Barack Obama yesterday sought to recover his footing after tough questioning during Wednesday night's debate with Hillary Clinton, criticizing the debate moderators for not focusing on the issues but instead acting as surrogates for the Republican Party. The AP reports Obama "dismissively" talked about the debate yesterday "and the line of questioning from ABC News' moderators, arguing that it focused on political trivia at the expense of the problems facing average voters." At a rally in North Carolina, Obama "drew roars of approval" when he "mocked" the "tough questions" sent his way during the event. ABC World News reports Obama "took issue" with the nature of the debate questions, saying, ""Forty-five minutes before we heard about health care; 45 minutes before we heard about Iraq; 45 minutes before we heard about jobs; 45 minutes before we heard about gas prices." The CBS Evening News reported Obama "took a bruising" during the debate, "and some supporters say he was not treated fairly."
NBC Nightly News reported that the "questioning became part of the story," and Obama "said it was a preview of the Republican attack that he expects in the fall campaign." Similarly, the Los Angeles Times reports in a front page story that Obama said the debate "was the rollout of the Republican campaign in November. They will try to focus on these issues that don't have anything to do with how you're paying your bills at the end of the month."
The Washington Post adds that Obama "and his team appeared taken aback by some of the negative reviews of his performance in the 90-minute debate in Philadelphia." In their "estimation, he had more than held his own and delivered a stronger performance than in some early debates, when his low-key style sometimes appeared soft in contrast to Clinton's bite."
Bloomberg News reports that Obama "hinted" Thursday "that he may be finished debating" Clinton, "dismissing the forums as little more than a chance for her to 'twist the knife.'"
Moderators Come In For Criticism In the Washington Post's "Media Notes" column, Howard Kurtz reports ABC moderators Charles Gibson and George Stephanopoulos "found themselves under fire for focusing on campaign gaffes and training most of their ammunition" on Obama. The New York Times reports Gibson and Stephanopoulos "became the subject of a fierce and somewhat unexpected debate themselves on Thursday, as viewers, bloggers and television critics lamented what they described as an opportunity lost: a chance to ask the two candidates for the Democratic nomination substantive questions early and often." The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says the "big losers" were the moderators, while the Los Angeles Times reports that "many who watched" the debate "were livid." The AP adds that Greg Mitchell "of the trade publication Editor and Publisher said it was 'perhaps the most embarrassing performance by the media in a major presidential debate this year.'"
The Wall Street Journal reports that the Woods Charitable Fund of Chicago, which Sen. Hillary Clinton brought up in Wednesday's debate, "is a touchstone in the latest controversy swirling around" Sen. Barack Obama's past associations. "In this case, the association is with William Ayers, a 1970s radical turned college professor, whose tenure as a director of the charity overlapped with Sen. Obama's for three years ending in 2001." The Journal adds, "But many in Washington wonder whether the Woods Fund could be the 'swift boat' of this campaign." The Washington Post says that in the "1960s, Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn saw themselves as urban guerrillas who just might be able to overthrow the U.S. government and force an end to the Vietnam War," adding the pair "went into hiding for a decade after a bomb accidentally exploded, killing three members of the group." The Los Angeles Times describes Ayres and Dohrn as "aging academics who planted bombs in the Capitol, the Pentagon and other buildings to protest U.S. government policy. They are now widely respected community figures here." The Times adds, "The evidence linking Obama, who was born in 1961, to the two former militants, now in their 60s, remained thin, despite the appearance of a slickly produced, anonymously issued five-minute video titled 'Obama's Terrorist Connections' on YouTube that sought to exploit the alleged tie."
The New York Daily News reports the Clinton's campaign "launched a new assault on Obama for his ties to...Ayers. It's a risky gambit -- given that President Bill Clinton commuted the sentences of two other Weather Underground members -- but her team insisted the connection is a potential game-changer that raises questions about Obama's judgment. 'A man who said after 9/11 that his only regret was that he didn't plant more bombs hosted a political event for Barack Obama,' said Clinton communications chief Howard Wolfson."
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The New York Times reports in a front page story that throughout Wednesday's debate, Sen. Hillary Clinton "tried again and again to put" Sen. Barack Obama "on the defensive in a pointed attempt, her advisers say, to raise doubts about his electability among a small but powerful audience: The uncommitted superdelegates who will most likely determine the nomination." The Times says interviews yesterday with uncommitted superdelegates "showed that none had been persuaded much by her attacks on Mr. Obama's strength as a potential Democratic nominee, his recent gaffes and his relationships with his former pastor and with a onetime member of the Weather Underground."
