memeorandum: Read It Here First — The Bottom Line has obtained a copy … (George Stephanopoulos/George's Bottom …)

11:50 AM ET, October 31, 2009

Top Items:

SCOZZAFAVA SUSPENDS 23RD CAMPAIGN — SIENA POLL SUGGESTS REPUBLICAN CAN'T WIN — Dede Scozzafava, the Republican and Independence parties candidate, announced Saturday that she is suspending her campaign for the 23rd Congressional District and releasing all her supporters.

Discussion: The Hill, Syracuse Post-Standard, The Daily Politics, Sister Toldjah, QandO, Campaign Trail, Below The Beltway, Macsmind, AMERICAblog News, NewsBusters.org, Outside The Beltway and The Hill

Josh Kraushaar / Scorecard's Blog:

BREAKING: Scozzafava suspends NY 23 campaign — Republican Dede Scozzafava has suspended her bid in next Tuesday's NY 23 special election, a huge development that dramatically shakes up the race. She did not endorse either of her two opponents — Conservative party candidate Doug Hoffman or Democrat Bill Owens.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice and Daily Pundit

Robert Stacy McCain / The Other McCain:

NY23: SCOZZAFAVA QUITS! UPDATE: New poll shows Hoffman in dead heat with Democrat Owens — Just confirmed that Republican candidate Dede Scozzafava has quit the race. Speaking to supporters, Scozzafava broke down in tears. — UPDATE: Scozzafava, the hand-picked choice of the New York state GOP …

Discussion: Michelle Malkin, Campaign Trail, protein wisdom, Syracuse Post-Standard, AmSpecBlog, Conservatives4Palin.com, JammieWearingFool and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:

Breaking: Scozzafava quits after Siena poll; Update: Hoffman campaign asking for endorsement? — Stacy McCain reports today that Dede Scozzafava has quit the special election in New York after an independent pollster found her badly trailing both Douglas Hoffman and Democrat Bob Owens.

Discussion: Weekly Standard and The Other McCain

Jude Seymour / Watertown Daily Times:

SCOZZAFAVA SUSPENDS CAMPAIGN — Dede Scozzafava, the Republican and Independence parties candidate in the 23rd Congressional District, is suspending her campaign and releasing her supporters. — The state Assemblywoman has not backed either of her two opponents in the race, Doug Hoffman or Bill Owens.

Discussion: msnbc.com and The Washington Independent

Andy Barr / The Politico:

Steele: Hoffman win is a GOP win — Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele said Friday that a victory by Doug Hoffman, the third-party candidate in the Nov. 3 New York special election, is a win for the GOP. — The actual Republican nominee, Dede Scozzafava, trails Hoffman …

Discussion: News & Advance, Commentary, Hot Air, Daily Kos, The Corner on National …, The Reaction, Swing State Project, And So it Goes in Shreveport, Wonkette and Scorecard's Blog

Ali A. Akbar / Campaign Trail:
NRCC Pulling Out of NY-23?

Discussion: Hot Air, Erick's blog, Riehl World View and The Other McCain

Marc Ambinder / The Atlantic Politics Channel:
What the NY-23 Special Election Is Really About

Discussion: American Power

Jonathan Martin / Ben Smith's Blog:
Biden to NY 23 — Josh Kraushaar and I report:

Discussion: The Daily Politics, The Page, Scorecard's Blog and TPMDC

Norm Eisen / White House.gov Blog Feed:

Transparency like you've never seen before — Today marks a major milestone in government transparency — and an important lesson in the unintended consequences of such vigorous disclosure. — We previously announced that the White House in December of this year would …

Discussion: TigerHawk, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Outside The Beltway, Hot Air, MoJo Blog Posts, The Swamp, TPMDC, The Impolitic, The Money Game, Wall Street Journal, Josh Gerstein's Blog and The Huffington Post

Think Progress:

Right Wing Falsely Asserts Right Wing Boogeymen Bill Ayers And Jeremiah Wright Visited The White House — Early this evening, the White House voluntarily released nearly 500 visitor records of “individuals visiting the executive mansion between Inauguration Day and the end of July.”

Discussion: The White House, Washington Monthly, alicublog, Washington Post, NY Daily News, Atlas Shrugs and Riehl World View

Bill Dedman / msnbc.com:

Obama names 110 White House visitors — Most guests still hidden; list includes Bill Gates, Oprah, Newt Gingrich — The White House on Friday released a small list of visitors to the White House since President Barack Obama took office in January, including lobbyists, business executives, activists and celebrities.

