memeorandum: Barack Obama's image suffers amid John McCain attacks, poll finds (Michael Finnegan/Los Angeles Times)

12:00 AM ET, August 20, 2008

Top Items:

Biden on Obama's VP Pick: 'I'm Not The Guy' — ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf and Jennifer Parker report: As Delaware Sen. Joe Biden was leaving his house in Wilmington this afternoon, he slowed down and said to the gathered news reporters outside his home: “Hey guys, I'm not the guy. See ya.”

Discussion: CBS News, The Washington Note, TalkLeft, MyDD, Christian Science Monitor and The Moderate Voice

Howard Fineman / MSNBC:

Biden the clear frontrunner for Veep — Foreign Relations Committee chairman has globe-trotting credentials — ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - I've recently spoken with two of the finalists for the role of Barack Obama's running-mate, and to two other sources who are close to the process.

Discussion: Deadline USA, CBS News, CNN, The Caucus, The Swamp, Wake up America, The Huffington Post, Newsweek Blogs, Christian Science Monitor, Blogs of War, Achenblog, The Reaction, Bloomberg, The Moderate Voice and TalkLeft

TheFounder / Tribble Ad Agency:

Barack Obama chooses Kathleen Sebelius for Vice President — We have a credible lead that Barack Obama will be announcing Kathleen Sebelius for Vice President / VP. — Our sources work within an ad agency that is hired by the Obama campaign, and have noted that the vast majority …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Political Punch, Marc Ambinder, Wizbang and pandagon.net

John F. Harris / The Politico:

Nader predicts Obama to pick Clinton — Count Ralph Nader as unimpressed by the crop of supposed finalists to be Barack Obama's running mate. — “I don't think he's that dumb,” said Nader, commenting on widespread speculation that Obama's choices are down to Sens. Joe Biden, Evan Bayh, or Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine.

Discussion: The Corner and Hot Air

Domenico Montanaro / MSNBC:
BIDEN: 'I'M NOT THE GUY' — From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli

Discussion: Firedoglake and Hot Air

Alexander Mooney / CNN:
Obama gives a shout out to his VP?

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blogs, Salon, Open Left and The Moderate Voice

Big Tent Democrat / TalkLeft: Biden: “I'm Not The Guy”

Bill Carter / TV Decoder:

Rachel Maddow to Replace Dan Abrams on MSNBC — Rachel Maddow, shown filling in for Keith Olbermann on “Countdown” last month. Ms. Maddow will host the 9 p.m. hour beginning Sept. 8. (Ress Greenberg/ New York Times) — Just in time for the closing rush of the presidential election …

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, TalkLeft, The Anonymous Liberal, NewsBusters.org, TVNewser, Oliver Willis, Daily Kos, Pensito Review and Wonkette

Keith Olbermann / Daily Kos:

Rachel Gets Her Own MSNBC Show — Happy Now? — The network will be formally announcing this tomorrow, but I am pleased to inform you in this fully authorized leak, that as of Monday, September 8, our mutual friend Ms. Maddow will become host of her own show, on MSNBC, at 9 PM Eastern Time.

Discussion: Think Progress, The Seminal, Political Machine, ATTACKERMAN, The Nation and TV Decoder

Howard Kurtz / Washington Post:
Maddow Gets Her Own MSNBC Show

Discussion: American Power and Brilliant at Breakfast

Michael Finnegan / Los Angeles Times:

Barack Obama's image suffers amid John McCain attacks, poll finds — People watch as Sen. Obama arrives at the Sheraton hotel today in Raleigh North Carolina. McCain and his allies have portrayed Obama in recent weeks as a naive celebrity who is unprepared to lead the nation in dangerous times.