Many Superdelegates Not Planning Decision In Near-Term USA Today reports in a front page story that "dozens of uncommitted superdelegates with sway over the Democratic presidential nomination say Pennsylvania's primary on Tuesday won't be the decisive factor in their choice between" Clinton and Obama. Instead, "they told USA TODAY and Gannett News Service, they will choose by July 1, a deadline suggested by Democratic National Chairman Howard Dean."
A new Zogby poll out this morning shows Sen. Hillary Clinton opening a 4 point led over Sen. Barack Obama. Clinton now leads Obama 47%-43% in the Zogby Pennsylvania tracking poll, up from a 45%-44% lead yesterday. The poll surveyed 602 likely Democratic primary voters from April 16-17.
Philadelphia Daily News Backs Obama The Philadelphia Daily News has endorsed Obama in Pennsylvania's Democratic primary, writing that "the long slog through 44 primaries and caucuses has confirmed for us that Sen. Barack Obama's vision of change -- and the way he plans to pursue it -- is what we need right now. Badly."
The Politico reports, "For reasons of financial necessity, personal preference and plain politics, John McCain is gearing up to run one of the least traditional presidential campaigns in recent history. Because they expected to be outspent in the fall, McCain "and his key advisers have largely been forced into devising a three-pronged strategy that they hope can turn their general election weaknesses into strengths. McCain will lean heavily on the well-funded Republican National Committee. He will merge key functions of his campaign hierarchy with the RNC while also relying on an unconventional structure of 10 regional campaign managers." In addition, "and perhaps most importantly -- McCain will rely on free media to an unprecedented degree to get out his message in a fashion that aims to not only minimize his financial disadvantage but also drive a triangulated contrast among himself, the Democratic nominee and President Bush."
Under the headline "DNC Pores Over Agencies' Records For Dirt On McCain," The Hill reports this morning that the Democratic National Committee "filed a number of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests with Cabinet-level agencies and inter-agency departments looking for opposition research to use against" Sen. John McCain. The Hill adds that in early February, when McCain became the de facto GOP nominee, "there was a sharp uptick in the number of FOIA requests from the DNC with McCain as a specific target," including requests to the FDA, the Department of the Interior, the Federal Elections Commission and the Commerce Department.
A new poll out this morning from Quinnipiac University shows both Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton holding substantial leads over Sen. John McCain in New York State, although Clinton performs better than Obama in her home state. Clinton leads McCain 49%-37%, up from a 50%-40% lead in a similar poll in late March. Obama tops McCain 47%-39%, down slightly from a 49%-38% lead in the March survey.
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British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and President Bush were not only supposed to be at odds on all key issues, but also were reported to have strained personal ties particularly after their frosty encounter last July. And yet, media coverage of their White House meeting yesterday notes the two leaders positively oozed cordiality. Brown, says the Financial Times, "heaped praise on...Bush with language evoking Tony Blair," as he "sought to overcome the impression that the 'special relationship' had entered a cooler phase." Brown also said during a joint press conference, "The world owes President Bush a huge debt of gratitude in leading the world in our determination to root out terrorism." The New York Times reports Bush and Blair "were extraordinarily close, and Mr. Blair suffered for it, earning the derogatory nickname 'Bush's poodle.'" Brown, "unlike Mr. Blair, has been critical of the war in Iraq, and his relationship with Mr. Bush is said to be frostier. But under the hot sun in the Rose Garden on Thursday, there seemed to be plenty of warmth -- and little daylight -- between them."
The AP reports the two leaders "tried to dispel doubts about their relationship Thursday, showcasing personal bonhomie as well as common ground on vexing issues such as the Iraq war, a showdown with Iran, global trade and the crises in Sudan and Zimbabwe." Another AP dispatch notes that Bush, meanwhile, "went out of his way to lavishly praise the contributions -- and to honor the sacrifices -- of British troops in Iraq." The Wall Street Journal also says Bush and Brown "showed a united front on a host of thorny global issues," though "there was little concrete evidence that many new agreements had been sealed during Mr. Brown's second official trip to the US as prime minister." The Washington Post reports Bush "seemed good-natured about the prime minister's interest in meeting his successor. 'One of those three has a good chance of winning,'" he said during the joint news conference.
