memeorandum: Obama dismisses a female TV reporter as ‘Sweetie’ (Andrew Malcolm/Top of the Ticket)

12:50 PM ET, May 15, 2008

Top Items:

Bush suggests Obama wants ‘appeasement’ of terrorists — JERUSALEM (CNN) - In a particularly sharp blast from halfway around the world, President Bush suggested Thursday that Sen. Barack Obama and other Democrats are in favor of “appeasement” of terrorists in the same way U.S. leaders appeased Nazis in the run-up to World War II.

Ed OKeefe / Political Radar:

Obama Takes Issue With Bush Foreign Policy Speech — ABC News' Ed O'Keefe Reports: The Obama campaign is taking issue with a comment President Bush made while speaking to the Knesset on the 60th anniversary of Israel's statehood. — “Some seem to believe we should negotiate with terrorists and radicals …

Discussion: JustOneMinute, The Jawa Report, The Corner, Confederate Yankee and Unfogged

Think Progress:

Lieberman On Bush Comparing Democrats To Nazi-Appeasers: ‘The President Got It Exactly Right’ — Delivering an address before the Israeli Knesset today, President Bush said that Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) and Democrats favor a policy of appeasement toward terrorists.

Discussion: Booman Tribune, Group News Blog, Cliff Schecter and AMERICAblog

Will Bunch / Philly.com:

President Bush committed political treason today — I've seen a lot of sad things in American politics in my lifetime — the resignation of a president who became a national disgrace after he oversaw a campaign of break-ins and cover-ups, another who circumvented the Constitution to trade arms for hostages …

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, Alternate Brain and Emptywheel

Liz Sidoti / Associated Press:

Obama says Bush falsely accuses him of appeasement — WASHINGTON - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama accused President Bush on Thursday of launching a “false political attack” with a comment about appeasing terrorists and radicals. — The Illinois senator interpreted the remark …

Discussion: MSNBC

Mike Carney / On Deadline:
Bush equates talking to terrorists with appeasing Nazis

Discussion: Blue Girl, Red State

Karl Rove / Wall Street Journal:

The GOP Must Stand for Something — Tuesday's election results highlighted challenges for both Democrats and Republicans. — Republicans received a hard shot in Mississippi. Greg Davis (for whom I campaigned and who was a well-qualified candidate) narrowly lost a special congressional election …

Discussion: The Swamp, The Moderate Voice, Riehl World View, LewRockwell.com Blog, Redstate, GregsOpinion.com and Outside The Beltway

New York Times:

Republican Election Losses Stir Fall Fears — WASHINGTON — The Republican defeat in a special Congressional contest in Mississippi sent waves of apprehension across an already troubled party Wednesday, with some senior Republicans urging Congressional candidates to distance themselves …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Washington Monthly, Matthew Yglesias, Eschaton, TPM Election Central, DownWithTyranny!, TBogg, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Page, Progress Illinois, Electoral-vote.com, PoliGazette, Cotton Mouth, BAGnewsNotes, The Swamp and The Smirking Chimp

Gail Collins / New York Times:

A Victory Plan for Hillary — Hillary Clinton scored a whopping victory in West Virginia. Trounced Barack Obama, who is consistently described as the inevitable presidential nominee. — Hard to know exactly what to do with this information. — Ever since the North Carolina primary …

Discussion: Political Perceptions

The Politico:

Six ways the GOP can save itself — Things are so ugly for the members of the GOP right now, it's worth pondering their political mortality: Put bluntly, can this party be saved? — We talked to some of the smartest minds in Republican politics, and their prognosis is pretty grim.

Discussion: Weekly Standard Blog, Hot Air and Doug Ross

Jim Tankersley / The Swamp:

Alarm bells for House GOP — They said the first was an outlier. The second, a fluke. But after losing their third seat this year in a special election, House Republicans faced the possibility on Wednesday that if they don't repair their image with voters, they could be in for another rough November.

