In a Philadelphia speech on Tuesday, Barack Obama sought to lay to rest the controversy over remarks made by his pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. The speech was the lead on the evening newscasts and was on the front page of the major dailies. Media coverage was overwhelmingly positive, with several sources calling the speech an historic discussion of racial issues by a presidential candidate -- and comparing it to John F. Kennedy's 1960 speech on religion. However, some of the commentary focused on how working class whites will not have been persuaded by this speech. ABC World News reported, "It may turn out to be the seminal speech of his presidential campaign." The CBS Evening News called it possibly the "most difficult, risky, and important speech of his political career." NBC Nightly News noted, "The symbolism was lost on no one. In the City of Brotherly Love," Obama "gave the most expansive and most intensely personal speech on race he's ever given."
The Politico reports Obama "said the clips of Wright's sermons that have aired repeatedly in the last week were not simply controversial but instead 'expressed a profoundly distorted view of the country.' Wright has expressed anger about what he considers a racist America, and placed blame on the government for the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the spread of HIV/AIDS." Obama acknowledged "his presence in the church during some of Wright's controversial remarks. He did not, however, detail how he responded to those comments at the time."
The New York Times reports in a front page story that Obama "delivered a sweeping assessment of race in America. It was the most extensive speech of his presidential campaign devoted to race and unity, a moment his advisers conceded presented one of the biggest tests of his candidacy." The Wall Street Journal reports that Obama "addressed race relations at length, an issue that has come to the forefront of his presidential campaign in recent weeks, and one that all candidates have, until now, hesitated to tackle head on."
The AP notes Obama addressed "both black grievance and white resentment in a bold effort to quiet a campaign uproar over race and his former pastor's incendiary statements." The Washington Post reports in a front page story that Obama "delivered a blunt and deeply personal speech here Tuesday about racial division in America as he sought to quell a political controversy that threatens to engulf his presidential candidacy."
The Los Angeles Times (3/18, Neuman, 881K) reports Obama said that "the videotaped 'snippets of those sermons that have run in an endless loop on the television and YouTube,' or the 'caricatures being peddled by some commentators,' distort Wright's appeal. 'The man I met more than 20 years ago is a man who helped introduce me to my Christian faith, a man who spoke to me about our obligations to love one another, to care for the sick and lift up the poor.'"
Analysis Questions Whether He Achieved His Political Goals. On ABC World News, Washington correspondent George Stephanopoulos said the speech was "enough to reassure the relatively affluent, liberals and independents, who are already with Barack Obama. They might have been worried. But this reassured them. He's been having a bigger problem with white, working-class voters. And the problem, the fact that Senator Obama sat in those pews for twenty years is not going to sit well with them."
The New York Times reports in an analysis story, "Democratic and Republican strategists, scholars, and voters all agreed that Mr. Obama had given a brave, incisive speech about one of the topics most difficult to address in American life. But nearly all of them expressed doubt that his address will fully put to rest the firestorm over Mr. Wright's statements."
The Politico says in an analysis piece that the speech "counts as a remarkable event - most of all for the specificity with which Obama discussed racial attitudes and animosities that politicians usually prefer to leave unmentioned," while the AP says Obama "doubtlessly raised eyebrows in many circles, however, with a populist pivot that named a new villain in the racial divide. 'Black anger' and 'white resentments,' he said, have 'distracted attention from the real culprits of the middle-class squeeze: a corporate culture rife with inside dealing, questionable accounting practices and short-term greed.'"
On the CBS Evening News, correspondent Jeff Greenfield said, "How does a guy who spends 20 years with somebody with some notions that seem very bizarre like AIDS is a government conspiracy, what's he doing with that guy for 20 years?" On NBC Nightly News, Washington Post editorial writer Jonathan Capehart said, "To have" Obama's speech "out there, out in the open and in black and white for people to read for years to come, I think is a very important gift the Senator has given the country." MSNBC's Joe Scarborough added, "The question is not how we are going to react in Georgetown or Manhattan or other areas; it's how they're going to react in Youngstown, Ohio; Scranton, Pennsylvania; Jacksonville, Florida. These are the Reagan Democrats, that voted for Bill Clinton twice, that voted for Ronald Reagan, twice, voted for George W. Bush twice. There is white resentment there."