The Washington Times also notes Bush "and Mr. Gordon dismissed talk of a strained relationship between them." Bush said of his ties to Brown, "Look, if it wasn't a personal relationship, I wouldn't be inviting the man to a nice hamburger or something. Well done, I might add." The two "actually dined on roasted ribeyes." In a column titled "Isn't That Special?", Dana Milbank writes in the Washington Post, "Once, they overran Nazis together. Now, they overcook hamburgers."
The CBS Evening News briefly noted Brown also met with all three remaining "presidential candidates." USA Today runs a very brief report on Brown's activities yesterday, saying he "declined to discuss which candidate he prefers to replace Bush as US president in nine months' time." Reporting on Brown's meeting with Sens. Obama, Clinton and McCain, the AP says "the three had been briefed by their respective foreign policy aides, but no staffers were present during the sessions."
A day after being panned by Democrats and environmentalists at home, President Bush's plan to address greenhouse gas emissions drew criticism from the leaders of other nations on Thursday. The Financial Times reports the proposal "to halt the growth of US greenhouse gas emissions by 2025 met a cool response from other governments on Thursday." Germany "slammed the proposal." The environment minister's office "issued a statement describing the speech as 'neanderthal' and demonstrating 'not leadership but losership'. France said the target was a bit late.'" The AP notes a "Chinese official" said it was "too little and too late." The Wall Street Journal reports Marthinus Van Schalkwyk, "South Africa's minister of environmental affairs and tourism, blasted the US plan for not cutting emissions fast or deep enough."
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The Politico reports House Democrats Thursday "demanded the appearance of Karl Rove before the House Judiciary Committee in an ongoing investigation into alleged selective and politically motivated prosecutions." The request "comes in the wake of a '60 Minutes' investigation into the jailing of former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman." The Hill, meanwhile, notes "Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), the ranking member on the committee, said the report 'provides no evidence to support partisan claims that the Bush administration has actively engaged in the selective prosecution of Democratic elected officials.'" Rove's lawyer "has said the former senior White House aide will appear if subpoenaed." Yesterday, however, he sounded a different note. The Washington Post reports attorney Robert D. Luskin "said that Rove would follow normal procedure and seek guidance from the White House before agreeing to appear."
The New York Times says a Government Accountability Office report shows "the Bush administration has failed to develop a governmentwide plan to combat terrorism in Pakistan's unruly tribal areas, even though top American officials concede that Al Qaeda has regenerated its ability to attack the United States and has established havens in that border region." In a "rare acknowledgment, senior officials at the United States Embassy in Islamabad told the government auditors that they had received no strategic guidance from Washington on designing, carrying out, financing and monitoring a coordinated American strategy, the report said." However, Fox Special Report reported the State Department "disagreed" with the GAO's report, "saying a strategy does exist and indeed is being implemented."
The Washington Post reports the Office of the Director of National Intelligence "agreed that the United States had not met its national security goals in the tribal areas, while the Defense Department said it agrees with the need to develop a comprehensive plan." Similarly, the AP reports "some federal agencies, including the Defense Department, agreed with the findings."
The Los Angeles Times. meanwhile, reports that "a number of private sector and government agencies, including the Sept. 11 commission in 2004, have called for a comprehensive plan for fighting terrorist threats from the tribal areas," according to the GAO.
In response to the GAO report, CNN reports on its Web site that Kathleen Turner, a spokeswoman for the office of the Director of National Intelligence, "said that office and the National Counterterrorism Center concurred with the report's assessment that the United States has not met its national security goals in the tribal region but maintained that there was a plan in place."
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Jay Leno: "It's amazing how drinking is now part of this campaign. On 'Hardball' the other day, a student asked John McCain to do shots with him after the debate. And all of the candidates have their favorite drinks now. For example, John McCain, he prefers Old Grand Dad."
Jay Leno: "Barack Obama, he likes the elitist Manhattan with extra bitters."
Jay Leno: "And, of course, Hillary likes a shot of Old Crow, straight up."
David Letterman: "The Pope, God bless him, got on the Pope-Mobile" after the mass. And then, "President Bush followed him in the Dope-Mobile."
Jimmy Kimmel: "Last night, Senators Obama and Clinton debated in Philadelphia," and the moderators, Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopoulos, "have been getting some criticism today...for rehashing the old issues." But Clinton and Obama have had a lot of debates, so all the issues are "old. You know, what are you going to debate? Dentistry?"
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