memeorandum: Suspect's Downward Spiral (Wall Street Journal)

9:35 AM ET, January 13, 2011

Top Items:

Branding the Tucson massacre: “Together We Thrive” in white and blue; Updated: Liveblogging the bizarre pep rally; Gov. Brewer booed; in sum: right speech, too late, boneheaded venue (WOOT!) — President Obama used to preach that there was no “Red America” and no “Blue America,” just one America.

New York Times:

Obama's Remarks in Tucson — Following is a text of President Obama's prepared address on Wednesday to honor those killed and wounded in a shooting on Jan. 8, as released by the White House. — To the families of those we've lost; to all who called them friends; to the students of this university …

Discussion: New York Times, blogs.telegraph.co.uk, Connecting.the.Dots, The Moderate Voice, The Democratic Daily and MyFox Phoenix

The Politico:

Pelosi is there as Giffords opens eyes — TUCSON, Ariz. — Simple sentiments, spoken by family and some of her closest friends in Congress, inspired the “miracle” of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' open eyes Wednesday evening. — Surrounded in her hospital room by her husband, her parents …

Discussion: Reuters, TPMDC, The Hill, JammieWearingFool, The Note and Naked Politics

The White House:

Remarks by the President at a Memorial Service for the Victims of the Shooting in Tucson, Arizona — McKale Memorial Center University of Arizona — THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you very much. Please, please be seated. (Applause.)

Discussion: Obama London, News Hounds, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and Don Surber

New York Times:

Obama Calls for a New Era of Civility in U.S. Politics — TUCSON — President Obama offered the nation's condolences on Wednesday to the victims of the shootings here, calling on Americans to draw a lesson from the lives of the fallen and the actions of the heroes, and to usher in a new era of civility in their honor.

Discussion: JustOneMinute, Guardian, FiveThirtyEight, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, AOL News, Prairie Weather, Outside the Beltway, PostPartisan, Gothamist and The Caucus

Associated Press:
Obama tells polarized nation: ‘We can be better’

Discussion: NationalJournal.com, The Gateway Pundit, First Draft and Official News Blog …

New York Times:
As We Mourn — It is a president's responsibility to salve a national wound.

Discussion: Daily Kos

Washington Post:
Tucson shootings: Let us heal together, Obama says at memorial event

Discussion: The Fix, PostPartisan, News Desk, Right Turn, Raw Story, Harry's Place and Betsy's Page

Byron Tau / Ben Smith's Blog:
Obama in Tucson — Here's the speech: … Rest of the speech after the jump.

Discussion: FrumForum

Laura Meckler / Wall Street Journal:
Obama to Eulogize Tucson Victims

Discussion: Fox Nation, The Gateway Pundit, Metropolis, ThinkProgress, Conservatives4Palin and Philly.com

Washington Post:
Thousands in shaken Tucson wait to hear Obama speak tonight at public memorial

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, The Caucus, Political Punch, Firedoglake and msnbc.com

Richard PéRez-PeñA / The Caucus:

Christie Says Palin Needs to Go Unscripted to Contend for 2012 — Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey says it's way too early to handicap the field of his fellow Republicans who might run for president in 2012, but on Wednesday he voiced a few sharp words about the most famous one.

Discussion: CNN, USA Today, Hotline On Call, New York Times, Gretawire, National Post and Mediaite

Jonathan Martin / The Politico:

Barack Obama takes opportunity Sarah Palin missed — In the span of a single news cycle, Republicans got a jarring reminder of two forces that could prevent them from retaking the presidency next year. — At sunrise in the east on Wednesday, Sarah Palin demonstrated that she has little interest …

Discussion: USA Today, Guardian, GayPatriot, Crooks and Liars and Weasel Zippers

Michael Shear / The Caucus:

Obama and Palin, a Tale of Two Speeches — President Obama gives his speech honoring the January 8 shooting victims at McKale Memorial Center. — Wednesday was bookended by two remarkable — and remarkably different — political performances that demonstrated the vast expanse of America's political landscape.

Discussion: Runnin' Scared and Marbury

Allahpundit / Hot Air:

Palin aide: She's getting death threats at unprecedented levels — I almost wish that this wasn't being reported as it'll only inflame things further among fringe types, but after four days of screeching about Palin the murderer, who can blame her staff for wanting to show the world the ironic outcome?

Discussion: Big Journalism, JammieWearingFool, Whiskey Fire and The Mahablog

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

Person Tweeting Death Wish For Palin Now Wants Privacy — I linked earlier to a YouTube video montage [video removed, see update below] of death wishes tweeted about Sarah Palin after various bloggers maliciously linked Palin's electoral target map to the Tucson shooting.

