April 2008

PORTAGE, IN - Hillary Clinton's campaign has worked hard of late to portray her as the fighter in the race, someone with the determination to see her plans through no matter what the obstacles.

In North Carolina yesterday, Gov. Mike Easley raised some eyebrows when he said Clinton was so determined she made "Rocky Balboa look like a pansy." Well, this afternoon, a local labor leader introducing Clinton pushed the envelope further, saying the nation needed a leader "that has testicular fortitude."

While defending Bill Clinton's role in the passage of NAFTA, Paul Gipson, president of a steelworkers local, said that union members need to support a leader who can work to change and improve the trade agreement.

"I truly believe that that's going to take an individual that has testicular fortitude," he said. "That's exactly right. That's what we gotta have."

Clinton, standing behind Gipson, smiled sheepishly before breaking into a nervous laugh.

Gipson then slammed unnamed "Gucci-wearing, latte-drinking, self-centered, egotistical people that have damaged our lifestyle," before endorsing Clinton.

The New York senator had some fun with Gipson's remarks.

"I must say, Paul, I appreciate that endorsement. It means a lot to me," she said. "I do think I have fortitude. Women can have it as well as men."

Rep. Danny K. Davis (D-IL) is organizing a bus trip to Indianapolis this weekend to campaign for Barack Obama and Rep. Andre Carson. The IN-bound group will meet Saturday a.m. at Wallace's Catfish Corner, 2800 W. Madison Street, Chicago, according to a release sent from Davis' campaign office.

SOUTH BEND, IN -- Barack Obama wouldn't debate Hillary Clinton in a flat bed truck. But there she was today, sitting shotgun in one, driving home the argument that her rival doesn't share her concern about the average Joe Six-pack when it comes to fuel prices.

When Clinton's traveling press corps was told late last night that the candidate would be "commuting" to work with a "typical" Hoosier, the questions came rapid-fire. When was the last time Clinton pumped her own gas? When's the last time she even drove? And, most to the point, what was a stunt like this going to prove?

The message of the week, in both North Carolina and Indiana, has been Clinton's plan for a gas tax holiday. So the bit of showmanship was a creative way to keep reporters talking about it -- even as the story line and tepid back-and-forth grew stale.

And like all publicity stunts, it was transparent. The worker, Jason Wilfing, belongs to a union that has endorsed Clinton (though he maintained he is undecided). Rather than Clinton meeting Wilfing at his home, he came to her hotel to pick her up. Wilfing actually lives outside of South Bend in the town of Plymouth, 45-minutes away. Perhaps best of all, he wasn't even driving his own car. He had to borrow the pickup of his supervisor so that Secret Service could come for the ride, too.

"How could I say no to that?" Wilfing said of the invitation to drive the former first lady.

On Call has learned that Barack Obama's camp will announce another Super D endorsement later today. From California ... Lois Capps.

Capps is, of course, Obama spokesman Bill Burton's mother-in-law. What took him so long to convince her? Or, more likely, she's part of the camp's rainy day Super D stash ...

Barack Obama gives Tim Russert a full hour of his time this weekend for an interview broadcast live from NBC affiliate WTHR-TV in Indianapolis, IN. Obama's last appearance on the program was December 30, 2007, when the show was broadcast live from Des Moines, IA.

Meanwhile, an interview with Obama and his wife, Michelle, will air tomorrow on Today as part of the "Today on the Trail" series. An excerpt from the interview, conducted by Meredith Vieira, will also air tonight on "NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams" and on MSNBC.

Rep. Baron Hill (D-IN), who represents Indiana's 9th District, endorsed Barack Obama today.

"Some have advised me to be cautious, to wait and see which way the electoral winds may blow," Hill said in a statement released by Obama's campaign. "I confess that I have listened to those voices and been tempted by their reasoning. But, the stakes are just too high. We cannot continue to pursue the same politics of personal destruction we have engaged in for a generation, some never-ending “groundhog day” endlessly playing out the cultural wars of forty years ago.

Hill is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition and the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.

Barack Obama's campaign has filed a complaint with the Federal Elections Commission against the American Leadership Project, a pro-Hillary Clinton group running an anti-Obama ad in Indiana. Obama's lawyer called the organization "Swift Boat wannabes."

Obama's Chief Counsel Bob Bauer said the group has violated the law by failing to register with the FEC as a political committee so that its donors are disclosed.

Bauer compared ALP to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, which in 2004 tarnished Sen. John Kerry's record as a war hero. Bauer said the campaign's FEC complaint aims to curtail the actions of such groups, calling it the first shot against the continuing "Swift boat saga."

He said he hopes the FEC would enforce the law "to send the ultimate message" to other organizations that this kind of action won't be tolerated.

Bauer said any legal defense of the organization would require a great deal of creativity. There is no evidence, he added, that the group's purpose is anything other than to raise money for pro-Clinton efforts.

Bauer did not offer proof that the group is coordinating with the Clinton campaign, but suggested an investigation would determine if or to what extent that has taken place.

If the FEC does not investigate the allegations, Bauer added, he said he hoped the matter would be referred to the Department of Justice.

The ALP, which the Obama camp calls a "so-called 527 political group led by Jason Kinney, the son of one of Hillary Clinton’s Indiana state co-chairs" is airing an economy-focused ad that uses images of worried people with bills, houses with a "For sale" sign in front. The ad asks viewers to call the senator and tell him to "give Hoosiers a real plan to fix our economy."

(NBC/NJ's ATHENA JONES)

The AFL-CIO is dropping a tough mailer in PA today noting that while John McCain's war service is admirable, his political views -- on the Bush tax cuts, NAFTA and overtime pay, in particular -- are out of sync with the needs and values of working Americans.

"John McCain? War hero? Absolutely," the mailer reads. "Voice for working families? No way."

The piece has been sent so far this cycle to more than 400,000 swing voters, notably those much-courted Reagan Democrats living in OH, WI, MI and MN. The mailer features a photo of Jim Wasser, a Navy vet who served with John Kerry in Vietnam and was active in 2004 in countering efforts to muddy the Democratic nominee's war record.

Wasser, a resident of Saint Anne, IL, has been a member of IBEW 176 since 1970. He's an IBEW contractor with Ruder Electric Inc. in Kankakee.

"That's me, and I'm telling the truth," said Wasser, 61, who is retiring this year. "I'm concerned about what is happening to my brothers and sisters that I'm leaving behind, and I mean all working people, not just union people."

McCain, Wasser said, is "not for working men and women. No ma'am, I can't take another eight years."

Wasser said he's not worried that other vets will see his vocal opposition to McCain as traitorous. "That war was 40 years ago," he said. "You'll never forget where you've been, but we have to go on and look at the issues of today. This is about his views on working men and women. It's certainly not about his service. I would never go after a man's service."

Wasser did a lot of press for Kerry in 2004. He was also a delegate to the Democratic National Convention, where he read his state's roll call votes for Kerry. Wasser was in the Navy for four years, completing three tours in Vietnam. He was the first leading petty officer on Kerry's swift boat.

"We broke Kerry in," he said.

Karen Ackerman, the AFL-CIO's political director, said Wasser's views of McCain are shared by many in the union community.

"Jim Wasser is echoing a sentiment we're hearing more often from working people -- we respect Sen. McCain's service to our country but on the issues that really matter to our families, he's not standing with us," Ackerman said. "Sen. McCain has chosen to side with lobbyists and corporate interests and against working families on important issues like health care, jobs and trade. That's just not the kind of leadership America's workers are looking for to turn around our failing economy."

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

New Hillary Clinton ad features celebrated poet Maya Angelou. The 60-second spot will run in NC. It is special, by anyone's measure. And it poaches a key element of Barack Obama's message, that Americans have more in common than not.

"She intends to help our country become what it can become," Angelou says in the ad. "She dares to say human beings are more alike than we are unalike."

Full script after the jump.

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama each snagged another Super D today.

Bill George, a PA Super D and president of the PA AFL-CIO, is backing HRC.

“Hillary Clinton has the strength and experience to jumpstart the economy and rebuild the middle class,” George said in a statement released by the Clinton camp. “Working families in Pennsylvania overwhelmingly favored her in last week’s primary, and I feel that she is our strongest candidate to carry Pennsylvania in November and win back the White House.”

Rep. Bruce Braley (D-IA) will endorse Obama during a 2:30 p.m. call with reporters.

"I once cracked a joke that being president is like managing a cemetery. You got a lot of people underneath, but nobody's listening."

--Bill Clinton today in Apex, NC

Updates from our Hotline Political Network Affiliates

Talk of Rev. Jeremiah Wright continued. Last night's TV focused on Barack Obama's presser. Obama: "In some ways, what Reverend Wright said yesterday directly contradicts everything that I've done during my life. ... I do not see that relationship being the same after this" (mult.).

CNN's Brown: "It has been 43 days ... since Barack Obama first attempted to dampen the whole Jeremiah Wright scandal with his race speech. In an election year, 43 days is a lifetime. And some say the fact that it took Obama so long to emphatically denounce his former pastor shows just how difficult this decision must have been for him" ("Election Center," 4/29).

Roll Call's Kondracke, asked if Obama's criticism helps put Wright out of the picture: "It depends partly on whether Reverend Wright gets out of the bathtub like the famous woman in 'Fatal Attraction' for the last stabbing. ... The idea that he's going to go and have a face to face interview with Kim Jong Il when he has been in this guy's church for 20 years and can't size him up, I think that's naive" ("Special Report," FNC, 4/29).

NBC's Todd, on whether Obama had to "divorce" Wright: "I think he had to, and ... look, you can't divorce politics from this. I mean, clearly, they saw some movements, some problems in the campaign, whether it's Indiana, North Carolina. And he had to look like he could stand up to his pastor. I mean, let's remember we're electing a commander-in-chief. If you can't stand up to your pastor on views you don't agree with, are you going to stand up to another world leader?" ("Hardball," MSNBC, 4/29).

Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Tucker: "Note that Senator Obama in today's press conference repeatedly used words like 'performance' and 'spectacle.' After Reverend Wright's decision to go on tour over the weekend and further inflame the controversy that had already ignited over his previous remarks, Senator Obama had absolutely no choice to do what he did today and to go further than he had in the past" ("NewsHour," PBS, 4/29).

After the jump, more Wright and Bill O'Reilly prepares for his interview with HRC (KATHERINE LEHR).

BOONE, NC -- In the North Carolina college town that is home to one of football's greatest upsets, Bill Clinton was quick today to paint his wife as an underdog, and as a defensive player.

"Most of what people have said in this campaign is wrong, including who's been more positive and who's been more negative," said Clinton in an address to over 2,000 at Appalachian State University. "She's talked relentlessly about the solutions. She won in Pennsylvania after being hit with negative ad after negative ad after negative ad, and negative letters. And all she did was respond."

Clinton opened his remarks with a shoutout to the school's football team, which famously defeated the University of Michigan in a stunning 2007 upset.

"I think it will have special meaning here if I begin with a line I always say today," he said. "Whenever somebody tells you you can't win, it's because they're afraid you will."

(NBC/NJ's CARRIE DANN)

New Hillary Clinton spot up tonight in NC and IN hits Barack Obama for being unwilling to suspend the gas tax this summer.

A trail note of interest to those counting the lobbyists and former lobbyists in John McCain's orbit:

Former U.S. Sen. Connie Mack (R-FL) introduced McCain today at his health care policy event in Florida. Mack is chairman of the board of directors of the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, where McCain's event was held. Mack is also, we should note, a registered state lobbyist, working for Liberty Partners of Florida and, drumroll, advocating for health insurance companies.

According to the official site of the Florida Legislature, Mack is registered in 2008 to lobby for Prestige Health Choice, a Florida company. The co. is "filing to become approved by the state of Florida as a Provider Service Network," and according to a company release dated Nov. 16, 2007, "Prestige will first provide Medicaid managed care services to Florida residents."

So, wait, let's review: McCain held an event today to roll out his health care policy during which he was introduced by a former U.S. Senator, and friend, who is now a lobbyist for the health care industry.

The McCain campaign lobbied On Call feverishly to tank the post. Spokesman Tucker Bounds said this item "borders on ludicrous, absurd and ridiculous."

“Breaking news Hotline readers, former U.S. Senator Connie Mack introduced colleague and friend John McCain today at the non-profit Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, where just-so-happens, Senator Mack chairs the board of directors," Bounds said in an email. "Holy smokes readers, On Call on the case!”

But it seems suspect to us that McCain, who is already struggling to counter the image that he's too cozy with lobbyists, wouldn't think twice before allowing a health care lobbyist to introduce him on the very day he debuts his health care proposal. Let Mack sit quietly in the audience -- or, heaven forbid, pick another location for the rollout.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

Barack Obama today, seeking to counter the statements made yesterday in Washington by his former preacher, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright:

"His comments were not only divisive and destructive, but I believe that they end up giving comfort to those who prey on hate, and I believe that they do not portray accurately the perspective of the Black Church," he said. "They certainly don’t portray accurately my values and beliefs, and if Rev. Wright thinks that’s political posturing, as he put it, then he doesn't know me very well, and based on his remarks yesterday, well, I may not know him as well as I thought either."

Another Super D for Barack Obama. Rep. Ben Chandler of KY endorsed the IL Sen today.

"Today I am pleased to announce my support and to offer my endorsement to Barack Obama to be the next President of the United States," Chandler said in a statement released by the campaign. "I have listened to this man, I have met with him and like many of you, I am inspired by his message of change and of hope for our future. But more importantly, I am convinced Barack Obama will provide the steady hand and leadership we need to chart a new path for our nation."

The New York Times asks the question today -- and in so doing suggests that Elizabeth Edwards is firmly in Hillary Clinton's camp.

Edwards family endorsement scenarios, as posited by the NYT:

Joint endorsement

Split endorsement -- one for HRC, one for Barack Obama

John Edwards is holding out for a veep offer (On Call Aside: v. unlikely)

JRE is holding out for a Cabinet offer (On Call Aside: much more likely)

He'll endorse after there's a nom

He wants to know first that his pick to be loser-proof

More:

"Many of Mr. Edwards’s supporters in North Carolina have been quietly pressing him to endorse Mr. Obama, and a large group of them, led by Ed Turlington, his campaign chairman during the last presidential race, came forward publicly last week to support Mr. Obama.

"Even if he remains neutral, Mrs. Edwards’s endorsement would carry weight, some voters suggested. "

INDIANAPOLIS, IN -- Those cries by Hillary Clinton loyalists for a Dem debate in the May 6th states haven't died down, as evidenced last night by a report on the local news.

With a band of like-minded area Clinton supporters, Dannie Chandler rented a yellow limousine, attached a chicken head to its roof and parked the avian display in front of the Obama office field office.

"He's just a chicken if he doesn't want a debate," Chandler, 64, said when reached via phone.

About 10 volunteers stood outside Obama's office for an hour and a half yesterday in the pouring rain, holding signs that read: "Too Chicken To Debate?" and "Running Scared In Indiana." Chandler and his poultry brood had to wear yellow parkas to protect themselves from the pouring rain.

"And we kinda looked like chickens, too," he chuckled.

(NBC/NJ's ASWINI ANBURAJAN)

With a new health care spot running in Iowa. In it, John McCain says his approach to health care policy can be characterized "by choice and competition, affordability and availability." He promises a $5K refundable tax credit so that people can cross state lines to find "the insurance policy that suits them best."

In a new ad called "Feeling The Pain," the SEIU slams John McCain for opposing measures that would mitigate rising health care costs.

"Like President Bush, John McCain won't stop rising health care costs," a narrator says. The ad notes McCain's opposition to allowing seniors to buy prescriptions through Medicare and mentions his support for Bush's decision not to renew the children's health insurance program known as SCHIP.

The Republican National Committee, meanwhile, criticized Barack Obama for not denouncing the SEIU spot. “Barack Obama’s wishy-washy position on special interests is the sort of ‘old politics’ voters are sick of," said party spokesman Alex Conant. "What happened to the candidate who used to denounce these sorts of independent political attacks?”

McCain is in Florida today talking about his health care policy. Meanwhile, SEIU, as On Call readers know, has 1.9 million members and is the largest health care union.

RALEIGH, NC – Gov. Mike Easley made his endorsement official this morning, saying that Hillary Clinton is a fighter who “makes Rocky Balboa look like a pansy.”

“There’s a lot of ‘yes we can’ and ‘yes we should’ going around,” he said. “Hillary Clinton is ready to deliver. That’s the difference.”

Clinton said she was honored to have Easley’s endorsement, calling it “politically very meaningful.” But more, she said the example Easley had shown in his two terms as governor that he “gets it” as well, and in his administration has shown how state governments “truly are the labs of democracy.”

And she quoted former Gov. Mario Cuomo’s famous line, that you “campaign in poetry but you govern in prose.”

“I think that’s pretty descriptive,” she said. “Because when the lights are gone, and the cameras are off, and the speeches are over, what you want is somebody who delivers results. And sometimes that’s not very glamorous, and it takes a lot of work, and some false starts, and frustration. Bringing everybody together doesn’t necessarily mean they will all agree. It takes a leadership to set a vision, to put forth the goals and the strategies. That’s what Gov. Easley has done in North Carolina. That’s what I will do as your president. And I am honored to have this endorsement today.”

Easley and Clinton toured a biotech lab earlier today on the campus of North Carolina State University. Clinton credited Easley’s administration for policies that have put it third in the nation in the field.

“We don’t need any more postition papers we don’t need any more commissions," she said. "Work is being done in states, a state like North Carolina. We just need to bring it to scale for the United States, and I will do that as president.”

(NBC/NJ's MIKE MEMOLI)

Updates from our Hotline Political Network Affiliates

Last night's TV was dominated by talk of Rev. Jeremiah Wright's public appearances, and whether they will hurt Barack Obama.

Washington Post's Dionne: "The biggest problem for Obama is that he has wanted to transcend the old racial divide in the country. And the Reverend Wright controversy kind of pulls us back to the late '60s or early '70s" ("NewsHour," PBS, 4/28).

Bill Richardson: "I think Senator Obama dealt with that issue. I don't believe that Reverend Wright deserves the coverage that he seems to be getting and the controversy that he's generating. ... We should just push him aside and focus on the differences between the two candidates" ("Situation Room," CNN, 4/28).

Newt Gingrich: "I thought the most devastating thing [Wright] said today at the National Press Club was that he actually prayed with the family in the basement just before the announcement. And the reason I thought it was devastating is that it's clear that Senator Obama can't decide what the relationship is. Is this somebody he's proud of and he wants next to him or is this somebody who he can cut loose from?" ("Hannity & Colmes," FNC, 4/28).

Obama strategist David Axelrod, on Wright's appearances: "Well, I must say, it wouldn't be my first choice. ... I think Reverend Wright felt that he had been done a disservice in the process, and he decided to go public and he did. And, frankly, the news media was very eager to accommodate that. He had three hours on the cable stations last night, full coverage this morning and so on. So he's gotten himself quite a platform. ... Obviously, you know, it isn't helpful, and I don't think it necessarily meant to be helpful" ("Hardball," MSNBC, 4/28).

After the jump, more Wright and HRC's endorsement in NC (KATHERINE LEHR).

