics:

Women vs. Oprah — WASHINGTON, D.C. — The absence of Oprah Winfrey from the frantic four last days of the New Hampshire primary campaign after her heavy schedule in Iowa backing Sen. Barack Obama may be traced to heavy, unaccustomed post-Iowa abuse of the popular entertainment superstar by women.

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, Tom Watson, The Carpetbagger Report, No More Mister Nice Blog and Bookworm Room

Ed Morrissey / Captain's Quarters:
Joe Won't Be The Veep Pick For McCain

Discussion: PSoTD and PoliGazette

Francis Wilkinson / New York Times:
Fighting to Lose — Nyack, N.Y. — IF parts of Hillary …

Discussion: The Carpetbagger Report, Liberal Values and The Plank

Mark Steyn / The Corner:

“The last house of worship torched in Edmonton was my synagogue” — I've been in the wilds away from the Internet all day, but I wanted to draw attention to this - yesterday's interrogation of my old boss Ezra Levant by one of Canada's many “human rights commissions” for publishing the Danish cartoons.

Discussion: Transterrestrial Musings and Ezra Levant

Little Green Footballs:

Outrage of the Week: Canadian Publisher Persecuted for Mindcrime — An excellent opening statement by Ezra Levant, at his Canadian Human Rights Commission “hearing” for publishing the Danish cartoons of blasphemy. This hearing is an outrage, and Levant is brilliant here.

Discussion: The Jawa Report, Hot Air and Ed Driscoll.com

Ezra Levant:

Kangaroo court — I have just returned home from my session at the kangaroo court, called the Alberta human rights commission. Here is my opening statement that I delivered at the interrogation. I will post more details about the interrogation soon.

Discussion: Atlas Shrugs, Jay Currie and Samizdata.net

New York Times:

Across America, Deadly Echoes of Foreign Battles — Late one night in the summer of 2005, Matthew Sepi, a 20-year-old Iraq combat veteran, headed out to a 7-Eleven in the seedy Las Vegas neighborhood where he had settled after leaving the Army. — This particular 7-Eleven sits in the shadow …

Discussion: Eschaton, Media Mythbusters Blog and Cliff Schecter

Steve Friess / New York Times:

Teachers Sue to Block Hotel Workers' Union Vote in Nevada Caucus — LAS VEGAS — Nevada's state teachers union and six Las Vegas area residents filed a lawsuit late Friday that could make it harder for many members of the state's huge hotel workers union to vote in the hotly contested Jan. 19 Democratic caucus in Nevada.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Moderate Voice, The Trail, TalkLeft, Daily Kos, Blue Crab Boulevard, protein wisdom, Taylor Marsh, Las Vegas Sun and Ben Smith's Blogs

Steven Greenhouse / New York Times: Unions Pouring Resources Into Nevada Caucus Fight

Brendan Montague / Times of London:

Anti-war Soros funded Iraq study — A STUDY that claimed 650,000 people were killed as a result of the invasion of Iraq was partly funded by the antiwar billionaire George Soros. — Soros, 77, provided almost half the £50,000 cost of the research, which appeared in The Lancet, the medical journal.

Discussion: The Jawa Report, Blue Crab Boulevard, Gateway Pundit and NewsBusters.org

New York Times:

Clinton Accuses Obama Camp of Distorting Her Words — RENO, Nev. — Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton on Saturday accused Senator Barack Obama's campaign of distorting remarks she made to suggest that she had cast aspersions on the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Discussion: Gateway Pundit and Riehl World View

Wayne Washington / The State:

Clinton camp hits Obama | Attacks ‘painful’ for black voters — Many in state offended by criticism of Obama, remarks about King — Sharp criticism of Barack Obama and other comments about Martin Luther King Jr. — all from people associated with Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign …

Discussion: Wake up America, American Street, The Caucus, ScrappleFace, QandO and Outside The Beltway

Ryan Lizza / New Yorker:
MINORITY REPORTS — After New Hampshire, a hint of racial politics.

Discussion: American Street and Ben Smith's Blogs

Meghan Daum / Los Angeles Times:
Hillary's gotta have it — In courting the voters, maybe she should play by ‘The Rules.’

Discussion: Unqualified Offerings

Hotline On Call:

Nelson For Obama — Sen. Ben Nelson today endorsed Barack Obama for president, saying that he can appeal to voters across the political spectrum. — “Those of us on both sides of the aisle who have made it our purpose to set aside partisanship to address some of the important issues …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice and The Trail

Big Tent Democrat / TalkLeft:
Ben Nelson To Endorse Obama

Discussion: DownWithTyranny! and KETV Omaha's Channel 7

Jake Thompson / Omaha World-Herald:
Nelson's support shows broad Obama appeal

Discussion: Don Surber and Daily Kos

stephenbainbridge.com:

Red State Update Apologizes to Fred Thompson — I love these guys:

The Big Trunk / Power Line:
AN APOLOGY TO FRED THOMPSON

Discussion: Knowledge is Power

David D. Kirkpatrick / New York Times:

Young Evangelicals Embrace Huckabee as Old Guard Balks — WASHINGTON — Much of the national leadership of the Christian conservative movement has turned a cold shoulder to the Republican presidential campaign of Mike Huckabee, wary of his populist approach to economic issues and his criticism …

Discussion: TalkLeft, protein wisdom and JunkYardBlog

Paul Vitello / New York Times:

A Combative Thompson Sways Voters — MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — John and Ann Berenberk dutifully watched the umpteenth Republican presidential debate on television on Thursday night and had an epiphany. It was about the candidate they had previously referred to as the tall, silent one. Fred D. Thompson.

Discussion: Riehl World View, CBS News, The Politico, michellemalkin.com, Right Wing Nut House, QandO, Fausta's blog, Wake up America, Redstate, Fred File, Hot Air, Daily Pundit and PoliGazette

Wall Street Journal:

JOURNAL EDITORIAL REPORT — A transcript of the weekend's program: With Iowa done, the candidates look toward New Hampshire. Paul Gigot interviews Sen. John Sununu, and the panel sizes up the contenders. Tune in this weekend for more: FOX News Channel, Saturday 11 p.m. and Sunday 6 a.m. ET.

Discussion: Maggie's Farm