memeorandum: Teamsters Endorse Obama, Offering a Blue-Collar Lift (Steven Greenhouse/New York Times)

7:10 AM ET, February 21, 2008

Top Items:

For McCain, Self-Confidence on Ethics Poses Its Own Risk — WASHINGTON — Early in Senator John McCain's first run for the White House eight years ago, waves of anxiety swept through his small circle of advisers. — A female lobbyist had been turning up with him at fund-raisers, in his offices and aboard a client's corporate jet.

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, American Spectator, Crooks and Liars, Guardian, Firedoglake, Hullabaloo, Bark Bark Woof Woof, Publius Pundit, The Natural Truth, Bang the Drum, Los Angeles Times, Political Punch, The Campaign Spot, TalkLeft, Political Radar, South Texas Chisme, Washington Monthly, You Decide 08!, NewsBusters.org, Right Wing News, Politics1, NO QUARTER, DownWithTyranny!, Shakespeare's Sister, Emptywheel, Reason Magazine, Left in the West, Patterico's Pontifications, Daily Kos, Salon, PERRspectives Blog, No More Mister Nice Blog, Open Left, FOX Embeds, Washington Wire, TownHall Blog, Political Machine, Riehl World View, The Moderate Voice, All Spin Zone, Mercury Rising, the talking dog, Wonkette, Prairie Weather, D-Day, Attytood, AMERICAblog, Booman Tribune, Jules Crittenden, Pandagon, TBogg, Megan McArdle, Politics Blog, THE LIBERAL JOURNAL, Pensito Review, McCain Central, The New Republic, Don Surber, PrestoPundit, MyDD, Sister Toldjah, Commentary, Oliver Willis, Lawyers, Guns and Money, michellemalkin.com, The Democratic Daily, JammieWearingFool, Gateway Pundit, BlueOregon, Brains and Eggs, Blue Crab Boulevard, Big Head DC, Taylor Marsh, The Gun Toting Liberal™, IntoxiNation and Random Thoughts from Reno

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

THE MCCAIN STORY — This afternoon, before the Times story came out, I was working on a post about national political reporters' tendency not to give much of any scrutiny to various McCain flipflops, contradictions and bamboozlements. Obviously, the terrain has changed a bit since …

Discussion: The RBC and Rolling Stone

Washington Post:

McCain's Ties To Lobbyist Worried Aides — Before 2000 Campaign, Advisers Tried to Bar Her — Aides to Sen. John McCain confronted a telecommunications lobbyist in late 1999 and asked her to distance herself from the senator during the presidential campaign he was about to launch …

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, Democrats.com, American Street, JustOneMinute, Talking Points Memo, The New Republic, PSoTD and Firedoglake

Noam Scheiber / The New Republic:

Bonus TNR Angle on the McCain Story — The McCain campaign is apparently blaming TNR for forcing the Times' hand on this story. We can't yet confirm that. But we can say this: TNR correspondent Gabe Sherman is working on a piece about the Times' foot-dragging on the McCain story …

Discussion: protein wisdom

Mary Katharine Ham / TownHall Blog:

What's the Quickest Way to Rally Conservatives 'Round McCain? — A sandbagging from the NYT of just this skeezy a nature. — This doesn't reflect badly on anyone but the Times, as far as I'm concerned. The innuendo and full-on craptastic nature of the lede alone is enough to damn …

Ana Marie Cox / TIME: Swampland:

McCain Senior Adviser Responds to Times Story — Mark Salter, John McCain's obstreperous senior aide, just responded to Time's query about the New York Times's long-simmering McCain-mixed-up-with-lobbyists story. — Speaking from a parking garage in Toledo, where the campaign is overnighting …

Discussion: Taylor Marsh and Washington Monthly

Rich Lowry / The Corner:

First-Blush Reaction — The Times doesn't have the goods—at least from what's in the story—and shouldn't have run it. Let's be honest: this story is all about the alleged affair, and all the Keating Five and campaign finance reform re-hash is window dressing. A key passage:

