memeorandum: Obama Wins in Illinois and Georgia (Live Coverage)

8:40 PM ET, February 5, 2008

Top Items:

The Great Big Early Exit Poll Report — I just got a big pile of exit poll data. — The early wave in California: McCain 40 percent, Romney 36 percent, Huckabee 10 percent. — Fascinating and fun as it is, I remind my readers that this doesn't tell us that much, as we don't know what the district-by-district breakdown is.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, MyDD, Salon, AlterNet.org, Attytood, Open Left, THE LIBERAL JOURNAL, Wizbang, Comments from Left Field, Sister Toldjah and AMERICAblog

Mitt Romney For President News:

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: The Caucus, Associated Press, Captain's Quarters, TownHall Blog, michellemalkin.com, The Other McCain, The Corner, Balloon Juice, RealClearPolitics, New York Daily News Blogs, Eunomia, The American Mind, Don Surber and National Review

Matt Stoller / Open Left:

Early Exit Poll Rumors — (See the Republican numbers here - promoted by Chris Bowers) — Here you go. I have no idea how reliable these are. — The Obama victories are bolded. If these are real, Obama has thrashed Clinton today. — Georgia: Obama 75, Clinton 26 — Connecticut: Obama 52, Clinton 45

Discussion: MoJoBlog, The Carpetbagger Report, Pacific Views, Raising Kaine and HorsesAss.Org

CNN:

McCain picks up three states, CNN projects — (CNN) — As the second wave of Super Tuesday polls close, CNN projects John McCain will carry New Jersey, Connecticut and Illinois. — Mitt Romney and Barack Obama will take their home states of Massachusetts and Illinois, according to CNN projections.

Discussion: Zogby, michellemalkin.com, Reason Magazine, You Decide 08!, MSNBC, DownWithTyranny!, Shakespeare's Sister, The Reaction, Outside The Beltway, Salon, Comments from Left Field, Cynics' Party, Left in the West, Connecting.the.Dots, Balloon Juice and D-Day

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!, Jonathan Martin's Blogs, Reuters, Firedoglake, TownHall Blog, Booman Tribune, D-Day, Daily Kos and MyDD

Associated Press:

Early Feb. 5 Exit Poll Highlights — Highlights from preliminary results of exit polling in the Super Tuesday primary states for The Associated Press and television networks: — RACE AND GENDER — In the Democratic races, Barack Obama led among black voters and Hillary Rodham Clinton led among Hispanic voters.

Discussion: The Campaign Spot and Riehl World View

The Campaign Spot:
Early Exit Polls in Massachusetts: Dems Close, Romney Up Big

Discussion: Firedoglake, Talking Points Memo and AMERICAblog

You Decide 08!:
HUCKABEE WINS WEST VIRGINIA GOP CONTEST IN SECOND ROUND, WITH HELP FROM MCCAIN

Discussion: Jonathan Martin's Blogs, MSNBC, The Fix, TigerHawk, Confederate Yankee, protein wisdom, The Reaction, PrestoPundit, Los Angeles Times, Salon, Hot Air, Boston Globe, THE LIBERAL JOURNAL and Wake up America

Gallup:
Gallup Daily: Tracking Election 2008

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

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

Discussion: Taylor Marsh and Democratic Strategist

CNN:
Schneider: Conservatives seem split, Could be long night for Dems

Discussion: Pollster.com, Taegan Goddard's … and The Field

Suzanne Smalley / Newsweek:
Romney, Running Uphill

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

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

Discussion: Reason Magazine and Comments from Left Field

Tom Searls / Charleston Gazette:
Huckabee wins W.Va. GOP convention

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

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: Washington Post, JustOneMinute, The New Republic, Election Projection, Taylor Marsh, protein wisdom, American Street, Comments from Left Field, Hot Air, Firedoglake, The Jawa Report, The Moderate Voice, Political Radar, No More Mister Nice Blog and TownHall Blog

Bryan / Hot Air:
Rush Limbaugh *endorses Mitt Romney

Discussion: Stop The ACLU and Captain's Quarters

Ed Morrissey / Captain's Quarters:
The Coming Meltdown For The Democrats

Discussion: Open Left and The Campaign Spot

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

Discussion: The Campaign Spot, Hot Air and Hullabaloo

Jennifer Parker / ABCNEWS:

Obama Overwhelmingly Wins Georgia Primary — Democratic White House Contenders Aim for Votes, Delegates in 22 States — In the first win of what is expected to be a long night, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., defeated Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., in Georgia, a key Southern state …

Discussion: Hot Air, Truthdig, positivelyBarack.com and Donklephant

Live Coverage:
Obama Wins in Illinois and Georgia

Discussion: Hotline On Call

Domenico Montanaro / MSNBC:
CLINTON ‘TALKING POINTS’ MEMO

Discussion: Spin Cycle

CBS News:
Obama Defeats Clinton In Georgia Primary

Discussion: Marc Ambinder and Spin Cycle

CNN:
Voters turn out in droves for Super Tuesday

Discussion: WSB-TV and The Crone Speaks

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

DEM EXITS, SECOND WAVE — These are the second wave exits. Not certain whether or not they're weighted. Assume they're not. — GA: C- 25.5, O - 75 — CT: C - 45, O - 52.2 — IL: C - 29.1, O - 69.6 — AL: C - 37, O - 59.6 — DE: C - 41.9, O - 55.6

Discussion: The Huffington Post, The New Republic, Comments from Left Field, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES and The Field

Marc Ambinder: A Note On Exit Polls

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 Opinionator and 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, NewsBusters.org, Comments from Left Field, The Carpetbagger Report, TVNewser and Truthdig

Jane Hamsher / Firedoglake:
Clinton Agrees to Fox Debate

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, DownWithTyranny!, The Huffington Post 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: Think Progress, Salon, Buck Naked Politics, D-Day and Prairie Weather

John R. Bolton / Wall Street Journal:
Our Politicized Intelligence Services

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

Ben / Think Progress:

Anti-War Candidates Are Top Recipients Of '08 Donations From U.S. Troops — Conservatives opposed to redeployment in Iraq have consistently claimed that U.S. troops are on their side: … Yet U.S. troops disagree. Yesterday, the Center for Responsive Politics reported that members …

Discussion: OpenSecrets.org, The Carpetbagger Report, The Newshoggers, Comments from Left Field, MoJoBlog, Angry Bear and Political Punch

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: International Herald Tribune, DBKP, michellemalkin.com and Blue Crab Boulevard