Marketing exec. Jim Hannagan last month founded Florida Demands Representation (FDR for short), a grassroots group formed to petition the DNC over its decision to ban the FL delegation. FDR volunteers have already collected about 100K signatures en route to their goal of 1.5M. The organization held rallies in eight cities on 4/25, and, tomorrow, 10 busloads of disgruntled Floridians will picket Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington.

Hannagan is so passionate about his cause that he's donated more than $10K of his own money to FDR. He even flew down from his second home in MA just to vote in FL's 1/29 primary. "[American colonists] fought in blizzards, without shoes, with bloody feet ... for a principle," he told the St. Petersburg Times last month.

Well, so much for principles: the Times reported this weekend that there's no record of Hannagan voting. No record of him at an early voting site or his Palm Harbor precinct, no request for an absentee ballot or required signature in the voting book. "The records are wrong," he insisted.

(Hotline staff writer CHRIS BODENNER)

WILMINGTON, NC -- In a hastily-arranged press conference next to the whirring engine of his 757 Monday afternoon, Barack Obama spoke about his controversial former pastor the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

Wright is back in the news today after delivering a fierce defense of himself and the ideas he has put forth in which he argued that mainstream America did not understand the black church.

Obama did not address the content of Wright's remarks to the National Press Club in Washington today, instead restating his view that he found some of the pastor's remarks offensive but that the man whose church he has attended for 20 years haa a right to speak his own mind.

"He does not speak for me," Obama said. "He does not speak for the campaign, and so he may make statements in the future that don’t reflect my values or concerns," the senator told reporters who strained to hear him on the loud tarmac.

Obama said he would remain focused on the issues voters ask him about, such as how to deal with lost jobs and high gas prices. He said voters had not mentioned Wright to him. He argued, as he did earlier today, that his rivals were trying to distract the American people and make this election about him.

"Obviously, what people like John McCain are now doing is, not being on the strong side of the issues, have decided they're gonna try to make this campaign about me," he said.

He said voters could separate him from his associates.

A person close to NC Gov. Mike Easley told the AP this afternoon that he will endorse Hillary Clinton. Easley, a Super D, "would be just the second superdelegate from North Carolina to endorse Clinton," reports the AP. "Six of the state's 17 superdelegates have endorsed Obama."

NC votes May 6.

SALISBURY, NC - Hillary Clinton used her latest proposal to tackle raising oil prices to portray herself as the fighter in the race, telling a few hundred people at a local train station that she'd be their champion in the White House.

Clinton unveiled a plan this morning to tax oil company "windfall" profits to pay for a gas tax holiday, which she said would provide needed relief for working class Americans struggling to pay their bills. Here, she also discussed plans to create new jobs in a push to move toward energy independence, while outlining tough tactics she'd employ against oil producing countries to keep prices in line.

"None of this is easy to do, but I don't think we have a choice," she said. "We can continue to be at the mercy of the ... oil countries, which will mean that our standard of living will continue to decline. We will not recognize America. We will not recognize the American middle class. So we can either say, OK, fine we'll just kind of go along and, you know, elect somebody who's nice or elect somebody who's gonna continue the Bush policies. Or we can elect somebody who's gonna fight for you. That is the choice in this election."

Amid cheers, she said she's that fighter.

"Now, I know there are some people who say, 'Oh my goodness she is tough,'" she said. "Well, if you'd had my life you'd be tough, too."

Clinton urged those in the crowd to vote early, before Friday's deadline. And in closing, added one last dig at her Democratic opponent.

"I wish it were true that you could go to Washington and say, 'I want everybody to come together and just agree with me, and then let's just make these changes, because we all know we're supposed to do it,'" she said. "I wish it were that simple. Because, boy, we sure could make change in a hurry."

(NBC/NJ's MIKE MEMOLI)

Republican National Committee Chairman Robert M. Duncan called today on CNN and MSNBC to pull a new Democratic National Committee ad criticizing John McCain's support for the Iraq war, saying it was coordinated with the Democratic candidates' campaigns. The RNC also asserted that the spot misrepresents McCain's comment about troop occupation in Iraq for 100 years.

"Clearly, this ad is just another attempt by the DNC to mischaracterize and distort Senator McCain’s positions and statements," Duncan said in a statement. "It is unquestionable that the DNC is deliberately misleading the American people about what Senator McCain actually said. I hope that any network would consider their responsibility to protect the American people from deliberately false and misleading content."

DNC chairman Howard Dean flatly denied the charge of coordination with the campaigns. In a conference call a few moments ago with reporters, he said he hasn't spoken with either candidate or their teams about the ad. He also said the party "deliberately used John McCain's words" in the spot so there would be no question about the spot's veracity.

"We simply don't believe the American people want to stay in Iraq for 100 years whether it's as a peacekeeping force or at war," he said. "... Sen. McCain said what he said he said -- we should be in Iraq for 100 years. I think that was a very foolish position to take."

As for the RNC's threats to sue, Dean said, "Let them do it. I understand the RNC thinks it's illegal to criticize John McCain."

DNC General Counsel Joe Sandler said the spot was offered to FNC, too, and that he's gotten "no indication at all from the networks that they have any intention at all of pulling down this ad."

The RNC, meanwhile, has posted an online petition urging the nets to yank the spot.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

WILMINGTON, NC – Barack Obama spent much of his speech at a town hall here on the Carolina coast focusing on economic issues, but he launched his talk by urging voters to hit the polls early. As early as today, in fact.

"You don’t have to wait until Election Day to vote," he said. "You can vote right after you leave this rally. You don’t even have to be registered yet. You can go and register and vote all in one stop and you can do that before Saturday."

Polls show the Illinois senator leads Hillary Clinton in the Tar Heel State. But exit polling from the contests he lost in PA and OH also reveal he is having trouble making inroads with blue-collar voters and those without a college degree, voters who are concerned about the kitchen-table issues his rival has emphasized.

Over the weekend in IN, Obama talked extensively about gas prices, lost jobs, healthcare and paying for college. Today in NC, he spoke about Americans who are working harder and harder to get by, who are struggling to pay for food and college. He said many people feel like the American Dream is slipping away. He also said that when he talks about the need to change the way politics is done in Washington, he is "“being very specific.” It’s another favorite line of his rival, one Clinton uses to paint him as more rhetoric than action, a criticism he has increasingly sought to address in his stump speech.

Obama also hit back at John McCain for criticizing him for not supporting a gas tax holiday the Arizona senator has proposed.

"He had the gall yesterday to tell me that obviously because I didn’t agree with his plan I must not be sympathetic to poor people,” Obama said. “That’s what he said. This is at the same time that he is proposing hundreds of billion of dollars of more tax breaks for corporate interests, to the wealthiest Americans, and he doesn’t explain how it is that we are going to replace the highway trust fund. That’s where your gasoline tax goes to rebuild roads and bridges and put people to back to work right here in North Carolina. So but, you see, here’s the thing, that’s typical of how Washington works.”

The McCain camp was quick to respond.

NM Sen. Jeff Bingaman, a Super D, endorsed Barack Obama today, saying that he has the ability to help the country find "common ground" on a number of pressing issues.

“Our nation faces a daunting number of critical challenges: reasserting America’s leadership in the world, meeting our needs for energy independence, addressing global warming, making healthcare accessible and affordable, positioning our economy to effectively compete globally, and extricating ourselves from the war in Iraq, to name a few," Bingaman said in a statement released by the campaign. “To make progress, we must rise above the partisanship and the issues that divide us to find common ground. We must move the country in a dramatically new direction."

President Clinton campaigning in Carmel, IN, today gives us the first installment of 'A Folksy Bill Moment' ...

"I don't know if you heard Gen. Petreaus, our military commander. He came a few months ago to the Congress and to the president and said, 'Give me more troops. I will take the level of violence down, I will create for them the space they need to make those hard decisions.' ... This time he comes to the Congress, and his testimony is, 'I got the troops, I took the violence down, I made them space, and they didn't make the decisions. There's no end game here, but you guys just have to hang in there, and we'll see what happens.'

"Her position is they will never make those hard decisions until it's clear that the blank check they've been given is coming to an end. Think about your own life. Most people don't make hard decisions until they have to, right? How many times do you wait for the night before an exam before you start studying? Just think about why they always try to get you to agree to the next appointment before you get out the door of the dentist office. Just think about it. Now, I'm 61 years old. I still don't like anyone sticking a needle in my gums. And that's a lot easier than the decisions the Iraqis have to make."

A Center for American progress conference call held today about John McCain's healthcare proposal featured Elizabeth Edwards, who has said McCain's plan would not cover cancer survivors like her.

On ABC's 'This Week' two Sundays ago, McCain said he would establish a "special Medicaid trust fund set up to help take care for those people who have preexisting conditions." He said five chronic diseases account for more than 70 percent of the healthcare costs in America, but he did not specify if his "trust fund" would cover related costs.

During today's CAP call, Edwards said that the costs associated with McCain's proposal would be "enormous."

"If he's talking about expanding Medicaid to cover chronic conditions...he is talking about the most radical expansion of government healthcare that has been proposed that I know of," Edwards said.

She added that if McCain does not plan on expanding Medicaid, than such a fund would demand drastic cuts in the services provided to current Medicaid recipients. But neither option seems feasible, she said, and McCain's plan amounts to "blowing smoke."

Noting that McCain, who is in FL today talking about health care, has been covered most of his life by Naval healthcare, Edwards said that McCain "has never been out in the market he's talking about." She said that "there are a lot of Americans who are out in the market...and what they're finding out is that health insurance is unaffordable."

McCain's plan involves - as he often says - letting "families make the decisions" on healthcare, which means that he favors an open market solution that is intended to allow competition to drive prices down.

(NBC/NJ's ADAM AIGNER-TREWORGY)

A new AP/Ipsos survey shows Hillary Clinton defeating John McCain by a wider margin than Barack Obama.

HRC leads McCain, 50% to 41%, while Obama remains virtually tied with McCain, 46% to 44%.

Barack Obama's Dem and GOP rivals were asked today to comment about two matters that continue to dog him on the trail: the flag pin controversy and the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Both issues, of course, have provided fodder in the past for Obama's critics, who charge he is not patriotic, that he doesn't love his country enough to be its commander-in-chief.

Here's John McCain today commenting about the pin, pre NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner-Treworgy:

"A lot of times I like to wear one when I'm in a state that there's pins that have the state flag and the American flag together. It's kind of a nice thing to do. A lot of times I do not. I think that it's a good thing to wear and display the American flag in any way we can to show our patriotism, but I don't criticize Sen. Obama for not doing it."

Doesn't mean the GOP won't criticize the IL Sen plenty in the general for his bare lapels.

Here then, per NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli, is Hillary Clinton not taking the bait today when asked if her campaign will make an issue of Wright's latest appearances. She also jabs McCain for not doing more to sink the NCGOP's "Extreme" ad:

"Well, I have said that that was a personal decision of his. I answered one question about it. That made it clear I would not have stayed in that church under those circumstances. But I regret the efforts by the Republicans to politicize this matter. And I believe that if Sen. McCain was serious he would do more than send a letter. He is the putative nominee. I think he could very clearly tell the North Carolina party, tell the Mississippi party that he would not tolerate those kinds of advertisements and I am waiting to see whether he does that."

The Rev. Jeremiah Wright spent an hour this a.m. at the National Press Club answering questions about his sermons, political views and most famous parishioner. With each new appearance, he must know he's hurting Barack Obama, who is working feverishly to connect with the white working class in NC and IN before those states vote. Wright was interviewed last week by Bill Moyers and spoke at the Detroit NAACP dinner this weekend.

It's hard to know if Wright's re-emergence is evidence of his vanity or a sincere desire to address questions about his character and the mission of his ministry. Probably some combination of the two. Still, his disposition this morning -- cocky, glib -- was of man enjoying his more than 15 minutes, and little concerned about how his media tour could affect Obama's campaign.

A moderator asked Wright if he understands that many people view his sermons as unpatriotic. "How do you feel about America and about being an American?" she said.

"I feel that those citizens who say that have never heard my sermons, nor do they know me," he said. "They are unfair accusations taken from soundbites and that which is looped over and over again on certain channels. I served six years in the military. Does that make me patriotic? How many years did Cheney serve?"

Fair points. Wright also defended his decision to speak out -- even if he is viewed by Obama's campaign as a detriment to the senator's cause.

"On Nov. 5 and on Jan. 21, I'll still be a pastor," he said. "As I said, this is not an attack on Jeremiah Wright. It has nothing to do with Sen. Obama. It is an attack on the black church, launched by people who know nothing about the African American religious tradition."

Wright showed today, as he did in the Moyers interview, a seething disdain for the media -- and an obvious personal distancing from Obama.

"If God intends for Mr. Obama to be the president then no white racist, no political pundit, no speech, nothing can get in the way because God will do what God wants to do."

Tough. Or, in a twisted way, might this remark help Obama? For the church-going public, who backed Hillary Clinton in PA, are there points to be scored in deferring to God's will?

Certainly Wright's expression of his affection for Louis Farrakhan can only hurt Obama as he struggles to win friends in the Jewish community.

We might not know the totality of Wright or his work, as he suggested today, but with each new glimpse of the man, we see intelligence, sure, but terrible arrogance, too. We see a man more concerned with righting his public standing than electing his friend to the White House, more interested in reaffirming his standing within the black community than finding points of commonality between us all.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

John McCain launched his "Call to Action Tour" today in Miami with a health care roundtable. He travels Tuesday to Tampa for a speech at the Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute. During the week, he'll also hit PA, OH, IA and CO. This is McCain's third themed tour since becoming the presumptive GOP nom.

As the Dem race chugs on, McCain is bound to launch another tour of impoverished towns and swing state hamlets. That said, here are On Call's suggestions for McCain tours to come:

The Call To Inaction Tour: McCain, bored with the opponentless campaign, retreats to AZ (via Cindy McCain's corporate jet) to retool family grilling recipes. Stops include McCain's backyard grill and patio, kitchen and porch swing for post ribs nap.

The Hillary I Know Tour: McCain criss crosses the Hoosier State reminding voters that HRC once drank him under the table -- even if she showed herself to be a shot sipper during a recent stop in PA. If IN voters want a real fighter in the White House, he'll advise, they'll throw another monkey wrench into the Dem contest and give HRC a much-needed March 6 win.

The Swing State Vacation Tour: McCain and fam decamp to Lake Winnipesaukee. From there, they head to Aspen, Virginia Beach and Miami. This running for president stuff is such hard work.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

Updates from our Hotline Political Network Affiliates

Elizabeth Edwards writes in today's NYT that the media focuses too much on the money race and daily campaign nonsense (bowling scores) and not enough on substance (health care plans): "I am saying that every analysis that is shortened, every corner that is cut, moves us further away from the truth until what is left is the Cliffs Notes of the news, or what I call strobe-light journalism, in which the outlines are accurate enough but we cannot really see the whole picture." As I write this, EE's op-ed is the sixth most popular piece on the NYT Web site.

Meanwhile,The Washington Post's Jonathan Weisman offers some sympathy for the suffering campaign staffs of both Dems. Spouses and children live in other cities, personal belongings sit in storage and a Passover seder gets performed on the fly.

And in a piece titled "Desperately Seeking Street Cred," Maureen Dowd writes today of Vampiress Hillary, who, with a boost of post PA energy, seems to be sucking the life out of her rival. "Hillary grows more and more glowy as Obama grows more and more wan. Is she draining him of his precious bodily fluids? Leeching his magic? Siphoning off his aura?"

AZ Democratic Party First Vice Chairwoman Charlene Fernandez, a Super D, endorsed Barack Obama for president last night.

“Senator Barack Obama is strengthening the Democratic Party by bringing in new voters, young and old, into the process," she said in a statement released by the campaign. "I believe Senator Obama has the best ability to win the White House in November and lead this country forward.”

The campaign says that by its count Fernandez is Obama's 241st Super D endorsement.

And here's a snippet of Barack Obama's interview on FNS today, answering that the HRC camp's call for a Lincoln-Douglas-style debate ...

CHRIS WALLACE: Why are you ducking another debate with Senator Clinton?

BARACK OBAMA: I'm not ducking one we've had 21 (laughs) and so what we've said we're two weeks, two big states we want to make sure we're talking to as many folks possible on the ground taking questions from voters, you know we will -

WALLACE: No debates between now and Indiana?

OBAMA: We're not going to have debates between now and Indiana.

Here's that letter from Maggie Williams to David Plouffe requesting a 90-minute Lincoln-Douglas debate between the Dem candidates ...

April 26, 2008

David Plouffe, Campaign Manager
Obama for America
P.O. Box 8102
Chicago, IL 60680

Dear David:

The attention, excitement and energy around this presidential election is unprecedented. The stakes could not be higher for our country and the American people. The economy is sliding into recession, our men and woman in the Armed Forces are fighting two wars abroad, and our country is reeling from the harsh legacy of the Bush-Cheney Administration. The American people are choosing a direction for their children and families. They have a right to hear from those who want to be their leaders. Our Democratic primaries reflect the keen interest of the American citizenry in this election. Our primaries have brought millions of new people into the political process and invigorated a national conversation about the best solutions to meet our challenges.

Senator Clinton believes deeply that political debates are a vital part of our democratic process. It is the American way to place our would-be leaders side by side to hear them articulate and defend their ideas; to challenge each other on their visions for the future; to answer the tough questions about their plans, their records and their judgments; and to celebrate their achievements.

Senator Obama has declined the invitation from CBS and the North Carolina Democratic Party to appear for a debate at North Carolina State University tomorrow evening. Senator Obama has apparently declined the invitation of the Indiana Debate Commission to appear for a debate in Indiana next week. Senator Obama has not responded to Senator Clinton’s challenge to debate in Oregon. Will there be no debates in other upcoming states? The American people, of course, deserve more. They deserve debates before casting their votes. They deserve debates just like the states who have participated in this invigorating process before them.

I understand that Senator Obama has raised the point that there have already been more than 20 debates this election cycle. However, only four of those have been between Senator Obama and Senator Clinton. We can all agree that many important issues have received scant attention during previous debates, including such important topics as education and the energy crisis.

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the famous Lincoln-Douglas debates, a series of public debates across Illinois where two candidates put their ideas, their visions, and their values before the American people. I have no doubt that Senator Obama, who hails from that great state, understands how valuable and vital these national conversations were to the heart of America. We can surely meet the standard our forbearers did. Our final two primary candidates to date have had three fewer debates than Lincoln and Douglas held in single state over 60 days in 1858.

And if we debate, Americans will come. Recent debates have attracted record numbers of viewers – more than 10 million for the last one. And a great number of voters in recent primaries have said that the debates in their states were important to their decision.

Senator Obama himself suggested the last debate in Philadelphia did not provide enough opportunity to talk about issues that “matter[] to the American people.” A Lincoln-Douglas style debate would certainly provide that opportunity. There would be no questions from the media. There would be equal time and equal opportunity to grapple with the important policy questions we are facing today. As Douglas put it, the two candidates would meet “for the purpose of discussing the leading political topics which now agitate the public mind.”

