memeorandum: Campaign Contributions Up, Despite Economic Downturn (Elana Schor/The Washington Independent)

11:25 AM ET, April 18, 2009

Top Items:

Stacy McCain Rouses the Rabble — “Politics is about who's got the best list.” — Petticoats gratefully accepted. — Meanwhile, in Obamatopia:

Discussion: Pajamas Media

Robert Stacy McCain / The Other McCain:

VIDEO: The 'Bama Tea Party speech — You might be a right-wing extremist if . . . I'm actually much better-looking in person. — Stephen Gordon at Liberty Papers has the best roundup on the Alabama Tea Party scene. — RELATED: — 4/17: Dear Ross Douthat — 4/16: The World's Worst TV Reporter

Discussion: Pundit & Pundette and The Liberty Papers

Major Garrett / Fox News:

Obama, Chavez Shake Hands at Summit of the Americas — Venezuela quoted Chavez as saying, “I'd like to be your friend.” — FOXNews.com — PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago - President Obama made the first move to greet Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez, but it was the acerbic …

Discussion: Neptunus Lex, Comments from Left Field, Fausta's Blog, JustOneMinute, Jules Crittenden, The Mahablog, Political Byline and Political Punch

Michelle Malkin:

At least he didn't bow — I can't stand to look at our president's dumb grin as he warmly greets Venezuela's thug-in-chief: — Gag. — Did anyone smell sulfur during the photo op? — Now, the Evil Clown (as Allahpundit calls him) can add his friendly pic with Obama to his Chavista Fan Club photo album:

Discussion: PoliGazette, Babalú Blog, And So it Goes in Shreveport, Stop The ACLU and Hot Air

Carol E. Lee / The Politico:
Obama faces tough crowd at summit

Discussion: The Swamp and Sister Toldjah

D'Angelo Gore / FactCheck.org:

Counting Mexico's Guns — President Obama says 90 percent of Mexico's recovered crime guns come the U.S. Not true. — There's no dispute that thousands of handguns, military style rifles and other firearms are purchased in the U.S. and end up in the hands of Mexican criminals each year.

Discussion: Don Surber and Wake up America

Andrew Malcolm / Top of the Ticket:

Barack Obama way wrong on U.S. guns in Mexico—FactCheck.org — On his recently concluded first visit to Mexico as president, a week after telling Europeans that his country had been at times arrogant, President Barack Obama blamed his own country for providing 90% of Mexico's recovered crime guns.

Discussion: Political Machine and JustOneMinute

Jacob Sullum / Reason:
Drug Control Breeds Gun Control

Discussion: Sydney Morning Herald, NewsBusters.org, JustOneMinute, The Agitator and RedState

Wall Street Journal:

Jobless Rate Climbs in 46 States, With California at 11.2% — California and North Carolina in March posted their highest jobless rates in at least three decades, as unemployment increased in all but a handful of states during the month, the Labor Department said Friday.

Discussion: The Strata-Sphere, PoliGazette, Wake up America and On Deadline

Andrew Bolt / NEWS.com.au:

Picture is kiss of death for George Bush prejudice — SEE this picture? That's odd, because the Sunday Age's editor can't. Unimaginable, she calls it. — Last weekend, her paper began yet another editorial praising new US President Barack Obama like this:

Discussion: Stop The ACLU

Scott Shane / New York Times:

Divisions Arose on Rough Tactics for Qaeda Figure — WASHINGTON — The first use of waterboarding and other rough treatment against a prisoner from Al Qaeda was ordered by senior Central Intelligence Agency officials despite the belief of interrogators that the prisoner had already told them all he knew …

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, On Deadline and Think Progress

Mark Mazzetti / New York Times:
C.I.A. Memos Could Bring More Disclosures

Discussion: Prairie Weather, FP Passport, On Deadline, Blog of Rights and The Moderate Voice

Scott / Power Line:

An obscene insult — The star hosts of CNN and MSNBC news shows have notoriously derided the tea party demonstrations around the country with reference to the homosexual practice of teabagging (which I had never heard of before they brought it up). As John noted, both networks' “journalists” …

Discussion: Pundit & Pundette and Media Research Center

Carrie Budoff Brown / The Politico:

VIDEO: Obama asks Cabinet for cuts — President Barack Obama will ask his Cabinet Monday to identify cuts in their budgets as he moves in the coming weeks to eliminate dozens of wasteful government programs. — In his weekly radio and Internet address, Obama also announced the appointment …

Discussion: New York Times and The Swamp

Times of London:

Israel stands ready to bomb Iran's nuclear sites — The Israeli military is preparing itself to launch a massive aerial assault on Iran's nuclear facilities within days of being given the go-ahead by its new government. — Among the steps taken to ready Israeli forces …

Discussion: Buck Naked Politics, PoliGazette, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and TPMCafe