memeorandum: Obama leaves Trinity (Ben Smith/Ben Smith's Blogs)

8:00 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: 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: michellemalkin.com, TIME.com, Corrente, TalkLeft, Flopping Aces, Sister Toldjah and PoliGazette

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: Fox News, Salon, Gateway Pundit and Stop The ACLU

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 — The Chicago journalist Monroe Anderson, and subsequently CNN, reported today that Obama yesterday sent a letter to Trinity United Church of Christ to inform them that he is leaving the congregation. — Spokesman Bill Burton confirmed the report.

Discussion: Cogitamus and CNN

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.

Byron York / The Corner:

Report: Obama Quits Trinity — CNN is reporting, based on CNN contributor Roland Martin, that Barack and Michelle Obama have resigned from Trinity United Church of Christ.

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

John McCormick / The Swamp:
Obama leaving his church

Discussion: Chicago Tribune and Top of the Ticket

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

Discussion: Pam's House Blend and Roger L. Simon

Zzaki / Political Radar:
Obama Quits His Church

Discussion: Commentary and Political Punch

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, Liberal Values, The Carpetbagger Report and The Mahablog

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:

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: Emptywheel, The Field, Booman Tribune and Threat Level

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

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

Discussion: The Moderate Voice and The Swamp

Avi Zenilman / Ben Smith's Blogs:
Florida (almost) a done deal

Discussion: Salon and AMERICAblog

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: The Daily Dish, culturekitchen and Obsidian Wings

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

Michael Falcone / The Caucus:
The D.N.C. Deliberates — The Clinton Camp's Rebuttal …

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blogs, Threat Level, Redstate, The Nation and Electoral-vote.com

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

Discussion: TPM Election Central, AMERICAblog, The Carpetbagger Report, TRAIL BLAZERS, FREEDOM EDEN, The Moderate Voice, Wall Street Journal, Gateway Pundit, Washington Wire, Political Radar, The Other McCain, The Democratic Daily and Wake up America

Marc Ambinder:
RBC Live Wire 6: The Deliberations

Discussion: Salon

Associated Press:
Party seats Fla., Mich. delegations

Discussion: QandO, www.fortmilltimes.com and Shakesville

Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
The Michigan Case Begins

Discussion: The Moderate Voice and The Democratic Daily

New York Times:
Democrats Debate Seating Delegates From Two States

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Marc Ambinder, The Caucus, Tennessee Guerilla Women and The Democratic Daily

Lanny J. Davis / Wall Street Journal:

The Argument for Nominating Hillary — After the votes are in from Puerto Rico tomorrow and South Dakota and Montana on Tuesday, neither Barack Obama nor Hillary Clinton will be able to make a facts-based case that they represent a significant majority of grass-roots Democrats.

Discussion: Oliver Willis, Hot Air, Taylor Marsh and NO QUARTER

New York Times:
No Road Map for Democrats as Race Ends

Discussion: Don Surber and TIME.com

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

Thomas Joscelyn / Weekly Standard:

Are We Serious? — They're at war, we're catching crooks. — A Memoir of the Jihad — by Andrew C. McCarthy — Encounter, 250 pp., $25.95 — In the wake of the September 11, 2001, attacks, America has tried to understand how she could have been so blind.

Discussion: RADAMISTO

The Big Trunk / Power Line:
Willful blindness — The new issue of the Weekly Standard …

Discussion: Fausta's blog

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