Gov. Eliot Spitzer announced his resignation yesterday effective Monday, March 17 garnering a third news cycle of heavy media coverage. Although the amount of discussion about the scandal on evening cable news programming had lessened from previous days, the story led the three network broadcasts last night and is front-page news in papers across the country this morning. In a story published by at least 250 media outlets, the AP reported Spitzer "made the announcement without securing a plea bargain with federal prosecutors, though a law enforcement official said the former governor was still believed to be negotiating one."
The Wall Street Journal reports that Spitzer's "resignation is likely to make the Justice Department more amenable to a deferred-prosecution agreement -- in which a target admits to a crime and accepts certain conditions but ultimately isn't prosecuted -- or to a similar type of settlement, according to people with knowledge of the case." The New York Times reports, "With his wife, Silda Wall Spitzer, at his side, Mr. Spitzer, a Democrat, said he would leave political life to concentrate on healing himself and his family."
USA Today notes, "White House press secretary Dana Perino responded to Spitzer's resignation by repeating that President Bush views it as a 'sad situation.' 'He has Gov. Spitzer and Gov. Spitzer's family in his thoughts and prayers,' Perino said." The Washington Post reports Spitzer "made clear that his political career is over." The Washington Times notes at the end of its story on the resignation, "FBI agents in Washington put Mr. Spitzer under surveillance at least twice - on Jan. 26 and Feb. 13 - to determine whether a prostitute joined him at the Mayflower Hotel in the District."
"Kristen" Identified As 22-Year-Old The CBS Evening News reported, "Late today...the New York Times posted on its website photographs of the woman it says is at the center of the Spitzer scandal. Known as Kristen, she is 22 years old and came to New York from the New Jersey shore to become a professional singer."
Clinton "Deeply Saddened" The AP reports, "Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton -- no stranger to political sex scandals -- sounded a short, sympathetic note Wednesday for disgraced Gov. Eliot Spitzer, saying she is thinking of his family."
Spitzer Gets Little Sympathy In DC Roll Call reports, "Spitzer might have made a splash on Wall Street with his take-no-prisoners style as state attorney general, but that won't be his swan song in Washington, DC. Instead, lobbyists say Spitzer will be remembered as someone whose attitude didn't translate into great politicking at the federal or state level."
The Politico reports a new Pew Research Center poll shows "American public support for the military effort in Iraq has reached a high point unseen since the summer of 2006, a development that promises to reshape the political landscape." The survey shows "53 percent of Americans -- a slim majority -- now believe 'the US will ultimately succeed in achieving its goals' in Iraq. That figure is up from 42 percent in September 2007." And "the percentage of those who believe the war in Iraq is going 'very well' or 'fairly well' is also up, from 30 percent in February 2007 to 48 percent today." The Politico adds, "Democrats' resolute support for the withdrawal of US combat forces may soon position them at odds with independent voters, in particular, a constituency they need to retake the White House. Half of self-identified independents polled now believe the United States should 'keep troops in Iraq until the situation has stabilized,' according to polling data assembled by Pew at Politico's request." And "for the time being," Sen. John McCain "can claim that roughly half of the public does not support a troop withdrawal -- a first since the 2008 presidential race began."
The Washington Post, meanwhile, titles its story "Public Is Less Aware Of Iraq Casualties, Study Finds," and reports "twenty-eight percent of the public is aware that nearly 4,000 US personnel have died in Iraq over the past five years, while nearly half thinks the death tally is 3,000 or fewer and 23 percent think it is higher," according to the Pew poll.
War Opponents Divided On Pulling Out USA Today reports a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll found "that four in 10 Americans are relatively unified in supporting the Iraq invasion and opposing timetables for withdrawing US troops. Among the six in 10 who oppose the war, however, there are significant differences about what to do now." On its front page, USA Today says "the 60% who call the invasion a mistake and want to set a timetable to get out are fractured into four distinct groups." They "include those who want US troops out immediately and others...who argue America has an obligation to improve Iraq's stability before going."
