memeorandum: McCain's Music City surprise (Jonathan Martin/Jonathan Martin's Blogs)

4:30 PM ET, June 2, 2008

Top Items:

Clinton Summons Top Donors, Supporters For Tuesday Speech — stumble digg reddit del.ico.us news trust buzz up — Hillary Clinton has summoned top donors and backers to attend her New York speech tomorrow night in an unusual move that is being widely interpreted to mean she plans to suspend her campaign and endorse Barack Obama.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Real Clear Politics, The Carpetbagger Report, Open Left, The Political Carnival, Bob Cesca's Goddamn … and Jack and Jill Politics

CNN:

Sources: Most uncommitted senators to endorse Obama — WASHINGTON (CNN) — Most of the seventeen Democratic senators who have remained uncommitted throughout the primaries will endorse Barack Obama for president this week, CNN has learned. — Sources familiar with discussions between Obama supporters …

Discussion: Capitol Briefing, Booman Tribune and PoliGazette

Domenico Montanaro / MSNBC:

BILL'S ‘LAST DAY’? — From NBC/NJ's Matthew Berger — MILBANK, S.D. — Bill Clinton acknowledged Monday that today may be his last campaigning for his wife. — “I want to say also, that this may be the last day I'm ever involved in a campaign of this kind,” the former president said at a town hall at the Milbank Visitor Center.

Discussion: TIME.com, Hot Air, TownHall Blog, Wonkette, Redstate, The Political Carnival, QandO and marbury

Marc Ambinder:

Clinton Clue: Staffers Urged To Turn In Receipts — Clinton Campaign staffers and former campaign staffers are being urged by the Clinton campaign's finance department to turn in their outstanding expense receipts by the end of the week. That's a sign, to them, that the campaign wants to get its affairs in order soon.

Discussion: Weekly Standard Blog and MyDD

Marc Ambinder:

Clinton Aides: Tomorrow Night's Speech Isn't Concession — Senior Clinton campaign aides privy to the construction of tomorrow night's election night celebration in New York insist that Sen. Clinton will not use the occasion to drop out of the race. — They project that Clinton will do better …

Discussion: The Strata-Sphere and Donklephant

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:
Tuesday night in New York

Discussion: American Spectator

Nitya / Political Radar:
Clinton Campaign Shows Signs of Slowing

Discussion: TIME.com

Walter Alarkon / The Hill's Blog Briefing Room: Both Obama And Clinton To Be In NYC Wednesday

Scott Martelle / Top of the Ticket:
Is Hillary Clinton preparing for the end? Signs say yes

Discussion: The Reaction

Nitya / Political Radar: Bill Clinton: 'This May Be the Last Day I'm Ever Involved …

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:
On past 2,118 — Clinton campaign Chairman Terry McAuliffe tells …

Discussion: New York Times, Associated Press, The Carpetbagger Report, Washington Wire, MoJoBlog, MyDD and Oliver Willis

Jim Kuhnhenn / Associated Press:
Clinton plans New York speech

Discussion: Donklephant

Marc Ambinder:
Clinton Clues

Discussion: Liberal Values and Taylor Marsh

Glenn Thrush / Newsday: Clinton expected to decide future of her candidacy

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:
Clinton camp converging on New York Tuesday, and shedding staff

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog, New York Times, Daily Kos, the albany project, DownWithTyranny!, The Carpetbagger Report, The Moderate Voice, MSNBC, Spin Cycle, Prairie Weather and The Field

Larry Johnson / NO QUARTER:

Michelle Obama and Louis Farrakhan Take On Whitey — I learned over the weekend why the Republicans who have seen the tape of Michelle Obama ranting about “whitey” describe it as “STUNNING.” I have not seen it but I have heard from five separate sources who have spoken directly with people who have seen the tape.

Discussion: The Campaign Spot, CANNONFIRE, Wake up America, Martini Revolution, Donklephant, Vox Popoli, PoliGazette, The Strata-Sphere, Comments from Left Field, Riehl World View, Stop The ACLU and Unfogged

SusanUnPC / NO QUARTER:

[VIDEO UPDATE] BREAKING NEWS on “Whitey” Tape from Fox News: A TV Network HAS the Tape — Here's the text version at TVEyes.com: — FNC 06/01/2008 14:43:30: ...>>> welcome back to our special coverage live coverage from puerto rico. just before the break, roger stone the republican strategist …

Discussion: Booman Tribune, QandO, Outside The Beltway, The Moderate Voice, Hot Air, The American Mind, The Strata-Sphere, The Mahablog, Scared Monkeys, Flopping Aces, Gateway Pundit, protein wisdom and PoliGazette

Lydia Saad / Gallup:

Americans Favor President Meeting With U.S. Enemies — Public thinks it's a good idea to meet with leaders of enemy countries — PRINCETON, NJ — Large majorities of Democrats and independents, and even half of Republicans, believe the president of the United States should meet with the leaders …

Matthew Yglesias: Let's Talk — One point I've been trying to make in my book talks …

Spencer / Attackerman:
We Don't Talk About It — Ilan Goldenberg has a good post about diplomacy with Iran.