In the spirit of the Lincoln-Douglas debates, we make this proposal:

Senator Clinton and Senator Obama will participate in a 90-minute debate in an open public forum. Just the two of them -- no questioners, no panelists, no video clips. One candidate would speak for two minutes, then the other, alternating back and forth all the way through the debate. Their discussion – not any pre-set rules – would determine how long they spend on one subject before moving on to another. Such a debate would range across all of the challenges, large and small, we face as a nation or it could focus on the most significant issue we face today, -- the economy.

We can readily agree on a host, a place, a date, and a broadcaster or series of broadcasters.

Both of our candidates are making history. Let us continue to do so. Let’s debate.

Sincerely,

Maggie Williams
Campaign Manager

Finally, the Democratic National Committee takes a meaningful whack at John McCain for supporting the Iraq war -- and for suggesting that the United States could keep troops in the country for 100 years, if necessary. Interspersed with on-the-ground footage of burning cars and explosions, the ad notes the $500B cost of the war, the 4,000 dead. It ends with a photograph of President Bush and McCain, the president's arm slung warmly around the AZ senator's shoulder. A narrator asks, "Is John McCain the right choice for America's future?"

The spot will begin airing on cable networks nationally next week. It is the second DNC ad to start shaping the Dems' message about McCain -- that he's supported the president's failed foreign and domestic policies. It's a super spot. Scary, effective. Suggests that McCain is no maverick but a Bush Administration flunky. But take note ... It ends with a plea for cash to help fund the ad. While the GOP is flush, the Democratic Party is in a tough financial spot. And as the Dem candidates slug it out in remaining state primaries, $$$ could be the party's problem moving forward, as it seeks to do the work the inevitable Dem nom has not.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

Just to keep the veepstakes watchers abuzz ... John McCain's campaign announced this evening that Mitt Romney will headline the Nevada State Republican Convention "on behalf of John McCain." Tomorrow in Reno ...

Hillary Clinton launched a new TV ad in IN today that pushes the gas tax issue. She, too, will suspend the gas tax this summer. (All the candidates are doing it. Seems like the teeny tiniest of band aids to a whopper of an energy crisis.) In the spot, a narrator says Clinton promises to investigate the oil companies "for price gouging and collusion."

Michigan and Florida (and for that matter, HRC) decision day hath arrived ...

MEMORANDUM

TO: DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee Members

FROM: Alexis Herman & Jim Roosevelt, Jr., Co-Chairs

DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee (RBC)

SUBJECT: Meeting Announcement–May 31, 2008

DATE: April 25, 2008

Realizing that members have very busy schedules, we wanted to notify you as soon as possible that the RBC will meet on Saturday, May 31, 2008 in Washington, D.C. We are asking members to arrive on Friday, May 30, 2008 in time for a private informal dinner with us. While we expect the RBC meeting to last most of the day on Saturday, we are asking members not to make their departure plans until Sunday.

The main item of business on the Committee’s agenda will be the consideration of two pending challenges.

We hope you are able to attend this very important RBC meeting. Further information, including meeting agenda and meeting logistics, will be forwarded to you in the near future.

Please note that this is an official meeting of the RBC. Therefore, we would like to remind members of the attendance requirement established in the Bylaws (Article Two, Section 10.(g)). Members who miss three consecutive RBC meetings are deemed to have resigned from the Committee. Registering a proxy, while important for establishing a quorum and assuring your vote is represented, does not count for the purpose of attendance at a meeting.

In the meantime, should you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact either of us directly. You may also contact staff in the DNC Office of Party Affairs and Delegate Selection – Patrice Taylor at 202/863-8046 or via email at taylorp@dnc.org, or Alecia Dyer at 202/863-8055 or via e-mail at dyera@dnc.org.

As always, thank you for your time and effort as a member of this Committee. We look forward to seeing you on May 31, 2008.

The North Carolina Democratic Party is asking Vice President Dick Cheney, scheduled to make an appearance in Raleigh Monday for a state party fundraiser at a private home, to renounce that NCGOP ad featuring the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

NCDP chairman Jerry Meek said in a statement that, "Republicans have shown a clear lack of leadership on this issue."

"Since John McCain can't seem to reign in his own Party, Vice President Cheney should give it a try," Meek said. "Despite Cheney's favorable ratings in the low twenties, North Carolina Republican leaders obviously expect to raise money from Cheney's visit to North Carolina. The vice president should demand that State Republican leaders withdraw this ad, or refuse to come to North Carolina on the very day this ad begins to run."

Brent Woodcox, a spokesman for the state GOP, said Cheney is indeed expected to attend the NCGOP's "Victory Fund" event. The state Dems note that Cheney's event will raise $$ for down-ballot GOPers helped by the "Extreme" ad.

We're thinking Cheney is probably not the guy to take a stand on the matter. Just a hunch.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

ABC News' Jake Tapper today ribs DNC Research Dir. Mike Gehrke for cracking wise -- on his Facebook page, of all places -- about John McCain's age.

Gehrke, whose Facebook photo is ...

... lifted a yuck from Jay Leno: "You know what you call someone who digs up dirt on John McCain? An archeologist."

DNC spokeswoman Karen Finney told Tapper that Gehrke "has been reprimanded." Gehrke tells On Call: "From now on all the jokes I steal will be on background."

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

INDIANAPOLIS -- The question Barack Obama must answer as he campaigns in Indiana, and to a lesser extent North Carolina where he is the favorite, is how he can overcome his weakness with working class and non-college educated voters. He addressed the issue today in a press conference about gas prices.

The campaign also held a conference call to highlight its national voter registration drive, set to launch May 10th, and to set the bar for Hillary Clinton's campaign in NC, a race Obama's team believes is a must-win for her.

When pressed about the challenge he faces with blue collar voters, the Illinois senator said he believes voters in states like Ohio and Pennsylvania may have preferred Clinton in the primary but would be more than likely" to vote for him in the general election against John McCain.

"I don't think that there's a huge difference between black working class, white working class, suburban, urban, rural, I think people want to see the country make progress, and so what I'm going to continue to do is to present those issues that effect people's bottom lines, the issues they're talking about around the kitchen table," he told reporters outside Joe's Junction gas station. "I think that when they see what our plans are particularly in a general election compared to the approach that Sen McCain is taking, I'm confident that Americans are gonna want to move forward instead of having 4 more years of the same politics that got us into trouble in the first place."

He joked that he had on a ''pretty standard suit" when asked how he could fight the perception being put forth by his opponents that he was a "GQ"-style elitist, adding that he had four pairs of shoes and that he had just one suit when he met his wife. He acknowledged he would need to focus in the next several weeks on educating voters about his background.

"I was raised with far fewer advantages than either of my two remaining opponents," he said.

From NBC's Chuck Todd

One of the things that both Dem campaigns are always nervous about is defectors. In particular, Clinton is more vulnerable to this problem since she's the candidate that is trailing. Well, NBC News has learned that a major fundraiser for Hillary Clinton, former Amb. to Chile Gabriel Guerra-Mondragon is leaving the campaign to join up Barack Obama's campaign.

Officially dubbed a "Hillraiser," Guerra-Mondragon raised nearly $500,000 for Clinton's campaign, according to some estimates. He has been informing people inside Clintonworld this week in what's been described as some tough conversations. A formal announcement of a role for Guerra-Mondragon on Obama's national finance committee will be made next week.

Among the reasons for Guerra-Mondragon to defect, according to one informed source, was he was uneasy with the tone of the Clinton campaign and was beginning to worry about what this would mean for the general election.

It's unclear if this defection will lead to others; the Clinton camp has been particularly effective at getting folks to keep their powder dry.

For Obama, this comes at a time when his campaign is trying to re-convince insiders that the math indicates he has the nomination virtually wrapped up. In addition, Guerra-Mondragon's defection could serve as a tipping point with some key Hispanic Democratic leaders that Obama is ready to start making a bigger effort to court Hispanics.

As Hillary Clinton pushes for a Dem debate in the Tar Heel State, On Call reminds readers that Barack Obama agreed March 13 to a North Carolina face-off. The campaign's release:

OBAMA ACCEPTS INVITATIONS TO DEBATE IN PENNSYLVANIA AND NORTH CAROLINA

“Senator Obama welcomes the opportunity to openly debate Senator Clinton on the issues important to Americans in North Carolina and Pennsylvania and hopes that she will accept these invitations as well,” said Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton.

So, knowing that, Obama spokesman Hari Sevugan turns the tables on the debate-demanding HRC:

"While Senator Clinton is focused on debating debates - except, of course, for the one in North Carolina that Senator Obama accepted and she didn't, or the previous 20-plus debates they've already had - Senator Obama is focused on finding real solutions for our families like making energy more affordable and securing our energy independence," he said. "The difference in this election couldn't be more clear."

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

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

SUNDAY:

Meet the Press hosts DNC Chair Howard Dean and a roundtable with Washington Post's David Broder, Slate.com's John Dickerson, PBS' Gwen Ifill, NBC's Andrea Mitchell and Newsweek's Richard Wolffe.

Face the Nation hosts Obama strategist David Axelrod, Clinton strategist Howard Wolfson and ex-CBS corr. Roger Mudd.

This Week hosts Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN), Rep. Artur Davis (D-AL), Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) and ex-Senate Maj. Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD).

Fox News Sunday hosts Barack Obama.

Late Edition hosts Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-MI), Clinton foreign policy adviser Jamie Rubin, Obama foreign policy adviser Susan Rice, and a roundtable with CNN's Joe Johns, CNN's Gloria Borger and CNN's Jessica Yellin.

See other weekend shows after the jump.

(KATHERINE LEHR)

JACKSONVILLE, N.C. - Hillary Clinton pressed Barack Obama for a debate here this morning, saying that each state has a unique set of issues that deserve discussion.

Clinton, joined outside a fire house near Camp Lejune by retired military leaders, told several hundred supporters that she was happy the campaign has continued in North Carolina, because there is "no better place to be in the springtime." She made a pitch for her campaign's interactive "NC Ask Me" feature, where people can submit questions online and get an answer, some of which have been used in television ads.

"It has been great, and we've gotten over 14,000 questions," she said. "We have answered every one of those questions. But the only question I can't answer is why Senator Obama won't debate me in North Carolina. And I'd sure like to give an answer."

She said that each upcoming state deserves their own debate, because "the issues in Pennsylvania are not the same as the issues in North Carolina," and "the issues in North Carolina aren't the same as the issues in Indiana."

"There's all kinds of issues that we should be debating about right here in North Carolina," she said. "So again I offer that I'll go anywhere at any time. And we'll have that debate as long as Senator Obama would agree to actually meet me. I think that would be good for the voters and it would be good for this important campaign."

David Plouffe tells National Journal Contributing Editor Linda Douglass that Hillary Clinton is the one whose electability is in question. He cites high negatives, untrustworthiness and her “limited range” ...

A snippet of Douglass' interview, which airs today on POTUS 08:

"Plouffe: I mean I think her electability issues are the following: she has a high unfavorable rating. It would be the highest unfavorable rating for any presidential nominee in recent history. Fairly or not, the majority of voters do not trust Senator Clinton. Those two points are related, obviously -- her unfavorable rating and the sense that voters do not find her honest or trustworthy. And I do think she has limited appeal with Independent voters -- ideally you'd win them. John McCain has unique appeal with Independent voters. Senator Clinton has difficulty matching up with him with Independent voters. She's got less appeal to Republicans, and I also think she's not going to create the kind of turn out that we will in the African-American community and with all voters under 40."

"So I think she's got real limited range here, and we think that we will be just as strong as she will be in the core battleground states like Pennsylvania, like Ohio. But the question is in Iowa, in Wisconsin, in New Mexico, in Nevada – these are states that have always been very close, that a Democratic nominee has to carry. And we're doing much better than she is against John McCain."

Updates from our Hotline Political Network Affiliates

Thought the NC governor's race couldn't get any uglier? Think again!

Richard Moore, one of the candidates in the NC gubernatorial race who is targeted by the GOP's controversial "Extreme" ad, is up with a new commercial attacking his opponent, Bev Perdue, for her vote against a hate crimes bill. The :30 spot slams Perdue for voting against a bill that included a provision for tougher investigation of the KKK.

(As with most political ads, there's more to the story -- Perdue has a respectable civil rights record and has always polled well among black voters in the state. The Perdue camp furiously compared Moore's attack to the legendarily dirty ad wars waged by Sen. Jesse Helms.)

Also, note that the Democratic candidate's new ad opens with a still of Moore hanging out with Barack Obama.

Perdue is accusing Moore of "race-baiting." And now, the Republican group that's threatening to run the Rev. Jeremiah Wright ad is throwing in its two cents, too, citing the "racially-tinged" Democratic back-and-forth as a sign of hypocrisy.

"We have stood firmly against the injection of race into this discussion and have reiterated again and again our focus on the issue of judgment," says NC GOP chairwoman Linda Daves in a statement criticizing her Democratic counterpart. "Clean up your own house before you tell us how to run ours.”

(NBC/NJ's CARRIE DANN)

A majority of last night's TV focused on Rev. Jeremiah Wright's first broadcast interview with a journalist since the controversy over his remarks and relationship with Barack Obama. The interview, which was conducted by PBS' Bill Moyers, will air tonight, but some of the shows gave a sneak preview:

Wright, asked if he has ever heard Obama repeat any of his controversial statements as his opinion: "No. No. No. No, absolutely not. I don't talk to him about politics. And so here at a political event, he goes out as a politician and says what he has to say as a politician. I continue to be a pastor who speaks to the people of God about the things of God."

Wright, on Obama criticizing some of his sermons in his race speech: "It went down very simply. He's a politician, I'm a pastor. We speak to two different audiences. And he says what he has to say as a politician. I say what I have to say as a pastor. But they're two different worlds. I do what I do. He does what politicians do, so that what happened in Philadelphia where he had to respond to the sound bites, he responded as a politician" (mult.)

After the jump, reaction to the interview and the return of Fred Thompson (KATHERINE LEHR).

The NYT's Mark Leibovich is reporting tonight that Rep. James E. Clyburn, an undeclared superdelegate from South Carolina who is the Democratic whip in the House, told the paper that “black people are incensed over all of this,” a reference to statements that Bill Clinton has made in the last several months. Clyburn said in an interview posted on the Web this evening that the former president's behavior has been "bizarre" over the course of the primary.

Of particular issue ... Clinton's effort to diminish Obama's eventual South Carolina victory by noting that Jesse Jackson won the state's primary, too. Clinton also said Monday in a Philly radio interview that the Obama camp had played the race card against him.

More from the NYT:

“When he was going through his impeachment problems, it was the black community that bellied up to the bar,” Clyburn said. “I think black folks feel strongly that that this is a strange way for President Clinton to show his appreciation.”

Clyburn added that there appears to be an almost “unanimous” view among African-Americans that Mr. and Mrs. Clinton “are committed to doing everything they possibly can to damage Obama to a point that he could never win.”

FAYETTEVILLE, NC - Hillary Clinton, with eight retired military leaders at her back, challenged Barack Obama to let North Carolinians have their own debate, offering to meet him "anytime, anywhere."

"I hope we can have a really vigorous discussion about the issues here in North Carolina, and I'm hoping we can have a debate right here," she told a crowd here on her third trip to the state. "I think the voters of North Carolina deserve a debate. I have said I'll debate anytime, anywhere. Look, I'm so sleep deprived, it doesn't matter."

The forum, held at Methodist University just miles from Fort Bragg, was meant to showcase what Clinton sees as her strength on the commander-in-chief test. North Carolina has a significant percentage of veterans. One-by-one, the eight servicemen and women affirmed Clinton's credentials, capped by Hugh Shelton, who served as chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during Bill Clinton's second term.

Shelton noted that only one prior presidential candidate had ever been endorsed by a joint chiefs chairman, and that Clinton now has the endorsement of two.

Brent Woodcox, a spokesman for the North Carolina GOP, says that the "Extreme" ad buy has not yet been made but that full details of the buy will made public tomorrow, reports NBC/NJ's Carrie Dann. Everything is apparently a-go -- despite the earlier Reuters report that the state party decided to pull the spot.

Reuters is reporting that the NCGOP is indeed pulling "Extreme" ... after much urging from the RNC and John McCain's camp. The ad featured footage of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright cursing the United States and blaming America for 9/11. By extension, it criticized two NC Dems -- Bev Perdue and Richard Moore -- for endorsing Barack Obama, who does, as we all well know, attend Wright's former church. A narrator intones: "They should know better. He's just too extreme for North Carolina."

Dear Friend:

I am writing to tell you about my friend, Hillary Clinton, and why I am standing with her in her campaign for the presidency. I know the kind of president Hillary Clinton will be because I know the person she is.

I am inspired by her courage and her honesty. She is a reliable and trustworthy person. She is someone I not only admire but one for whom I have profound affection.

Hillary does not waver in standing up for those who need a champion. She has always been a passionate protector of families. As a child, she was taught that all God’s children are equal, and as a mother, she understood that her child wasn’t safe unless all children were safe. As I wrote about Hillary recently in a praise song: “She is the prayer of every woman, and every man who longs for fair play, healthy families, good schools and a balanced economy.”

It may be easy to view Hillary Clinton through the narrow lens of those who would write her off or grind her down. Hillary sees us as we are, black and brown and white and yellow and pink and relishes our differences knowing that fundamentally we are all more alike than we are unalike. She is able to look through complexion and see community.

She has endured great scrutiny, and still she dares greatly. Hillary Clinton will not give up on you, and all she asks is that you do not give up on her. She is a long-distance runner. I am honored to say I am with her for the long run.

I am supporting Hillary Clinton because I know that she will make the most positive difference in people’s lives and she will help our country become what it can be. Whether you are her supporter, leaning towards her, undecided, or supporting someone else, I believe Hillary Clinton will represent you – she will be a president for all Americans. It is no small thing that along the way we will make history together.

Vote for Hillary Clinton and show your support at www.hillaryclinton.com. I know she will make us proud.

Superdelegate/Rep. David Wu (D-OR) announced his support for Barack Obama, citing his ability to make real change. Wu: "I believe that he is best suited to turn the page on this sorry episode in American history. He and I both had the judgment to oppose the Iraq War from the very beginning."

Wu marks Obama's 240th superdelegate endorsement.

An interesting note: On NPR's "Morning Edition" this a.m., Wu was quoted saying, "I will decide at a reasonable time. I have very little intention of stretching it out till the convention, but I just have not had a reason to declare up till now."

Sources say Barack Obama will appear -- for the first time in 772 days -- on Fox News Sunday. He's taping an interview 4/26 in IN with FNS's Chris Wallace and will appear on the Sunday chat show 4/27.

Obama hasn't appeared on FNS ever. FNS has been keeping a clock counting the days, hours, minutes and seconds since Obama last appeared on their show. On 4/20, the clock stood at 765 days, 13 hours, 54 min, 47 seconds.

Why the change of heart now? (JENNIFER SKALKA).

Andy Griffith, all-American TV legend and native of Mt. Airy, NC, recently endorsed LG Beverly Perdue for NC GOV. Starting 4/23, the two started appearing together in the following ad:

Defending her position to air the controversial ad linking Perdue to Rev. Jeremiah Wright and Barack Obama, NC GOP Chair Linda Daves stated: "This ad presents a question of patriotism and judgment. It is entirely appropriate for voters to evaluate candidates based on their past associations."

