McClatchy reports that the Florida Democratic Party proposed an "unprecedented" plan late Wednesday night to re-run their primary election by mail in June, but it immediately "sustained several potentially fatal blows Thursday, leaving state party leaders all but out of alternatives." The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports that the campaigns of Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton "have expressed reservations about the idea, but have yet to take an official stance." The AP notes Clinton "has said the delegates should be awarded according to the results of Florida's Jan. 29 election, which she won. Some Obama supporters have suggested splitting the delegates evenly since the candidates agreed not to campaign in the state since it violated party rules by going too early." In addition, the state's 9 Democratic House members have circulated a memo opposing the proposal.
USA Today reports that state Democratic Party chair Karen Thurman called on Clinton and Obama "to consider the mail-in vote as the best solution to the state's disputed Jan. 29 primary," but she "said at a news conference Thursday...'I have a feeling that this is probably closer to not, than yes.'" The Washington Post adds that Thurman's plan "calls for the primary to be held June 3, the last Tuesday of the nominating season, with ballots mailed out at least two weeks before that date. The state party estimated the cost at between $10 million and $12 million, with wealthy donors expected to pick up the tab." The AP reports Thurman "will review comments from Democratic leaders and make a decision by Monday on whether to proceed with the re-vote. But she acknowledged that Obama has had concerns and the Democratic National Committee won't support a proposal unless both candidates also back it. She said there's a serious question over whether the state could legally verify the signatures of a privately run election."
Meanwhile, FOX News reports on its website that Florida Sen. Bill Nelson (D), a Clinton supporter, "said he would like to have the Democratic National Committee seat just half of the state's 185 pledged delegates, something the Republican National Committee imposed as punishment on its side of the aisle. Nelson pitched the idea to DNC Chairman Howard Dean Thursday." Fox adds, "Though the Nelson plan would still put Clinton at an advantage, Nelson said: 'Her advantage in the total number of delegates would be half of what it would otherwise have been. ... I'm just trying to keep the process going to avoid the train wreck.'"
Michigan Moving Toward Holding Re-Vote In contrast to the stalled situation in Florida, there appears to be an emerging consensus on a resolution on the Michigan primary. The AP reports that Michigan Democrats "are close to an agreement" with Clinton and Obama "to hold a do-over primary. Party officials and the campaigns negotiated on Thursday, and state Democratic leaders were hopeful that an agreement could be reached on Friday, said Democratic officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks. To go forward, any plan would require the approval of the two campaigns, the Democratic National Committee, state party leaders and Gov. Jennifer Granholm, who is backing Clinton."
The Detroit News reports that "key Michigan Democrats" were "negotiating feverishly" yesterday, and the "most promising compromise on the table was a June 3 do-over primary. A blue-ribbon group of four top Michigan Democrats formed to seek a resolution met in Washington Thursday with top officials in Hillary Clinton's campaign, and by conference call, separately, with Barack Obama's camp."
Clinton Says Original Michigan Vote "Fair" The Los Angeles Times reports that on NPR yesterday, Clinton "called the Jan. 15 Michigan primary a 'fair' election. When asked by interviewer Steve Inskeep how it was fair when Obama's name was not on the ballot, she replied: 'Well, that was his choice, Steve.' On his campaign plane today, Obama countered Clinton's suggestion that the two had competed in Michigan. 'I wasn't on the ballot, and I didn't campaign there,' Obama told reporters. 'I think you could ask my 6-year-old whether that was fair, and she would probably be able to say no that isn't.'"
The AP reports Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have agreed to a 21st debate, to be held in Philadelphia and hosted by ABC News, although a date has not been settled upon. In addition, The Politico reports that Obama has accepted a CBS News invitation to debate in North Carolina on April 19, although the Clinton campaign has not yet agreed to the event.
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In a posting on it's "First Read" blog, MSNBC reports that Sen. Barack Obama said on his campaign plane yesterday, "The public poll most recently showed us down 20" in Pennsylvania, adding, "I think there's no doubt that Sen. Clinton is heavily favored there, but we're going to compete actively, and we want to try to win the state like we tried to win every other state. You know, we have not selectively said which states are important. We think they're all important, and Pennsylvania is important. Now we do think the other nine states afterwards are also important, so we're going to be spending time there as well, but there's no notion whatsoever that we are ceding Pennsylvania."
A Strategic Vision poll of 1,200 likely Pennsylvania voters taken March 7-9 shows Clinton leading Obama 56%-38% among likely Democratic primary voters. In general election trial heats, Sen. John McCain tops Clinton 48%-42% and Obama 47%-44%. The Wall Street Journal notes the results in a posting on its "Washington Wire" blog.
