memeorandum @ 9:25 PM ET, May 31, 2008

9:25 PM ET, May 31, 2008

Top Items:

Obama resigns from controversial church — (CNN) — Barack Obama resigned Saturday from his Chicago church — where controversial sermons by his former pastor and other ministers had created repeated political headaches for the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination — his campaign confirmed.

Discussion: New York Times, Washington Wire, Redstate, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS, Political Machine, Sweetness & Light and race42008.com

John McCormick / Baltimore Sun:

Obama leaving Trinity United church — Sen. Barack Obama is leaving Trinity United Church of Christ, his longtime religious home in Chicago and a place that has triggered repeated controversies during his presidential bid. — Obama spokesman Ben LaBolt has confirmed Obama is essentially resigning from the church.

Discussion: THE GUN TOTING LIBERAL™, NO QUARTER, michellemalkin.com, Sister Toldjah, TalkLeft, Corrente, TIME.com, Flopping Aces and PoliGazette

CNN:

Obama resigns from controversial church — (CNN) — Sen. Barack Obama said Saturday that he has resigned from the church where controversial sermons by his former pastor and other ministers created repeated political headaches for the Democratic frontrunner.

Discussion: Open Left, Roger L. Simon and MyDD

Monroe Anderson:

Wright out or wimp out? Obama quits Trinity — In the wake of the Father Michael Pfleger — controversial sermon last Sunday at Trinity United Church of Christ, Barack Obama sent a letter yesterday resigning from his place of worship for the past 20 years. — I sort of, kind of, understand why he did it.

Discussion: Gateway Pundit, Salon and THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS

Jeff Zeleny / The Caucus:

Obama Quits His Church — WASHINGTON - Senator Barack Obama is ending his membership at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, a congregation he has belonged to for about two decades and one that had become a lightening rod in his Democratic presidential bid.

Discussion: Balloon Juice

Lynn Sweet:

Obama resigns from Trinity United Church of Christ. UPDATE. Obama to answer questions about his church Saturday night. — WASHINGTON—UPDATE—Obama spokesman Bill Burton confirmed that Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) quit Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ.

Discussion: Commentary, AMERICAblog, Spin Cycle and The Reaction

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:
Obama leaves Trinity

Discussion: Cogitamus and CNN

John McCormick / The Swamp:
Obama leaving his church

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Jules Crittenden and Top of the Ticket

Chicago Tribune: Pfleger puts Obama in unwelcome spot again

Byron York / The Corner:
Report: Obama Quits Trinity

Discussion: Hot Air, protein wisdom and Ed Driscoll.com

DrewM / Ace of Spades HQ:
Obama Resigns His Church Membership

Discussion: Stop The ACLU

Fox News:
Obama Resigns Church Membership in Chicago

Discussion: FREEDOM EDEN

Zzaki / Political Radar:
Obama Quits His Church

Discussion: Commentary and Political Punch

Tom Raum / Associated Press:
Obama quits Chicago church after long controversy

Discussion: Pam's House Blend

The New Republic:

Scenes From Today's RBC Hillary Protest — Howard Dean may hope that the “healing will begin today,” but two blocks away from the northwest Washington Marriott where the DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee is meeting right now to try to figure out Florida and Michigan, the Hillary protesters …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, The Moderate Voice, The Political Carnival, Wonkette, Liberal Values, The Mahablog, Oliver Willis, The Carpetbagger Report and Marc Ambinder

Sam Stein / The Huffington Post:

Lanny Davis Loses His Cool On DNC Member — stumble digg reddit del.ico.us news trust buzz up — A brief but spittle-filled shouting match broke out in the halls of the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee hearing on Saturday between a committee member and a surrogate for Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign.

Discussion: Firedoglake, The Field, Booman Tribune and Threat Level

Jaketapper / Political Punch:

A Clinton Hurricane Hits Outside the DNC Hearing Room — There was a tornado watch outside the Democratic National Committee's Rules & Bylaws Committee meeting at the Marriot Wardman Park Hotel Saturday afternoon. And there was a brewing storm inside the hotel as well.