In response, NC Dem Chair Jerry Meek told the AP: "It's one thing to criticize somebody for associating with somebody else. But to criticize somebody for associating with somebody who associates with somebody else is ludicrous. Where does it end?"

Mayberry, perhaps?

Also, when will Opie (who, incidentally, supports Hillary Clinton) weigh in? (CHRIS BODENNER).

All signs indicate that the North Carolina Republican Party plans to air a TV spot using the Rev. Jeremiah Wright's "God damn America" line to criticize Barack Obama and two of his leading NC supporters -- despite the RNC and John McCain camp's advice otherwise. Howard Dean today issued a statement calling on McCain to take a stronger public stand on the matter:

"This is a test of leadership for John McCain," Dean said. "If he can't pick up the phone and make members of his own party stop airing a television ad he claims to oppose, how can he lead our country through an economic crisis or the war in Iraq? After shifting his positions on gun control, immigration and tax cuts throughout this campaign, McCain should not equivocate on this issue. Making a show of releasing your emails to the press is not leadership. If he is serious, he will get this ad pulled."

UPDATE: Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Robert M. “Mike” Duncan released the following statement today ... “Both Senator McCain and the RNC have been very clear about running a respectful campaign based on the issues. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Howard Dean. The DNC Chairman has consistently attacked Senator McCain’s integrity and character, even his military service. It is absolutely laughable that Howard Dean would call on anyone to denounce anything considering the pattern of outrageous and personal attacks he has leveled at McCain and Republicans. If anything, Senators Obama and Clinton should immediately stand up and repudiate the coarse and inappropriate actions of their party chairman.”

A lot of last night's TV focused on the NC GOV ads that attack Barack Obama and Rev. Wright, as well as John McCain's request to the NC GOP to take them off the air.

Politico's Simon, on the ad: "It is certainly nasty. I'm not sure it is unfair though. The media having run that clip about a million times more than the North Carolina party ever could run that clip. Who is more guilty? What is unfair about the ad is the implication that Barack Obama sat in that pew and heard Jeremiah Wright say those statements. Barack Obama says he never heard it, blah blah blah. But ... Barack Obama is not past this incident. And Jeremiah Wright is going to come up in the general election. It just is, just like people clinging to their guns and religion. He better get used to it" ("Hardball," MSNBC, 4/23).

GOP strategist Mary Matalin: "That is a standard that McCain has set for himself and he set for the national party, but the state parties are free and have always been free and are responsible, indeed, for their own races. ... What's wrong with playing that ad? That is not taken out of context. It is not distorting his words, like Barack Obama did to John McCain just today" ("Hannity & Colmes," FNC, 4/23).

CNN's Bash: "McCain insisted it's not a contradiction to go after Obama on those so-called bitter remarks because he said Obama has really stood by the sentiment of that whereas he has really disavowed those controversial comments by his pastor, Jeremiah Wright. But it really is a fine line for McCain because he has set the bar so high for himself when it comes to running what he called a respectful campaign" ("Lou Dobbs Tonight," 4/23).

FNC's Hannity: "I disagree with Senator McCain. This isn't his campaign. He can run his campaign any way he wants. This is a legitimate issue. ... If John McCain wants to run his campaign that way, that's fine. I think it's a mistake. Because he's going to get hammered by either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. They're going to try and throw the kitchen sink at him" ("Hannity & Colmes," 4/23).

After the jump, the New York Times gets an earful (KATHERINE LEHR).

Updates from our Hotline Political Network Affiliates

John McCain takes a walking tour of the 9th Ward with LA Gov. Bobby Jindal, Major General Bennett C. Landreneau, the Adjutant General of the Louisiana National Guard, and National Guard Colonel Danny Bordelon.

He heads next to Xavier University (the nation's only predominately black Roman Catholic university, the campaign notes today in its release). There Senator McCain will visit with Xavier President Dr. Norman Francis, a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, before holding a town hall meeting.

Another drama-free, on-message day likely ahead for the AZ Sen. The Democrats, whose daily questions about McCain's record seem to fall into the ether, are pushing these three talking points today as McCain tours the devastated 9th Ward:

-- When John McCain is campaigning in New Orleans, will he explain to Gulf Coast voters why he voted against emergency funding to the area and against giving victims of Katrina access to Medicaid and unemployment benefits?

-- On ABC’s This Week last weekend, John McCain tried to distance himself once again from John Hagee’s comments about Catholicism without saying whether he agrees with Hagee’s views on Hurricane Katrina. Does John McCain think that Hurricane Katrina was God’s punishment on sinners in New Orleans?

-- Why did McCain propose a new rural connectivity program after leading Republican efforts to kill a nearly identical program in the Senate?

Announcement expected later today ... Details to come.

Audra Ostergard, associate chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party and a member of the Democratic National Committee, announced her support today for Barack Obama.

“I have carefully weighed input from Democrats across Nebraska and closely watched results from primaries and caucuses across the country,” Ostergard said in a statement released by Obama's campaign. “There are compelling arguments for supporting both candidates, but my decision came down to what’s best for our country and for Nebraska. In that regard, I am confident in my decision to endorse Senator Obama. He has a proven ability to activate Democrats in Nebraska.”

Despite criticism from the Republican National Committee and the GOP's presumptive presidential nominee, the North Carolina Republican Party is resolute in its plan to air a sensational 30-second ad that links Barack Obama to the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

The spot features footage, which cycled on the cable circuit weeks ago, of Obama's pastor cursing America. A narrator then says of Obama: "He's just too extreme for North Carolina."

"This is a legitimate question to be asked," said state party spokesman Brent Woodcox, who emphasized that the NC GOP has "a great relationship" with their national leadership. "We are not the only ones asking it."

Woodcox says that the party plans to air the ad Monday night at 6pm, but that the buy is "still being finalized." (That means that there's still time for the party to balk, rendering the ad a trial balloon or a stunt.)

He said that the urging of party leadership will be "taken into consideration" but that they're moving forward. "We plan to go ahead with this," he said.

The RNC was aware of the ad last night, but the group did not advise against airing the spot until this morning.

(NBC/NJ's CARRIE DANN)

HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. -- Bill Clinton fired up a Tarheel crowd here by recounting facts and figures from his wife's victory in Pennsylvania yesterday. He said that the win was possible because of "people like you," working-class types that he said the Obama camp is now writing off.

"Today her opponent's campaign strategist said, 'Well, we don't really need these working class people to win, half the time they vote for Republicans anyways,'" he said, while speaking from a flatbed truck on a baseball field. "I will tell you something -- America needs you to win, and therefore Hillary wants your support, and I hope you will help her in this primary in North Carolina."

Clinton was referring to comments by Barack Obama strategist David Axelrod, who told NPR today that the "white working class has gone to the Republican nominee for many elections, going back even to the Clinton years," and that the Democratic candidates "haven't solely relied on the demographic."

Clinton told the hundreds on hand, as he told thousands of Pennsylvanians for more than a month, that this was "the biggest state still to vote." And he tweaked the Obama camp for ducking a debate.

"I think I know the answer to the question of why one candidate wants to debate, because I saw the debate in Pennsylvania," he said. "And afterwards, 41 percent of the voters watched it, and by 52 to 22, they said Hillary won."

The rally was chock full of get-out-the-vote tactics meant to bank some votes for Hillary two weeks before the primary. For starters, it was held just outside an early voting location.

"I'm supposed to remind you to vote early," he said. "Unless you haven't made up your mind, in which case, let me talk to you some more."

Clinton also, after his opening remarks, answered some questions submitted by voters through the campaign's "NC Asks" program.

Before Clinton arrived, supporters were asked to phone bank, or text their number to the campaign for a chance to meet the former president.

(NBC/NJ's MIKE MEMOLI)

Hillary Clinton's campaign is announcing that it's on track to raise $10M in the 24 hours post PA.

“Senator Clinton’s game-changing victory last night has turned the tide and resulted in an historic outpouring of grassroots support,” Campaign Chairman Terry McAuliffe said in a statement released by the campaign. “Just like Hillary, our supporters have met every challenge and come through each time. Thanks to them, we will have the resources needed to compete and win as we move ahead to the next contests.”

The campaign has received support from more than 60,000 donors through noon today; approximately 50,000 are new donors.

With all the buzzing out of Team HRC, however, it's looking ever more like Barack Obama's delegate lead is going to be tough to overcome. Despite besting him by 200K in the PA popular vote, Clinton's delegate gain is minimal. Here's the AP's latest count, from an hour ago: "Clinton won at least 81 of the 158 delegates up for grabs in Tuesday's contest, according to an analysis of election returns by The Associated Press. Sen. Barack Obama won at least 70, with seven still to be awarded."

Congressman John Tanner, who represents TN's 8th District, today announced his endorsement of Hillary Clinton.

"I do not remember a time when our nation has faced the financial peril that confronts all Americans," Congressman Tanner said. "To me, this election is not about politics as usual. I believe nothing less than our financial liberty and economic freedom are at stake. In my opinion, the best person to lead this critical effort is Hillary Clinton. Hillary is a smart, pragmatic leader who understands the grave situation our country faces, with a $9 trillion debt, much of which is borrowed from foreign countries. Now, more than ever, our nation needs a leader like Sen. Clinton who can work with others to return to fiscal sanity."

Tanner is co-founder of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition.

The Clinton camp announced a "Tide Is Turning" themed 2 p.m. conference call featuring: Sen. Evan Bayh, Gov. Jon Corzine, Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Gov. David Paterson, Gov. Ed Rendell and Gov. Ted Strickland. And, as we sit on the precipice of overuse of this phrase, we offer up this midday pause in the action:

The RNC is none too pleased either with the NCGOP spot ...

“Senator McCain has been very clear that he expects to run a respectful campaign based on the critical issues confronting the nation. The RNC has been in contact with the NC GOP and communicated that we do not believe the ad is appropriate or helpful and have asked that they refrain from running it.” - Danny Diaz, RNC spokesman

Barack Obama's campaign today announced the endorsement of 49 prominent supporters of John Edwards - including Ed Turlington, Edwards' former national chairman.

"Barack Obama and John Edwards share a commitment to taking on special interests and standing up for regular Americans. Along with Edwards supporters from across the state, I am honored to join Senator Obama's movement for change," Turlington said in a statement released by Obama's campaign. "As president, he will bring together Democrats, Republicans and Independents behind an agenda of change. From ending the war in Iraq to confronting the scourge of poverty to making health care affordable for every single American, Barack Obama will bring our country the change we need."

Per Obama's camp, listed below are local leaders who had previously backed Edwards for president but are tossing their support to Obama (not all are new today):

And here's John McCain's letter to the head of the North Carolina GOP:

Dear Chairman Daves,

From the beginning of this election, I have been committed to running a respectful campaign based upon an honest debate about the great issues confronting America today. I expect all state parties to do so as well. The television advertisement you are planning to air degrades our civics and distracts us from the very real differences we have with the Democrats. In the strongest terms, I implore you to not run this advertisement.

This ad does not live up to the very high standards we should hold ourselves to in this campaign. We need to run a campaign that is worthy of the people we seek to serve. There is no doubt that we will draw sharp contrasts with the Democrats on fundamental issues critical to the future course of our country. But we need not engage in political tactics that only seek to divide the American people.

Once again, it is imperative that you withdraw this offensive advertisement.
John McCain

Updates from our Hotline Political Network Affiliates

Per The Oklahoman: Gov. Brad Henry, who had said he wouldn't endorse until the convention, announced this a.m. that he is supporting Barack Obama. Add another Super D to Obama's total.

"Senator Obama is uniquely positioned to unite our nation and move beyond the divisiveness and partisan skirmishes that too often characterize politics as usual in Washington,” Henry said. "Senator Obama and his positive message reflect the best of America."

Uh, if you count MI and FL.

Hillary Clinton also tells Today's Matt Lauer that she's demonstrated she has "a much stronger base on which to build an electoral victory" in November. She said, too, that the campaign has raised $3M since last night.

Asked about the NYT edit slamming her for dragging the campaign into the gutter, she said: "That's part of the campaign. It goes back and forth. That's the way campaigns are."

While his Dem rivals spin the PA results and hit the ground in NC and IN, John McCain heads to the Old Martin County Courthouse in Inez, KY, for what will be another barely-challenged speech about how government can and must do better for the working poor. For McCain, the prolonged Dem fight just keeps on giving. McCain couldn't have asked for a better PA outcome -- provides just enough uncertainty in the Dem contest to keep the candidates focused on each other and largely off his back.

This is an example of just the fluffy feel-good possible news hit McCain is working to get off this tour:

"I think we should establish a "People Connect Program" that rewards companies that offer high-speed Internet access services to underserved, low-income customers by allowing these companies to write off the cost of this service. The government should enlist the help of private/public partnerships to devise creative and successful solutions to the lack of access to information technology. In many places, cities and towns are working with businesses that have experience providing high-speed Internet services to share the cost of building and improving that service. Where companies are unwilling to build information infrastructure, the federal government can support towns through government-backed loans or by issuing bonds with a low interest rate."

Who can argue with bringing the WWW to rural America?

Snippets of the KY speech available after the jump.

Jennifer --

Votes are still being counted in Pennsylvania, but one thing is already clear.

In a state where we trailed by more than 25 points just a couple weeks ago, you helped close the gap to a slimmer margin than most thought possible.

Thanks to your support, with just 9 contests remaining, we've won more delegates, more votes, and twice as many contests.

We hold a commanding position, but there are two crucial contests coming up -- voters will head to the polls in North Carolina and Indiana in exactly two weeks. And we're already building our organization in the other remaining states.

But it's clear the attacks are going to continue, and we're going to continue fighting a two-front battle against John McCain and Hillary Clinton.

I need your support right now. Please make a donation of $25:

https://donate.barackobama.com/whatthismeans

Thank you for all that you're doing to change our country.

Barack

To: Interested Parties

From: The Clinton Campaign

Date: April 23, 2008

RE: The Tide Is Turning

The voters in Pennsylvania have spoken. America is listening. And the tide is turning.

By providing fresh evidence that Hillary is the candidate best positioned to beat John McCain in the fall, the Pennsylvania primary is a turning point in the nominating contest.

Despite making an unprecedented financial investment in his Pennsylvania campaign, including millions on negative ads in the closing days of the race, Sen. Obama again failed to win a state that will be vital to a Democratic victory in November and spurred new questions about his ability to beat John McCain. No candidate has ever had more resources or enjoyed the kind of momentum that Sen. Obama had in Pennsylvania.

With concerns about the economy paramount, voters decided that Sen. Clinton was the candidate they trusted most to deal with job loss, the housing crisis and health care.

And with both candidates under the microscope at the same time for the first time, Hillary took more than a few punches and came out stronger while Sen. Obama emerged weaker as voters learned more about him. The exit polls clearly show that Sen. Clinton gained strength in the final days when the campaign was most engaged.

The reason for the Clinton comeback is clear: voters want a candidate who will stand strong for them and work to create a better future.

Coverage of the PA primary continues. Here are some highlights after the race was called for Hillary Clinton by all of the networks:

Syndicated columnist Mark Shields: "If one really wants to scrutinize the demographic that determines Hillary Clinton's going on and surviving through thick and a lot of thin and a lot of adversity, I think you have to look at her gender. I mean, women voters have been constant, especially women voters over the age of 50, who are not college graduates and probably of incomes less than $50,000 have been the stalwarts, have been the base, have been the real energy of her campaign on election days" ("NewsHour," PBS, 4/22).

Ex-WH spokesperson Ari Fleischer: "I think it's too early to say that she's the comeback kid. She's got too high a mountain to climb before anybody can say that. You know, to use a football analogy, this is the beginning of the fourth quarter and she's down by about three touchdowns" ("Hannity & Colmes," FNC, 4/22).

NBC's Russert, on Clinton's "sizable" win: "It guarantees she will have the money to run a very competitive race in Indiana. Every cent she gets will keep the plane in the air and to buy TV time on the air. And she will raise enough money. She won't be able to repay her $5 million loan and I don't think Mark Penn will be paid off, but she will be on television in Indiana and North Carolina. No doubt about it" (MSNBC, 4/22).

After the jump, more on PA and another Bill Clinton episode on the campaign trail (KATHERINE LEHR).

In a race of millionaires, a candidate that raised a total of $18K, Centre Co. GOP Chair Glenn Thompson (R), is the GOP nominee in PA-05. He'll take on Clearfield Co. Commis. Mark McCracken (D) in the general to fill the seat of retiring Rep. John Peterson (R).

The New York Times, which endorsed Hillary Clinton, criticized her in a blistering edit published online tonight for running a nasty PA campaign. The piece was, not surprisingly, circulated by Barack Obama's campaign.

NYT: The Pennsylvania campaign, which produced yet another inconclusive result on Tuesday, was even meaner, more vacuous, more desperate, and more filled with pandering than the mean, vacuous, desperate, pander-filled contests that preceded it.

On the eve of this crucial primary, Mrs. Clinton became the first Democratic candidate to wave the bloody shirt of 9/11. A Clinton television ad — torn right from Karl Rove’s playbook — evoked the 1929 stock market crash, Pearl Harbor, the Cuban missile crisis, the cold war and the 9/11 attacks, complete with video of Osama bin Laden. “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen,” the narrator intoned.

In one of the GOP's best pickup opportunities in the country, the party picked OneSource Staffing Solutions owner Chris Hackett (R) over Pride Mobility Products Pres. Dan Meuser (R). With 90% of the precincts reporting, Hackett received 52% to Meuser's 48%.

Per HRC spokesman Phil Singer: "As of 11:30PM tonight, we are at nearly $2.5 million since PA was called for HRC – 80% of that money is coming from new donors to the campaign. It’s our best night ever."

Hillary Clinton's Wednesday a.m. sched includes appearances on:

NBC’s Today Show

ABC’s Good Morning America

CBS’s Face the Nation

CNN’s American Morning

FOX’s FOX and Friends

MSNBC’s Morning Joe

With 88% of PA precincts reporting, Clinton leads Obama 55% to 45%.

She will pick up an estimated 200K popular votes, cutting Obama's overall popular vote lead to 500K.

Barack Obama, who jetted PA for IN tonight, congratulated Hillary Clinton for winning a hard-fought and often nasty Keystone State primary contest.

"She ran a terrific race," Obama said plainly, despite a seven-week struggle that involved revelations about the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and Clinton's Bosnia landing and "bittergate."

Obama directed a significant segment of his most fighting words at John McCain, saying the GOPer backs President Bush's corporate tax cuts and Iraq policy.

"What he's not offering," Obama said of McCain, "is any meaningful change from the policies of George W. Bush."

Obama said that this election year the Democrats should not "calculate and poll test our positions." He said the party should "seek to regain not just an office but the trust of the American people." His Dem rival has not yet succeeded, as PA exit polls reinforced tonight, in convincing voters that she is trustworthy.

As he did after losses in NH, TX and OH, Obama reminded of his broader mission and message, that his campaign is about uniting Americans of all backgrounds, races and religions. The country's divisive politics, he said, should and can be overcome.

