memeorandum: Clinton Chats With The Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy? (Scott Conroy/CBS News)

9:15 AM ET, March 26, 2008

Top Items:

Byron York / The Corner:

Hell Has Officially Frozen Over — It caught my eye as a flash on Brit Hume a few moments ago, but here is a photo from Hillary Clinton's visit today to the editorial board of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. In this picture, she is seen talking to none other than Richard Mellon Scaife …

Discussion: The New Republic, The RBC, The Other McCain, Donklephant, The Carpetbagger Report, Liberal Values and TPM Election Central

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

YA THINK? — As you know, earlier today Hillary Clinton tried to stoke the Jeremiah Wright controversy by telling an editorial board meeting in Pittsburgh that Jeremiah Wright “would not have been my pastor” and then going on to note that she had denounced Don Imus in contrast to Obama's allegedly …

Discussion: Seeing the Forest, The Carpetbagger Report, TPM Election Central, The Reaction, The Daily Dish, The Talent Show, Liberal Values and American Street

Brianinmo / BLOGS FOR JOHN McCAIN:

McCain Asks When Hillary Clinton Will Apologize to Gen. Petraeus - Video — Here is Sen. John McCain on March 24, 2008 asking when Sen. Hillary Clinton will apologize to Gen. David Petraeus for her remarks last year ridiculing the idea that “The Surge” strategy in Iraq was working.

Discussion: Comments from Left Field, Don Surber, Stop The ACLU, No More Mister Nice Blog and Forum: News/Activism

Scott Conroy / CBS News:
Clinton Chats With The Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy?

Discussion: AMERICAblog, Political Machine and The New Republic

Timothy Noah / Slate:
Hillary's Rev. Wright — HIS NAME IS RICHARD MELLON SCAIFE.

Discussion: Washington Wire, Brookings Institute, The Huffington Post and Top of the Ticket

Suzanne Smalley / Newsweek:

Embellished Memory — Had Hillary come to believe her increasingly dramatic tale of facing sniper fire in Bosnia? … Is it possible that Hillary Clinton really thought she risked her life disembarking from a plane and running for cover “under sniper fire” at the heavily fortified U.S. Air Force base at Tuzla?

Discussion: Scared Monkeys, The Huffington Post, A Blog For All and Hot Air

Tom Maguire / JustOneMinute:
Team Obama - Someone Buy 'Em A Subscription To Google

Discussion: Fact Checker, NewsBusters.org and The Politico

Patrick Healy / New York Times:
Clinton Seeks to Soften Impact of Misstatement

Discussion: TalkLeft

Bloomberg:
Clinton Says Account of Sniper Fire Was ‘Mistake’

Discussion: NewsBusters.org, GINA COBB and Don Surber

Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Shameless liar on Bosnia: I'm only human; Video: CBS embarrasses Hillary again

Discussion: michellemalkin.com, Pajamas Media and JammieWearingFool

New York Times:

Iraqi Crackdown on Shiite Forces Sets Off Fighting — BAGHDAD — Heavy fighting broke out Tuesday in two of Iraq's largest cities, as Iraqi ground forces and helicopters mounted a huge operation to break the grip of the Shiite militias controlling Basra, and Iraqi forces clashed with militias in Baghdad.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice and McClatchy Washington Bureau

McClatchy Washington Bureau:
Battles wrack Basra, threatening success of U.S. surge

Discussion: Firedoglake

Sam Dagher / Christian Science Monitor:
ACROSS IRAQ, BATTLES ERUPT WITH MAHDI ARMY

Discussion: Firedoglake, Guardian, Associated Press, Registan.net, ParaPundit, Open Left, The Reaction, Crooks and Liars, VetVoice, PoliGazette, AMERICAblog, Rook's Rant and New York Times

Jay Rosen / PressThink:

Just How Did John McCain Obtain What He Has in the Bank with the Press? — “Maybe ‘Iran is training Al Queda’ is McCain's way of signaling that he intends to pick up where Bush and Cheney left off in discarding the whole reality-based approach to policy-making and public communication.”

