memeorandum: Q&A: Barack Obama and Tony Rezko (Martin Fletcher/Times of London)

9:05 AM ET, March 5, 2008

Top Items:

Big Wins for Clinton in Texas and Ohio; McCain Is In as G.O.P. Choice — Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton defeated Senator Barack Obama in the Ohio and Texas primaries on Tuesday, ending a string of defeats and allowing her to soldier on in a Democratic presidential nomination race that now seems unlikely to end any time soon.

Discussion: The Swamp, Daily Kos, The Carpetbagger Report, American Street and normblog

The Politico:

Clinton scrambles to freeze defectors — A behind-the-scenes battle broke out late Tuesday over superdelegates who had secretly committed to Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), with Clinton campaign officials scrambling to “freeze” them before they announced support for him.

Discussion: The Swamp, Trailhead, Below The Beltway, Talking Points Memo, Firedoglake, Oliver Willis, The Page, The Reaction, Opinions You Should Have, New York Times and The Carpetbagger Report

Washington Post:

OBAMA: In the Weeks to Come, A Costly Battle on Two Fronts — With losses in three out of four primaries yesterday, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and his campaign face a scenario that a barrage of advertising, phone calls and door-knocking could not avert — a protracted, two-front war …

Discussion: Hot Air, NO QUARTER and Taylor Marsh

New York Times:

McCain Clinches Race as Foe Concedes; Democrats Battle Over 2 Crucial States — Senator John McCain, a one-time insurgent whose campaign was all but dead seven months ago, locked up the Republican presidential nomination on Tuesday night after he defeated former Gov. Mike Huckabee in the Texas …

Discussion: protein wisdom, Newsweek, MSNBC, Live Coverage, Liberal Values, Gateway Pundit, Feministing, The Moderate Voice and The Democratic Daily

John McCain 2008:

Remarks By John McCain On Tonight's Primary Victories — ARLINGTON, VA — U.S. Senator John McCain's presidential campaign today released the following remarks by John McCain as prepared for delivery tonight in Dallas, Texas: — Thank you. Thank you, Texas, Ohio, Vermont and Rhode Island.

Discussion: Firedoglake, Reason Magazine and Real Clear Politics

Washington Post:

Clinton Beats Obama in Texas and Ohio; McCain Clinches Republican Nomination — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton won critically important victories in Ohio and Texas last night, defying predictions of an imminent end to her presidential candidacy and extending the remarkable contest …

Discussion: TownHall Blog, The Moderate Voice, Houston Chronicle, OPENERS, The Strata-Sphere, Below The Beltway and Instapundit.com

Patrick Healy / New York Times:
In 2 Battlegrounds, Voters Say, Not Yet

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, Washington Wire, MSNBC and Time

Jeff Zeleny / New York Times: Obama Seeks to Rally Backers After Clinton Victories

Joe Gandelman / The Moderate Voice:
Hillary Clinton Wins Texas Democratic Primary And “Comeback” Narrative (UPDATED)

Discussion: Associated Press and Pandagon

Washington Post:
CLINTON: Energizing Victories, But Difficult Delegate Math

Discussion: Hot Air and Below The Beltway

David Espo / Associated Press:
McCain Clinches; Obama, Clinton Battle

Discussion: Outside The Beltway and Say Anything

Ben Smith / The Politico:

Obama lawyer ambushes Clinton conference call — Barack Obama's top lawyer, Bob Bauer, made an unexpected appearance on the Clinton campaign's conference call this evening, calling in on a line intended for reporters to challenge Clinton aides' claims of irregularities in several Texas precincts.

Discussion: blog.dispatch.com, 2008Central.net, American Prospect, The Corner, Trailhead, Wake up America, The Huffington Post, Political Machine, The Page, Hotline On Call, The Raw Story, Taylor Marsh, Donklephant, TownHall Blog and TPM Election Central

2008Central.net:

Obama General Counsel Crashes Clinton Press Call On Voting Irregularities In Texas; Engages In Heated Exchange With Clinton Staff — This evening, the Clinton Campaign held an urgent press call to discuss reported incidents of voting irregularities and intimidation taking place at primary conventions …

Discussion: MSNBC, Threat Level, Taylor Marsh, American Spectator, Trailhead, The Democratic Daily, The Trail and Firedoglake

