memeorandum: Hillary's last stand — Tonight's MSNBC debate is make or break … (Howard Fineman/MSNBC)

10:20 PM ET, February 26, 2008

Top Items:

Panetta's Lament: They Had No Plan — The argument that the constant carping about Hillary Clinton's campaign has been a function of an Obama-friendly, process-obsessed media is well and good. But how, then, to explain the deeply held dissatisfaction of an old Clinton loyalist like Leon Panetta?

Discussion: The New Republic, Ben Smith's Blogs, Talking Points Memo, Hot Air and Donklephant

Howard Fineman / MSNBC:

Hillary's last stand — Tonight's MSNBC debate is make or break for a candidacy on the brink — Sen. Hillary Clinton at the George Washington University Lisner Auditorium on February 25, 2008 in Washington, DC. — WASHINGTON - In many ways, tonight is Sen. Hillary Clinton's last stand.

Discussion: The Fix, The Reaction, Washington Post and TalkLeft

Hillary Clinton / The Huffington Post:

Clinton Campaign Response To New York Times Rejected — The Clinton campaign is fighting back against a Sunday New York Times report by Patrick Healy that suggests her campaign is not only deteriorating, but that she is foreshadowing her exit through valedictory statements.

Discussion: New York Post, TalkLeft, Trailhead, Wake up America, Oliver Willis, Spin Cycle, The New Republic, Political Radar and Washington Post

Michelle Malkin:
Yep, another Democrat debate...and another Hillary Clinton Cackle …

Discussion: Right Wing Nut House and Gateway Pundit

MSNBC:
Candidates go on the attack in Ohio showdown

Discussion: TalkLeft, Fact Checker, Little Green Footballs and Associated Press

Frank James / The Swamp:

McCain apologizes for radio host's Obama attack — I think we can safely say Bill “Willie” Cunningham, a conservative radio talk show host in Cincinnati, won't be showing up at any more rallies for Sen. John McCain. — It's never a good idea for someone who's sole job is to fire up the crowd …

Discussion: Hullabaloo, MyDD, NewsBusters.org, Liberal Values, American Street and Blue Girl, Red State

Liz Sidoti / Associated Press:

McCain Disavows Comments About Obama — CINCINNATI (AP) — Republican John McCain quickly denounced the comments of a radio talk show host who while warming up a campaign crowd referred repeatedly to Barack Hussein Obama and called the Democratic presidential candidate a “hack, Chicago-style” politician.

Discussion: Commentary, Crooks and Liars and Daily Kos

Domenico Montanaro / MSNBC:
MCCAIN SUPPORTER PLAYS UP ‘HUSSEIN’

Discussion: Trailhead, Political Radar, The New Republic, Newsweek Blogs, Reason Magazine, Macsmind, Riehl World View and Stop The ACLU

Willie Comments / 700WLW:
WHAT'S YOUR WILLIE THINKIN'?

Discussion: MSNBC, The Caucus, Los Angeles Times, The Radio Equalizer and Hot Air

Amanda Marcotte / Pandagon:

Gah … Yes, there is. If you think abortion and other forms of contraceptive birth control should be legal—i.e. that women should have the legal right to decide when they have children—you are pro-choice. Even if you still reserve the right to judge them for it.

Discussion: Eschaton, Shakespeare's Sister, Left in the West and StephenBainbridge.com

Kevin Drum / Washington Monthly:
PRO-CHOICE....Via Atrios, I see that the once popular sport …

Discussion: Booman Tribune, Done With Mirrors and TalkLeft

Vincent Rossmeier / Salon:
How to turn white evangelicals into Democrats

Discussion: Comments from Left Field, The Mahablog and New York Times

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:

Clinton's superdelegates rejecting pleas to switch — House Democrats supporting Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) are rejecting Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (Calif.) plea that lawmakers not overrule voters should they be in a position to decide who will be the Democratic presidential nominee.

