Top Items:
Nedra Pickler / Associated Press:
DNC chairman under Bill Clinton: Unite behind Obama — WASHINGTON (AP) — A leader of the Democratic Party under Bill Clinton has switched his allegiance to Barack Obama and is encouraging fellow Democrats to “heal the rift in our party” and unite behind the Illinois senator.
Discussion:
Washington Wire, The Reaction, Daily Kos, Political Punch, Trailhead, Salon, The Caucus, Comments from Left Field, MyDD, Don Surber, Donklephant, Open Left, Hotline On Call and The Jed Report
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WRAL-TV:
Poll: Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama in tight race for N.C. votes — RALEIGH, N.C. — It is an exciting time for North Carolina voters. For the first time in decades, they have a say in the Democratic primary for president. — A WRAL news poll released Wednesday shows Barack Obama's double-digit lead …
Discussion:
The Daily Dish, Open Left, Public Policy Polling, Spin Cycle, TalkLeft, TPM Election Central and PoliticalBase.com Blog
Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:
A pre-emptive strike from Andrew — In his letter to fellow superdelegates, Joe Andrew — whose switch today is a very useful moment for Obama — pre-emptively guesses how the Clinton campaign will cast him, and accuses them of hypocrisy. … No doubt, perhaps; it doesn't seem to have happened yet.
Discussion:
TownHall Blog
Mark Pazniokas / Capitol Watch:
Hillary To Pick Up A Super-delegate — John Olsen, president of the Connecticut AFL-CIO and a super-delegate, is expected to announce Thursday his support for Hillary Rodham Clinton. — His announcement follows a commitment to Clinton by Bill George, the president of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO, who also is a super-delegate.
Lynn Sweet:
Obama picks up 3 more Illinois superdelegates: Daley, Currie and Stroger. — WASHINGTON—When the Democratic Party of Illinois meet next week to finish filling out the delegate slate, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) will pick up three more superdelegates, according to Steve Brown …
Marc Ambinder:
Andrew Explains Decision To Switch — “I'm calling on my all of my friends who are superdelegates to help heal the rift and unite behind Barack Obama, now,” says former Clinton supporter and former DNC chair Joe Andrew. — After saying that he's “going to be an advocate for an Obama-Bayh ticket …
Mark Murray / MSNBC:
FIRST THOUGHTS: MCCAIN'S BUSH PROBLEM — From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro — *** McCain's Bush problem: Yes, Jeremiah Wright could be a huge liability for Obama if he becomes the nominee. Sure, questions about Clinton's honesty and trustworthiness could also hurt …
Southern Political Report:
InsiderAdvantage/Majority Opinion Survey: North Carolina Democratic Primary: Hillary Clinton Takes Lead Over Obama — A survey of 571 registered likely voters in North Carolina's May 6 Democratic primary shows Sen. Hillary Clinton having moved from a double digit deficit in an InsiderAdvantage poll taken …
Discussion:
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New York Times:
A Strained Wright-Obama Bond Finally Snaps — Late Monday night, in the Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill, N.C., Barack Obama's long, slow fuse burned to an end. Earlier that day he had thumbed through his BlackBerry, reading accounts of the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr.'s latest explosive comments on race and America.
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Chris Good / The Hill:
Veterans to Unfurl Replica ‘Mission Accomplished’ Banner at White House — Along with Iraq war veterans and concerned citizens, Iraq Campaign 2008 says it will unfurl a 50-foot replica “Mission Accomplished” banner at the White House tomorrow, marking the five-year anniversary of President Bush's now-infamous speech.
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Rasmussen Reports:
Indiana Democratic Primary — Indiana: Clinton 46% Obama 41% — Senator Hillary Clinton leads Senator Barack Obama by five percentage points in the Indiana Democratic Presidential Primary. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of the state finds Clinton attracting 46% of the vote while Obama earns 41%.
Mimi Hall / USA Today:
U.S. has Mandela on terrorist list — WASHINGTON — Nobel Peace Prize winner and international symbol of freedom Nelson Mandela is flagged on U.S. terrorist watch lists and needs special permission to visit the USA. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice calls the situation “embarrassing,” and some members of Congress vow to fix it.
Discussion:
The Swamp
Matthew Yglesias:
If You Build It — You often hear that there are huge swathes of the country in which it's just not feasible to make changes that will lead to people driving less — there's no other way to get around! This is often quite true in a literal sense. But oftentimes it would be possible …
Discussion:
Eschaton
The Hill:
Doubts grow over ethanol — Sharply rising food prices may force Congress to reconsider the fivefold increase in ethanol production it mandated just four months ago, some lawmakers say. — Few members appear willing to call for the outright repeal of the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) …