Media reports today suggest the lesson of the March 4 primaries is that Sen. Hillary Clinton's aggressive tactics fueled her unexpected rebound. Sen. Barack Obama indicated yesterday that he intends to emulate them setting up a very aggressive battle in the weeks to come. The Washington Post reports in a front page story that Clinton's three wins "reinvigorated her once-shaky presidential candidacy and reshaped" the debate. The AP reports Clinton "declared" yesterday that her wins "had reordered the Democratic presidential race in her favor" while a "resilient Barack Obama countered with fresh pledges of support from superdelegates and said his lead remained intact." Obama "blamed negative attacks by the former first lady for his defeats and quickly made good on a promise to sharpen his criticism of her. But there was no disputing he had missed a chance to drive her from the race."
The Wall Street Journal reports Clinton and Obama yesterday "intensified their attacks on each other, geared up for messy rules fights and wooed the party leaders who could decide the race." One lesson "both camps took away from Sen. Clinton's wins Tuesday in Ohio and Texas was that her last-ditch aggressiveness against Sen. Obama helped turn the tide. Each side spent the day after the contests questioning the other candidate's suitability for the presidency." The New York Times reports Obama "delivered the message that he intended to counterpunch forcefully," and his "campaign aides on Wednesday urged Mrs. Clinton to release her tax returns from 2006, as well as her papers from her years as first lady, which Mr. Obama's chief strategist, David Axelrod, described as 'secreted in the Clinton library.'"
ABC World News reported Obama "was courteous last night in defeat," but "on board his campaign plane, adopted a decidedly sharper tone." Obama: "There's no doubt that Senator Clinton went very negative over the last week. And the kitchen sink strategy I'm sure had some impact. Particularly in a contest where many of you in the press corps had been persuaded that you had been too hard on her and too soft on me." Wright: "Obama indicated he'll now stress the negative, as well."
The CBS Evening News reported, "There's nothing like defeat to focus the mind of a presidential contender and it's prompted Barack Obama to a more aggressive approach. Having blown a chance to drive Clinton from the race, Obama turned more confrontational today with pointed questions about his adversary's repeated claims to priceless experience over a lifetime of public service." Sen. Barack Obama: "Was she handling crises during this period of time? My sense is the answer is no. I have not seen any evidence that she's better equipped to handle a crisis."
For her part, the Los Angeles Times reports Clinton, "whose thrashing of Obama clearly wounded the Illinois senator in the closing days of the Ohio and Texas campaigns, lost no time in resuming efforts to portray him as a talented speaker with a thin resume." Clinton aides "suggested that voters in Ohio and Texas had voiced doubts about her opponent, and that his record still deserves closer media scrutiny."
The Politico says "up-with-people phase of this contest is over. The clear-the-benches phase has begun - a brawl that now is more likely than not to continue until the Democratic nomination in late August."
The New York Times reports Sen. Hillary Clinton's "victories in the primaries on Tuesday barely dented Senator Barack Obama's lead in delegates," although the wins "seemed to slow the Democratic Party establishment's move in his direction while giving her campaign time to try to turn the race in her favor." Clinton's "victories in Ohio, Texas and Rhode Island cut into Mr. Obama's delegate lead by 15 delegates at most, and by as few as 5, depending on the final accounting in Texas, which was expected Thursday afternoon." The AP reports Obama "regained lost ground" in the delegate race last night, "based on results from the Texas caucuses, partially negating the impact of" Clinton's wins. Late returns "showed Clinton emerged from Rhode Island, Vermont, Texas and Ohio with a gain of 12 delegates on her rival for the night, with another dozen yet to be awarded in The Associated Press' count." That left Obama "with an overall lead of 101 delegates, 1,562-1,461 as the rivals look ahead to the final dozen contests on the calendar." Clinton has "the support of 241 superdelegates, and Obama 202. But more than 350 remain uncommitted, a large enough bloc to swing the nomination should they band together." There were "370 Democratic delegates at stake in Tuesday's contests, and nearly complete returns showed Clinton outpaced Obama in Ohio, 74-65, in Rhode Island, 13-8, and in the Texas primary, 65-61." Obama won "in Vermont, 9-6, and was ahead in the Texas caucuses, 30-27. Ten of the dozen that remained to be awarded were in Texas; the other two in Ohio."