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The Washington Post reports despite "the high-profile talk of" earmark reform, "many lawmakers remain strongly resistant to any limit on their ability to direct federal spending to pet projects in their home states. Yesterday, as the moratorium was introduced in the Senate, activists said they expect it to fail when senators vote as soon as today." The Post contrasts the presidential candidates' positions on earmarks, noting Hillary Clinton "unapologetically brought home the bacon," winning "261 earmarks worth $266 million in this year's appropriations bills," while Sen. Barack Obama "won 53 earmarks worth $126 million." John McCain is "one of just a few senators who eschew earmarks."
The Hill, meanwhile, noted that "many congressional candidates in tight races, from Alaska to New York, are vowing to pursue earmarks despite the intensifying movement against pet projects." In a survey "of challengers for the most competitive House and Senate races, 14 candidates out of 19 said they would request earmarks if elected to Congress."
The AP reports President Bush "warned Congress on Wednesday that failing to approve a trade deal with Colombia would fuel the anti-American regime of Venezuela's Hugo Chavez and cast the United States as untrustworthy and impotent across South America." The "intensity of Bush's rhetoric reflected the importance of the deal to him -- and the fact that he's fast running out of time to get it done."
The Politico reports US Trade Representative Susan C. Schwab on Wednesday "set a deadline" for the Administration's "patience with congressional Democrats on the Colombia Free Trade Agreement: the end of the congressional Easter recess." Schwab's remarks "set the closest thing so far to a firm date when the administration will 'pull the trigger' and send the contentious agreement to Congress without the traditional blessing from House and Senate leaders." McClatchy reports lawmakers "have a maximum of 90 legislative days to pass or reject a free trade deal -- no amendments allowed -- once the text is presented to Congress." UPI reports Bush said "he believed 'Congress will do the right thing' by considering and passing the free-trade agreement with Colombia after it returns from its Easter recess."
The Hill notes Speaker Pelosi said, "A successful trade agenda depends on a joint partnership between Congress and the administration. ... Any deviation from this normal procedure for the Colombia FTA could prove to be counterproductive and would work against both countries' long-term interests."
The New York Times reports, "By itself, the Colombia pact would not have a major impact on trade, but it has become one of the administration's international economic priorities, along with other deals with Panama and South Korea." Democrats "in Congress say there are not enough votes to pass the" Colombia pact, "in part because of opposition by labor and environmental groups. Both Democratic presidential candidates, Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois, oppose the deal."
Appearing on PBS' Nightly Business Report, Bush said, "I understand that trade creates anxieties amongst some of our citizens. I think the reason they do is that they're worried about either themselves or their neighbors losing a job as a result of trade. They hear stories about plants shutting down because of trade. And I understand those concerns. As I said in my speech today, however, the way to address those concerns is to actually provide benefits and educational opportunities for people to get the skills necessary to fill the jobs that are growing in America."
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Geraldine Ferraro, who made history as the first woman vice presidential candidate in 1984, has resigned as an unpaid fundraiser from Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign after remarks she made linking Sen. Barack Obama's success and his race. ABC World News reported, "After a loose remark to a reporter, another campaign official is forced out." Ferraro "quit as a fund-raiser for Hillary Clinton today after being accused of racism for saying that Barack Obama is leading the race only because he's a black man." NBC Nightly News reported, "On the 'Today' program, Obama ridiculed that idea." Obama was shown saying, "Madam, if you were to get a handbook on what is the path to the presidency, I don't think the handbook would start by saying 'Be an African-American named Barack Obama.'"
NBC Nightly News later ran an interview with Ferraro, who said she resigned because "I wanted to get this off the news. This is not something that has been, certainly, there is no connection to Hillary." Ferraro also said the Clinton campaign did not pressure her to resign. Ferraro also asserted that the Obama campaign made an issue of her comments, saying, "They're the ones who did it. They started. They went to the national press. They had two people on television, both Susan Rice, and both of whom I know, and know well, getting up there, berating -- calling me a racist. I have spent forty years fighting discrimination. I mean it is appalling, it is so hurtful. They had a campaign of over one hundred negative e-mails, phone calls to my office. They actually got in touch with the CEO of the firm they thought I was still with and urged them to fire me. It was crazy."
