The CBS Evening News reported Sen. John McCain said he "plans to announce his running mate well before the Republican convention in September. But he said the search is in the 'embryonic stage.'" CBS added that McCain "told reporters he's put together a list of about 20 possible running mates but he refused to name any of them." NBC Nightly News showed McCain saying, "I just think you have to have a measured process, make sure that you have taken all the factors into consideration and then decide. But we are in the earliest stages." The Washington Times says McCain "said narrowing those selections will take time. He said he knows his running mate will be scrutinized because of his age. Now 71, he would be the oldest person to become U.S. president."
The Washington Post reports that McCain told "shock jock Don Imus" that he's compiling a list of potential running mates in the interest of choosing one by the Republican convention "to avoid last-minute 'mistakes that I've seen made in the past as you get into a time crunch.'" The AP adds McCain's comments "seemed to startle his top aides, who have scripted an elaborate weeklong series of events designed to introduce the Republican to a wider audience of voters and emphasize his military service."
The stand-off over the fate of the disputed delegates from Michigan and Florida took a step forward yesterday. The Politico reports this morning that the Democratic National Committee said Florida and Michigan "members will be seated on the three standing committees -- including the critical Credentials Committee -- at the party's 2008 national convention, a position that could affect the selection of the Democratic nominee." The Politico adds, "The Credentials Committee, which can meet prior to convention, resolves disputes over whether to seat delegates at the convention. ... Senior advisers to the campaigns of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, as well as several party rules experts with experience from prior presidential campaigns, expressed surprise when informed of the DNC's stance."
In addition, the AP reports DNC chairman Howard Dean, after meeting with Florida Democratic lawmakers, said yesterday that Florida's delegates could be seated at the convention "as long as any agreement is supported by the party's two presidential contenders." The Tallahassee Democrat says Dean's gesture "marked a breakthrough for Florida Democrats," but Dean "stressed, however, that 'a lot of work' remains in figuring out how Florida delegates will be allocated." The Hill reports the Clinton campaign, "which has been pushing for the DNC to either honor the Jan. 29 results or hold a re-vote, said it found the discussion 'encouraging' and again called on" Obama "to work toward a resolution for both Florida and Michigan." Robert Gibbs, an Obama spokesman, said, "Obviously it has always been our goal to seat the delegates." Gibbs added that "Wednesday's developments, or lack thereof, are 'very consistent with what we'd like to see happen.'"
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The New York Times reports this morning that Sen. Hillary Clinton launched a new version of her "red-phone commercial to question Mr. McCain's ability to handle the souring economy. In the advertisement, the Clinton campaign again portrays a family asleep in the middle of the night when the phone rings, meant to evoke a national crisis. The narrator then intones, 'John McCain just said the government shouldn't take any real action in the housing crisis; he'd let the phone keep ringing.'" The move is seen as part of a new strategy by Clinton. On ABC World News, George Stephanopoulos said, "I think for the Clinton campaign, they say this 3:00 a.m. argument reinforces her experience. They think it's one of her great selling points. By going after John McCain, they're trying to do two things. Number one, again, make this argument that she's the most electable in the fall. And then secondly, they know that superdelegates are going to lose patience with Sen. Clinton if she stays in the race and is perceived to be tearing down Barack Obama, going too negative. By going after John McCain, she avoids that." In a posting on its "Horserace" blog, CBS News says the new ad, which is running in Pennsylvania "also marks the first time a Democratic ad in this campaign cycle has mentioned John McCain, according to Clinton communications director Howard Wolfson."
The New York Times reports that, "within hours," McCain's campaign hit back and "released an advertisement on the Internet. It starts with images of the Clinton advertisement, with the narrator then commenting, "Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama just said they'd solve the problem by raising your taxes - more money out of your pockets."
As they woo the superdelegates who are expected to ultimately decide the Democratic nomination, Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have stressed their ability to defeat Sen. John McCain in the general election. A new set of polls out from Quinnipiac University are likely to bolster Clinton's argument she significantly outperforms McCain in the key swing states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Florida. In Florida, Clinton edges McCain 44%-42%, while McCain tops Obama, 46%-37%. In Ohio, Clinton handily beats McCain 48%-39%, while Obama leads McCain by only a single point 43%-42%. "When it comes to November, Sen. Hillary Clinton's strength is a big edge over Sen. Barack Obama among white voters, who have not given a majority of their votes to a Democratic presidential nominee since Lyndon Johnson in 1964," said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. Finally, in Pennsylvania, Clinton leads McCain 48%-40%, while Obama tops him 43%-39%. Quinnipiac surveyed 1,136 voters in Florida, 1,238 voters in Ohio, and 3,484 voters in Pennsylvania from March 24-31.
A Quinnipiac University poll of 1,549 likely Democratic primary voters taken March 24-31 shows Sen. Hillary Clinton leading Sen. Barack Obama in Pennsylvania 50%-41%. Clinton had led Obama by 12 points in a similar survey in mid-March. The Allentown Morning Call reports that Obama "shaved three points off...Clinton's lead" in the poll, noting, "This isn't the first time Obama has narrowed the gap to single digits though. A late February Quinnipiac poll found Clinton ahead by just 6 points. That lead grew to 12 points in the next poll, conducted in mid-March."
