March 31, 2008

CNN PA Forum Scheduled

Hillary Clinton's camp has signed on for a CNN forum April 13th in Harrisburg, PA. Waiting on word from Barack Obama's spokesman ...

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

Posted 03.31.08 06:08 PM | Comments (0)

The Late Night Primary

Hillary Clinton is scheduled to appear Thursday evening on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" ...

Posted 03.31.08 05:34 PM | Comments (1)

The Day-Of-Week Effect

Pollster.com's Mark Blumenthal writes about another outgrowth of Gallup's daily tracking polls -- Barack Obama tends to do better in surveys that end Saturdays. Hillary Clinton, by contrast, does well earlier in the week, in samples that end Tuesday or Wednesday.

The numbers, first crunched by Harrison Hickman and Ben Margolis, both of the Democratic firm, Global Strategy Group, advise caution as the media marvels in Obama's early-week leads. By the end of the week, Blumenthal notes, the contest should tighten again. Read on.

Posted 03.31.08 04:04 PM | Comments (0)

Hotline TV: Wooing Indy Voters, McCain v. Obama

Posted 03.31.08 03:28 PM | Comments (3)

PA Perspective

Pollster.com's Mark Blumenthal offers a bit of perspective on those 234K new PA Dem registrants:

Total turnout in the 2004 PA primary was 790K. It was 1.26 million in 1992. All time high was 1.6 million in 1984. (Last two numbers from Rhodes Cook's book).

Bottom line -- The latest numbers are even more impressive when compared with historical turnout.

Posted 03.31.08 03:05 PM | Comments (1)

Chelsea Gets Another Lewinsky Q

Chelsea Clinton was asked today by a student at NC State University about Monica Lewinsky, specifically why Bill Clinton's personal troubles in the White House are not the people's business. This was her second Monica Q on the stump in as many weeks. And she gave a similarly chilly answer.

Here's the vid, per NBC/NJ's Carrie Dann:

Posted 03.31.08 02:50 PM | Comments (2)

Major Final Day Reg Push In PA

PHILADELPHIA - While a final number may not be available for a few weeks, the Pennsylvania Department of State has released an update on the number of people registered to vote in the April 22 Democratic primary -- and it shows a massive registration effort on the final day of eligibility.

The state now has 4,119,213 registered Democrats. Since March 24, the last day of eligibility for the primary election, the state has received 33,281 new Democratic registrations and 45,977 party changes to the Democratic Party. The secretary of state's office is still accepting new registrations and party switches that were postmarked by the deadline.

State officials said the activity on the final day was intense, and these new numbers likely include large swaths of registrations that were collected by both candidates' campaigns and submitted just before the deadline.

Since the new year, the state has received 101,499 new Democratic applications and 132,688 switches to the Democratic Party.

By contrast, the Republican Party in Pennsylvania now stands at 3,197,586 people. Only 32,191 citizens have joined the GOP and 13,937 have switched to the Repubs since Jan 1.

(NBC/NJ's MATTHEW BERGER)

Posted 03.31.08 01:36 PM | Comments (0)

Ladies, All The Ladies

For those keeping track of whom the Senate's 10 female Dems (Hillary Clinton makes 11) have endorsed, here's our count:

Clinton
Feinstein
Murray
Cantwell**
Mikulski
Lincoln
Stabenow

(**Cantwell appeared to vacillate last week, telling The Columbian that the Dem Party should ultimately come together for the candidate who has the most states and pledged delegates.)

Obama
McCaskill
Klobuchar

On Call Aside --

Boxer hasn't endorsed but appears to be leaning Obama. Landrieu, who faces a tough re-elect, has also stayed neutral.

On Call Aside 2 --

It's important to note that Obama tends to draw support from women in reddish/purplish states. McCaskill, of course, is one such supporter. Meanwhile, MN has gone Dem the last two presidential elections but by narrow margins, 3 percentage points in 2004, and 2 percentage points in 2000. So Klobuchar's announcement makes sense, too. Looking beyond the Senate, the theory also holds true with Govs. Napolitano, AZ, and Sebelius, KS, as prime examples.

As Maureen Dowd noted in yesterday's NYT: "It is always when Hillary is pushed back by the boys that women help hoist her up." But with Klobuchar's move for Obama, and Cantwell's recent waffling, has HRC run out of women in high places to shepherd her flock?

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

Posted 03.31.08 12:43 PM | Comments (6)

Gore: Boss Tweed, I'm Not

For those who missed Al Gore last night on "60 Minutes" ... Not applying, he said, for the job of Dem broker.

Posted 03.31.08 12:05 PM | Comments (2)

Obama Camp Says No NC Delegation Endorsement Imminent

The WSJ reported this a.m. that NC's Dem congressional delegation, seven strong, was moments away from coming out en masse for Barack Obama. Not so, report our trusty NBC/NJ embeds, Aswini Anburajan and Carrie Dann.

Per Dann: A staff member close to one of the superdelegates in question confirms there is no truth to the story.

Per Dan Leistikow, a spokesman for the Obama campaign in NC, "Despite the Wall Street Journal’s optimism, none of them has told our campaign that they are ready to announce their endorsement of Senator Obama – so we’ll keep working on it."

One state Democrat who supports Obama did say that elected officials and candidates for office in the state have expressed concern about a prolonged nomination, saying that many of them believe that a popular election result overturned by superdelegates "would destroy the party." A mass endorsement by the delegation would send a clear message of party unity, he said.

Posted 03.31.08 11:39 AM | Comments (1)

Gallup: Obama Up 10, Largest Lead This Year

Latest Gallup survey shows Barack Obama leading Hillary Clinton, 52% to 42%. It's his largest lead of the year. The poll, conducted conducted March 27-29, also shows John McCain still leading his Dem rivals. He leads Obama, 47% to 44%, and edges Clinton, 48% to 44%.

Posted 03.31.08 11:13 AM | Comments (1)

"Character Forged By Family"

As John McCain launched his week-long bio tour today in MS, his campaign released this Web spot. As his first TV spot did last week, this ad seeks to define McCain by his service to country. It recalls his family's history of service, too.

Narrator: "The family he was born into, and the family he is blessed with now, made John McCain the man he is, and instilled in him a deep and abiding respect for the social institution that wields the greatest influence in the formation of our individual character and the character of our society."

Excerpts from McCain's a.m. speech in Meridian, MS, available after the jump.

Excerpts From John McCain's Remarks As Prepared For Delivery

Mississippi State University

Meridian, Mississippi

March 31, 2008

Thank you. It’s good to be back in Meridian. As you might know, I was once a flight instructor here at the air field named for my grandfather during my long past and misspent youth. And it’s always good to be in Mississippi, which you could call my ancestral home. Generations of McCains were born and raised in Carroll County, on land that had been in our family since 1848. The last McCain to live on the property, which the family called Teoc, was my grandfather’s brother, Joe McCain. I spent a couple summers here as a young boy, and enjoyed it immensely. I had never had a permanent address because my father’s naval career required us to move frequently. But here, in the care of my very likeable Uncle Joe, I could imagine, with a little envy, what it must have been like for the McCains who came before me to be so connected to one place; to be part of a community and a landscape as well as a family.

By all accounts, the McCains of Carroll County were devoted to one another and their traditions; a lively, proud and happy family on the Mississippi Delta. Yet, many McCains left here as young men to pursue careers in what has long been our family’s chosen profession – the United States Armed Forces. My great-grandfather was the sheriff and never left. But his brother, Henry Pinkney McCain, was a major general in the Army, and organized the draft in World War One. Camp McCain in Grenada, Mississippi is named for him. My great uncle, William McCain, was known as “Wild Bill” for his “dynamic” personality – he was reputed to have ridden his horse onto his future father-in-law’s porch to ask him for his daughter’s hand. He chased Pancho Villa with General Pershing, was an artillery officer in World War One, and retired a Brigadier General. Both men are buried at Arlington National Cemetery, as are my father and grandfather. We trace my family’s martial heritage back to the Revolution. A distant ancestor served on General Washington’s staff, and it seems my ancestors fought in most wars in our nation’s history. All were soldiers – both Henry and Bill McCain were West Pointers – until my grandfather broke family tradition and entered the Naval Academy in 1902. He was succeeded there by my father, then me, and then my son.

As I noted, the naval air field here is named for my grandfather, who had an illustrious career in the Navy, and who remained proud of his Mississippi roots until the end of his life. I have only very early memories of him. I was just nine when he died. But he was an unforgettable man, a lively, colorful, though infrequent, presence in our lives. To spend time in his company was as much fun as a young boy could imagine.

…

After graduating from the Naval Academy, he sailed around the Philippine Islands on a gunboat captured from the Spanish, the executive officer to the great Chester Nimitz. He returned to the United States on the U.S.S. Connecticut, the flagship of Teddy Roosevelt’s Great White Fleet. He served on an armored cruiser in the First World War, escorting wartime convoys across the U-boat infested Atlantic. In 1935, after the Navy ordered that all aircraft carrier skippers must themselves have earned their wings, he trained as a pilot. He was 52 years old at the time, and a Navy Captain. By his own admission, he never learned to fly well. A subordinate recalled later, “the base prayed for his safe return each time he flew.” But he managed to earn his wings, and left Pensacola to command the naval air station in the Panama Canal Zone, where I was born.

My father, Jack McCain, was an officer at a submarine base there, one of the few occasions in his adult life when he lived in close proximity to the man he admired above all others. Though they lived far apart for decades, no father and son could have been closer. My father described his father as “a very great leader and people loved him. . . the blood of life flowed through his veins . . . a man of great moral and physical courage.” He had learned everything about leadership from his father, he said. Both were highly individualistic men with outsize personalities, but were completely dedicated to the United States Navy. Neither ever wanted any other life, and while both were guilty of more than a few regulation infractions, and shared a few vices, they adhered strictly to the code father had taught son: never lie, steal or cheat. Both took a great interest in the views and well-being of the men who served under them. They believed military leaders learned as much from the people they commanded as they taught them. They were demanding, but fair and compassionate commanders. “We are responsible for our men,” my father once said, “not the other way around. That’s what forges trust and loyalty.” They shirked no duty, braved extraordinary dangers, and were exceptional leaders. They were the first father and son to become four star admirals.

