Barack Obama easily won yesterday's primary elections in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Colombia. CNN reports Obama topped Hillary Clinton 60%-37% in Maryland. In Virginia, Obama won 64%-35%, while he won DC 75%-24%. The AP reports its count of delegates "showed Obama with 1,210. Clinton had 1,188, falling behind for the first time since the campaign began." However, neither candidate is "close to the 2,025 needed to win the nomination."
Major papers see the day as a big win for Obama. The Wall Street Journal says Obama "triumphed," while USA Today says he "routed" Clinton. The New York Times says he "rolled" to victory. Coverage from mid-sized papers around the nation is similar. The Baltimore Sun, for example, calls Obama's win "smashing," while the Boston Globe says Obama "decisively swept" yesterday's contests.
In addition, and in a departure from previous coverage, and despite the close delegate count, media analysts are now calling Obama the frontrunner for the Democratic nod and hinting the Clinton candidacy could be in serious trouble. The Los Angeles Times, for example, says on its front page that Obama's "commanding wins" establish "the onetime underdog as the front-runner in the Democratic presidential race against Hillary Rodham Clinton." His victories yesterday push "his record to 8-0 since he and Clinton in effect fought to a draw last week on Super Tuesday."
The New York Times reports yesterday's votes gave Obama "his first chance to assert that the Democratic race, which had seemed to be heading into a protracted standoff, is beginning to break in his direction." McClatchy Newspapers says Obama "now appears to be at a tipping point where all the good news is his and all the bad news is hers." The Washington Post says Obama's "winning streak, his large margins and the prospect of more victories next week put Clinton in a tenuous position, despite the close delegate competition."
The Washington Post reports Celinda Lake, an independent Democratic pollster, "noted that the class divide that once demarcated the Obama-Clinton battle lines was obliterated in Virginia and Maryland. In Virginia, Obama carried the vote of those earning less than $50,000 by 22 percentage points. In Maryland, the gap was 24 percentage points." Clinton "still pulled more votes from white women, but that advantage was neutralized by Obama's popularity among white men. Even Latinos, who helped deliver Nevada and California for the senator from New York, sided with Obama -- although the number of Hispanic voters was much smaller."
Hillary Clinton headed for Texas yesterday, where she is hoping to make a stand on March 4. The AP reports from El Paso, "Trying to overcome a string of losses and a staff shake-up," Clinton "sought new energy Tuesday night from a boisterous crowd of about 12,000 in a state she hopes will provide a rebound in her quest for the Democratic presidential nomination." Her "sights were set on the March 4 Texas and Ohio primaries and on President Bush. 'I'm tested, I'm ready, let's make it happen,' she yelled to cheering supporters."
Clinton made no mention of her losses in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, DC, during remarks before a large crowd at the University of Texas at El Paso. The Washington Post reports, "As news of her triple defeat in the Potomac Primary sank in," Clinton "did what has become a specialty in recent weeks: She headed someplace else." Clinton's strategy in Texas appears to be wooing the Hispanic vote. The AP reports that Clinton "began her first swing through the suddenly important Texas Hispanic strongholds Tuesday with a pledge to create comprehensive immigration reform." Clinton told one crowd "that she would reform immigration policies. 'I see an America where there is comprehensive immigration reform with a path to earned legalization,' Clinton said," adding, "Of course we are going to have secure borders...and we are going to make sure employers don't exploit undocumented workers. And we will do more to help communities like El Paso get the resources they need."
The Houston Chronicle reports Clinton will again campaign in Texas today, "with stops in McAllen, Corpus Christi and San Antonio. It's no coincidence" Clinton "is visiting McAllen, in the Valley's Hidalgo County. The key to taking Texas appears to be luring Latinos, who make up a sizable portion of registered voters in the state. And few regions in Texas have a higher percentage of Hispanics than the Lower Rio Grande Valley, where 89 percent of the 1.2 million residents are Latino, according to the latest census data."
