memeorandum: Pa. congressman, a superdelegate, backs Clinton (Associated Press)

9:45 AM ET, May 9, 2008

Top Items:

Congressman Payne, NJ superdelegate, switches from Clinton to Obama — Rep. Donald Payne (D-10th Dist.), a New Jersey superdelegate who had been supporting Hillary Clinton for president, has switched his allegiance to Barack Obama. — “After careful consideration, I have reached the conclusion …

Discussion: thedailyreview.com, Matthew Yglesias, MSNBC, Ben Smith's Blogs, The Caucus, Donklephant, The Page and Real Clear Politics

Mark Mooney / Political Radar:

Obama Now Takes The Lead in Superdelegates Too — ABC News' Karen Travers Reports: For the first time this campaign season, Barack Obama has surpassed Hillary Clinton's support among superdelegates, according to the ABC News delegate estimate. — Sen. Obama, D-Ill., picked up two superdelegates …

Discussion: Comments from Left Field, Political Machine and Donklephant

Jeff Mapes / Oregonian:

DeFazio throws support to Obama — On Thursday night, Rep. Peter DeFazio became Oregon's third Democratic congressman to endorse Sen.Barack Obama, putting the Illinois politician one delegate closer to the presidential nomination. — DeFazio said that Obama, who will begin a two-day campaign trip …

Dan Balz / Washington Post:

Don't Expect Clinton to Quit Before Superdelegates Decide — How will the Democratic nomination battle end? — At a time when Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton faces ever longer odds in her quest to deny Sen. Barack Obama the nomination, that question has become increasingly important to the candidates and the party.

Discussion: MSNBC, The Page and MyDD

Associated Press:
Pa. congressman, a superdelegate, backs Clinton

Discussion: Washington Post and New York Times

New York Times: Sen. Clinton and the Campaign

Economist:

Almost there — Barack Obama deserves the nomination. It is not yet clear whether he deserves the presidency — IN CARTOONS there is often a moment when a hapless character, having galloped over a cliff, is still unaware of the fact and hangs suspended in the air, legs pumping wildly …

Discussion: The Page

Jay Cost / HorseRaceBlog:

Not Quite Yet — Elite opinion on the Democratic race has congealed around the idea that it is over. Clinton has no chance whatsoever to win the nomination now. There is a minority of analysts out there - maybe 5%, maybe even less - who see her path to the nomination as much narrower …

Discussion: race42008.com, Corrente and Eunomia

Peter Nicholas / Los Angeles Times:
For Hillary Clinton, no ‘clear path to victory’ — nor to an exit

Discussion: The Politico, The Caucus, Patterico's Pontifications and TalkLeft

Jonann Brady / ABCNEWS:
Democratic Dream Team in the Works?

Discussion: Political Radar, Real Clear Politics and Political Machine

CNN:

Obama: McCain is ‘losing his bearings’ — WASHINGTON (CNN) - Barack Obama chastised John McCain Thursday for engaging in “smear” politics, and defended himself from critics who question whether he is capable of being commander-in-chief, during a wide-ranging interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer …

Marc Ambinder:
Salter: Obama Attacked McCain's Age

Discussion: JustOneMinute, Balloon Juice, Weekly Standard Blog, Instapundit.com, The Corner and Political Radar

CNN:
Obama interview: World wants to see U.S. lead

Discussion: AMERICAblog and The Swamp

Daniel Henninger / Wall Street Journal:
Obama vs. McCain: Let's Get It On

Discussion: Washington Post, Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times and The Campaign Spot

CNN:

Al Qaeda in Iraq leader not captured - U.S. — BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — Abu Ayyub al-Masri, the head of al Qaeda in Iraq, has not been captured, a senior U.S. military official told CNN on Friday. — Iraqi authorities said Thursday that al-Masri had been captured in Mosul.

