memeorandum: Testimony — Chairman Ben S. Bernanke — The economy and financial markets (Board of Governors …)

11:20 AM ET, February 15, 2008

Top Items:

Black Leader, a Clinton Ally, Tilts to Obama — MILWAUKEE — Representative John Lewis, an elder statesman from the civil rights era and one of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton's most prominent black supporters, said Thursday night that he planned to cast his vote as a superdelegate …

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

WON'T GO THERE — In the thick of a campaign it is easy to overrate the importance of an endorsement or a political hit. But it is difficult to overstate the significance of John Lewis' switch from the Clinton to Obama camps because it is a devastating blow on two or three levels wrapped together in a single person.

Discussion: Eschaton and TIME: Swampland

Dan Balz / Washington Post:

Clinton Camp May Regret Largely Turning Its Back on Caucus States — Among the costliest decisions Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign has made this year was to largely cede caucus states to Barack Obama. It is one that, in retrospect, baffles Democratic strategists and, even more so, the operatives on Obama's team.

Discussion: protein wisdom, Washington Wire and michellemalkin.com

Mark Halperin / The Page:
HALPERIN'S TAKE: Why a John Lewis' Defection Would Be Such a Big Deal

Discussion: The New Republic

Gateway Pundit:

RIOTS IN DENMARK! Muslim Youths Go On Torching Rampage — Rioting in Denmark! — “Immigrant” youths are torching cars and schools. — An elementary school was torched in the violence. — A fireman tries to put out a fire at Vaerebro elementary school that was set alight by demonstrators …

Discussion: Atlas Shrugs, Associated Press, snapped shot, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS and Hot Air

Brian C. Ledbetter / snapped shot:

rage boy sighting!!!!!! anti-denmark day of rage; now worldwide! … Update: The protests are now worldwide. Currently seething in Kashmir, Pakistan, and Gaza. More sure to come. I'm buried in photos, still catching up. — ISLAMIC RAGE BOY IS HERE!!!!!

Discussion: Jihad Watch, Weasel Zippers and THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS

Agence France Presse:
Copenhagen police arrest six in fifth night of riots

Discussion: Wake up America, UrbanGrounds, Weasel Zippers and Jihad Watch

Michelle Malkin:
Cartoon riots, part deux; Update: Thousands of Hamas jihadis pile on

Discussion: Pajamas Media, Reuters and snapped shot

Glenn Greenwald / Salon:

Jihadis throw a wild bash over the Protect America Act — (updated below - Update II) — What can one even say about this quote, included in Carl Hulse's NYT article on the Democrats' refusal yesterday to pass the Senate's FISA bill before expiration of the Protect America Act:

Discussion: Eschaton, The Corner, Associated Press, Daily Kos, CBS News, Balloon Juice, The Mahablog, The Seminal and Shakespeare's Sister

Washington Post:
House Defies Bush on Wiretaps

Discussion: Eschaton

Carl Hulse / New York Times:
House Leaves Surveillance Law to Expire

Discussion: TownHall Blog, Comments from Left Field, Power Line, The Gun Toting Liberal™, The Carpetbagger Report, DownWithTyranny!, Pirate's Cove, The Seminal, DCist, Eschaton, Buck Naked Politics, The Politico, The Swamp, The Crypt's Blogs and Seeing the Forest

Peggy Noonan / Wall Street Journal:

Confidence or Derangement? — “This is death by a thousand cuts.” That's what they keep saying about Hillary Clinton. — Think of what this week was for her. She awoke each day having to absorb new sentences in a paragraph of woe: — Three more primary losses, not even close.

Discussion: The Campaign Spot, MSNBC, TBogg and alicublog

Sam Stein / The Huffington Post:

Matthews Calls Clinton Press Shop “Lousy”, “Kneecappers” — Chris Matthews fired a salvo at the Clinton campaign this morning after both he and his MSNBC colleague were privately and publicly rebuked for recent comments deemed misogynistic or inappropriate.

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, TalkLeft and politburo diktat 2.0

Josephine Hearn / The Politico:

White men hold superdelegate power balance — In an ironic twist to the historic Democratic nominating contest between an African American and a woman, the balance of power may be held by a more familiar face: the white male. — According to a Politico analysis, close to half …

Discussion: Hot Air and New York Times

Laura Meckler / Wall Street Journal:
McCain-Obama Race Could Redraw Electoral Map

Discussion: TIME and The Caucus

Mike Allen / The Politico:

George H.W. Bush to endorse McCain — Former president George H.W. Bush will endorse Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in Houston on Monday during a media availability at 9:30 a.m. Texas time, Republican sources say. — President Bush will be in Africa at the time.

Discussion: TownHall Blog

Timothy J. Burger / Bloomberg:

Obama's Chicago Ties Might Fuel ‘Republican Attack Machine’ — Feb. 15 (Bloomberg) — Hillary Clinton questions whether Barack Obama would be able to withstand what she calls the “Republican attack machine.” If Obama does become the Democratic presidential nominee, his Chicago ties might provide the fuel.

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blogs, Spin Cycle, TIME and TigerHawk

Guardian:

BAE: papers reveal Saudi threats — Spectre of ‘another 7/7’ led Tony Blair to block bribes inquiry, high court told — Saudi Arabia's rulers threatened to make it easier for terrorists to attack London unless corruption investigations into their arms deals were halted, according to court documents revealed yesterday.

Discussion: Jihad Watch, Hot Air, Emptywheel and War and Piece

Peter Urban / The Connecticut Post Online:

Lieberman says some waterboarding OK — WASHINGTON — Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman reluctantly acknowledged Thursday that he does not believe waterboarding is torture, but believes the interrogation technique should be available only under the most extreme circumstances.

Discussion: Think Progress, The Carpetbagger Report, Balkinization, Firedoglake and My Left Nutmeg

CNN:

Former student kills 6 at Northern Illinois University, sparks ‘chaos’ — DEKALB, Illinois (CNN) — A gunman dressed in black stepped from behind a curtain at the front of a large lecture hall at Northern Illinois University on Thursday and shot 21 people, six of them fatally …

Discussion: Telegraph, Gateway Pundit, JammieWearingFool, Townhall.com, Pharyngula and PoliBlog (TM)

Chicago Tribune:
Five dead in NIU shooting

Discussion: Agence France Presse, On Deadline, MSNBC, Associated Press, Buck Naked Politics, CNN, Hot Air, WBBM-TV, Moonbattery, The Moderate Voice, UrbanGrounds, Gateway Pundit, Wake up America and The Newshoggers

Matthew Yglesias:

More FISA, Less Sarcasm — For a more substantive take on the whole FISA/telecom immunity issue than I've been able to muster, check out my friend libertarian tech policy analyst Tim Lee's Slate article from a few days ago which runs down most of the relevant information.

Discussion: Eschaton, CNET News.com and Firedoglake