ABC World News reported, "Using our delegate calculator, in the unlikely event that Hillary Clinton sweeps all twelve contests with 55% of the vote, she will still be behind. And if Barack Obama sweeps them with 55% of the vote, also unlikely, he, too, will fall short." NBC Nightly News reported, "To get to the magic number," Obama "just needs 46% of all remaining delegates," including superdelegates and the 611 pledged delegates. Clinton "needs 56% to get to that magic number."
Michigan, Florida Officials May Support "Do-Over" Primaries Another front in the battle over delegates is the situation in Florida and Michigan. Currently, those states are being punished by the Democratic National Committee for scheduling their primaries too early, and their delegates are not being counted. The AP reports officials in Michigan and Florida "are showing renewed interest in holding repeat presidential nominating contests so that their votes will count in the epic Democratic campaign." Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D), "along with top officials in Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign and Florida's state party chair, are now saying they would consider holding a sort of do-over contest by June. That's a change from their previous insistence that the primaries their states held in January should determine how the their delegates are allocated." The Clinton campaign has "begun expressing openness to a do-over."
The CBS Evening News suggests that a re-vote in those states, particularly in Florida, could go well for Clinton. Right now, "both those states look like Clinton country. Think about Florida. A lot of older voters, a lot of Jewish voters, a lot of Hispanics. Just take a look at how well Clinton did with Hispanic voters in Texas last night. And Michigan has a lot of white working class voters, the kind of gave her a big win in Ohio. The Obama people say whatever the Democratic National Committee says, they'll play by those rules and just today the governors of Michigan and Florida said maybe a redo is a good idea." On NBC Nightly News, Washington bureau chief Tim Russert said, "Privately" both Obama and Clinton "talk about seating the delegations in Michigan and Florida. One of the compromises is have them split 50/50 between the two candidates. But Florida and Michigan are very, very important. There may in fact be do-overs in June. We are not there yet."
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Media coverage of President Bush's joint appearance with John McCain tends to focus on the effects of the presidential endorsement the tone of which several media outlets called "enthusiastic" -- on the senator's White House bid. Most analysts agree Bush's backing will boost McCain the most in the fundraising arena. The Washington Post, in fact, reports "one GOP strategist close to the campaign said Bush will soon start helping the party raise money for its general-election fund, which can be collected in larger increments than are allowed for direct donations to the McCain campaign." The Post adds "top aides to Bush and McCain met separately for lunch in the office of White House Chief of Staff Joshua B. Bolten to map out their political efforts. Among those present were counselor Ed Gillespie, Bolten and [Barry] Jackson, along with McCain campaign manager Rick Davis and aides Mark Salter, Charles R. Black Jr., Steve Schmidt and Mark McKinnon." The Wall Street Journal notes "several of...McCain's aides, including ad maker Mark McKinnon and political adviser Steve Schmidt, have ties to the Bush White House, so it was a reunion of sorts."
The Washington Times reports that with Bush in his corner, "in addition to some of the best fundraisers in the business, the McCain operation will be able to tap into a massive database of contributors, built up for nearly a decade." The Times adds, "Other one-time White House hopefuls, including former New York City Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, have already dispatched their top fundraisers to the McCain campaign."
USA Today reports Bush gave his "enthusiastic" backing to McCain, and also says the President could "help the presumptive Republican presidential nominee do two things the Arizona senator must do: raise money and rally conservatives." ABC World News also called Bush's endorsement of the Arizona senator "enthusiastic." The CBS Evening News said an "exuberant" Bush "awaited the arrival of...McCain, then gave him the red carpet treatment and a full-throated endorsement." Bush was shown saying, "I'm going to be in Crawford with my feet up. He's going to be sitting in there behind that desk making the decisions on war and peace and I'm thankful our party has nominated somebody plenty capable of making those decisions." ABC added, "How much will Bush really campaign for McCain? He didn't sound very sure." Said Bush, "If he wants my pretty face standing by his side at one of these rallies, I'll b glad to show up."
