memeorandum: Putin tells Obama he'll skip G8 summit (Olivier Knox/ABCNEWS)

9:30 PM ET, May 9, 2012

Top Items:

Rick Klein / Yahoo! Good Morning America:

President Obama Affirms His Support for Same Sex Marriage — President Obama today announced that he now supports same-sex marriage, reversing his longstanding opposition amid growing pressure from the Democratic base and even his own vice president. In an interview with ABC News' Robin Roberts …

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Yahoo! News, rightwingwatch.org, Mother Jones, msnbc.com, Gay Politics, Politico, Weekly Standard, White House.gov Blog, ABCNEWS, American Prospect, DownWithTyranny!, Washington Wire, Politicker, blogs.telegraph.co.uk, Rush Limbaugh, New Yorker, Poynter, Public Discourse, Truthdig, Weasel Zippers, Viewpoint with Eliot Spitzer, PoliticusUSA, CNN, The Democratic Daily, Freedom to Marry Blog, his vorpal sword, Outside the Beltway, Campaign 2012, Firedoglake, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Crooks and Liars, americanthinker.com, TVNewser, Guardian, Washington Post, DISSENTING JUSTICE, Eclectablog, The Gateway Pundit, TIME Ideas, Business Insider, The BRAD BLOG, Newsy, Midwest Voices, Boing Boing, Prop 8 Trial Tracker, Capital New York, ACS Blog, Alas, a Blog, Blue Mass Group, Rod Dreher, The Charlotte Observer, Towleroad News #gay, Stinque, Gay Politics, New York Magazine, Mother Jones, RedState, National Review, The Awl and Instapundit

Michael D. Shear / The Caucus:

Obama Backs Same-Sex Marriage — Updated President Obama declared for the first time on Wednesday that he supports same-sex marriage, putting the moral power of his presidency behind a social issue that continues to divide the country. “At a certain point,” Mr. Obama said in an interview …

Log Cabin Republicans:

Obama Announcement Is Cold Comfort to LGBT Americans — (Washington, DC) - Log Cabin Republicans respond to President Barack Obama's latest evolution on the freedom to marry. — “That the president has chosen today, when LGBT Americans are mourning the passage of Amendment One …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, ABCNEWS, Daily Kos, American Prospect, Mediaite and Indecision Forever

E.J. Graff / American Prospect:

I Am Gobsmacked — Well, I guess I'm cynical. I had a list of reasons as long as my arm for President Obama NOT to state that he favors equal marriage. My heart is turning such cartwheels that I am not sure I can write anything cogent. — Here's what I was all ready to say before the announcement:

Discussion: pandagon.net

Igor Volsky / ThinkProgress:

BREAKING: Obama Embraces Marriage Equality — President Obama has come out in support of marriage equality for gay and lesbian people in an interview with ABC News' Robin Roberts this afternoon: … Watch it: — His endorsement comes less than a week after Vice President Joe Biden embraced …

Discussion: Mother Jones, Washington Post, ABCNEWS, Politico, The Maddow Blog, The Huffington Post, Poliglot, American Prospect, Taylor Marsh, Towleroad News #gay, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Indecision Forever

New York Times:

Obama Says Same-Sex Marriage Should Be Legal — WASHINGTON — President Obama on Wednesday ended nearly two years of “evolving” on the issue of same-sex marriage by publicly endorsing it in a television interview, taking a definitive stand on one of the most contentious and politically charged social issues of the day.

Discussion: FiveThirtyEight, CNN, The New Republic, The Caucus, Philly.com, Outside the Beltway and DISSENTING JUSTICE

Elliott Abrams / Weekly Standard:

‘On My Behalf’ — The debate over same sex “marriage” has engaged the heartfelt feelings and convictions of millions of Americans. Then there is Barack Obama. — In his ABC interview, the president pretended that his much touted “evolution” had now led him, ineluctably, to speak out now, today; he simply could longer stay silent.

Discussion: The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit and Betsy's Page

Andrew Kaczynski / BuzzFeed:

An Obama Gay Marriage Timeline — President Obama may come out in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage today in an interview with the ABC News. It's been a long and winding road there. — Obama in 1996: “I favor legalizing same-sex marriages,and would fight efforts to prohibit such marriages.”

Discussion: Power Line, The Mental Recession, ABCNEWS, Weasel Zippers, The Daily Caller, The PJ Tatler, Wake up America and Guardian

Allahpundit / Hot Air:

Breaking: Noted gay-marriage supporter finally drops cynical charade — Via Mediaite, 16 years after going on the record in support of gay marriage, The One finally decides it's safe to reclaim his old position. (AmSpec's James Antle tweets, “Obama may be the only person in America …

Discussion: The Hill, NationalJournal.com, Mediaite, The Daily Caller, ABCNEWS, Weekly Standard and The Other McCain

Chris Cillizza / Washington Post:

President Obama's calculated gamble on gay marriage — President Obama's decision to express support for gay marriage in an interview with ABC's Robin Roberts is a decision that comes with real political risk. — President Obama declares his support for gay marriage in an interview with Robin Roberts of ABC News.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Gawker, msnbc.com, Los Angeles Times, Business Insider, Ezra Klein and JOSHUAPUNDIT

Media Matters / Media Matters for America:
Fox Nation: “OBAMA FLIP FLOPS, DECLARES WAR ON MARRIAGE”

Discussion: Booman Tribune, PoliticusUSA, Advocate and US Politics

Cameron Joseph / Ballot Box:
Top social conservative worried the right may lose on gay marriage