Clinton Apologizes For Ferraro, Husband's Remark The Washington Post reports on its front page that Sen. Clinton, in an appearance before black newspaper publishers yesterday, was "asked whether she has 'done enough' to make it clear that such remarks will not be tolerated. 'I certainly do repudiate it and I regret deeply that it was said,' Clinton replied. 'Obviously she doesn't speak for the campaign,' she said of Ferraro, adding that 'she has resigned from being a member of my very large finance committee.'" The AP adds Clinton "did something Wednesday night that she almost never does. She apologized. And once she started, she didn't seem able to stop." Clinton "struck several sorry notes at an evening forum sponsored by the National Newspaper Publishers Association, a group of more than 200 black community newspapers across the country. Her biggest apology came in response to a question about comments by her husband, Bill Clinton, after the South Carolina primary, which Obama won handily. Bill Clinton said Jesse Jackson also won South Carolina when he ran for president in 1984 and 1988, a comment many viewed as belittling Obama's success." Clinton said, "I want to put that in context. You know I am sorry if anyone was offended. It was certainly not meant in any way to be offensive. We can be proud of both Jesse Jackson and Senator Obama."
Prominent Black Ministers Say Blacks May Stay Home If Clinton Is Nominee The Los Angeles Times reports a pair of "prominent" black pastors warned yesterday that if Clinton wins the nomination, "black voters could become so discouraged by the campaign that they might stay home in November."
Obama Refutes Notion He Is Dependent On Black Vote The AP reports Obama "expressed frustration Wednesday that racial issues keep rising to the top" of his battle with Clinton, "but he said the great majority of voters will base their decisions on substantive issues. At a news conference, Obama said he feels his primary victories in an array of states have proven he can draw support from all races and regions, and that he is not overly reliant on black voters." However, the Chicago Tribune reports that "as the campaign unfolds and Clinton mounts an aggressive counterattack, white voters have been siding with Clinton over Obama in primaries, which are more broad-based than caucuses. A small but potentially significant slice of those Democratic voters shows signs of being unwilling to support Obama in the election if he is the nominee."
The Harrisburg Patriot-News reports Sen. Barack Obama's campaign team, "casting him as the underdog" against Sen. Hillary Clinton, "sought to downplay the results of Pennsylvania's April 22 primary" yesterday. Obama campaign manager David Plouffe said, "Our campaign will not be defined by Pennsylvania." He added "that the race should be viewed 'as a group of 10 states collectively.'" However, Obama's campaign "showed no signs of giving up in Pennsylvania. Aides insisted later that they are not conceding the state." The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports there is a battle between Clinton and Obama to "shape the perceptions" of what the Pennsylvania vote means. The Post-Gazette writes, "In the Clinton campaign's description, Pennsylvania is a climactic showdown that will test the big-state appeal essential for victory in November. For the Obama campaign, the state is one more chapter in a delegate-selection story that makes sense only when read to its conclusion." In a memo yesterday, the Clinton campaign said, "Pennsylvania is of particular importance -- along with Ohio, Florida and Michigan -- because it's dominated by swing voters, who are critical to a Democratic victory in November...but the Obama campaign has just announced that it is turning its attention away from Pennsylvania."
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. The New York Times reports that after a "week of shadow-boxing," Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama "issued their clearest statements yet on how they would prefer to resolve the impasse over the disputed Florida and Michigan primaries. Not surprisingly, they staked out opposing and irreconcilable positions." Clinton "argued that the delegates should be seated based on the results of the Michigan and Florida primaries, which were held in January in violation of Democratic Party rules," which would favor her campaign as she won both contests by sizeable margins. Alternatively, Clinton said, "Florida and Michigan should hold new primary elections, probably in early June after the remaining primaries are completed and perhaps by statewide mail-in ballot." However, Obama, on MSNBC yesterday, said that any solution that counted the delegates based on the previous votes was unacceptable.