…

The family I was born to, and the family I am blessed with now, made me the man I am, and instilled in me a deep and abiding respect for the social institution that wields the greatest influence in the formation of our individual character and the character of our society. I may have been raised in a time when government did not dare to assume the responsibilities of parents. But I am a father in a time when parents worry that threats to their children’s well-being are proliferating and undermining the values they have worked to impart to them. That is not to say that government should dictate to parents how to raise their children or assume from parents any part of that most personal and important responsibility. No government is capable of caring for children as attentively and wisely as the mother and father who love them. But government must be attentive to the impact of its policies on families so that it does not through inattention or arrogance make it harder for parents to have the resources to succeed in the greatest work of their lives – raising their children. And where government has a role to play, in education, in combating the threats to the security and happiness of children from online predators, in helping to make health care affordable and accessible to the least fortunate among us, it must do so urgently, effectively and wisely.

Tax policy must not rob parents of the means to care for their children and provide them the opportunities their parents provided them. Government spending must not be squandered on things we do not need and can’t afford, and which don’t address a single American’s concern for their family’s security. Government can’t just throw money at public education while reinforcing the failures of many of our schools, but should, through choice and competition, by rewarding good teachers and holding bad teachers accountable, help parents prepare their children for the challenges and opportunities of the global economy. Government must be attentive to the impact on families of parents who have lost jobs in our changing economy that won’t come back. Our programs for displaced workers are antiquated, repetitive and ineffective. Many were designed for a time when unemployment was seasonal or a temporary consequence of an economic downturn, not for a time when systemic changes wrought by the growing global economy have, while promising undreamt of opportunities for ourselves and many historically poor societies, have cost too many parents the jobs they had assumed would be theirs for life.

…

I am the son and grandson of admirals. My grandfather was an aviator; my father a submariner. They were my first heroes, and their respect for me has been one of the most lasting ambitions of my life. They gave their lives to their country, and taught me lessons about honor, courage, duty, perseverance and leadership that I didn’t fully grasp until later in life, but remembered when I needed them most. I have been an imperfect servant of my country for many years. But I am their son, and they showed me how to love my country, and that has made all the difference for me, my friends, all the difference in the world.

Posted 03.31.08 11:07 AM | Comments (2)

"Between Barack And A Hard Place ... "

MN Sen. Amy Klobuchar endorsed Barack Obama this a.m. on a conference call with reporters. MN already voted, as you know, but her decision to go public for Obama represents a huge knock on Hillary Clinton. Klobuchar, the state's first female Sen, modeled her campaign on HRC's NY effort.

"Between Barack and a hard place, I chose Barack," Klobuchar said. The hard place, she qualified, was indecision.

"I am pleased today to announce my support for Barack Obama for president," Klobuchar said. "I believe that the Democratic Party is truly blessed this year with two candidates who would each be a strong president. And both of our candidates offer many excellent leadership qualities. I'm endorsing Barack Obama because he is a new kind of leader. He speaks with a diffferent voice. He brings a new perspective and inspires a real excitement from the American people. He's able to dissolve the hard cynical edge that has dominated our politics under the Bush Administration."

Klobuchar said Obama's "impressive showing in MN" was a critical reason for her decision. She said she delayed her announcement out of respect for both candidates -- despite their respective courtship of her (Klobuchar recalled that one of the Dems even called her cell phone while she was shopping in Costco). And she said that her 12-year-old daughter, Abigail, encouraged her to break her silence because to stay mum at this point in the race, the younger Klobuchar advised, was "awkward, mom, awkward."

Still, the MN Sen said she won't add to the calls from some of her colleagues for Clinton to withdraw from the race. "I believe that Sen. Clinton has every right to continue her campaign," she said. "... I have faith that our candidates will figure this out and that this will come to a conclusion in early summer."

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

Posted 03.31.08 10:22 AM | Comments (2)

March 28, 2008

The Week's Winners And Losers

Winners ...

Chelsea Clinton -- Launched a pitch perfect smackdown of a Butler University student who asked if the Monica Lewinsky scandal tarnished her mother's image. Also made a stitch of news today in Allentown, PA, when she asserted that Hillary Clinton would make a better president than Bill Clinton. Someone else has apparently found her voice ...

Barack Obama -- He has, perhaps for now, weathered the Rev. Jeremiah Wright storm by showing resilience in the polls. Appeared with a v. chummy Mike Bloomberg in NYC. (Twas a nicely-timed shout out to Jewish voters.) Endorsed by PA Sen. Bob Casey, which amounted to a seal of approval from the public face of a political family well-liked by the state's moderates (whites, Catholics) who favor their more conservative views on social issues, abortion in particular. Casey's endorsement was critical in a state that strongly favors Clinton.

John McCain -- Emerged from another week unscathed by repeated DNC attacks tying him to an unpopular president. Takes a fundraising jaunt to UT with Mitt Romney. (GOP looks So Happy Together while Dems contined to spar.) Aired first TV ad, a solid spot highlighting his service to country. Announced bio tour to MS, AZ, VA, MD, FL. Polling showed he has that crossover magic, as a good chunk of Dems (one-in-five at least) say they'd vote for him over the Dem they're not backing.

Losers ...

Hillary Clinton -- NBC/WSJ survey showed her approval rating at the lowest it's been since March 2001, two months after she was sworn in to the U.S. Senate. Botched Bosnia story prompts admission that she "misspoke," but she says the episode shows she's human. Attempts to rekindle Wright brouhaha, which falls flat. Sen. Pat Leahy, an Obama supporter, says today she should exit the race. Casey goes with Obama. Howard Dean says this contest won't go past early June. And maybe the Ragin' Cajun' hurt his gal with all that Judas talk, too.

David Paterson -- Revelations about ... Cocaine use. Marijuana. Trips with state worker girlfriend to IA and SC ... to work on HRC's campaign. Maybe he gets it out there, airs those demons. Or maybe the whole thing leaves Joe Bruno smacking his lips ...

Bill Clinton -- Continued to praise McCain on the trail. But notes, repeatedly, that the AZ Sen would be the oldest prez.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

Posted 03.28.08 06:20 PM | Comments (9)

Gallup: Obama Up 8 Pts

With due respect to our colleague Mark Blumenthal of Pollster.com, who has wisely urged caution in reading too much into Gallup's daily tracking polls, here's the latest for those of you who need a numbers fix:

Barack Obama 50%
Hillary Clinton 42%

Gallup notes that Obama's 8-point advantage matches his largest lead of the tracking program, a 50% to 42% showing in Feb. 28-March 1 polling. It appears that Obama battled back effectively after the Rev. Jeremiah Wright saga, while Clinton's numbers might still be suffering as a result of the Bosnia story.

Meanwhile, John McCain leads both Dems:

McCain 48%
Clinton 44%

McCain 46%
Obama 44%

Posted 03.28.08 05:09 PM | Comments (0)

Man Of Steelers

PITTSBURGH/BRADDOCK, PA -- Barack Obama smiled through short photo ops today with two very different kinds of steelers.

Obama posed with former Pittsburgh Steelers players Jerome Bettis and Franco Harris before traveling to Braddock to greet shift workers at the U.S. Steel plant.

Harris was a Steelers star who played in several Super Bowls in the 1970s. Bettis, nicknamed "The Bus," lead the Steelers to their most recent Super Bowl win before retiring. "The Bus" was on the bus to the U.S. Steel plant, and Bettis made sure to grab Obama's autograph and give him a back thumping hug before dropping off.

Obama then headed to Braddock, where he mingled and shook hands with steel workers waiting outside to greet him. Obama spent about twenty minutes outside and addressed the crowd at one point and posed for a group picture.

Sen. Bob Casey also joined Obama here.

(NBC/NJ's ASWINI ANBURAJAN)

Posted 03.28.08 04:41 PM | Comments (0)

Gore On "60 Minutes" ... First Sit Down In Six Mos.

Al Gore sits down with Lesley Stahl on "60 Minutes" this Sunday in a rare interview -- rare because it's been almost six months since Gore had a serious sit down with a journalist. Gore's last TV interview was 11/5/07 on the "Today" show but that was for the program's "Today Goes Green" series. Politically, Gore's last interview was 9/26/07 when he talked with Wolf Blitzer on CNN's "Situation Room."

As for Gore's last big press run, it was in May 2007 when his book "The Assault on Reason" came out. During that month, Gore did the standard media tour -- the morning shows, "Larry King Live," "Nightline," and "Charlie Rose" -- plus stops on CBS' "Late Show" and the "Daily Show."

And for those keeping track, when Gore decided not to run for POTUS in '04, he gave the exclusive to Stahl.

(EMILY GOODIN)

Posted 03.28.08 02:31 PM | Comments (1)

Chelsea: Mom Would Be A Better Prez Than Dad

ALLENTOWN, PA - Chelsea Clinton was asked whether her mother would be a better president than her father, and she said yes. Speaking at Lehigh Valley Hospital today, she laughed when a man in the front row asked her to choose between her parents.

"His question is, 'Do I think my mother will be a better president than my father,'" she said. "Well, again, I don't take anything for granted, but hopefully with Pennsylvania's help, she will be our next president, and yes, I do think she'll be a better president."

Clinton spoke for more than an hour at the hospital, taking mostly questions about healthcare issues.

(NBC/NJ's MATTHEW BERGER)

Posted 03.28.08 02:11 PM | Comments (4)

Tewes To Run PA For Obama

Paul Tewes, Barack Obama's Iowa state director, will head to the Keystone State tomorrow to take over the campaign's GOTV operation.

