Sen. Hillary Clinton yesterday was forced to retract a claim made last week that she came under sniper fire during a visit to Bosnia in 1996 after being confronted by video evidence refuting her story. The CBS Evening News reports, "The brutal war was over, but hostilities continued and though the trip was exactly 12 years ago tomorrow, the memory seemed etched in Clinton's mind." Clinton was shown saying last week, "There was supposed to be some kind of a greeting ceremony at the airport but we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base." CBS added, "Problem is, that's not what happened. And we should know. CBS News accompanied the First Lady and daughter Chelsea on that Bosnia trip that's Senator Clinton talking to me on the military flight into Tuzla, and these are the pictures we recorded of the greeting ceremony when the plane landed." Clinton aides "acknowledged her arrival in Bosnia was not quite as dramatic as Clinton put it." Similarly, NBC Nightly News reported, "Those of us on that trip recall it differently. Instead of running for cover, Clinton was greeted by a school girl, who read her a poem of welcome."
The New York Times reports Clinton "admitted that she 'misspoke' about the episode - a concession that came after CBS News showed footage of her walking calmly across the tarmac with her daughter, Chelsea, and being greeted by dignitaries and a child." The "backpedaling was a rare instance of Mrs. Clinton's acknowledging an error, and she did so on a sensitive issue: She has cited her 'strength and experience' since the start of the presidential race, framing her 80 trips abroad as first lady as preparation for dealing with foreign affairs as president." Clinton "corrected herself at a meeting with the Philadelphia Daily News editorial board; she did not explain why she had misspoken, but only admitted it and then offered a less dramatic description."
The New York Daily News reports "Team Obama pounced" and quotes a campaign spokesman saying, "When you make a false claim that's in your prepared remarks, it's not misspeaking, it's misleading. It's part of a troubling pattern of Sen. Clinton inflating her foreign policy experience."
The New York Times runs a front page story this morning questioning Sen. Barack Obama's ability to bridge the nation's partisan divide. The Times writes that at the "core" of Obama's campaign "is a promise that he can transcend the starkly red-and-blue politics of the last 15 years, end the partisan and ideological wars and build a new governing majority." But this "promise leads, inevitably, to a question: Can such a majority be built and led by Mr. Obama, whose voting record was, by one ranking, the most liberal in the Senate last year?" If Obama "wins the Democratic nomination, how will his promise of a new and less polarized type of politics fare against the Republican attacks that since the 1980s have portrayed Democrats as far out of step with the country's values?"
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James Carville, an advisor to Sen. Hillary Clinton, isn't backing down after taking fire for comparing Gov. Bill Richardson to Judas for endorsing Barack Obama. Asked on CNN's The Situation Room if he was quoted correctly in the New York Times, where he said, "Mr. Richardson's endorsement came right around the anniversary of the day when Judas sold out for 30 pieces of silver, so I think the timing is appropriate, if ironic," James Carville said, "Yes. A fellow by the name of Mr. Healy [the New York Times reporter] called me and told me about it. ... And I have to say that he quoted me accurately and in context. It was -- yes, that's exactly what I said. And by the way, I think the quote had the desired intent...that people saw Richardson and saw somebody who was disloyal." Reporting on the flare up, NBC Nightly News added, "This campaign is indeed getting nastier and nastier. Some Democrats are worrying that all the name-calling is damaging the party's chances to win the White House next fall."
Sen. Hillary Clinton laid out her plan for resolving the nation's home mortgage issues in a speech yesterday in Pennsylvania, Bloomberg News reports, including urging President Bush "and lawmakers to take quick action to pass a new economic stimulus package and control a crisis in the U.S. housing market. 'We've seen unprecedented action to maintain confidence in our credit markets,' Clinton said" Monday, adding, "It's now time for equally aggressive action to help families avoid foreclosure and keep communities across our country from spiraling into recession." The AP adds that her proposals include "one tool more often associated with Republicans than Democrats." Clinton "proposed greater protections for lenders from possible lawsuits by investors, a variation of so-called tort reform. For years, GOP leaders have called for restrictions on what they consider unwarranted lawsuits against businesses."
The Wall Street Journal notes Clinton also "pledged to support legislation being written by Rep. Barney Frank (D., Mass) and Sen. Christopher Dodd (D., Conn) that would establish a federally backed auction system for mortgages in default." She also "said the Federal Housing Administration should 'stand ready' to buy the troubled mortgages if the auction plan is insufficient -- a step beyond what the Dodd-Frank measure would do."
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that during "a conversation with the editorial boards of The Inquirer and Daily News," Clinton "indicated that she was not altogether sure how her proposals would work in practice but called the ideas 'worth pursuing. ... My biggest complaint is we've spent a year doing relatively little.'"