Along those lines, most media reports tend to portray Bush's endorsement as a mixed message for McCain. The Chicago Tribune says the "carefully choreographed Rose Garden event" was "aimed at GOP loyalists, but McCain will face a serious challenge in deciding how much to campaign with the deeply unpopular president at a time when skittish voters are demanding change." NBC Nightly News also reported "Republicans see the President as a valuable asset," but "Democrats will seize on this side by side moment as an opportunity to wrap McCain in Mr. Bush's unpopular policies."
RNC Goes To Work For McCain NBC Nightly News reported that as the GOP nominee, "the Republican National Committee offices become a branch for Team McCain. And the gift bag from the Republican National Committee includes a ready work force, able and willing to help" McCain, "and cash, about $25 million on hand and ready to go for what has been a frugal campaign." The New York Times reports RNC Chairman Robert M. Duncan "said the party was there to serve the McCain campaign." Said Duncan, "We've been preparing for the last several months. ... We've been raising the money. We've been doing the research that's necessary. We've been writing the victory plans that have been necessary to win the electoral votes. We've been putting the staff together. And all of that is available to...McCain, as our presumptive nominee, as of today."
With the Democratic race apparently nowhere near close to resolved, allies of the Democratic Party are stepping into the breach and beginning to launch attacks on Sen. John McCain. The AP reports a "Democratic-leaning group financed by a major labor union and wealthy liberal activists is running ads against" McCain in Ohio and Pennsylvania, "the beginning of a media campaign against the GOP nominee-in-waiting." The ad, "called 'McSame,'" portrays McCain "and President Bush as interchangeable on key issues such as Iraq, tax cuts and health care." The ad "is the work of the Campaign to Defend America, a nonprofit organization that is among anti-war and left-of-center groups that have pledged a multimillion-dollar effort to target McCain and congressional Republicans on the consequences of the Iraq war on the U.S. economy."
The Washington Post reports Sen. John McCain "kicks off his general-election campaign trailing both potential Democratic nominees in hypothetical matchups, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll." Among likely voters, Sen. Hillary Clinton leads McCain 50%-47%, while Sen. Barack Obama leads 53%-42%. Among a broader sample of all adults, 50% would vote for Clinton and 44% would vote for McCain, while Obama would lead 52%-40%. The survey of 1,126 adults was conducted over February 28-March 2, prior to Tuesday's contests.
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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other leading Democrats, following a meeting with national experts on economic and financial issues, signaled interest in a second economic stimulus package. Rep. Barney Frank, chair of the House Financial Services Committee, told the US News Political Bulletin that a goal is to have lenders substantially write-down some mortgages and have the federal government step in with assistance. Frank said, "If they are prepared to do that -- we have no gun at their heads to make them do it -- but if they are prepared to do that, we would then be prepared to have the Federal Government...purchase some of these written-down mortgages." Frank and other Democrats said lending money to states to buy foreclosed properties also is on the table, as is money to improve the nation's infrastructure. Reporting on the meeting, The Hill notes Former Treasury Secretary and Harvard University President Lawrence Summers "urged lawmakers to consider public works spending in addition to their plans to repurchase large chunks of sub-prime mortgages, a plan he acknowledged was urgent."
House Democrats Plan $70 Billion Tax Hike The Washington Post reports House Democrats "want to use a parliamentary maneuver to push a $70 billion tax increase through a reluctant Senate, a move intended to spare millions of taxpayers from an unpopular tax without driving up the deficit." Under the plan, the House would also "prevent the alternative minimum tax from expanding to include more than 20 million additional households at tax time in April 2009.