Discussion: JammieWearingFool

Norm Eisen / The White House:

Visitor Records — As part of President Obama's commitment to government transparency, we are providing records of White House visitors on an ongoing basis online. In December 2009, we will begin posting all White House visitor records for the period from September 15th onwards under the terms of our new voluntary disclosure policy.

Discussion: Washington Post, Townhall.com, Don Surber, New York Times, American Power, Macsmind, DealBook, TPMDC, Political Punch, Washington Wire, Swampland, Riehl World View and Dr. Melissa Clouthier

Stephen Spruiell / The Corner on National Review Online: A Tip On Using the White House Visitor Logs, Just Posted — By: Stephen Spruiell

Political Punch:
$160,000 Per Stimulus Job? White House Calls That ‘Calculator Abuse’

Discussion: Fausta's Blog, Don Surber and Weasel Zippers

The Hill:
White House visitor records show CEOs, celebrities, lobbyists, familiar names

Discussion: The Politico

Eamon Javers / The Politico:
Saved or created? W.H. can't tell

Discussion: Below The Beltway, Pundit & Pundette, Washington Post and The Atlantic Business Channel

Jazz Shaw / The Moderate Voice:

So Much for Tort Reform — As we dig deeper into the behemoth House health care bill, the blatant honesty of Howard Dean shines through the extensive document. You may recall when the former DNC chair said, “the reason why tort reform is not in the bill is because the people who wrote …

Discussion: Hot Air and RedState

Jim Hoft / Gateway Pundit:
Michelle Bachman on Pelosi Health Care Bill: “This Is the Crown Jewel …

Discussion: Power Line and Weasel Zippers

Jennifer Rubin / Commentary: A Gift for the Lawyers — A friend points out a little nugget …

Capitol Confidential / Big Government:
Pelosi Health Care Bill Blows a Kiss to Trial Lawyers

Discussion: THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS and Weasel Zippers

Linda Rogers / L.A. NOW:

Gavin Newsom quits race for California governor — San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, who has been seen as a leading contender to be the next governor of California, announced today that he is quitting the race. — Newsom is withdrawing from the Democratic primary amid lackluster poll numbers and meager fund-raising receipts.

Discussion: The New Republic, Opinion L.A., Gawker, JammieWearingFool and Pam's House Blend

Los Angeles Times:
Gavin Newsom drops out of California governor's race

Discussion: Neptunus Lex

San Francisco Chronicle:
Newsom pulls out of governor's race

Discussion: Calitics, Politics, AMERICAblog News and TPMDC

Andy Barr / The Politico:
Newsom drops out of Cali. gov race

Discussion: Swing State Project

Washington Post:

Obama seeking options on troops levels in Afghanistan — President looks to send fewer additional troops — President Obama has asked the Pentagon's top generals to provide him with more options for troop levels in Afghanistan, two U.S. officials said late Friday, with one adding …

Discussion: The Hill, New York Times, Jules Crittenden, Raw Story and Prairie Weather

Perry Bacon Jr / Washington Post:

ACORN video creates new conservative star — Breitbart wins following Web sites provide outlet to the right — Andrew Breitbart blew into Washington recently for what amounted to a victory lap. — The Internet entrepreneur spent last week soaking up accolades from conservatives …

CREW:

CREW LAWSUIT RESULTS IN RELEASE OF NOTES OF CHENEY'S FBI INTERVIEW IN WILSON LEAK CASE — 30 Oct 2009 // Washington, D.C. - Today, after successfully winning a lawsuit against the Department of Justice, under court order, CREW received documents related to former Vice President Dick Cheney's interview …

Discussion: New York Times, Emptywheel, Reuters, TalkLeft, Washington Post, GayPatriot, Prairie Weather, MoJo Blog Posts, The Atlantic Politics Channel, At-Largely, TPMMuckraker and Firedoglake

Nick Baumann / MoJo Blog Posts: mojo:
22 Things Dick Cheney Can't Recall About the Plame Case

Discussion: Emptywheel and NO QUARTER

Adam Kirsch / New York Times:

Ayn Rand's Revenge — A specter is haunting the Republican Party — the specter of John Galt. In Ayn Rand's libertarian epic “Atlas Shrugged,” Galt, an inventor disgusted by creeping American collectivism, leads the country's capitalists on a retributive strike.