Discussion: TownHall Blog and Los Angeles Times

Katharine Q. Seelye / The Caucus:
The Democratic Debate in Cleveland

Discussion: The Swamp, Opinion L.A. and Prairie Weather

David Wright / ABCNEWS:
Dodd Endorses Obama, Rules Out Veepstakes

Discussion: My Left Nutmeg, The Swamp, Hold Fast and The Mahablog

Michael Asher / DailyTech:

Temperature Monitors Report Widescale Global Cooling — A twelve-month long drop in world temperatures erases global warming — Over the past year, anecdotal evidence for a cooling planet has exploded. China has its coldest winter in 100 years. Baghdad sees its first snow in all recorded history.

Discussion: Silent Running, The Corner, QandO, Brutally Honest, Wizbang, Weekly Standard, The Sundries Shack, Daily Kos, Doug Ross, Sister Toldjah and Six Meat Buffet

Rowan Scarborough / Washington Times:

Military fears ‘unknown quantity’ — Members of Washington's military and defense establishment are expressing trepidation about Sen. Barack Obama, as the Illinois senator comes closer to winning the Democratic presidential nomination and leads in national polls to become commander in chief.

Discussion: Horses Mouth, Doug Ross, Wonkette, The Carpetbagger Report, Gateway Pundit and Say Anything

ABCNEWS: Obama, Paul net most military workers' campaign donations

Abovethelaw.com:

Obama, BigLaw, and Taxes(Or: Obama = $34,000 Paycut) — [Ed. note: Today we bring you some “news you can use”: a practical look at how political choices might affect your personal finances. This post is by Ted Frank, who blogs at Overlawyered.com and PointofLaw.com, and who has guest edited ATL in the past.

Discussion: Flopping Aces, Say Anything, Blue Crab Boulevard, The Campaign Spot, Weekly Standard and StephenBainbridge.com

Sweetness & Light:

Another Photo Of Obama In Muslim Garb? — Here we go again. Maybe. — This is an undated and un-captioned photograph that appears on the (highly partisan) website “Freedom's Enemies”: … And, if it is real, it is once again from the Associated Press.

Discussion: Say Anything, Gateway Pundit, A Blog For All, Hot Air and JammieWearingFool

CNN:

General: ‘No reason to doubt’ Obama's story — WASHINGTON (CNN) — Army chief of staff Gen. George Casey, testifying on troop strain before the Senate Armed Forces Committee Tuesday, said there is “no reason to doubt” Sen. Barack Obama's military shortage story during CNN's debate in Austin, Texas, last week.

Discussion: The RBC

David M. Brown / PittsburghLIVE.com:

Film's casting call wants that ‘inbred’ look — TRIBUNE-REVIEW — A movie about to be filmed in Pittsburgh is casting Gothic characters — including an albino-like girl and deformed people — to depict West Virginia mountain people. — “'Regular-looking” children need not apply.

Discussion: The Jawa Report, No More Mister Nice Blog, LIBERTAS and Don Surber

Abbie Ruzicka / media.www.dailyfreepress.com:

To accommodate Muslim students, Harvard tries women-only gym hours — Harvard University has moved to make Muslim women more comfortable in the gym by instituting women-only access times six hours a week to accommodate religious customs that make it difficult for some students to work out in the presence of men.

Discussion: The Corner, Commentary and The Belmont Club

Martin Kady II / The Politico:

‘A bullet right in the hearts of our troops’ — In the war of words over Iraq, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) may want this one back. — Speaking about a Democratic proposal to force Iraq troop withdrawal within 120 days, Hutchison said Tuesday that such a proposal would …

Discussion: Daily Kos and AMERICAblog

Peter S. Canellos / Boston Globe:

Just don't call Barack Obama liberal, okey doke? — Senator Barack Obama during a rally yesterday at the Cincinnati Museum Center. Obama seems to have calculated that labels can be distracting in a presidential campaign. (Rick Bowmer/Associated Press) — AUSTIN, Texas …

Discussion: The Campaign Spot, The Rachel Maddow Show and Real Clear Politics

Jeffrey Ressner / The Politico:

Oscar winner targets Abramoff, McCain — The filmmaker who won an Academy Award Sunday night for best documentary is next turning his attention to the Jack Abramoff scandal, including GOP presidential candidate John McCain's role in investigating the affair.

Discussion: Think Progress