Sen. John McCain is traveling abroad he has been in the Middle East the last couple of days in an apparent effort to burnish his foreign policy credentials. However, a misstatement by the Arizona senator unexpectedly gave fodder to his Democratic critics. The AP reports McCain "mistakenly said Tuesday that Iran was allowing al-Qaida fighters into the country to be trained and returned to Iraq." He "made the comments Tuesday at a news conference in Jordan; he made similar comments earlier to radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt." The AP adds, "After Sen. Joe Lieberman, an independent from Connecticut who was traveling with McCain, stepped forward to whisper in the candidate's ear, McCain said: 'I'm sorry; the Iranians are training the extremists, not al-Qaida. Not al-Qaida. I 'm sorry." But "McCain's gaffe immediately drew criticism from the Democratic National Committee, which insisted he must not understand the challenges facing Iraq." CNN's The Situation Room noted Democrats were quick to say the candidate who often boasts of his foreign policy experience can't get the facts straight."
Under the headline "McCain Mixes Up Iraqi Groups," the Washington Post reports, "A spokesman for McCain's campaign accused the Democrats of launching unwarranted political attacks." The New York Times says "it was not the first time that Mr. McCain's remarks during a Congressional trip overseas have caused headaches for his campaign. It was nearly a year ago that his talk about the improving security situation in Iraq made headlines, after a trip he made to a marketplace there was guarded by more than 100 soldiers in armored Humvees and attack helicopters, becoming fodder for Democrats and critics of the war." In The Politico, Jonathan Martin writes that the story has some legs because "McCain has made his expertise on foreign policy front and center in his campaign and is thus uniquely vulnerable when he commits such gaffes." Adds Martin, "Sort of like, say, a candidate who portrays himself as post-racial only to attend a church where..."
McCain has left the Middle East for the next leg on his trip, which will take him to Europe. Before that, he announced a significant policy shift -- were he to become president. The Washington Times notes McCain yesterday expressed "his support for Jerusalem as Israel's capital." The comment "seemed to contradict the policy of the Bush administration and previous presidents." In addition, on the eve of his arrival in London, the Arizona senator runs an op-ed in the Financial Times. In his piece, McCain calls for the creation of a "League of Democracies," and pledges to "listen to the views and respect the collective will of our democratic allies" and promote "mutual respect and trust" between the US and Europe.
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The US News Political Bulletin has learned the possibility of a ballot fight on the floor of the Democratic National Convention in Denver is posing a new issue for the Democratic Party: How to stage the convention after a candidate is picked? It's a situation party elders haven't faced in dozens of years. With most officials focused on the probability that Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton will both arrive in Denver ready for at least two ballot votes until one is chosen the nominee, the event organizers are wondering how the rest of the event and the typical process of identifying the nominee will unfold. With no sure winner heading to Denver, the process of lining up old friends and making biographical movies may be on hold. One possible solution will be to have the candidates make plans and have people in place so that the biographical part of the convention can be ready to go once either Obama or Clinton is picked.
The AP reports Hillary Clinton's campaign "accused Barack Obama on Tuesday of standing in the way of a second presidential primary in Michigan, as several state lawmakers expressed concerns over suggested rules governing any revote." Aides said "the former first lady would make a hastily arranged appearance in Detroit on Wednesday to make the argument for going ahead despite the obstacles."
The CBS Evening News reported, "It looks as if Michigan Democrats will not hold a do-over of their primary." The Wall Street Journal reports Clinton's campaign "added a surprise stop to the state set for this morning to try to keep prospects alive." Michigan's "efforts to regain" its delegates "seemed likely to end after state legislators yesterday were unable to agree to a bill that would have authorized a state-run, privately funded primary."
