memeorandum: Obama will clinch tonight (Ben Smith/Ben Smith's Blogs)

7:55 PM ET, June 3, 2008

Top Items:

AP tally: Obama effectively clinches nomination … WASHINGTON (AP) - Barack Obama effectively clinched the Democratic presidential nomination Tuesday, based on an Associated Press tally of convention delegates, becoming the first black candidate ever to lead his party into a fall campaign for the White House.

Discussion: Cliff Schecter, TownHall Blog, The Sundries Shack, Chicago Tribune, The Moderate Voice, culturekitchen, Lonewacko, Hot Air, Comments from Left Field, American Street, New York Magazine, Trailhead, The Democratic Daily, Macleans.ca Blog Central and Macsmind

Associated Press:

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below. — WASHINGTON (AP)—Hillary Rodham Clinton will concede Tuesday night that Barack Obama has the delegates to secure the Democratic nomination, campaign officials said …

Discussion: Little Green Footballs

Associated Press:

Clinton says she's open to being Obama's VP — WASHINGTON - Hillary Rodham Clinton told colleagues Tuesday she would consider joining Barack Obama as his running mate, and advisers said she was withholding a formal departure from the race partly to use her remaining leverage to press for a spot on the ticket.

Discussion: Yahoo! News, TalkLeft, Ben Smith's Blogs, New York Times, Firedoglake, Fox News, Union-News, AMERICAblog, The Caucus, BlogHer, The Jed Report, MSNBC, Corrente, Wake up America, Washington Wire, Outside The Beltway, Salon and Washington Post

Mike Allen / The Politico:

Superdelegates surge to Obama — A tsunami of superdelegates is poised to rush to Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) over the next 12 hours, giving him a mathematical lock on his party's presidential nomination. — The superdelegate surge is likely to swamp a few holdouts within the camp …

Discussion: Associated Press, The Caucus, Detroit Free Press, Boston Globe, TPM Election Central, The Swamp, The Fix, The Hill's Pundits Blog, The Field, The Raw Story, Slate, Liberal Values, The Moderate Voice and The Daily Dish

CNN:

Clinton backer Feinstein says it's time to end — WASHINGTON (CNN) — Major Hillary Clinton supporter Sen. Dianne Feinstein said Tuesday the final primaries mark a “moment of truth” for the New York senator, who should end her campaign. — The California senator also repeated her view …

Discussion: The Swamp, TPM Election Central, The Daily Dish and Top of the Ticket

Drudge Report:

EXCLUSIVE: MCCAIN SPEECH TONIGHT: THE GENERAL ELECTION BEGINS — John McCain will launch his general election campaign against Barack Obama tonight at 9:00 in New Orleans, Louisiana. In a speech that will praise Senator Clinton for her “tenacity and courage,” McCain will recognize Obama as the Democratic party's presumptive nominee.

Discussion: michellemalkin.com, Jonathan Martin's Blogs, Trailhead and TownHall Blog

CNN:

Obama inching closer to securing nomination — WASHINGTON (CNN) — Sen. Barack Obama inched closer to the Democratic nomination Tuesday as endorsements from superdelegates trickled in. — Thirty one delegates are at stake in the final contests under way in South Dakota and Montana.

Discussion: MSNBC, Washington Post, New York Times, Shakesville, Los Angeles Times, New York Magazine, Pam's House Blend, Balloon Juice, Daily Kos, Wonkette, MoJoBlog, The Washington Independent and Wake up America

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:

Clinton, pushed as VP, doesn't push back — In a call with the New York congressional delegation that just ended, Hillary Clinton heard calls that she become Barack Obama's running mate — and notably didn't tamp those voices down, two people familiar with the call's contents said.

