memeorandum: President Obama: I Want Second Term ‘Badly’ (Devin Dwyer/ABCNEWS)

12:10 AM ET, January 27, 2012

Top Items:

Dole Goes Nuclear — The Romney campaign sends along a statement by Bob Dole pasted below. Relations between Dole — an establishment figure in the party — and Gingrich were well known to be tense during the 1990s. Here it is: — I have not been critical of Newt Gingrich but it is now time to take a stand before it is too late.

Liam Dillon / Voice of San Diego:

Duke to Newt: I've Got Your Back

Discussion: Gawker, The Political Carnival, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Wonkette, Washington Post, The Politico, Mad Kane's Political Madness and Balloon Juice

Alexander Burns / The Politico:

Florida Republican debate: Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich throw jabs in Jacksonville — JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The campaign feud between Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney spilled onto the debate stage yet again Thursday night, with Romney persistently targeting the former House speaker's personal business arrangements and views on immigration.

Discussion: CNN, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Reaction and The Page

Jim Vandeheiand Mike Allen / The Politico:

The right drops a bomb on Newt — Newt Gingrich better hope voters who lapped up his delicious hits on the “elite media” and liberals don't read the Drudge Report this morning. — Or the National Review. Or the American Spectator. Or Ann Coulter. — If they do, Gingrich comes off looking …

Discussion: Rush Limbaugh, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The New Republic, American Prospect, New York Magazine, The Caucus, msnbc.com, Race 4 2012, The Gateway Pundit, Wake up America, www.ktrh.com, No More Mister Nice Blog, Daily Kos, The Daily Caller, JustOneMinute, Roger Ailes, Guardian and Naked Politics

Jim Meyers / NewsMax.com:

Mike Reagan, Rush Limbaugh Blast Romney — More ways to share... Mixx — Stumbled — LinkedIn — Vine — Buzzflash — Newstrust — Technocrati — Forward Article — Ronald Reagan's eldest son Mike Reagan has issued a statement lambasting Mitt Romney and his supporters …

Discussion: The Politico, Hot Air and Mediaite

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:

Romney paints Gingrich as mentally unstable — The New York Times reports today — based on unclear sourcing — that Mitt Romney has endorsed a strategy of raising doubts about Newt Gingrich's “emotional stability.” — Well, if that's the case, here's Exhibit A.

Discussion: ABCNEWS, The Other McCain, RADAMISTO, New York Times, The Daily Dish and Riehl World View

Ginger Gibson / The Politico:

Newt Gingrich gets mad — MOUNT DORA, Fla. — Newt Gingrich is hopping mad. And he's not going to take it. — Under siege from Mitt Romney and conservative elites who seem to be conspiring against his candidacy, Gingrich abandoned his stump speech on Thursday in favor of an angry tirade …

Discussion: CNN, The Caucus and Balloon Juice

Newt Camp / 2012.talkingpointsmemo.com:

TPM2012 — Newt Gingrich's campaign staff are scratching their heads over the strongly-worded missive sent Gingrich's way by Romney backer and ultimate Republican establishment figure Bob Dole Thursday. — “It's got to be on the top 10 list of the weirdest things he's ever written,” …

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland and Political Mojo

Jim Rutenbergand Jeff Zeleny / New York Times:

A Grueling Day on the Stump, Then a Debate — The competition between Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich dominated the last debate before the Florida primary, as the two angrily traded charges on Thursday over their immigration policies and financial holdings. — A Call Resounds Across Florida …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Taylor Marsh and Ricochet Conversations Feed

PolitiFact:

Spanish-language ad says Newt Gingrich said Spanish is “the language of the ghetto” — Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich are attacking each other on all fronts in Florida ahead of the Jan. 31, 2012, primary — including en Español. — In one Spanish-language radio ad, Gingrich calls Romney “anti-immigrant.”

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, Guardian, The Caucus, Washington Wire, The Reality-Based Community, New York Magazine, Rod Dreher, Mediaite, 2012 Decoded, ABCNEWS, Washington Post, MiamiHerald.com and The Buzz Florida Politics Feed

Scogginsj / CNN:
Gingrich wrong about his claim offering ABC character witnesses

Discussion: Crooks and Liars and National Review

Paul Steinhauser / CNN:
GOP hopefuls to battle at last debate before Florida primary

Discussion: RedState, Washington Wire, HousingWire, Firedoglake, Weasel Zippers, The Gateway Pundit, Wonkette, ABCNEWS, NO QUARTER, Washington Post, Wake up America and 2012 Election Central

Ron Fournier / 2012 Decoded: 4 Sentences: Why Tonight's Debate Matters

Dylan Byers / The Politico:
Gingrich admits ABC claim was false

Discussion: Political Mojo, Big Journalism, The Jawa Report, Wonkette, Don Surber, Hot Air, The Impolitic, CNN, Riptide 2.0, Gothamist, The Moderate Voice, Mediaite, The PJ Tatler, Taylor Marsh and COURAGE IN AMERICA, more at Mediagazer »

Newsmax Wires / NewsMax.com:
InsiderAdvantage Poll: Romney Surges to Fla. Lead

Discussion: Firedoglake, Washington Wire, Florida Times Union and The PJ Tatler

Cameron Joseph / Ballot Box:
Bob Dole makes dire warnings about Gingrich as GOP nominee

Discussion: The Politico and CNN

msnbc.com:
First Thoughts: A turning point for Obama?

