memeorandum: ‘This Week’ Transcript: Newt Gingrich and David Axelrod (ABCNEWS)

11:25 AM ET, March 4, 2012

Top Items:

A Statement from Rush — For over 20 years, I have illustrated the absurd with absurdity, three hours a day, five days a week. In this instance, I chose the wrong words in my analogy of the situation. I did not mean a personal attack on Ms. Fluke. — I think it is absolutely absurd …

Discussion: BuzzFeed, The Moderate Voice, Runnin' Scared, New York Magazine, ABCNEWS, JustOneMinute, Los Angeles Times, The Gateway Pundit, blogs.forbes.com/johnmcquaid, Babalú Blog, Washington Post, NewsBusters.org, Sad Hill News, Sky Dancing, ECHIDNE of the snakes, The Jane Dough, American Power, Whiskey Fire, Scholars and Rogues, Washington Examiner, No More Mister Nice Blog, Little Green Footballs, Addicting Info, Mediaite, The Daily Caller, TalkLeft, The Daily Dish, Hullabaloo, ThinkProgress, Outside the Beltway, The Last Tradition, Business Insider, The Lonely Conservative, Weasel Zippers, American Spectator, The Caucus, CBS News, Mock, Paper, Scissors, KDVR.com is the website …, Don Surber, The Mahablog, Campaign 2012, The Page, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Daily What, msnbc.com, Daily Kos, Althouse, Wake up America, The Right Scoop, The Raw Story, Big Hollywood, Firedoglake and CNN

Maureen Dowd / New York Times:

Have You No Shame, Rush? — AS a woman who has been viciously slashed by Rush Limbaugh, I can tell you, it's no fun. — At first you think, if he objects to the substance of what you're saying, why can't he just object to the substance of what you're saying? Why go after you in the most personal and humiliating way?

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Prairie Weather and Althouse

Faiz Shakir / ThinkProgress:

Sixth Advertiser — Carbonite — Drops Limbaugh Despite His ‘Apology’ Because He's Beyond The ‘Bounds Of Decency’ — Moments ago, Carbonite - a company providing backup software for computers - announced that it will no longer advertise on Rush Limbaugh's show.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Balloon Juice, Crooks and Liars, carbonite.com, NewsHounds blog, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and The Impolitic, more at Mediagazer »

Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Rush: “I sincerely apologize to Ms. Fluke”; Update: Ironic tweet of the day

Discussion: NO QUARTER, Balloon Juice, Mediaite, American Power, BuzzFeed, The Daily Caller, ECHIDNE of the snakes and Michelle Malkin

Vinnie / The Jawa Report:
Rush Limbaugh Apologizes To Sandra “Not A Slut, I Just Like Having Sex Alot” Fluke

Discussion: The Last Tradition, Pirate's Cove, Politico, Little Green Footballs, The Moderate Voice and Sky Dancing

Meghashyam Mali / Ballot Box:

Poll finds Romney tied with Santorum in Ohio — GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney has pulled into a tie with rival Rick Santorum in Ohio, a new poll finds. — A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Sunday shows Romney and Santorum tied with 32 percent support from likely GOP voters in Ohio …

Discussion: Politico, Reuters and The Moderate Voice

msnbc.com:

NBC News/Marist poll: Santorum, Romney neck and neck in Ohio — By NBC News Senior Political Editor Mark Murray — Two days until Super Tuesday and the pivotal Ohio Republican presidential primary, Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney are running neck and neck in the Buckeye State …

Discussion: CNN and Outside the Beltway

ABCNEWS:

‘This Week’ Transcript: Newt Gingrich and David Axelrod — STEPHANOPOULOS: Good morning and welcome to “This Week.” — STEPHANOPOULOS (voice-over): Super Tuesday showdown. — NEWT GINGRICH, GOP PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I came here to recruit you. — STEPHANOPOULOS: Mitt Romney survives a scare in his home state.