Per Deputy Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer: "Now that the voter registraton deadlne has passed, we have entered the GOTV phase of the campaign in Pennslyvania. Tewes has joined the Pennsylvania campaign on the ground here to lead this effort He will serve as state director."

Pfeiffer added that Jim DeMay, who had been the state director up until this point will "continue to play an advisory role our campaign." DeMay was Al Gore's PA state director in 2000.

Added Pfieffer: "While we remain the underodog, we are working as hard as we can to get as many votes as possible."

Tewes has a strong track record. Under his leadership, the Obama campaign conducted an extensive grassroots effort in Iowa that helped the campaign win by 8 percentage points.

(NBC/NJ's ASWINI ANBURAJAN)

Posted 03.28.08 02:06 PM | Comments (5)

Weekend Lineup

Here are the scheduled guests for the Sunday public affairs shows and other weekend programs:

SUNDAY SHOWS:

Meet the Press hosts CIA dir. Michael Hayden and a roundtable with New York Times' David Brooks and New Republic's Peter Beinart.

Face the Nation hosts NM Gov. Bill Richardson (D), Philly Mayor Mike Nutter, Dem strategist Joe Trippi and Slate's John Dickerson.

This Week hosts PA Gov. Ed Rendell (D), and Sens. John Kerry (D-MA) and Joe Lieberman (I-CT).

Fox News Sunday hosts Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Jack Reed (D-RI) and the power player is Washington Nat'ls pres. Stan Kasten.

Late Edition hosts ex-State Dept. adviser Aaron Miller, NBC's Martin Fletcher, Chilean Amb. Heraldo Munoz, Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL), Dem strategist James Carville, and a roundtable with CNN's Dana Bash, CNN's Ed Henry, and CNN's Jeffrey Toobin.

OTHER WEEKEND SHOWS:

Washington Week hosts National Journal's James Barnes and Los Angeles Times' Doyle McManus on the Dem WH campaign and Politico's Jeanne Cummings and AP's Charles Babington on how the economy is affecting WH '08 (PBS, FRI, 8 pm).

Real Time features comedian Robert Klein, Washington Post's Robin Wright, talk show host Tavis Smiley, and actor John Cusack (HBO, FRI, 11 pm).

Political Capital talks with Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton about the economy (Bloomberg, FRI, 7:30 pm).

Newsmakers hosts Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) (C-SPAN, SUN, 10 am/6 pm).

Road to the White House features Karl Rove's speech on WH '08 at GW (C-SPAN, SUN, 6:30 pm/9:30 pm).

Q&A features a Brian Lamb interview with ex-CBS corr. Roger Mudd (C-SPAN, SUN, 8 pm/11 pm).

Chris Matthews Show hosts NBC's Tom Brokaw, Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Cynthia Tucker, Washington Post's Eugene Robinson, and NBC's Andrea Mitchell (NBC, check local listings).

60 Minutes features a Lesley Stahl interview with Al Gore (CBS, SUN, 7 pm).

(EMILY GOODIN)

Posted 03.28.08 01:37 PM | Comments (1)

Dean On McCain Ad: Just Another "Bush Republican"

The DNC released this statement from Howard Dean today, reacting to John McCain's first TV ad of the general:

"The American people have been waiting for a president who understands the challenges they face, not another out of touch Bush Republican who promises four more years of the same failed leadership. John McCain can try to reintroduce himself to the country, but he can't change the fact that he cast aside his principles to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with President Bush for the last seven years. While we honor McCain's military service, the fact is Americans want a real leader who offers real solutions, not a blatant opportunist who doesn't understand the economy and is promising to keep our troops in Iraq for 100 years."

UPDATE, 5:30 p.m.: The RNC, as you might expect, took offense at the "blatant opportunist' remark. Here's RNC Deputy Chairman Frank Donatelli's response ...

“It is beyond comprehension that Howard Dean would smear John McCain’s character by stating he is a ‘blatant opportunist.’ John McCain served our nation heroically and valiantly and it is absolutely unacceptable that the chairman of the Democratic National Committee would attack Senator McCain for discussing his record with the American people. Dean’s comments are the latest in what has become a troubling pattern where the chairman of the national party has questioned Senator McCain’s character and integrity. Howard Dean owes John McCain an immediate apology and both Senators Clinton and Obama should unequivocally denounce this disgraceful attack.”

Posted 03.28.08 12:56 PM | Comments (0)

Quote Of The Day

From today's Hotline:

"One thing I think people overstate is that he is my spiritual adviser."

-- Barack Obama, on Jeremiah Wright, "The View," ABC, 3/28.

Posted 03.28.08 12:48 PM | Comments (2)

"Enough"

Barack Obama airs first TV spot in NC. Main message: Many Americans are living paycheck to paycheck. Stop giving tax breaks to companies sending jobs overseas. "Enough is enough," he says.

UPDATE: The RNC weighed on this ad a few moments ago. Per spokesman Alex Conant: “Enough is enough. If you cut through his rhetoric, the record is clear: Obama doesn’t think Americans are being taxed enough. Voters in North Carolina have rejected tax-and-spend Democrats for decades, and they will reject Barack Obama and his misleading rhetoric.”

Posted 03.28.08 12:39 PM | Comments (2)

McCain Bio Tour Hits Four Possible Swing States

MS, VA, FL, AZ ... and the Dem-reliable MD (which is home, of course, to the Naval Academy)

Specific sched -- tour starts Monday -- available after the jump.

Monday, March 31, 2008

MERIDIAN, MISSISSIPPI

WHO: John McCain

WHAT: Speech

WHEN: Monday, March 31, 2008 at 8:45 a.m. CST
Press Set Up Time: 7:45 a.m. CST

WHERE: Mississippi State University
Riley Center
2200 Fifth Street
Meridian, Mississippi 39301

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA

WHO: John McCain

WHAT: Town Hall Meeting

WHEN: Tuesday, April 1, 2008 at 10:15 a.m. EST
Press Set Up Time: 9:15 a.m. EST

WHERE: Episcopal High School
Filippin Field House
3900 Braddock Road
Alexandria, Virginia 22312

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND

WHO: John McCain

WHAT: Speech

WHEN: Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 9:00 a.m. EST
Press Set Up Time: 8:00 a.m. EST

WHERE: Navy and Marine Corps Memorial Stadium
Superintendents Pavilion
304 Farragut Road
Annapolis, Maryland 21401

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA

WHO: John McCain

WHAT: Speech

WHEN: Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 3:45 p.m. CST
Press Set Up Time: 2:45 p.m. CST

WHERE: Pensacola Junior College
Lou Ross Center
1000 College Boulevard
Pensacola, Florida 32504

Thursday, April 3, 2008

JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA

WHO: John McCain

WHAT: Speech

WHEN: Thursday, April 3, 2008 at 8:45 a.m. EST
Press Set Up Time: 7:45 a.m. EST

WHERE: Cecil Field
FCCJ Aviation Center of Excellence
Aviation Hangar 14
13510 Aerospace Way
Jacksonville, Florida 32221

Saturday, April 5, 2008

PRESCOTT, ARIZONA

WHO: John McCain

WHAT: Speech

WHEN: Saturday, April 5, 2008 at 10:00 a.m. PST
Press Set Up Time: 9:00 a.m. PST

WHERE: Yavapai County Courthouse Steps
120 South Cortez Street
Prescott, Arizona 86303

Posted 03.28.08 12:06 PM | Comments (0)

Not Going To Happen

My favorite comment today from a top Dem strategist about the 'Al Gore saves the day' rumblings:

"Gore buzz is crack-smoking Fox chatter," he writes to On Call. "Everybody knows how this movie will end, but that doesn't mean that it's not good drama."

Posted 03.28.08 11:58 AM | Comments (0)

McKinnon: Dems' Battle "Enormous Gift" To McCain

Mark McKinnon tells NJ Contributing Editor Linda Douglass today that the Dems’ prolonged and bitter nomination battle is “an enormous gift to John McCain." He also reiterates that he won’t make ads for McCain if Barack Obama is the nominee and calls Obama a man of great character.

A snippet of the interview:

Q: So you've said that you will leave the McCain campaign if Obama is the nominee. Does that still hold and why?

McKinnon: Yeah. Well, this goes back to a memo that I wrote to the campaign when I came aboard more than a year and a half ago, and I simply let them know that I had spent time with Obama and read his book and I like the guy. I think he has strong character and a fascinating life story, and I disagree with him fundamentally on issues like Iraq and trade and a number of others. But I just flashed forward to the improbable scenario, at that time seemingly improbable, that John McCain and Barack Obama might face off against one other. And I just told them at the time that I thought that I would be uncomfortable being on the front lines -- being as aggressive as you need to be in a presidential campaign -- and not only that I would be uncomfortable, but that it would be bad for the campaign, and that if that circumstance were to come to be, that I would just take a step to the sidelines and continue to support John McCain 100 percent and be No. 1 fan and cheerleader. But just kind of take myself out of the front lines.

Q: So you are still going to do that?

McKinnon: I'm a man of my word.

Posted 03.28.08 11:11 AM | Comments (1)

Must Reads

The AP reports that Al Gore thinks the Dem race will work itself out just fine before the Denver convention.

PA Sen. Bob Casey backs Barack Obama, gets on the campaign bus, writes the Philly Inquirer.

Dr. Dean tells CBS that Super Ds must make up their minds by July 1.

Posted 03.28.08 10:54 AM | Comments (0)

McCain's First TV Ad

John McCain ... American hero. Let the branding begin.

The campaign announced today as well that McCain will embark on a "Service to America" tour "where he will introduce himself to the nation through a series of speeches and visits that trace the life of a man indebted to his nation, humbled by the opportunity to serve his country, honored by his family's love and deeply moved by his fellow Americans' courage and sacrifice. The tour will highlight the events and figures that shaped his views of right and wrong, forgiveness and grace and the tradition of service and sacrifice ingrained in him from generations of McCains. This "Service to America" tour will fundamentally be about the future of America and the change John McCain will bring as president, informed by the values that have guided his life."