Discussion: Connecting.the.Dots, The Politico, Algemeiner.com, Associated Press, Saint Petersblog, The Daily Dish and Riptide 2.0

Washington Examiner:
Newt Gingrich is a Saul Alinsky Republican

Discussion: Political Mojo, Riehl World View, Caffeinated Thoughts and Hot Air

Kevinliptak / CNN:
Dole assails Gingrich in plea to conservatives

Discussion: ABCNEWS, Reuters, The Gateway Pundit and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Devin Dwyer / ABCNEWS:

President Obama: I Want Second Term ‘Badly’ — President Barack Obama today signaled an aggressive tact for his early re-election campaign, critiquing his Republican opponents by name and insisting he's ready to “fight with every fiber of my being” for a second term. — “How much do you want it?”

Discussion: Gothamist

Adele Hampton / The Hill:
Brewer defends finger pointing at Obama

Discussion: Washington Post, The Atlantic Online, The Politico, Outside the Beltway, RADAMISTO and The PJ Tatler

ABCNEWS:
Exclusive - Obama Says Encounter With Arizona Gov. ‘Blown Out of Proportion’

Discussion: Weasel Zippers and The Huffington Post

Pete Souza / ABCNEWS:
Exclusive - Obama to ABC News: ‘I Second-Guess Constantly’

Discussion: Weasel Zippers

Laura Meckler / Washington Wire:
Brewer-Obama Spat Boosts Book Sales

Discussion: Hot Air

Los Angeles Times:

Romney tax returns detail funds not identified in ethics forms — Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney walks under a sign during a campaign event at Paramount Printing in Jacksonville, Florida. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images / January 26, 2012)

Discussion: The Politico, CNN, Washington Post, Daily Kos, Wake up America, The Impolitic, ThinkProgress and The Reaction

NBC's Michael Isikoff / msnbc.com:
Romney revising disclosures for overseas accounts

Discussion: Washington Post, Associated Press and CNN

Stephanie Pappas / Yahoo! News:

Low IQ & Conservative Beliefs Linked to Prejudice — There's no gentle way to put it: People who give in to racism and prejudice may simply be dumb, according to a new study that is bound to stir public controversy. — The research finds that children with low intelligence are more likely to hold prejudiced attitudes as adults.

Discussion: Power Line, The Gateway Pundit, iOwnTheWorld.com, The Political Carnival, NewsBusters.org blogs, Whiskey Fire and INSTAPUTZ

Richard Adams / Guardian:

CNN Florida Republican debate - as it happened — • Final debate before key Florida primary sees fiery clashes — • Mitt Romney bests Newt Gingrich over attack ads — • Rick Santorum roasts Romney's record on healthcare — 11pm: So there we are then.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, USA Today, CNN, The Daily Dish, Rumproast, Balloon Juice and The Impolitic

David Adams / Reuters:

Florida's Rubio a star, but an unlikely VP pick — (Reuters) - He could be the Republican vice presidential candidate from central casting: telegenic, Hispanic and a fiscal conservative who has been embraced by the Tea Party. — That is why Florida Senator Marco Rubio …

Discussion: Power Line, Campaign 2012, Zandar Versus The Stupid, Ricochet Conversations Feed, Hotline On Call, Big Journalism, A plain blog about politics, National Review and Saint Petersblog

Matt K. Lewis / The Daily Caller:
Reuters is out with a tough story on Sen. Marco Rubio today …

Discussion: Big Journalism

NECN:

US Rep. Barney Frank to marry longtime partner — To view this site, you need to have Flash Player 9.0.115 or later installed. Click here to get the latest Flash player. — (NECN) - Congressman Barney Frank's office has confirmed that the retiring 71-year-old Representative is marrying …

Discussion: Washington Post, Rush Limbaugh, Hot Air, Weasel Zippers, Los Angeles Times and The Raw Story

Justin Sink / The Hill:
Barney Frank to marry longtime partner

Discussion: CNN, Ballot Box, The Political Carnival, Outside the Beltway and Good As You

Robinson / nation.foxnews.com:

Biden Does Fake Indian Accent During Outsourcing Speech? — BIDEN: Even call centers, even call centers rushed over seas, hundreds of thousands. How many times you get the call, ‘I like to talk to you about your credit card’? Or that ad on TV, what is it? ‘Nancy, this is Nancy, can I talk to a supervisor?’

Discussion: Mediaite

Kyle Mantyla / Right Wing Watch:

Gingrich: Gay Marriage a ‘Perfect Example of What I Mean by the Rise of Paganism’ — Yesterday, Newt Gingrich held another conference call for Religious Right supporters, seeking to mobilize them ahead of the Republican primary in Florida. — The call was hosted by Jim Garlow and featured several …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Joe. My. God. and Washington Times

kff.org:

Kaiser Health Tracking Poll — January 2012 — As the Supreme Court prepares to hear legal challenges to the health reform law in March, most Americans expect the Justices to base their ruling on their own ideological views rather than their interpretation of the law, according to the January Health Tracking Poll.

Discussion: Political Mojo, Firedoglake, Hit & Run, The Politico and Campaign 2012