memeorandum: Intelligence Chief Cites Qaeda Threat to U.S. (Brian Knowlton/New York Times)

6:40 PM ET, February 5, 2008

Top Items:

Campaign Manager Beth Myers On The West Virginia Convention — FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — Boston, MA - Today, Romney for President Campaign Manager Beth Myers issued the following statement regarding the outcome of West Virginia's Republican Party convention:

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, Associated Press, TownHall Blog, michellemalkin.com, The American Mind, New York Daily News Blogs, Eunomia, MSNBC, Balloon Juice, The Other McCain and Middle Earth Journal

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: DownWithTyranny!, Reuters, Firedoglake, TownHall Blog, D-Day, Daily Kos, MyDD and Examining Presidential …

CNN:

Huckabee first on the board on Super Tuesday — (CNN) — Republican Mike Huckabee scored the first Super Tuesday victory, winning all 18 delegates at stake in West Virginia — partially with the help of Sen. John McCain's backers. — “It gives us some real wind to our backs as we go into tonight …

Discussion: Jonathan Martin's Blogs, Reason Magazine, You Decide 08!, Shakespeare's Sister, Left in the West, Connecting.the.Dots, Outside The Beltway, State of the Day, Cynics' Party and Balloon Juice

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 and The Jawa Report

You Decide 08!:

HUCKABEE WINS WEST VIRGINIA GOP CONTEST IN SECOND ROUND, WITH HELP FROM MCCAIN — Mike Huckabee won the first of 21 states being contested by the Republican presidential candidates on Super Tuesday, pulling out a victory in the West Virginia Republican convention.

Discussion: TigerHawk, The Reaction, protein wisdom, Confederate Yankee, Hot Air, Los Angeles Times, Salon, PrestoPundit, THE LIBERAL JOURNAL and Wake up America

Tom Searls / Charleston Gazette:

Huckabee wins W.Va. GOP convention — Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee captured the 18 West Virginia delegates up for grabs at the state's Republican convention on Tuesday, the first of many presidential contests on Super Tuesday. — Huckabee won on the second ballot …

Discussion: Washington Wire, Taegan Goddard's …, Cynics' Party, Comments from Left Field and Donklephant

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

Zogby:
Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby Poll: McCain Dominates GOP Races; Dems Locked …

Discussion: MSNBC, Pollster.com, MyDD, Raising Kaine, The Moderate Voice and TalkLeft

Jonathan Martin / Jonathan Martin's Blogs:
Romney loses West Virginia!

Discussion: The Swamp

Ron Paul 2008:
Ron Paul Secures Three Delegates in West Virginia State Convention

Discussion: Reason Magazine and Lonewacko

Michael Luo / The Caucus:
Romney at the West Virginia Convention

Discussion: TownHall Blog, On Deadline, Assorted Babble and who is willard milton romney?

Chuck Todd / MSNBC:
Todd: Your hour-by-hour Super Tuesday guide

Discussion: The Fix, Election Projection, US News and The Caucus

Gallup Guru:
Is Huckabee hurting Romney?

Discussion: Riehl World View and race42008.com

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: The New Republic, protein wisdom, Firedoglake, The Jawa Report, JustOneMinute, American Street, Hot Air, Political Radar, No More Mister Nice Blog, TownHall Blog, Buck Naked Politics and Weekly Standard

Eric Kleefeld / TPM Election Central:
Dobson: I Will Never Support McCain

Discussion: The Campaign Spot, Hot Air, D-Day and TBogg

Howard Kurtz / Washington Post:
Limbaugh on McCain: It's Better to Be Right All the Time

Discussion: CNN, The Corner, The Moderate Voice, NY Daily News, Political Machine, Shakespeare's Sister, Dick Polman's American Debate, Comments from Left Field, DownWithTyranny!, MSNBC, Center Face and New York Post

John Amato / Crooks and Liars:
Limbaugh says McCain's camp manipulated Bob Dole: John Kerry …

Discussion: Ice Station Tango

Ben Smith / The Politico:

Penn: More debates! (One on Fox!) — In a conference call with reporters, Clinton strategist Mark Penn announced that Clinton would like to face off against Obama in one debate every week between now and March 4. — “The campaign believes that it's critically important that we continue the debate …

Discussion: The Field

Sam Stein / The Huffington Post:

Clinton Accepts Fox News Debate — Risking the ire of progressive activists, Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign announced that it has accepted a debate to air on Fox News on February 11, according to her chief strategist Mark Penn. — “There is an enormous interest in these debates an clamoring …

Discussion: FOX Embeds, Comments from Left Field, The Carpetbagger Report and TVNewser

Jane Hamsher / Firedoglake:
Clinton Agrees to Fox Debate

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Los Angeles Times, DownWithTyranny!, Minnesota Monitor and Open Left

Brian Knowlton / New York Times:

Intelligence Chief Cites Qaeda Threat to U.S. — WASHINGTON — The top American intelligence official said on Tuesday that Al Qaeda is improving its ability to attack within the United States by recruiting and training new operatives. At the same time, he said, the group's affiliate in Iraq …

Discussion: Salon, Buck Naked Politics, D-Day, Brave New Films blog, Prairie Weather and The Agonist

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: Captain's Quarters, The Newshoggers, Commentary, Think Progress, Daimnation!, On Deadline and The Corner

The Campaign Spot:

Early Exit Polls in Massachusetts: Dems Close, Romney Up Big — My first word of exit poll results says that the first two waves of results in Massachusetts show a “dead heat” between Hillary and Obama, and a 20-point margin for Romney among Republicans.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and AMERICAblog

Mark Blumenthal / Pollster.com:
LOOKING FOR SUPER TUESDAY EXIT POLLS?

Discussion: Democratic Strategist

Darren Murph / Engadget:

Fourth undersea cable cut near UAE, suspicions rise — For the fourth time in a week, an undersea communications cable has apparently been cut (or “failed due to a power outage,” as some sources suggest), and while no official reports of subversion have surfaced just yet, things are beginning to get suspicious.

Discussion: michellemalkin.com, International Herald Tribune, The Jawa Report and Blue Crab Boulevard

Attaturk / Rising Hegemon:

A Day which will live in Wankery — Five years ago today, Colin Powell decided to spend all of his credibility to sell George Bush's War. The war John McLovin' wants to last 100 years. A war that costs us more than $100 billion every year (and probably about $2 trillion so far) — and will cost thousands more dead this year.

Discussion: Think Progress, Firedoglake, Dohiyi Mir, Lawyers, Guns and Money, bastard.logic and SCRIPTOIDS

Victor Davis Hanson / The Corner:

The Die Has Been Cast — Like many I prefer McCain but will gladly support Romney if he wins the nomination. His campaign ad here in California against Hillary's inexperience was excellent, and so was McCain's on his new views on illegal immigration. — But so far today I have gotten …

Discussion: The Daily Dish