Both Candidates Up With Spanish Ads The Dallas Morning News adds that both Clinton and Obama have begun "flooding Texas with radio and TV ads in Spanish." The ads tout the candidates policy positions, but "also seek to connect the candidates personally to voters, with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's ad proclaiming that she is nuestra amiga 'our friend' and Sen. Barack Obama's spots talking about how he worked his way into Harvard Law School from meager beginnings."
Pundits Put Little Stock In Clinton's Firewall Strategy Hillary Clinton's strategy of relying on the March 4 primaries in Texas and Ohio to keep her candidate afloat is drawing new scrutiny this morning. In his New York Post column, Charles Hurt also makes the comparison, saying Clinton "might as well be stealing pages from Giuliani's laughingstock playbook -- and she looks headed for the same demise." Dick Morris writes in The Hill that it "is a fantasy that the Ohio and Texas primaries will be a 'firewall' to contain the flames of enthusiasm for Obama and reverse her defeats of February. Just as with Giuliani's supposed Florida firewall, Hillary's will crumble as Obama's momentum carries him forward to the nomination."
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The AP reports Hillary Clinton's "effort to win Ohio's critical presidential primary got a boost" yesterday when former Ohio senator and noted astronaut John Glenn endorsed her yesterday. Glenn focused on Clinton's experience in his endorsement, saying, "With all of the challenges facing Ohio and America, we need a leader who can deliver real solutions on her first day in office." FOX's Special Report with Brit Hume reported that Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland (D) "has already endorsed Senator Clinton."
CNN reports that John McCain won all three of yesterday's GOP primaries. While the contest was fairly close in Virginia, where McCain topped Mike Huckabee 50%-41%, McCain won by much larger margins in the other two contests. In Maryland, McCain topped Huckabee 55%-29%, while in Washington DC, McCain trounced Huckabee 68%-17%. The AP reports its count of delegates "showed McCain with 789 delegates. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who dropped out of the race last week, had 288. Huckabee had 241 and Texas Rep. Ron Paul had 14."
Media coverage casts the tallies as a validation of McCain's status as the virtual GOP nominee even as he continues to struggle with some conservatives. The Washington Post reports on its front page that McCain added "to his vast delegate lead in the race to become his party's presidential nominee," but "lost conservatives in Virginia, as he has across the South and parts of the Midwest -- trailing Huckabee among that group and evangelicals as he attempts to unite a fractured Republican Party behind his candidacy." In a similar report, the Wall Street Journal reports on its front page that "many conservatives continued to protest the party's presumptive nominee by voting for his remaining rival." And the AP says "Christian evangelicals in Virginia who favored" Huckabee "in droves seemed to send the would-be Republican presidential nominee John McCain a message from on high -- they won't roll over so easily."
Long Island Newsday adds that at his victory party in Alexandria, Virginia, McCain "congratulated Huckabee, his 'spirited campaign' and his 'passionate supporters.' 'He certainly keeps things interesting, a little too interesting at times tonight, I must confess,' McCain said to laughs." The Chicago Tribune says yesterday's outcome leaves Huckabee "with a hard decision about whether to stay in the race and risk aggravating the man who seems certain to be his party's standard-bearer. 'Huckabee is going to have to look downstream and decide whether continuing in this race will further his political career,' said Scott Reed, the GOP strategist who ran Bob Dole's 1996 campaign. 'If it's mathematically impossible to get the delegates, you have to question why he's still in the race.'"
The Politico reports that while McCain may have kind words for Huckabee in public, "behind the scenes," his campaign "has stopped smiling and tonight offered the closest thing yet to a nudge." Campaign manager Rick Davis "penned a memo, ostensibly to his staff but meant for public and Huckabee campaign consumption." Davis wrote, "The results from tonight's primary elections in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, DC, make it mathematically impossible for Governor Huckabee to secure the Republican nomination for president. ... He now needs 950 delegates to secure the required 1,191. But in the remaining contests there are only 774 delegates available. He would need to win 123% of remaining delegates."
