memeorandum: Show Us Your Papers (Digby/Hullabaloo)

9:25 AM ET, May 12, 2008

Top Items:

Ron Paul's forces quietly plot GOP convention revolt against McCain — Virtually all the nation's political attention in recent weeks has focused on the compelling state-by-state presidential nomination struggle between two Democrats and the potential for party-splitting strife over there.

Discussion: The Opinionator, Hot Air and LewRockwell.com Blog

Robert D. Novak / Washington Post:

McCain's Christian Problem — John McCain, who as the Republican candidate for president has spent the past two months trying to consolidate right-wing support, has a problem of disputed dimensions with a vital component of the conservative coalition: evangelicals.

Discussion: TownHall Blog, Hot Air and The Page

Ralph Z. Hallow / Washington Times:

Barr unpersuaded by 'don't run' pleas — Former Rep. Bob Barr says a number of Republicans have been trying to persuade him not to run for president on the Libertarian Party ticket, but none has given him a convincing reason. — The former Republican congressman from Georgia formed …

Discussion: The Other McCain

Andrew Ward / Financial Times:

Democratic country keeps its distance from Obama — Like most people in Mingo County, West Virginia, Leonard Simpson is a lifelong Democrat. But given a choice between Barack Obama and John McCain in November, the 67-year-old retired coalminer would vote Republican.

Discussion: Jules Crittenden, snapped shot, ScrappleFace, Pandagon, Macsmind, The Page, Booman Tribune, Sadly, No! and PoliGazette

Anne E. Kornblut / Washington Post:

Clinton Team Acknowledges $20 Million Debt — A Top Aide Denies Rumors That She Is Seeking VP Slot — With her campaign falling ever deeper into debt, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton spent a rainy Mother's Day seeking votes ahead of Tuesday's primary here, turning a deaf ear to calls …

Discussion: The Other McCain

Carl Bernstein / CNN:

Analysis: Could Clinton land the VP nomination? — (CNN) — Friends and close associates of both Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are now convinced that, assuming she loses the race for the presidential nomination, she is probably going to fight to be the vice presidential nominee on an Obama-for-president ticket.

Discussion: Connecting.the.Dots, Comments from Left Field, FiveThirtyEight.com, Brilliant at Breakfast, AMERICAblog and D-Day

Ian Urbina / New York Times:

Voter ID Battle Shifts to Proof of Citizenship — The battle over voting rights will expand this week as lawmakers in Missouri are expected to support a proposed constitutional amendment to enable election officials to require proof of citizenship from anyone registering to vote.

Discussion: Think Progress, The Huffington Post, Firedoglake, The Carpetbagger Report, Associated Press, the talking dog, Comments from Left Field, Prairie Weather, On Deadline and GINA COBB

Digby / Hullabaloo:
Show Us Your Papers

Discussion: Eschaton

Nada Bakri / New York Times:

Fierce Fighting Breaks Out East of Beirut — BEIRUT, Lebanon — Fierce clashes broke out on Sunday in the mountains east of Beirut between supporters of the Western-backed government and followers of Hezbollah, the militant group backed by Iran. — The fighting, in the Shouf and Aley districts …

Discussion: abu muqawama

Los Angeles Times:
Lebanon's Sunni bloc built militia, officials say

Discussion: Lebanese Political Journal

Jim Yardley / New York Times:

900 Trapped After Quake, China State Media Reports — BEIJING — A powerful earthquake struck a mountainous region of western China on Monday, killing at least 107 people and trapping more than 900 students beneath a collapsed high school as tremors shook buildings for hundreds of miles …

August J. Pollak / The Huffington Post:

The Hillary Metaphors — Analogies for Hillary Clinton's campaign are varied in both scope and awfulness. — To see more of August J. Pollak's cartoon “Some Guy With a Website,” check out the archive.

Discussion: American Street

New York Times:

Drive in Basra by Iraqi Army Makes Gains — BASRA, Iraq — Three hundred miles south of Baghdad, the oil-saturated city of Basra has been transformed by its own surge, now seven weeks old. — In a rare success, forces loyal to Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki have largely quieted the city …

Discussion: Angry Bear, The Strata-Sphere and Washington Monthly

Bill Roggio / The Long War Journal:
Operations continue in Sadr City

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, abu muqawama, Commentary and New York Times

Nicole Belle / Crooks and Liars:

This Week: Campaign Surrogate Carly Fiorina Doesn't Believe In Economists — First thing, was anyone else get surprised by the uncharacteristically accurate title given to Carly Fiorina in this segment of This Week with George Stephanopoulos? Normally, aren't these surrogates usually called “advisors”?

Discussion: Comments from Left Field and RADAMISTO

New York Times:

That Pundit on Fox News? An Upstart Named Rove — WASHINGTON — Late Thursday night, Karl Rove, the architect of the last two Republican presidential victories, was on his new television perch at Fox News, offering free advice to Senator Barack Obama as he closed in on the Democratic nomination.

Discussion: The Corner and The Unapologetic Mexican

Adam Nagourney / The Caucus:

Emanuel to Kennedy: That's Not Nice — On a day when it seemed that everybody was beating up on Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton — even “Saturday Night Live” had run a skit making fun of her — one person came to her defense on Sunday: Representative Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, a top Democrat in the House.

Discussion: Salon, Taylor Marsh, Liberal Values, MyDD, The Page and TalkLeft