In a preview of things to come in a general election battle in which both candidates will be sitting senators, the Washington Times reports Republicans yesterday "forced Sen. Barack Obama to vote against what they labeled his own $1.4 trillion spending plan, cobbled together from his presidential campaign promises -- one of a series of budget votes that will provide political fodder for the rest of the election year." The New York Times adds that Colorado Sen. Wayne Allard (R) introduced a bill "that purported to total up the costs of Mr. Obama's favored initiatives to the tune of $1.4 trillion, which would then be added to the $3 trillion budget. The message, of course, was that Mr. Obama, a Democratic presidential candidate from Illinois, is a big taxer and spender." The amendment ultimately failed 97-0.
USA Today reports in a front page story that Democrats "are increasingly worried about their chances for victory in November after a series of attacks by" Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton on rival Sen. Barack Obama's "leadership, credibility, readiness as commander in chief and, now, his ability to win the White House." The latest twist "came Thursday on a conference call with reporters about Pennsylvania, where polls give Clinton a double-digit lead. Chief Clinton strategist and pollster Mark Penn said the April 22 primary will show that 'Hillary is ready to win and that Sen. Obama really can't win the general election.'" Democratic pollster Celinda Lake said, "I think all Democrats are concerned. If people aren't careful about how they campaign, there's definitely a danger."
UPI reports that the latest Gallup tracking poll shows Sen. Barack Obama topping Sen. Hillary Clinton 48%-46% among Democrats nationally. The poll surveyed 1,245 Democrats and Democratic-leaning voters from March 10-12.
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USA Today reports the Senate "on Thursday rejected the idea of renewing many of President Bush's tax cuts as all three major presidential candidates interrupted their campaigns to vote. The House approved a budget blueprint that would raise taxes by $683 billion over the next five years." The Senate "did embrace Bush reductions aimed at low-income workers, married couples and people with children." John McCain "voted for the full roster of Bush tax cuts," while Democrats Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama "voted against them." The Politico notes McCain's "wholesale embrace of tax cuts -- which he once thought were fiscally imprudent -- could hurt him with independent voters." Obama said, "That was how I guess you got your ticket punched to be the Republican nominee." The New York Times says "both parties seized on the annual debate over the spending blueprint as a way to shape the 2008 campaign dialogue and try to force the White House contenders into embarrassing votes or to build opposition to their policy ideas."
Under the headline "Congress's Votes On Taxes Set Stage For Election Battle," the Wall Street Journal said Democrats "showed they would rather reduce the deficit or spend money on other programs than extend the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts. Republicans, meanwhile, criticized Democrats for allowing taxes to increase and for not tackling long-term fiscal challenges like the Medicare program for the elderly."
The Washington Times reports that House Democratic plan "calls for spending $22.4 billion more than Mr. Bush requested for next year for domestic programs and would let some of his tax cuts expire after 2010."
USA Today reports from Iraq that militants "have staged a deadly wave of attacks in Baghdad two weeks after the US military began pulling out the first combat brigade from last year's troop buildup," and the "uptick in violence has raised questions about whether recent progress on security in the capital could be reversed as more US troops are scheduled to depart." McClatchy reports, "After a low of 76 in November, the number of Iraqi civilians killed in Baghdad is rising, with March now on pace, with 104 dead so far, to become the fourth straight month to top the previous month, according to statistics kept by McClatchy."
Petraeus: Iraqis Not Making Most Of Surge The Washington Post reports the top US commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, said "Iraqi leaders have failed to take advantage of a reduction in violence to make adequate progress toward resolving their political differences." In an interview, Petraeus said "that 'no one' in the US and Iraqi governments 'feels that there has been sufficient progress by any means in the area of national reconciliation,' or in the provision of basic public services."
President Bush warned Congress he would veto the House Democrats' version of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act update legislation. Meanwhile, the day ended with the House going into just its sixth secret session in history to debate the bill. The AP reports Bush said the Democratic version "would undermine the nation's security. ... Ratcheting up his rhetoric, Bush said, 'The American people understand the stakes in this struggle. They want their children to be safe from terror.'"
The New York Times reports, "In clear defiance of the White House, the proposal from House Democratic leaders would not give retroactive legal protection to the phone companies that helped in the National Security Agency program of warrantless wiretapping." The Hill says Bush "chided Democratic leaders for bringing to the floor a piece of legislation that they knew would be vetoed instead of holding a vote on a measure that passed the Senate with broad bipartisan support."
The Wall Street Journal says the Democratic majority "until now have mostly backed down in the face of White House claims that their efforts would endanger national security. Democrats are betting that their stance appeals to a growing number of voters who say Mr. Bush's antiterrorism policies have compromised civil liberties."
