memeorandum: Lobbyists for Foreign Governments Raise Money, Get Clinton, McCain Meetings (ABCNEWS)

5:05 PM ET, May 19, 2008

Top Items:

Jennifer Rubin / Commentary:

Not A Serious Threat — This remarkable bit of footage from Barack Obama's appearance in Oregon last night is now floating around on YouTube. It might be useful as an undergraduate course exam: how many errors can you spot? Obama apparently believes that Iran and other rogues states …

Discussion: protein wisdom, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, Redstate, Wake up America, Macsmind and PoliBlog (TM)

John McCormick / Chicago Tribune:
Obama counters McCain on ‘appeasment’

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blogs, Weekly Standard Blog, The Corner, The Swamp, Hot Air, Redstate and Gateway Pundit

Greg Sargent / TPM Election Central:
Obama Responds To McCain: “Strong” Presidents Aren't Afraid To Meet With Enemies

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Blue Girl, Red State, The Carpetbagger Report, Oliver Willis and Donklephant

Hugh Hewitt / Townhall.com:
Obama: Making Jimmy Carter Look Tough

Discussion: The Daily Dish and PrestoPundit

Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Iran not a “serious threat”?

Discussion: Israel Matzav and Sister Toldjah

The Campaign Spot:
Today's Must-Read Post: Obama's Assessment of the ‘Tiny’ Threat From Iran, Venezuela, Cuba

Discussion: JustOneMinute, Wall Street Journal, Newshoggers.com, American Street, Commentary and Atlas Shrugs

Imaeyen Ibanga / ABCNEWS:

Obama Warns GOP “Lay Off My Wife” — Obama Loses Argument With Wife Over Getting a Dog — Sen. Barack Obama ripped into a Republican ad today that targets comments made by his wife, Michelle, and called the GOP tactic “low class” and “detestable.” — The Illinois senator told …

Discussion: Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, The Jawa Report, Gateway Pundit, Political Punch, Wake up America, Hot Air, Don Surber, The Swamp, The Campaign Spot, QandO, Jules Crittenden, American Street, BizzyBlog and baldilocks

Michelle Malkin:

The proud Obamas lash back — You know what I have to say about Barack Obama calling the Tennessee GOP “low-class” and “unacceptable” on Good Morning America because of its ad answering Michelle Obama's lack of pride in her country? — Barack, sweetie, your conversation …

Discussion: Scared Monkeys and Macsmind

Mark Halperin / The Page:
More from The Obamas' Interview with “Good Morning America”

Discussion: TalkLeft

Ben Smith / The Politico:

Top Hillarylander mulls Obama job — Hillary Rodham Clinton's former campaign manager and confidante, Patti Solis Doyle, and Sen. Barack Obama's top adviser have informally discussed the former Clintonite's going to work for the Obama campaign in the general election.

Discussion: Marc Ambinder, The Carpetbagger Report, New York Magazine, Salon, Wonkette, The Page and TPM Election Central

Dana Goldstein / American Prospect:

SHOULD OBAMA DELCARE VICTORY? — Polls show Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton will likely split Tuesday's primary states one-for-one once again, with Obama picking up Oregon and Clinton winning Kentucky. What was true last week, and the week before, and the week before that (etc.) …

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias, The Daily Dish and The Reaction

Carrie Budoff Brown / The Politico:
Obama: No victory declaration Tuesday

Discussion: MoJoBlog, Ben Smith's Blogs, The Corner, The Caucus, MyDD, Real Clear Politics, Corrente, Political Perceptions, The Page, Writes Like She Talks, Salon and TPM Election Central

John M. Broder / The Caucus:
Clinton: ‘This Is Nowhere Near Over’

Discussion: The New Republic, Prairie Weather and The Page

Paul J. Nyden / Charleston Gazette:

Byrd endorses Obama for president — Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., endorsed Barack Obama for president shortly after noon today, focusing on his hope to end the Iraq War. — “As people all across this great nation know, I have been one of the most outspoken opponents of the Bush …