The New York Times reports Clinton's "hopes of ending the primaries with game-changing victories from new contests in Florida and Michigan grew dim on Tuesday as Florida officially scuttled plans for a new vote and Michigan lawmakers appeared far from a deal." In a "sign of how badly she thinks she needs the Michigan delegates to catch" up with Obama, "Clinton made a last-minute schedule change and planned to fly to Detroit on Wednesday to plead with Michigan lawmakers to approve a new primary election in June to replace the January contest that awarded no delegates."
USA Today says time is "running out: Michigan lawmakers must sign off on a plan before they recess Thursday for a two-week break. The Democratic National Committee also must approve the proposal."
The Wall Street Journal reports a "group of labor unions and activist organizations said they will spend more than $400 million to help elect Democratic candidates to the White House and Congress this fall. The separate efforts will focus on identifying and registering Democratic voters and getting them to the polls." The Washington Times notes Robert Borosage, co-director of Campaign for America's Future, said, "We believe that 2008 has the potential of being not simply a change election, but a sea change election not seen since 1980."
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The Wall Street Journal reports this morning the Administration and congressional Democrats "have begun negotiations over a plan designed to stave off hundreds of thousands of home foreclosures." The Journal adds that "after months of stalemate -- and a week of financial turmoil sparked in part by the housing crisis -- the White House signaled yesterday that President Bush is open to compromise with Democrats, who want more federal action." Rep. Barney Frank "said his aides are holding discussions with Treasury Department officials." The White House's position "represents a shift in tone. For weeks, the president" has "rejected proposals that would have further exposed the government to the housing market."
Democrats appear to see a big political opportunity in the issue. The Hill reports Sen. Chuck Schumer, who chairs the Democrats' Senate campaign committee, sees the debate "as an opportunity to score political points." Schumer "invoked the Great Depression to draw a stark distinction between the two parties in shoring up the economy, saying, 'The laissez-faire, Hoover-like attitude of George Bush and, I think, John McCain is not going to find favor with the American people.'"
Bush: Ready To Do More Speaking in Jacksonville, FL, the President sought to reassure jittery financial markets yesterday, even as he once asserted his belief that the country will weather the current crisis. Bush's comments received far less attention than they had on Tuesday. While all three networks ran reports on the economy, only NBC Nightly News briefly noted that the President "left the door open for possible future moves to shore up the economy." The AP says "it was the second signal in two days from Bush about the possibility of more government action to help hurting consumers and a shaken financial market. Much of his agenda these days is meant to show he is engaged in fixing the economy but still confident in it." Bush, however, "was not specific about other steps he might take." The Washington Post notes the President also "urged Americans on Tuesday to keep in mind the 'anchors' of low unemployment and flexibility in the US economy." Bush "continued to sound a theme of measured concern amid the events that have shaken financial confidence in recent days. He acknowledged 'challenging' times but insisted that 'we're going to be just fine' in the end."
While national news outlets focused their coverage of Bush's Florida trip on his comments about the economy, the Florida Times-Union reports the President actually went to Florida "to deliver a speech encouraging the passage of a free-trade deal with Colombia." Bush spent most of his speech in Jacksonville "touting the benefits of free trade, focusing on agreements -- with Colombia, Panama and South Korea -- he urged Congress to pass." Colombia "is particularly important, he said, because it is a strong ally in the region."
Rate Cut, Earnings Reports Spark Furious Stock Rally In a front-page story, the New York Times reports this morning that the "Federal Reserve reduced short-term interest rates for the sixth time in six months on Tuesday, capping an extraordinary series of measures it has taken to stabilize financial markets." Earlier reports of better-than-expected earnings by two key players in the plagued financial services industry Goldman Sachs and Lehman Brothers actually started the market rally. Also in a front-page story, the Wall Street Journal notes that by the end of the day, the Dow had "surged" to finish "up 420.41 points, or 3.5 percent, at 12392.66."
