memeorandum: Highly Skilled And Out Of Work (Michael A. Fletcher/Washington Post)

7:40 PM ET, January 21, 2008

Top Items:

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: The Corner, The Swamp, New York Post, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, The Hill, CNN, Hot Air, Eunomia, Outside The Beltway, Slog, Riehl World View, Ground Game, Ross Douthat, michellemalkin.com and PrestoPundit

Jason Horowitz / New York Observer:

Hillary Leaving South Carolina to Bill and Chelsea [updated] — A source in the Clinton campaign confirms that Hillary Clinton will be spending most of the week before the South Carolina primary in states other than South Carolina. — She's expected to spend Tuesday in California and Arizona, and New Mexico.

Discussion: Political Radar, TIME, TIME: Swampland, TPM Election Central, MyDD and The Page

Jonathan Martin / Jonathan Martin's Blogs:

Rep. Joe Wilson to endorse McCain — Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) will throw his support to John McCain tomorrow at a press conference in the South Carolina capitol, a source familiar with Wilson's decision confirms. — The move may seem odd given that the Palmetto State primary has already taken place.

Discussion: Marc Ambinder

Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
Barack Obama: “Committed Christian — Called to Bring Change”

Discussion: Eschaton, D-Day and Slog

Howard Kurtz / Washington Post:
Accessibility Opens Doors For McCain

Discussion: TPM Election Central, The Right's Field, Salon, D-Day, Connecting.the.Dots and MSNBC

Greg Sargent / TPM Election Central:
Obama Lit In South Carolina Proclaims His Committed Christianity

Discussion: Slog and Macsmind

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: Captain's Quarters, Talking Points Memo, Los Angeles Times, The Daily Whim, The Page, The Trail and Riehl World View

Greg Sargent / TPM Election Central:

Hillary Adviser Wolfson: Obama's Claim That Bill Is Fibbing Is A “Right Wing Talking Point” — This is getting interesting. In an interview with me a couple of minutes ago, senior Hillary adviser Howard Wolfson claimed that Obama's assertion this morning that Bill Clinton is fibbing about his campaign is a “right wing talking point.”

Discussion: The Corner, The Trail, The Moderate Voice, Matthew Yglesias, The Fix, Watching Those We Chose, Wonkette, The Daily Dish, The Carpetbagger Report, Open Left, Prairie Weather, D-Day and Spin Cycle

Larry Margasak / Associated Press:
Obama calls Bill Clinton untruthful

Discussion: CNN, Taylor Marsh and Weekly Standard

Scott Conroy / CBS News:

“Who Let The Dogs Out?" Mitt Romney Wants To Know — From CBS News' Scott Conroy: — JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA — Mitt Romney was greeted warmly by a largely African-American crowd at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Parade in Jacksonville. He shook hands with several dozen parade-goers and even hugged a few of them.

Discussion: Jonathan Martin's Blogs, The Right's Field and D-Day

Jason Horowitz / New York Observer:
Obama Addresses Homophobia, Anti-Semitism and Xenophobia Among Black Americans

Discussion: Pam's House Blend, The New Republic, The Carpetbagger Report, Open Left, Booman Tribune, UrbanGrounds, MSNBC, The RBC and Riehl World View

Shushannah Walshe / FOX Embeds:
Romney: Who Let the Dogs Out? — Governor Romney paid tribute …

Discussion: Slog and The Caucus

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: At-Largely, The Seminal, FP Passport, Comments from Left Field, Publius Pundit, The Reaction, Washington Monthly, Cliff Schecter, Mish's Global Economic …, THE LIBERAL JOURNAL, D-Day, Matthew Yglesias, Firedoglake and The Agonist

David Leonhardt / New York Times:

For Clinton, Government as Economic Prod — Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton said that if she became president, the federal government would take a more active role in the economy to address what she called the excesses of the market and of the Bush administration.

Discussion: Greg Mankiw's Blog, The Huffington Post, Megan McArdle, protein wisdom, The Belmont Club, The New Republic, Ankle Biting Pundits, Say Anything, Norwegianity, Redstate, Dr. Helen, Hold Fast and HillaryClinton.com

Toby Anderson / Associated Press:
Stock Markets Plunge Worldwide

Discussion: Attytood and AMERICAblog

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, The Huffington Post, Wonkette, Political Radar, TPM Election Central, DownWithTyranny! and PoliGazette

Marist Poll:
NYS Poll: February 5th Presidential Primaries

Discussion: TalkLeft, Hold Fast and Weekly Standard

Beth Reinhard / Naked Politics:
So much for Crist endorsing McCain?

Discussion: Jonathan Martin's Blogs

usmc.mil:

Scarlett Johansson boosts morale in Kuwait — If anyone has wondered what can make a battle hardened Marine act like a love-struck high-schooler, the answer is simple—a meet and greet with Scarlett Johansson. — The 23-year-old bombshell met with nearly 600 service members at Camp Buehring …

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, Cliff Schecter and The Reaction

New York Post:

BILL HAS A ‘DREAM’ — EX PREZ NODS OFF DURING MLK AWARD PRESENTATION — Bill Clinton showed yesterday why he made it into the book “The Art of Napping." — During an appearance at the Convent Avenue Baptist Church in Harlem, the former president was caught nodding off.

Discussion: Sister Toldjah

James Joyner / Outside The Beltway:

Fred Thompson Loss Ends Republican Party — Steve Bainbridge is preparing to sit out the 2008 election rather than vote for anyone but Fred Thompson. … If only Fred Thompson were a better candidate, the party and the Republic could have survived. Pity.

Discussion: Right Wing Nut House, The Radio Equalizer, Whiskey Fire, Stop The ACLU, protein wisdom, PoliBlog (TM), Punditry, Riehl World View, PrestoPundit and The Moderate Voice

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: A Georgia organizer for Thompson shifts to Romney

Leroy Chapman Jr / The State:

Obama: Is national media correcting inaccuracies? — U.S. Sen. Barack Obama said Monday one of the biggest frustrations of his presidential bid is dealing with national media that he says doesn't correct inaccuracies about his candidacy and his record. — Some of those, he said …

Discussion: TPM Election Central and The Page

John McCormick / The Swamp:
Obama campaign responds to Clinton on Florida

Discussion: The Politico, Ben Smith's Blogs and Chicago Tribune

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 …

Discussion: QandO

Damien McElroy / Telegraph:

Saudi Arabia to lift ban on women drivers — Saudi Arabia is to lift its ban on women drivers in an attempt to stem a rising suffragette-style movement in the deeply conservative state. — Government officials have confirmed the landmark decision and plan to issue a decree by the end of the year.

Discussion: Crossroads Arabia, Weekly Standard, Captain's Quarters, FP Passport, Outside The Beltway, Say Anything, The Jawa Report, Jezebel, The Glittering Eye and Sweetness & Light

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

WHAT THE GROWN-UPS SAY — Seriously, why should John Edwards drop out of the race? I think his chances of winning the nomination at this point are quite slim. And I could understand if he wanted to drop out. But is there some reason he should? Is he under some obligation?

Discussion: The Carpetbagger Report, The Impolitic, Eschaton, Shakespeare's Sister and New York Times

Michael A. Fletcher / Washington Post:

Highly Skilled And Out Of Work — Long-Term Joblessness Spreads in Middle Class — An unusually large share of workers have been out a job for more than six months even as overall unemployment has remained low, a little-noted weakness in the labor market that analysts said threatens …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Middle Earth Journal, Matthew Yglesias and PoliGazette