Meanwhile, McClatchy reports a new Pennsylvania survey by Public Policy Polling, "issued Wednesday, even put Obama ahead by 45-43 percent, a lead within the survey's error margin of plus or minus 2.8 percentage points." That survey "differs from all other recent Pennsylvania polls because it's based on a different methodology -- it weights voter responses based on comparable demographic-group turnout in other 2008 primaries rather than in 2004 contests, according to Dean Debnam, the president of the Raleigh, N.C.-based firm. This year many states have seen larger than usual numbers of African-Americans and younger voters turn out, and they've tilted to Obama."
ABC World News reported that Barack Obama "picked up three key endorsements" last night -- former Indiana Congressman Lee Hamilton, "who was the co-chair of the 9/11 commission," Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal (D), "who had been a US attorney in Bill Clinton's administration," and former Montana Senator John Melcher (D). The AP reports Freudenthal "said he was impressed by the large, enthusiastic crowds that turned out to see Obama when he visited Wyoming ahead of last month's caucuses." The AP reports Hamilton praised Obama's "ability to transcend partisan division" and called his "foreign policy outlook 'pragmatic, visionary, and tough.'"
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USA Today reports on its front page that the "endgame" of the long Democratic race could come in North Carolina on May 6, in what could be "a pivotal final showdown between" Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Obama "starts with a double-digit lead in polls" in the state, and a win could seal his victory. On the other hand, "an upset by Clinton could change the dynamic of a contest now heading in Obama's favor." Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal reports that the Indiana primary, also scheduled for May 6, could be an important "challenge" for Clinton, who "needs to show strong support among white, working-class voters in coming primaries to mollify those in the party who say she should pull out of the race."
With an eye on the messy Democratic nomination process and the race by many states to move their primaries up this year, the Republican National Committee advanced a new plan to regulate the 2012 GOP presidential primaries. The AP reports, "A Republican Party rules committee voted Wednesday to allow small states to hold nominating contests before big states in 2012, which would preserve the traditional roles of Iowa and New Hampshire as the earliest voting states. Larger states would be placed into three groups that would rotate the dates of their nominating contests." The plan will get a final up or down vote at the Republican Convention later this year." The Des Moines Register reports that Iowa Republicans are pleased that the new plan enshrines Iowa as the first caucus, while the New Hampshire Union Leader reports that Granite State Republicans are also pleased to see their state maintain its status as the first primary. However, the Detroit News reports that Michigan Republicans, who have long sought to make their primary a key early contest, are disappointed because the plan bumps them back towards the end of the primary calendar.
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USA Today reports, "Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Wednesday that the economy could fall into a recession in the first half of the year, noting that housing and financial markets remain distressed despite recent, historic interest rate cuts and emergency loans by the central bank." Bernanke told the congressional Joint Economic Committee, "It now appears likely that (the economy) will not grow much, if at all, over the first half of 2008 and could even contract slightly." However, he also said "he expects activity to pick up in the second half and into 2009," even as he "warned the outlook is quite uncertain and risks are skewed toward the downside."
The Wall Street Journal notes on its front page that Bernanke said, "A recession is possible. ... We're slightly growing at the moment, but we think that there's a chance that for the first half as a whole there might be a slight contraction." The Journal adds, "Other government officials, including President Bush and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, have gone to great lengths to avoid uttering the word out of concerns it could further weaken investor and consumer confidence."
The New York Times also says it was the Fed chairman's "bleakest economic assessment to date." Bernanke did not endorse "any specific housing proposals," but he "made clear that the weakness in housing remained the single biggest drag on the prospects for an economic recovery and said that it was up to Congress to act." The Washington Post reports Bernanke's "deepening concern about the economy helps explain the central bank's dramatic actions during the past month to try to improve the workings of credit markets, including its intervention to save Wall Street giant Bear Stearns." Bernanke "strongly defended those moves." The Hill notes that "aside from one exchange, in which Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) angrily grilled Bernanke over the need to boost funds to the states to ease their financial problems, the lawmakers maintained a civil tone throughout, and largely did not appear willing to cast doubt on the wisdom of the Fed's action." The Financial Times, Washington Times, and Los Angeles Times run similar stories this morning.
While the bipartisan deal reached yesterday on housing legislation is being described by Senate leaders as a "compromise by all sides," business groups appear to be happiest with it. USA Today says "many business groups applauded the compromise. The Mortgage Bankers Association said the plan would 'keep at-risk borrowers in their homes.'" But "a coalition of consumer, housing and civil rights groups criticized the failure to reach agreement on bankruptcy changes they say would help 600,000 families avoid foreclosure. The omission represents 'a win for the financial services industry that brought us this mess,' the coalition said." The CBS Evening News, meanwhile, says "what's on the table now is a drastic reduction from what Democrats first proposed. But there are orders for leadership on both sides of the aisle to get something -- anything -- done."
