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

11:45 AM ET, April 4, 2008

Top Items:

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: AMERICAblog, VetVoice, The Carpetbagger Report and Oliver Willis

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

New York Times:

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 …

Charles Krauthammer / Real Clear Politics:
The Fabulist Vs. the Saint

Discussion: Soccer Dad

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

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

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

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

Shailagh Murray / The Trail: A Flush Obama Campaign Pulls Out All the Stops

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

Discussion: TalkLeft and The Page

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: Achenblog, 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

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

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

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

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

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 and Moonbattery

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, Informed Comment, The Impolitic, Washington Monthly, Truthdig, Newshoggers.com, 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

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

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

Discussion: Guardian, normblog, Harry's Place and Last of the Few

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

StrategyPage:

The Bad Guys Come Out To Die — In northern Iraq, Sunni Arab terrorists have changed their tactics recently, moving about in the open much more frequently. This has made them vulnerable to attack by helicopter gunships. As a result, in the last two weeks of March, U.S. AH-64 helicopter gunships …

Discussion: The Jawa Report and UNCoRRELATED

Brian Stelter / The Caucus:

Air America Host Suspended for Clinton Remarks — Randi Rhodes, an afternoon host for the progressive Air America radio network, was suspended Thursday after repeatedly insulting Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton at an event last month. — Ms. Rhodes used vulgar language that likened …