The Wall Street Journal reports on its front page that Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign has demoted its "longtime chief strategist" after it was disclosed that he was working on the side for Colombia's government to promote passage of the Colombia Free Trade Agreement, which Clinton opposes. Clinton "campaign advisers made clear" that Penn "was all but forced out for what Mr. Penn on Friday conceded was 'an error in judgment.'" USA Today adds that Penn, "who also serves as chief executive of the giant public relations and lobbying firm Burson-Marsteller, met with Colombian officials last week to help develop a strategy to move the Colombian Free Trade agreement through Congress." However, Penn's polling firm with continue to do the polling for the Clinton campaign.
Much of the coverage of Penn's demotion focuses on his fights with other members of the Clinton staff. On its front page, the New York Times calls Penn "the architect of much of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign," adding he has "been held responsible for the flawed electoral strategy considered partly responsible for Mrs. Clinton's difficult political position." The AP adds that Penn "has been a lightning rod for controversy throughout the campaign and managed to retain considerable influence in the operation almost solely because of the candidate's loyalty to him." In a front-page story, the Washington Post reports Penn "had been a polarizing figure within the Clinton campaign for months because of his personality as well as his strategic vision." In his blog for The Politico, Ben Smith says "the knives have been out in Hillaryland for...Penn for years, but today they finally cut through." The New York Post notes, "Many of Clinton's campaign staffers had been pushing for Penn's ouster since a rash of primary and caucus defeats in February."
The Politico adds, "If there's any immediate consequence...it will be to morale inside a shell-shocked campaign where Penn's compensation, his attention to his business, and his gruff demeanor made him a divisive figure. 'It was very demoralizing for the staff that's working 24/7 to see him doing book tours and engaging in private sector activities,' said a prominent Clinton supporter. 'It was an important statement for the campaign to make to its own team.'"
However, it is unclear what the actual impact of Penn's dismissal is going to be. In a front-page report, the Los Angeles Times relates, "It is unclear whether Penn's demotion will satisfy his detractors or stabilize the campaign in the crucial final months of the primary season. 'When you add to it the already contentious relationship he had with so many internally in the campaign and externally, he really should have been fired,' one Clinton aide said Sunday, speaking on the condition of anonymity while discussing internal campaign dynamics. Though he will no longer have the grand title of chief strategist, he will continue to 'wield power,' the aide said."
Many commentators have seen the extended Democratic primary as having a detrimental prospect on the Party's prospects come November, but it is appears to be having at least one beneficial side effect for the Democrats. On its front page, USA Today reports that voter registration "is surging in six of the eight states with upcoming Democratic primaries -- a sign that turnout could continue to break records." In addition to new voters, "already-registered voters are also switching their party affiliation to participate in upcoming Democratic primaries." USA Today said that over 31,000 voters in North Carolina have switched their affiliation this year, and "80% became Democrat or independent," which allows them to vote in the Democratic primary. Similarly, in Oregon, 77% of the 12,500 voters who switched their affiliation went to the Democrats, while in Pennsylvania, "nearly 106,000 voters switched to Democratic registration between March 4, when Clinton won the Ohio and Texas primaries, and the state's March 24 registration deadline. In that time, nearly 66,000 new Democrats were registered."
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The New York Times reports that the announcement that Democratic superdelegate and Montana state Sen. Margaret Campbell will declare her support for Sen. Barack Obama is the latest in a steady string of losses in Sen. Hillary Clinton's "once formidable lead among superdelegates." The Obama camp now places Clinton's lead at 34, a figure that the Clinton campaign does not challenge. The Times adds, "Even if Mrs. Clinton narrows Mr. Obama's [pledged] delegate lead to 100, and if no further superdelegates make commitments through the end of the primaries, she'd wake up June 4 needing to win over two-thirds of the still-uncommitted superdelegates."