The fifth anniversary of the start of the war with Iraq sparked media analyses which largely suggest the price in US blood and funds has been too high. Some commentators also offer gloomy assessments of US policy objectives, and assert the war has caused US prestige in the world to plummet. The Washington Post, for example, reports, "For a majority of Americans, today marks the fifth anniversary of the start of an Iraq war that was not worth fighting, one that has cost thousands of lives and more than half a trillion dollars. For the Bush administration, however, it is the first anniversary of an Iraq strategy that it believes has finally started to succeed." ABC World News, as part of its "Iraq Five Years Later" series, reported, "Almost 4,000 US troops have died in Iraq. Tens of thousands have been forever changed by injury. Some of the heaviest burdens are being borne by the members of the National Guard and their loved ones back home."
The Financial Times reports, "US power and prestige around the world continues to suffer from the war in Iraq and its aftermath, and the next president will struggle to repair the damage, many foreign policy specialists argue." "Analysts" are also said to fear that current improvements could be nothing more than a "fragile cease-fire." The Christian Science Monitor says "many Iraqis and outside analysts regard the current situation as little more than a fragile cease-fire unless the political order that has been cemented over the past five years is changed." More positive is the assessment of the Washington Times. Under the headline "US Troops Resolute After 5 Years In Iraq," the Times reports from Iraq that "warriors here continue fighting and dealing with the consequences."
Bush To Tout Progress USA Today reports President Bush will assert this morning that "he has no doubts about launching the unpopular war in Iraq despite the 'high cost in lives and treasure,' arguing that retreat now would embolden Iran and provide al-Qaida with money for weapons of mass destruction to attack the United States." The President "is to mark the fifth anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq...with a speech at the Pentagon." Excerpts of his address were released last night. In his remarks, Bush will repeat "his oft-stated determination to prosecute the war into the unforeseen future." Bush is expected to say, "The successes we are seeing in Iraq are undeniable, yet some in Washington still call for retreat. ... War critics can no longer credibly argue that we are losing in Iraq, so now they argue the war costs too much. In recent months, we have heard exaggerated estimates of the costs of this war."
Media reports on the Supreme Court hearing on the DC gun ban suggest a majority of justices appear to believe the law is unconstitutional. The Washington Post reports, "A majority of the Supreme Court indicated a readiness yesterday to settle decades of constitutional debate over the meaning of the Second Amendment by declaring that it provides an individual right to own a gun for self-defense. Such a finding could doom the District of Columbia's ban on private handgun possession...and significantly change the tone and direction of the nation's political battles over gun control." Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., in response to a lawyer's argument that the Constitution allows gun ownership only within a "well regulated Militia," said, "If it is limited to state militias, why would they say 'the right of the people'?" Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, "often the deciding vote on the divided court," and Justices Antonin Scalia, Samuel A. Alito Jr. and Justice Clarence Thomas also appear to hold that view.
The Chicago Tribune, meanwhile, cautions that "while determining whether the 2nd Amendment creates individual rights of gun ownership would be historic, it would not necessarily decide the case. The next step would be for the court to determine in what manner that right can be limited by government regulation and whether a ban such as DC's is a reasonable limitation." And "it's possible that several justices have significantly divergent views on where that line should be drawn."
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Jay Leno: "Barack Obama admitted he wasn't aware of some of [his preacher's] more radical rhetoric because, like most Americans, he falls asleep in church."
Jay Leno: "Did you see Cheney on the news, sitting with the troops having breakfast? Did you see the breakfast in front of him? The plate was loaded with sausage, bacon, eggs. Who put that meal together? Al Qaeda? Was that their plan? Wait for his heart to explode when he's in Iraq?"
Jay Leno: "The Department of Homeland Security deported 280,000 illegal immigrants last year. And listen to this. They're getting tough. They're threatening to deport them again this year."
David Letterman: "Vice President Dick Cheney. You know where he is right now? He's in Baghdad. He visited there. While he was in Iraq, he said it's a 'successful endeavor.' At least I think that's what he said. It was hard to hear over the explosions."
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