Top Items:
Nitya / Political Punch:
Clinton Campaign Sets Up Website to Push to Change the Rules — This morning brings the news that the campaign of Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, has launched a new website where they are announcing how they are officially preparing to make the case that the rules of the Democratic nomination process should be changed.
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Marc Ambinder:
Pro-Clinton 527 Prepares For Ohio, PA and Texas — Allies of Hillary Clinton plan an expensive, stealth campaign to buttress her standing in the must-win states of Ohio, Texas and Pennsylvania. — They're canvassing Clinton donors for pledges of up to $100,000 in the hope of raising at least $10M by the end of next week.
Ben Smith / The Politico:
Clinton 527 ad hits economic message — “If speeches could create jobs, we wouldn't be facing a recession,” the narrator says in the spot, titled “Blueprint,” that takes no more direct shots at Obama, but instead hews closely to Clinton's economic message. — The 527 hews to the legal rule …
RJ Eskow / The Huffington Post:
Clinton's New 527 Will Backfire: A Drummer Explains Why. — Yesterday the string of defeats continued, and today we learn that Clinton's campaign is launching a “stealth 527.” You remember those — Swift Boat attacks and all? It isn't likely to work. — Back in my musician days we had a drummer who hardly ever spoke.
Texas Senator Kirk Watson:
MSNBC and Me — On Tuesday night, after an important and historic victory in the Wisconsin Presidential Primary by Senator Barack Obama, I appeared on the MSNBC post-election program. “Hardball” host Chris Matthews (who is, it turns out, as ferocious as they say), began grilling me on Senator Obama's legislative record.
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The Huffington Post:
Chris Matthews Humiliates State Senator Kirk Watson On MSNBC — Texas State Senator Kirk Watson (D-TX) learned a lesson in preparedness Tuesday night when he was humiliated on MSNBC. Watson was on to talk about his support of Senator Obama alongside Representative Stephanie Tubbs (D-OH), who backs Senator Clinton.
Discussion:
The Newshoggers, Crooks and Liars, Wake up America, UrbanGrounds, NewsBusters.org and IntoxiNation
Media Matters for America:
O'Reilly: “I don't want to go on a lynching party against Michelle Obama unless there's evidence, hard facts, that say this is how the woman really feels" — During the February 19 edition of his nationally syndicated radio show, Bill O'Reilly took a call from a listener who said of Michelle Obama …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Taylor Marsh, Ben Smith's Blogs, Jonathan Martin's Blogs, Daily Kos, TalkLeft, Horses Mouth, Macsmind, Salon and Too Sense
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John Amato / Crooks and Liars:
Bill O'Reilly: “I don't want to go on a lynching party against Michelle Obama unless there's evidence... I got a tip on this yesterday and passed it along to Media Matters. Michelle Obama has been attacked over a recent comment she made by the right wing the last few days about being proud of America.
Jane Hamsher / Firedoglake:
O'Reilly's “Lynching Party” and Michelle Obama
O'Reilly's “Lynching Party” and Michelle Obama
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo
Barack Obama / USA Today:
Opposing view: Both sides must agree — I will seek a good faith pact that results in real spending limits. — In 2007, shortly after I became a candidate for president, I asked the Federal Election Commission to clear any regulatory obstacles to a publicly funded general election in 2008 with real spending limits.
Discussion:
The Trail, Hot Air, Trailhead, Wonkette, TIME: Swampland, The Carpetbagger Report, FOX Embeds, Associated Press and Lynn Sweet
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Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
Clinton's Blueprint — A trio of senior advisers to Sen …
Clinton's Blueprint — A trio of senior advisers to Sen …
Discussion:
Wonkette
ABCNEWS:
Bill Clinton: Texas Could Be Hillary's Last Stand — Former President Tells Lone Star Crowd Wife Needs Wins in Texas and Ohio — There's a Texas-sized stumbling block on Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's comeback trail. — Even Clinton's most devoted surrogate — her husband, Bill Clinton …
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Valerie Bauman / Associated Press:
Ex-president, husband, superdelegate
Ex-president, husband, superdelegate
Discussion:
Outside The Beltway
Domenico Montanaro / MSNBC:
MCCAIN PAINTS OBAMA AS TOO HAWKISH? — From NBC's Andy Merten — It's slightly counter-intuitive that Obama could sound more hawkish than McCain, but when it comes to Pakistan, that may be the case. Last night at his Wisconsin victory speech in Columbus, Ohio, McCain came out swinging …
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Nicole Belle / Crooks and Liars:
McCain Blasts Obama for Bush's Attacks in Pakistan:Updated with video
McCain Blasts Obama for Bush's Attacks in Pakistan:Updated with video
Discussion:
PERRspectives Blog
Spiegel Online:
Danish Caricaturist of Muhammad Fame Now Homeless — Two years ago Kurt Westergaard was in his Copenhagen home drawing pictures. One of them was of the Muslim prophet, Muhammad. Now Westergaard is homeless. — Draw a picture offensive to Muslim extremists, and you might find yourself without a roof.
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The Campaign Spot:
“Barack Will Never Allow You to Go Back to Your Lives as Usual.” — Last night I appeared on Hugh's show, and his producer Duane mentioned a Michelle Obama speech at UCLA. Captain Ed talked about this a bit, but I hadn't seen anyone transcribe the part of the speech where it gets a little... unnerving.
Domenico Montanaro / MSNBC:
A CLINTON SURROGATE, A DEM DIVIDE? — From NBC's Abby Livingston — Oh snap! Who needs a Rottweiler when you've got surrogates? — Tom Buffenbarger president of the machinists' union (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers) was the the latest in a string of Clinton junkyard dogs unleashed upon Obama.
Sarah Lyall / New York Times:
Use of Private Care Tests British Health System — LONDON — Created 60 years ago as a cornerstone of the British welfare state, the National Health Service is devoted to the principle of free medical care for everyone. But recently it has been wrestling with a problem its founders never anticipated …
Holly Ramer / Associated Press:
Candidate Guilty of Faking Disappearance — A businessman was convicted Wednesday of faking his disappearance after a car crash two years ago to draw attention to his long-shot congressional campaign. — A jury convicted Gary Dodds of falsifying evidence, causing a false public alarm and leaving the scene of the April 2006 crash.
Jerusalem Post:
Ahmadinejad: Israel filthy bacteria — In yet another verbal attack against Israel, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called the Jewish state a “filthy bacteria” whose sole purpose was to oppress the other nations of the region. — “The world powers established this filthy bacteria …