memeorandum: California Couples Await Gay Marriage Ruling (Jesse McKinley/New York Times)

1:35 AM ET, May 26, 2009

Top Items:

A novel objection to gay marriage — Oh my. Oh, oh my: … OK, so we can expect Schulman from here to advance his argument against gay marriage in a way that does not invoke Jesus and does not call gay people “icky.” I'm skeptical that he'll be able to pull this off, but I'll be interested to see him try.

Discussion: Pam's House Blend, Unqualified Offerings, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES, Lawyers, Guns and Money and TBogg

Sara Robinson / Orcinus:

Decision Day on California's Prop 8 — Tomorrow is D-Day in California: the day that the state's Supreme Court will render its decision on the constitutionality of Proposition 8, the initiative passed last November to put an end to legal gay marriage in the state. — Nobody has a clue which way they're likely to rule.

Discussion: Pam's House Blend

Jesse McKinley / New York Times:

California Couples Await Gay Marriage Ruling — SAN FRANCISCO — After more than 30 years together, Brent Lok and Wade French have accumulated more than a few possessions, including a hilltop home, an impressive collection of Asian art and, alongside their diplomas, vacation photos and family portraits …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, American Power and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

William A. Jacobson / Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion:

Will The Left Apologize To Bolton? — On May 20, 2009, John Bolton wrote an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal titled “Get Ready for Another North Korean Nuke Test” in which he noted that the complacency of the Obama administration about North Korea's nuclear ambitions (and Iran's) was misplaced:

Discussion: Forbes, Unreported, Time, Atlas Shrugs, Don Surber, Flopping Aces, Hot Air, Israel Matzav, MyDD, Hyscience, The Rhetorican, The Huffington Post, The TrogloPundit, Fausta's Blog, Moe_Lane's blog, Founding Bloggers, Power Line and Wizbang

Glenn Kessler / Washington Post: North Korean Nuclear Blast Tests Obama's Engagement Policy

David E. Sanger / New York Times:
Tested Early by North Korea, Obama Has Few Options

Martin Fackler / New York Times: Timing of Test Hints at Succession Issues

Blaine Harden / Washington Post:
North Korean Nuclear Blast Draws Global Condemnation

Discussion: The Page

Guardian:
North Korea nuclear test ‘on a par with Hiroshima’

Discussion: Fox News, Top of the Ticket, New York Times, WhirledView, D-Day, Associated Press, Patterico's Pontifications, Firedoglake, RedState, Washington Monthly, Liberty Street, Newshoggers.com, Reuters, Gateway Pundit and Wake up America

Peter Baker / New York Times:

Favorites of Left Don't Make Obama's Court List — WASHINGTON — Pamela S. Karlan is a champion of gay rights, criminal defendants' rights and voting rights. She is considered brilliant, outspoken and, in her own words, “sort of snarky.” To liberal supporters, she is an Antonin Scalia for the left.

Robert Barnes / Washington Post: More Than One Way to Diversify the Supreme Court

Reid Wilson / The Hill: Court fight could commence this week

Bill Mears / CNN:
Supreme Court pick: Uneasy calculus of diversity

Discussion: New York Times

CNN:

CNN Poll: Powell vs. Cheney and Limbaugh — WASHINGTON (CNN) - As Colin Powell fires back against Dick Cheney and Rush Limbaugh in the latest skirmish in the battle over the future of the Republican Party, a new national poll indicates that Americans have a much more favorable opinion of Powell than Cheney or Limbaugh.

Discussion: Doug Ross, Say Anything, Daily Kos, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, Macsmind, TPMDC, The Politico and Associated Press

Mark Silva / The Swamp:

Obama's wreaths: Afro-Amer., Confed. — Today, there were wreaths to go around. — Several dozen professors had called upon the first African-American president to forgo a Memorial Day tradition of laying a wreath at a monument to Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery …

Discussion: The Politico and Redhot

Sheryl Gay Stolberg / New York Times:
‘They Answered a Call,’ Obama Says of Veterans

Discussion: Hullabaloo

Gateway Pundit:

Useful Idiot Andy Rooney Shames America on Memorial Day (Video) — Andy Rooney couldn't help himself. — The bitter liberal could think of nothing better for his Memorial Day segment than to shame America for participating in war... As if this country decides to go to war just for kicks:

Discussion: Examiner, Scared Monkeys and theblogprof

Glenn Reynolds / Instapundit:

WE'RE OUT OF MONEY: … So we're out of money because we don't have national health care? Bogus. I think, instead, that it has something to do with the fact that Obama has been pouring money down a crony-statist rathole at absolutely astronomical and unprecedented rates. Yep, here's that graphic again.

Discussion: Patterico's Pontifications and Telegraph

Runnin' Scared:

Why Rightbloggers Are How They Are, with Recent Examples — The rabid temperament of the political blogosphere can be confusing to the uninitiated. To better understand it, think of a large group of intellectually ambitious pre-teens, squared off in an endless debate festival.

Discussion: alicublog, protein wisdom and RedState

John Steele Gordon / Commentary:

Getting California Wrong — Sometimes you just have to wonder if there is sentient life on the opinion floor of the New York Times Building. — Yesterday, the Times ran an editorial called “The Sorry State of the States” that noted that many states have budget problems, thanks to the recession.

Discussion: Cold Fury and Calitics

Brian Stelter / New York Times:

A Host Defends Her Brand — Even by the standards of cable news, Greta Van Susteren is an outsize personality. — On her Fox News prime-time show, she covers murder trials one minute and bailout money the next. On her popular blog, she posts almost hourly on most days and chats with viewers via Skype.

Discussion: Don Surber, TVNewser and GOP 12

New York Post:
SINKING ANCHORS ANDERSON COOPER AND ROLAND MARTIN HOBBLE CNN

Discussion: Don Surber

Aaron Stein / Map the Fallen:

Map the Fallen launched! — For the past two years I've been working on the Google Earth Outreach team, aimed at helping non-profits and public benefit groups use Google Earth and Google Maps to further their cause. In that time I've worked on so many cool projects, from training indigenous communities …

Discussion: Macsmind, Danger Room, Little Green Footballs and James Fallows

Tom Maguire / JustOneMinute:

Who Will Ombud The Ombudsman? — Clark Hoyt, ombudsman of the NY Times, goes into the tank for Edmund Andrews, author of “Busted”, who was busted by Megan McArdle. — To recap - Edmund Andrews, Times financial reporter, is promoting a new book claiming to detail his personal journey through …

Discussion: Online NewsHour

NY Daily News:

Terror plotter did it for me, says ailing brother — “My insurance wasn't good enough,” said Lord McWilliams, 20, who has a deadly liver disease. — His brother, David Williams, wanted money “to speed up the process,” McWilliams said. “Medicaid only goes so far.”

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, NewsBusters.org, Hullabaloo, Associated Press, New York Post and Gothamist