memeorandum: John McCain's Charitable Contributions (Ken Silverstein/Harper's)

7:30 PM ET, February 29, 2008

Top Items:

Clinton Goes Nuclear; Obama Camp Fires Back — ABC News' David Wright, Sunlen Miller, Andy Fies, Eloise Harper, Kate Snow & Nitya Venkataraman Report: Closing in on the March 4 contests, Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., debuted a campaign ad on Friday with ominous undertones.

Greg Sargent / TPM Election Central:

Obama Responds: I Will Never Use “Threat Of Terrorism To Scare Up Votes” — Okay, Obama has now directly responded to Hillary's ad asking who you want in the White House at 3 A.M. when the red phone rings and your kids are safely asleep. — And his reply suggests that the Obama camp …

Discussion: MoJoBlog, Outside The Beltway, Spin Cycle and Buckeye State Blog

Eric Kleefeld / TPM Election Central:

Hillary Ad: Who Do You Want Answering The White House Phone At 3 a.m.? — Hillary Clinton has a new ad in Texas, making what is perhaps her most forceful argument yet against Barack Obama on national security: — “It's 3 a.m., and your children are safe and asleep,” the announcer says.

Discussion: Pajamas Media, Comments from Left Field, Donklephant, Ohio Daily Blog and KnoxViews

Ann Althouse / Althouse:

Let's watch the YouTubed Hillary ad that the NYT has frontpaged right now. — A commenter at the NYT blog post (where a click on the front page picture takes you) compares this ad to the famous 1964 ad for LBJ: — The Clinton ad is much mellower, lacking the drama of the child's daisy …

Discussion: The Caucus, From Where I sit, Salon, Don Surber and Political Punch

Jason Zengerle / The New Republic:

Hillary Cuts an Ad ... for McCain — Only the Clinton campaign would think mom would be checking on the kids at 3:00 am still dressed in her snazzy business suit. — I thought it was a bit creepy of that person to be looking in on your kids sleeping at 3am.

Discussion: Oliver Willis and Washington Monthly

Ben Smith / The Politico:
New Clinton ad is the scariest of cycle

Discussion: Marc Ambinder, American Power, democracyarsenal.org, Cliff Schecter, Commentary, The Swamp and NYT

Jonathan Chait / The New Republic:
It's 3:00 AM, I Must Be Lonely

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias

Katharine Q. Seelye / New York Times:
New Clinton Ad Prompts Reply From Obama

Discussion: The Politico

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:
Obama responds to the red phone

Discussion: The Swamp and Towleroad

Steve Kornacki / New York Observer:
Hillary as Mondale, Again

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blogs, Spin Cycle and Swampland

Carpetbagger / The Carpetbagger Report:
Has the Clinton campaign really gone ‘nuclear’ with its new ad?

Discussion: The Fix, TPM Election Central and The Mahablog

Marc Ambinder:

Unless Obama Wins, He Loses — Huh?

Discussion: The New Republic, The Carpetbagger Report, Newsweek Blogs, Trailhead, TalkLeft and Ben Smith's Blogs

Ezra Klein / American Prospect:

DUMB SPIN. — Sometimes, I really wonder how dumb the Clinton campaign thinks we are. … So if Obama doesn't outright win the states Clinton is favored in — if he merely closes the gap — Democrats are “having second thoughts about him.” — Who is this aimed at? Political reporters know it's dumb.

Discussion: The Raw Story and Wonkette

Mark Halperin / The Page:
Clinton Camp Memo on Obama Expectations

Discussion: Open Left

Jay Root / Fort Worth Star-Telegram:

State's Democratic Party braces for lawsuit — AUSTIN — The Texas Democratic Party is warning that its primary night caucuses could be delayed or disrupted after aides to White House hopeful Hillary Clinton raised the specter of an “imminent” lawsuit over its complicated delegate selection process, officials said Thursday night.