"While I will always listen to you, and be honest with you and fight for you every single day for the next four or eight years, if I have the opportunity to be president, I will also ask you to be a part of the change that we need," Obama said.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

Despite voting in three elections in six weeks, MS-01 voters still don't have a Rep. to replace now-Sen. Roger Wicker (R). In a non-partisan vote, Prentiss Co. Clerk Travis Childers' (D) barely avoided a runoff and led Southaven Mayor Greg Davis (R), 49-47%. Two candidates who dropped out of the race, one GOPer and one Dem, collected 2% total.

Childers and Davis will now move on to a 5/13 runoff, and the winner will immediately fill the seat.

The North Carolina Republican Party will unveil a 30-second ad tomorrow that attacks Democratic gubernatorial candidates Beverly Perdue and Richard Moore for endorsing Barack Obama. The ad, per the party, will reference "controversial figures from Barack Obama's past" and raise the question of the candidates' "judgment" in supporting him.

The ad will be unveiled at an 11am press conference. Spokespeople for the Democratic gubernatorial campaigns say that they have not yet seen it and declined to comment. The Rev. Jeremiah Wright is expected to play a starring role.

It's unclear how extensive the buy will be, because the buy itself has not been made yet. A spokesman says that the party is "still making the decisions" as to where and when the ad will run, but says that a week-long rotation is planned starting "sometime next week."

Of course, releasing it at a press conference tomorrow gives the party time to gauge reaction and pull the plug. But Brent Woodcox, the party's communications director, insists that "the buy is going to be made, because this is a legitimate question."

Invoking the "controversial figures" was the idea of the state party, he said, and the ad has been screened only by party members and fundraisers.

The ad was not made in coordination with Moore's or Perdue's Republican rivals. The frontrunner for the GOP nomination in the state is Charlotte mayor Pat McCrory, who has a reputation as a pro-business moderate.

(NBC/NJ's CARRIE DANN)

(UPDATED: 11:15PM)

Lake Erie Arboretum Director Kathy Dahlkemper (D) will face Rep. Phil English (R) in PA-03 in the fall. In this p.m.'s primary, she defeated Erie Co. Councilor Kyle Foust (D), atty Tom Myers (D), 45-26-19%. Church activist Moise Waltner (D) took 11%.

Hailing her Pennsylvania roots, Hillary Clinton said her win tonight in the Keystone State is for the people who work hard every day to make ends meet, just as her grandfather and father once did.

"I am back here tonight because of their hard work and sacrifice, and I only wish that they could have lived to see this moment," she said.

"I'm in this race to fight for you," she added. "To fight for everyone who has ever been counted out."

Clinton certainly knows something about being counted out. Even as she reveled in what's shaping up to be a 10-point PA victory, pundits suggested she doesn't have the cash to fight on for long.

"Tonight more than ever," Clinton said, cognizant of the financial challenge ahead, "I need your help to continue this journey. This is your campaign."

Directing people to her Web site, she added: "We can only keep winning if we can keep competing against an opponent who outspends us so massively."

The final delegate count is still being hashed out, and despite the solid win, Clinton still trails Barack Obama in the delegate count, popular vote and number of states won. But as for those calls that she abandon the race, Clinton said tonight she'd have none of it.

"The American people don't quit, and they deserve a president who doesn't quit either," she said.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

HARRISBURG, Pa. - The Pennsylvania secretary of state said that a petition was denied in Philadelphia to extend all county polling places until 10 pm.

Secretary of State Pedro Cortes said the petition was filed after three polling places in the county had sporadic machines down. The judge in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas ruled this afternoon that the city had properly resolved the issue, and the malfunction didn't warrent the entire county remaining open. A spokeswoman said she did not believe an appeal had been filed.

Cortes said he expected turnout to be at 40 to 50 percent across the state, compared to less than 20 percent in recent presidential primary race. Cortes said he estimated voting in Allegheney County, which includes Pittsburgh, to be as much as 60 percent.

He said a few polling places did not open on time or had small malfunctions.

"The good thing is there is enough safeguards built into the process that, in the end, the electorate was given the opportunity to vote," he said.

(NBC/NJ's MATTHEW BERGER)

Hillary Clinton adviser Terry McAuliffe on FNC: "What you saw tonight is that they trust Hillary Clinton to deal with the economy, to deal with foreign affairs."

FNC's Megyn Kelly notes that exit polls show: 68% of Pennsylvanians think Barack Obama is trustworthy; 56% believe the same of Clinton.

"It's too debonair. It's too Fred Astair" -- Chris Matthews, on Obama, MSNBC.

"This thing's got a long way to go. ... [The Obama camp] threw multiple kitchen sinks at her. ... She pulled it off" -- Clinton chair Terry McAuliffe (MSNBC).

Ok, can we call for the end to all kitchen sink cliches? Please! And who throws multiple kitchen sinks. Totally screws with the metaphor.

But more seriously ... Note two elements of McAuliffe's pitch tonight. He made a plea for money, mentioning HRC's Web site on MSNBC a few moments ago. And he touted the popular vote argument, saying that Clinton is going to make up ground in the overall popular vote. Perhaps she will. But by their measure even, the only count that matters is the delegate count.

Here's HRC Communications chief Howard Wolfson, 1/16/08 in the Wash Post: "This is a race for delegates. It is not a battle for individual states. As David knows, we are well past the time when any state will have a disproportionate influence on the nominating process."

Harold Ickes, meanwhile, told Reuters, 1/31/08: "It's useful to win states, but states don't vote -- delegates do," said Harold Ickes, who is heading up the delegate operation for New York Sen. Hillary Clinton. "This is very much a race for delegates at this point."

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

Three separate HRC staffers discussed tonight’s win with us. The first thing they all said: we won, and we won all whilst being outspent. Clinton spokesperson Mo Elleithee: “Couldn’t be more thrilled…He outspent us 3-1 but couldn’t close the deal.”

Another staffer highlighted these numbers, which we will no doubt be getting in our in boxes soon (if we haven't already):

In PA, Obama spent a total of $11,246,573 on media, which is the most he has spent in any state to date.

* The $11.2M spent in PA is $1 million more than what he spent in total in the 20 states he had media running for Super Tuesday (Feb. 5 states).

* The average viewer in PA would have been exposed to more than 100 viewings of an Obama spot.

* Obama's spots ran almost 10,000 times on TV [estimated 9550]

* The $11.2M represents 16% of all the money he has spent in 40 states to date.

* The $11.2M is $1 million more than what John Kerry spent in total on media in 15 states in 2004 [thru March] to win the Democratic nomination.

* The $11.2M is more than any Dem candidate spent on ALL their TV buys in ALL of '04 to win the nomination (Nora McAlvanah).

"The pledged delegate count is basically over. ... It's almost impossible for Obama to lose his lead" -- NBC's Todd (MSNBC).

The electorate in Pennsylvania was better educated and wealthier than the electorate in Ohio. Even so, it clearly wasn't enough to give Obama the edge.

In Ohio, 44 percent of Dem primary voters made less than $50K. In Pennsylvania, it was 40 percent. Clinton carried those voters by 14 pts. in Ohio and 9 pts. in Pennsylvania.

62 percent of Ohio Dem primary voters did not have a college degree. In Pennsylvania, it was just 53 percent. Clinton carried the non-college vote by 18 pts. in Ohio and 14 pts. in Pennsylvania.

"Look at that. That's the wonder of the wall" CNN's King, on his magic wall that switches colors as soon as a precinct changes between candidates.

Do exit polls reveal any fallout from the 'bitter-gate' scandal? CNN's Schneider writes, "On the whole, no," noting that "66 percent of Pennsylvania Democrats said Clinton is in touch with people like them, while 65 percent said the same for Obama." Schneider concludes: "The elitist charge on Obama, at least among Democrats, does not appear to have stuck."

"It's hard to tell. Most voters are able to sift through a lot of factors" -- Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA), on how Obama's bitter comments influenced the vote (FNC).

"She can claim that she's the big-state victor" -- Tom Brokaw, on HRC.

"I think the calls are going out to the superdelegates now" -- Newsweek's Howard Fineman (MSNBC).

FNC calls PA for Hillary Clinton ...

The Staple Singers' "I'll Take You There" is currently playing at the Clinton HQ (MSNBC).

Exit polls posted by MSNBC also show...

-- Clinton leads by 16% among union households, which make 31% of voters. Obama meanwhile leads by 2% among non-union households.

-- Clinton leads by 16% among the 37% of voters who are gun owners.

-- 54% of voters believe Clinton is honest and trustworthy, while 67% say the same about Obama.

-- Two-thirds, 67%, believe Clinton attacked Obama unfairly, while just half, 49%, believe Obama attacked Clinton unfairly.

-- 54% of voters believe Obama will get the Dem nod, while just 43% think it will be Clinton.

-- Nearly half, 49% of voters, say change is most important quality to their vote – a group which broke 71-29% in Obama’s favor. Clinton, however, leads among the 26% of voters who chose experience, 93-6%.

-- A nearly equal number of voters say each candidate is “in touch with people like you” – 64% for Clinton and 65% for Obama.

-- Obama leading 69-31% in the Philadelphia area, and Clinton leading 61-38% in the Pittsburgh area.

-- Clinton leads by 13% among the 54% of voters who said the economy was the top issue facing the U.S. She also leads by 4% among the 13% selecting health care, while Obama leads by 14% among the 28% who said Iraq was most important.

-- About nine in 10 voters, 89%, think the U.S. economy is in a recession.

(Matthew Gottlieb)

"It looks like the secretary of state web site just crashed" -- Karl Rove (FNC).

MSNBC is reporting there is a lead for Clinton in PA, but it is still "too early" to call. MSNBC's Matthews: "Too early simply means we're not ready to give you the results. It does not suggest a close race anymore."

Comparing the (early) exits from PA with the OH exit polling we find:

1. Obama improved among men and women (5 points among men and 3 points among women)

2. HRC carried (or tied with Obama) among all income groups.

3. Obama did 6 pts better among white men in PA than he did in OH, and 3 pts better among white women than he did in OH.

3. Younger voters were a bigger force in OH than in PA. In OH, 17-29 year olds made up 16%. In PA, it was just 10%. And, not surprisingly, older voters - those 60+ were a much bigger percentage of the electorate in PA than in OH. Clinton won this group (which made up about 40% of the vote) by 19%. This is a big drop, though, from her 41% win with these voters in OH.

Obama aides we talked to tonight see big gains over OH, especially among white men and seniors overall. In OH, for example, Clinton got 58% of white men, Obama got 39%. Exits now showing that Obama earned 45% in PA, and Clinton 55%. A 16-point gap narrowed to 10. With voters over 60 in OH, Clinton won 69%, Obama got 28%. In PA, Obama earned 41% of the vote among voters over 60, and Clinton won 59%. The gap among seniors was cut by more than half, from 41 to 19 (Amy Walter/Nora McAlvanah).

"She's come across as the hometown girl. If you don't mind that phrase - girl."

- MSNBC's Chris Matthews, on HRC.

Exit polls posted by MSNBC show Hillary Clinton leading Barack Obama by 11% among women, who made up 58% of voters. Obama meanwhile leads men by 6%.

Exit polls also show...

-- Clinton leads white men by 10% and white women by 27%.

-- Clinton leads the 44% of voters earning less than $50,000/year by 10%, and Obama leads all others by 2%.

-- Clinton leads the 55% of voters without a college degree by 14%, while Obama leads those with a degree by 8%.

-- Obama leads the 14% of PA Dems who were not PA Dems before 1/08 by 22%.

-- Clinton leads the 17% of voters who decided within the last three days by 20%.

-- Clinton leads whites, who made up 80% of voters, by 20%; Obama meanwhile leads blacks, who made up 14% of voters, by 84%.

-- Obama leads the 10% of voters aged 18-29 by 16% and the 17% of voters aged 30-44 by 12%. Clinton meanwhile leads the 35% of voters aged 45-59 by 2% and the 38% of voters 60 and older by 18%.

(MATTHEW GOTTLIEB)

-- Barack Obama’s party tonight will be held at the “Water Works restaurant.” Seriously.

And an interesting side note: the restaurant’s owner is the only Philadelphia resident who was a Bush Pioneer in ’04 (Philadelphia Inquirer blog).

-- At Loomis Elementary School in Broomall, some GOP voters didn't understand that their WH choice was between Ron Paul and John McCain. Poll worker Maggie Wright explained: "We had a lot of Republican ladies get very upset because they couldn't vote for Hillary. Some of them are writing her name in on the Republican ballot anyway” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette blog).

-- And finally, groups are alleging voting problems in Philly. Atty Kathryn Boockvar said there voters reported a variety of problems throughout the city with machine malfunctions and delays (“Pennsylvania Ave”).

Lots and Lots of tears. (Nora McAlvanah).

The New York Times' Seelye reports that "suburban Montgomery County won't have its results until at least 10 p.m." Seelye adds that "results will be meaningless without Montgomery," which is the third biggest county in PA and is "perceived as tilting toward Mr. Obama."

Asked which one of four qualities mattered most in determining their decision today, 49% of PA voters said change was the thing. Among them, 71% went with Obama, 29% backed Clinton.

"Listen, this will be a very surprised campaign if she doesn't win here tonight" -- CNN's Crowley, on the Clinton camp's expectations for PA.

"We see a lot of screaming behind you, but Obama fans are usually enthusiastic" -- CNN's Blitzer to CNN's Malveaux, who is at the Obama rally in IN.

NBC's Russert reports that it takes $1M a day to run the Clinton camp (MSNBC).

MSNBC's exits show the four-point spread Drudge reported earlier, with Clinton leading Obama, 52%-48%.

PA voters today:

58% women
42% men

55% of women for HRC
47% of men for HRC

44% of women for Obama
53% of men for Obama

"The country don't want a wimp" -- Pat Buchanan, on the notion Obama is getting "beat up" in PA (MSNBC).

"All the issues that Hillary Clinton has raised about Barack Obama, we're going to see in the fall. I think there is going to be some lashing. Is he tough enough?" -- GOP strategist Alex Castellanos, on the questions Obama will have to answer from McCain if he's the Dem nominee (CNN).

"[McCain] is twitchy now, because he doesn't have anyone to fight with, but he'll be alright" -- Bill Bennett, on how McCain is handling the undecided Dem race (CNN).

NBC/NJ's Aswini Anburajan reports that Barack Obama is already wings up, en route to IN -- where he'll spend PA primary eve at a rally featuring John Mellencamp. On the campaign plane, his top advisers -- David Axelrod and Robert Gibbs -- are wearing "stop the drama vote Obama" t-shirts that they bought off the street.

Howard Dean tells Air America's David Bender today that there will be a rules committee meeting later this spring and that the fates of the Florida and Michigan delegates will be decided by June.

"I think that all the pieces will be in place by the end of June," Dean said.

Listen here.

Delegates at stake ... PA polls close at 8 p.m.

As of 6 p.m. here's what's floating around the Internet:

-- Drudge reports that exits show a four-point spread with Clinton up, 52% to 48%

-- ABC News is reporting that both Dems were tarnished by the negative back and forth. "Two-thirds of Pennsylvania voters in preliminary exit poll results say Clinton attacked Obama unfairly; fewer, but still about half, also say Obama unfairly attacked Clinton."

-- CNN reports that gun owners, church goers went with Clinton

With four hours until polls close, Barack Obama's campaign is saying that Hillary Clinton "should win big" tonight in PA, according to a memo released by the campaign. Obama's camp says that the state is "tailor-made" for HRC. She has roots there and the support of the Dem establishment.

More: "Behind in delegates and sporting a 14-30 primary record (not good enough even to make the playoffs in the NBA Eastern Conference), the Clinton campaign needs a blowout victory in Pennsylvania to get any closer to winning the nomination. Even President Clinton said that only a “big, big victory” will give her the boost she needs. ... The bottom line is that if Senator Clinton is going to make meaningful inroads in this race for delegates, she will need a huge margin in Pennsylvania. "

The outcome, Obama's folks insist, will be fairly status quo, however, per the delegate count. And then there's this critical point: "We will have the financial resources we need to be competitive."

Clinton's camp, by contrast, writes in its memo that there's no reason why Obama shouldn't win PA. He's employed a "go-for-broke" strategy, outspending HRC, going negative.

"Sen. Obama's supporters - and many pundits - have argued that the delegate "math" makes him the prohibitive frontrunner. They have argued that Sen. Clinton's chances are slim to none. So if he's already the frontrunner, if he's had six weeks of unlimited resources to get his message out, shouldn't he be the one expected to win tonight? If not, why not?"

For what it's worth, Obama is set to spend election night ... in Indiana. Clinton will be in Philly. She already has new TV ads up in NC and IN. All signs point to the Clinton camp's forward movement. As long as they have the cash, that is.

Hillary Clinton launched a new 'NC Ask Me' ad in the Tar Heel State. Runs 60-secs and features her addressing a citizen question about care for veterans.

North Carolina, by the by, has 792K veterans. They make up 13% of the state's population.

Pollster.com's Mark Blumenthal reviews the latest flurry of PA polls.

"All but one of the late surveys shows Clinton leading by margins of 5 to 13 points, so to no one's surprise, most expect Hillary Clinton to defeat Barack Obama tonight. The suspense seems to be about the size of Clinton's margin. On that score, unfortunately, the polls are not conclusive."

For live coverage of all the breaking news out of PA. Brought to you by the staff of The Hotline ... Visit early and often.

CONSHOHOCKEN, PA - Hillary Clinton said she needs a victory in the Keystone State primary to feel she had done well, since Barack Obama had vastly outspent her.

The former first lady is favored to win today's contest, but polls show a wide range of possible victory margins, and it's unclear what affect thousands of newly-registered voters will have on the race. Many political observers believe Clinton must win by double-digits here or face pressure to bow out.

"A win is a win, especially under the circumstances where my opponent has outspent me probably 3-to-1, maybe 4-to-1, in an enormous effort on his part," Clinton told reporters outside a polling place in a suburb of Philadelphia.

She added that she is perhaps "old-fashioned" when it comes to thinking of a win as a win and said that if Obama can't win here, after having such a significant financial advantage, it would show that he's having problems closing the deal with Democrats.

NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli asked Bill Clinton today what he meant when he told WHYY radio that Barack Obama's campaign had played the race card against him. Here is their exchange ...

ME: "Sir, what did you mean yesterday when you said that the Obama campaign was playing the race card on you."

CLINTON: "When did I say that, and to whom did I say that?"

ME: "On WHYY radio yesterday."

CLINTON: "No, no, no. That's not what I said. You always follow me around and play these little games, and I'm not going to play your games today. This is a day about election day. Go back and see what the question was, and what my answer was. You have mischaracterized it to get another cheap story to divert the American people from the real urgent issues before us, and I choose not to play your game today. Have a nice day."

ME: "Respectfully sir, though, you did say ..."

CLINTON: "Have a nice day." [continues shaking hands with supporters]. I said what I said, you can go and look at the interview. And if you'll be real honest, you'll also report what the question was and what the answer was."

ME: "They asked you if you regretted your comparing Jesse Jackson to Barack Obama on the day after the South Carolina primary."