Discussion: Buffalo News, TIME.com and The Raw Story

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:
On the AP count — It's a bit hard to know what to make of this …

Discussion: The Swamp and Time

Jim Rutenberg / The Caucus: Clinton Campaign Confronts A.P. Report

Marc Ambinder:
RNC Memo: Dems In Chaos

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias, Reason Magazine, JammieWearingFool and The Daily Gotham

Jonathan Martin / Jonathan Martin's Blogs:
Pawlenty: McCain will compete for Clinton backers

Discussion: Donklephant and Daily Kos

Yahoo! News:
AP tally: Obama clinches Democratic nomination

Discussion: Associated Press, Washington Wire, Marc Ambinder, The Opinionator, The Jed Report, Fox News, Threat Level, MyDD, The Carpetbagger Report and FREEDOM EDEN

CNN: Republicans begin to highlight Clinton's criticism of Obama

Big Tent Democrat / TalkLeft:
Making History and Denying History

Discussion: Comments from Left Field

Kara Spak / Chicago Sun Times:

Cardinal removes Pfleger from St. Sabina parish — The firebrand pastor of St. Sabina parish was removed from his duties there Tuesday, according to a statement released by the Archdiocese of Chicago. — In the statement, Cardinal Francis George says he asked the Rev. Michael Pfleger …

Discussion: protein wisdom, Wake up America, Political Machine and Gateway Pundit

Cathleen Falsani / Chicago Sun Times:
‘This is a dangerous time in America . . . you have to whisper your thoughts’

Discussion: WBBM-TV, Associated Press, The Daily Dish, michellemalkin.com and Betsy's Page

Amz / Democracy Corps:

Another Congressional Wave Election — In the latest Democracy Corps battleground survey of 1,600 likely voters conducted May 19-26, 2008, we modified our sample design to include more hard-to-reach Republican-held districts. And even in this totally Republican battleground that Bush won …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Washington Wire, The Raw Story and TPM Election Central

Democracy Corps:
Democrats Improve Advantage in 45 Republican-Held Districts

Discussion: Swampland and American Street

Muckraker / Muckraked:

Bush: We'll Be in Iraq for 40 Years, Hamas Election Was “Good Thing” — When NBC News correspondent Richard Engel sat down with President Bush last year for an interview, he had little idea how much Bush would reveal about his true intentions and his real sentiments about the war on terror and America's allies and enemies.

Discussion: Think Progress

Richard Engel / Simon & Schuster, Inc.:
War Journal — My Five Years in Iraq — This Edition: Hardcover

Discussion: Cato-at-liberty

Argus Leader:

Johnson will support winner of South Dakota primary — FAITH BREMNER • ARGUS LEADER WASHINGTON BUREAU — WASHINGTON - South Dakota Sen. Tim Johnson said Tuesday he'll throw his superdelegate vote behind whoever wins the state's Democratic presidential primary.

Discussion: Reason Magazine

Fox News:
FOX News Exit Poll: Obama Doing Well in Montana, Clinton Strong in South Dakota

Discussion: TalkLeft, The Caucus, Sister Toldjah and Boston Globe

Nate / FiveThirtyEight.com:
South Dakota Projection: Obama by 5

Discussion: Firedoglake, Pollster.com, American Research Group, Daily Kos, The Raw Story, Trailhead, Open Left and The Field

Carpetbagger / The Carpetbagger Report:

Obama's comfort level at the non-existent Applebee's salad bar — For over eight years now, we've been hearing that Democrats have been losing presidential elections because people don't want to have a beer with the party's nominees. This always struck me as an odd formulation …

Discussion: New York Times and Eunomia

Hoffmania Himself / Hoffmania!:
Brooks: Obama Doesn't Pass the Applebee's Test

Discussion: ArchPundit

The Corner:

My Old Party — This is an astounding moment in American politics. You cannot credibly say the Clintons are a political dynasty the way, say, the Kennedys or Bushs are. But I think one has to say the Clinton rule of the Democratic party has been dynastic.

Discussion: The Daily Dish, Power Line and PrestoPundit

Matt / 2008 Democratic Convention Watch:
Superdelegate endorsements for Tuesday 6/3 - Part II

Discussion: The Fix, CNN, Washington Wire, The Jed Report, Calitics and St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Mark Halperin / TIME.com:

HALPERIN'S TAKE: What Obama And Clinton Underestimate — Obama underestimates: — 1. The intensely loyal feelings many of Clinton's supporters have about her - and the intensely negative feelings they have about him. — 2. That any delay in choosing a running mate will only bring rampant speculation …

Discussion: marbury

Associated Press:

Former screen siren Bardot convicted in race case — PARIS - Brigitte Bardot was convicted Tuesday of provoking discrimination and racial hatred for writing that Muslims are destroying France. — A Paris court also handed down a $23,325 fine against the former screen siren and animal rights campaigner.

Discussion: Law Blog and Reason Magazine