Script after jump.

Script For "624787" (:60-TV)

JOHN MCCAIN: Keep that faith. Keep your courage. Stick together. Stay strong. Do not yield. Stand up. We're Americans. And we'll never surrender.

ANNCR: What must a president believe about us? About America?

That she is worth protecting?

That liberty is priceless?

Our people, honorable?

Our future, prosperous, remarkable and free?

And, what must we believe about that president?

What does he think?

Where has he been?

Has he walked the walk?

INTERVIEWER: What is your rank?

JOHN MCCAIN: Lt. Commander in the Navy.

INTERVIEWER: And your official number?

JOHN MCCAIN: 624787

ANNCR: John McCain

The American president Americans have been waiting for.

JOHN MCCAIN: I'm John McCain and I approve this message.

Posted 03.28.08 10:23 AM | Comments (2)

Hotline After Dark -- It's The Economy ...

Barack Obama made the media rounds last night:

Asked if the party is hurt by the long-term battle between him and Hillary Clinton: "I don't think we are hurt long-term. I think short-term, there is gonna be work to do for the nominee to bring the party back together again."

More: "I think what's going to happen is, is that there are gonna be some bruised feelings, whoever the nominee is."

On Rev. Wright: "If all I saw of Reverend Wright were the 30-second or 1-minute clips that have been looped over the last 2 weeks again and again. You know, it's as if we took the five dumbest things that I ever said or you ever said in our lives and compressed them and put them out there, you know, I think that people's reaction would be understandably, upset" ("World News," ABC, 3/27).

More Obama, on Wright: "I've, I think, talked thoroughly about, you know, the issue with Reverend Wright. And, you know, everybody, I think, who examines the church that I attend knows that it is a very traditional, conventional church. Reverend Wright has made some, you know, troubling statements and some appalling statements that I have condemned. He's the former pastor of that church. And when I travel around the country, what people are really interested is making sure that, if I'm going to be the next president, that I can actually help them stay in their homes, get a job, send their kids to college. That's something that's shared by people across races, religions. And part of what I hope to do in this campaign and as president is to get us beyond these divisions that distract us from our common challenges and our common opportunities and move the country forward" ("Closing Bell," CNBC, 3/27).

On Iraq: "When the violence was high, John McCain and George Bush said we can't leave because the violence is high. When we reduced the violence, they said we can't leave because we've made progress. This is part of the problem that we have."

Asked when Clinton should leave the race: "I think that is something that she's got to make a decision about. And, you know, I have always said that I'm prepared to, you know, go and contest every single state."

More: "I think that what's going to happen is as soon as the nominee is determined, whether that is two weeks from now or in early June that there will be some bruised feelings. People are going to have to patch things together, and we Democrats have to get out act together and win this election" ("Evening News," CBS, 3/27).

After the jump, Clinton talks family with NBC and James Carville has more things to say about NM Gov. Bill Richardson (D). (EMILY GOODIN)

FAMILY TIES

NBC's Williams: "We are tonight here, beginning a special series of occasional reports on a side of these presidential candidates you don't always see. Viewed through their relationships with their own families. Beginning tonight with Hillary Clinton's parents."

NBC's Mitchell: "She was a child of the 50s from a typical middle-class household with depression-era parents who raised anything but a typical daughter."

Clinton, on her father: "He was gruff and he was tough and he was kind of a real no-nonsense sort of man."

Clinton, on her father being a GOPer: "He was until rather late in his life. I think my husband had a lot to with changing his mind."

Mitchell: "It was her soft-spoken mother who taught her how to fight neighborhood bullies."

Clinton, on her mother: "She met me at the door and she said, there is no place for cowards in this house. You have to go back outside and handle your problems" ("Nightly News," NBC, 3/27).

THE CAJUN CONTINUES TO RAGE

And Clinton supporter/Dem strategist James Carville charge NM Gov. Bill Richardson (D) with telling high-profile Dem contributors that he planned to endorse Clinton:

Carville: "My phone has been ringing off the hook with people, major, like, donors in the Democratic Party, telling me that he made representations to them that were not true. I'm obviously not at liberty to say their names, but their initials are Elizabeth Bagley, Haim Saban, Alan Patricof. People like that, who are very, very senior people, who Governor Richardson was not candid with. There are many other people that tell me the same thing. And I will allow their initials out at some future date. I think what the governor needs to do is say that he hadn't handled this very well and was not candid and frank with people, and I think this whole thing will go away. But I think he owes a lot of people in this party an apology."

More: "He made misrepresentations. He told people that he was going to endorse Senator Clinton, that he couldn't endorse someone else, and then at the same time apparently he was -- he was doing something else, and people are justifiably and understandably furious about this. And by the way, I have never attacked any other supporter of Senator Obama. Many of them are dear friends of mine. Some of them are some of my best friends. I thought that this was an exceptional case that merited special consideration" ("LKL," CNN, 3/27).

Posted 03.28.08 08:51 AM | Comments (1)

March 27, 2008

Sources: HRC Nixed Williams' Staff Shake-Up Plan

Maggie Williams, who replaced Patti Solis Doyle as Hillary Clinton's campaign manager in 2/08, considered asking the entire campaign staff to tender their resignations after the OH and TX primaries on 3/4, according to several sources close to the campaign.

“She essentially wanted the whole staff to reapply for their jobs,” said one source.

According to another Clinton insider, the plan was in the works despite their 3/4 victories. But before Williams could make it happen, Clinton herself nixed the idea as unnecessary.

For Williams, such a move reflects a need to assert control over an increasingly fractured staff. Reports of turmoil within the campaign -- like the now infamous Penn-Grunwald shouting match -- began leaking to the press under her tenure. And a campaign insider confirmed that Williams questioned the loyalty of her staff as a result.

Some speculate that the litmus test of asking her staff to reapply for their jobs was conceived with an eye towards weeding out of the more entrenched staffers, particularly those who had closely aligned themselves with Solis Doyle. “I think they realized that getting rid of Patti wasn’t a big enough fix,” said another source, on William’s motivations.

In the last few weeks, a slew of staffers close to Doyle, including Jessica O'Connell, the national director of operations, and longtime campaign staffer Adam Parkhomenko left. Deputy campaign manager Mike Henry and online staffers Kevin Thurman and Crystal Patterson also offered their resignations last month in the wake of Doyle’s departure.

Clinton campaign staff contacted said if any sort of plan was in place they never got wind of it. Responding to inquirers, Clinton spokesperson Phil Singer denied that such a plan was ever in the works [NORA MCALVANAH].

Posted 03.27.08 07:15 PM | Comments (4)

This Bloomberg Business And The Misery Ticket

With an afternoon of meetings behind me, I have a few thoughts about Mike Bloomberg's appearance with Barack Obama today in NYC and the post photo-op speculation that they'd make a fine pair.

Won't happen.

Reason 1: Obama might have a Jewish problem (might not, still unclear), but his veep decision will have to remedy what's shaping up to be a potentially bigger issue for him -- white, male, rural voters. And Bloomberg, though he satisfies the first characteristic, doesn't have that rural, moderate cred. Jewish, single, wine-swilling, billionaire. Not exactly Joe Six Pack's political besheret.

Reason 2: Obama does indeed have a foreign policy experience deficit, and with an Iraq pullout imminent with either one of the Dems in the WH, he's going to need someone on board to help shape that effort. And, more importantly in the short-term, he has to enlist a veep who can credibly argue on the trail that Obama has the disposition and thoughtfulness and depth to weigh difficult decisions and to learn quickly on the job. Meanwhile, John McCain's perceived strength on foreign policy and his undeniable vet cred requires that someone on the Dem side offer a foil. And we know Obama won't match up on his own.

Reason 3: Geography. This election is going to be an exercise in keeping or flipping a few critical states: OH, PA, NC, NH, FL and MI. Sure, geography hasn't been at the top of any nom's list of requirements in picking a running mate in recent years (though it would've been nice indeed for John Kerry if John Edwards had carried his home state). This year, though, it could count.

Reason 4: And finally, I think the longer this Dem fight continues, the more likely it is that Obama has no choice but to run with Hillary Clinton. Yes, I know this potentially violates my Reasons 2 and 3. And, yes, I know they're scratching each other's eyes out. I also know that she's provided the GOP with their talking points -- Obama isn't ready to be commander in chief or a steward of the economy. But, how are the dissatisfied masses of her supporters, after a possible floor fight, going to be placated? Ok, Obama/Clinton is no longer looking like The Dream Ticket -- even the folks at the Kodak Theatre debate might, these days, cringe at the suggestion. Call it The Misery Ticket. And let's get on with it.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

Posted 03.27.08 06:03 PM | Comments (9)

Quote Of The Day

From today's Hotline:

"I don't think the nominee of the party will be considered legitimate if we don't figure out how to count those votes."

-- Hillary Clinton, on MI and FL, "On the Record," FNC, 3/26.

Posted 03.27.08 12:43 PM | Comments (1)

Used

The Huff Post's Sam Stein had this nice catch today: Apparently, John McCain's "major" economic speech this week included a recycled graph from an October 2001 Wall Street Journal op-ed.

This week's speech included:
"The lives of a nation's finest patriots are sacrificed. Innocent people suffer and die," McCain told the Los Angeles World Affairs Council. "Commerce is disrupted; economies are damaged; strategic interests shielded by years of patient statecraft are endangered as the exigencies of war and diplomacy conflict. Not the valor with which it is fought nor the nobility of the cause it serves, can glorify war. Whatever gains are secured, it is loss the veteran remembers most keenly. Only a fool or a fraud sentimentalizes the merciless reality of war. However heady the appeal of a call to arms, however just the cause, we should still shed a tear for all that is lost when war claims its wages from us... we cannot wish the war to be a better place."