Discussion: Rolling Stone, CJR, Jules Crittenden and Firedoglake

Neal Gabler / New York Times:

The Maverick and the Media — Amagansett, N.Y. — IT is certainly no secret that Senator John McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, is a darling of the news media. Reporters routinely attach “maverick,” “straight talker” and “patriot” to him like Homeric epithets.

Discussion: Achenblog

Yitzhak Benhorin / Ynetnews:

Obama advisor: US Jews hinder peace — More trouble for presidential hopeful: Inquiry by conservative US media outlets reveals that Obama advisor Merrill ‘Tony’ McPeak is a longtime anti-Israel critic who slammed American Jews for acting against US interests

Discussion: Hot Air, Classical Values, Israel Matzav, Roger L. Simon and TigerHawk

Marc Ambinder:

Obama And The Jews — The Clinton campaign is distributing an article in the American Spectator (!) about Obama foreign policy adviser Merrill McPeak and his penchant for.. well, the article accuses him of being an anti-Semite and a drunk. Principally, the author takes McPeak to task …

Discussion: James Fallows, Haaretz, Matthew Yglesias, American Spectator, Weekly Standard Blog, Power Line, Eschaton, Oliver Willis and NO QUARTER

Paul Krugman:

Look and feel 15 years younger! — The latest report of the Social Security Trustees is out. I think the key message is what has happened to the estimate of actuarial balance — the difference between projected outlays and projected revenues over the next 75 years.

Discussion: Angry Bear

Kevin Drum / Washington Monthly: IMMIGRATION AND SOCIAL SECURITY....Paul Krugman points …

Jennifer Parker / Political Punch:

Democratic Party Official: Clinton Pursuing ‘The Tonya Harding Option’ — l just spoke with a Democratic Party official, who asked for anonymity so as to speak candidly, who said we in the media are all missing the point of this Democratic fight. — The delegate math is difficult for Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, the official said.

Discussion: protein wisdom, New York Times, Betsy's Page, About.com US Liberal Politics, Booman Tribune, Liberal Values, Attytood, Feministe, AMERICAblog, Taylor Marsh, TPM Election Central, The Huffington Post, Hot Air, Middle Earth Journal, THE LIBERAL JOURNAL, Gateway Pundit and Corrente

Byron York / The Corner:
Michelle and Barack: The Tax Returns

Discussion: Commentary, Weekly Standard Blog, The Volokh Conspiracy, Macsmind and TaxProf Blog

CNN:
Obama releases tax returns, challenges Clinton

Discussion: Donklephant

James Romoser / Winston-Salem Journal# North …:

Route to Victory? — N.C. may be pivotal in race, analysts predict — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's dwindling chances to be president may hinge on what happens in North Carolina. — As she prepares to make her first campaign trip to the state on Thursday, including a stop in Winston-Salem …

Discussion: The Page

Jacques Steinberg / New York Times:

The Buzz on the Bus: Pinched, Press Steps Off — As Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama debated in Cleveland on a snowy evening in late February, 650 journalists descended on the city to follow every jab and parry, albeit on enormous televisions in two makeshift filing centers.

Discussion: The Caucus, Gawker and Romenesko

Associated Press:

Chelsea Clinton Startled by Monica Query — INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Chelsea Clinton had a quick retort Tuesday when asked whether her mother's credibility had been hurt during the Monica Lewinsky scandal. — “Wow, you're the first person actually that's ever asked me that question in the …

Discussion: WISH-TV, News Hounds, michellemalkin.com, Spin Cycle and marbury

Gallup:

Gallup Daily: Obama and Clinton Remain Nearly Tied — General election looks too close to call for now — PRINCETON, NJ — For the fourth consecutive Gallup Poll Daily tracking report Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are nearly tied in the preferences of national Democratic voters, earning 47% and 45% of the vote, respectively.

Discussion: Pollster.com

National Journal:

Catching Fire From All Sides — Gun Control Could Get Sticky For Dem Hopefuls In Pennsylvania — When Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton square off in an April 16 debate in Philadelphia, they may be forced to spend time discussing an issue neither has talked much about in this campaign: gun control.

Discussion: Weekly Standard Blog