McCain Changes Focus To General Election The AP reports McCain, in his victory speech last night, turned his focus to the general election. McCain said, "We do not yet know for certain who will have the honor of being the Democratic Party's nominee for president. ... But we know where either of their candidates will lead this country, and we dare not let them." The Arizona senator "seemed to aim much of his rhetoric at Obama and his message of hope and optimism. ... McCain cautioned: 'To encourage a country with only rhetoric rather than sound and proven ideas that trust in the strength and courage of free people is not a promise of hope. It's a platitude.'" The New York Post adds that McCain said the Democrats will "paint a picture of the world in which America's mistakes are a greater threat to our security than the malevolent intentions of an enemy that despises us and our ideals."
The Washington Post reports John McCain "will gather with the Republican leadership in the House of Representatives today, acting more like the new head of the Republican Party after victories in Maryland, Virginia and the District." The meeting will take place "at the request" of the McCain campaign. The senator "will visit the House Republican Conference, whose members include some who have said they felt physically ill at the prospects of the senator heading the ticket."
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In what is being portrayed as a victory for the White House, the Senate yesterday approved a bill updating the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) which included legal immunity for telecommunications firms cooperating with government surveillance programs. The White House has threatened to veto any bill that does not provide immunity. The AP says the new rules approved yesterday give the White House "much of the latitude it wanted," in addition to immunity for telecoms. House Republicans "now want to adopt the Senate bill, which would avoid contentious negotiations to work out differences between the competing legislation."
On its front page, the New York Times reports the Senate "handed the White House a major victory on Tuesday" in a vote that "amounted, in effect, to a broader proxy vote in support of Mr. Bush's wiretapping program." The Financial Times also reports the story under the headline "Bush Scores Victory On Wiretap Law."
The Wall Street Journal says yesterday's 68-29 vote, which was "more lopsided than many expected," gave Bush "a victory on one of the White House's signature national-security issues." Also calling the vote a "key victory" for the White House, the Washington Post reports on its front page that "the Senate's action, days before a temporary surveillance law expires Friday, sets up a clash with House Democrats," who "vowed again yesterday to oppose the telecom immunity provision until the White House releases more information about the controversial warrantless surveillance program."
House Democrats Ponder 21-Day Extension The Washington Times reports that "21 members of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of conservative House Democrats, sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat, saying they support the Senate version." House Republican leaders "say it is time for Democrats to accept the political reality that any permanent FISA bill must include immunity."
The Wall Street Journal reports "Democratic leaders in the House, who have tried to keep their party's liberal and centrist members united, are debating their options" and "plan tomorrow to propose a 21-day extension of the current law to allow time to negotiate with the Senate." The Los Angeles Times says that while "senior congressional aides said there was no clear path to a compromise on the issue," a "series of recent defections by moderate Democrats in the House raises prospects that the White House position -- or something close to it -- eventually may prevail."
The Chicago Tribune notes the Senate left "the House with little time to debate the bill, leading opponents to complain that the Congress is again passing significant anti-terrorism legislation in an uninformed rush." Meanwhile, The Hill warns that "a difficult conference could stall final passage of the bill, as lawmakers continue to argue over whether" to grant immunity.
According to the New York Times, "There is an overarching reason American commanders in Iraq want a pause in American troop reductions this summer: The United States has learned through painful experience that security can rapidly deteriorate if it overestimates the ability of Iraq's forces to keep the peace." The Times notes that "the case for temporarily halting the reductions" was made by Defense Secretary Gates Monday, though Gates "had previously voiced hope for greater reductions to ease the enormous strain on the military." Gen. David Petraeus is "advocating that the United States 'let things settle a bit' after the current round of troop reductions," while Gen. George Casey, the Army chief of staff, is "warning...that the Army is 'stretched and stressed' by its constant deployments." The Times adds that an anonymous senior American officer "estimated that a pause of three to four months would be needed after the American force shrinks to 15 combat brigades in July from 20 brigades at the height of the 'surge' last year."
