memeorandum: Mitt Romney apologizes for high school pranks that ‘might have gone too far’ (Philip Rucker/Washington Post)

4:30 PM ET, May 10, 2012

Top Items:

Jason Horowitz / Washington Post:

Mitt Romney's prep school classmates recall pranks, but also troubling incidents — BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. — Mitt Romney returned from a three-week spring break in 1965 to resume his studies as a high school senior at the prestigious Cranbrook School. Back on the handsome campus …

Discussion: Mediaite, Power Line, Bloomberg, The Huffington Post, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, The Moderate Voice, BuzzFeed, Politicker, ABCNEWS, The Caucus, Washington Wire, Los Angeles Times, Via Meadia, Guardian, Addicting Info, Human Rights Campaign, The Atlantic Wire, Reuters, I Should Be Laughing, msnbc.com, Poynter, The Hill, Taking Note, No More Mister Nice Blog, Outside the Beltway, RedState, FreakOutNation, Campaign 2012, New York Magazine, The Daily Caller, Mother Jones, National Review, Crooks and Liars, Hullabaloo, GOP 12, The Maddow Blog, US Politics, Rod Dreher, Wonkette, Booman Tribune, The Gateway Pundit, The Right Sphere, Business Insider, Indecision Forever, The New Republic, The Reality-Based Community, Towleroad News #gay, Blue Mass Group, The Daily Dish, FOX News Radio, Daily Kos, protein wisdom, Althouse, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Gay Politics, Shakesville and Joe. My. God., more at Mediagazer »

Emily Friedman / ABCNEWS:

Romney Camp on Defense Over ‘Pranks’ — ABC News' Emily Friedman, Emily Stanitz and Steven Portnoy report: — One of Mitt Romney's closest friends and a high school classmate has been asked by the Romney campaign to come out and offer “supporting remarks” in defense of the candidate following …

Discussion: The Right Sphere

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:

The Content of Romney's Character — A young Mitt Romney, relaxing with friends. — It is a horrendous coincidence of timing for Mitt Romney that the day after President Obama ceased his elaborate wink-and-nod game and endorsed gay marriage, Jason Horowitz reports that Romney bullied a gay classmate at his prep school.

Discussion: Mother Jones

Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:

Cutting-edge reporting from WaPo: Let's take an in-depth look at ... Romney's cruel high-school pranks — And so the general election media coverage begins. I guess the Washington Post ran out of stories based on Seamus the Roof-Ridin' Dog. Despite demonstrating zero curiosity …

Discussion: Mediaite, Patterico's Pontifications, The Daily Caller, National Review and Business Insider

Philip Rucker / Washington Post:

Mitt Romney apologizes for high school pranks that ‘might have gone too far’ — Mitt Romney apologized Thursday morning for pranks he helped orchestrate in high school that he said “might have gone too far,” including an incident in which he pinned down a fellow student and cut his hair.

Discussion: The PJ Tatler, Instapundit, Daily Kos, GayPatriot, Guardian and Wonkette

Adam Peck / ThinkProgress:
Mitt Romney Outed As Anti-Gay High School Bully

Discussion: Advocate

Justin Sink / The Hill:
Romney on prank: ‘Back in high school I did some dumb things’

Discussion: Ballot Box

Benjy Sarlin / 2012.talkingpointsmemo.com:
TPM2012 — Romney Apologizes For ‘Hijinks’ But Won't Acknowledge Specific Attack

Discussion: Little Green Footballs, ABCNEWS, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, American Prospect, The Huffington Post, Balloon Juice, Gawker, Towleroad News #gay and The Daily Dish

Washington Post: Mitt Romney's prep school classmates recall pranks, but also troubling incidents

Emily Schultheis / Politico:
Romney on pranks: ‘Some may have gone too far, and for that I apologize’

Discussion: The PJ Tatler, New York Magazine, No More Mister Nice Blog and Business Insider

BuzzFeed:
AUDIO: Romney Apologizes For High School Bullying

Discussion: Hot Air, Washington Post and GOP 12

Seung Min Kim / Politico:

House strikes back on gay marriage — Just hours after President Barack Obama publicly backed gay marriage, the House struck back and passed a measure aimed at reinforcing the Defense of Marriage Act. — With a 245-171 vote, the House voted to stop the Justice Department from using taxpayer funds …

Discussion: CNN, neo-neocon, Advocate, Wake up America, The Daily Beast, Washington Monthly, ThinkProgress, The Mahablog, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Media Matters for America, Reuters, americanthinker.com, ADF Alliance Alert, CANNONFIRE, Gawker and Hot Air

Adam Nagourney / New York Times:

News Analysis: Obama's Watershed Move on Gay Marriage — President Obama's endorsement of gay marriage on Wednesday was by any measure a watershed. A sitting United States president took sides in what many people consider the last civil rights movement, providing the most powerful evidence …

Maggie Gallagher / National Review:
Fox News: Pro-Gay Marriage?