Discussion: Liberty Street, The Other McCain and Comments from Left Field

Dana Milbank / Washington Post:

Agitated? Irritable? Hostile? Aggressive? Impulsive? Restless? — House Republicans may be heading off a cliff in November, but give them credit for perseverance. Even after the new slogan they floated — “The Change You Deserve” — was discovered to be trademarked ad copy …

Discussion: Blog entry, The Carpetbagger Report and Bluestem Prairie

The Politico:
GOP cancer: Party could lose 20 more seats

Discussion: Macsmind, Vox Popoli, Hot Air, Donklephant, The Strata-Sphere, Washington Post and MyDD

Andrew Malcolm / Top of the Ticket:

Breaking News: McCain sees Iraq combat over, U.S. troops home before 2013 — In a speech he's about to give shortly at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Ohio, Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, will for the first time talk about a specific date …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, The Caucus, Daily Kos, New York Times, The Other McCain, The American Conservative, Confederate Yankee and Drudge Retort

Glen Johnson / Associated Press:
McCain Envisions How First Term Will Go

Discussion: michellemalkin.com, The Huffington Post and Donklephant

Michael Scherer / Swampland:
McCain Lays Out “Hope” Timetable For Iraq

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias and The Carpetbagger Report

Wall Street Journal:

Prepared Text of Bush's Knesset Speech — As Prepared for Delivery: Remarks by the President to Members of the Knesset — Shalom. Laura and I are thrilled to be back in Israel. We have been deeply moved by the celebrations of the past two days. And this afternoon …

Discussion: Israel Matzav, Pajamas Media, Redstate, American Street and Gateway Pundit

Kate Phillips / The Caucus:
Bush's Remarks in Israel Rile Obama

Discussion: Washington Wire, Commentary, Swampland and New York Times

Domenico Montanaro / MSNBC:
BUSH'S ‘NAZI’ SWIPE AT OBAMA

Discussion: TownHall Blog

Associated Press:

NH Edwards delegate announces he's supporting Obama — PORTSMOUTH, N.H.—A New Hampshire Democratic Party delegate who had supported John Edwards says he will support Barack Obama, now that Edwards has endorsed his former political rival for the party's presidential nominee.

Discussion: Reason Magazine, Daily Kos, TPM Election Central and Spin Cycle

Matt / 2008 Democratic Convention Watch:
What happens to Edwards' delegates?

Discussion: New York Times, The Green Papers, Quad City Times, Ben Smith's Blogs, FiveThirtyEight.com, Buck Naked Politics, MyDD, The Other McCain and The Jed Report

Brad Wilmouth / NewsBusters.org:

Olbermann Accuses Bush of ‘Murderous Deceit,’ Should ‘Shut the Hell Up’ — On Wednesday's Countdown, MSNBC host Keith Olbermann's latest “Special Comment” attack on President Bush accused the President of “panoramic and murderous deceit,” and of “creating” an America that …

Discussion: Little Green Footballs and Media Blog

Keith Olbermann / MSNBC:
Olbermann: Mr. President, the war isn't about you

Discussion: Hot Air, The Other McCain, Macsmind, Liberal Values, The Jed Report and Martini Revolution

Cinque Henderson / The New Republic:

Maybe We Can't — The black case for Obama-skepticism. — Ninety percent of black Democrats support Barack Obama. So that might leave an observer wondering: What the hell is up with that other 10 percent? Are they stupid? Do they hate their own race? Do they not understand the historical import of the moment?

Discussion: Oliver Willis, Sister Toldjah, TownHall Blog, Commentary, Stumper and neo-neocon

Washington Post / The Trail:

NARAL Affiliates Question Obama Endorsement — NARAL Pro-Choice America affiliates in key swing and primary states are openly distancing themselves from the decision by NARAL Pro-Choice America to endorse Illinois Sen. Barack Obama over Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton to be the Democratic nominee for president.

Discussion: TalkLeft, TPM Election Central and Salon