Discussion: Big Journalism, Patterico's Pontifications and Instapundit

The Note:
The Note: Obama, Palin And Arizona: A Tale Of Two Speeches

Discussion: AmSpecBlog, Reuters, Hot Air, Bookworm Room, blogs.abcnews.com, Conservatives4Palin, The Other McCain, Ballot Box, Gawker, Washington Post and protein wisdom

Publius / Big Government:

Exclusive: Alan Dershowitz Defends Sarah Palin's Use of Term ‘Blood Libel’ — In an exclusive statement, famed attorney and Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz defended Sarah Palin's use of the term “blood libel” from multiple detractors. As the Media Matters/MSM/Democrat narrative …

Jeff Poor / The Daily Caller:
Krauthammer on debating Palin's use of ‘blood libel’: 'Have we …

Discussion: The Politico, Mediaite, Big Government, Questions and Observations, Doug Ross, Hot Air and The Iconic Midwest, more at Mediagazer »

Jewish Americans for Sarah Palin:
Sarah Palin is right about a ‘blood libel’

Discussion: Israpundit, Conservatives4Palin, Patterico's Pontifications and Atlas Shrugs

David Gibson / Politics Daily:
‘Blood Libel’ and Sarah Palin: Christian Conservatives' Infatuation with Judaism

Discussion: American Power, Wizbang, Big Government and Taylor Marsh

Jennifer Bendery / Roll Call:

Boehner to Host RNC Party During Tucson Memorial — Speaker John Boehner will host a cocktail party for the Republican National Committee at the same time that President Barack Obama will be addressing the nation at the memorial service for victims of the Tucson shooting.

Discussion: Firedoglake, Los Angeles Times, Taylor Marsh, New York Times, ThinkProgress, Booman Tribune and The Maddow Blog

John Bresnahan / The Politico:
John Boehner turns down Air Force One ride to Tucson

Discussion: CNN, Outside the Beltway and The Hill

Tim Mak / FrumForum:
RNC Shocker: Boehner Backs Cino for RNC Chair

Discussion: Weekly Standard, Ben Smith's Blog, Riehl World View, TPMDC and The Fix

Wall Street Journal:

Suspect's Downward Spiral — Police Records Show Accused Killer Growing More Erratic Before College Suspension — TUCSON, Ariz.—Students and faculty at Pima Community College feared for their safety as Jared Lee Loughner's increasingly erratic behavior led to a series of encounters …

Discussion: Right Wing News, Runnin' Scared and Clusterstock

Michael C. Moynihan / Hit & Run:

The Assassin Who Would Save America from the Extreme Right — If political rhetoric can inspire murder, then it follows that those issuing warnings about the current “tone” in American discourse—those breathless invocations of “eliminationists” acting like “Brownshirts” and “fascists,” …

Discussion: Pirate's Cove and Hot Air

A New Way Forward:

Afghanistan Study Group - Survey Results of Conservatives — The following is an analysis of a poll taken of conservative voters nationwide. Drawn from a sample of randomly selected phone numbers, this poll contains 1,000 registered voters who describe their political ideology as conservative.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Firedoglake, Outside the Beltway and New Atlanticist

Max Boot / Commentary:
The True ‘Cost’ of Defeat in Afghanistan

Discussion: Foreign Policy and Politics Daily

Simmi Aujla / The Politico:

Gohmert drafts bill to allow guns on House floor — Texas Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert says his office is drafting a measure to allow members of Congress to carry guns in the District of Columbia, including in the Capitol and on the House floor. — Gohmert says he and his colleagues need …

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Gawker, Bloomberg, Joe. My. God., Swampland, Harry's Place, Balloon Juice, Daily Kos, Hullabaloo and Washington Post

Rich Lowry / National Review:

The Non-Accusatory Case for Civility — The pep-rally atmosphere was inappropriate and disconcerting, but President Obama turned in a magnificent performance. This was a non-accusatory, genuinely civil, case for civility, in stark contrast to what we've read and heard over the last few days.

Discussion: protein wisdom and blogs.telegraph.co.uk

Howard Kurtz / The Daily Beast:

Correction on My Darrell Issa Story — I'd like to set the record straight on one of my stories. — In late November, I asked Rep. Darrell Issa's spokesman, Kurt Bardella, for an interview with the congressman. He said he would see what he could do. — That afternoon my phone rang …

Discussion: Mediaite, Gawker, The Wire, Salon and Poynter, more at Mediagazer »

Keach Hagey / The Politico:
Kurtz explains correction's delay

Discussion: Gawker and FishbowlDC, more at Mediagazer »

Eric Marrapodi / CNN:

Monks make, donate casket for youngest victim in Arizona shooting — By Eric Marrapodi and Kara Devlin — A group of Trappist monks in Iowa have donated a handmade casket to bury 9-year-old Christina Green, the youngest victim in the Saturday attack that killed six and wounded 13 others in Arizona.