memeorandum: McCain's Iraq Fantasia (Joe Klein/Swampland)

9:50 AM ET, February 28, 2008

Top Items:

McCain's Canal Zone Birth Prompts Queries About Whether That Rules Him Out — WASHINGTON — The question has nagged at the parents of Americans born outside the continental United States for generations: Dare their children aspire to grow up and become president?

Michael R. Bloomberg / Bloomberg:

I'm Not Running for President, but ... WATCHING the 2008 presidential campaign, you sometimes get the feeling that the candidates — smart, all of them — must know better. They must know we can't fix our economy and create jobs by isolating America from global trade.

CTV.ca:

Obama staffer gave warning of NAFTA rhetoric — Barack Obama has ratcheted up his attacks on NAFTA, but a senior member of his campaign team told a Canadian official not to take his criticisms seriously, CTV News has learned. — Both Obama and Hillary Clinton have been critical …

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, NO QUARTER, Sister Toldjah, Below The Beltway and QandO

New York Times:

Going First Most of the Time — WASHINGTON — Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton sounded almost put upon. — “Can I just point out that in the last several debates, I seem to get the first question all the time,” she said to Brian Williams of NBC News, a moderator of Tuesday night's debate between Mrs. Clinton and Senator Barack Obama.

Discussion: Fact Checker and Political Punch

Stephen Ohlemacher / Associated Press:
Clinton adds a half delegate

Discussion: Vox Popoli

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

ROAD MAP — Hopefully, everyone can now see the McCain strategy for running against Barack Obama. Yes, we have some general points on taxes, culture wars and McCain as war hero who can protect us in ways that flash-in-the-pan pretty boy Barack Obama can't. — But that's not the core.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, protein wisdom, toohotfortnr, Bark Bark Woof Woof, Brilliant at Breakfast, The RBC, Riehl World View, The Reaction, AMERICAblog, CNN and Cincinnati Enquirer

Eric Zorn / Change of Subject:

Middle-name calling is way over the line — How bad — how ugly, how far over the line of decency — is it to invoke Barack Obama's middle name in attacking him? — It's so ugly and so far over the line that not even Alan Keyes in his most overwrought, spittle-flecked moments did it during …

Discussion: The Swamp and Don Surber

Juan Cole:

Barack Hussein Obama, Omar Bradley, Benjamin Franklin and other Semitically Named American Heroes — At Cincinnati, Bill Cunningham, according to the LAT, who “introduced presidential candidate John McCain at a rally here today accused Barack Obama of sympathizing with 'world leaders …

Discussion: Swampland and Spin Cycle

Washington Post:

Clinton Campaign Pours Resources Into Two Crucial Primaries — Aides to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.), coming to terms with the idea that she must win contests in both Texas and Ohio next week or face enormous pressure to drop out of the race for the Democratic presidential nomination …

Discussion: The Caucus and Politics Plus

New York Times:

McCain and Obama Trade Jabs on Iraq — Senator John McCain opened a new line of attack against Senator Barack Obama on Wednesday, accusing him of being willing to surrender Iraq to Al Qaeda. — Mr. McCain, the likely Republican nominee for president, previewed a possible general election contest …

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, Middle Earth Journal, Taylor Marsh, Instapundit.com and USS Neverdock

Joe Klein / Swampland:
McCain's Iraq Fantasia

Discussion: Firedoglake, The Carpetbagger Report, MSNBC and Eschaton

Adam Nossiter / New York Times:

Louisiana Governor Pierces Business as Usual — BATON ROUGE, La. — Downstairs, legislators gnashed their teeth, while upstairs at the Capitol here this week, the new governor claimed victory against the old customs down below. — Six weeks into the term of Gov. Bobby Jindal …

Discussion: Blue Crab Boulevard and The RBC

New York Times:

Early Obama Commitment on Money Becomes Target — Just 12 months ago, Senator Barack Obama presented himself as an idealistic upstart taking on the Democratic fund-raising juggernaut behind Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. — That was when Mr. Obama proposed a novel challenge aimed at limiting …

Discussion: AMERICAblog and Matthew Yglesias

Seth Sutel / Associated Press:

NYT's Greenhouse Takes Buyout Offer — NEW YORK — Linda Greenhouse, who has covered the Supreme Court for The New York Times for 30 years, said Wednesday that she has accepted a buyout package from the newspaper. — Greenhouse joined the Times in 1968 and started covering the court in 1978 …

Discussion: Bench Memos and Romenesko

William J. Bennett / National Review:

WFB: A Celebration — Saddened by the news of our beloved William F. Buckley Jr.'s passing Wednesday morning, National Review Online turned to friends, colleagues, students, and admirers of WFB to help capture his impact on America. — If “a man of parts” is a description of any man, it surely fit Bill.

Discussion: Dean's World, Redstate, GayPatriot, About Last Night and Betsy's Page

Jeet Heer / sans everything:
William F. Buckley: the Gift of Friendship

Discussion: City Room, Commentary and Unqualified Offerings

Jack Shafer / Slate:

The Times Plagiarizes the Miami Herald — A PAGE ONE STORY LIFTS TWO LINES ABOUT AN ILLICIT DRUG. — The hell wrought on Argentina by the illicit drug “paco” has already become a journalistic staple. The Christian Science Monitor visited the topic on April 5, 2006; the Miami Herald on Aug. 12 …

Discussion: Romenesko and Chronicle of the Conspiracy