The debate over how to handle the delegates from Florida and Michigan continued over the weekend, with a new possible resolution coming to the fore: a mail-in re-vote in both states. NBC Nightly News reported last night in its lead story, "With none of the major players wanting a fight on this issue at the nominating convention, the party is now floating the idea of a mail-in revote." Howard Dean, DNC Chairman was shown saying, "It's comprehensive. You get to vote if you're in Iraq or in a nursing home. It's not a bad way to do this." In a Wall Street Journal op-ed this morning, Florida Sen. Bill Nelson (D) backs a re-vote, writing, "With so much at stake, and the race so close, it's apparent to me that a new election in Florida is a fair way to provide both candidates with another chance to win needed delegates in a state that is certain to be pivotal in November. And there is a practical and affordable way to conduct another election that would be fair to all involved, and should gain the support of state officials. It is this: Hold a revote via a mail-in ballot, and underwrite its cost with Democratic Party funds. I've already discussed the idea with Republican Gov. Charlie Crist and he is supportive."
However, there remain a number of sticking points to the plan. The Washington Post reports that Michigan Sen. Carl Levin (D) opposed the idea, saying "it would be very difficult to hold another vote in Michigan and that even a mail-in contest would have problems: 'Not just cost, but the security issue. How do you make sure that hundreds of thousands, perhaps a million or more ballots can be properly counted and that duplicate ballots can be avoided?'"
The Wall Street Journal cautions that even if "a consensus emerges, the answer to a key question -- who would pay for mail revotes -- remains up in the air. The states have said taxpayers won't foot the bill. And Mr. Dean insisted the national party would be saving its money to defeat the presumptive Republican nominee, Sen. John McCain." However, the New York Times reports two Clinton supporters, "who are also two of the Democratic Party's most successful fund-raisers, have offered to help raise millions of dollars to stage new primaries in Florida and Michigan." Gov. Jon S. Corzine of New Jersey and Gov. Edward G. Rendell of Pennsylvania "said Sunday that they would be willing to raise half the $30 million it would take to run new contests in those two states." The "two governors argue that the Democratic National Committee, and not taxpayers in Florida and Michigan, should pay for a re-election in those states."
However, even having the votes paid for in this manner could cause problems. The Politico says this morning, "One unusual solution to the cost impasse is for the campaigns to pay for their own revote. It is legal for a private party to fund the contest, according to election lawyers, but the process could be mired in lawsuits. 'This is a political mess that could turn into a legal mess,' says Jan Baran, an election expert at Wiley Rein."
Sharpton May Be Weighing Suit Over Florida Delegates The New York Sun reports that the situation may take another twist, as Rev. Al Sharpton "is threatening to sue the" DNC "if it counts Florida's primary results in the official presidential delegates tally. Rev. Sharpton is traveling to Florida today to compile lists of residents who skipped the January contest because they thought their votes would not count. He plans to have those residents sign affidavits saying they would be disenfranchised by the seating of the Florida delegation, in the event the Democratic Party allowed that to happen." Sharpton hasn't "endorsed a presidential candidate, but his efforts in Florida are widely viewed as benefiting Mr. Obama, who has won more delegates overall than Mrs. Clinton."
Sen. Barack Obama won the Democratic caucuses in Wyoming by a fairly wide margin Saturday, but due to the small number of delegates at stake came away with just two more delegates than Sen. Hillary Clinton. Obama's 5,378 votes (61%) won him seven delegates, while Clinton' 3,312 votes (38%) won her five. The AP says Obama "generally has outperformed Clinton in caucuses, which reward organization and voter passion more than do primaries. The Illinois senator has now won 13 caucuses to Clinton's three."
NBC Nightly News reported that when the primary season "began in early January, few political observers would have predicted the outcome of the Wyoming Democratic caucuses in March would matter much. Surely the nomination would be settled before then. It's March 8 and it isn't. Tonight, NBC News projects Barack Obama has won in Wyoming, where the 12 delegates at stake matter in this close race." ABC World News and the CBS Evening News also reported on Obama's victory.
The Los Angeles Times headlines its story "Obama Trounces Clinton In Wyoming," saying Obama "handily beat" Clinton "in a sparsely populated state that unexpectedly found itself at the center of the Democratic political universe this week." The New York Times says the victory was "welcome news for the Obama campaign as it sought to blunt any advantage Mrs. Clinton might gain from her victories in Ohio and Texas on Tuesday."
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Mississippi is next up on the Democratic calendar, holding its primary contest tomorrow. The Wall Street Journal reports Sen. Barack Obama "heads to Mississippi today looking to regain some of the momentum he lost last week when Sen. Hillary Clinton claimed victories in the Texas and Ohio primaries." Obama is "favored to win tomorrow's Mississippi primary, where more than one third of the state's electorate is African-American. The primary is also open to Republicans and independents, who have favored Sen. Obama but who polls show may favor Sen. Clinton in the state." USA Today adds that Clinton "is conceding nothing. Her husband, former president Bill Clinton, and their daughter, Chelsea, campaigned vigorously across the state last week." Hillary Clinton "campaigned in person Friday in Hattiesburg, where she told about 1,200 supporters that she - in contrast to President Bush - would hold Saudi oil producers accountable for high prices."