Discussion: The New Republic

Allahpundit / Hot Air:

NYT: McCain may have behaved unethically and cheated on his wife, but we're not sure; Update: Pressured by the New Republic? Update: McCain responds; Update: Carl Cameron video added; Update: TNR confirms? Update: WaPo piles on — A sex scandal that may not be a scandal tucked inside …

Discussion: The Sundries Shack

Hindrocket / Power Line:

THE TIMES UPHOLDS ITS STANDARDS — The New York Times smears John McCain in tomorrow's paper, accusing him of ethics violations and insinuating that he had an affair with a lobbyist. What is most striking, though, if you actually read the story, is how thin it is.

Discussion: The Huffington Post and protein wisdom

RADAR:
WAS JOHN MCCAIN GETTING ‘LOBBIED’ BY A WOMAN 30 YEARS HIS JUNIOR?

Discussion: Daily Kos, NewsBusters.org and American Spectator

David Kurtz / Talking Points Memo: MCCAIN CAMPAIGN ISSUES STATEMENT

Marc Ambinder:
McCain/Lobbyist Story In The New York Times Finally Drops

Discussion: Atlas Shrugs, Bang the Drum and The New Republic

NewsMax.com:
Inside Cover — Bennett Slams NY Times Hit Job on McCain

Discussion: The Huffington Post

Noam Scheiber / The New Republic: McCain Bombshell

Will / Attytood:
McCain's lobbyist friend: “A View from the Top”

Discussion: BAGnewsNotes, Firedoglake and Wonkette

Jonathan Martin / The Politico:
NYT prints allegation of McCain relationship

Discussion: American Spectator, protein wisdom and Macsmind

Jeralyn / TalkLeft:
McCain Slams NY Times Article Linking Him to Female Lobbyist

Discussion: McCain Central

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.

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, McBlogger, Salon, Right Wing News, Ace of Spades HQ, Talking Points Memo, Brains and Eggs, MoJoBlog, Hot Air, Cristy Li, Big Head DC, Burnt Orange Report, Eye on Williamson, Trailhead, The Trail, Macsmind and TownHall Blog

Hilzoy / The Daily Dish:
Dear Chris Matthews: Please Do Your Job

Discussion: The Swamp, Talking Points Memo, Newsweek Blogs, The Democratic Daily and Weekly Standard

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 …

Discussion: Democracy Project, A Chequer-Board of Nights …, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS, Megan McArdle and Redstate

The Editorial Board:

Democrats Obama, Clinton star in high-stakes Austin debate — Austin gets an unexpected turn as the center of the American political universe tonight as Sens. Barack Obama of Illinois and Hillary Clinton of New York face each other in debate on the University of Texas campus (7 p.m., CNN).

Discussion: Althouse and On Deadline

Robert Burns / Associated Press:

Navy Missile Hits Spy Satellite — WASHINGTON (AP) - A missile launched from a Navy ship successfully struck a dying U.S. spy satellite passing 130 miles over the Pacific on Wednesday, a defense official said. Full details were not immediately available. — It happened just after 10:30 p.m. EST.

Discussion: Neptunus Lex, Redstate and Jules Crittenden

Thomas W. / tbo.com:

TIA Passenger Had Box Cutter In Hollowed-Out Book — A security officer at Tampa International Airport found a box cutter hidden in a hollowed-out book on Sunday. — TAMPA — A 21-year-old Clearwater man was arrested at Tampa International Airport this weekend after security personnel found …

Discussion: Buck Naked Politics, Power Line, michellemalkin.com, Captain's Quarters, Wake up America, Atlas Shrugs and Jihad Watch

Steven Greenhouse / New York Times:

Teamsters Endorse Obama, Offering a Blue-Collar Lift — In a surprising boost for Senator Barack Obama, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters endorsed him on Wednesday, giving him new momentum among a group where he is eager to shore up support: blue-collar men.

Discussion: American Street