October 2001 piece:
"War is a miserable business," the Arizona Senator wrote in a Wall Street Journal oped in October 2001. "The lives of a nation's finest patriots are sacrificed. Innocent people suffer and die. Commerce is disrupted, economies are damaged. Strategic interests shielded by years of patient statecraft are endangered as the exigencies of war and diplomacy conflict. However heady the appeal of a call to arms, however just the cause, we should still shed a tear for all that will be lost when war claims its wages from us. Shed a tear, and then get on with the business of killing our enemies as quickly as we can, and as ruthlessly as we must. There is no avoiding the war we are in today, any more than we could have avoided world war after our fleet was bombed at Pearl Harbor.... War is a miserable business. Let's get on with it."

We're all for recycling, but c'mon!

Posted 03.27.08 11:38 AM | Comments (6)

More Mac On Obama Action

John McCain's campaign criticized Barack Obama's economic speech today, while Hillary Clinton is expected to hit McCain during her talk on the economy in NC -- and her campaign teased as much by leaking her related comments. V. interesting that McCain seems to rarely, if ever, hit Clinton. Nothing out of them yet today on the Clinton slams. He's ready, at least, for the general to commence.

From McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds: "No amount of rhetoric can hide Senator Obama's clear record of embracing the liberal tax and spend, big government policies that hit hardworking American families at a time when they're most vulnerable, and are certain to move America backward. This election provides a clear choice. John McCain offers a common sense agenda to cut taxes, eliminate wasteful government spending, and get our economy back on track, while Senator Obama embraces the failed liberal policies of the past that lock down the ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit that has always grown our economy, created jobs and expanded opportunity for the American people."

Clinton speech snippets after the jump.

Clinton: Sometimes the phone rings at 3am in the White House and it’s an economic crisis. And we need a president who is ready and willing to answer that call. But I read Senator McCain's plan which does virtually nothing to ease the credit crisis or the housing crisis. The phone is ringing and he would just let it ring and ring.

Senator McCain is a friend of mine but he said himself, “The issue of economics is not something I’ve understood as well as I should.” He’d rather ignore the credit crisis and mortgage crisis – or blame middle class families instead of offering solutions on their behalf.

We've had enough of a president who didn’t know enough about economics, and didn’t do enough for the middle class. I don't think we can afford four more years. I believe we have to answer the call and act aggressively to deal with the housing and credit crises. That’s the kind of president we need after eight years of George Bush.

While we are fighting to create jobs, and keep them here in America, today I’m announcing that I will commit $2.5 billion each year to help workers train for new jobs and improve their skills for their existing jobs as well.

We are competing in a new global economy, but our policies to equip American worker for the twenty-first century are stuck back in the twentieth. When it comes to retraining assistance, our government is more focused on how you lost your job than how you can find a new one. And while we have been rightly focused on trying to help people who are out of work, there’s been too little thought and effort to help people gain new skills while they still have their existing jobs – so they can move up or move on to higher-wage positions.

I will make Universal Worker Adjustment Assistance available to every single dislocated worker. No American should feel left behind – if you are willing to work hard and retrain, we’ll reward your hard work with help getting trained, finding a new job, and making the adjustment to a new field or industry.

We’ll also create new tools and options for you to get job skills or a college education while working. You shouldn’t have to produce a pink slip to get help training for a new, higher-paying job. I’ll create Pell Grants that people can use to retrain and attend college while working.

And the government should not wait until it’s too late to act. I am proposing an innovative new program. It’s called “The Pre-emptive Training Initiative.” When a factory closes its doors, or a plant moves overseas, that’s a shock for families – and for whole communities. We shouldn’t wait until the lock is placed on the gates to recognize the problem.

Posted 03.27.08 11:12 AM | Comments (0)

Romney In The House

John McCain will host a $1k/plate fundraiser in Salt Lake City today with Mitt Romney. Romney will then travel with the McCain campaign to Denver, reports NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner-Treworgy.

The Salt Lake Tribune reminds readers that Romney won Utah's primary with 90 percent of the vote (more than 60 percent of the state is Mormon). More: "While McCain raised about $183,000 from Utahns since January 2007, Romney raised millions."

The paper also reports that Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., who has running mate potential, will be on hand for the fundraiser.

Posted 03.27.08 10:58 AM | Comments (4)

Job Training

Hillary Clinton will announce a new proposal to support job training today during a stop at a technical college in Raleigh, NC.

The new plan would cost $12.5 billion over five years.

The stop will be the first of a six-day tour through NC, IN and PA, where she'll focus on the economy, according to her campaign staff.

The idea is to demonstrate Clinton's ability to be a steward of the economy, a point the campaign has hammered in recent weeks in an effort to show Barack Obama doesn't have related policy experience. She will highlight state and local initiatives that she believes are working. The focus on job training and re-training, is something NC Gov. Mike Easley has also pushed and Clinton argues the federal government should partner with state and local governments on these kinds of initiatives.

The plan would make job training available to displaced workers, provide new Pell grants for displaced workers who enroll in training and education programs to upgrade skills and support new on-the-job training programs.

Her campaign said to expect additional comments today about John McCain and the economy.

Aides see NC as an "uphill battle" but say it's also a place where they see opportunities.

(NBC/NJ's ATHENA JONES)

Posted 03.27.08 10:38 AM | Comments (4)

HPN: Updates From Our State Affiliates

Updates from our Hotline Political Network Affiliates

West Virginia -- Lincoln Walks at Midnight

New Jersey -- PoliticsNJ

California -- The Roundup

Missouri -- JohnCombest.com

Illinois -- Capitol Fax

Tennessee -- Tennessee Politics Blog

Florida -- SayfieReview.com

Alabama -- Doc's Political Parlor

Colorado -- ColoradoPols.com

Wisconsin -- WisPolitics

Texas -- Harvey Kronberg's Quorum Report

Georgia -- Political and Policy Digest

Iowa -- IowaPolitics.com

New York -- The Politicker

New Hampshire -- NHNewslinks.com

Posted 03.27.08 10:20 AM | Comments (0)

Hotline After Dark -- Calling All Delegates

Hillary Clinton went "On the Record" last night:

On her Rev. Wright comments: "I was asked ... very point-blank yesterday what I would have done had I been in a position where someone was, you know, making those kinds of comments, and I said I would have left. ...I've spoken out against all kinds of words that I thought were inappropriate. ... About a year ago, I was very outspoken about Don Imus and what he said on his radio station. And I went to Rutgers, and I made a speech about how, you know, we've got to end demeaning words and ... the kind of inflammatory words that Don Imus and others have been known to utter. And it's a very personal decision. ... You don't get to pick your family, but you do get to pick, you know, the church or the synagogue that you attend, and I ... said that I would have left, and that's how I feel about it."

On misspeaking about her Bosnia trip as first lady: "Obviously, you know, I'm a human being. I made a mistake and owned up to it. But that's not what people talk to me about. When I'm out campaigning ... people want to talk about the economy and health care."

On Iraq: "Senator Obama has said he was opposed the war. He opposed it in '02, '03, '04, '05, '06, '07 and '08. But the fact is, when he came to the Senate, he and I have voted the same, except for one vote. And that means to me that you want to go with someone who has said, Look, I know how to get us out of Iraq. I know the tough decisions we have to make. I've laid out a comprehensive plan for doing just that. And Senator Obama has basically run his whole campaign on a speech he made in 2002."

On the campaign: "I don't think that the nominee of the party will be considered legitimate if we don't figure out how to count those votes for Michigan and Florida."

After the jump, Clinton on calls for her to drop out, pledged delegates and a convention battle. Also, TN Gov. Phil Bredesen (D) discusses his proposal to pick the Dem nominee.

(EMILY GOODIN)

More Clinton: "You can always go to the convention. That's what credential fights are for. You know, let's have the Democratic Party go on record against seating the Michigan and Florida delegations three months before the general election. I don't think that will happen."

On pledged delegates: "Delegates are free to exercise their judgment, all delegates, whether you are from a caucus or you are from a primary or your so-called appointed delegate. This is a very fluid race. And I see it changing every day."

On calls for her to drop out: "What is important about this ... is that people don't want this to be over. There was some poll today somebody told me about where, you know, 22 percent of people said I should and 22 percent of the people said Obama should quit, and 62 percent said, let it go on. That is what people are telling me. That is what we have to do. Let the voters have a chance to be heard. Nobody should be, you know, writing obituaries on this race, because it is a long way from being over" (FNC, 3/26).

IT MAY TAKE A SWISS CONVENTION TO SOLVE THIS THING

TN Gov. Phil Bredesen (D) made the media rounds to discuss his proposal for picking a Dem nominee:

Bredesen: "I think there's a big danger in these delegates being seen to be in a back room somewhere and making decisions and making deals with the candidates, and that's why I'd like to do it out front in the sunlight and get it done in June."

More: "You take someone like myself. Barack Obama is ahead nationally. Hillary Clinton won my state. ... Where do you go with that? I think You have to exercise some independent judgment. You have to be prepared to explain why you did that. And whatever happens at this point, I mean, there's going to be hard feelings. This thing has already gotten very difficult in the Democratic Party. I'd much rather have those things happen in June, when we have a summer to repair it, than have it happen, you know -- suddenly, it's Labor Day and it's two months until the election."

MSNBC's Matthews: "Do you think revenge voting is going to be a problem in November, Hillary people voting for McCain, Barack people voting for McCain in either case because their candidate lost the nomination?"

Bredesen: "Yes, I wouldn't know as I'd call it revenge voting, but I think that if you feel strong enough against one of those candidates, there are plenty of swing voters in the middle in this country that, you know, are going to decide which way they're going to go based on which candidate they prefer. And I'm afraid that's what's going to happen, especially if we spend all summer in the party with each candidate explaining all the reasons why the other one isn't qualified to be president and can't be elected and those things. It's hard to dig your way out of in September."

