memeorandum: Vatican: It's OK to believe in aliens (Ariel David/Associated Press)

10:35 AM ET, May 14, 2008

Top Items:

Aaron Blake / The Hill:

Childers victory gives Dems a third straight takeover — Democrat Travis Childers won Tuesday's Mississippi special election runoff for Sen. Roger Wicker's (R) House seat, handing Democrats the biggest of their three special election takeovers this cycle and sending a listless GOP further into a state of disarray.

Discussion: The Swamp, The Crypt's Blogs, Right Wing News, BuzzFlash.org, Firedoglake, Crooks and Liars, Comments from Left Field, The Jed Report, Capitol Briefing, Gateway Pundit, Liberty Street, The Reaction, The American Mind, PoliBlog (TM), skippy the bush kangaroo, GregsOpinion.com, Cotton Mouth and Donklephant

Reid Wilson / Real Clear Politics:

GOP Stunned By Loss in Mississippi — In a major blow to national Republicans, a Mississippi congressional seat that once voted for President Bush by a twenty-five point margin elected a Democrat on Tuesday. Prentiss County Chancery Clerk Travis Childers beat out Republican candidate Greg Davis …

Discussion: The Corner, Eunomia, The Strata-Sphere and Crunchy Con

The Hill:

Analysis: House GOP hits new low, faces bleak Nov. — The sky is falling on House Republicans and there is no sign of it letting up. — The GOP loss in Mississippi's special election Tuesday is the strongest sign yet that the Republican Party is in shambles.

Discussion: Democratic Strategist, DownWithTyranny!, AMERICAblog and Mercury Rising

Mike Allen / Associated Press:

Hillary's ‘almost heaven’ - Signs of a coming GOP cataclysm — BREAKING NEWS 1: JERUSALEM (AP) — President Bush on Wednesday opened a celebratory visit to Israel where he'll make a new push for peace in the long-troubled Middle East. “We consider the Holy Land a very special place …

Adam Nossiter / New York Times:

Democrat Wins House Seat in Mississippi — COFFEEVILLE, Miss. — Democrats scored a remarkable upset victory on Tuesday in a special Congressional election in this conservative Southern district, sending a clear signal of national problems ahead for Republicans in the fall.

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias, Think Progress, WillBardwell.com, Swing State Project, The Carpetbagger Report, Marc Ambinder, MSNBC, The Crypt's Blogs, Outside The Beltway, The Swamp and The Jed Report

Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
Democrat Wins Mississippi Special Election

Discussion: Clarion-Ledger, Political Machine, Redstate, JammieWearingFool, American Street, Bluestem Prairie and Scripting News

Deacon / Power Line: THE REPUBLICAN LOSING STREAK CONTINUES

Right of Mississippi:
DCCC Tries To Launch An All Out Race War In MS-01

Discussion: WillBardwell.com, American Street, The Hill, mean ol' meany, Mississippi …, Wizbang, michellemalkin.com, Conservative Belle, Macsmind and Redstate

Dana Milbank / Washington Post:

This Is an Ex-Candidate — C ustomer: “Look, matey, I know a dead parrot when I see one, and I'm looking at one right now.” — Pet-shop owner: “No, no he's not dead, he's — he's resting! Remarkable bird, the Norwegian blue, isn't it, aye? Beautiful plumage!”

Discussion: The Carpetbagger Report, GINA COBB and AMERICAblog

Patrick Healy / New York Times:

Clinton Beats Obama Handily in West Virginia — Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton won a lopsided victory on Tuesday over Senator Barack Obama in the West Virginia primary, where racial considerations emerged as an unusually salient factor. Mrs. Clinton drew strong support from white …

Discussion: The Politico, Washington Post, Politics Nation, Althouse, The Mahablog, The Caucus, ABCNEWS, Associated Press, Los Angeles Times, New York Post, The Carpetbagger Report, PoliGazette, The Huffington Post, BuzzFlash.org and LiberalOasis

Gawker:
Old White People Know the Truth About Barack Obama

Discussion: The Page, The New Republic, The Daily Dish and NO QUARTER

Matthew Yglesias:
Clinton Wins WV

Discussion: The Daily Dish, JustOneMinute, Jules Crittenden, Guardian Unlimited, KIKO'S HOUSE, Outside The Beltway, PoliBlog (TM), PrestoPundit, Liberal Values, Gothamist, Oliver Willis and The Moderate Voice

