memeorandum: Dinner with Clooney, Obama nets $15 million (CNN)

9:45 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, Gay Politics, msnbc.com, Weasel Zippers, White House.gov Blog, Weekly Standard, Politicker, DownWithTyranny!, ABCNEWS, Rush Limbaugh, blogs.telegraph.co.uk, American Prospect, New Yorker, SEIU.org, Washington Wire, Poynter, Public Discourse, Truthdig, CNN, Viewpoint with Eliot Spitzer, PoliticusUSA, Campaign 2012, The Democratic Daily, Freedom to Marry Blog, Outside the Beltway, his vorpal sword, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, GayPatriot, TVNewser, Firedoglake, Guardian, Washington Post, DISSENTING JUSTICE, Eclectablog, The Gateway Pundit, TIME Ideas, Business Insider, Crooks and Liars, The BRAD BLOG, americanthinker.com, Midwest Voices, Boing Boing, Newsy, Prop 8 Trial Tracker, Capital New York, ACS Blog, Alas, a Blog, Blue Mass Group, Rod Dreher, Stinque, Gay Politics, The Charlotte Observer, New York Magazine, Towleroad News #gay, Mother Jones, RedState and National Review

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

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, Mediaite and Indecision Forever

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 …

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, SEIU.org, Poliglot, The Huffington Post, American Prospect, Taylor Marsh, Towleroad News #gay and Poynter, more at Mediagazer »

Cameron Joseph / Ballot Box:

Top social conservative worried the right may lose on gay marriage — Conservative religious leaders predicted President Obama's support of gay marriage will hurt him this election — but one fretted that the tide has turned against them long-term on the issue, and that Obama's statement could further erode their position long-term.

Discussion: Reuters and CNN

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

Dan Eggen / Washington Post:

The Influence Industry: Same-sex marriage issue shows importance of gay fundraisers — video platform video management video solutions video player — President Obama says his position on same-sex marriage has evolved. (ABC News) — President Obama's announcement Wednesday …

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

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

Chris Cillizza / Washington Post:
President Obama's calculated gamble on gay marriage

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

Andrew Kaczynski / BuzzFeed:
An Obama Gay Marriage Timeline

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

New York Times:
Obama Says Same-Sex Marriage Should Be Legal

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

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

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

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

Discussion: Weekly Standard

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

Discussion: Vox Popoli

Mackenzie Weinger / Politico:
Evolve: Obama gay marriage quotes

Discussion: Campaign Stops, ABCNEWS, CNN, Mediaite and American Prospect

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

Discussion: The Lonely Conservative

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

Discussion: The Huffington Post

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

Discussion: Little Green Footballs and The Right Scoop

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: Washington Post, New York Times, 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 FreakOutNation

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 and Mother Jones

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, The Hill, CNN, Yahoo! News, 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, ThinkProgress, CBS News, The Maddow Blog, The Hill, 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

Holly Bailey / ABCNEWS:
Mitt Romney reaffirms opposition to gay marriage

Discussion: Yahoo! News and Poliglot

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

Media Matters / Media Matters for America:

Fox Nation: “OBAMA FLIP FLOPS, DECLARES WAR ON MARRIAGE” — In response to President Obama's declaration of support for marriage equality this afternoon, Fox Nation ran the following headline: — Fox Nation's post linked to a Yahoo News article on Obama's announcement, which ran the headline …

Discussion: Booman Tribune, PoliticusUSA, Advocate and US Politics

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

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

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.”