Marc Ambinder:
Livewire — 11:42: Obama puts focus on McCain; McCain …

Discussion: Riehl World View

Sam Youngman / The Hill:
Clinton cries foul in Texas; Obama lawyer hijacks call

Discussion: National Review, Political Radar, The Politico, Hot Air, New York Times, Associated Press, Gawker, The Sleuth, NO QUARTER, OPENERS, Redstate and Pajamas Media

Marc Ambinder:
Caucus Problems In Texas

Discussion: Trailhead, Taylor Marsh and QandO

Marc Ambinder:
Obama Attorney Crashes Clinton Campaign Conference Call

Discussion: Taylor Marsh

CNN:

Exit polls: Did Limbaugh influence Democratic race? — (CNN) — There were concerns that Republican voters would participate in large numbers in the Democratic primaries in Ohio and Texas Tuesday and cause mischief, following a call by Rush Limbaugh for listeners to vote for Hillary Clinton.

Discussion: The Mahablog, culturekitchen, Political Machine, DownWithTyranny!, OPENERS, The Campaign Spot, TalkLeft, Ben Smith's Blogs and Fox News

Gary Langer / Associated Press:
EXIT POLL: ‘Change’ Tops 'Experience"... Again

Discussion: Associated Press, Fox News, Tammy Bruce, TalkLeft, Gateway Pundit, The New Editor, TPM Election Central, Texans For Obama and Donklephant

CNN:
CNN: Clinton wins Ohio, Texas; McCain secures nomination

Mark Murray / MSNBC:
TEXAS TURNOUT TIDBIT

Discussion: Trailhead and Hold Fast

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

FINAL THOUGHTS — The big headlines tonight are now in focus. Hillary takes three of four primaries, and the two big states. Yet the delegate spread didn't budge. The possibilities seem to range from a high-single digit pick up for Hillary to the possibility of a net pick up for Obama.

Discussion: Althouse, Brilliant at Breakfast, Angry Bear and Bark Bark Woof Woof

CNN: Schneider: Clinton's delegate problem

David Weigel / Reason Magazine:

The Mini Tuesday Primary Thread: Paul Triumphs, Clinton Endures, Mike Huckabee Splatters Against the Wall — UPDATE 8:36: Ron Paul has been re-elected to Congress in the Fourteenth District of Texas. — No Democrat has filed to run against him, so winning the GOP nomination has assured him re-election.

Discussion: Attytood, Below The Beltway and Wonkette

Z. Byron Wolf / ABCNEWS:
Revolution Revived! Ron Paul Survives Challenge

Discussion: Trailhead, Political Radar and MyDD

Matthew Yglesias:

The Crucial Racist Vote — According to MSNBC exit polls, it seems to have put Hillary Clinton over the top. — Relatedly, I don't understand why they're not calling Ohio for Clinton. The exit polls look unambiguous to me — she's won it. Obama made up a lot of ground over the past two weeks …

Discussion: protein wisdom, LiberalOasis, culturekitchen, The Agonist, Cogitamus and THE LIBERAL JOURNAL

Martin Fletcher / Times of London:

Q&A: Barack Obama and Tony Rezko — Who is Tony Rezko? — Antoin “Tony” Rezko, 52, a long-time friend and fundraiser for Barack Obama, is a Syrian-born property developer, pizzeria entrepreneur and political fixer in Chicago. Hillary Clinton has made him a campaign issue by denouncing him as a “slum landlord”.

Discussion: Pundita, Fausta's blog, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog and TigerHawk

Leo Grin / The Cimmerian:

The Dungeonmaster Has Died — Gary Gygax, 1938-2008 — (hat tip: Jonah Goldberg and John J. Miller at NRO and Will Greenwald at Crave) — One of the seminal influences in fantasy in the twentieth century has left us for Valhalla. Gygax was a giant, a man whose enthusiasm and sense …

Discussion: CNET News.com, The Newshoggers, New York Times and TigerHawk

Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:

The Clintons Win Ohio — It's done. We all have to endure this: … I couldn't watch it. Sorry. Ambers notes, poignantly: … To keep oneself from despair, it does seem to me to be valid (and not just Obama spin) to recall that a short time ago, Clinton was supposed to crush Obama in both Texas and Ohio.

Discussion: CNN, About.com US Liberal Politics, Wall Street Journal and Althouse

John D. McKinnon / Wall Street Journal:

Sentiment on Iraq Is Changing — WASHINGTON — The perception that the U.S. troop surge in Iraq has succeeded is changing some public views of the war, potentially blunting Democrats' political edge on the issue. — Americans continue to judge the nearly five-year-old U.S. invasion of Iraq as a mistake …