Discussion: AMERICAblog and Dean's World

Sam Stein / The Huffington Post:

Sources: DNC Florida Compromise Reached, Michigan Hangs In Balance — stumble digg reddit del.ico.us news trust buzz up — Two sources, including a high-ranking official with the Florida delegation, have confirmed that the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee reached an agreement last night …

Discussion: Threat Level, American Street, Liberal Values, Wonkette, Political Radar, Firedoglake, The Field, Marc Ambinder, Wake up America, Ben Smith's Blogs, Sister Toldjah, MyDD, The Reaction, The Moderate Voice and The Swamp

Avi Zenilman / Ben Smith's Blogs:
Dean's remarks — “We are going to nominate eithe rthe …

Discussion: The Swamp

Nick Baumann / MoJoBlog:
Clinton Surrogate Says FL-MI Struggle = Civil Rights Movement

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, TRAIL BLAZERS, The Other McCain and Swampland

Marc Ambinder:

RBC Live Wire 7: Clinton Nets 24 Delegates — Clinton nets 24 delegates out of the day. — A Democratic official close to Sen. Carl Levin says: “He is pleased they have made progress over where they were this morning. He is confident that the full delegation will be seated with full voting rights at the convention.”

Discussion: Firedoglake, Newshoggers.com, The Daily Dish, culturekitchen and Obsidian Wings

Michael Falcone / The Caucus:

D.N.C. Cuts Fla., Mich. Votes in Half — Rules Wrap Up: After a nearly 10-hour marathon meeting of the Democratic party's rules committee, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton came away with a total of 24 more pledged delegates, but today's decisions on the seating of Florida and Michigan delegates fell far short …

Discussion: TIME.com, Redstate, The Nation, Lance Mannion and The Democratic Daily

Avi Zenilman / Ben Smith's Blogs:
50% version of the Michigan solution passes 19-8

Discussion: New York Times

New York Times:
Democrats Debate Seating Delegates From Two States

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blogs, Talking Points Memo, Marc Ambinder, The Caucus, Tennessee Guerilla Women and The Democratic Daily

Associated Press:
Officials say Fla., Mich. delegates will get half-votes

Discussion: www.fortmilltimes.com, The Carpetbagger Report, AMERICAblog, QandO, NY Daily News, TRAIL BLAZERS, TPM Election Central, skippy the bush kangaroo, FREEDOM EDEN, The Moderate Voice, Gateway Pundit, Washington Wire, Shakesville, Wall Street Journal, The Democratic Daily, Political Radar, The Other McCain and Wake up America

Marc Ambinder:

RBC Live Wire 6: The Deliberations — 6:00: Even the cognoscenti are being kept in the dark. Florida Dem Party chair Karen Thurman is visiting the press corps. She has no special info about the delay in resuming public deliberations. — 5:54: Uh-oh. Rep. Robert Wexler has taken his sportcoat off.

Discussion: Redstate and Salon

Eric Pianin / The Fix: Obama and Clinton Allies Vigorously Debate Seating of Delegates

Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
The Michigan Case Begins

Discussion: The Moderate Voice and The Democratic Daily

Lauren Frayer / Associated Press:

Al-Qaida's stance on women sparks extremist debate — CAIRO, Egypt - Muslim extremist women are challenging al-Qaida's refusal to include — or at least acknowledge — women in its ranks, in an emotional debate that gives rare insight into the gender conflicts lurking beneath one of the strictest strains of Islam.

Discussion: Gateway Pundit, JammieWearingFool and Unqualified Offerings

Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:

Dubya The Great? — From the current issue, Ross's take on Bush's legacy: … It seems to me that if a policy can only be judged from the vantage point of thirty years into the future, the possibility of any sane or rational judgment of it as we decide is impossible.

Discussion: Eunomia

See-Dubya / michellemalkin.com:

The LA Times looks into the Obama-Che iconcography connection — This is buried deep within a (worthwhile, if creepily non-judgmental and incomplete) piece about the merchandising of Che Guevara's image, but I was pleasantly surprised to see the LA Times make the connection between the visual cult of Che and the cult of Obama:

Discussion: Los Angeles Times and The Mahablog