Discussion: Reuters

M.S. / Democracy in America:
Good for Obama, bad for gay marriage

Discussion: The New Republic, No More Mister Nice Blog and The Caucus

Washington Free Beacon:
Gay for Pay — President Obama announced his support …

Discussion: Capital New York, Weekly Standard, The Right Sphere, Patterico's Pontifications, Washington Post, Gawker and Weasel Zippers

Dan Eggen / Washington Post:
The Influence Industry: Same-sex marriage issue shows importance of gay fundraisers

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, New York Times, OpenSecrets.org, Weasel Zippers, Hit & Run, PoliticusUSA, Ezra Klein, White House Dossier and The PJ Tatler

Andrew Rosenthal / Taking Note:
The President Speaks Out (Finally) on Marriage

Discussion: Vox Popoli

BuzzFeed:
Leaked: White House Talking Points On Gay Marriage Flip

Discussion: Weekly Standard

Zeke Miller / BuzzFeed:
Gay Marriage Reversal Means Cash For Obama

Discussion: The Lonely Conservative

Fox News:
Obama backs gay marriage, answering speculation on ‘evolving’ position

Discussion: Little Green Footballs and The Right Scoop

GOProud, Inc.:
GOProud Statement on President Obama's Remarks Regarding Marriage Equality

Discussion: The Huffington Post

Josh Israel / ThinkProgress:

EXCLUSIVE: Former Sen. Danforth (R) Says GOP Becoming ‘Increasingly Inconsequential,’ ‘Intolerant’ — Former Ambassador to the UN and U.S. Sen. John Danforth (R-MO) — In 2010, former Sen. John Danforth (R-MO) told the New York Times that “If Dick Lugar, having served five terms …

Discussion: msnbc.com, Politico, Washington Monthly, Hullabaloo, The Gateway Pundit and Weekly Standard

Alex Seitz-Wald / ThinkProgress:
Richard Mourdock: ‘Bipartisanship Ought To Consist Of Democrats Coming To The Republican Point Of View’

Discussion: New York Times, Washington Post, Firedoglake, DealBook, Capital New York, Washington Monthly, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and The Maddow Blog

James Taranto / Wall Street Journal:
Sore Lugar — For a “statesman,” he's sure acting childish.

Discussion: American Spectator, ThinkProgress and The Other McCain

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
Lugar's Demise and the Constitutional Crisis

Discussion: FiveThirtyEight, Washington Post, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, The Right Sphere, The Huffington Post, Ezra Klein, Washington Wire, neo-neocon, Liberal Values, Balloon Juice, ThinkProgress, Business Insider, The Daily Caller, Swampland, ABCNEWS, Mother Jones and American Prospect

Mackenzie Weinger / Politico:
Richard Mourdock dismisses Dick Lugar attack

Discussion: The Huffington Post, CNN, ThinkProgress, Washington Monthly, Evansville Courier …, Daily Kos and Swampland

KDVR.com is the website for KDVR Television …:

Romney in Colorado: “I do not favor civil unions” — DENVER — Mitt Romney, who's now a sure bet to be the Republican Party's presidential nominee this fall, commented about gay marriage and civil unions during an interview with FOX31 Denver's Jeremy Hubbard Wednesday.

Discussion: Ballot Box, Yahoo! News, ABCNEWS, The Hill, CNN, Business Insider, The Caucus and Advocate

Ashley Parker / The Caucus:
Asked About Gay Marriage, Romney Doesn't Answer

Discussion: Washington Post, Swampland, New York Times, City Room, ACS Blog, CBS News, ThinkProgress, The Hill, The Maddow Blog, Business Insider, Weasel Zippers and New York Magazine

Sarah Huisenga / CBS News:
Romney affirms opposition to same-sex marriage

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Hit & Run, Human Rights Campaign and Harry's Place

Zeke Miller / BuzzFeed: Republicans: Our Position Is Clear, Marriage Is Between One Man And One Woman

Dylan Byers / Politico:

Shep Smith: ‘Wrong side of history’ — Fox News anchor Shep Smith made his own news today when he said President Obama was “now in the 21st century” after announcing his support for same-sex marriage. Minutes later, in a conversation with colleague Bret Baier, he added:

Discussion: The Raw Story

Peter Taylor / BBC:

‘Vomiting and screaming’ in destroyed waterboarding tapes — Jose Rodriguez told Newsnight he was right to destroy the tapes — Secret CIA video tapes of the waterboarding of Osama Bin Laden's suspected jihadist travel arranger Abu Zubaydah show him vomiting and screaming, the BBC has learned.

Discussion: ThinkProgress

Bill Dedman / msnbc.com:

Conservative author Jonah Goldberg drops claim of two Pulitzer nominations — On the dust jacket of his new book, “The Tyranny of Clichés: How Liberals Cheat in the War of Ideas,” best-selling conservative author and commentator Jonah Goldberg is described as having “twice been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.”

Discussion: Mediaite, Gawker, National Review, FishbowlDC, Wonkette, Taylor Marsh, Crooked Timber, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Mad Kane's Political Madness, more at Mediagazer »

Dan Froomkin / Reuters:

Colin Powell's New Book: War With Iraq Never Debated … REACT: — FOLLOW: — Colin Powell, Dick Cheney, George W Bush, War Wire, Video, Iraq WMD, Scooter Libby, Works For Me, Politics News — WASHINGTON — In his new book, former Secretary of State Colin Powell provides …

Discussion: ThinkProgress

Naomi Schaefer Riley / Wall Street Journal:

The Academic Mob Rules — Instead of encouraging wide discussion, the Chronicle of Higher Education fires a blogger. — Recently, the Chronicle of Higher Education published a cover story called “Black Studies: ‘Swaggering Into the Future,’” in which the reporter described how …