CLINTON: "And I pointed out that I did not do that, and that I complimented them both. And that Jesse Jackson took no offense. And I called him myself, I said, 'Did you find that offensive?' And he said no.

Barack Obama expressed shock this morning upon hearing that former President Bill Clinton said the IL Sen played the race card against him.

"Hold on a second," Obama said during a stop at a Pittsburgh diner. "So former President Clinton dismissed my victory in South Carolina as being similar to Jesse Jackson, and he's suggesting that somehow I had something to do with it?"

"Ok, well you better ask him what he meant by that," Obama said. "These were words that came out of his mouth."

Asked if there was any planned attempt by Obama's campaign, as Clinton suggested, to get the former POTUS to make a racially-oriented comment, Obama dismissed the suggestion.

"Was there something that we had a plan to get him to say that my campaign was like Jesse Jackson's? You know, I don't know what he's referring to, unfortunately," Obama said.

(NBC/NJ's ASWINI ANBURAJAN)

Barack Obama's campaign is hearing that there are problems with voting machines in Philly -- that machines are breaking down, and only one or two machines are working in some predominantly African-American precincts, reports NBC/NJ's Aswini Anburajan.

New 30-second Hillary Clinton ad in Indiana ...

Updates from our Hotline Political Network Affiliates

The 4/22 PA primary dominated TV coverage last night.

Pat Buchanan: "If [Obama] can't beat Hillary Clinton when he's the frontrunner and now outspent her two to one, he can't win Pennsylvania; can he take it away from John McCain? Can he win Michigan and can he win Ohio when he lost that to Hillary Clinton? I think there's some doubts raised in the minds of superdelegates and Democrats everywhere. But I agree with Barack Obama, he's still the frontrunner even if he loses tomorrow" ("Verdict," MSNBC, 4/21).

FNC's Garrett: "It's increasingly clear in Pennsylvania it's not about the victory of Hillary Clinton tomorrow but the magnitude of it. So why would Barack Obama say he can't win here? ... There are some in the Clinton camp who fear he's doing a bit of reverse psychology to depress Clinton turnout, because some voters on
the Clinton side might think this victory is already in the bag" ("Special Report," 4/21).

CNN's Borger: "If it were 7 points, that's kind of the middle muddle we would be in, where each side would be claiming a victory. And the other outcomes are obviously clearer" ("Situation Room," 4/21).

Washington Post's Robinson: "The big wild card in this primary is the 300,000 plus new Democratic voters, newly registered Democratic voters. Will they turn out at the polls? Are they, as most people suspect, mostly young people who have been brought into the party by and energized by Barack Obama. If they come out in big numbers, we could be surprised tomorrow" ("Race for the WH," MSNBC, 4/21).

Ex-Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA): "In spite of the fact she's being outspent, this state is going to come home for Hillary. And I think it's going to be a 10 point or more win" ("O'Reilly Factor," FNC, 4/21).

In addition to all of the PA predictions, Dem WH '08ers made the TV rounds last night. See the interviews after the jump (KATHERINE LEHR).

A new USA Today/Gallup poll shows Barack Obama leading Hillary Clinton among Dems nationally, 50%-40%. He was up 7 percentage points in last month's poll.

USA Today's Susan Page writes: "Efforts by Clinton and John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, to characterize Obama as elitist for his remarks at a San Francisco fundraiser seem to have failed. Seven of 10 say Obama "respects working-class Americans" rather than looks down on them — a slightly more positive reading than that for McCain or Clinton."

The survey shows Clinton faring better, however, against John McCain. Obama bests him, 47%-44% among registered voters. Clinton beats McCain 50%-44%.

The poll of 1,016 adults, taken Friday through Sunday, has a margin of error of +/- 3 points for the full sample. The error margin for the sample of 552 Democrats is 5 points.

PA primary night locations for the Dems ...

Hillary Clinton
Park Hyatt Philadelphia at the Bellevue, Philly

Barack Obama
Roberts Municipal Stadium, Evansville, IN, with performance by John Mellencamp

Day Two of another John McCain tour ...

The "Time for Change" tour heads to Youngstown State University today. Snippets of McCain's speech, given at noon, are available after the jump. Expect more Dems-will-raise-your-taxes talk:

"Raising taxes on businesses in Ohio and elsewhere, as both my opponents propose to do, will not bring the old jobs back, and it sure won't create new ones."

This today reported by Y-Vote You Decide, a project of Temple University and WHYY:

“I think that they played the race card on me. We now know, from memos from the campaign that they planned to do it along.” - President Bill Clinton.

Clinton goes on to say that “you have to really go some to play the race card on me.” He lists a number of his accomplishments on behalf of people of color, inexplicably putting the fact that he has “an office in Harlem” at the top of the list.

Listen to the full clip. At the end, sounding as though he thinks his microphone is off, Clinton says: "I don't think I can take any sh*t from anybody on that, do you?"

Here’s some of what Barack Obama told Jon Stewart during a taping of "The Daily Show" today, per McClatchy's Margaret Talev:

“It is a mad dash but the people of Pennsylvania have been terrific.”

“We think there’s going to be high turnout tomorrow.” He said after starting 20 points down “the polls are not showing us about 6 to 8” points behind.

*Obama said Clinton’s tough campaigning did him “a favor” . . . . “She has put me through the paces,” he said. If he wins the nomination, he said, everything’s “going to be old news” by the general election.

Hillary Clinton tells MSNBC's Keith Olbermann that if Iran should not be allowed to achieve nuclear weapons.

"They would be risking massive retaliation were they to launch a nuclear attack on Israel," Clinton said. "In addition, if Iran were to become a nuclear power, it could set off an arms race that would be incredibly dangerous and destabilizing."

The North Carolina Democratic Party released a statement today nixing a tentatively-planned CBS-sponsored Dem debate. Statement from the party after the jump. Hillary Clinton's campaign was none too pleased, issuing a renewed call for a Tar Heel State debate:

North Carolina State Director Ace Smith issued the following statement:

“It is unfortunate that Senator Obama has chosen to brush off the people of North Carolina by flatly refusing to debate. But we are willing to move forward with another time and location for the debate so that he has no excuse for not participating. Unfortunately, it is becoming clear that Senator Obama simply does not believe that North Carolinians deserve the opportunity to hear directly from the candidates about how they will fix our economy, bring our troops home and provide quality health care for every American. Hillary Clinton is committed to debating the issues facing the Tar Heel State. We hope Sen. Obama will make the same commitment."

The Democratic National Committee is rolling out its new online Neighborhood Volunteer tool, which will empower grassroots activists to use the party's voter file for organizing efforts in their communities. The DNC is launching it first in Kansas and Virginia, two states where officials said they had the structure in place to make it a quick success, but beyond shortly thereafter.

"We’re way ahead of where we were four years ago in terms of our field operation," DNC Chairman Howard Dean said today on a call with reporters. "And I think we’re going to make sure the American people don’t get bamboozled by the wishy washy-ness of John McCain."

Here's how the DNC explains it:

The tool builds on the DNC's investment in its new state of the art national voter file. Each volunteer will be asked to contact their neighbors. The program provides walk packets, scripts, and materials for the activist to print out from home or in a campaign office should they choose. The data volunteers collect are fed back into the voter file.

Neighborhood Volunteers are already making voter contact in the states and will be registering people to vote as a critical part of the DNC's 50-state strategy. There are more than 49,000 volunteers in the program, and more than 160 state partnership staff members in regular contact with them.

Also on the call, Dean said that he believes gun owners are in play this political season.

"Those are our voters," he said. "Those folks need our help. And we need their help. Those voters used to be dem voters and they need to be dem voters again. ... Rural America is up for grabs."

RNC spokesman Alex Conant quickly issued a comment asserting that Dean's claims are "delusional."

“Like so much about Howard Dean, his delusional claims that Democrats will be able to connect with gun owners cannot be taken seriously," Conant said. "Raising taxes and banning the sale, possession and manufacture of handguns may go over well at elite San Francisco fundraisers, but not in small town America.”

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

ARNOLD, PA -- Bill Clinton is making a simple case for his wife on the eve of tomorrow's Pennsylvania: Ignore the hoopla and vote for the candidate "who's in it for you."

"This election … is too big to be small," he told a crowd from the front porch of a supporter's home here. "Hillary can be nominated and be elected if Pennsylvania sends a loud message tomorrow, that we don't care about how much money was spent, we saw the debate, we heard the speeches, we've watched this woman for years, we want a leader we can count on."

Earlier, Clinton gave a hurried speech at a high school in Greensburg, where many of the students on hand seemed more interested in talking to each other than listening to the former president of the United States. Still, Clinton talked about how the support of people in small towns has sustained his wife's bid.

"They thought they had her after Super Tuesday, because even though she won most of the states, she was flat broke," he said. "So we had a whole February where she lost these caucuses, one after the other. And then people like you figured out she didn't have any money, and over 300,000 Americans sent her $30 million dollars. … They said, 'Nope, she's our girl, we don't want her to quit, we want her to stay in there, we will help her.'"

And one by one, he listed some of the campaign ads from Barack Obama. He claimed the recent health care spot has been "universally attacked, even by people who are for him" because it is wrong.

"Any politician who has a triple digit IQ can stand up and get applause line after applause line after applause line talking about what's wrong," he said. "But a leader has to set things right. … And in the end, the leadership you need is people who can take the ideas that are discussed in a campaign and turn them into positive changes in other people's lives."

(NBC/NJ's MIKE MEMOLI)

SCRANTON, Pa. -- Chomping down on sausage and waffles at Glider's Diner today with Sen. Bob Casey at his side, Barack Obama declined, in a sense, to comment on Jimmy Carter's meeting with Hamas.

Asked if he had heard that Carter reported a positive outcome from the meeting, Obama looked at the reporter who questioned him and said, "Why can't I just eat my waffle?"

Asked again by the reporter, Obama bit. Not at the question but into a butter-covered bite of Glider's specialty over-size Belgian waffles. With a wink this time he said, "Just let me eat my waffle."

Obama has criticized Carter previously for meeting with a terrorist organization, but the IL Sen. has also been attacked by John McCain for not condemning Carter's visit more sternly.

At a meeting with Jewish leaders in Philadelphia last week, Obama told the audience that he believes it is appropriate to meet with Syria and Iran, despite their hostility towards Israel. He said Hamas, however, does not deserve the same diplomatic approach.

Obama repeated those thoughts at a town hall in Reading yesterday when asked by a voter about Carter's trip.

"I think it's very hard for us to be able to broker a peace deal between the Israelis and the Palestinians if a certain portion of their actors or the people who are representing the Palestinians don't even recognize the people on the other side of the table as being able to stay there," he said.

(NBC/NJ's ASWINI ANBURAJAN)

$2,546.56

That's how much cashola John McCain's campaign spent March 2 at Barney's New York in Beverly Hills. (That's 90212, in case anyone was wondering.)

According to McCain's latest FEC report, the charges were "credited back" April 2.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

UPDATE: McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds said the campaign's card was stolen.

SELMA, AL -- John McCain's "Time For Action" tour is just beginning, but he's already facing tough questions about how effectively the presumptive Republican nominee hopes to win over black voters in some of the nation's most economically depressed regions.

McCain appeared this morning in front of the historic Edmund Pettus bridge, where civil rights leader John Lewis, now a U.S. congressman, led the famous March from Selma in 1965. Praising his herosim, the senator linked Lewis's struggle to the ongoing effort for economic equality in America. But, in a city that is 70% black, only a handful of African Americans dotted the crowd.

Asked by the press if the relatively homogenous crowd demonstrates the difficulty he may face in making inroads in the black community, the senator responded that he aims to listen intensely to their concerns and that he intends to "be the president of all the people."

"I'm aware of the challenges, and I'm aware of the fact that there will be many people who will not vote for me, but I'm going to be the president of all the people," he said. "I will work for all the people, and I will listen to all people, whether they decide to vote for me or not, because this is the kind of opportunity where people have not only to hear from me but for me to listen to them, and that's the important part."

McCain's "Time for Action" tour this week will focus heavily on places rarely visited by Republican candidates for the nation's highest office. The AZ senator is working to show that he is a conservative who will be mindful of the struggles of all Americans.

"I'm going to places, frankly, in this country where there's the greatest need, and whether at the end of the day they choose to vote for me or not is not my major purpose," he said. "My major purpose is that if I understand the challenges – and they are enormous – that they face today, I will be a far better president of the United States."

(NBC/NJ's CARRIE DANN)

Cindy McCain guest hosted ABC's "The View" this morning. Barack Obama, meanwhile, is taping an interview today with Rachael Ray after an event in Blue Bell, reports NBC/NJ's Aswini Anburajan.

Tomorrow marks the very important PA primary, but it's notable for another reason ... Equal Pay Day. And the cause is uniting some of the Senate's female Dems who have been on opposing sides during the contentious presidential primary contest.

Led by Sen. Barbara Mikulski, these senators will renew their call for passage of the Fair Pay Restoration Act (S. 1843), which ensures equal pay for women and minorities in the workforce. Mikulski will speak at 10 a.m. Scheduled to follow are: Sens. Patty Murray, Claire McCaskill and Amy Klobuchar.

Murray and Mikulski are backing Hillary Clinton. McCaskill and Klobuchar support Barack Obama.

The bill, which is co-sponsored by Mikulski and currently being considered by the Senate, would overturn Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. A divided Supreme Court held in the case that workers must sue for pay discrimination within 180 days after the original pay-setting decision, no matter how long the unfair pay continues.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

Hillary Clinton's communications chief said today in a call with reporters that Barack Obama is outspending HRC 3:1 in Pennsylvania, and by about $7M, and that a loss for him tomorrow should raise "very serious questions" for Super Ds.

"Just what will it take for him to be able to win a large swing state?" asked Communications Director Howard Wolfson.

But Obama spokesman Bill Burton said no matter what happens in PA tomorrow, Obama will still have the edge. "As even Governor Rendell has said, Obama will carry Pennsylvania if he is the nominee," Burton said. "The Clinton campaign has repeatedly tried to move the goal posts on the metrics that matter in this race but the truth is, regardless of the outcome tomorrow, we will continue to lead in states won, popular votes and delegates. I think the question folks have is why is it that Clinton continues to run such a relentlessly negative campaign."

The truth lies somewhere in between, of course. HRC is favored to win -- despite vastly being outspent on the airwaves. She's been up in the PA polls throughout the primary contest, and the state, in which blue collar voters make up 25% of the population and just one in five are college graduates, favors her demographically. But a win doesn't matter much if she doesn't start to erase Obama's delegate and popular vote advantage.

The Obama folks would, no doubt, love a win. But a single-digit spread -- 5 to 7 percentage points -- could also be spun as a good showing for the IL Sen, who has trailed by as much as 12 and 13 percentage points. It would not erase the perception, however, that he struggles with the white working class and that in the general he'd have much to prove.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

New 30-second Hillary Clinton TV ad running in PA asks the question: "Who Do You Think Has What It Takes?"

Narrator: "Harry Truman said it best -- if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen."

SCRANTON, PA – After a long weekend of campaigning, marked by a bitter back and forth between the candidates, Hillary Clinton left the negativity behind as she kicked off the last full day of the primary race with a fourth stop in the northeast Pennsylvania town where she has deep roots.

The New York senator made her closing argument in the small, packed ballroom of a cultural center, entering to the now common strains of John Mellencamp's anthem "Small Town" (a John Edwards favorite). She spoke in front of a banner that read "Scranton's behind you Hillary." Clinton was accompanied by her mother Dorothy Rodham and her brothers Tony and Hugh Rodham.

"I wanted to come back the day before the primary to be with all of you and to thank you," she said during a speech interrupted often by cheers. "We started this Pennsylvania campaign here in Scranton at the new high school, and we're going to bring it to victory. We need to really bear down. The last day is here and the entire world is watching. I appreciate your having my back and here's what I want you to know: as your president, I'll have your back."

Clinton's great-grandparents settled in Scranton, and her grandfather and father grew up here. She talked about the time she spent here in her youth and about her family's faith in America.

"We cared about our family," she said. "We cared about our faith. We believed in working hard and we had an abiding faith in our country, an abiding faith that never ever quit."

In a speech devoid of the kind of negative rhetoric the Dem candidates employed all weekend, Clinton touched on her goals of ending the war in Iraq, winning the war in Afghanistan, taking care of veterans, improving the economy, making college affordable and achieving universal healthcare.

Polls show Clinton has retained her lead over Barack Obama in a primary some analysts say she must win by double-digits to gain in the delegate count and stay viable. She thanked her supporters and volunteers and urged people to help turn out the vote.

"Please, in the next 36 hours, do everything you can," she said. "Convince people to go vote who say that they're not voting, take them to the polls, call your friends and neighbors, make the case for the kind of result that we desperately need in America again."

Clinton did not mention Obama or John McCain by name, but she did subtly mock Obama's "Yes we can" mantra at the very end of her roughly 20-minute speech.

"Some people say that America's best days are behind us," she said to shouts of "No!" from the crowd. "Some people say 'Yes we can', but that doesn't mean we will. I believe we will, if we have the right leadership. If you stand with me I will. I will go to the White House and fight for you every single day."

(NBC/NJ's ATHENA JONES)

Updates from our Hotline Political Network Affiliates

Barack Obama today on PA's KDKA News Radio said that tomorrow's Keystone State primary is going to be close. He didn't, however, predict victory.

"No, I'm not predicting a win," Obama said. "I'm predicting it's going to be close. And that we are going to do a lot better than people expect."

Ohio superdelegate Enid Goubeaux, a Democratic National Committee member, endorsed Barack Obama today.

“I am endorsing Sen. Obama because his message, ‘yes we can’ has inspired so many voters, especially younger voters, to take part in shaping our country's future," she said in a statement released by the campaign. “I believe that Sen. Obama will end politics as usual which divides the nation and prevents us from confronting our most serious problems.”

Mike Huckabee lauds John McCain's "Time For Change Tour" this a.m. on MSNBC. Eat your heart out, Mitt Romney. Sucking up comes in all forms. Raising $$ is nice, but to give away a chunk of his now infrequent national cable air time ... That's devotion.

For the first time as a presidential candidate this cycle, John McCain is traveling with Secret Service. McCain is not covered by a full detail on his 'Time for Action' tour through the Black Belt and Appalachia, but there are a few members of the senator's eventual detail who will be traveling with him for an indefinite amount of time before the full detail begins, reports NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner-Treworgy.

John McCain was on "This Week":

McCain, on ex-Sen. Bob Smith (R-NH) saying his temper would place the U.S. at risk in int'l affairs and "the world perhaps in danger": "Yes, I served with him, and had significant differences on several issues. ... The point is that I feel passionately about issues. I work across the aisle. I've been successful in getting legislation done. ... Do I get angry from time to time, when I'm investigating Mr. Abramoff and find out they ripped off Indian tribes? When I see bridges to nowhere? And you know what, the American people are angry, too. They want change. They want action. And they're fed up and they're angry with the way things have been going here in Washington."