Obama Backers Win Support Of Final North Dakota National Delegate Many of the Democratic nominating contests have complex rules and formulas that govern the allocation of delegates between candidates, leading to battles for the last few delegates to run on for weeks or months after the nominal end of the nominating contest. The AP reports that at the North Dakota Democratic state convention over the weekend, Obama's supporters "won a struggle for the support of a final, single delegate to the party's national convention." Obama "now has the backing of 15 of North Dakota's 21 delegates," while Clinton has five and the final one, David Strauss, the state party chairman, "has stayed uncommitted."
An American Research Group poll of 600 likely Pennsylvania Democratic primary voters taken April 5-6 shows Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama tied at 45% apiece. A similar poll, taken March 26-27 shows Clinton leading Obama 51%-39%.
A second, slightly older poll by Strategic Vision shows Clinton leading Obama 49%-41%. A similar poll taken March 7-9 showed Clinton leading Obama 56%-38%. In general election trial heats, the current poll shows Clinton leading Sen. John McCain 47%-41%, while McCain leads Obama 47%-42%. The current poll surveyed 1200 likely voters from March 28-30.
A Rasmussen Reports poll of 703 likely North Carolina Democratic primary voters taken April 3 for WRAL News of Raleigh shows Sen. Barack Obama leading Sen. Hillary Clinton 56%-33% with 11% undecided. WRAL adds, "Fifty-six percent of Clinton supporters also said they would not vote for Obama in a head-to-head match with McCain. Clinton would likely draw the votes of 68 percent of those who chose Obama in the primary."
The Wall Street Journal, in an article titled "McCain Lambastes Wall Street Over Housing Crisis," reports Sen. John McCain "displayed a strong populist streak over the housing crisis this weekend, blasting what he called the 'outrageous' and 'unconscionable' compensation of Bear Stearns and Countrywide executives and their 'co-conspirators.'" The WSJ says the move is part of an effort by McCain "to show anger at the people behind the housing crisis and sympathy for those who are facing foreclosure, while remaining tentative on proposals that would commit the federal government to aggressive action to help them." McCain is quoted as saying, "I think it's outrageous that someone who is the head of Bear Stearns cashes in millions and millions of dollars in stocks. And I think it's unconscionable when the guy who apparently is the head of Countrywide and his co-conspirators make huge amounts of money while Americans are facing the threat of losing their own homes. It's a terrible thing."
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Gen. David Petraeus and US Amb. Ryan Crocker will testify before Congress on Iraq progress this week. USA Today says "the top US commander in Iraq probably will not commit to a timetable for troop withdrawals beyond the summer, according to some lawmakers and military experts." The Washington Times notes Petraeus "is expected to call for halting troop reductions that began in December for about six months to assess the security situation. That would keep about 140,000 troops in Iraq -- 10,000 more than before the surge of troops last year that helped stifle insurgent and sectarian attacks." Petraeus and Crocker are also "expected to highlight political and military gains, as well as persistent challenges to the mission, including Iranian influence in the country." The Financial Times says the General "may bolster his case by pointing to the recent violence in Basra, where Iraqi security forces launched an offensive against Shia militias."
But on its front page, the Los Angeles Times runs a story titled " Officials Foresee No Ebb In Iraq Violence," in which it says Petraeus and Crocker "will be hard-pressed to depict Iraq as moving toward stability in the wake of recent violence that sent deaths soaring to their highest level in seven months." Prime Minister Nouri Maliki's "move against Shiite Muslim militias has revealed the gravity of the country's Shiite rivalries, just as US forces are decreasing their presence."
The Christian Science Monitor, meanwhile, says that in the run-up to the appearance by Petraeus and Crocker, "expectations are low that US policy will change much before the end of the year and the arrival of America's next president." The Monitor adds, "That's not just because General Petraeus has indicated he will recommend against a further drawdown of US forces beyond the level they are programmed to hit at midsummer. It is also the case because, despite security gains of the past year, Iraq is expected to remain in a fragile state for the rest of President Bush's term."