Asked his solution: "I think you wait until the primaries are over. That's June 3. I think the DNC needs to convene a meeting of the superdelegates. It needs to be done in the open, so there's no back room deals going on, and ask them to put themselves on record and let's see if we can't decide who the nominee is" ("Hardball," MSNBC, 3/26).

Asked if he's discussed this with the Clinton and Obama camps: "Yes. I certainly gave them a heads-up when I did the piece in the New York Times putting the idea on the table. And there have been some conversations since then. One of them, I guess Senator Obama has come out moderately warmly, said something nice about it at the end of the week. And, certainly, in the conversation I had with Senator Clinton, she wasn't trashing it at all. She's saying she had to think about it, but asked a number of, I thought, intelligent questions about how it might work. So, I wouldn't expect them to weigh in on it within a day or two, but I hope that they're thinking about it, because we have got to find some way to get out of this mess that we're in."

CNN's Blitzer: "So, just to be precise, you spoke with both Senator Clinton and Senator Obama personally?"

Bredesen: "No, I spoke with Senator Clinton personally. And Senator Obama and I traded calls a couple times, but then we talked to one of his chief staff people and made sure they had all the information. He and I have not talked personally about it."

Asked DNC Chair Howard Dean's reax: "Well, when I spoke to him about it on Wednesday morning, I won't say he was real warm about the idea. And, you know, he's not been incredibly supportive. But I would just say, you know, if you agree something's got to be done, what's your plan? If there's a better plan, believe me, I'm all for it. I just want to put a bookend on this thing in the middle of June, so that we don't have a disastrous summer for the party" ("Situation Room," CNN, 3/26).

Posted 03.27.08 08:49 AM | Comments (2)

March 26, 2008

NBC/WSJ Poll: Hillary's Negatives Highest Of Contest

An NBC/WSJ survey out tonight shows it's Hillary Clinton, not Barack Obama, who has taken a hit in the wake of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright revelations.

At 37 percent, Clinton's approval rating is the lowest it's been since NBC/WSJ polled in March 2001, two months after she was sworn into the Senate. Obama's, by comparison, is 49 percent.

The poll asked several questions about Obama's speech and Wright. It was taken Monday and Tuesday and oversampled for African Americans.

NBC's Chuck Todd writes: "Of those voters who said they saw the speech, 47 percent said Obama sufficiently addressed the Wright issue while 37 percent said he needs to address it further. Among whites, 45 percent were satisfied with Obama's explanation, 38 percent were not. Among blacks, 67 percent said the speech was sufficient, while 25 percent want him to address it further."

Another interesting tidbit from Todd: "When asked if the three presidential candidates could be successful in uniting the country if they were elected president, 60 percent of all voters believed Obama could be successful at doing this, 58 percent of all voters said McCain could unite the country while only 46 percent of voters said the same about Clinton."

The head-to-head primary match-up shows Obama and Clinton tied at 45 percent. Obama leads John McCain by 2 percentage points, while McCain edges Clinton by 2 percentage points. Both results are within the 3.7 percent margin of error.

Here's Tim Russert's analysis:

Posted 03.26.08 09:45 PM | Comments (16)

A 500K Day For HRC

The Clinton camp says it raised $500,000 today through three events - one in New York, two in Washington.

Spokesman Mo Elleithee said there were some 2,500 people at the evening event at the Daughters of the American Revolution Constitution Hall in Washington. Ticket prices started at $25.

The half million figure does not include online contributions, which aren't counted until the end of the day.

The DAR event made no news, with Clinton, who was introduced by her daughter, delivering a standard stump speech that lasted about 40 minutes.

(NBC/NJ's ATHENA JONES)

Posted 03.26.08 09:38 PM | Comments (3)

"A Wonderful, Welcoming Church"

GREENSBORO -- Barack Obama today defended his controversial pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, and invited people to visit his church, a direct counter to Hillary Clinton's Tuesday comment that Wright never would have been her religious leader.

Obama said that Trinity, where Wright was the pastor for 30 years, is a "wonderful, welcoming church" that had a pastor who was "trying to teach a lesson connecting scripture to our daily lives."

Obama said that his "former pastor said some objectionable things when I wasn't in church on those particular days, and I have condemned them outright."

But trying to contextualize Wright's comments, Obama added: "I do have to remind people, though, this is somebody who was preaching at least 3 sermons at least a week for 30 years. And so, [sic] got boiled down, they found five or six of his most offensive statements, boiled that down to half an hour sound clip or half minute sound clip, and just played it over and over again."

He said the clips spoke "to some of the racial divisions that we have in this country and tapped into those divisions. I hope people don't get distracted by this because as I said in my speech last week on Tuesday we can't afford to be distracted."

Clinton said yesterday in an interview with the Pittsburgh Tribune Review that individuals can't choose their relatives but they can choose their church.

Her campaign was silent on the issue for a week, and Obama's supporters yesterday accused Clinton of raising Wright to distract from her mistaken recollection of her trip to Bosnia.

Obama today reminded his NC audience, which was majority Black, that Trinity belonged to a majority White denomination.

"United Church of Christ is, by the way, is 99 percent white denomination," Obama said.

Today, speaking to the young White man who had asked Obama about his faith, he said that focusing on Wright was a distraction.

"You and I, we are both Christians," Obama said to the young man. "And even if you're not a Christian, we are both Americans. And we cannot solve the problems of America, if every time somebody somewhere says something stupid that everybody gets up in arms."

(NBC/NJ's ASWINI ANBURAJAN)

Posted 03.26.08 05:06 PM | Comments (24)

Dead Horse

A federal judge ruled today that MI's presidential primary law is unconstitutional and blocked the state from giving voter lists from the Jan. 15 election to the state's major political parties.

The Detroit News: "U.S. District Judge Nancy Edmunds in Detroit ruled that the law's provision giving the list of voters' partisan preference only to the Democratic and Republican parties violated the rights of several small parties, who argued that the information should be distributed to all who wanted it or to no one."

The critical fallout ... Ruling makes it even less likely that the Jan. 15 results wil be counted OR that there will be a redo. Clinton's campaign promptly responded to the news with another call for a revote in MI.

From HRC campaign manager Maggie Williams:

In the wake of today's court ruling regarding Michigan’s January 15th primary, we urge Senator Obama to join our call for a party-run primary and demonstrate his commitment to counting Michigan's votes.

Senator Clinton has consistently urged that the more that 600,000 votes cast by the people of Michigan be counted and if that is not possible, that a new election be held.

Michigan voters must not be disenfranchised and the Obama campaign must not continue to block Michigan’s efforts to hold a new vote. Rather it should move quickly to announce its support for a party run primary.

Michigan will be a key battleground state in November. Disenfranchising Michigan voters today will, in the heat of a general election, provide Senator McCain with a powerful argument to use against the Democratic nominee. We cannot allow this to happen.

The people of Michigan must be counted and their voices finally heard. What the people of Michigan need now is just action, not just words.

UPDATE: David Plouffe, Barack Obama's campaign chairman, weighed in on the MI ruling in a statement released by the campaign ... “As we’ve said consistently, we think there should be a fair seating of the Michigan delegates. The Clinton campaign has stubbornly said they see no need to negotiate, but we believe that their Washington, my-way-or-the-highway approach is something voters are tired of."

Posted 03.26.08 04:49 PM | Comments (1)

Hotline TV: Baggage

Posted 03.26.08 03:50 PM | Comments (1)

Mission Accomplished

John McCain's camp answered Barack Obama's charge this afternoon that the AZ senator would continue President Bush's failed economic policies.

"Senator Obama's blatant mischaracterizations aren't the new politics he's promised America, they're the old attack and smear tactics that Americans are tired of," McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds said in a statement. "Barack Obama's diagnosis for our housing market is clearly that Barack Obama knows best -- raise taxes on hardworking Americans and give government a prescription to spend.

"John McCain has called for an immediate and balanced approach to provide transparency and accountability in an effort to help homeowners who are hurting, while Barack Obama has made a $10 billion election-year promise that is sure to raise taxes and handcuff an already struggling economy."

We're guessing that this dialogue makes Obama's camp strangely gleeful. Why? Because the more the IL senator engages and is engaged by McCain, the more fodder for those parlor games about the timing, nature and inevitability of Hillary Clinton's exit from the race.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

Posted 03.26.08 03:33 PM | Comments (1)

Obama Hits McCain For Do-Nothing Economic Plan

GREENSBORO, NC -- Barack Obama said today that John McCain, like President Bush, is offering a do-nothing prescription for dealing with a rapidly-sinking economy.

"According to John McCain, he said the best for us to address the fact that millions of Americans are losing their homes is to just sit back and watch it happen," Obama said. "In his entire speech yesterday, he offered not one policy, not one idea, not one bit of relief for the nearly 35,000 North Carolinians who were forced to foreclose on their dream in the last few months. Not one, not one single idea or a single policy prescription."

Obama said that Bush lead the country down this road in a similar manner for the past eight years.

"It's the idea that the government has no rule at all in solving the challenges facing working families," Obama said. "That all we can do is hand out tax breaks to the wealthiest people and let the chips fall where they may. George Bush called this the 'ownership society' -- but what he really meant is 'You're on your own, society.''"

"If you lose your job, you're on your own," Obama chanted. "If you're a child in poverty, pull yourself up by your bootstraps, you're on your own. If you were lured in by deceptive mortgage practices, you're on your own."

"John McCain apparently wants to continue this, while the rest of America is struggling with rising tuitition, skyrocketing healthcare costs, plant closings, failing schools," he said. "You are on your own."

Obama launched the attacks on McCain and Bush during a town hall attended by about 1,000 people at the War Memorial Auditorium.

"The economy," Obama cautioned, "is grinding to a halt."