On the economy: "The worst thing you can do is raise taxes. Both Senator Clinton and Senator Obama want to raise taxes. That's out of touch. ... [Obama] obviously doesn't understand the economy, because history shows every time you have cut capital gains taxes, revenues have increased, going back to Jack Kennedy. So out of touch? Yes, they are out of touch when they want to raise taxes at the worst possible time, when we're in a recession."

On whether he'll be able to balance the budget in his first term: "Well, that still should be a goal, but the goal right now is to get the economy going again."

Asked if he has any doubt that Obama shares his sense of patriotism: "I'm sure he's very patriotic. But his relationship with Mr. Ayers is open to question. ... Because if you're going to associate and have as a friend and serve on a board and have a guy kick off your campaign that says he's unrepentant, that he wished bombed more -- and then, the worst thing of all, that, I think, really indicates Senator Obama's attitude, is he had the incredible statement that he compared Mr. Ayers, an unrepentant terrorist, with Senator Tom Coburn ... a physician who goes to Oklahoma on the weekends and brings babies into life. ... It's very insulting to a great man, a great doctor, a great humanitarian, to compare to him with a guy who says, after 2001, I wish we had bombed more."

After the jump, more from McCain and camp strategists/supporters go one-on-one (KATHERINE LEHR).

The Democratic National Committee has released this ad to run on national cable networks starting tomorrow. The spot, which features footage of John McCain asserting that all is well with the economy, will be used at organizing events across the country as part of the DNC's field effort. Set to run for three weeks ...

Republican National Committee Chairman Robert M. Duncan issued this comment about the ad: “Howard Dean’s new ad recklessly distorts John McCain’s statements and represents the sort of dishonest campaigning voters are sick of. Echoing Obama’s discredited attacks on John McCain will not make voters forget the Democrats’ plans to raise taxes on hard-working Americans. The FEC reports that have been filed will show that the RNC maintains a huge financial advantage over the DNC, and to the extent Howard Dean can afford to actually run these ads, it will be out of a position of weakness.”

The AP fact-checked the spot and concluded that it was "edited to exclude the remainder of his answer, where he acknowledged that 'things are tough right now.'" Full AP piece available after the jump.

"I have to live with my conscience, Wolf."

-- Robert Reich, President Clinton's Secretary of Labor, explaining to CNN's Wolf Blitzer why he's endorsing Barack Obama

Publicly, Karl Rove is busy penning columns, appearing on television, giving speeches and writing a book, but the former White House political guru is spending time out of the limelight trying to nurture new independent political groups aiming to raise tens of millions of dollars to boost the entire Republican ticket in November.

Six GOP consultants and lobbyists — with varying knowledge of Rove’s activities — told National Journal that Rove has been working for a few months to help line up resources and devise strategies for spending that money to help his party keep the White House and stave off losses in the House and Senate. Rove has had regular chats with GOP operatives he has worked with in Washington, and several prominent Republican donors nationwide — including some billionaires who were active in similar groups during the 2004 election cycle.

“Karl is up to his eyeballs in this,” says one prominent GOP consultant who has met with Rove a few times this year. “They’re trying to figure out who is going to do the presidential, who is going to do the Senate and who is going to do the House. They’re trying to assign resources to maximize the dollars and minimize duplication. Karl has taken it over.”

To be effective, he adds, they need to raise “at least $100 million,” a sum that is likely to be at least what similar Democratic outside groups will spend. Rove didn’t return four phone calls in recent weeks seeking comment for this story.

Rove’s Rolodex is expansive, and sources say he has been on the phone or meeting with old friends from Texas like oilman T. Boone Pickens and Las Vegas casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, who are expected to pony up millions of dollars this cycle to a few outside groups set up as either 527 or 501 (c) (4) entities. In the 2004 elections, two GOP 527 groups — Progress for America and Swift Boat Veterans for Truth — together spent over $60 million on television ads that were instrumental in boosting the re-election bid of President Bush.

One new group being cobbled together includes old associates of Rove from the lobbying and communications firm DCI Group, including Tom Synhorst. The firm was heavily involved in the two major 527s in 2004. So far this election cycle, the key GOP group to run ads has been Freedom’s Watch which has relied almost entirely on the wealth of Adelson, the third richest man in the nation, whose worth has been pegged at $28 billion by Forbes magazine. After a few staff departures and some internal friction, the group recently hired Carl Forti, a veteran strategist at the National Republican Congressional Committee, and it is likely to focus increasingly on helping a few dozen House candidates and has the backing to potentially pour tens of millions into them.

(National Journal's Peter Stone)

John McCain's campaign released his 2006 and 2007 tax returns today. His wife's returns remain private, however.

The senator's 2006 taxable income was $215,304, for which he paid $72,771 in taxes. Last year, his taxable income was $258,800, for which he paid $84,460 in taxes. His book royalites, donated to charity, were $80,390 in 2006 and $176,508 in 2007.

Here's the campaign's note about Cindy McCain's tax info:

"Since the beginning of their marriage, Senator McCain and Mrs. McCain have always maintained separate finances. As required by federal law and Senate rules, Mrs. McCain has released significant and extensive financial information through Senate and Presidential disclosure forms. In the interest of protecting the privacy of her children, Mrs. McCain will not be releasing her personal tax returns.

"In her role as Chairman of Hensley & Company, a privately-held business founded by her parents, Mrs. McCain's main areas of responsibility focus on strategic planning and corporate vision. Having served the greater Phoenix area since 1955, Hensley & Company is widely respected as an exemplary corporate citizen, and makes significant charitable contributions of its own."

Cindy McCain is chairwoman of the Phoenix-based Hensley & Company, a large beer distributor.

The Democratic National Committee was, naturally, not satisfied with that explanation. Chairman Howard Dean said McCain's "lack of transparency is troubling and raises questions about what he's hiding." He also noted that the Republicans pushed in 2004 for John Kerry's campaign to release his wife's returns.

Dean: "In 2004, the Republican National Committee called on the Kerry campaign to release Teresa Heinz Kerry's tax returns, saying 'Americans value disclosure and transparency in campaigns.' We expect the RNC will call on John McCain to release Cindy McCain's records just as they called on the Kerry campaign to do so in 2004. The connection between the McCains' business ventures and their political ties have been well documented and the American people deserve to know how McCain's role as a public official may have benefited their bottom line."

Barack Obama took issue with the notion that he was "complaining" about his treatment during Wednesday's debate, a point Hillary Clinton's campaign pushed again today.

Asked about it on the tarmac this afternoon as he was about to get into his SUV, Obama grinned and shook his head, reports NBC/NJ's Aswini Anburajan.

"Who's complaining?" he said. "Who's been complaining about the press for the last six months?"

A record number of Pennsylvanians have registered to vote in the April 22 primary, according to the PA Department of State.

The agency today announced a final tally of 8,328,123 registered voters. That is a record for a state primary election. The overall record for any election remains the 2004 general election when 8,366,663 -- or 38,540 more -- Pennsylvanians were registered to vote.

“It is unprecedented for a primary election in Pennsylvania, and it is very exciting to see so many people want to participate in the electoral process,” Secretary of the Commonwealth Pedro A. Cortés said in a statement released by his office.

Since January, 218,923 new voters have registered. Of those, 152,775 registered Democratic and 40,195 registered Republican.

Also since January, 164,026 registered voters changed their affiliation to Democratic and 14,887 changed to Republican. (Pennsylvania’s voter registration form does not require the registrant to specify from which party they are changing.)

Geographically, the highest numbers of voter registration statistics came from Allegheny and Philadelphia counties; the lowest came from Forest and Cameron counties. By age group, the highest numbers of registered voters are between the ages of 45 and 54; the lowest are between 18 and 24 years old.

John McCain's senior campaign leadership presented a broad general election strategy to reporters today, including a fundraising structure, target states and the details of its relatively-untested regional campaign manager organization. The group also spoke about how they'd approach match-ups against Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

Campaign Manager Rick Davis led the briefing, flanked by senior advisors Charlie Black, Steve Schmidt and Mark Salter. Davis began by trying to address concerns that his campaign may be outmatched on the money front as the Democrats rake in record amounts of money. Davis said that by teaming up with the RNC – which has $30 million cash on hand – the McCain campaign has created a hybridized legal structure allowing them to accept donations beyond the individual limits.

When large donations come into the 'McCain Victory '08' fund, the money gets divided between the campaign, the RNC's Victory Fund and four target states that have been identified as having weak GOP fundraising infrastructures: Wisconsin, New Mexico, Colorado and Minnesota.

Additional fundraising structures have been set up in Florida, Ohio and California to allow for large donations to be divided between those key states' individual RNC funds and the campaign's coffers.

With this, Davis assured the small group of reporters invited to the briefing, McCain's campaign "has as much if not more [cash on hand] than the Democrats have."

Davis suggested that the diversified campaign structure will allow the campaign to act quicker in important areas. Maps were provided to reporters with the country broken up into 11 color-coded regions each with at least two identified 'swing states' and each with its own regional campaign manager.

From today's Hotline:

"I won't have this much restraint with the Republicans."

-- Barack Obama, responding to question of how he avoids getting “pummeled” as the Dem. nominee, NBC/National Journal, 4/17

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

SUNDAY:

Meet the Press hosts Obama strategist David Axelrod and Clinton strategist Geoff Garin, and a roundtable with New York Times' David Brooks, Washington Post's E. J. Dionne and NPR's Michele Norris.

Face the Nation hosts Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) and PA Gov. Ed Rendell (D), and a roundtable with Dem strategist Joe Trippi and Politico's Roger Simon.

This Week hosts John McCain and a roundtable with ABC's Sam Donaldson, Cokie Roberts and George Will.

Fox News Sunday hosts Sens. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Karl Rove.

Late Edition hosts ex-Sen. Bill Bradley (D-NJ), NJ Gov. Jon Corzine (D), Philly Mayor Michael Nutter (D), Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-PA), Catholic Univ. pres./Rev. David O'Connell, Vatican analyst Delia Gallagher, McCain economic adviser Carly Fiorina, and a rountable with CNN's Gloria Borger, Newsweek's Fareed Zakaria and Time's Mark Halperin.

See other weekend shows after the jump.

(KATHERINE LEHR)

Former Sens. Sam Nunn and David L. Boren endorsed Barack Obama today in a statement released by Obama's campaign. They represented the South, Georgia and Oklahoma respectively, and are foreign policy heavy hitters. Nunn served as chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee from 1987 through 1995. Boren was chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

In as much as endorsements make a lick of difference, these are big symbolic gets for Obama. And a sign of old guard Dem support. Also cuts against Hillary Clinton's experience argument when officials with such substantial foreign policy expertise line up behind Obama.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

Full pool transcript, per the Wall Street Journal's Nick Timiraos, available after the jump ...

Talk of the 4/16 Dem debate continued on TV last night. Most of the coverage focused on the performances of the moderators, ABC's Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopoulos, as well as the legitimacy of the questions posed to Barack Obama.

FNC's Kondrake: "I think that 45 minutes of questions about character probably was a little too much, because there was a lot of meat that they got out of the questions about Iraq and Iran and the capital gains tax. ... But those were perfectly legitimate questions that they were asking Obama. He is the frontrunner for the nomination to be president of the United States, and he is not a known quantity. ... Those are perfectly legitimate questions. And all of those reveal things about his character" ("Special Report," FNC, 4/17).

National Journal's Douglass: "If you are the candidate who feels aggrieved by how the moderators handled you, the one thing you cannot do is blame the press for the questions they ask. That never works as a tactic" ("NewsHour," PBS, 4/17).

NBC's Todd, on Obama taking a shot at the moderators in a 4/17 speech in NC: "I think it`s called
making lemonade out of lemons" ("Hardball," MSNBC, 4/17).

Dem strategist Peter Fenn: "I think the whole point is, don't complain too much. You go into it. ... He knows it's a tough game. He realizes it. I think he's going to give the elbows just like he does in basketball" ("Situation Room," CNN, 4/17).

More after the jump (KATHERINE LEHR).

Updates from our Hotline Political Network Affiliates

John McCain is scheduled to release his tax returns tomorrow 11 a.m. ET ...

PHILADELPHIA - Hillary Clinton poked fun at her own 'readiness to solve problems' mantra, during a taping of Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report."

Former Dem candidate John Edwards is also on the show tonight, and he and Clinton spoke backstage before she taped a minute-and-a-half bit today with comedian Stephen Colbert. The campaign would not provide details about Clinton's chat with Edwards.

The HRC bit begins with Colbert introducing a segment on Wednesday night's debate. The giant screen behind him shows color bars instead of a picture of what is supposed to be the city's Liberty Bell.

Colbert asks his technician, a disembodied voice whose owner we never see but whom he calls Jimmy, to fix the picture. Jimmy says he can't because all the technicians are back in New York.

Colbert: Are you telling me there's no one in this theater who can fix the mess we're in?

Clinton comes on stage to save the day, to laughter, cheers and applause.

Clinton: I can. I can, Stephen.

The crowd continues to whistle, yelp and cheer.

Clinton: Well, let me handle this. Jimmy?

Disembodied voice known as Jimmy: "Yes, Sen. Clinton?"

Clinton: About the screen. Are you using a digital or analog production truck?

Disembodied voice known as Jimmy: It's digital.

Clinton: Well, you've got a signal so the lamp is good. How are you feeding this? Through the router or the aux buss on the switcher?

Disembodied voice known as Jimmy: It's an aux.

Clinton: Well, try toggling the input.

The unseen Jimmy toggles the input, which fixes the picture, to cheers from the crowd.

Clinton then moves on to the next problem.

Clinton: You know what, Stephen? Your forehead is a little shiny. Makeup, makeup can we get some translucent powder please?

Laughter from the audience as makeup people come to his assistance.

Colbert: Wow, Sen. Clinton, you're so prepared for any situation.

More laughter from the crowd.

Colbert: I just don't know how to thank you enough.

Clinton: That's ok, Stephen. I just love solving problems. Call me anytime.

Colbert: Really?

Clinton: Sure. Call me at 3 am.

The senator then leaves the stage, waving to the audience as she goes, and Colbert ends with: "I am gonna call her at 3 am. I'm sure she left her cell phone number."

The episode airs tonight, re-airs several times tomorrow and can be seen online.

(NBC/NJ's ATHENA JONES)

Per Bill Clinton's earlier comments (see post below), does this qualify as a whine?

Or what about this?

From the NYT, 10/31: “The Politics of Pile-On,” Mrs. Clintons’ Web site announced this morning. “What happens when the ‘politics of pile-on’ replaces the ‘politics of hope.’” The campaign later released a video that featured Mrs. Clinton’s Democratic rivals saying her name repeatedly. A headline on the Drudge Report, which said it was reflecting thinking in Mrs. Clinton’s campaign, read, “Scorn: As the Men Gang Up.”

Just asking ...

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

ST. MARY'S, PA – Bill Clinton has been crowing all day about his wife's performance in last night's debate. At his most recent stop, he pushed back at some of the complaints coming from Barack Obama's campaign, saying his wife didn't whine when she took some hits.

"[Obama staffers] were saying, 'Oh this is so negative, why are they doing this.' Well, they've been beatin up on her for 15 months," Clinton said. "I didn't hear her whining when he said she was untruthful in Iowa, or called her the senator from Punjab. … But you know, this is a contact sport. If you don't want to play, keep your uniform off."

Clinton also noted that the Obama camp has "said some pretty rough things about me, too." The former president has been particularly miffed of late about Obama's assertions that his administration and the Bush adminstration were similar.

"They've been trying to make that old mangy dog hunt since Nevada," he said.

Clinton said, though, that the race so far "has been basically positive campaign on the issues."

The stop in this small town was the third of the day and the first of his events to be held outdoors in the Keystone State. Much of the town turned out, either huddled in front of the three story house or standing in the street.

It was a very supportive crowd, as well, laughing at even the oldest of Clinton quips and loudly cheering the most simple stump line. And appropriately, given Clinton's comment, the campaign music playlist included a new addition before and after his speech -- the theme from "Rocky."

According to one local reporter, the visit by Clinton was the first by a sitting or former president in at least a century. Harry Truman did pass through when he was a senator from Missouri; Teddy Roosevelt traveled through a nearby the town as he journeyed by train to Washington after President McKinley was shot in Buffalo.

(NBC/NJ's MIKE MEMOLI)

Top Marylanders for Hillary Clinton -- including Gov. Martin O'Malley and Sen. Barbara Mikulski -- are encouraging state voters to head to Pennsylvania to help the senator in the final five days before the Tuesday primary. Here's their plea for MD voters to cross the Mason-Dixon Line to offer an assist.

Dear XYZ,

Barbara Mikulski
Senator

Dorothy Rodham is campaigning with Hillary Clinton today in PA, reports NBC/NJ's Athena Jones. It's the first time the senator's mother has hit the trail since early in the primary season -- when the campaign brought her out to help soften the former first lady's image and to remind women voters, in particular, that Clinton is not just a pol, but a daughter and mother.

Chelsea Clinton will also campaign with her mother and grandmother today in the Keystone State.

From today's Hotline:

"I think if the founding fathers had come back and watched this, they would have been scratching their heads"

-- Obama strategist David Axelrod, on 4/16's debate, MSNBC, 4/17

He might've had a rough ride last night during the ABC debate, but Barack Obama is having a fine morning. In addition to scoring a couple Super Ds, he won a glowing endorsement from the Philly Daily News ...

Should Democrats choose someone who will employ hard-won - even bitter - experiences gained in a past Democratic administration, or reach beyond political truisms toward a new (and untried) model of governing?

But the long slog through 44 primaries and caucuses has confirmed for us that Sen. Barack Obama's vision of change - and the way he plans to pursue it - is what we need right now. Badly.

And this on Hillary Clinton:

Sure, Clinton has more "experience" of a sort. For one thing, she has 14 more years on earth. How much of this experience is directly applicable to the job of president is, at best, debatable.

We are frankly troubled by her assumption that her husband's administration and accomplishments were her own. And if her equation holds, that the first spouse is an equal partner in the administration, then the reappearance of Bill Clinton in the White House is a prospect we have a hard time reconciling with the work that needs to be done.

Per The Washington Post ...

Council member and newly elected superdelegate Harry Thomas Jr., initially a supporter of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, is announcing in minutes that he will cast his vote at the Democratic National Convention in Denver for Sen. Barack Obama.

"After meeting with the candidates and listening to my constituents, I have to honor the 83 percent who support Barack Obama," he said in an interview, referring to the results of the Democratic primary..

That makes four Super Ds in 48 hours to declare for Obama.

Oklahoma Super D Reggie Whitten, an attorney, endorsed Barack Obama today per a statement released by Obama's campaign:

"I have decided to endorse Senator Barack Obama and will work wholeheartedly to see him become the next President of the United States. Some say there is no particular need to endorse at the present time. However, I believe this is a defining moment, not only for our Party, but also more importantly for our country. Therefore, I made the decision to commit now.

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama faced off in Philly last night. The 90-minute Dem debate was hosted by ABC News at the Nat'l Constitution Center's Kimmel Theater. Some analysis:

CNN's Crowley: "If I had to boil this debate down to something, I would tell you it was three words, 'yes, yes, yes.' That's what Hillary Clinton said when she was asked whether she thought Barack Obama could get elected president this fall. As you may know, she has been campaigning largely trying to convince superdelegates that he's not electable. I think tonight for her to say I think he is, takes that off the table" ("LKL," 4/16).

