memeorandum: Update from West Virginia (David Freddoso/The Corner)

3:05 PM ET, February 5, 2008

Top Items:

Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby Poll: McCain Dominates GOP Races; Dems Locked in Tight Contests As Super Tuesday Polls Open — UTICA, New York - The final day of polling before Super Tuesday was one of hardening positions in key races across the country, the latest Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby survey work shows.

Discussion: MSNBC, Wake up America, TalkLeft, The Moderate Voice, Open Left, Reuters, Raising Kaine, American Street, Wonkette, PrestoPundit and Gateway Pundit

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

THE POLLS — There's one guarantee I can make right now about tonight's results. They are going take make either Zogby or SurveyUSA look like complete fools. Which one I'm not completely sure, but definitely one of them. — Consider this spread. Zogby has his final California number as Obama 49%, Clinton 36%.

Discussion: The New Republic, The Opinionator, Balkinization, MyDD, The Sideshow, Shakespeare's Sister and US Presidential race 2008 real …

Gallup:

Gallup Daily: Tracking Election 2008 — Based on daily polling from Feb. 2-4, 2008 — PRINCETON, NJ — Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama remain fairly closely matched in national Democratic voters' nomination preferences, although Clinton appears to have stopped Obama's momentum over the past two days.

Discussion: Comments from Left Field, The Moderate Voice and The Washington Note

Election Projection:
Super-Duper-Mega-Jumbo Tuesday predictions and results

Discussion: Outside The Beltway, Washington Post, Wizbang, Captain's Quarters, Confederate Yankee, The Strata-Sphere, Macsmind, michellemalkin.com and Redstate

Dan Balz / Washington Post:
8 Questions Super Tuesday Could Answer

Discussion: Salon, New York Times, Greatscat! and The Carpetbagger Report

Michael Barone / US News:
A Super Tuesday Guide

Discussion: The Swamp, protein wisdom, The Other McCain and You Decide 08!

Josh Gerstein / Latest Politics:

Limbaugh Defends Clinton and Obama on Iraq — Talk show host Rush Limbaugh is so exasperated about Senator McCain's surge in the Republican presidential contest that he is coming to the defense of Senators Clinton and Obama. — On Mr. Limbaugh's program today, he said people should not be rushing …

Discussion: Firedoglake, protein wisdom, Political Radar, The Jawa Report, TownHall Blog, Weekly Standard, Buck Naked Politics, No More Mister Nice Blog, Think Progress, Donklephant, Angry Bear, RADAMISTO and The Politico

Bryan / Hot Air:

Rush Limbaugh endorses Mitt Romney — Levin, Hannity, Ingraham and now Nobel nominee Rush Limbaugh (membership req'd): Big talk radio swings unanimously for Mitt Romney. Rush makes several solid points that you've heard before, mostly regarding how McCain represents the GOP's national security wing …

Discussion: Captain's Quarters

Howard Kurtz / Washington Post:

Limbaugh on McCain: It's Better to Be Right All the Time — It may be the best sideshow in presidential politics: the nation's top radio talker trying to take down the Republican front-runner in today's Super Tuesday showdown. — Rush Limbaugh has been relentless in his criticism of John McCain …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, NY Daily News, Political Machine, DownWithTyranny!, MSNBC, Center Face, New York Post, The Carpetbagger Report, PBD, michellemalkin.com and CNN

Marc Ambinder:

West Virginia Intrigue — After the first round of balloting in West Virginia, Mitt Romney was solidly in the lead with 41% of the votes, followed by Mike Huckabee with 33% and John McCain with 16%. — Since 50% is needed to win all 18 delegates, a second balloting is underway.

Discussion: The Caucus, TownHall Blog, Daily Kos and MyDD

David Freddoso / The Corner:

Update from West Virginia — CORRECTED: They're voting round two now. — CNN's tally here is a bit misleading, so let me shed some light on what's happening at West Virginia's state GOP convention. — I'm told that Romney led on the first ballot but hasn't locked down the majority he needs.

Discussion: Commentary, Eunomia, TIME and race42008.com

Ron Paul / You Decide 08!:
HUCKABEE WINS WEST VIRGINIA GOP CONTEST IN SECOND ROUND

Discussion: Hot Air

John Amato / Crooks and Liars:

Limbaugh says McCain's camp manipulated Bob Dole — The Conservative world is cracking up. I told you yesterday that it was a bad idea for McCain to seek out Bob Dole to try and calm down Rush and the right wing talkie attacks on him. Anyone could have predicted that wasn't a very good idea.

Discussion: Ice Station Tango and The Fix

John R. Bolton / Wall Street Journal:

Our Politicized Intelligence Services — Today, Director of National Intelligence Michael McConnell testifies before the Senate Intelligence Committee (and Thursday on the House side) to give the intelligence community's annual global threat analysis. These hearings are always significant …

Discussion: The Newshoggers, Commentary, The Corner and On Deadline

Bruce Fein / Washington Times:

Power of the purse purloined? — Jan. 28, 2008, is a date that will live in congressional infamy. Congress surrendered the power of the purse over national security affairs to the White House. — President Bush appended a signing statement to the National Defense Authorization Act …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Think Progress and rubber hose

Roger Simon / The Politico:

Picking up, putting aside the poor — Some political moments are so bizarre that you have to believe they actually are sincere. — One such moment came this weekend, when Barack Obama mocked John Edwards in a speech. — Obama had done it before, but that was before Edwards suspended his campaign last Wednesday.

Discussion: Iddybud Journal

David Brooks / New York Times:

The Cooper Concerns — I'm not a Hillary-hater. She's been an outstanding senator. She hung tough on Iraq through the dark days of 2005. In this campaign, she has soldiered on bravely even though she has most of the elected Democrats, news media and the educated class rooting against her.

Discussion: TalkLeft, NY Daily News, MSNBC, abu muqawama, The Newshoggers, Betsy's Page, Commentary, Redstate, Bats Left Throws Right and Bark Bark Woof Woof

Darryl Fears / Washington Post:

Attorney General Reverses Curbs On Gay Group at Justice Department — Five years after a gay advocacy group was told that it could no longer use the e-mail, bulletin boards and meeting rooms at the Justice Department, Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey has reversed that decision and issued …

Discussion: New York Magazine, ACSBlog and Box Turtle Bulletin

Little Green Footballs:

Dreaming of Super Tuesday — Super Tuesday is upon us. I tossed and turned all night, haunted by the ghosts of Rudy and Duncan. And when I awoke, it was all not a dream—we really do have to choose between McCain and Romney. — Sometime during that unrestful interval, I decided: I'm pulling the lever for Mitt Romney today.

Discussion: Gateway Pundit

Deborah Lynn Blumberg / Wall Street Journal:

Service-Sector Activity Contracts, Fueling Concerns About Recession — NEW YORK — Service sector activity contracted sharply in January for the first time since March 2003, with the surprise drop further fueling fears about a slowing U.S. economy. — On Tuesday, the Institute …

Discussion: Washington Monthly