Discussion: The Swamp, The Moderate Voice, TalkLeft, Macsmind, Taylor Marsh, Spin Cycle, Booman Tribune, 2008 Democratic …, Wonkette and TPM Election Central

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:

Sen. Robert Byrd endorses Obama — The Charleston Gazette reports an endorsement deep with symbolism: West Virginia Senator Robert Byrd is endorsing Barack Obama. — “Barack Obama is a noble-hearted patriot and humble Christian, and he has my full faith and support,” Byrd says.

Discussion: The Swamp, The Crypt's Blogs, Page One and The Field

Gallup:

Gallup Daily: Obama Opens Up 16-Point Lead, Biggest Yet — PRINCETON, NJ — Gallup Poll Daily tracking finds Barack Obama with his largest advantage over Hillary Clinton in Democratic voters' nomination preferences thus far, 55% to 39%. — Obama's previous largest lead was 11 percentage points, in May 15-17 and April 12-14 polling.

Discussion: Wonkette and Real Clear Politics

The Huffington Post:

Superdelegates Turned Down $1 Million Offer From Clinton Donor — One of Sen. Hillary Clinton's top financial supporters offered $1 million to the Young Democrats of America during a phone conversation in which he also pressed for the organization's two uncommitted superdelegates to endorse …

Discussion: The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, Spin Cycle, Oliver Willis and AMERICAblog

Matt / Think Progress:

Kristol's Third Strike: Weekly Standard Editor Gets The Facts Wrong In His New York Times Column — In his New York Times column today, Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol tried to find reasons for conservatives to be optimistic about 2008 elections, despite the claims of some Republicans that …

Discussion: Salon, Crooks and Liars, The Carpetbagger Report, Balloon Juice, TBogg, Blogs of War, Wonkette and Shakesville

Jerry Skurnik / Room Eight blogs:
EDUCATING WILLIAM KRISTOL

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blogs and New York Times

Paul Krugman / New York Times:

Stranded in Suburbia — I have seen the future, and it works. — O.K., I know that these days you're supposed to see the future in China or India, not in the heart of “old Europe.” — But we're living in a world in which oil prices keep setting records, in which the idea …

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias, Outside The Beltway, NewsBusters.org, Slog and Eschaton

Patrick Deneen / What I Saw in America:
No Prob — A person named Jim Manzi over at NRO's The Corner …

Discussion: Crunchy Con

Agence France Presse:

US billionaire Buffett backs Obama for president — Buffett told a press conference here Monday he had offered support to both Obama and Democratic rival Hillary Clinton but that since it appeared Obama would win the party's nomination, “I will be very happy if he is elected president.

Discussion: American Street

Saira Anees / Political Punch:

Rove's Latest Electoral Maps Have Clinton Stronger Than Obama Against McCain — Electoral maps put together by the consulting firm helmed by Karl Rove, and obtained by ABC News, show Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, to be a stronger general election candidate in a hypothetical general election match …

Discussion: Salon, Hot Air, Political Radar, Taylor Marsh and NO QUARTER

Robertgreenwald / Brave New Films blog:

McCain's YouTube Problem Just Became a Nightmare — There's no question John McCain is getting a free ride from the mainstream press. But with the power of YouTube and the blogosphere, we can provide an accurate portrayal of the so-called Maverick. We can put the brakes on his free ride!

Discussion: The Real McCain, MyDD, Booman Tribune, Balloon Juice, Attackerman, Daily Kos and Group News Blog

Walter Pincus / Washington Post:

Keeping Secrets: In Presidential Memo, A New Designation for Classifying Information — Sometime in the next few years, if a memorandum signed by President Bush this month ever goes into effect, one government official talking to another about information on terrorists will have to begin by saying …

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias, TPMMuckraker, Commentary, Newshoggers.com and The Impolitic