memeorandum: A VISIT TO THE INFIRMARY (Tim B./Tim Blair)

7:45 AM ET, January 15, 2008

Top Items:

Obama Damps Down Racial Controversy — ABC News' David Wright, Andy Fies, and Sunlen Miller Report: Sen. Barack Obama told ABC News Monday there is nothing in Sen. Hillary Clinton's record that would give him any cause for concern about her in terms of racial politics.

Discussion: Jules Crittenden, Irish Trojan in Tennessee, The Caucus, Taylor Marsh, Matthew Yglesias, The Trail, Tom Watson, Hullabaloo, TIME: Swampland, Ben Smith's Blogs, protein wisdom, Booman Tribune and TalkLeft

Patrick Healy / New York Times:

Clinton and Obama Call for Truce Over Dr. King Dispute — Speaking to black and Hispanic New Yorkers, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton tried on Monday to quell a controversy over race in the fight for the Democratic presidential nomination by praising the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr …

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:

Obama, putting out the fire — Carrie Budoff Brown has some key quotes from an Obama avail this afternoon in Reno, where he tried to put to rest the racially-charged name-calling. … His surrogates and a spokeswoman have, it's worth noting, participated in the recent round of criticism of the Clintons …

Discussion: Boston Globe, Firedoglake, Sisyphus Shrugged, Comments from Left Field, The Huffington Post, Marc Ambinder, The Democratic Daily, The Page and Riehl World View

Kenneth P. Vogel / The Politico:

Clinton booed at MLK rally in New York — NEW YORK, N.Y. — Dogged by continuing racial tensions around her presidential campaign, Hillary Rodham Clinton drew a smattering of boos on Monday when she spoke at a religiously tinged Martin Luther King Jr. rally put together by a union organizing predominantly black security workers.

Discussion: Gateway Pundit, Dr. Melissa Clouthier, Macsmind, New York Sun and CNN

Jeff Zeleny / The Caucus:

Obama Tries to Stop the ‘Silliness’ — (Photo: Ozier Muhammad/The New York Times) — RENO, Nev. - As he campaigned in northern Nevada on Monday, Senator Barack Obama said he was concerned that a heated discussion of racial issues in the presidential campaign could divide the Democratic Party.

Discussion: Democratic Strategist, Sister Toldjah, Washington Monthly and Too Sense

New York Times:
In Obama's Pursuit of Latinos, Race Plays Role

Discussion: TalkLeft and The New Republic

Hillary Clinton / CNN:
Obama calls truce with Clinton

Discussion: Cliff Schecter and baldilocks

CNN:
Bill Clinton compiles ‘list’ of Obama attacks

Discussion: The Politico, The Swamp and Horses Mouth

Scott Ott / ScrappleFace:
Obama: It Took Men to Give Women the Vote

Discussion: UrbanGrounds

Andrew Malcolm / Los Angeles Times:

Breaking News: Judge says MSNBC must include Kucinich — A judge in Nevada has just ordered MSNBC to include Rep. Dennis Kucinich in Tuesday's Democratic Party presidential debate in Las Vegas or he will cancel the forum. — Senior Clark County District Court Judge Charles Thompson vowed …

Discussion: Associated Press, BitsBlog, THE LIBERAL JOURNAL and Eschaton

Ed Morrissey / Captain's Quarters:

Judge To NBC: You Can't Control Your Own Content — A solution in search of a problem found a judge in search of some understanding of the concept of private property and free speech. Both converged in Las Vegas through the efforts of Dennis Kucinich to force his way into the NBC Democratic debate.

Discussion: Political Machine, Las Vegas Gleaner, The Newshoggers and TigerHawk

Andrew Malcolm / Los Angeles Times:
Breaking News: Kucinich sues NBC over Nevada debate

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, MyDD, The Democratic Daily and TVNewser

San Francisco Chronicle:

Green Party holds presidential debate in San Francisco — (01-13) 20:01 PST San Francisco — Withdraw from Iraq immediately. Eliminate the No Child Left Behind law. Legalize marijuana. — Those were just some of the goals stated by candidates at the Green Party presidential debate Sunday in San Francisco.

Discussion: michellemalkin.com, Wonkette and Don Surber

Andrea Fuller / The Stanford Daily Online:
Chelsea campaigns at Farm

Discussion: protein wisdom and michellemalkin.com

Carla Marinucci / San Francisco Chronicle:
Chelsea Clinton steps into California spotlight to rally for mother

Discussion: MyDD

Tim B. / Tim Blair:

A VISIT TO THE INFIRMARY — Feeling poorly for some time. Saw a doctor a few weeks ago, who sent me to a specialist, who booked me into hospital for tests. — It's cancer. — Major abdominal surgery next week. If all goes well, the remaining non-cancerous section of me will be home by early-mid February.

Discussion: The Corner, Blue Crab Boulevard and Daily Pundit

Thom Shanker / New York Times:

Iraq Defense Minister Sees Need for U.S. Security Help Until 2018 — FORT MONROE, Va. — The Iraqi defense minister said Monday that his nation would not be able to take full responsibility for its internal security until 2012, nor be able on its own to defend Iraq's borders from external threat until at least 2018.

Discussion: Firedoglake, American Street, Brilliant at Breakfast, Open Left, Needlenose and RADAMISTO

Matthew Duss / American Prospect:

TODAY'S GO-TO VILLAINS. — Via Steve Clemons, a good short doc on Hollywood's vilification of Arabs. — Among the many offensive images and representations in the program, the clip from Back to the Future is particularly ridiculous. The year was 1985, Muammar Khaddafi was being sold …

Ross Douthat:
Does Hollywood Hate Arabs?

Discussion: Eunomia

MSNBC:

Clinton, Obama step back from race flap — Amid dustup fanned by campaign surrogates, Democrats call for truce — Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., participates in a roundtable discussion in Reno, Nev., on Monday. Obama said Monday he didn't want the campaign …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice

Michelle Malkin:
McCain booed in Michigan...twice; Update: Video added

Discussion: Hot Air, American Power, Riehl World View, Stop The ACLU and CNSNews

Damian Whitworth / Times of London:

Oral history: The Monica Lewinsky scandal ten years on — Ten years after a young intern nearly brought down a president, the players in the Monica Lewinsky scandal talk to our correspondent — On the evening of Saturday January 17, 1998, the internet gossip merchant Matt Drudge posted …

Discussion: Wonkette

Spengler / Asia Times:

Indiana Jones meets the Da Vinci Code — Islam watchers blogged all weekend about news that a secret archive of ancient Islamic texts had surfaced after 60 years of suppression. Andrew Higgins' Wall Street Journal report that the photographic record of Koranic manuscripts …

Discussion: ShrinkWrapped, The Belmont Club, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS and Fausta's blog

Jonathan Martin / The Politico:

McCain faces little incoming fire — KALAMAZOO, Mich. — His opponents aren't going after him. There isn't a single third-party group hammering him in broadcast TV or radio ads. Even anti-tax advocate Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform, a longtime adversary, is taking it easy on John McCain this time around.

Discussion: Daily Pundit