memeorandum: LetÂ's Go to the Video ... Laura Meckler reports on the presidential campaign. (Washington Wire)

12:10 PM ET, January 23, 2008

Top Items:

Obama's Clinton Education — One of our favorite Bill Clinton anecdotes involves a confrontation he had with Bob Dole in the Oval Office after the 1996 election. Mr. Dole protested Mr. Clinton's attack ads claiming the Republican wanted to harm Medicare, but the President merely smiled …

Discussion: The Daily Dish, QandO, Maggie's Farm, TownHall Blog, NewsBusters.org and Betsy's Page

Washington Post:

Clinton Now Looking Beyond S.C. — Focus on 4 Delegate-Rich States Is Considered Risky — The next Democratic presidential nominating contest will take place in South Carolina on Saturday, but Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has already turned her full attention to places such as this …

Discussion: protein wisdom, Wall Street Journal, Zogby, Donklephant, National Review, Booman Tribune, The Strata-Sphere, The Field, MSNBC, TalkLeft, Cliff Schecter and The Democratic Daily

Maureen Dowd / New York Times:

Two Against One — GREENVILLE, S.C. — If Bill Clinton has to trash his legacy to protect his legacy, so be it. If he has to put a dagger through the heart of hope to give Hillary hope, so be it. — If he has to preside in this state as the former first black president stopping the would-be first black president, so be it.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Prairie Weather and New York Post

The Onion:

Bill Clinton: 'Screw It, I'm Running For President' — CHARLESTON, SC—After spending two months accompanying his wife, Hillary, on the campaign trail, former president Bill Clinton announced Monday that he is joining the 2008 presidential race, saying he “could no longer resist the urge.”

David S. Broder / Washington Post:
Now or Never for Obama — COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina …

Discussion: Captain's Quarters and DownWithTyranny!

NY Daily News:
Mud, muddier, muddiest

Discussion: Redstate

Lynn Sweet / Chicago Sun Times:
Hillary plays Rezko card

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe and New York Times

Patrick Healy / The Caucus:
No Habla Español — (Photo: Todd Heisler/The New York Times)

Discussion: MSNBC

Ed Morrissey / Captain's Quarters:

George Soros Funded Study Says Bush Lied — The AP reports, and the New York Times expands, on a new study by a supposedly “independent” organization that claims to have assembled hundred of “false statements” by the Bush administration in the course of the Iraq war.

Discussion: protein wisdom, The Opinionator, Firedoglake, Brave New Films blog and On Deadline

Associated Press:

Study: False statements preceded war — WASHINGTON - A study by two nonprofit journalism organizations found that President Bush and top administration officials issued hundreds of false statements about the national security threat from Iraq in the two years following the 2001 terrorist attacks.

John H. Cushman Jr / New York Times:
Web Site Assembles U.S. Prewar Claims

Discussion: The Swamp, Big Lizards, CNN, Commentary, Outside The Beltway, The Glittering Eye, The Carpetbagger Report, DownWithTyranny!, The Mahatma X Files and RADAMISTO

Times of London:

Exclusive: Hamas ‘spent months cutting through Gaza wall in secret operation’ — James Hider of The Times at the Rafah border crossing — As tens of thousands of Palestinians clambered back and forth between the Gaza strip and Egypt today, details emerged of the audacious operation …

Discussion: Jihad Watch

Haaretz:

UN: Some 350,000 Gazans stream into Egypt as militants blast border wall — Some 350,000 Palestinians poured out of Gaza and into Egypt early Wednesday, the United Nations said, after masked gunmen blew dozens of holes in the wall delineating the border. — The Gazans rushed to purchase food …

Discussion: Jerusalem Post, Commentary, American Footprints, Yourish.com, Israellycool and Ynetnews

Ynetnews:
Hundreds of thousands cross into Egypt from Gaza

Discussion: Pat Dollard, A Blog For All and Yourish.com

Jay Cost / HorseRaceBlog:

Is McCain Inevitable? — James Madison had nothing to do with the Republican nomination system. Nevertheless, it bears his imprint. Madisonianism is deeply ingrained in the American political consciousness. When we invent new political institutions, as both parties did in the 1970s …

Discussion: protein wisdom, BobKrumm.com, The Strata-Sphere and Riehl World View

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:

Sen. McCain starts urgent dash for cash — Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has scheduled at least seven fundraisers in the week leading up to Tuesday's Florida primary, scrambling to raise enough money to compete with a rival who can loan his campaign tens of millions of dollars.

Discussion: TownHall Blog, PoliGazette, American Power and TPM Election Central

David Freddoso / The Corner:
Louisiana Caucus Last Night

Discussion: Reason Magazine

David Leonhardt / New York Times:

Worries That the Good Times Were Mostly a Mirage — So, how bad could this get? — Until a few months ago, it was accepted wisdom that the American economy functioned far more smoothly than in the past. Economic expansions lasted longer, and recessions were both shorter and milder.

Discussion: abu muqawama, Suburban Guerrilla, Brilliant at Breakfast and PrestoPundit

Robert J. Samuelson / Washington Post:
Capitalism's Enemies Within

Discussion: EconLog, Economist's View and The Glittering Eye

Mike Allen / The Politico:

Schwarzkopf to endorse McCain — Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, the heavily decorated Gulf War commander, will endorse Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) on Wednesday, a Republican source said. — McCain is stumping in Florida and Schwarzkopf is in Colorado. But the general is likely to appear on the campaign trail with McCain soon.

Discussion: Commentary and The Carpetbagger Report

Jill Zuckman / The Swamp:
‘Stormin’ Norman' Schwarzkopf goes for McCain

Discussion: Shakespeare's Sister, UrbanGrounds and Daimnation!

Joseph E. Stiglitz / New York Times:

How to Stop the Downturn — AMERICA'S economy is headed for a major slowdown. Whether there is a recession (two quarters of negative growth) is less important than the fact that the economy will operate well below its potential, and unemployment will grow.

Discussion: Firedoglake, Balloon Juice, Alterdestiny, Norwegianity, The Glittering Eye and Prairie Weather

Ezra Klein / American Prospect:

CLINTON V. REAGAN. — , there's really no dispute as to whether Hillary Clinton is distorting Barack Obama's statements on Reagan. She is. And so is her husband. But she's arguing for her campaign, and in that context, statements do get pulled out of context and refashioned as cudgels.

Discussion: TalkLeft

Amir Shah / Associated Press:

Afghan Journalist Sentenced to Death — KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — An Afghan court on Tuesday sentenced a 23-year-old journalism student to death for distributing a paper he printed off the Internet that three judges said violated the tenets of Islam, an official said.

Discussion: Jules Crittenden and Jihad Watch