FNC's Hannity: "All credit finally to ABC News and George Stephanopoulos and Charlie Gibson because they asked them very tough questions. Finally the media asked [Obama] about Bill Ayers. ... He gave a pathetically weak answer. They finally asked him about Reverend Wright and some of the inconsistencies here" ("Hannity & Colmes," 4/16).

Time's Halperin: "[Clinton] was in a box tonight. ... She was forced to say, by the questioning, that she believes Obama is electable in a general election. And her problem is, her main argument, that she's making privately, and the only way she can stop the superdelegates and the delegates from going to Obama is to argue that he's not electable. ... That contradiction, acknowledging he's electable, but trying to make an implicit argument that he's not electable, is impossible to do" ("AC 360," CNN, 4/16).

See today's Hotline for more coverage on the debate.

And after the jump, McCain takes on Murtha and Cheney has a little fun (KATHERINE LEHR).

Updates from our Hotline Political Network Affiliates

Barack Obama did not have a terrific night. He did, as David Axelrod complained in the spin room, get hit with harder questions -- on Jeremiah Wright, his absent flag pin, Bill Ayers and more. But he tended to ramble this evening. The moral clarity, the high ground stuff he can usually muster on a dime no matter the question, seemed to evade him. His guns answer was lousy. His reply to the taxes pledge inquiry was even worse.

Was Clinton stellar? No, not particularly. But she was even, which she hasn't been in recent past debates. The most expression she offered this eve amounted to her usual metronomic head bob. Clinton managed to quell any inclination to bark at Obama unnecessarily. But she didn't need to. The moderators did the probing for her.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

Per that debate Q about whether Obama has previously supported a handgun ban, the Clinton camp just handed out copies of the IVI-IPO General Candidate Questionnaire that Obama filled out while running for state Senate. It has his handwriting on the first page, reports NBC/NJ's Athena Jones. Last page shows typed answer to gun questions:

It reads:

35. Do you support state legislation to:

A. Ban the manufacture, sale and possession of hanguns? Yes.

B. Ban assault weapons? Yes.

C. Mandatory waiting periods and background checks? Yes.

Tonight Obama said he didn't fill it out.

Spin room action was as seemingly uneventful as the debate itself. Clinton surrogates slightly outnumbered Obama backers. The whole scene, during which clusters of reporters smother members of Congress, the spare general or two, top flacks and more, should be abandoned altogether. It.Accomplishes.Nothing.

Here's the range of tonight's uselessness:

David Axelrod: "The one good thing about running against Hillary Clinton is nobody can say you can't handle a negative campaign when you're done with it."

Axelrod also beefed that Obama was more intensely probed tonight than Clinton. He said the first four of five questions were "aimed squarely at Sen. Obama" and that the people of PA were probably wondering "what the heck is going on." "I would think she enjoyed it a lot," he said of Clinton. "It's easy when you sit back and direct all the questions at one candidate."

Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson said, "Sen. Obama was very much on his heels for the entire debate." Wolfson assured one reporter who wondered aloud if debates make a lick of difference. "Oh, yes," Wolfson said, "no question debates like this make a huge difference."

General Wes Clark, also a Clinton guy, noted that HRC is "very experienced" and knowledgeable" and that "she showed it tonight."

Rep. Patrick Murphy mentioned that his Republican wife is also backing Obama. She "says the Republican Party left her, she didn't leave the Republican Party."

And finally, Philly Mayor Michael Nutter crowed about how much cash the city would rake in as a result of the debate. Eleven of Philly's top hotels are 90% occupied this evening. Off message, no?

Haven't the Super Ds gotten enough attention? Why would ABC's moderators use their last question to ask the candidates to make their case to the Super Ds?

In non debate action, Mitt Romney just made an impromptu appearance at the Radio-Tv Correspondents Dinner in DC to offer up the Top 10 Reasons Why I Dropped Out.

Per Hotline editor Amy Walter, here are a few of the 10:

Not as many Osmonds as I thought

Got tired of corkscrew landings

Wasn't room in the campaign for two Christian leaders

I'd rather get fat, grow a beard and try for a Nobel Prize

Once Ann realized I couldn't win, fundraising dried up

Flawed theory that as UT goes so goes the nation

Charlie Gibson on guns: "It has not been talked about much in this campaign, and it's an important issue in the state of Pennsylvania."

He asks ... Why no emphasis in the campaign?

Clinton and Obama stumble through half baked answers about need to balance Second Amendment rights with effective crime fighting measures. Neither candidate knows the facts of the DC gun case. And neither candidate is answering questions about licensing or hand gun bans.

Wishy. And washy.

On this very solemn anniversary of the Virginia Tech massacre, one would imagine the candidates could've had put more thought to the matter going into tonight's debate -- despite the historical radioactivity of the issue for Dems.

McCain is not well loved by the gun lobby, to say the least, and the NRA has been stone quiet throughout the GOP nominating contest. Isn't now as good a time as any for the Dems to show some bravery and boldness and offer firm opinions about best policies for getting guns out of the hands of criminals and the mentally ill? In tough economic times, crime always increases. Could the Dems find a way to effectively link the issues?

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

Clinton: "That's right. That is my commitment."

Obama: Said he would consider raising the Cap Gains Tax.

The debate is past the halfway point but the oppo is hardly flying. Two items sent by Team Clinton's Phil Singer. One from Team Obama. All three items available after the jump ...

"I wish the Republicans would apologize for the Bush/Cheney years and not run anybody," Clinton said.

But they don't seem willing to do that, Clinton added.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

"I revere the American flag, and I would not be running for president if I didn't revere this country," Obama said, calling the missing flag lapel pin controversy a "manufactured issue."

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

Clinton's gameplan appears to be to offer up whatever edgy comments she has at the ready in the most positively placid, Obama-esque voice.

On Wright, for example: "It is something that I think deserves further exploration. Clearly what we've got to figure out is how we bring people together in a way that overcomes the bitterness, that overcomes the divisiveness."

Not a cackle yet.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

George asks if the videos of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright will dog Obama in the general.

"If it's not this, it will be something else," Obama said.

"I promise you, if Sen. Clinton gets the nomination, it will be a whole bunch of video about other things," he added.

(On Call Aside ... Such as???)

More Obama on the American people: "I have absolute confidence that they can rally behind my campaign."

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

HRC: "It's going to be either Barack or me, and we're going to make that happen."

Um, try that again. Give a yes or no answer, Senator, George Stephanopoulos implored. Can he win?

"Yes, yes, yes," she said. "Now I think I can do a better job. Obviously that's why I'm here."

Clinton on McCain: "He will be a formidable candidate. There isn't any doubt about that."

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

Gibson asks if Obama understands that many people interpreted his "bitter" comments as condescending.

"I can see how people were offended," he said. "It's not the first time I made a statement that was mangled up. it's not going to be the last."

But, Obama said, his remarks are being used for political purposes. And advised that his broader point, that people are hurting, is a valid one.

Clinton spoke, as she did in the wake of Obama's remarks, about being the granddaughter of a factory worker. She said she doesn't believe that people like her father and grandfather cling to religion or guns because they aren't well served by their government.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

Charlie Gibson suggests that the Dems should vow to run together, no matter who comes out on top. Do it as the Founding Fathers did -- the top two vote getters won the prez and veep slots.

"Why not?" Gibson asks the candidates.

Silence.

"Don't all speak at once," Gibson said, prompting laughter.

Obama: "I think very highly of Sen. Clinton's record, but as I've said before I think we're still trying to determine who the nominee will be." It's just too premature.

Clinton: Said she would do and the party should do everything in its power to unify come Nov. "I think it’s absolutely imperative that our entire party close ranks," she said.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

Philly, National Constitutional Center

Time guidelines: 90 seconds per answer, 60 seconds for rebuttals.

Applause not permitted in the theater.

Barack Obama opening statement: The Dems have been running for 15 months, five weeks in PA. "Special interests have come to dominate Washington and they don't feel like they are being listened to," he said of working men and women.

Hillary Clinton opening statement: Hails the founders but notes that "neither of us were included in those original documents." In a very real sense, HRC said, the two remaining Dem candidates demonstrate the nation's progress. Still, HRC said, "people do feel that their govt is not solving problems, that it is not standing up for them."

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

Barack Obama earned a trifle more than $4.2M in 2007, according to his tax returns, released today by his campaign. About $3.9M of that came from the sale of his books, reports NBC/NJ's Aswini Anburajan.

Other details from his 2007 return:

-- Adjusted gross income: $4,139,965

-- Salaried income: $260,735

-- Net profit from books: $3,943,378

-- Federal taxes paid: $1,396,772

Obama has still not released his returns from his first three years in the Illinois Senate, a point Hillary Clinton has hammered in recent days as evidence that his campaign lacks transparency.

CLARION, PA - Bill Clinton, apparently still feeling the sting of what he viewed was a personal attack by Barack Obama, said today that his comments in San Francisco were just the latest to misrepresent his legacy.

While dismissing the idea that Pennsylvanians were "bitter," Clinton said that what really "bothered" him was the idea that there was no difference in how rural Pennsylvanians fared under his administration and President Bush's.

"You have to not be able to remember it to take that kind of comment seriously," Clinton told a packed venue at Clarion University. "I've heard this since Nevada, 'Oh, there's really no difference.' In Nevada, he said, all the good ideas in the '90s Newt Gingrich and Tom DeLay had. ... You gotta decide whether you agree with that or not. But let's look at the facts. The facts are our friend and often denied you."

Clinton was referring to an interview Obama did in January with the editorial board of the Reno Gazette-Journal, during which he said: "Ronald Reagan changed the trajectory of America in a way that Richard Nixon did not and in a way that Bill Clinton did not." Obama did not mention Tom DeLay or Newt Gingrich, however. At the time, both Clintons responded strongly, criticizing him for praising Republican ideas.

To rebut Obama's claim, Clinton went into a lengthy, statistic-laden discussion of the country's economic growth in the last two decades, saying that the highest earners are benefitting from White House policies today, while under his administration, "we were all growing together."

"Trickle down economics doesn't work," he said.

The former president said he discusses the past not because he wants to go back, but "because there's a reason you study history here." "I've always believed that if everybody understood the differences between the '90s and this decade, more young voters would be voting for Hillary for president," he said.

(NBC/NJ's MIKE MEMOLI)

Be sure to check Hotline On Call this evening for the latest news and information from Philly as Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama face off for the 21st Dem primary debate, 8 p.m. ET. ABC hosts the nationally televised, 90-minute event, held just six days before Keystone State voters (finally!) head to the polls for what is a must-win contest for Clinton.

The candidates last debated Feb. 26 in Cleveland. Since then ...

We've seen HRC score a critical victory in Ohio and a spiritual win in Texas, but later flub the Bosnia landing story, prompting renewed questions about her truthfulness.

We've been through the Rev. Jeremiah Wright fallout and Obama's subsequent speech about race in America.

The Clintons released tax returns showing that they've earned $109M since leaving the White House.

And the news over the last five days has turned on Obama's loaded small town comments.

So will tonight be a "bitter" battle? If HRC takes it to Obama, she risks prompting boos and a backlash. (Remember the pillow line? Fell flat. Memo to candidates: You will never be as funny as SNLers.) Or, to flaunt their general election potential, will each go after John McCain?

We're guessing it'll be a mixed bag. Stay tuned ...

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

Meeting in Philly today with Jewish leaders, Barack Obama was asked by an audience member if he could be another Michael Dukakis or George McGovern. In other words, will he only ultimately appeal to educated progressives? And, most critically, will he disappoint in the general?

Obama said that though Dukakis and McGovern were "fine men," he is a far better candidate, reports NBC/NJ's Aswini Anburajan.

"And let me make one last point about the comparison to McGovern and Dukakis, both excellent men, but I'm a pretty darn good politician," he said. "I can give a pretty good speech, and I can connect and inspire the American people in ways that have become apparent. I wouldn't be here if I wasn't pretty good at mixing it up, and so much of the attack machine that's been built up is part of the old politics."

Barack Obama courted local Jewish leaders today at a Philadelphia synagogue, assuring them that he had always had a "kinship" with their religious community and that any mistrust that might exist of him resulted from "scurrilous emails.”

"A lot of the concern has been generated because of scurrilous emails that have been sent, generated based on speculation of the fact that my middle name is Hussein," he said.

He added: "A lot of it has been generated as a consequence of the fact that I'm African American, and that at times there've been tensions between the African American leadership an the Jewish community."

Today's meeting was the seventh Obama has held across the country with members of the Jewish community, seeking to assuage fears that he is anti-Israel, especially after comments by his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright became public.

Sources tell On Call that Reps. David Price and Melvin Watt -- two NC Super Ds -- will endorse Barack Obama today ...

From today's Hotline:

"I want people to know when they look at me, to be clear that they see what an investment in public education can look like."

-- Michelle Obama, NBC/National Journal, 4/15

INDIANA, PA - Bill Clinton told a crowd here that small towns are "the backbone of this country" and the "heart" of Hillary Clinton's campaign.

"If she is going to win Pennsylvania, and win it by a good margin to propel her to these other states, it will have to be in places like Indiana," he told 2,500 gathered in Indiana University of Pennsylvania's gym. "Places that say, we need a president, we want somebody who we know can change everybody's lives for the better by empowering us to deal with these problems.

Clinton said that his wife's campaign has "concentrated heavily from the beginning" on small towns and rural areas. His schedule, in particular, has focused on these places. "You should know how much communities like this have allowed her to continue to compete and be in a position to win this nomination, in spite of being outspent by millions and millions of dollars," he said.

He also joked about the name of the town, which matches that of a critical upcoming state.

"We had those big elections in Texas and Ohio and Rhode Island, and then it was six whole weeks before the Pennsylvania primary. Now, they speed up again," he said. "Everybody's worried all the time, 'How are we gonna do this, how are we gonna do this. And I say, well, you need another scientific genius like me, because I'm in Pennsylvania and Indiana at the same time."

(NBC/NJ's MIKE MEMOLI)

On Call Aside: Bill Clinton also made another formal fundraising appeal today to supporters. His letter, which request a $5 contribution, is available after the jump. "We know Senator Obama's campaign strategy, spend, spend, and spend some more," WJC writes.

The presidential candidates remember the 33 people lost at Virginia Tech in the deadliest campus shooting in U.S. history ... Not surprisingly, of course, not a one of them mentions a need for tougher gun control laws.

Hillary Clinton: “On this deeply tragic anniversary, my thoughts are with the families and friends mourning the absence of loved ones who lost their lives in the devastating shooting that took place one year ago at Virginia Tech. As we mark this milestone, let us keep in our prayers the victims and their families, and let us work to build a nation in which all of our children are safe and loved.”

John McCain: "On this day, Cindy and I join with all the students, faculty, friends and family of the Virginia Tech community in remembering those who were taken from this life too early. Even after a year, the tragic events at Virginia Tech remain inconceivable. Words cannot describe the sadness that affected all Americans on that day and ever since. As parents ourselves, Cindy and I would like to extend our prayers to all those remembering the loss of a loved one today."

Barack Obama: "One year after the tragedy at Virginia Tech, families are still mourning, and our nation is still healing. As Americans gather today in vigils and 'lie-ins' – or pray silently alone – our thoughts are with those whose lives were forever changed by the shootings. But one year later, it’s also time to reflect on how violence – whether on campuses like Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University or on the streets of Chicago and cities across this nation – can be prevented. Clearly, our state and federal governments have to strengthen some laws and do a better job enforcing others. But we all have a responsibility to do what we can in our own lives and communities to end this kind of senseless violence. That is still our task one year later, and it will be our ongoing task in the years to come."

Meanwhile, here is today's beautifully-written Washington Post piece about life at VT one year later ...

New Hillary Clinton TV ad up in Indiana. In the spot, HRC says that China's now making parts for America's smart bombs. The IN factory once responsible for building those parts is shuttered. Bush could've stopped it, she says, but he didn't.

"American workers should build America's defense," Clinton says in the 30-second spot.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette endorsed Barack Obama today, bucking his rival's assertion that Obama's candidacy is "just words":

So forget all the primary skirmishing. Sen. Obama is every bit as prepared to answer the ring of the 3 a.m. phone as Sen. Clinton. Forget this idea that Sen. Obama is all inspiration and no substance. He has detailed positions on the major issues. When the occasion demands it, he can marshal eloquence in the service of making challenging arguments, which he did to great effect in his now-famous speech putting his pastor's remarks in the greater context of race relations in America.

Nor is he any sort of elitist. As he said yesterday in effectively refuting this ridiculous charge in a meeting with Post-Gazette editors, "my life's work has been to get everybody a fair shake."

The paper, deep in the heart of what should be Clinton territory, also offered this assessment of the former first lady's potential liabilities:

To be sure, Sen. Clinton carries the aspirations of women in particular, but even in this she is something of a throwback, a woman whose identity and public position are indelibly linked to her husband, her own considerable talents notwithstanding. It does not help that the Clinton brand is seen by many in the country as suspect and shifty, bearing the grimy stamp of political calculation counting as much as principle.

On Call Aside: Clearly the flap over Obama's "bitter" comments didn't affect the PPG's decision-making, a reflection perhaps of the editors' calculation that voters aren't shifting their allegiances as a result?

Meanwhile, IN Rep. Andre Carson also endorsed Obama today: “I am proud to support Barack Obama for President because he represents the kind of bold leadership and change that our country desperately needs," he said in a statement released by the campaign. "I know Senator Obama, like me, is committed to ending the war in Iraq, bringing down gas prices, and creating good jobs here in Indiana, and he has the judgment and courage to solve these problems,” Congressman Carson said. “Senator Obama is a fighter for working families, and part of a new generation of leadership that will bring needed change for our country and I am proud to endorse him for president.”

As in Springsteen, the musical deity of working class, small town America, writes today on his Web site why Barack Obama is his man ...

Dear Friends and Fans:

Over here on E Street, we're proud to support Obama for President.

Updates from our Hotline Political Network Affiliates

A majority of last night's TV focused on Pope Benedict XVI's U.S. arrival, but there was also a fair amount of WH '08 coverage.

As part of "Hardball"'s college tour, John McCain appeared on the show at PA's Villanova Univ.:

Villanova student: "I'm sure that you saw one of your Democratic opponents, Hillary Clinton, recently drinking whiskey shots with some potential voters. Now, I was wondering if you think that she's finally resorted to hitting the sauce just because of some unfavorable polling. And I was also wondering if you would care to join me for a shot after this."

McCain: "I did not see the clip of it, but I certainly heard about it. And whatever makes Senator Clinton happy..."

MSNBC's Matthews: "I'm so proud of Villanova, because we came here hoping for the best. And we got two of the most wiseass questions in the world. ... We have had enough softball, senator. It's time for the show to start here."

McCain, asked if Barack Obama is an elitist: "No. But I do believe that his statements were elitist" (MSNBC, 4/15).

After the jump, Obama shoots hoops with HBO and a local PAan talks about his appearance in a Clinton ad.

(KATHERINE LEHR)