memeorandum: Brush with death — El Camino teens face heavy emotions brought … (Pat Sherman/San Diego Union-Tribune)

6:55 PM ET, May 31, 2008

Top Items:

Scenes From Today's RBC Hillary Protest — Howard Dean may hope that the “healing will begin today,” but two blocks away from the northwest Washington Marriott where the DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee is meeting right now to try to figure out Florida and Michigan, the Hillary protesters …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Washington Monthly, Liberal Values and The Carpetbagger Report

Jaketapper / Political Punch:

A Clinton Hurricane Hits Outside the DNC Hearing Room — There was a tornado watch outside the Democratic National Committee's Rules & Bylaws Committee meeting at the Marriot Wardman Park Hotel Saturday afternoon. And there was a brewing storm inside the hotel as well.

Discussion: AMERICAblog and Dean's World

Sam Stein / The Huffington Post:

Lanny Davis Loses His Cool On DNC Member — stumble digg reddit del.ico.us news trust buzz up — A brief but spittle-filled shouting match broke out in the halls of the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee hearing on Saturday between a committee member and a surrogate for Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign.

Discussion: Emptywheel, The Field, Booman Tribune and Threat Level

Sam Stein / The Huffington Post:

Sources: DNC Florida Compromise Reached, Michigan Hangs In Balance — stumble digg reddit del.ico.us news trust buzz up — Two sources, including a high-ranking official with the Florida delegation, have confirmed that the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee reached an agreement last night …

Discussion: Political Radar, Ben Smith's Blogs, Liberal Values, Firedoglake, Wonkette, The Field, Wake up America, Sister Toldjah, The Moderate Voice, Marc Ambinder, MyDD and The Swamp

Avi Zenilman / Ben Smith's Blogs:

Dean's remarks — “We are going to nominate eithe rthe first woman or the first African-American to our party,” he says. — He thanks all the candidates, “especially Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama.” — “These two candidates have helped transform our party”, he continues.

Discussion: The Swamp

New York Times:

Democrats Debate Seating Delegates From Two States — WASHINGTON — As hundreds of protesters demonstrated outside, leading Democrats called for unity as party officials gathered Saturday to settle a dispute over seating Florida and Michigan delegates and resolve a bitter impasse …

Discussion: Marc Ambinder, The Caucus, Tennessee Guerilla Women, www.fortmilltimes.com and The Democratic Daily

Chris Cillizza / The Fix:

The Michigan Case Begins — INSIDE THE RULES AND BYLAWS COMMITTEE MEETING — Mark Brewer, the chairman of the Michigan Democratic Party, has taken his seat in the eye of the storm to make a pitch for the full recognition of the Wolverine State. — Solving Michigan is likely to prove far trickier …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice and The Democratic Daily

Associated Press:
Officials say Fla., Mich. delegates will get half-votes

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Gateway Pundit, Washington Wire, Political Radar, FREEDOM EDEN, The Other McCain, The Democratic Daily and Wake up America

Marc Ambinder:
RBC Live Wire 6: The Deliberations

Discussion: Salon

James W. Pindell / Politicker:
DNC Committee meets behind closed doors and ends without agreement

Discussion: MoJoBlog and Spin Cycle

Nick Baumann / MoJoBlog:
Clinton Surrogate Says FL-MI Struggle = Civil Rights Movement

Discussion: TRAIL BLAZERS, Swampland and CNN

Avi Zenilman / Ben Smith's Blogs:
Florida (almost) a done deal

Discussion: Salon and AMERICAblog

Michael Falcone / The Caucus:
The D.N.C. Deliberates — The Clinton Camp's Rebuttal …

Discussion: Threat Level, The Nation, MyDD, Redstate and New York Times

John McCormick / Baltimore Sun:

Obama leaving Trinity United church — Sen. Barack Obama is leaving Trinity United Church of Christ, his longtime religious home in Chicago and a place that has triggered repeated controversies during his presidential bid. — Obama spokesman Ben LaBolt has confirmed Obama is essentially resigning from the church.

