memeorandum: Reporter initially defended Chelsea comment (Michael Calderone/The Politico)

11:25 AM ET, February 9, 2008

Top Items:

Chelsea Remark Earns MSNBC Correspondent A Suspension — In case there was any doubt, using a prostitution metaphor for the daughter of a presidential candidate is not a good career move. — MSNBC suspended correspondent David Shuster yesterday for an undetermined period for making a disparaging on-air remark about Chelsea Clinton.

Discussion: Captain's Quarters and Outside The Beltway

Michael Calderone / The Politico:

Reporter initially defended Chelsea comment — Before MSNBC's David Shuster was suspended by the network Friday for on-air comments he made about Chelsea Clinton, the television reporter engaged in a heated correspondence with a spokesman for Hillary Rodham Clinton in which he defended his appearance and refused demands to apologize.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Neptunus Lex, FishBowlDC, TVNewser, The Page, Gateway Pundit and Media Matters for America

Ann Althouse / Althouse:

NBC wimped out over “pimped out.” — David Shuster said — about Chelsea Clinton — “Doesn't it seem like she's being pimped out in some weird sort of way?” — Now, MSNBC has suspended him, after pressure from the Clinton campaign: … Really, how bad is it to say “pimped out”?

Discussion: SFGate and Firedoglake

Beth Fouhy / Associated Press:
MSNBC's Chelsea comment angers Clinton

Discussion: Scared Monkeys, The Trail, The Page, MyDD, Angry Bear, skippy the bush kangaroo, Associated Press, Hot Air and TVNewser

Digby / Hullabaloo:
Here We Go Again — I have taken a fair amount of grief …

Discussion: SteveAudio, Media Matters for America, Jules Crittenden, The Garlic, The Huffington Post, Daily Kos, Wake up America, Pandagon, Eschaton, Shakespeare's Sister, Sister Toldjah and TalkLeft

Will / Attytood:
The worst thing that's ever been said about Chelsea Clinton

Discussion: Liberal Values, The New Republic, TPM Election Central and NewsBusters.org

Serge F. Kovaleski / New York Times:

Friends Say Drugs Played Only Bit Part for Obama — Nearly three decades ago, Barack Obama stood out on the small campus of Occidental College in Los Angeles for his eloquence, intellect and activism against apartheid in South Africa. But Mr. Obama, then known as Barry, also joined in the party scene.

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blogs, MSNBC, The Reaction and Reason Magazine

AJStrata / The Strata-Sphere:

Hannity's Afternoon Meltdown — Boy, oh boy. Something is happening with the ‘true’ conservatives on AM Talk Radio. I tuned into Hannity see what had happened today and the guy just went off on what can only be described as a lick-spittle tirade! Apparently Rich Galen wrote a piece today …

Discussion: RADAMISTO, News Hounds and Middle Earth Journal

Rich Galen / Townhall.com: Rush, Sean, and Laura

New York Times:

Washington Is the Contest du Jour — TACOMA, Wash. — Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama crisscrossed Washington State on Friday, drawing standing-room-only crowds as they campaigned only miles apart on the eve of Saturday's Democratic caucuses.

Discussion: The Politico, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Booman Tribune, Pajamas Media and MSNBC

David Ammons / Seattle Post-Intelligencer:
Gregoire endorses Obama for president

Discussion: Donklephant

Michael D. Shear / The Trail:

Fred Thompson Backs McCain — Fred Thompson, the one-time Republican presidential candidate, endorsed Sen. John McCain Friday, calling on the party to “close ranks” behind the presumed nominee. — “This is no longer about past preferences or differences.

Discussion: Fausta's blog, michellemalkin.com, Flopping Aces, Hot Air, Outside The Beltway, Wake up America, Hotline On Call and Macsmind

Bryan / Hot Air:
Video: John Bolton makes the case for McCain at CPAC

Discussion: Tammy Bruce, Macsmind, American Spectator and Stop The ACLU

Sam Stein / The Huffington Post:
Bolton As McCain's Secretary Of State?

Discussion: Firedoglake and Think Progress

Ariel Alexovich / The Caucus:

Paul Concedes Race, Sort Of — In a message to supporters sent just before 11 p.m. Friday night, Representative Ron Paul, a long-shot G.O.P. candidate from Texas, basically conceded that he's not going to win the party's nomination. — That said, he's scaling back his campaign — but not entirely.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice and The Carpetbagger Report

Dan Balz / Washington Post:

Sanctioned States Put Democrats in Quandary — The clever people in Michigan who decided to get into a game of chicken with New Hampshire last fall over the timing of their Democratic primary should be having second thoughts this weekend. — Had Michigan Democrats not engaged in gamesmanship …

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, New York Times, Wake up America, Los Angeles Times, Jules Crittenden, You Decide 08!, Blue Crab Boulevard and Right Voices

Jim Acosta / CNN:
Democrats dreading a drawn-out, costly battle for nomination

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, michellemalkin.com, Open Left and ABCNEWS

William Kristol / Weekly Standard:

Good News for Conservatives — We have a great opportunity in 2008. — What a moment! Having learned nothing from the left's Bush Derangement Syndrome, the conservative movement's big talkers spent the days before Super Tuesday indulging in a fiery display of McCain Derangement Syndrome.

Discussion: The Corner

Gabriel Schoenfeld / Weekly Standard:

Not Every Leak Is Fit to Print — Why have federal prosecutors subpoenaed a New York Times reporter? — Investigations of national-security leaks in Washington are not all that rare. But until Judith Miller of the New York Times was sent to jail for 85 days by a special prosecutor digging …

Discussion: Power Line

Colin Powell / CNN:

Colin Powell may support Democrat or Independent in '08 — WASHINGTON (CNN) - Former Secretary of State Colin Powell, a Republican who served under President Bush, said Friday he may not back the GOP presidential nominee in November, telling CNN that “I am keeping my options open at the moment.”

Discussion: Los Angeles Times

MSNBC:

Deep Background: Where is al-Qaida's American? — Where is accused terrorist Adam Gadahn? — That's what Taliban sources along the Afghan-Pakistan border are wondering about the American-born al-Qaida member. Gadahn, known as Azzam al-Ameriki (Azzam the American), joined al-Qaida in 2003 …

Discussion: The Long War Journal, PoliGazette, Hot Air and Gateway Pundit

Howie / The Jawa Report:
Adam Gadahn Still Missing, Taliban Worried

Discussion: Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler

Leon Fleisher / Washington Post:

My White House Dilemma — I am a musician, one of five artists — the others being Brian Wilson, Steve Martin, Diana Ross and Martin Scorsese — honored recently by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. — The event, a deeply moving and gratifying tribute to the performing arts …

Discussion: The Corner

Tapscott's Copy Desk:

Will President McCain enforce or expand McCain-Feingold regulation of political speech to bloggers? — George Will delivered a powerful argument at last night's CPAC banquet on behalf of conservatives sucking it up and being “happy warriors” on behalf of John McCain and the Republican presidential ticket.

New York Times:

Bush Presses for G.O.P. Unity; Party Set to Focus on Security — WASHINGTON — Offering a preview of the general election campaign, President Bush sought on Friday to unify the Republican Party behind its presumptive nominee and said the contest would present the country with a stark ideological choice at a time of war.

Discussion: Big Brass Blog and Los Angeles Times