Discussion: Washington Post

Fox News:

Romney notches fifth straight win with Washington state GOP caucuses — Mitt Romney heads into Super Tuesday with a five-state winning streak under his belt, after cruising to victory in the Washington state caucuses Saturday night. — The contest was a blip when compared …

Discussion: Hit & Run and The Daily Weekly

James Hohmann / Politico:

Mitt hits 5 straight in Wash. — SEATTLE — Showing that organization does matter, Mitt Romney won Washington state's caucuses Saturday. — The victory gives the former Massachusetts governor another boost going into Super Tuesday, when ten states vote. — “The voters of Washington …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, msnbc.com, The Maddow Blog and Scared Monkeys

Katharine Q. Seelye / New York Times:
Romney Takes Washington Ahead of a Big Election Day

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Instapundit, FiveThirtyEight, A plain blog about politics, Mediaite and The Caucus

Cincinnati.com:
Enquirer Endorsement: Romney deserves Ohio's support

Discussion: Ballot Box and GOP 12

CNN:
CNN projects Romney will win Washington state caucuses

Discussion: Hot Air, Los Angeles Times, Big Government, Zandar Versus The Stupid, State of the Union, The Other McCain, americanthinker.com, Campaign 2012, Washington Monthly and Balloon Juice

Aaron Gould Sheinin / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Gingrich carries double-digit lead into Georgia primary

Discussion: CNN, Washington Wire, Politico and msnbc.com

Vicki Needham / Ballot Box:
Cleveland Plain Dealer endorses Romney

Discussion: CNN, Plain Dealer and Politico

ABCNEWS:
Why Rick Santorum's Ohio Delegate Fiasco Could Get Messy

Discussion: The Caucus and 2012 Decoded

BBC:

Dublin patron saint's heart stolen from Christ Church Cathedral — The preserved heart of Dublin's patron saint has been stolen from the city's Christ Church Cathedral, officials say. — The thief would have needed metal cutters to prise open the iron bars protecting the wooden heart-shaped box holding St Laurence O'Toole's heart.

Marist Poll:

3/4: Santorum and Romney Neck and Neck in Ohio — Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney are locked in a tight battle in the race for the Republican nomination in Ohio. Among likely Republican primary voters including those who are undecided yet leaning toward a candidate, early voters …

Discussion: Washington Post and The Page

Keith O'Brien / Telegraph:

We cannot afford to indulge this madness — Cardinal Keith O'Brien, Britain's most senior Catholic, sets out his opposition to the Government's plans to legalise gay marriage. — Elton John and David Furnish entered into a civil partnership in 2005 and now have a one-year-old son , born to a surrogate mother

Discussion: Guardian

Jonathan H. Adler / The Volokh Conspiracy:

Koch v. Cato — A View from Cato — My friend Jerry Taylor, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, offered me his perspective on the Koch-Cato dispute. Jerry's obviously sympathetic to Cato President Ed Crane, but he also offers a fair amount of detail about recent events …

Discussion: Cafe Hayek, US Politics, Washington Post, Brad DeLong, Concurring Opinions and The American Conservative

Inside Bay Area:

Three Occupy Oakland protesters arrested for robbery and a hate crime, both felonies — OAKLAND — Three Occupy Oakland protesters suspected of stealing an Oakland woman's wallet and making offensive remarks about her perceived sexuality were charged Friday with robbery and committing a hate crime, both felonies, authorities said.

Discussion: CBS San Francisco, Reuters, Scared Monkeys, The Gateway Pundit, KTVU-TV, americanthinker.com, Power Line and Moe Lane

Ross Douthat / New York Times:

The Scholar and the Rascal — THE right-wing provocateur Andrew Breitbart and the neoconservative scholar James Q. Wilson, who died within 48 hours of each other last week — Wilson at the age of 80, Breitbart so unexpectedly at 43 — had one important thing in common: They were both prominent conservatives …

Discussion: National Review and Daniel W. Drezner

BigFurHat / iOwnTheWorld.com:
(bumped and sticky) Breitbart Is Here

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, The Jawa Report, Big Government, Doug Ross and Atlas Shrugs

Fox News:

John Edwards asks judge not to destroy sex tape — GREENSBORO, N.C. - John Edwards has asked a judge not to destroy a sex tape he made with his former mistress Rielle Hunter that was slated for destruction under a settlement reached last week, WRAL-TV reported.

Discussion: TalkLeft

Associated Press:
Edwards asks that sex tape not be destroyed

Discussion: Washington Post, Mediaite, The Hill, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and Business Insider

Mark Landler / New York Times:

Israel's Backers in Aipac Press Obama to Harden Iran Policy — WASHINGTON — On the eve of a crucial visit to the White House by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, that country's most powerful American advocates are mounting an extraordinary public campaign to pressure President Obama …