memeorandum: Politics and the Supreme Court (New York Times)

1:15 AM ET, February 6, 2012

Top Items:

Mitt Romney — Experience and wide appeal make him the best GOP presidential nominee — In the March 6 primary, The Dispatch urges Ohio Republicans to choose Mitt Romney as their party's presidential nominee. — American voters need someone who offers an alternative to the failed policies of President Barack Obama.

Discussion: CNN, HotAirPundit and Ballot Box

Meghashyam Mali / The Hill:

Dick Armey: Gingrich campaign turned into ‘first-rate vendetta’ against Romney — Freedom Works chairman and former Rep. Dick Armey (R-Texas) blasted Newt Gingrich for his continued tough attacks on Mitt Romney saying Gingrich was carrying out a vendetta against the Republican frontrunner.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Outside the Beltway, Business Insider, Riehl World View, Hot Air, The PJ Tatler, The Caucus, The Other McCain, The Lonely Conservative, NO QUARTER and CNN

Lucy Madison / CBS News:

Biographer: Mitt grew up in “series of bubbles” — PLAY CBS NEWS VIDEO — After back-to-back wins in Florida and Nevada, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has regained some of the inevitability factor that has for months been connected with his presidential campaign.

Discussion: The Political Carnival

Dick Armey / CNN:
Gingrich a lost cause for tea party base

Discussion: The Impolitic, The PJ Tatler and HotAirPundit

Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:
Romney up in Colorado, close race in Minnesota

Discussion: FiveThirtyEight, Hot Air, nation.foxnews.com, Outside the Beltway and Saint Petersblog

Victor Davis Hanson / National Review:
Gingrich's Speech — How to Make a Bad Night Worse

Discussion: Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, The PJ Tatler and Outside the Beltway

Erik Wasson / The Hill: Gingrich: Goal is to get to Super Tuesday

Julian Pecquet / Ballot Box:
Santorum looking to next round of contests after Nevada drubbing

Discussion: ABCNEWS and Politico

Richard A. Oppel Jr / New York Times:

Religious Caucus Causes Protest in Las Vegas — LAS VEGAS — A special Saturday night Republican caucus here intended to accommodate Orthodox Jews who could not vote before sundown became the scene of controversy and confrontation after caucusgoers were told that to be admitted they had to sign …

Discussion: Taylor Marsh and The Caucus

David McGrath Schwartz / Las Vegas Sun:

Economic woes, anti-Obama sentiment fail to draw large turnout — Votes are counted for Precinct 7405 during the Republican presidential caucus at Green Valley High School in Henderson on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2012. Ron Paul won the precinct with 16 votes. Mitt Romney came in second with 10 votes.

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Political Carnival, Dean's World, Associated Press, The Strata-Sphere, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Taegan Goddard's …, Little Green Footballs, Wake up America and Los Angeles Times, more at Mediagazer »

Gerald Herbert / ABCNEWS:
Romney's Big Win: Who Turned Out for Romney

Discussion: Politico, Washington Post, New York Times and Saint Petersblog

Tim Mak / Politico:

Super Bowl ads: Pete Hoekstra's hits a nerve — The campaign of former Rep. Peter Hoekstra for U.S. Senate explained a racially charged Super Bowl advertisement they developed - complete with an Asian actress speaking in broken English - as a reflection of China's increasingly competitive education system.

Discussion: Lez Get Real, CNN, his vorpal sword, Associated Press, The Atlantic Online, No More Mister Nice Blog and Outside the Beltway

Megan R. Wilson / The Hill:
Watch the five most politically controversial Super Bowl ads of all time

Discussion: ABCNEWS, Conservative Hideout 2.0, Politico, Mediaite, The Moderate Voice and Power Line

Financial Times:

Greece takes step closer to default — By Kerin Hope in Athens, Alex Barker in Brussels and Quentin Peel in Munich — Lucas Papademos, the Greek premier, failed to make party leaders accept harsh terms in return for a second €130bn bail-out, pushing Athens closer to a disorderly default as early as next month.

Discussion: Tim Duy's Fed Watch and National Review

Megan McArdle / The Atlantic Online:

Greeks Inch Closer to Default — Debt negotiations usually seem to get resolved at the very last minute. After all, the resolution is almost always that someone is not going to get paid as expected, and this gives every “someone” strong incentive to hold out as long as possible …

Niki Kitsantonis / New York Times: Greek Talks at a Delicate Point, Official Says

Cynthia R. Fagen / New York Post:

Teen mistress addresses relationship, pol's Cold War fears in memoir — It was a chilling insight. — When the president wasn't keeping the world from descending into war, there was plenty of wild partying. One instance was a raucous Hollywood bash at Bing Crosby's desert ranch.

Discussion: The Other McCain and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Owais Jaffery / The Express Tribune:

‘Honour’ crime: Three women killed ‘for loose morals’ — DERA GHAZI KHAN: — Kot Chuttha police have arrested a man who has admitted to killing his wife, Samina, her sister (his brother's wife) and their mother in collusion with his brother in a Dera Ghazi Khan village.

Discussion: Weasel Zippers and Jihad Watch

Erick Erickson / Erick's blog:

The Perversion of the Words of Our Lord Jesus Christ by the Sinner Barack H. Obama — I'm afraid we need a little Sunday morning theology. Hopefully someone at the White House will read this and realize just how ill advised the President was to do what he did this week and we should be praying hard …

Discussion: THE WESTERN EXPERIENCE and Balloon Juice

David D. Kirkpatrick / New York Times:

Egypt Will Try 19 Americans on Criminal Charges — CAIRO — Egyptian authorities on Sunday referred 19 Americans and two dozen others to criminal trials as part of a politically charged investigation into the foreign financing of nonprofit groups that has shaken the 30-year alliance between the United States and Egypt.

Discussion: Truthdig

San Francisco Chronicle:

Police hold smaller Occupy Oakland protest in check — A week after a violent protest by Occupy demonstrators resulted in more than 400 arrests, calm reigned Saturday night as a small crowd of about 100 marchers was turned away from the Oakland Police Department, then paraded around downtown and North Oakland.

Discussion: L.A. NOW and Jammie Wearing Fools