Discussion: Rod Dreher, Equality Matters and The Huffington Post

Charles Mahtesian / Politico:
Barack Obama's seven states of grief over gay marriage

Discussion: Salon, americanthinker.com, Towleroad News #gay, US Politics, National Review, KDVR.com is the website … and CNN

CNN:
Opposing same-sex marriage not priority for Boehner, Reid evolves

Discussion: ThinkProgress and Ballot Box

CNN:
Source: Obama had planned marriage announcement on ‘The View’

Discussion: Politico, Hot Air, TVNewser, Taylor Marsh and NO QUARTER

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Reid: Democratic platform will include pro-gay marriage plank

Discussion: The Hill

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
A bipartisan call for Congressional action on gay rights

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Poliglot, Washington Blade, Prop 8 Trial Tracker, The Maddow Blog and Human Rights Campaign

Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Black voters in NC supported Amendment One by 2-1 margin

Discussion: Politico, Mediaite, ABCNEWS and RedState

Carlo Munoz / The Hill:
House Armed Services vote bans gay marriage on military bases

Discussion: Washington Post, ABCNEWS and Los Angeles Times

Molly Ball / The Atlantic Online:
Obama and Romney Alike Face Political Risks on Gay Marriage

Discussion: CBS News, The Huffington Post, CNN and GOP 12

CNN:
Obama hits Romney with ‘Etch A Sketch’

Discussion: Shakesville and Weasel Zippers

Bristol Palin:

Hail to the Chiefs - Malia and Sasha Obama — Is anyone really surprised by the fact that President Obama came out of the closet for gay marriage? What was most surprising is when he explained how his position (supposedly) “evolved,” by talking to his wife and daughters: … Let's pause for just one second.

Discussion: Business Insider, Advocate, Wonkette, BuzzFeed, TBogg, GOP 12, Mediaite, Human Rights Campaign, Gawker, ABCNEWS, Good As You, Truthdig and Hit & Run, more at Mediagazer »

Daniel Halper / Weekly Standard:

Obama on Biden: ‘Got Out a Little Bit Over His Skis’ — Vice President Joe Biden is at least part of the reason President Barack Obama came out in favor of same sex marriage yesterday, the president admitted in the interview on the issue with ABC's Robin Roberts:

Discussion: Hot Air, GayPatriot, JustOneMinute, Althouse and Instapundit

John H. Cushman Jr / The Caucus:
Biden Got Out ‘Over His Skis,’ Says Obama

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, Connecting.the.Dots, New York Times, Mother Jones and Weekly Standard, more at Mediagazer »

Rasmussen Reports:

Wisconsin Recall Election: Walker 50%, Barrett 45% — Embattled Republican Governor Scott Walker holds a five-point lead over his newly nominated Democratic challenger Tom Barrett in Wisconsin's special recall election. — A new Rasmussen Reports statewide telephone survey shows that 50% …

Discussion: ABCNEWS, Hot Air, The Gateway Pundit, Weekly Standard, Althouse, The PJ Tatler and National Review

James Hansen / New York Times:

Game Over for the Climate — GLOBAL warming isn't a prediction. It is happening. That is why I was so troubled to read a recent interview with President Obama in Rolling Stone in which he said that Canada would exploit the oil in its vast tar sands reserves “regardless of what we do.”

Discussion: ThinkProgress, The Volokh Conspiracy, Pirate's Cove and Politico

New York Times:

Ultra-Orthodox Shun Their Own for Reporting Child Sexual Abuse — The first shock came when Mordechai Jungreis learned that his mentally disabled teenage son was being molested in a Jewish ritual bathhouse in Brooklyn. The second came after Mr. Jungreis complained, and the man accused of the abuse was arrested.

Discussion: Taylor Marsh, CNN and Mondoweiss

BuzzFeed:

How Barack Obama Lost Hollywood — Last time they fell in love, volunteered, gave millions, but now “they hate him.” Can gay pride and a Clooney bash make his star twinkle again? — Source: flickr.com — LOS ANGELES, Calif. — On Tuesday night, comedian Jon Lovitz stood in the green room …

Discussion: Rational Irrationality, Hot Air and Washington Free Beacon

Ryan J. Reilly / tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com:

TPMMuckraker — Justice Department Sues Sheriff Joe Arpaio Over Alleged Latino Abuse — The Justice Department finally filed suit against Sheriff Joe Arpaio and his Maricopa County Sheriff's Office on Thursday, accusing the Arizona official of engaging “in a pattern or practice …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Raw Story, Instapundit and Stinque

Tara Palmeri / New York Post:

Policy adviser testifies Edwards wanted Supreme Court seat — GREENSBORO, NC — A delusional, two-timing Sen. John Edwards dreamed of a Supreme Court appointment, even as his political career crumbled under the weight of a seedy sex scandal, according to testimony today.

Matt Stout / Boston Herald:

Lawyer: Feds digging up mobster's yard in hunt for Gardner paintings — MANCHESTER, Conn. — FBI agents, bloodhounds, beagles and a ferret are swarming the backyard of a reputed Connecticut mobster in a hunt for the long-lost Gardner Museum masterworks, the alleged gangster's lawyer told the Herald.