Discussion: michellemalkin.com, TalkLeft, TIME.com, Corrente, Sweetness & Light and PoliGazette

Lynn Sweet / Chicago Sun Times:

Obama's painful new headache — WASHINGTON — The Rev. Michael Pfleger's “I'm white! I'm entitled ... black man stealing my show” outburst about Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton from the pulpit of the Obama family church, Trinity United Church of Christ, created a political problem …

Discussion: Roger L. Simon, Confederate Yankee, Catholic League, michellemalkin.com, Gateway Pundit and The Swamp

Monroe Anderson:

Wright out or wimp out? Obama quits Trinity — In the wake of the Father Michael Pfleger — controversial sermon last Sunday at Trinity United Church of Christ, Barack Obama sent a letter yesterday resigning from his place of worship for the past 20 years. — I sort of, kind of, understand why he did it.

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blogs and Stop The ACLU

Lynn Sweet:

Obama resigns from Trinity United Church of Christ. UPDATE. Obama to answer questions about his church Saturday night. — WASHINGTON—UPDATE—Obama spokesman Bill Burton confirmed that Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) quit Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ.

Discussion: AMERICAblog, Spin Cycle and The Reaction

Lanny J. Davis / Wall Street Journal:

The Argument for Nominating Hillary — After the votes are in from Puerto Rico tomorrow and South Dakota and Montana on Tuesday, neither Barack Obama nor Hillary Clinton will be able to make a facts-based case that they represent a significant majority of grass-roots Democrats.

Discussion: Hot Air, Oliver Willis, Taylor Marsh and NO QUARTER

New York Times:
No Road Map for Democrats as Race Ends

Discussion: Don Surber and TIME.com

Lauren Frayer / Associated Press:

Al-Qaida's stance on women sparks extremist debate — CAIRO, Egypt - Muslim extremist women are challenging al-Qaida's refusal to include — or at least acknowledge — women in its ranks, in an emotional debate that gives rare insight into the gender conflicts lurking beneath one of the strictest strains of Islam.

Discussion: Gateway Pundit, JammieWearingFool and Unqualified Offerings

Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:

Dubya The Great? — From the current issue, Ross's take on Bush's legacy: … It seems to me that if a policy can only be judged from the vantage point of thirty years into the future, the possibility of any sane or rational judgment of it as we decide is impossible.

Discussion: Eunomia

New York Times:
Growing Opposition to Iraq Security Pact

Discussion: Democrats.com, missing links, A Tiny Revolution, abu muqawama and ABCNEWS

Marni Soupcoff / National Post:

David Frum on Scott McClellan's new book: George Bush got the team he deserved — Except maybe for MSNBC's wild-eyed commentator Keith Olbermann, nobody in politics or media seems to have a good word to say for Scott McClellan, the former George W. Bush press secretary turned ferocious Bush critic.

Discussion: DownWithTyranny!, Nitpicker, Fox News and Democracy Project

Ryan Grim / The Politico:
Exclusive: McClellan pitch softer on Bush

Discussion: TIME.com

Thomas Joscelyn / Weekly Standard:

Are We Serious? — They're at war, we're catching crooks. — A Memoir of the Jihad — by Andrew C. McCarthy — Encounter, 250 pp., $25.95 — In the wake of the September 11, 2001, attacks, America has tried to understand how she could have been so blind.

Discussion: RADAMISTO

The Big Trunk / Power Line:
Willful blindness — The new issue of the Weekly Standard …

Discussion: Fausta's blog

Tom Raum / Associated Press:

Obama says his ears too big for Rushmore — MOUNT RUSHMORE NATIONAL MEMORIAL, S.D. (AP) — Democrat Barack Obama paid an unscheduled late-night visit to Mount Rushmore Friday, visiting the national memorial at closing time and joking that his ears were too big to ever be included in such a display.