McClatchy reports the deal "was reached after the Senate majority and minority leaders and the top Democrat and Republican on the Banking Committee agreed on a core set of principles. When they couldn't agree, they set in place a procedure for voting on the more controversial proposals as amendments." The Hill reports, "Amendments are expected to dominate most or all of Thursday, with the bill taken up in earnest next week and a final vote not expected until at least Wednesday."
The New York Times reports, "Senate staff members, speaking on condition of anonymity because the bill was not yet fully drafted, said it would include $100 million to expand counseling for homeowners at risk of defaulting on their loans, tax-exempt bonds to let local housing agencies refinance subprime mortgages and some $4 billion in grants for local governments to buy foreclosed properties." ABC World News reported, "Two million Americans are expected to lose their homes this year to foreclosure and another three million are at risk of defaulting on their mortgages in the near future." The Wall Street Journal calls the "unusually quick agreement" a clear "sign of how eager lawmakers are to have accomplishments to take home to voters this election year, particularly on economic and housing issues."
On its front page, the Washington Post reports "the most contentious provision -- a Democratic proposal to give bankruptcy judges the power to cut interest rates and write down principal on troubled subprime mortgage loans -- was left out of the compromise bill, Senate aides said." But "it was likely to be offered as an amendment, and its chief sponsor, Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.), delivered an impassioned defense of the measure on the Senate floor today." The Financial Times reports the bill "will deliver significant government aid to struggling mortgage borrowers, but also include a big tax break for homebuilders."
In what's being widely described as a major defeat for President Bush, he appears to have fallen short in his campaign to secure NATO membership for Ukraine and Georgia. The New York Times reports this morning from Bucharest that the US President "threw the NATO summit meeting...off-script on Wednesday by lobbying hard to extend membership to Ukraine and Georgia." Bush, however, "failed to rally support for the move among key allies...in a debate at a dinner of NATO leaders," according to "a senior German official." The Times adds "at least seven countries lined up against him." The Washington Post, meanwhile, says that according to a "US official, briefing reporters under White House ground rules that did not permit him to be named," Bush will "still press the case" for Georgia and Ukraine "during formal sessions Thursday but acknowledged he may have to settle for a vaguer statement that NATO would still consider" their requests "at a later date." The Washington Times reports "a senior Bush administration official insisted that today's meetings will bring 'a successful day.'"
Under the headline "Bush's Vision Of NATO Takes Root," the Wall Street Journal reports, "Beyond all the wrangling over troop commitments and membership at this week's North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit, a grudging consensus has emerged in favor of NATO's growing involvement far beyond Europe's borders." That "is a victory for...Bush, who has consistently pushed NATO to become more engaged in trouble spots around the world." The Washington Post, in a story about Bush's failure to gain support for Ukraine and Georgia joining NATO, also says the President "appeared to be doing better in winning support for the war in Afghanistan and a missile defense system in Europe."
Along those lines, NBC Nightly News reported the President "had a clear message for NATO: The US needs more help in what is often called 'the other war' -- the tough fight going on in Afghanistan." NBC (Yang) added that Bush's warning came as "the Pentagon's top military officers said a resurgent Taliban is threatening the coalition's gains."
The Hill reports, "House Republicans continued on Wednesday to make sure that their push for an earmark moratorium is not forgotten by adhering to a familiar motto: If at first you don't succeed, try, try again." The resolution "has been brought to the floor twice and was also included in the GOP budget proposal. On Wednesday, another effort to pass the earmark measure failed, as Democrats tabled the motion, 215-199, during the floor debate on reauthorization legislation aimed at combating AIDS." Republican Rep. Paul Broun said on Fox News' Your World, "I was just elected last summer in a special election. I have not requested earmarks since I have been here, and I will not this year. We have got to have reform of the earmarking process."
The Wall Street Journal reports that "on the anniversary of the Supreme Court decision last year...that ordered the EPA to issue an endangerment ruling for vehicle CO2 emissions," both states and environmental groups "filed a suit to force the Bush administration to rule on whether carbon dioxide emissions are a danger to public health." Should the EPA find that CO2 "is a danger to the public, it would require the agency to create regulations for CO2-emitting facilities across the economy." The Washington Post also covers this story.
The Christian Science Monitor reports, "With the U.S. Supreme Court peering over its shoulder and Congress turning up the political heat, the Bush administration is moving toward some sort of action on the climate-changing greenhouse gas carbon dioxide." EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson's "reason for going more slowly is that dealing with CO2 needs to be seen in a broader context." However, "what administration officials see as responsible deliberation...critics charge is foot-dragging."
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Jay Leno: Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, while speaking "before Congress, warned we may be headed towards a recession. Oh, thank you, Captain Obvious! Let me guess: Real estate market not looking too good either?"
Jay Leno: "Bush's secretary of housing announced he is stepping down. Well, sure. Nobody's got a house anymore. He's got nothing to do, might as well step down."
David Letterman: "The circus is in town at Madison Square Garden," and earlier today, "Hillary Clinton claimed that once she was shot out of a cannon."
Jimmy Kimmel: "The chairman of the Federal Reserve testified in front of the Senate Banking Committee today. He says we may be headed towards a recession this year and the only way we can avoid it is to put a trillion dollars on North Carolina to win the NCAA tournament."
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