Poll Shows Obama Up Big In State An American Research Group of 600 likely Mississippi Democratic primary voters taken March 5-6 shows Obama leading Clinton 58%-34%.
After tomorrow's contest in Mississippi, the Democratic race then moves on to Pennsylvania on April 22, a state in which Sen. Hillary Clinton is seen as having the advantage. U.S. News and World Report reports Clinton's campaign is hoping Pennsylvania, "which has demographics and a rust-belt history similar to the Buckeye State's, can simply be the next Ohio. ... As in Ohio, she's ahead in the early polls, but not by the same large margins. She has picked up the endorsement of another popular Democratic governor, swapping Ohio's Ted Strickland for Pennsylvania's Ed Rendell. Also like neighboring Ohio, the state has an array of urban and rural voters. Unlike Ohio, Pennsylvania hosts a closed primary, with voter registration ending March 24."
In a story headlined "'PENN.' PALS FOR HILLARY," the New York Post reports, "'If she can't win here, she's done,' said a national Democratic strategist from Philadelphia who is staying neutral in the race." Similarly, the Washington Times reports Clinton "likes to call any outpost of support 'Clinton country,' but in Pennsylvania - where she's got a long family history and strong political ties - the campaign boast actually rings true." Clinton's "run in Pennsylvania gets an added boost from her husband, former President Bill Clinton, who spent more than a decade forging steely bonds with the state's political heavyweights, including Gov. Edward G. Rendell and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, both Democrats who endorsed her."
Poll Shows Clinton With Double-Digit Lead An American Research Group of 600 likely Pennsylvania Democratic primary voters taken March 7-8 shows Clinton leading Obama 52%-41%.
Under the headline "HILL'S SCHEME MACHINE," the New York Post editorializes, "With the two Democratic presidential candidates seemingly poised for a duel to the death, and one of the two being Sen. Hillary Clinton, you can be sure of one thing: The stage is set for some world-class skullduggery. Indeed, the procedural funny stuff is no doubt already under way. Take last Thursday's decision in Puerto Rico to switch from a caucus -- a format that so far has favored Sen Barack Obama -- to an outright primary, Clinton's stronger suit. And wouldn't you just know it? The party chairman in Puerto Rico is an ardent Clinton backer. Hmm..."
The AP reports Sen. John McCain "sees one downside to having clinched the Republican presidential nomination: There's less attention focused on him than on the volatile contest between Democrats Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama." McCain "understands he must compete for the spotlight." McCain said, "It makes me have to work harder, obviously, to make sure that we maintain the visibility." The AP adds the Democratic contest "and the attention it commands, could last for months." Similarly, the New York Times reports in a front page story that the lull "will give the McCain campaign some breathing room, but it could have drawbacks as well. Even Mr. McCain acknowledges that the tight, fierce Democratic race is likely to garner most of the news media's attention in the near term, eclipsing coverage of his campaign." McCain's "first order of business, though, will be an intense focus on raising money, with some 20 or 30 events a month."
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The President's veto of a CIA bill that would have banned "waterboarding" sparked bitter recriminations from Hill Democrats. In a brief item, the CBS Evening News noted Democrats "will try to override that veto." According to the AP, however, "based on the margin of passage in each chamber, it would be difficult for the Democratic-controlled Congress to turn back the veto." The Los Angeles Times portrayed Bush's veto as "as much a rebuke of Democrats on Capitol Hill as it was a bid to maintain the strong presidential authority to wage war on foreign terrorists that he has asserted since the Sept. 11 attacks." Supporters of the bill "acknowledge that Democrats probably do not have the votes to override the veto."
Likewise, under the front-page headline "Bush's Veto Of Bill On C.I.A. Tactics Affirms His Legacy," the New York Times said Bush's veto, which it notes was "the ninth of his presidency, but the eighth in the past 10 months with Democrats in control of Congress -- underscored his determination to preserve many of the executive prerogatives his administration has claimed in the name of fighting terrorism, and to enshrine them into law."
The AP attributed criticism of the veto to "Democrats and human rights advocates," quoting Sen. Dianne Feinstein: "This president had the chance to end the torture debate for good, yet he chose instead to leave the door open to use torture in the future." Today the Financial Times quotes Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, saying, "The CIA's program damages our national security by weakening our legal and moral authority, and by providing al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups [with] a recruiting and motivational tool." He added that Bush "is sacrificing our strategic advantage for questionable tactical gain." Sen. Bob Casey said Sunday on CNN's Late Edition: "The American policy has to be very clear. And we need a president who's going to be clear."
McCain Supports Veto The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Sen. John McCain, "the most outspoken of any presidential candidate in his opposition to torture," supported the veto. McCain aides said the candidate "believes waterboarding violates both U.S. and international law and is forbidden to all federal agencies. Randy Scheunemann, foreign policy director for McCain's campaign, said McCain opposed the bill because of "his belief that the agency should not be limited to methods spelled out in a public Army manual."