More Fighting Breaks Out; Three US Soldiers Killed ABC World News reported last night, "Two US servicemen were killed in Baghdad. Unfortunately that is not unusual in and of itself." But "these men were killed inside the Green Zone by rocket fire." The Green Zone "is one of the most heavily defended areas in the country. Also today outside of the green zone in the sprawling Shia slum called Sadr City there's a raging street battle going on. More than a thousand US and Iraqi troops are involved." On its front page, the New York Times reports on its front page that the push to take control of Sadr City by US and Iraqi troops "failed to stop the attacks on the" Green Zone, which "were, symbolically at least, a sign that forces hostile to the United States are still able to strike at the heart of the American nerve center and seat of government power in the capital of Iraq."
McClatchy says "the US-backed Iraqi government Sunday began deploying Shiite Muslim volunteer fighters in neighborhoods dominated by the rival Mahdi Army militia. ... Residents in two Mahdi Army-dominated neighborhoods in west Baghdad, Bayaa and Amil, however, said they expected a US-backed government militia to be stood up there soon. ... The new Shiite neighborhood militias may be intended to compensate for the Iraqi Security Forces' poor performance in last week's offensive against the Mahdi Army in the southern port city of Basra. Hundreds deserted, and in Baghdad Shiite militants overran police stations and Security Forces checkpoints." McClatchy adds "a senior Iraqi official said...Maliki is now trapped in his battle with Sadr's militia. A million-man march that Sadr has called for April 9 to protest the US occupation will likely bring more fighting."
The AP, meanwhile, reports "Iraq's major Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish parties have closed ranks to force...Sadr to disband his Mahdi Army militia or leave politics, lawmakers and officials involved in the effort said Sunday. Such a bold move risks a violent backlash by al-Sadr's Shiite militia. But if it succeeds it could cause a major realignment of Iraq's political landscape." The AP adds, "The first step will be adding language to a draft election bill banning parties that operate militias from fielding candidates in provincial balloting this fall, the officials and lawmakers said. The government intends to send the draft to parliament within days and hopes to win approval within weeks." In a front page story titled "Between Iraqi Shiites, A Deepening Animosity," the Washington Post says that "under heavy US pressure, Maliki turned against Sadr, his political benefactor, and over the past year has ratcheted up efforts to isolate Sadr, who withdrew from Maliki's coalition last year."
Friday's data on job losses sparked renewed fears that the US economy in already in the midst of a recession along with front page headlines and extensive network TV reports on the worsening economy. ABC World News, for example, reported that "a dismal jobs report" is "raising more talk of recession. Employers cut 80,000 jobs last month, the third straight month of losses. And the March unemployment rate jumped to 5.1%. It hasn't been that high since 2005." The CBS Evening News said the economy is "in big trouble" and the AP said "it's no longer a question of recession or not. Now it's how deep and how long," with the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Washington Times and San Francisco Chronicle running similar assessments. Moreover, in response to the jobs report, Democrats (and the New York Times editorial page) called for a new stimulus package, as The Hill and Washington Post noted.
But this morning, some analyses are providing a much more benign interpretation of the numbers. The Financial Times reports, "Jobs losses are accelerating in the US and spreading to a growing number of industry sectors, reinforcing a widely-held view that the economy is in recession. But, so far at least, the rate of job losses has been mild compared with previous economic cycles, raising investors' hopes the economy is not falling off a cliff." The Times notes that "compared with previous economic cycles the number of job losses is comparatively small, even though the size of the US workforce has increased." And under the headline "Amid Layoff News, Many Companies Are Still Hiring," the Christian Science Monitor says that "even though some companies are reducing their payrolls, that's not the case for Uncle Sam. One government website lists 49,000 federal job openings alone." New jobs are appearing "in industries that benefit from a downturn: They help companies save money or find new business opportunities. Some companies are in businesses that are growing regardless of the general economy."