The Wall Street Journal reports, "Rarely have the stars aligned so squarely against the party in power in elections for the White House as it has for Republicans, the latest Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll bears out," but Sen. John McCain "seems to give Republicans a fighting chance." The poll shows Sen. Barack Obama topping McCain 47%-45% among registered voters nationally, while Sen. Hillary Clinton leads him 47%-45%. Both results are within the survey's margin of error. NBC Nightly News reports that poll shows Clinton narrowly leading Obama among Democrats, 47%-43%.
Meanwhile, in his Roll Call column, Morton Kondracke says the "rough treatment" Clinton "is giving" Obama "may be good, real-world training if he becomes the Democratic presidential nominee and gets elected, but in the meantime she's helping" McCain. Clinton may "well have cut an actual campaign ad for McCain when she said at a national security event last week, 'Sen. McCain has a lifetime of experience. I have a lifetime of experience. And Sen. Obama made one speech in 2002.'"
The Washington Post reported on its website that House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer "acknowledged yesterday that the ongoing nomination fight between" Clinton and Obama "has the potential to cause a major fissure within the Democratic Party due to the deeply personal nature of the choice. 'When they attack one another, it's not just an attack on the other candidate, it is taken I think by women and by African Americans in a more personal sense,' said Hoyer. 'To that extent I think the continued clash between the two candidates, which is inevitable, is not particularly helpful.'"
Sen. John McCain, looking to compete for attention with the media focused on the Democratic race, yesterday headed to New Hampshire, a state traditionally friendly to him and likely to be a battleground in the general election. The New Hampshire Union Leader reports that McCain, "on a nostalgic 'thank you' visit to the first-primary state that launched his successful run to the nomination, stressed his readiness to be commander-in-chief, his low-tax, pro-business approach to the economy and recognized that climate change 'is real' and must be aggressively addressed." The AP reports McCain "made a triumphant return," thanking the state "that launched him toward the Republican presidential nomination and telling voters he will need their support again to win in November." However, in a likely sign of things to come, the Washington Post notes that McCain "was also greeted by members of the AFL-CIO, who on Wednesday launched a $53 million anti-McCain effort."
The Concord Monitor reports that McCain "took pains to express his admiration for" Mitt Romney "whom he described yesterday as 'part of the future of our Republican Party,' deserving an important role in any Republican administration. 'There's nothing but goodwill between myself and governor Romney,' McCain said." The Monitor adds, "That old acrimony, McCain said, was the stuff of political campaigns, and he assured reporters that there are no hard feelings. 'We are reuniting our party, and we've got to re-energize our party,' he said in Exeter."
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Jay Leno: "Congratulations to Barack Obama, who won again last night. He beat Hillary in Mississippi" with "60% of the vote. In fact, he won by such a wide margin, Hillary is now definitely going to offer him the number two spot on the ticket."
Jay Leno: "I guess Barack called Hillary last night to tell her that he won at 3:00 a.m. in the morning."
Jay Leno: "Well, Geraldine Ferraro was forced to leave the Clinton campaign after saying that the only reason Barack Obama is winning is because he's black. And you know, hey, there's some truth to that. The only way you're going to get elected president in this country is if you're a black guy. A rich old white guy? How many of those have we had? Huh? It's almost impossible!"
Conan O'Brien: "Republican presidential candidate John McCain is in the news" because he is "trying to find a vice presidential running mate. Yeah. Not only that, McCain is also trying to find his reading glasses and his car keys."
Jimmy Kimmel: "On Monday, the lieutenant governor will take over. His name is David Patterson. He's African-American and legally blind. He'll be the first blind governor in the United States, and he's already announced that his top legislative priority will be the death penalty for people who don't clean up after their dogs."
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