memeorandum: Obama aims for pro-gun vote (Carrie Budoff Brown/The Politico)

8:45 AM ET, April 7, 2008

Top Items:

Clinton Chief Strategist Pushed Out — ABC News' George Stephanopoulos, Jake Tapper and Eloise Harper Report: Mark Penn has been pushed out as chief strategist of Sen. Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign after his work on a Colombian free-trade agreement that Clinton opposes, sources tell ABC News.

Washington Post:

Clinton's Chief Strategist Steps Down — Mark J. Penn quit Sunday as Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's chief strategist, the second shake-up in her campaign's top ranks since the onetime front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination began trailing Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.).

Discussion: Prairie Weather, New York Times and The Reaction

Glenn Thrush / Newsday:

Hillary's chief strategist is ousted — Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., cups her ear as reporters ask her about Mark Penn, the pollster and senior strategist for Clinton's presidential bid who left the campaign Sunday, at the airport in Albuquerque, N.M., Sunday, April 6, 2008.

Discussion: The Caucus

John M. Broder / New York Times:
Chief Strategist of Clinton Campaign Steps Down

Discussion: The Swamp, The Politico, Time, Commentary, The Page and AMERICAblog

John Harwood / New York Times:
In Superdelegate Count, Tough Math for Clinton

Discussion: Los Angeles Times

John M. Broder / New York Times:
Top Clinton Aide Leaving His Post Under Pressure

Discussion: KIKO'S HOUSE, Gateway Pundit and marbury

Beth Fouhy / Associated Press:
Penn out as Clinton senior strategist

Discussion: Hot Air, Say Anything and MyDD

Dylan Loewe / The Huffington Post:
Mark Penn Finally Fired

Discussion: NY Daily News

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:
Penn sidelined

Discussion: The Swamp and TPM Election Central

Joe Gandelman / The Moderate Voice:
Clinton Campaign's Controversial Mark Penn Ousted As Chief Strategist

Discussion: The Swamp and Reuters

Ari Melber / The Nation:
CLINTON DROPS PENN, SORT OF...

Discussion: Washington Wire, Comments from Left Field, Daily Kos, The Washington Independent, Firedoglake, The American Mind and Talking Points Memo

Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
Penn Is Out As Clinton's Chief Strategist

Discussion: Patterico's Pontifications and The Campaign Spot

CNN:
Clinton's top strategist quits

Discussion: Wake up America and Balloon Juice

Nick Timiraos / Wall Street Journal:

Obama May Not Have Fully Contained Damage From Ex-Pastor — Sen. Barack Obama's Philadelphia speech on race relations last month seemed to put the controversial remarks of his former pastor behind him. But three weeks later, there is evidence of lingering damage.

Discussion: Hot Air and TalkLeft

William Kristol / New York Times:

The Shape of the Race to Come — I've spent a fair amount of time the last couple of weeks with conservatives of all ages and leanings. Call it my very own listening tour. — It began with a series of conversations with a group of Weekly Standard subscribers.

Discussion: Outside The Beltway, TBogg and Connecting.the.Dots

Sean Wilentz / Salon:

If the system made sense, Clinton would be far ahead — Under a winner-take-all primary system, Hillary Clinton would have a wide lead over Barack Obama — and enough delegates to clinch the Democratic presidential nomination by June. — Hillary Clinton celebrates with supporters …

Discussion: Taylor Marsh, The Huffington Post and Associated Press

New York Times:

Iraqi Forces and Militia Clash in Baghdad — BAGHDAD — Sharp fighting broke out in Baghdad's Sadr City district on Sunday as American and Iraqi troops sought to control neighborhoods used by Shiite militias to fire rockets and mortars into the nearby Green Zone.

Discussion: Balkinization, War in Context, Matthew Yglesias and The Page

MSNBC:
3 soldiers die in Baghdad

Discussion: Making conservatives …, Reuters and Mercury Rising

Jonathan Weisman / Washington Post:

The Next Campaign Stop: Iraq Hearings — At Tuesday's Sessions, Candidates Can Ask Questions, Try to Score Points — When Army Gen. David H. Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker travel to Capitol Hill tomorrow, they might be the ones before the microphones, but the cameras will be trained …

Discussion: TalkLeft, Stumper, American Power and Betsy's Page

Lindsey Ellerson / Political Radar:

Dan Senor: Condoleezza Rice Is Pursuing the VP Spot — ABCNews' Mary Bruce Reports: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is actively courting the vice presidential nomination, Republican strategist Dan Senor said. — “Condi Rice has been actively, actually in recent weeks, campaigning for this …

Discussion: Hot Air, New York Times, No More Mister Nice Blog, Political Machine, Comments from Left Field, Buck Naked Politics, THE LIBERAL JOURNAL, The Strata-Sphere, The News Buckit, Macsmind, Patterico's Pontifications, American Street, Althouse and Donklephant

Anne Lieberman / Boker tov, Boulder!:

Your federal government at work ... for Palestinians … 04/12/2006 … And lest you think “certain [otherwise prohibited] transactions” are merely being “authorized,” think again. They're being encouraged, promoted and assisted... all over our federal — dot-GOV. Here's just one thread …

Discussion: Power Line and Israel Matzav

CBS News:

Insider: Iraq Attack Was Preemptive — Pentagon Insider Tells 60 Minutes U.S. Attack On Iraq Was Anticipatory Self-Defense; Not 9/11 Retaliation — In his memoir, “War and Decision,” due out this week, Feith writes there was one potential problem the Pentagon seriously underestimated …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice

Steven Zeitchik / Hollywood Reporter:

Thandie Newton, Ioan Gruffudd cast in ‘W’ — The Bush administration is coming together — and adding a key ally for good measure. — Oliver Stone has found the actress to play Condoleezza Rice in his upcoming “W,” with Thandie Newton in final negotiations to star as the National Security Advisor-turned-Secretary of State.

Discussion: Don Surber and Pam's House Blend