Greenspan: I Didn't Do it The Financial Times reports Alan Greenspan "has hit back at critics who blame the Federal Reserve under his leadership for causing the US housing bubble by keeping interest rates too low for too long in the early 2000s, saying the evidence of any link between monetary policy and the bubble was 'statistically very fragile.'" Greenspan "says he is 'puzzled' why so many commentators seek to explain the US housing bubble in terms of Fed actions when many other economies with different central banks and different monetary policies also saw rapid house price gains." Greenspan makes his comments in an op-ed appearing in today's Financial Times, titled "The Fed Is Blameless On The Property Bubble."
In their final meeting yesterday, President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin failed to reach an agreement on a proposed US missile defense system. Despite the lack of a final accord on the issue, media coverage notes both leaders took pains to emphasize there had been some progress toward an agreement. The AP, for example, says that "despite the impasse, the two leaders agreed that Moscow and Washington would work together closely in the future on missile defense and other difficult issues." At a press conference Putin "declared there were no breakthrough solutions but said 'certain progress is obvious' in the long-running dispute on missile defenses." Similarly, the Wall Street Journal reports "the US claimed a victory in gaining long-term Russian cooperation on a system." Still, the Journal says the "prospects for any concrete agreement remained uncertain...and possibly beyond the reach of the current administration." Under the headline "No Pact, But Bush, Putin Leave A Map," the Washington Post notes Bush referred to "a significant breakthrough," while Putin "was more cautious," saying it "does not provide any breakthrough" and that "the devil is in the details."
The Financial Times reports that "amid bonhomie in front of the cameras, the two leaders signed a nine-page strategic framework aimed at calming recent tensions. Reaffirming that the cold war had been consigned to history, the two presidents made clear they wanted to bequeath a more stable relationship to their successors." USA Today, meanwhile, says Bush and Putin "disagreed agreeably." And the New York Times runs a similar account of the summit under the headline "Bush And Putin, At Last Meeting, Agree To Disagree."
Meanwhile, McClatchy, in a markedly negative assessment of the meeting, reports "Bush made little, if any, progress with...Putin during a hastily arranged summit Sunday, dashing any near-term hopes of mending the strained relations between the two nuclear powers." Bush and Putin "were friendly in their last meeting as heads of state," but "the day ended much as it began." The Sochi declaration, adds McClatchy, "was largely a series of previously agreed upon points."
During the trip back to the US, the White House did not take these mild accounts of the summit laying down: The AP reports that White House officials "waged an extraordinary campaign during an 11-hour Air Force One flight to put a positive spin on the outcome of Sunday's summit talks." According to the AP, "four times on the long flight back to Washington from Sochi, Russia, Bush aides trooped back to the press cabin to make the case that the summit had turned out well, particularly on missile defenses," in what was "the heaviest lobbying campaign veteran reporters could recall ever occurring on the president's plane."
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Jay Leno: "The ambassador to Iraq said today there has been an economic revival in Baghdad. Well, nice to see Bush's economic plan working out somewhere, isn't it?"
Jay Leno: "Hey, good news for Hillary Clinton. You know Hillary's ad where she says she's ready to answer the phone at 3:00 a.m.? This is interesting. Today, she got a call from India, and they said if this presidential thing doesn't work out, they have a job for her in tech support."
Conan O'Brien: "Barack Obama, of course, is narrowing the gap" in "Pennsylvania and his campaign is pulling out all the stops for doing anything they can to get all the voters." For example, Obama's campaign "is now giving away tickets to Dave Matthews concerts. Yeah, yeah. Apparently, this is Obama's attempt to win over really white voters."
Conan O'Brien: "President Bush is in Europe right now. Today, he met with Romanian Prime Minister Popescu-Tariceanu. Yeah. Or as Bush calls him, 'Pop Tart.'"
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