memeorandum: Clinton justifies war vote, hits Obama (Domenico Montanaro/MSNBC)

2:45 PM ET, January 13, 2008

Top Items:

Hillary Clinton attacks Barack Obama — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) said on NBC's “Meet the Press” today that the presidential campaign of Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) was “deliberately distorting” remarks she had made about the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King.

Discussion: The Daily Dish, Redstate, Irish Trojan in Tennessee, Balloon Juice and New York Times

Mike Allen / The Politico:

Durbin warns Bill Clinton — Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.), the second-ranking party leader in the Senate, says President Bill Clinton's comments about Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) are getting “too personal” and called on the former president to refrain from attacking Obama's integrity.

Discussion: TalkLeft, Matthew Yglesias, Redstate, The Democratic Daily, Riehl World View, Sister Toldjah, Booman Tribune and Liberal Values

Chris Cillizza / The Fix:

Obama Slams Clinton's ‘Meet’ Appearance — Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) dismissed an appearance made by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) on “Meet the Press” this morning as “political point scoring,” condemning his main rival for the Democratic presidential nomination for seeking to recast the events of the last several years.

Discussion: TalkLeft and Firedoglake

The Fact Hub:

On Meet the Press, Hillary Examines Sen. Obama On Iraq — Sen. Obama's campaign is based on a clear premise: he gave a speech on the Iraq war in 2002 and has unequivocally opposed the war every year since. On Meet the Press, Hillary raised questions about Sen. Obama's record on Iraq:

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blogs, Brave New Films blog and The Page

Domenico Montanaro / MSNBC:

Clinton justifies war vote, hits Obama — From NBC's Domenico Montanaro — Clinton justified her 2002 Iraq war vote again on Meet the Press, saying that she “thought it was a vote to put inspectors back in” so Saddam Hussein could not go unchecked. She insisted that she was …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice

Deirdre Shesgreen / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

McCaskill endorses Obama — WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill endorsed Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama on Sunday, calling him “an extraordinary man at an extraordinary time in history." — McCaskill said she would do “everything I can” to make sure he wins the Missouri primary and the party's nomination.

Discussion: The Swamp, Obsidian Wings, PSoTD and Political Radar

Phillip Elliott / Associated Press:
Clinton blames Obama camp over remark

Discussion: skippy the bush kangaroo

Sam Hananel / Associated Press:
AP: Sen. McCaskill to endorse Obama

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias, Donklephant, Marc Ambinder and Washington Post

Mark R. Levin / The Corner:

Deplorable Campaigning — Mike Huckabee: “Many of us who have been Republicans out of conviction . . . the social conservatives,” he told reporters, “were welcomed in the party as long as we sort of kept our place, but Lord help us if we ever stood forward and said we would actually like to lead the party.”

Discussion: Right Wing News

Washington Post:

Huckabee: Evangelical Christians Now Have a Chance to Lead GOP — Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee touted his candidacy Saturday as a chance for evangelical Christians to lead the Republican Party rather than just support its candidates. — “I don't presume that you automatically support …

Discussion: The Daily Dish, The Caucus and Balloon Juice

Jim Davenport / Associated Press:
Thompson keeps up Huckabee criticism

Discussion: Fred File and Riehl World View

Steven Thomma / McClatchy Washington Bureau:

Romney leads McCain in Michigan, poll shows — WASHINGTON — Mitt Romney leads John McCain days before a potentially pivotal Republican primary in Michigan, with Romney's business experience and home-state ties apparently helping in a state where the economy is taking center stage, according to a new McClatchy-MSNBC poll.

Rebecca Sinderbrand / CNN:
Poll: Eventual GOP nominee faces tough general election

Discussion: michellemalkin.com and Middle Earth Journal

Mike Allen / The Politico:
Romney leads McCain in Michigan poll

Discussion: The Swamp, Hot Air, Los Angeles Times, PoliGazette, UNCoRRELATED, Detroit News, Riehl World View, TownHall Blog and Cogitamus

Andante Higgins / CBS News:
McCain Cheered - and Jeered - in Michigan

Discussion: Macsmind

Chris Christoff / Detroit Free Press:
Romney is top choice for GOP in Tuesday primary, poll shows

Discussion: American Power, New York Times, The Moderate Voice and MyDD

Caitlin Flanagan / New York Times:

Sex and the Teenage Girl — THE movie “Juno” is a fairy tale about a pregnant teenager who decides to have her baby, place it for adoption and then get on with her life. For the most part, the tone of the movie is comedic and jolly, but there is a moment when Juno tells her father about her condition …

Discussion: Pandagon, Publius Pundit, Whiskey Fire, Lawyers, Guns and Money and Vox Popoli

Glenn Greenwald / Salon:

The Noxious Fruits of Hate Speech laws — (updated below) — I've written several times before about the oppressive, dangerous hate speech laws which are common — increasingly so — in both Canada and Europe, whereby the Government is empowered to punish as criminals citizens …

Discussion: National Post and Ezra Levant

The Big Trunk / Power Line:
A CASE STUDY IN RESISTANCE

Discussion: The Corner, AMERICAN DIGEST and Ezra Levant

Ross Douthat:

Liberal Fascism And Its Critics — Here is some free advice for liberals who don't care much for Jonah Goldberg or his (bestselling) new volume: Either confine yourself to dismissive snark, of the sort perfected by my colleague Matt, or buckle down and actually read the damn thing.

Discussion: The Impolitic and Liberal Fascism

Tyler Cowen / New York Times:

So We Thought. But Then Again . . . HARRY S TRUMAN once said he wanted to talk to a one-armed economist, “so that the guy could never make a statement and then say: ‘on the other hand.’ ” Yet economic knowledge continues to progress in unexpected ways. Here are a few of the things we learned in the last 12 months:

Discussion: The Big Picture, Grasping Reality … and Marginal Revolution

Jonah Goldberg / Washington Post:

Cloudy Fortunes for Conservatism — Well, this wasn't the plan. — As pretty much everyone has noticed, the Republican race hasn't exactly followed any of the scripts laid out for it. Mitt Romney has been hacked apart like the Black Knight in “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.”

Discussion: The Corner, Redstate, Shakespeare's Sister, Sadly, No!, The Carpetbagger Report and American Power

Sen. Hillary Clinton / MSNBC:

‘Meet the Press’ transcript for Jan. 13, 2008 — MR. TIM RUSSERT: Our issues this Sunday: Obama wins Iowa. — (Videotape): — SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL): Thank you, Iowa. — MR. RUSSERT: Clinton wins New Hampshire. — (Videotape): — SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D-NY) …

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blogs and The Corner

Armed Liberal / Winds of Change.NET:

The Media Does It Again — Today, the NY Times has the first part of a special series - War Torn:Across America, Deadly Echoes of Foreign Battles. It appears that the troops are coming home and becoming murderers. … And we're presented with a litany of tragedy.