The New York Post reports, "She's behind Barack Obama in popular votes, delegates and overall wins, but Hillary Rodham Clinton's backers have found a new way to claim their candidate is on top -- Electoral College votes. It's the latest case Clinton boosters are making for why she is a stronger general-election candidate than Obama -- and quickly drew return fire from the Obama campaign, which charged that she keeps changing the ground rules."
The AP reports from Chula Vista, CA, that "fresh off his eighth Iraq visit," Sen. John McCain "declared Monday that 'we are succeeding' and said he wouldn't change course -- even as the US death toll rose to 4,000 and the war entered its sixth year." The AP adds, "To underscore his view of the stakes in Iraq, the certain Republican presidential nominee twice referenced a recent audio tape from Osama bin Laden in which the al-Qaida leader urged followers to join the al-Qaida fight in Iraq and called the country 'the greatest opportunity and the biggest task.'" The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that McCain "made no apologies for taking what some view as an unpopular stand. 'You may have heard,' McCain said, 'a long time ago, people said that my political ambitions were at an end. And I said, that I would much rather lose a campaign than to lose a war.' McCain said 'the essential battleground is in Iraq. I can assure you we are succeeding.'" Bloomberg News adds that McCain "accused Democrats of refusing to acknowledge gains being made in improving security in Iraq. 'My Democratic opponents who want to pull out of Iraq refuse to understand what is happening,'" said McCain, adding, "We are winning in Iraq."
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While much of the coverage of Iraq in recent months suggests the security situation there is vastly improved following the US "surge," new reports suggest things are getting worse and fast. Under the headline "Is 'Success' Of US Surge In Iraq About To Unravel?" McClatchy reports that "even as" Bush "spoke" yesterday, "the situation on the ground was rapidly worsening." A "cease-fire critical to the improved security situation in Iraq appeared to unravel Monday when a militia loyal to radical Shiite Muslim cleric Muqtada al Sadr began shutting down neighborhoods in west Baghdad and issuing demands of the central government."
NBC Nightly News also said in its lead story that "despite dramatic reductions in violence under the current surge operation, there are early warning signs that some progress may be unraveling. As the US begins the withdrawal of American forces from Baghdad, the US death toll has steadily risen." The AP reports "the Shiite fighters led by anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr are reorganizing their ranks, taking delivery of new weapons from Iran and ramping up complaints about crackdowns by US and Iraqi forces that could unravel the Mahdi Army's self-declared cease-fire, according to militia commanders." The Wall Street Journal runs a similar report under the headline "Iraq Militias May Be Preparing To Step Up Attacks," noting that "in areas under its control, the Mahdi Army ordered some shops to close on Monday, according to witnesses." The Washington Post runs a similar story.
The New York Times reports on its front page, "Troop levels in Iraq would remain nearly the same through 2008 as at any time during five years of war, under plans presented to President Bush on Monday by the senior American commander," Gen. David H. Petraeus, "and the top American diplomat in Iraq," Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker. President Bush "announced no final decision on future troop levels after the video briefing by" Petraeus and Crocker.
The Washington Post reports Petraeus "plans to tell Congress that the withdrawal of US forces that began late last year -- and has now reached about 9,000 troops -- will continue until the end of July, with three additional brigades expected to be withdrawn without replacement." But "at that point, Petraeus has said, he will stop removing forces pending what aides called an 'evaluation' of whether Iraqi forces and remaining U.S. troops can sustain lower levels of violence." The Washington Times, meanwhile, reports Petraeus "is expected to ask for a halt in troop withdrawals beyond those already scheduled to be completed by July, when US force levels are scheduled to reach their pre-surge number of 130,000."
Bush: US Deaths In Iraq Not "In Vain" The AP reports, "Marking a grim milestone, a determined...Bush declared Monday the lives of 4,000 US military men and women who have died in Iraq 'were not lost in vain.'" ABC World News showed Bush saying, "I have vowed in the past, and I will vow so long as I'm president, to make sure that those lives were not lost in vain, that, in fact, there's a, you know, an outcome that will merit the sacrifice." The New York Times notes Bush "did not comment directly on the milestone" of 4,000 having now been killed in Iraq, "but said through" spokeswoman Dana Perino "that he would not be deterred." Perino told reporters, "It's a sober moment, and one that all of us can focus on in terms of the number of 4,000. ... The president feels each and every one of the deaths very strongly and he grieves for their families."
The New York Times reports that Vice President Cheney, "who was in Jerusalem on Monday for the final leg of a Middle East trip, was asked by reporters at a round table discussion if he had ever considered that the number of American fatalities might reach its current figure." Cheney "did not answer that question directly, saying instead that the president regrets 'every casualty, every loss,' and underscoring that the soldiers who died in Iraq had joined the military willingly."