Democrats' Budget Adds Domestic Spending USA Today reports House Democrats "rolled out a cautious election-year budget blueprint Wednesday that promises to put the federal budget back in the black while awarding greater-than-inflation increases to domestic programs." The Senate measure "would permit an $18 billion increase above Bush's budget for domestic programs such as education, health research, and housing; the House plan would provide a slightly larger increase." The Christian Science Monitor says for Democrats, "the key is letting most of the Bush tax cuts expire in 2010, as currently projected, and targeting spending to promote growth."
In an address to the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference, President Bush on Wednesday delivered a strongly-worded criticism of OPEC for not increasing oil production. Bush also urged the US to "get off oil" to reduce dependency on foreign producers. The New York Times reports on its front page that "oil prices reached a record close, surging above $104 after OPEC decided...to keep its production unchanged." The cartel "ignored calls from...Bush to pump more oil into an ailing economy." The Times calls Bush's remarks yesterday "a sign of growing impatience with oil producers." Fox News' Special Report said "OPEC blamed oil prices on the slumping dollar," but "the White House refused to address that part of the problem and denied OPEC's claim that the United States economy is the problem." The CBS Evening News showed Bush saying, "Demand is outstripping supply." The President, added CBS, "has urged OPEC to up production, but OPEC won't pump more oil."
Bush Sets Limits For Climate Change Deal The Washington Times reports Bush also said yesterday "the United States will not participate in any international agreement on climate change unless all major countries are on board and the policies put forth would not stifle economic growth." Said the President, "In order for there to be effective international agreements, these agreements must include solid commitments from every major economy, and no country should get a free ride."
Under the headline, "FBI Chief Confirms Misuse of Subpoenas," the Washington Post reports FBI Director Robert Mueller "said a forthcoming report from the Justice Department's inspector general will find that abuses recurred in the agency's use of national security letters in 2006, echoing similar problems to those identified in earlier audits." The Los Angeles Times reports that the Bureau's use of national security letters "first came under attack last March in a report by Justice Department Inspector General Glenn A. Fine." The Wall Street Journal, meanwhile, notes that Mueller "met Tuesday with top senators to give a preview of the coming audit."
In a widely published dispatch, the AP reports the FBI "acknowledged Wednesday it improperly accessed Americans' telephone records, credit reports and Internet traffic in 2006, the fourth straight year of privacy abuses resulting from investigations aimed at tracking terrorists and spies." But Mueller said "the breach occurred before the FBI enacted broad new reforms in March 2007 to prevent future lapses."
The New York Times reports that an administration official "said the inspector general found that the rate of problems in 2006 appeared similar to what was found from 2003 to 2005." The "report is expected to find that the FBI has made 'significant progress' in handling the problem, that it is committed at the highest levels to fixing it, but that it is still too early to determine the results, the official said."
The Washington Times also notes Michael German, national security policy counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union, said yesterday that "while new guidelines have been introduced, last year's IG report made clear that internal guidelines 'are meaningless' to the FBI."
The Los Angeles Times reports parents who "lack teaching credentials cannot educate their children at home, according to" California's 2nd District Court of Appeal. That ruling "is sending waves of fear through California's home schooling families. Advocates for the families vowed to appeal the decision to the state Supreme Court." The Pacific Justice Institute "estimates there are as many as 166,000 California students who are home schooled."
The AP reports Sen. Robert C. Byrd, "the longest-serving senator in US history, is back in a hospital for tests after a reaction to antibiotics." The Hill notes "Byrd's hospitalization comes as the Senate Budget Committee is scheduled to mark up its fiscal 2009 budget resolution Thursday. A committee member, Byrd has been allowed to vote by proxy because of his illness." Roll Call calls the move to allow Byrd a proxy vote "apparently unprecedented."
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Craig Ferguson: "John McCain, of course, won the Republican nomination. As a reward, he got a visit to the White House. Mike Huckabee finished second. His reward is a hunting trip with Dick Cheney. Goodbye, Mike."
Jimmy Kimmel: "I want to say congratulations to senator John McCain of Arizona, who last night captured the Republican nomination for president. ... It was a great night for...McCain. In fact, all was going just perfectly...until today, when President Bush endorsed him."
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