Discussion: Burnt Orange Report, AMERICAblog, Washington Wire, Redstate and ABCNEWS

Jay Root / Houston Chronicle:

State Democrats say Clinton camp may sue — Legal action could disrupt or delay caucuses, party says — AUSTIN — The Texas Democratic Party warned Thursday that election night caucuses scheduled for Tuesday could be delayed or disrupted after aides to Hillary Rodham Clinton threatened …

Discussion: Burnt Orange Report, MSNBC, Wake up America, The Carpetbagger Report, Off the Kuff, Daily Kos, Comments from Left Field, Prairie Weather, Tennessee Guerilla Women, Marc Ambinder and Riehl World View

Amanda / Think Progress:

Bush Condemns Leaders Who ‘Sit Down At The Table’ And ‘Have Pictures Taken’ With ‘Tyrants’ — In yesterday's news conference, President Bush sharply attacked Sen. Barack Obama's (D-IL) argument that the president “should never fear to negotiate” with America's enemies. Bush told reporters:

Discussion: The Huffington Post, The Body Politik and The Rachel Maddow Show

Ezra Klein / American Prospect:
CHUTZPAH. — I'm sort of busy today, but if some other …

Discussion: Cogitamus, The Carpetbagger Report, Hullabaloo and Total Information Awareness

Matthew Yglesias:
Oh Noes! — Ezra's certainly right to say that it's bizarre …

Discussion: Eschaton

Nancy / nancynall.com:

Copycat. — I feel bad about what I'm going to do here. — I've had a lot of fun at Tim Goeglein's expense over the last few months. Mean-spirited fun, certainly, but my problem with him has always been one of personal taste. In his columns for The News-Sentinel, my old newspaper …

Discussion: The Kenosha Kid's Blog, News-Sentinel.com, Think Progress, Wonkette, Salon and Outside The Beltway

Sylvia A. Smith / The Journal Gazette:
White House column was copied

Discussion: The Huffington Post and I Am TRex

The Trail:

Obama Backs Law Helping McCain — U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) wrote her legislative fix on a yellow legal pad, which she delivered to the Senate clerk, to ensure that any person born to U.S. citizens serving in the armed services while stationed abroad would qualify to become president of the United States.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Crooks and Liars, Sweetness & Light, Hot Air and Salon

Jonah Goldberg / The Corner: Come On! — I love arcane debates over arcana, but John McCain …

Sarah Lyall / New York Times:

Harry Withdrawn From Afghanistan — LONDON — The Defense Ministry announced Friday that Prince Harry, the third in line to the British throne, would have to come home from Afghanistan because it was too risky for him to stay there. — The prince, 23, has been in Helmand Province …

Discussion: Guardian, Gawker, Lean Left, BAGnewsNotes and Bark Bark Woof Woof

Jon Williams / The Editors:
News black-out — At its simplest, journalism is about telling …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Times of London, Pajamas Media, The Lede, Guardian Unlimited and The Newshoggers

ABCNEWS:

Reformer: Trial Will Reveal ‘Cesspool’ of Obama's Allies — Trial for Indicted Fundraiser Tony Rezko Set for Monday — With the corruption trial of one of Sen. Barack Obama's longtime friends and supporters set to begin Monday in Chicago, Ill., reform watchdogs say it will reveal the …

Discussion: TalkLeft and Hot Air

Dana Blanton / Fox News:

FOX News Poll: Clinton Leads in Ohio; Obama Up in Texas — Hillary Clinton has an 8-point lead over Barack Obama heading into Tuesday's Ohio Democratic primary, due largely to the support of white women, seniors and working-class voters, while the race is virtually a tie in Texas …

Discussion: Hot Air

Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:

She's Always A Victim — Puke-worthy self-pity: … Is she f**king kidding me? You think it was a level playing field for Nita Lowey as she was bigfooted out of a New York Senate seat for the carpet-bagging former president's wife? You think it was a level playing field when Clinton bullied …

Discussion: Political Punch and Outside The Beltway

Bill Roggio / The Long War Journal:

Egyptian al Qaeda leader reported killed in South Waziristan airstrike — South Waziristan Taliban leader Mullah Nazir. Click to view. — Pakistani and US intelligence are attempting to sort out the names of the al Qaeda and Taliban operatives killed in yesterday's airstrike in Azam Warzak, South Waziristan.

Discussion: Little Green Footballs, The Jawa Report, The Strata-Sphere, Hot Air and The Campaign Spot