David Gergen / CNN:

Is the tide turning? — CNN Senior Political Analyst — Heading into the candidates' appearances on Saturday night at Saddleback Church, the conventional wisdom in politics was Barack Obama should have a clear upper hand in any joint appearance with John McCain — one the young, eloquent …

Discussion: Hot Air, Right Wing News, Macsmind, Wake up America, www.redstate.com and American Power

Alexander Mooney / CNN:

CNN poll of polls: Obama lead cut in half — (CNN) — In what could be an ominous sign for Barack Obama just days before he is formally named the Democratic presidential nominee, a new CNN poll of polls out Tuesday shows the Illinois senator's lead over John McCain has been cut in half in recent days.

Gallup:

Gallup Daily: Obama at 45%, McCain at 44% — PRINCETON, NJ — Barack Obama has 45% of the support of registered voters and John McCain 44% in Gallup Poll Daily tracking for Aug. 16-18, as vice presidential announcements and the two conventions loom in the near future.

Discussion: Top of the Ticket and Patterico's Pontifications

The Politico:

McCain weighs a Lieberman surprise — John McCain is seriously considering choosing a pro-abortion-rights running mate despite vocal resistance from conservatives, with former Democratic vice presidential nominee Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.) very much in the mix, close McCain advisers say.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Weekly Standard Blog, The Huffington Post, Hot Air, Think Progress, MSNBC, Taylor Marsh, The Swamp, www.redstate.com, Political Machine, Sister Toldjah, Political Punch, PoliticalBase.com Blog, The Campaign Spot and The Political Carnival

Fox News:
RNC: McCain Won't Choose Abortion-Supporting Running Mate

Discussion: CNN, The Corner, michellemalkin.com, Don Surber, Riehl World View, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Washington Independent and FiveThirtyEight.com

Greg Sargent / TPM Election Central:

Solzhenitsyn Biographer: Cross-In-Dirt Gulag Story Never Happened — There's been a ton of buzz on the web for the last day or so — beginning with this Daily Kos diary — suggesting that John McCain patterned his story about a Vietamese captor drawing a cross in the dirt before him on a similar episode …

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias, NO QUARTER, The Daily Dish, Ace of Spades HQ, Hot Air, BlueOregon, Liberal Values, Talking Points Memo and Neptunus Lex

Byron York / The Corner:

More Cross-In-The-Dirt News — There appears to be a growing consensus in the pro-Obama blogosphere that John McCain didn't steal the cross-in-the-dirt story from Alexander Solzhenitsyn. Instead, he stole it from Charles Colson's 1983 book, Loving God. So a few minutes ago I asked Mark Salter …

Discussion: Weekly Standard Blog and JustOneMinute

Pete Yost / Associated Press:

University won't open Obama-related records now — WASHINGTON - The University of Illinois on Tuesday refused to release records relating to Barack Obama's service to a nonprofit group linked to former 1960s radical activist William Ayers. — The university's Chicago campus said the donor …

Discussion: Riehl World View and Hot Air

Tom Maguire / JustOneMinute:
Almost Like Reporting — Pete Yost of the AP covers the cover …

Discussion: The Corner, NO QUARTER and The Jawa Report

CBN.com:

Obama Campaign to Brody File: Infanticide Suggestion “Offensive and Insulting” — As you know, we here at The Brody File pride ourselves on laying out both sides of an argument and letting you, the readers come to your own conclusions. Hence, let's delve into the aftermath …

Discussion: Associated Press and www.redstate.com

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:
Obama's pro-life critic

Discussion: NewsBusters.org, The Daily Dish and Liberal Values

Marc Ambinder:

Your VP, Senator. What Will “He” Be Like? — Sen. Barack Obama usually describes his vice presidential nominee with two pronouns joined by a conjunction... “he or she.” Tonight, in North Carolina, according to CBS News's Maria Gavrilovic, Obama was gender specific.

Discussion: Undiplomatic and DemConWatch

James Taranto / Wall Street Journal:

Talk About Audacity! — Speaking before the Veterans of Foreign Wars this morning, Barack Obama delivered an amazing show of chutzpah. John McCain had addressed the VFW yesterday, and as the Associated Press reports, he was predictably critical of Obama: … Here is Obama's reply:

Discussion: Power Line, Associated Press and Real Clear Politics