Democrats: End War Now The Hill reports, "Top Democrats on Monday reacted to the 4,000th US death in Iraq by calling for a change in policy." Sen. Barack Obama "called the event a 'grim milestone' and advocated a new course on Iraq." Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton "said at the onset of a speech on the economy that the news of the 4,000th US death in Iraq is 'heartbreaking' and noted that thousands of others have suffered from injuries." House Speaker Nancy Pelosi "said that 'Americans are asking how much longer must our troops continue to sacrifice for the sake of an Iraqi government that is unwilling or unable to secure its own future.'"
The Christian Science Monitor notes Sen. Robert Menendez, in the Democratic Party's weekly radio address, said Bush "now needs to reverse course on the conflict and give the American public an accurate accounting of the conflict's human and financial costs."
Report: Iraq Not Among Most Unstable Meanwhile, the Washington Times reports Iraq "does not even crack the top 20 in an authoritative new ranking of the world's most unstable places, to be released today by the London-based private intelligence firm Jane's Information Group." Despite an "insurgency and sectarian strife dating back to the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, Iraq is listed by Jane's risk analysts at 22nd among the world's 235 countries, territories and political entities, on par with countries such as Burundi and Nigeria."
USA Today reports on its front page, "Sales of existing homes rose in February in a sign the housing market may be perking up some as home sellers slash prices in an effort to lure reluctant buyers." It was "the largest jump in a year," as "sales of existing homes rose 2.9% from January to February, the National Association of Realtors said Monday." The AP notes "White House press secretary Dana Perino said the increase in sales and a decline in the inventory of unsold homes was encouraging but 'we can't put a lot of stock in just one report.'" The Washington Post notes "sales in February were at a seasonally adjusted rate of 5.03 million units compared with 4.89 million in January." The Financial Times reports "sales had been expected to fall modestly again this month to a level of 4.85m." In a front-page analysis, the Wall Street Journal says the "oversupply" of unsold homes "is severe: In some major markets, including Las Vegas and San Diego, foreclosure-related sales have accounted for more than 40% of all sales in recent months."
Markets Up On Housing, Bear Stearns News The AP reports, "Wall Street extended its big advance Monday as investors applauded a new agreement that will give Bear Stearns Cos. shareholders five times the payout that was set in a JPMorgan Chase & Co. buyout deal a week ago." The Dow "rose 187.32, or 1.52 percent, to 12,548.64, after rising more than 260 points on Thursday, the last day of trading before the Easter weekend. ... The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 20.37, or 1.53 percent, to 1,349.88, and the Nasdaq composite index rose 68.64, or 3.04 percent, to 2,326.75."
The Financial Times reports, "Wall Street stocks built on last week's positive close as investors were cheered by better-than-expected US housing data and news that JPMorgan had sharply increased its offer for Bear Stearns to win over shareholders." The Washington Post notes the Bear Stearns deal, and goes on to say "a report showing an unexpected increase in home sales added to the cheer on Wall Street."
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The New York Times reports that in Detroit, "Mayor Kwame M. Kilpatrick was charged on Monday with misconduct in office, obstruction of justice, conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice and perjury, felonies that could end his political career and send him to prison for a lengthy term if he is convicted." All three networks reported the story last night. NBC Nightly News showed Kilpatrick's "booking photo," and noted he "was indicted on perjury and other charges in the wake of a sex scandal there." The Washington Post reports Kilpatrick, "sounding uncommonly subdued as he read a prepared statement," said yesterday, "I look forward to complete exoneration once all the facts surrounding this matter have been brought forward." The Christian Science Monitor notes "Kilpatrick seems determined to stay in office." The Wall Street Journal reports, "For the past three months, Mr. Kilpatrick has hunkered down, saying he must remain in office to build on recent modest success in attracting new property investments."
The New York Times says New York Gov. David Paterson, in an interview with NY1 News yesterday, "made another confession about his past," saying "he had tried cocaine 'a couple of times' when he was about 22 or 23, and marijuana when he was about 20. He indicated that he had not used illegal drugs since." Newsday reports the disclosure "makes the governor the latest in a series of politicians who have been asked and then admitted to using drugs in their youths." The AP quotes Paterson from the interview: "More Americans have tried a lot more during that period of time and gone on to lead responsible lives and hopefully have lived their lives to their fullest."
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Jay Leno: "In more serious news, big controversy last week after State Department officials looked at passport files of all three major candidates," and it turns out "they got a hold of John McCain's Social Security number. ... You know what it is? Three."
Jay Leno: "A Democratic congressman from Michigan, John Dingell, wants to put an additional 50 cent tax on every gallon of gasoline. Gee, I'm starting to understand why the Democrats keep blowing these elections."
Jay Leno: "Things are getting more violent in Tibet." To "disperse protesters, Chinese soldiers are now lobbing toys with lead in them into the crowds."
David Letterman: "Two State Department employees were fired...because they were looking at Barack Obama's passport file. ... Not only that, but the same" people were "also looking at John McCain's Civil War records."
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