The Christian Science Monitor reports that Gates's decision "means the Army probably won't get the reprieve many in the service had hoped for." According to the Monitor, "Repeated and lengthy deployments, broken equipment, and declining public support for the military's presence in Iraq have contributed to problems with recruiting and retention, among other things." The New York Times also reports that the Army is "facing a serious shortfall in captains. And the number of new recruits who have not graduated from high school is growing."
Roll Call reports this morning Senate Democrats are "still bitter" over last year's standoff with President Bush over a series of appropriations bills," and "are holding out the possibility of punting this year's annual spending bills to the next president if Bush refuses to negotiate again." Majority Leader Harry Reid said, "If he thinks he can do to us what he did last year, it just won't work. We don't need him." Majority Whip Dick Durbin added, "If the president wants to delay or somehow engage in the same thing we went through last year, it's a waste of time.'" Roll Call notes, "Bush already has demanded that lawmakers cut the number of earmarked pet projects in half or potentially face a veto." The Washington Post notes that this year's budget battle seems to be following a familiar script: President Bush, "in a play to fiscal conservatives, draws up a budget request that sends a long list of domestic programs to the slaughter. ... Then Congress weighs in, condemning Bush for once again ignoring the needs of the disadvantaged Americans who will suffer most from the cuts. The shouting dies down, Congress keeps most of the programs alive, both sides claim victory and they walk away for another year."
Waxman Seeks Earmark Moratorium The Hill reports Rep. Henry Waxman "joined several House Republicans Tuesday by promising not to request any earmarks in appropriations bills this year." Waxman praised House Appropriations Chairman David Obey "for cutting down on earmarks last year from the 2005 levels," but "still feels the process is still in dire need of reform. ... 'I think our best approach would be to suspend all earmarks for the 2009 appropriations cycle while we consider the right reforms for the earmark process,' said Waxman." The Christian Science Monitor says House Republicans "opened a new front in the war on earmarks last week when they proposed a moratorium on them, and then forced a floor vote on it." Democrats "note that they have already adopted earmark reforms, which include cutting the number of earmarks in half in the last spending cycle and requiring more transparency."
The Bush Administration, in an effort to reduce the number of foreclosures and also to head off congressional action on the mortgage crisis, on Tuesday rolled out a new initiative to assist some at-risk homeowners. However, critics see the voluntary industry plan as too limited to help homeowners who really need to change the terms of their loans. The Financial Times reports the "Project Lifeline" initiative "targets homeowners who are 90 days or more behind on their mortgage payments and offers them a 30-day 'pause' in the foreclosure process." The plan "comes amid increasing tension between the Bush administration and top Democrats over whether the private sector should continue to take the leading role in tackling mortgage workouts loan renegotiations designed to avoid foreclosures or whether there should be a more direct role for the federal government."
The AP reports critics "attacked the proposal as far short of what is needed to resolve a serious financial crisis that is threatening millions of families with the loss of their homes." USA Today reports the program "will be available to people with either prime or subprime loans who are at least three months behind on their mortgage. Nearly 575,000 homeowners fit that profile at the end of the third quarter, but it's unclear if many will be saved."
The Washington Post reports the new program "also includes foreclosures triggered by home-equity loans, prime loans and second liens." The New York Times reports Project Lifeline "met a cool reaction on Tuesday from politicians and investors who questioned its ability to stave off what could be a long and painful string of mortgage defaults."
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Jay Leno: "Very awkward moment in the Hillary Clinton campaign today. I guess Hillary told her staff to call Democrats with money, and they called Barack Obama."
David Letterman: "Today...is the ninth anniversary of Bill Clinton's acquittal on impeachment charges. ... I wonder how those crazy kids celebrated."
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