Friday's Labor Department report on January job losses, and President Bush's comments about the economy, dominated the news over the weekend in a series of markedly pessimistic reports. Economic stories led all three broadcast network newscasts Friday evening, for example, and ran on the front pages of major newspapers across the country Saturday morning. The reports said the employment report is the latest and perhaps loudest indicator that the US has entered a recession. An AP dispatch carried by well over 150 newspapers and websites, reported Bush said "that 'it's clear our economy has slowed' and tried to reassure an anxious public that the long-term outlook is good. 'Losing a job is painful and I know Americans are concerned about our economy. So am I,' Bush said during a hastily arranged White House appearance on the heels of a gloomy government economic report." Bush continued, "I know this is a difficult time for our economy. But we recognized the problem early and we provided the economy with a booster shot."
The Washington Post said the "surprisingly bleak employment report sent tremors through Washington and roiled the presidential campaign yesterday, infusing new urgency into the debate over how to reverse an accelerating economic slide and fueling a political contest over who to blame for it." The Post said the economy "may have slipped into a recession that could prove to be the defining challenge for President Bush and Congress through the rest of his administration." The Washington Times called the news "the clearest sign yet that the economy has entered or is verging on recession."
The Los Angeles Times reported, "The US economy is sliding toward a recession -- if it's not already in one -- with at least three serious strikes against it: shrinking employment, plunging home prices and a financial sector at risk of paralysis." The Hill, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times and New York Times ran similar stories. In an additional front-page analysis, the New York Times said that "if history is a reliable guide, the recession of 2008 is now unavoidable."
U.S. News and World Report reports, "Pressure is building on the White House to come up with a more aggressive plan for relieving the mortgage crisis." However, White House aides say that while President Bush is "concerned about rising delinquency and default rates...he isn't ready to propose another big legislative package quite yet. First, he wants to assess the impact of the economic stimulus plan that he signed into law earlier this year."
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This morning, the Los Angeles Times reports that the Senate Intelligence Committee is "preparing to release a detailed critique of the Bush administration's claims in the buildup to war with Iraq." According to the Times, "The long-delayed document catalogs dozens of prewar assertions by President Bush and other administration officials that proved to be wildly inaccurate," but the report "reaches a mixed verdict on the key question of whether the White House misused intelligence to make the case for war." The report "criticizes White House officials for making assertions that failed to reflect disagreements or uncertainties in the underlying intelligence on Iraq," but "acknowledges that many claims were consistent with intelligence assessments in circulation at the time." The Times adds that "because of the nuanced nature of the conclusions, one congressional official familiar with the document said: 'The left is not going to be happy. The right is not going to be happy. Nobody is going to be happy.'"
On its front page Sunday, the Washington Post reported, "In the first insider account of Pentagon decision-making on Iraq," former under secretary of defense Douglas Feith, "blasts" Colin Powell, the CIA, retired Gen. Tommy Franks and Paul Bremer "for mishandling the run-up to the invasion and the subsequent occupation of the country." The Post described the book as a "massive score-settling work," that depicts "an intelligence community and a State Department that repeatedly undermined plans he developed...and conspired to undercut President Bush's policies." Specifically, Feith depicts Powell and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in a negative light, saying that Rice "failed in her primary task of coordinating policy on the war." Feith "continually denounces the CIA, accusing it of producing poor intelligence, intruding on the formulation of policy, and then using leaks to the media to defend itself and attack its bureaucratic opponents."
The Wall Street Journal reports Pakistan's two main political parties, the Pakistan People's Party of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and the Pakistan Muslim League led by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, "sealed a power-sharing deal and pledged to reinstate judges who were ousted by embattled President Pervez Musharraf." According to the Journal, the deal also "cleared the way for the formation of an anti-Musharraf civilian government that would include some other smaller parties." The PPP will lead the coalition government and "is expected to name its candidate for prime minister this week." The New York Times says the deal "created a direct threat to Mr. Musharraf because the restored judges could act on petitions challenging the validity of his re-election last October when he was still head of the army." Musharraf "had no comment on the accord." McClatchy notes that the PPP "had been reluctant to reinstate the judges, preferring a less confrontation policy towards the president."
The Washington Post reports that "although winners have been declared for all but a handful of seats in the 342-member National Assembly, Parliament has not yet been convened." Musharraf "said Friday that he would summon the first session in two weeks." The Washington Times says that in an interview, a "relaxed and confident" Musharraf said that "political stability is his top priority and that a war between the presidency and the newly elected parliament would be catastrophic." Said Musharraf, "I'm looking forward to working with this government for the full five years. ... Even my harshest critics have agreed that the recent elections were free and fair. Now, I want to build on that." The Times adds that Musharraf "scoffed at speculation in the Pakistani press that he would attempt to derail the results of Feb. 18 elections by using his constitutional powers to dismiss parliament, or not call parliament into session."
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Jimmy Kimmel: "Last night, Congressman Ron Paul of Texas...said he's winding down his presidential campaign. His supporter is devastated."
Jimmy Kimmel: "Ron said he's looking forward to spending more time with his wife, Mrs. Paul, and her prepackaged, delicious seafood product."
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