Meanwhile, the Washington Times reports the House held its "first 'secret session' since 1983 and only their sixth since the end of the War of 1812 to hash out the issue." The House "went into secret session last night, at the behest of Republicans who wanted to speak more freely about the nature of intelligence threats and to explain past cooperation by telecommunications companies with the government." The AP says many Democrats "initially objected, calling it a political ploy by Republicans to delay the vote." The Hill reported on the secret session as well.
In his "Washington Sketch" column in the Washington Post, Dana Milbank is critical of the move, writing, "They sounded like schoolgirls whispering among themselves in class. Except they weren't schoolgirls: They were members of Congress, debating whether to grant immunity to telecom companies that cooperate in a clandestine government eavesdropping program."
Bush Changed Rules For Intel Oversight Board The Boston Globe reports this morning, "Almost 32 years to the day after President Ford created an independent Intelligence Oversight Board made up of private citizens with top-level clearances to ferret out illegal spying activities...Bush issued an executive order that stripped the board of much of its authority. The White House did not say why it was necessary to change the rules governing the board when it issued Bush's order late last month." The Globe adds, "Critics say Bush's order is consistent with a pattern of steps by the administration that have systematically scaled back Watergate-era intelligence reforms."
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The Washington Post reports in a front page story that the Environmental Protection Agency "weakened one part of its new limits on smog-forming ozone after an unusual last-minute intervention by President Bush, according to documents released by the EPA." While "their proposal was less restrictive than what the EPA's scientific advisers had proposed, Bush overruled EPA officials and on Tuesday ordered the agency to increase the limit, according to the documents."
The CBS Evening News reported, "On Capitol Hill, House Democrats have all but declared war on the EPA. A House committee today subpoenaed documents from the agency in a dispute with California over greenhouse gas emissions. That's just one of many battles on the Hill over air pollution standards." Congressional Democrats took the gloves off against the EPA today, accusing the agency's chief, Stephen Johnson, of stalling all regulation on global warming."
Meanwhile, the Washington Post reports the Government Accountability Office reported a "plan by the Environmental Protection Agency to close several of its 26 research libraries did not fully account for the impact on government staffers and the public, who rely on the libraries for hard-to-find environmental data."
The US News Political Bulletin has learned White House officials have a new theory about why President Bush's job approval ratings are so low -- the media keep harping on it so much that it's become a self-fulfilling analysis. "It's a drumbeat in the media," a senior Bush adviser tells the Bulletin. "It's a constant narrative that he suffers from low job approval. It should not be in the second paragraph of every story. The media should report what he's doing." White House officials are pointing to new survey research by GOP pollster Ed Goeas of the Tarrance Group to make their point that many of Bush's policies are very popular. Among the findings: While 62 per cent of likely voters disapprove of Bush's job performance, 73 per cent support his policy of going "on the offense against terrorists;" 65 per cent agree that he has "kept Americans safe from terrorist attacks:" and 64 per cent approve of his economic stimulus package passed by Congress earlier this year.
The Wall Street Journal reports, "The political future of Eliot Spitzer is decided. But the legal fate of the man who made his reputation as a crime fighter is not." Sources "said Mr. Spitzer quit with no knowledge of what, if anything, prosecutors may charge him with. They said prosecutors have just begun to probe records relating to his alleged dealings with the prostitution ring and are only at the beginning of what could be a lengthy investigation."
The Washington Post reports that the US attorney in Manhattan "has not said whether any charges will be filed against Spitzer. ... Former and current prosecutors not involved in the investigation said that filing charges of violating the Mann Act, which prohibits interstate travel for the purpose of prostitution, would be unusual enough to expose the Justice Department to criticism." In "all likelihood, they said, senior Justice Department officials will be consulted about pursuing any case."
The New York Times, meanwhile, reports, "Federal prosecutors are investigating whether Gov. Eliot Spitzer used campaign funds in connection with his meetings with prostitutes, including payments for hotels or ground transportation."
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Jay Leno: "Let's turn to sports. The NBA's Houston Rockets won their 20th game in a row. And today, Geraldine Ferraro said, the only reason they are winning is because they're black."
Jay Leno: "And this week the President of OPEC said that oil prices will remain high throughout 2008 due to tensions in the Middle East. Tensions in the Middle East. Well, that can't last long."
Conan O'Brien: "Turns out that the call girl linked to Eliot Spitzer is also -- this is true -- an R&B singer. And she said in an interview that her latest song was inspired by a guy. ... She didn't say which guy, but the song is called 'Bald, Creepy Governor."
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