memeorandum: Pentagon Weighs Top Iraq General as NATO Chief (New York Times)

1:30 PM ET, January 21, 2008

Top Items:

GOP Field Readies for True Test In Florida — The Top Candidates Finally Go All-Out In a Closed Primary — Riding the momentum from his weekend victory in South Carolina, John McCain turned his attention Sunday to Florida and the high-stakes primary there that will test whether …

Discussion: Time, Matthew Yglesias, New York Times, Macsmind, Political Machine, The Caucus, DownWithTyranny!, Riehl World View and MSNBC

John Fund / Wall Street Journal:

Base Runner — Huckabee tries but fails to win the votes of non-evangelicals. — Mike Huckabee tried his best to expand beyond his evangelical base in South Carolina and appeal to what his campaign called “Joe Six Pack” voters. Mr. Huckabee was the only candidate to pander to devotees …

Discussion: Little Green Footballs, The Corner, Transterrestrial Musings and Betsy's Page

Howard Kurtz / Washington Post:

Accessibility Opens Doors For McCain — SPARTANBURG, S.C. — As the JetBlue charter from Michigan touched down in South Carolina, I strolled up to John McCain's front-row seat — none of his aides batted an eye — and asked if he would continue to chat with reporters around the clock if he won the Republican nomination.

Discussion: Salon, D-Day, TPM Election Central and MSNBC

The Corner:

The Weak Frontrunner — I still believe that McCain is the strongest candidate the Republicans could run this fall, and that he gets more grief than he deserves from conservatives. (Which is not to deny that he can make it hard for conservatives to defend him. . .)

Jonathan Martin / The Politico:

Huckabee: McCain-lover, Mitt-killer — COLUMBIA, S.C.—For people reading between the lines, Mike Huckabee's concession speech here Saturday night dropped some enticing hints that his presidential campaign now has an agenda other than getting elected president. — Huckabee's new role: Mitt-killer.

Discussion: michellemalkin.com

Jackson Williams / The Huffington Post:
Huckabee Spokesman Chuck Norris Confirms that Reagan Was Too Old …

Discussion: Comments from Left Field, Political Punch and Baltimore Sun

Ed Morrissey / Captain's Quarters:
The Big Contest — And so we come to Florida for the ultimate …

Discussion: Political Machine, The Jawa Report and Ground Game

The Campaign Spot: Weird Florida Polls

Carrie Budoff Brown / The Politico:

Obama faces off against both Clintons — ATLANTA - Illinois Sen. Barack Obama launched Sunday what his top aides described as a more aggressive bid to challenge “unbelievable falsehoods” pressed last week in Nevada by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and former President Bill Clinton.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, The Hill, Agence France Presse, Comments from Left Field, Deadline USA, Political Machine, TIME, Truthdig, Liberal Values, Blue Crab Boulevard, The Huffington Post, Patterico's Pontifications, Gateway Pundit, Wizbang and Cliff Schecter

Aaron Gould Sheinin / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Atlanta mayor takes political shot at Bill Clinton — During the MLK service, Franklin addresses Clinton's reference to Barack Obama's rise as a 'fairy tale' — With former President Bill Clinton standing not 20 feet in front of her, Atlanta mayor Shirley Franklin took what appeared …

Discussion: Political Radar and The Page

baldilocks:
It's On! (UPDATED: Video)

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Reuters, Dick Polman's American Debate, michellemalkin.com, Taylor Marsh, Redstate, Captain's Quarters, Sister Toldjah, Classical Values, Hot Air and The Glittering Eye

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
THE PROBLEM WITH BILL — Yesterday I wrote that I was troubled …

Discussion: The Carpetbagger Report, James Wolcott's Blog, Althouse, Political Machine and Comment is free

Greg Sargent / TPM Election Central:
Video: Obama Pushes Back Aggressively Against Bill Clinton

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blogs

Paul Krugman / New York Times:

Debunking the Reagan Myth — Historical narratives matter. That's why conservatives are still writing books denouncing F.D.R. and the New Deal; they understand that the way Americans perceive bygone eras, even eras from the seemingly distant past, affects politics today.

Discussion: The Newshoggers, MyDD, The Huffington Post, Matthew Yglesias, Hullabaloo, Booman Tribune, Taylor Marsh, The Sideshow, Cogitamus, The Heretik, Prairie Weather, Make Them Accountable, Brilliant at Breakfast, American Power, Hold Fast, Middle Earth Journal and Economist's View

Pam / Pam's House Blend:

Obama addresses homophobia, anti-Semitism and xenophobia in MLK Ebenezer Baptist Church speech — Today Barack Obama zeroed in on equal opportunity bigotry — and why everyone should strive to not only elevate the political discourse, but to be honest about the base instincts, words and deeds that divide, not unite.

Discussion: New York Observer, The New Republic, Open Left, Obama'08, Hold Fast, Firedoglake, MyDD, The Carpetbagger Report, UrbanGrounds, Middle Earth Journal, The RBC and New York Daily News Blogs

CNN:
S.C. debate to highlight Democratic fight for black vote

Discussion: TalkLeft and Hullabaloo

Wayne Washington / The State:
Dems to stump at rally

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, MSNBC and Greenville News

Confederate Yankee:

The Scott Thomas Beauchamp “ Shock Troops” Military Investigation, Statements 13-24 — Documents released by the Office of the Chief of Staff, U.S. Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base Florida, in relation to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests files for documents relating …

siena.edu:

Rudy Falls Behind McCain; Hillary Still Has 2-to-1 Lead — Spitzer Favorable Rating Edges Positive; Sees Gain in Job Performance — Voters Overwhelmingly Support Property Tax Cap and S-CHIP Expansion; — Also Support Higher Education Endowment with Lottery Sale or Lease

Discussion: Outside The Beltway, Political Radar and TPM Election Central

Sam Stein / The Huffington Post: Poll: Giuliani Loses Lead In New York

Richard Pérez-Peña / New York Times:

Frontline Blogger Covers War in Iraq With a Soldier's Eyes — Michael Yon was not a journalist, and he wasn't sure what a blogger was. He had been in uniform but not in combat, and he wanted to keep it that way. He went to Iraq thinking he would stay for a month, and maybe find a way to write about the war after he got home.

Discussion: Michael Yon, Power Line, JammieWearingFool, TigerHawk, Gateway Pundit and QandO

New York Times:

Stocks Plunge in Europe and Asia on U.S. Recession Fear — PARIS — Global stock markets plunged on Monday as fears spread that the turmoil in United States mortgage markets is spreading. Indexes in Europe fell as much as 7 percent after a huge selloff in Asia.

Discussion: Associated Press, Washington Monthly, Matthew Yglesias, Publius Pundit and The Agonist

Thereisnospoon / Daily Kos:

UPDATED (2): Widespread Cheating & Vote Suppression by Clinton Campaign in Clark County, NV — [UPDATE 2: Obama's campaign manager David Plouffe has now made the accusation in the Atlantic, with over 200 separate allegations of irregularities at caucus sites.