memeorandum: Memo to the Right: “The Lombardi Rule” Is In Effect (William A. Jacobson/Le·gal …)

10:50 PM ET, September 19, 2010

Top Items:

Clinton says he was wrong on healthcare bill's popularity — Former president Bill Clinton, a champion of healthcare reform, admitted on Sunday that he made the wrong prediction about the popularity of President Obama's healthcare bill. — Initially, Clinton had predicted that the polls …

Discussion: Scared Monkeys, Questions and Observations and Weasel Zippers

New York Times:

G.O.P. Insider Fuels Tea Party and Suspicion — WASHINGTON — In the days leading up to the Delaware primary, Sal Russo hosted a radio fund-raiser, organized a political rally and pressed the case with reporters that Christine O'Donnell was the Tea Party's choice for the United States Senate.

Discussion: FoxNews.com, The Mahablog, Politerati, The Huffington Post and Politics Daily

Bridget Johnson / The Hill:

Bill Clinton: Tea Party is ‘general revolt against bigness’ — Former President Bill Clinton said Sunday that the Tea Party movement “reflects the feeling of a lot of Americans that they're getting the shaft,” but isn't clear what it stands for. — On CBS' “Face the Nation,” …

Discussion: Left Coast Rebel and Gateway Pundit

CNN:
Murkowski: I was victim of ‘smear’ campaign

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

Elise Viebeck / The Hill:
Bloomberg: Tea Party is a ‘boomlet’

Discussion: iOwnTheWorld.com and NewsReal Blog

Raven Brooks:
About that Tea Party convention... canceled

Discussion: Firedoglake, Washington Monthly and Crooks and Liars

Michael Barbaro / New York Times:
Bloomberg Pushes Moderates in National Races

Discussion: The Caucus, Politics Daily, The Eye, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS and FrumForum

Bridget Johnson / Ballot Box:
DeMint rips Murkowski as ‘big-tent hypocrite’

Discussion: CNN, Don Surber, GOP 12, The Hill, The Politico, protein wisdom and Hotline On Call

Randall Chase / Associated Press:

O'Donnell makes light of witchcraft comment — LINCOLN, Del. - Republican Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell is making light of comments she made more than a decade ago when she was in high school about having dabbled in witchcraft. — “How many of you didn't hang out with questionable folks …

Discussion: NewsBusters.org, The Moderate Voice, iOwnTheWorld.com and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Bruce Drake / Politics Daily:

Karl Rove Says Christine O'Donnell Needs to Explain Witchcraft ‘Dabbling’ to Voters … Karl Rove, political mastermind for former President Bush said Sunday that Christine O'Donnell, the Tea Party insurgent who won an upset victory in Delaware for the GOP Senate nomination, “can't simply ignore” …

Discussion: The Daily Dish, delawareonline, Liberty Pundits Blog and Riehl World View

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

Memo to the Right: “The Lombardi Rule” Is In Effect — We have heard so much about the supposed Buckley Rule, which Charles Krauthammer and other Mike Castle supporters over-simplistically synthesized as follows: … The Buckley Rule is for primaries. The Delaware primary is over.

Discussion: Riehl World View, Pundit & Pundette, Don Surber and Wonkette

Faiz Shakir / Think Progress:

O'Donnell On ‘Witchcraft’ Comment: 'How Many Of You Didn't Hang Out With Questionable Folks?' — Anti-masturbation activist, witchcraft-dabbler, and GOP senate candidate Christine O'Donnell dodged her Sunday show appearances in order to attend a partisan fundraising picnic in Delaware today.

Discussion: Associated Press and The Huffington Post

Get_involved / Associated Press:

Colin Powell: Illegal Immigrants Fix My House — Former Secretary of State Urges Republicans to Support Path to Legal Status for Undocumented Workers — (AP) Former Secretary of State Colin Powell says illegal immigrants do essential work in the U.S. and he has firsthand knowledge of that - because they fix his house.

Discussion: TalkLeft

Carrie Budoff Brown / The Politico:

Colin Powell critical of President Obama — Former Secretary of State Colin Powell, a Republican who endorsed Democrat Barack Obama for president in 2008, said on Sunday the president needs to “shift” his approach with voters feeling overloaded by a series of new laws that expand the scope of government.

Roxana Tiron / The Hill:
Powell holds off on next endorsement, says Obama should focus on ‘governing’

Discussion: Weasel Zippers

Media Decoder:

Newsweek's Howard Fineman to Join The Huffington Post — Howard Fineman, one of the more recognizable pundits on cable television and a correspondent for Newsweek for 30 years, is leaving the magazine to become a senior editor at The Huffington Post. — Mr. Fineman's move from print media …

Discussion: Mediaite, NewsBusters.org, New York Magazine and Gawker, more at Mediagazer »

Marianne Moran / Richmond Times-Dispatch:

Give States a Tool to Check Federal Power — Richmond, Va. — George Mason and James Madison were two Virginians who, while initially differing on the wisdom of adding a Bill of Rights to the Constitution, ended up working together to craft the first 10 amendments.

Discussion: Left Coast Rebel and Dean's World

Craig Whitlock / Washington Post:

Members of U.S. platoon in Afghanistan accused of killing civilians for sport — AT JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, WASH. The U.S. soldiers hatched a plan as simple as it was savage: to randomly target and kill an Afghan civilian, and to get away with it. — For weeks, according to Army charging documents …

Discussion: Political Byline, Politics Daily, Taylor Marsh, Prairie Weather, The Reality-Based Community, msnbc.com, Corrente and FrumForum

Roxana Tiron / The Hill:

Rove: Murkowski's write-in campaign is ‘sad and sorry’ — Republican strategist Karl Rove said on “Fox News Sunday” that Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) is going to lose her Senate bid and that her decision to wage a write-in candidacy is “sad and sorry.” — “Absolutely no she can't win,” Rove said.

Discussion: Raw Story and Left Coast Rebel