memeorandum: Pork Barrel Remains Hidden in U.S. Budget (Ron Nixon/New York Times)

12:25 PM ET, April 7, 2008

Top Items:

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: Real Clear Politics, Hot Air, Macsmind, TalkLeft and The Page

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: Soccer Dad, Booman Tribune, The Campaign Spot, Outside The Beltway, TBogg, Connecting.the.Dots and Prometheus 6

John Kass / Chicago Tribune:

Dialogue on race could begin on hallowed ground — The wounds inflicted on Barack Obama by the hateful speech of his pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, are serious and profound. — Why else would ministers gather at Obama's church in Chicago—Trinity United Church of Christ …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Commentary and protein wisdom

Marc Ambinder:

Ex-Clinton Insider Launches Unity Ticket Drive — Hillary/Obama '08 becomes official today. In a way. — A Clinton insider who served as ex campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle's executive assistant for several years has set up a new website, http://www.voteboth.com/ and plans to register with the Federal Election Commission today.

Discussion: Political Machine, Balloon Juice, Spin Cycle, Liberal Values, The Field, MyDD and Boston Globe

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: Los Angeles Times, Spin Cycle, NY Daily News, Dick Polman's American Debate, protein wisdom, New York Times, Prairie Weather, 1115.org, MSNBC, The Page, Sister Toldjah, CNN, Comments from Left Field, PoliGazette, The Reaction, The Huffington Post, Ben Smith's Blogs and Political Radar

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
FULL FIRING? OR JUST GELDED?

Discussion: Shakesville, The Mahablog, Corrente and Political Machine

Frank James / Baltimore Sun:
CLINTON MAN'S OBAMA MOMENT

Discussion: The Daily Dish, The Swamp and The Moderate Voice

Ben Smith / The Politico:
Clinton strategist left mark, message

Discussion: Time, Washington Wire, The Opinionator, Salon, David Corn, Marc Ambinder, New York Times and The Page

Jackie Calmes / Wall Street Journal:
Clinton Aide Sacked Over Controversy On Colombia

Discussion: NewsBusters.org, Guardian, The Carpetbagger Report, Redstate and The Field

USA Today:

Radio host Ed Schultz: 'I'm sorry ... John McCain is a warmonger' — “I'm sorry, John, the label sticks. John McCain is a warmonger,” liberal radio host Ed Schultz said a few minutes ago on CNN's American Morning. — Schultz called McCain a “warmonger” on Friday as he was warming …

Discussion: Real Clear Politics, Sister Toldjah, FOX Embeds, Redstate, Say Anything and TPM Election Central

Wall Street Journal:

Iraq and Its Costs — When Gen. David Petraeus testifies before Congress tomorrow, he will step into an American political landscape dramatically different from the one he faced when he last spoke on Capitol Hill seven months ago. — This time Gen. Petraeus returns to Washington having led …

Discussion: Think Progress

Jonathan Weisman / Washington Post:
The Next Campaign Stop: Iraq Hearings

Discussion: Capitol Briefing, The Caucus, Stumper, Betsy's Page, Politics Nation, TalkLeft, AMERICAblog, American Power and The Page

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: Lawyers, Guns and Money, The Confluence, Outside The Beltway, Taylor Marsh, Obsidian Wings, The Huffington Post and Associated Press

John Hood / The Corner:

The Real Colombian-Trade Story — It's understandable that Mark Penn's departure from the Clinton campaign has made so much news over the weekend, but the political story isn't the most important. That's the fate for the Colombian free-trade deal that Penn's firm was helping to promote.

Discussion: Houston Chronicle

Condoleezza Rice / Wall Street Journal:
The Colombia Trade Stakes

Discussion: Hot Air and Betsy's Page

Mark Silva / The Swamp:
WHITE HOUSE: SURGE'S ‘GREAT SUCCESS’

Discussion: The Crypt's Blogs, TPMCafe and New York Times

Jonathan Chait / The New Republic:

No Really, You Should Go — Wretched rationalizations for Hillary Clinton's kamikaze campaign. — Last week, Senator Pat Leahy suggested that Hillary Clinton ought to quit the presidential race. How insensitive! How boorish! Pundits gasped, Clinton took umbrage …

Discussion: Reason Magazine, Salon and The Carpetbagger Report

Elisabeth Bumiller / New York Times:

Rice Eyeing Ticket? That's News to McCain — KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Is Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice campaigning to be John McCain's running mate? If so, Mr. McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, said on Sunday that he had not noticed.

Discussion: The Sleuth, No More Mister Nice Blog and Political Radar

New York Post:
RICE BIDS TO BE VP: GOPER

Discussion: The Glittering Eye

New York Times:

U.S. and Iraqis Battle Militias to End Attacks — BAGHDAD — Sharp fighting broke out in the Sadr City district of Baghdad 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: Think Progress, The Daily Dish, Firedoglake, Blue Girl, Red State, Hullabaloo, War in Context, Balkinization, Matthew Yglesias and The Page

Sudarsan Raghavan / Washington Post:
Between Iraqi Shiites, a Deepening Animosity

Discussion: Informed Comment, The Washington Independent and Firedoglake

CNN:

Olympic torch extinguished during Paris leg — (CNN) — The Olympic torch relay was disrupted Monday by protesters in Paris demonstrating against the Chinese government, causing authorities to extinguish the flame three times and put the torch on a bus, according to The Associated Press.

Discussion: Right Wing Nut House, The Moderate Voice, Hot Air, Donklephant and Time

Ron Nixon / New York Times:

Pork Barrel Remains Hidden in U.S. Budget — WASHINGTON — Sometimes on Capitol Hill, lawmakers find that it pays to ask nicely instead of just ordering the bureaucrats around. — With great fanfare, Congress adopted strict ethics rules last year requiring members to disclose when they steered federal money to pet projects.

Discussion: MoJoBlog, Think Progress and Real Clear Politics

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

Lawrence O'Donnell Jr / New York Magazine:

Four Days in Denver — The Democratic Party is closer than it's ever been to a political nightmare—a deadlocked convention. Though the odds of its actually happening are still remote, the idea is so rich with dramatic possibility that we asked Lawrence O'Donnell Jr., former West Wing writer-producer …