Big Tent Democrat / TalkLeft:
For The Record . . . The West Virginia exit polls indicate …

Discussion: PoliGazette, Comments from Left Field and KnoxViews

New York Times:
Profile of the Voters … Mr. Huckabee won West Virginia's …

Discussion: Anglachel's Journal

HillaryClinton.com:
Hillary's Remarks at Charleston, WV Celebration Event

Discussion: TalkLeft, PoliBlog (TM) and PSoTD

Nate / FiveThirtyEight.com:
Clinton wins West Virginia

Discussion: Open Left, Reason Magazine, The Daily Dish and Slog

Fox News:
Many Demographic Distinctions Missing in West Virginia Race, Exit Polls Show

Discussion: News Hounds and Blogs of War

Jason Linkins / The Huffington Post:

Rumsfeld On 2006 Election: “The Correction For That...Is An Attack” — An ongoing exploration of the documents related to the Pentagon's “message force multipliers” program has unearthed a clip of former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld suggesting that America, having voted the Democrats …

Discussion: Newshoggers.com, Firedoglake, Brilliant at Breakfast and American Street

Mike Allen / The Politico:
Bush warns of Iraq disaster

Discussion: Jonathan Martin's Blogs, VetVoice, Comments from Left Field, Mccs1977, On Deadline, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Brilliant at Breakfast, Truthdig, The Reaction, The Agitator, Dependable Renegade, Lawyers, Guns and Money and The Page

Agence France Presse:
Bush: I quit golf over Iraq war

Discussion: Comments from Left Field, Jules Crittenden, Think Progress, Newshoggers.com, race42008.com, American Street and PoliGazette

Sheryl Gay Stolberg / New York Times:
Bush Arrives for Middle Eastern Tour

Discussion: PoliGazette and Connecting.the.Dots

Ed OKeefe / Political Radar:

Obama Gaffes on Iraq and Afghanistan — ABC News' David Wright and Sunlen Miller Report: Sporting a shiny new American flag pin at an appearance in Rush Limbaugh's hometown, Sen. Barack Obama came up with some novel reasons why the U.S. may be struggling in the war in Afghanistan.

Discussion: Hot Air, Gateway Pundit, Redstate, Don Surber, Sister Toldjah and Commentary

Barry Rubin / gloriacenter.org:

Lebanon to West: Wake Up Fast! — While America's secretary of state devotes her time to doomed Israel-Palestinian talks and America goes ga-ga over a candidate whose main foreign policy strategy is to talk to dictators, still another crisis strengthens radical Islamists and endangers Western friends and interests.

Thomas L. Friedman / New York Times:
The New Cold War — The next American president will inherit …

Discussion: Salon and abu muqawama

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

NEVER DIE!! — Even with Hillary's blow-out win in West Virginia and the amazing Democratic victory in Mississippi, for me tonight's going to be about Terry McAuliffe's tour de force moment when he turned projectile nonsense into something approaching the sublime ...

Discussion: MyDD

John Aravosis / AMERICAblog:

Go away you horrible human being — IT'S NOT CLOSE. YOU FREAKING LOST THE NOMINATION, WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU? — Good God. What is wrong with her? The Clintons and their campaign staff don't give a damn that they are now hurting our electoral chances in the fall against McCain and against the Republicans in Congress.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice and The Strata-Sphere

NewsMax.com:
Inside Cover — Source: Huckabee Tops McCain VP List

Discussion: Right Wing News, Classical Values and American Spectator

Wall Street Journal:

Obama to Receive Endorsement Of 3 Former SEC Chairmen — Three former chairmen of the Securities and Exchange Commission will publicly endorse Democratic Sen. Barack Obama's bid for the presidency Wednesday, including one who served under President Bush. — William Donaldson …

Discussion: The Page

Quinnipiac University:

Obama, Clinton Both Top McCain In November Face-Off, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Most Democrats Back Obama-Clinton ‘dream Ticket’ — Either one of the two Democratic contenders, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama or New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, leads the likely Republican presidential nominee …

Discussion: The Swamp, TPM Election Central and Real Clear Politics

Washington Post:

Some Detainees Are Drugged For Deportation — Immigrants Sedated Without Medical Reason — The U.S. government has injected hundreds of foreigners it has deported with dangerous psychotropic drugs against their will to keep them sedated during the trip back to their home country …

Discussion: The Raw Story