(NBC/NJ's ASWINI ANBURAJAN)

Posted 03.26.08 02:40 PM | Comments (1)

WJC: "Saddle Up"

PARKERSBURG, WV -- Bill Clinton kicked off a day of campaigning here by making a personal appeal to voters, saying Hillary Clinton's success depends on "real" people like those who came to see him. And as the rhetoric heats up between the Democratic campaigns, the former president offered this message: "Saddle up."

"If a politician doesn't wanna get beat up, he shouldn't run for office," he said. "If a politician doesn't wanna get beat up, he shouldn't run for office. If a football player doesn't want to get tackled or want the risk of an a occasional clip he shouldn't put the pads on."

Clinton then alluded to the resignations and calls for resignations that have been traded back and forth between the campaigns.

"I don't think any of these people oughta be asked to resign," he said. "All these guys that say bad things about any other campaign, they say, 'Should they resign?' My answer is no, they're repeating party line. They oughta stay right where they are. Let's just saddle up and have an argument. What's the matter with that? That's what America's about, right?"

And while some are "moaning and groaning," he said there are larger issues to gripe about. "None of these politicians are gonna have anything like the tough time half the people in this audience have already had for the last seven years," he said to applause. "This is about you. Don't you let anybody take this election away from you."

This is Clinton's first appearance in West Virginia ahead of the state's May 13 primary. The former president thanked the crowd of about 500 for the state supporting him in his presidential campaigns, and said it's time for the state to return to the Democratic column in November.

"In spite of the best efforts of a lot of the elites in the media and other places it looks like we are gonna have an opportunity for everybody to vote in this primary, and I think your vote should be counted, don't you?" he asked. "I know Hillary's gaining on them when they say, 'Oh, let's shut this down now, we don't want to be divided.

Let's just disenfranchise several of the million people who could vote. Wouldn't you like to vote and have your votes counted? Wouldn't you like to have a voice in this election? Don't you think that your vote should count as much as the people who voted in Iowa first? Yeah, well so does Hillary."

He also said that West Virginia is a "special place," and said it has the kind of profile that bodes well for his wife.

"If it weren't for people like you she wouldn't be in this race," he said.

(NBC/NJ's MIKE MEMOLI)

Posted 03.26.08 12:43 PM | Comments (2)

Quote Of The Day

From today's Hotline:

"It is wretched beyond all description."

-- John McCain, on war, mult., 3/26.

Posted 03.26.08 12:37 PM | Comments (2)

Chelsea "Bristles" At Lewinsky Q

At Butler University yesterday, Chelsea Clinton was asked if her mother's rep had suffered as a result of the Monica Lewinsky scandal. She said she'd never gotten the question before, in her 70-something visits to college campuses. Listen to her full response. Tough.Cookie.

Posted 03.26.08 12:32 PM | Comments (19)

Groundhog Day

The Clinton camp just sent reporters a memo pushing anew the NY Sen's Tuesday remark that the Rev. Jeremiah Wright would never have been her pastor. And, in response, Team Obama blitzed scribes a doc asserting that Clinton is trying to distract from her botched Bosnia story.

John McCain, meanwhile, is in Los Angeles at the moment giving a major speech on foreign policy.

Which candidate is engaging the public on about matters of substance? A lame query, of course, as the answer is obvious.

Dems' memos available in full after the jump. Here's the day's Q, readers: How many swing voters (and Dem partisans for that matter) are going to be so turned off by the base feuding on the Dem side that they take a good look at McCain?

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

To: Interested Parties
From: The Clinton Campaign
Date: March 26, 2008
RE: The Obama Record: Just Words

Yesterday, a Pennsylvania editorial board asked Sen. Clinton how she would have "responded if [her] pastor had said some of the things that Rev. Wright said?" In response, she said Rev. Wright would not have been her pastor, an honest view shared by many Americans.

The Obama campaign's response? Attack Sen. Clinton and accuse her of trying to divert attention from the Bosnia trip story and her record of foreign policy experience.

Sen. Clinton’s response was sincere. The Obama attack was disingenuous.

We are happy to discuss Sen. Clinton’s foreign policy experience and her record overall. Unfortunately, the Obama campaign doesn’t want to discuss its candidate’s record and prefers personal attacks instead.

Sen. Obama knows that if he focused on his experience, he’d get questions about the shortcomings in his record and the efforts he has made to embellish it.

He’d have to deal with the fallout from this week’s Washington Post report on his gross exaggeration of his role on immigration reform and housing policy.

Sen. Obama would have to explain why the New York Times reported that he claims credit for passing nuclear leak legislation that never got out of committee.

He’d have to confront reports from FactCheck.org and other independent organizations that say his claims of providing a universal health care plan are based on selective, embellished and out-of-context quotes from newspapers.

He’d have to discuss the LA Times story that reported on how his fellow organizers say he took too much credit for his community organizing efforts.

He’d have to explain why he regularly claims he was a law professor when in fact he held no such title.

Sen. Obama seems to think disingenuous attacks on Sen. Clinton will address the concerns voters have about his record and readiness to be the Commander-in-Chief and the steward of our economy. They won’t.

In the end, Sen. Obama’s words cannot erase Hillary's 35-year record of action because when all is said and done, words aren’t action. They are just words.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TO: Interested Parties

FR: Obama Campaign

RE: Clinton’s Exaggerations: The Domestic Record

DA: March 26, 2008

Senator Clinton’s claims about her visit to Tuzla, Bosnia—and the footage disproving her account—have created quite a stir. And with good reason. As the Associated Press wrote yesterday: “What makes Clinton's situation unique—and the Bosnia embellishments so damaging—is the fact that the New York senator has built her candidacy on the illusion of experience. Any attack on her credentials is a potential Achilles heel.”

Unfortunately, Clinton’s fantastic invention of a sniper-raked landing is only one in a growing list of instances in which she has exaggerated her role as First Lady, particularly with respect to domestic policy.

Clinton has credited herself with “creating” the State Children’s Health Insurance Program and “helping to pass” the Family and Medical Leave Act.

Like the Tuzla story, both of these claims turn out to false—raising serious questions not just about the rationale for Senator Clinton’s campaign, but about her willingness to adhere to the truth.

“Creating” the State Children’s Health Insurance Program?

Ø Question: Did Hillary Clinton “create” SCHIP as First Lady? That’s what her web site says. But it’s not what the program’s congressional sponsors say.

On her website, Senator Clinton goes so far as to laud what she calls “her successful effort to create the SCHIP Children’s Health Insurance program.”

“Create” SCHIP? Once again, Senator Clinton’s claim simply doesn’t hold up.

The Boston Globe recently conducted an investigation into Clinton’s purported role in the legislation, concluding that: “Hillary Clinton, who has frequently described herself on the campaign trail as playing a pivotal role in forging a children’s health insurance plan, had little to do with crafting the landmark legislation or ushering it through Congress, according to several lawmakers, staffers, and healthcare advocates involved in the issue.”

Not only is Senator Clinton’s claim of authorship false, but the White House actually opposed SCHIP during it’s creation: “But the Clinton White House, while supportive of the idea of expanding children’s health, fought the first SCHIP effort, spearheaded by Senators Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, and Orrin G. Hatch, Republican of Utah…”

Representative Henry Waxman, a leader on the bill who remains unaffiliated in the race, said he has no memory of any involvement by Clinton: “It was a bipartisan bill. I don’t remember the role of the White House,” said Representative Henry Waxman, a California Democrat who has not endorsed a candidate in the presidential race and who was the chief Democrat on the Energy and Commerce Committee, which deals with health matters. “It did not originate at the White House.”

And Senator Kennedy, the Senate’s undisputed leader on universal health care and one of the actual creators of SCHIP, does not agree with Clinton’s assessment: “Asked whether Clinton was exaggerating her role in creating SCHIP, Kennedy, stopped in the hallway as he was entering the chamber to vote, half-shrugged. ‘Facts are stubborn things,’ he said, declining to criticize Clinton directly. ‘I think we ought to stay with the facts.’”

Leadership on the Family and Medical Leave Act?

Ø Question: Did Senator Clinton “help to pass” FMLA? Her White House schedules and the timeline of the bill’s passage call that claim into question.

Clinton claims on the trail and on her website that she played a significant role in “helping to pass the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to enable new parents to take time off without losing their jobs…” But there is no evidence that this is the case.

For starters, the bill was signed into law only 16 days after Bill Clinton took office—not much time for the new First Lady to play much of a role. On top of that, the Associated Press reported that an existing version of the bill that had already been passed “by majorities in the last Congress” was altered only slightly and “recycled for enactment” [AP, 2/9/93].

In addition, Senator Clinton’s recently released White House schedules show that she didn’t have a single meeting on the bill she now touts. And in her own autobiography she discusses FMLA without making any mention of having a role in its passage.

Now that she’s running for President, however, the facts seem to have changed. Or at least her allegiance to them has.

Experience: Foundation of the Clinton Candidacy

The refrain that Senator Clinton “has the experience to lead on Day One” has been repeated endlessly since she entered the race. On closer inspection, the claims Senator Clinton makes turn out to be little more than stories.

With the next primary less than a month away, it’s time for Senator Clinton to finally face the “vetting” she’s so fond of discussing. Badly trailing in delegates, votes, and states won, she’s going to need more than a new script to win the nomination. But if she wants to regain the trust of the American people, it would be a good place to start.

Posted 03.26.08 11:17 AM | Comments (6)

HPN: Updates From Our State Affiliates

Updates from our Hotline Political Network Affiliates

West Virginia -- Lincoln Walks at Midnight

New Jersey -- PoliticsNJ

California -- The Roundup

Missouri -- JohnCombest.com

Illinois -- Capitol Fax

Tennessee -- Tennessee Politics Blog

Florida -- SayfieReview.com

Alabama -- Doc's Political Parlor

Colorado -- ColoradoPols.com

Wisconsin -- WisPolitics

Texas -- Harvey Kronberg's Quorum Report

Georgia -- Political and Policy Digest

Iowa -- IowaPolitics.com

New York -- The Politicker

New Hampshire -- NHNewslinks.com

Posted 03.26.08 10:06 AM | Comments (0)

Tit For Tat

Expect dueling economic addresses out of the Dems tomorrow.

