memeorandum: ‘Hamas staged some of the blackouts’ (Khaled Abu Toameh/Jerusalem Post)

9:15 AM ET, January 24, 2008

Top Items:

Romney Leads in Ill Will Among G.O.P. Candidates — TAMPA, Fla. — At the end of the Republican presidential debate in New Hampshire this month, when the Democrats joined the candidates on stage, Mitt Romney found himself momentarily alone as his counterparts mingled, looking around a bit stiffly for a companion.

Discussion: The Carpetbagger Report, Outside The Beltway, Shakespeare's Sister, Big Lizards, PrestoPundit, JustOneMinute, Riehl World View, Pam's House Blend, MSNBC and American Thinker

The Buzz:

St. Pete Times Poll: Bye-bye Rudy? — It's Mitt Romney vs. John McCain in the final stretch of Florida's crucial Republican primary. — A new St. Petersburg Times poll shows the former Massachusetts governor and Arizona senator neck and neck among Florida Republicans, while Rudy Giuliani's Florida-or-bust strategy has been a bust.

Discussion: Washington Post, The Fix, The Caucus, New York Times, American Power, Hot Air, PoliGazette, Donklephant, The Trail, Jonathan Martin's Blogs, Sister Toldjah, Boston Globe, The Reaction, The Politico and Q: The Florida Politics Blog

Sam Youngman / The Hill:

RNC chairman provides numbers, strategy to defeat top Democrats — Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Mike Duncan believes Republicans can beat either of the two top Democrats racing for their party's nomination. — For Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.), Duncan says it comes down to trust.

Discussion: Riehl World View

MiamiHerald.com:

Poll: Giuliani slips to third in Florida — Rudy Giuliani has hit the skids in a Florida freefall that could shatter his presidential campaign and leave a two-man Republican contest in the state between John McCain and Mitt Romney, a Miami Herald poll shows.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, QandO, Shakespeare's Sister and Spin Cycle

Agence France Presse: McCain wins Louisiana caucus: preliminary results

Chuck Todd / MSNBC: Let the sunshine in — If the other GOP candidates don't stop McCain now, they never will

Marc Ambinder:
The Best Pollster in Florida, Rob Schroth, Has New Numbers

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Outside The Beltway, protein wisdom, American Power and The Politico

Washington Post:

Some in Party Bristle At Clintons' Attacks — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign aired a new radio ad here Wednesday that repeated a discredited charge against Sen. Barack Obama, in what some Democrats said is part of an increasing pattern of hardball politics by her and former president Bill Clinton.

Discussion: Redstate and Riehl World View

Katharine Q. Seelye / New York Times:

Bill Clinton Accuses Obama Camp of Stirring Race Issue — KINGSTREE, S.C. — Former President Bill Clinton defended himself Wednesday against accusations that he and his wife had injected the issue of race into the Democratic presidential primary in South Carolina, and he accused Senator Barack Obama …

Discussion: The Politico, Right Wing News, The Hill, Liberal Values and Trailhead

Beth Fouhy / Associated Press:
AP Interview: Hill defends Bill on stump

Discussion: Captain's Quarters

CNN:
Bill Clinton gets upset with CNN reporter

Discussion: Fausta's blog, Real Clear Politics, PoliGazette, TalkLeft, Taylor Marsh, The Plank, Wonkette, The Democratic Daily and The Corner

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:
Obama radio: 'She'll say anything'

Discussion: Change of Subject, The Page, The Swamp, TPM Election Central, TalkLeft and Liberal Values

Michelle Malkin:
VRWC: Ten years young

Discussion: Gateway Pundit and American Thinker

CNN:
Obama backer: Bill Clinton suppressing vote

Discussion: skippy the bush kangaroo and Truthdig

Charles Babington / Associated Press:
Bill Clinton: Race, gender key in S.C.

Discussion: The RBC and Blue Crab Boulevard

Ben Smith / The Politico:
Obama tries risky strategy vs. ‘Clintons’

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog and JustOneMinute

Anne E. Kornblut / The Trail:
Bill Clinton Unloads on Press

Discussion: Wizbang, TPM Election Central, NewsBusters.org and Say Anything

Azi Paybarah / New York Observer:

Source at Fund-Raiser: Edwards Calls McCain ‘Crazy’ and Says Hillary Thinks There's More on Rezko — Before John Edwards let David Letterman mess up his hair on the Late Show last night, the former Senator was at a private fund-raiser in midtown Manhattan, also attended by Kevin Bacon …

Discussion: Donklephant, Spin Cycle, The Caucus, TPM Election Central and Wonkette

TVNZ:

Venezuelan troops seize food — Venezuela's top food company has accused troops of illegally seizing more than 500 tonnes of food from its trucks as part of President Hugo Chavez's campaign to stem shortages. — The leftist Chavez this week created a state food distributor and loosened …

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, QandO, Fausta's blog and The Belmont Club

Matt / Think Progress:

John Gibson Mocks ‘Weirdo’ Heath Ledger's Death: ‘He Found Out How To Quit You’ — Opening his radio show with funeral music yesterday, Fox News host John Gibson callously mocked the death of actor Heath Ledger, calling him a “weirdo” with a “serious drug problem.”

Discussion: News Hounds, The Reaction, City Room, Gawker, Althouse, The Carpetbagger Report, My Two Sense, Pam's House Blend, Carpetbagger, Daily. Gay. News. and Los Angeles Times

Khaled Abu Toameh / Jerusalem Post:

‘Hamas staged some of the blackouts’ — On at least two occasions this week, Hamas staged scenes of darkness as part of its campaign to end the political and economic sanctions against the Gaza Strip, Palestinian journalists said Wednesday. — In the first case, journalists who were invited …

Discussion: A Blog For All, Ynetnews, Israel Matzav and Israellycool

Jane Hamsher / Firedoglake:

John Edwards on FISA — John Edwards: … Well...yes. And that includes candidates, you know, leaving the campaign trail to do their jobs. Which Obama and Clinton can — and should — do. South Carolina is an hour and a half plane ride away. — Get thee to DC and filibuster, Senators.

Discussion: Lean Left, Calitics, D-Day, Washington Post, Crooks and Liars, DownWithTyranny!, The Sideshow, Open Left and Buck Naked Politics

Benny Avni / New York Sun:

‘Paradigm Change’ Is Seen as Arabs Flee Gaza — UNITED NATIONS — Washington, Cairo, and Jerusalem are expressing “concern” regarding the flow of hundreds of thousands of Gazans into Egypt, testing border agreements that have existed since Israel completely withdrew from the heavily populated strip in 2005.

Discussion: Captain's Quarters and ShrinkWrapped

C.J. / Minneapolis Star Tribune:

Franken didn't exactly leave 'em laughing in Northfield — Franken apparently had more fun than senior history major Peter Fritz. — Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Al Franken didn't exactly leave 'em laughing in Northfield. — Earlier this month Franken was at Carleton College …

Discussion: Power Line, Captain's Quarters and SCSUScholars

IBDeditorials.com:

The Clintons' Coal-Gate — Scandals: Hillary Clinton calls President Bush's talks with the Saudis about increasing oil output “pathetic." But it's not as pathetic as her co-president husband locking up billions of tons of clean coal in exchange for political contributions.

Discussion: Doug Ross, Right Wing News and Angry Bear