Discussion: Gateway Pundit, The Moderate Voice, Hot Air, abu muqawama, The Long War Journal, The Jawa Report, Macsmind and Instapundit.com

James Hider / Times of London:
Al-Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Ayyub al-Masri captured

Discussion: Newshoggers.com, SWJ Blog, abu muqawama, The Belmont Club and VetVoice

Eric Schmitt / New York Times:

Pentagon Drops Post in Pakistan for Top General — WASHINGTON — When the Pentagon announced in March that Maj. Gen. Jay W. Hood would become the senior American officer based in Pakistan, it reflected the military's aim to put a crisis-tested veteran in a critical job at a pivotal …

Discussion: Firedoglake, Think Progress, Newshoggers.com, the talking dog, Outside The Beltway and michellemalkin.com

Larry C. Johnson / The Huffington Post:

The Obama Democrats' Ostrich Moment — The full-court press to force Hillary from the presidential race ain't working. She will win the West Virginia, Kentucky, and Puerto Rico primaries. — But the screwed-up, patchwork system the Democrats are using to choose delegates has given small states …

Discussion: Bang the Drum and Washington Post

Real Time Economics:

Many Economists Back McCain, but More Are Silent — Almost half of the economists in the latest Wall Street Journal forecasting survey decided against answering a question on which presidential candidate offers the most responsible fiscal policies. However, Sen. John McCain was the clear favorite of those who answered the question.

Discussion: Washington Monthly

Paul Krugman: Why you should hate economists

Wall Street Journal:

McCain Sets Stage for Fall Run — Senator Stakes Out Positions and Fills Campaign Coffers — In the three months since effectively capturing the Republican nomination, John McCain has built up his staff, filled campaign coffers and tried to define himself as a reliable conservative but not a George W. Bush clone.

Peggy O'Hare / Houston Chronicle:

3 accused of using corpse head to smoke pot — The Kingwood teenager's story of decapitating a corpse and using the head to smoke marijuana was so outlandish that at first Houston Police Department senior police officer Jim Adkins did not believe it. — Yet, Kevin Wade Jones Jr., 17 …

Discussion: Vodkapundit

Paul Krugman / New York Times:

Thinking About November — The fight for the Democratic nomination seems to be winding down. It's not completely over, but the odds now overwhelmingly favor Barack Obama. — Assuming that Mr. Obama is the nominee, he'll lead a party that, judging by the usual indicators …

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog, Brendan Nyhan, MSNBC, Prairie Weather and RADAMISTO

Peggy Noonan / Wall Street Journal:

Damsel of Distress — This is an amazing story. The Democratic Party has a winner. It has a nominee. You know this because he has the most votes and the most elected delegates, and there's no way, mathematically, his opponent can get past him. Even after the worst two weeks of his campaign …

Discussion: MSNBC

Kathy Barks Hoffman / Associated Press:

Clinton campaign opposes giving Obama more Mich. delegates — LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign opposes Michigan's plan to give fewer delegates to her and more to rival Barack Obama, a campaign spokesman said Thursday. — The Democratic National Committee stripped Michigan …

Discussion: MyDD, Democracy in America, Ben Smith's Blogs and CNN

Jeralyn / TalkLeft:
The Michigan Proposal is Unfair to Hilllary

Discussion: Shakesville, Buck Naked Politics, Comments from Left Field and Taylor Marsh

Anne Schroeder Mullins / Anne Schroeder's Blogs:

Alec Baldwin, elected official? His character on — “30 Rock” works for the Bush Administration now... Alec Baldwin famously quipped years ago that if George W. Bush were elected president, it might be a good time to leave the United States. Now, however, the “30 Rock” …

Discussion: The Swamp

Associated Press:

Cindy McCain says she'll never release her tax returns — WASHINGTON - Cindy McCain says she will never make her tax returns public even if her husband wins the White House and she becomes the first lady. — “You know, my husband and I have been married 28 years and we have filed separate tax returns for 28 years.