Barack Obama will speak in the morning at the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in NYC. Hillary Clinton will deliver an address in Raleigh, NC.

Posted 03.26.08 09:16 AM | Comments (0)

So, Is Bill JR?

MOREHEAD, KY -- Wrapping up what he said was an "emotional" day in the Bluegrass State, Bill Clinton compared the Democratic primary race to an episode of "Dallas," and criticized those who have argued Hillary Clinton should withdraw from the race.

"Now there's a new tactic," he said. "It's to say, 'Oh what a bad sport you are for wanting to let the people of Kentucky and West Virginia and Oregon and North Carolina and Pennsylvania vote. You could get ahead in the popular vote, but you're gonna be outspent. And why don't you just pack it in, and while we're at it, we're gonna disenfranchise the people in Florida and Michigan, even if it costs us the general election.'"

The former president told the crowd at the Morehead Convention Center that they could put his wife on the path to victory. Clinton asked them to look past the historic nature of the candidates -- and he referenced John McCain's age, a fact he's mentioned of late at every possible opportunity.

"We're either gonna have our first prisoner of war and our oldest elected president, our first African American president, our first female president," he said. "We're gonna break some precedent whatever we do here. But what we got to do is pick the best president, that's what America needs now."

Clinton joked that he understood some came to see him only because of his title, "kinda like going to the zoo." And earlier, speaking to about a thousand Kentuckians in Maysville, Clinton acknowledged that he was "a long way from the roaring crowds" he saw when he was in office.

"Yeah, I spoke to a million people in Ghana once – it was quite a hit," he said, rounding up to the nearest million. "Hundreds of thousands on the eastern side of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. … I could give you lots of other examples. But when it's all over, that doesn't matter."

Clinton was full of nostalgia as he wrapped up his day in KY. He told voters in Morehead that they were fortunate to live in such a beautiful place. He talked of visiting Paris, KY, where Seabiscuit is buried. "I though he was the greatest horse I ever saw," he said. Clinton even gushed about an impromptu visit to a local Dairy Queen between stops. "Never took me so long to get an ice cream cone in my life," he said of the crowd he found there. "But I think I made Hillary a few votes."

Heather French Henry, a former Miss America and wife of former Kentucky Lieutenant Governor Steve Henry, joined Clinton at two of his stops. Speaking before the Maysville event, she recalled how Clinton singled her out for her work on behalf of veterans when he was president. And, she took a swipe at Barack Obama as she praised Hillary for her advocacy for veterans.

"Now see, I know that some out there may have the audacity to hope, but Sen. Hillary Clinton has the audacity to actually do the work that it takes to be the next president of the United States," she said.

(NBC/NJ's MIKE MEMOLI)

Posted 03.26.08 09:01 AM | Comments (0)

Hotline After Dark -- Say A Little Prayer

Most of the political talk last night focused on Hillary Clinton's comments about the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and whether they were an attempt to distract from the discussions about her Bosnia trip as first lady:

FNC's Angle: "With the truthfulness of her own statements about a Bosnia trip under intense scrutiny, Senator Clinton, for the first time, leapt into the controversy involving Senator Obama and Reverend Jeremiah Wright which until today was starting to lose steam" ("Special Report," 3/25).

NBC's Russert: "This is an attempt in politics to change the subject" ("Nightly News," 3/25).

CNN's Borger: "It's very clear that she was asked direct questions about the Reverend Wright last week and she refused to answer them. And this week, for some reason, today, she decided, gee, maybe she would" ("Situation Room," 3/25).

Time's Klein: "What we saw, I think, is pretty transparent and a very clear sign of desperation" ("AC 360," CNN, 3/25).

NBC's Todd: "I look at it as a chance for Hillary Clinton to change the subject. She had become somewhat in a many feeding frenzy over this Bosnia story. ... She chose to answer the question. She could have chosen not to -- as the campaign had chosen not to address Reverend Wright over the last week" ("Race For The WH," MSNBC, 3/25).

New York Times' Dowd: "In a way, this whole thing boomeranged back on her, because she was using the 'Saturday Night Live' skit and hectoring reporters to be harder on Obama, thinking he was getting a free ride. And then once they began being harder on Obama, then Obama said well, why don't you be harder on her? And they began investigating all of this foreign affairs claims, which really Obama and Edwards had kind of let her get away with during all those debates" ("LKL," CNN, 3/25).

(EMILY GOODIN)

Posted 03.26.08 09:00 AM | Comments (1)

Spradling Leaves WMUR-TV

Scott Spradling, the Granite State's top political reporter and an all-around nice guy, has decided not to renew his contract with WMUR-TV. He's leaving to start a consulting firm, reports Politicker NH.

Posted 03.26.08 08:55 AM | Comments (1)

The McCain Advantage

John McCain gives a speech today to the Los Angeles World Affairs Council, his second policy-oriented, but likely non-specific talk of the week. There is no denying that, with very little effort, the GOP nom-to-be looks loftier by the day, while his Dem counterparts snipe about snipers, spar about the substanceless, cry foul in daily conference calls, and play out a contest that, as Bill Clinton said last night, is looking ever more like an episode of Dallas. (See next post for the Dallas remark.)

Here's a snippet from McCain's speech, per his campaign:

"When I was five years old, a car pulled up in front of our house in New London, Connecticut, and a Navy officer rolled down the window, and shouted at my father that the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor. My father immediately left for the submarine base where he was stationed. I rarely saw him again for four years. My grandfather, who commanded the fast carrier task force under Admiral Halsey, came home from the war exhausted from the burdens he had borne, and died the next day. In Vietnam, where I formed the closest friendships of my life, some of those friends never came home to the country they loved so well. I detest war. It might not be the worst thing to befall human beings, but it is wretched beyond all description. When nations seek to resolve their differences by force of arms, a million tragedies ensue. The lives of a nation's finest patriots are sacrificed. Innocent people suffer and die. Commerce is disrupted; economies are damaged; strategic interests shielded by years of patient statecraft are endangered as the exigencies of war and diplomacy conflict. Not the valor with which it is fought nor the nobility of the cause it serves, can glorify war. Whatever gains are secured, it is loss the veteran remembers most keenly. Only a fool or a fraud sentimentalizes the merciless reality of war. However heady the appeal of a call to arms, however just the cause, we should still shed a tear for all that is lost when war claims its wages from us."

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

Posted 03.26.08 08:40 AM | Comments (1)

The Bad News Continues For The House GOP

GOPers appear to have lost another top-tier recruit in an open seat.

Late last night, the Syracuse Post-Standard reported that ex-NY State fair dir. Peter Cappuccilli (R) is dropping out of the NY-25 race to replace Rep. Jim Walsh (R) because of his health. The paper said doctors warned Cappuccilli about his health, as he "recently experienced medical symptoms similar" to those of a mini-stroke. Cappuccilli: "As difficult as it is for me to accept that health concerns have caused me to formally withdraw my name from this race, I hope that people will understand that I need to take care of my health at this time."

The GOP was able to clear the field for him, as his other main rival, Manufacturers Assoc. of Central NY pres. Randy Wolken (R), dropped out on 3/13. It remains to be seen whether Wolken will be interested, or whether Onondaga Co. D.A. Bill Fitzpatrick (R), ex-Onondaga Co. Legislature Chair Dale Sweetland (R), ex-state Sen. Nancy Larraine Hoffmann (R), or East Syracuse Mayor Dan Liedka (R), who had been considering bids early on, will re-think their no-go decisions.

Dems have cleared the field on their side, and '06 nominee Dan Maffei (D) starts out as the clear front-runner in the fall, regardless of who the GOP nominee will be.

This is at least the third top-tier challenger to drop out of an open seat contest this cycle for the GOP. In AZ-01, state Rep. Bill Konopnicki (R) left the race because of personal reasons, and the party is still searching for a candidate. Konopnicki has signaled, however, that he may be interested in rejoining the race. In IL-11, New Lenox Mayor Tim Baldermann (R) dropped out after the primary, leaving the GOP to scramble for a replacement, which it will name on 4/30.

See more in today's HRH.

(TIM SAHD)

Posted 03.26.08 06:32 AM | Comments (1)

March 25, 2008

"An Inspiration To All Of Us"

BEL AIR, CA – At 8:20 ET this evening John McCain escorted former-First Lady Nancy Reagan out the front door of her home here and into her driveway to formally accept her endorsement of his run for the presidency.

The pair greeted the line of reporters awaiting their arrival, and McCain thanked Reagan, 86, for her support, saying, "President Reagan and Mrs. Reagan remain an inspiration to all of us as an example of honorable and courageous service to the nation."

The campaign had informed the traveling press that neither McCain nor Reagan would be taking questions following what was primarily a photo opportunity, and a spokesperson for the Reagan Foundation followed up with a release that Reagan wouldn't even be speaking.

Apparently the local reporters hadn't gotten the same information. As McCain concluded his remarks and stood somewhat expectantly before the crowd, a reporter asked what Reagan's endorsement meant to him.

"I think Mrs. Reagan is obviously our beloved and wonderful person that all of us appreciate, love and admire and I'm always honored to be in her company except when I have to be in a debate at the Reagan Library," McCain answered.

After a few more "thank you's" and a few more questions, McCain was finally asked why he felt Reagan was compelled to endorse him before the convention.

"I hope it's testimony to her confidence in me as well as our friendship of many, many years," McCain answered, to which Reagan briefly followed up.

"It wasn't early on, let me inject in here," Reagan said. "Ronnie and I always waited until everything was decided and then we endorsed. Well, obviously this is the nominee of the party, so…"

"Thank you," the pair said before quietly walking back inside.

(NBC/NJ's ADAM AIGNER-TREWORGY)

Posted 03.25.08