memeorandum: Clinton Camp Feels Spent, and Outspent (Matthew Mosk/Washington Post)

11:35 AM ET, April 4, 2008

Top Items:

81% in Poll Say Nation Is on the Wrong Track — Americans are more dissatisfied with the country's direction than at any time since the New York Times/CBS News poll began asking about the subject in the early 1990s, according to the latest poll. — In the poll, 81 percent of respondents …

Ed Ronco / South Bend Tribune:
Poll: Clinton, Obama neck and neck in Hoosier state

Discussion: MSNBC, Boston Globe, MyDD, Gallup, PoliGazette, TPM Election Central and The Other McCain

Associated Press:
Poll shows tight state primary race between Clinton, Obama

Discussion: TalkLeft and The Page

Paul Steinhauser / CNN:
Poll: 76 percent say U.S. ready for black president

Discussion: The Moderate Voice and Middle Earth Journal

New York Times:
Obama's Support Softens in Poll, Suggesting a Peak Has Passed

Discussion: Taylor Marsh, Spin Cycle, Politics Nation, Talking Points Memo and TalkLeft

Taegan Goddard's Political Wire:
Strategic Vision: Obama Narrows the Gap in Pennsylvania

Discussion: MyDD

Amanda / Think Progress:

Rep. McHenry calls U.S. soldier in Iraq a ‘two-bit security guard.’ — During a public appearance on Saturday, Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) belittled a U.S. soldier in Iraq who was following orders and wouldn't let McHenry go to the gym without the proper credentials.

Discussion: VetVoice and Oliver Willis

Carolina Politics Online: McHenry Refers to Soldier as “Two Bit Security Guard”

Michael Cooper / New York Times:

McCain Sees King Speech as Chance to Mend Ties — MEMPHIS — Senator John McCain, who says he will court the African-American vote this year and campaign in places Republicans often shun, plans to speak here on Friday to mark the 40th anniversary of the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Discussion: The Caucus, Spin Cycle and The Page

Juan Williams / Wall Street Journal:

Obama and King — Martin Luther King Jr. died at age 39; today, the 40th anniversary of his death, is the first time he has been gone longer than he lived. — Figures such as Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton have tried to claim his place on the American stage. But at most they have achieved fame and wealth.

Discussion: Israpundit and Commentary

Washington Post: McCain Holds Off on Secret Service Protection

Washington Wire:
McCain, Clinton Head to Memphis for MLK Anniversary

Discussion: Hullabaloo and Lean Left

Matthew Mosk / Washington Post:

Clinton Camp Feels Spent, and Outspent — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton spent a second straight day holding fundraisers in California yesterday as part of an all-out effort to keep pace with the record amounts of money raised by Sen. Barack Obama, whose campaign announced that it pulled …

Discussion: The Politico, New York Times, Booman Tribune, MSNBC, The Washington Independent, FOX Embeds, Prairie Weather, The Democratic Daily and Associated Press

Shailagh Murray / The Trail:

A Flush Obama Campaign Pulls Out All the Stops — What does $40 million a month buy a presidential candidate? A whole lot of airtime and office space. — Sen. Barack Obama's copious cash flow means he can compete as aggressively in the final Democratic contests as he did in the early days of the primary campaign.

bls.gov:

Employment Situation Summary — Technical information: — Household data: (202) 691-6378 USDL 08-0448 — Establishment data: (202) 691-6555 Transmission of material in this release — http://www.bls.gov/ces/ is embargoed until 8:30 A.M. (EDT), Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Friday, April 4, 2008.

Discussion: The Swamp, The Big Picture, Calculated Risk and Grasping Reality …

Jeannine Aversa / Associated Press:
Jobs slashed, pointing to recession

Discussion: Angry Bear and AMERICAblog

Josh Drobnyk / Morning Call:

Second poll shows Clinton's Pennsylvania lead shrinking — 49% of those asked favor her, compared with 38% for Obama. — Clinton holds an 11-point lead in Pennsylvania, down three percentage points from mid-February, according to a survey by The Morning Call/Muhlenberg College of 406 likely Democratic voters.

Discussion: Real Clear Politics and PoliGazette

John Baer / Philly.com:

Obama could actually win this thing (the Pa. primary) — BARACK OBAMA had a pretty good week in Pennsylvania. — In a state that pollsters and analysts call tailor-made for Hillary Clinton, Obama is seriously challenging the fit. — So much so, some wonder if an unraveling's in the offing.

Discussion: The Page, Political Insider and The Other McCain

Michelle Malkin:

Absolut arrogance and the advertising agency behind the reconquista ad — You know what has been heartening the past two days as reaction to the Absolut Reconquista ad continues to pour in? The fact that so many of you still take our sovereignty seriously and are willing to give voice to your concerns without apologizing for it.

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, Balloon Juice, Moonbattery and Jules Crittenden

Boston Globe:

McCain returns $3m in checks as he considers public funding — In another sign that John McCain is moving toward accepting public financing this fall, the Republican's campaign is returning about $3 million in checks to contributors who have given money for his general election campaign …

Discussion: Outside The Beltway, The Page and TPM Election Central

New York Times:

More Than 1,000 in Iraq's Forces Quit Basra Fight — BAGHDAD — More than 1,000 Iraqi soldiers and policemen either refused to fight or simply abandoned their posts during the inconclusive assault against Shiite militias in Basra last week, a senior Iraqi government official said Thursday.

Discussion: Swampland, Los Angeles Times, rubber hose, The Impolitic, Informed Comment, Washington Monthly, Newshoggers.com, Truthdig, Washington Post and MSNBC

Michael Wines / New York Times:

New Signs of Mugabe Crackdown in Zimbabwe — Zimbabwe's government staged separate police raids on Thursday against the main opposition party, foreign journalists and at least one democracy advocate, raising the specter of a broad crackdown aimed at keeping the country's imperiled leaders in power.

Discussion: Publius Pundit, TV Decoder, Redstate, A Blog For All, FP Passport and On Deadline

Times of London:
Zimbabwe: the backlash begins as paramilitaries launch raids

Discussion: Guardian, normblog and Harry's Place

Chris McGreal / Guardian:
Mugabe: I will quit, as long I do not face prosecution

Discussion: Hot Air, The Other McCain and A Blog For All

Timothy McNulty / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

Certain defeat doesn't deter Ron Paul or his backers — INDIANA, Pa. — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton fought back against calls to drop out of the presidential race by comparing herself to Rocky Balboa. Ask Rep. Ron Paul, who keeps running for the Republican nod, what fictional figure he is like and he can't come up with an answer.

Discussion: Politics Nation

Pamela Hess / Associated Press:

Report: Security in Iraq is improving — WASHINGTON - A new classified intelligence assessment on Iraq says there has been significant progress in security since the last assessment was delivered in August, a senior military official said. — In most ways the new National Intelligence Estimate hews closely …

Discussion: Wake up America and Buck Naked Politics

New York Times:
U.S. Study Finds Progress in Iraq, but Fragile Security and Potential …

Discussion: Washington Post, TPMMuckraker, democracyarsenal.org and SWJ Blog

Kyle / My Man Mitt.com:

More illogical claims — Maybe this is reverse psychology? — That's the only excuse I can think of in defense of the GINGPAC decision to blast the idea of a McCain-Romney ticket. Unfortunately I don't think these guys had reverse psychology in mind when they drafted this ad that …

Discussion: TownHall Blog, Hot Air and The Other McCain