Discussion: Newshoggers.com, John McCain 2008 and democracyarsenal.org

William Kristol / New York Times:

What Obama Left Out — Commencement speeches are hard. — I gave one at a college about seven years ago. I labored over it, consulting orations from years past, writing and rewriting drafts. I ended up with remarks that struck me — even while I delivered them — as banal and platitudinous.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, The Campaign Spot, The Moderate Voice, Wonkette, PrestoPundit, Power Line, The Carpetbagger Report, Swampland, Weekly Standard Blog, AMERICAblog, Eschaton, Jules Crittenden, Shakesville, Blue Girl, Red State, PoliGazette, Balloon Juice and Too Sense

Ben / Think Progress: Kristol: Obama was rolling in the dough as community organizer.

Agence France Presse:

Ahmadinejad says Israel will soon disappear … Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad predicted on Monday that Muslims would uproot “satanic powers” and repeated his controversial belief that Israel will soon disappear, the Mehr news agency reported. — “I must announce that the Zionist regime …

Discussion: Weekly Standard Blog, GINA COBB, Commentary, Marathon Pundit, Hot Air and TIME.com

Michael Abramowitz / Washington Post:

McClellan Recounts Administration's Missed Chances After '04 Election — Believe it or not, even after a week of wall-to-wall media coverage, there's still grist to mull over from the new Scott McClellan memoir, “What Happened.” — McClellan, the press-secretary-turned-administration critic …

Discussion: TomDispatch, Political Punch, Hot Air, MoJoBlog, Booman Tribune, Swampland, The Carpetbagger Report, Shakesville and Think Progress

David Kurtz / Talking Points Memo:
GO. FIGHT. WIN. — The Post's Michael Abramowitz has a good catch this morning:

Discussion: MyDD

William Kristol / Weekly Standard Blog:

(Bumped) Kristol: So long (for a while) to Michael Goldfarb — Note to our readers: The online editor of THE WEEKLY STANDARD and proprietor of this blog, Michael Goldfarb, has taken a leave of absence effective today to serve as deputy communications director of the McCain campaign.

Discussion: Newshoggers.com, Jonathan Martin's Blogs and FishBowlDC

Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
Newest McCain official: President has “near dictatorial powers”

Discussion: Too Sense and Reason Magazine

Marc Ambinder:

Exclusive: McCain Almost Took “One-Term” Pledge — When he formally announced his presidential candidacy last year, Sen. John McCain was inches away from making an unprecedented pledge: if he were elected, he would serve only one term as president. — It could have been an earth-shifting moment for the campaign and the primary.

Discussion: Hot Air

Scott Michels / ABCNEWS:

Sen. Ted Kennedy to Undergo Surgery Today for Brain Tumor at Duke University Medical Center — Sen. Edward M. Kennedy is out of surgery, and his doctor says a procedure to treat his cancerous brain tumor “was successful.” — “I am pleased to report that Senator Kennedy's surgery was successful …

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, Associated Press, The Crypt's Blogs, The Swamp, Boston Globe, Washington Post, Tabloid Edition and The Democratic Daily

New York Times: Doctor Says Kennedy's Brain Surgery Is Successful

Max Blumenthal / The Huffington Post:

Pastor Hagee: The Antichrist Is Gay, “Partially Jewish, As Was Adolph Hitler” (Paging Joe Lieberman!) — On March 16, 2003, on the eve of the United States' invasion of Iraq, Pastor John Hagee took to the pulpit to warn of the coming Antichrist. In his sermon, “The Final Dictator,” …

Discussion: Boston Globe, Matthew Yglesias, Towleroad.com, Open Left, Talk To Action, Too Sense, Pam's House Blend, TPMCafe, Hullabaloo, The Jawa Report and Attackerman

Thomas Harding / Telegraph:

Afghan insurgents ‘on brink of defeat’ — Missions by special forces and air strikes by unmanned drones have “decapitated” the Taliban and brought the war in Afghanistan to a “tipping point”, the commander of British forces has said. — The new “precise, surgical” tactics have killed scores …

Discussion: New York Times, Weekly Standard Blog, NoisyRoom.net, Neptunus Lex, Don Surber and The Strata-Sphere