Despite the news that Sen. Hillary Clinton had eked out a narrow victory in Indiana (51%-49%), Sen. Barack Obama's very strong showing in North Carolina yesterday (56%-42%) is leading many in the media to predict that Clinton's campaign is all but over. Indeed, there is evidence his morning that the Clinton campaign is debating whether to continue the contest. Reporting from the Clinton campaign plane at 2:05 AM EST, MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell said Clinton is "poised to throw in her lot with Barack Obama," although Mitchell added that no firm decision had been made at that point. CNN reports this morning that Clinton's "morning schedule has been moved around a bit after the results came out which has some thinking they are discussing options internally. We expect to hear from her in West Virginia this morning."
However, the Washington Post reporting that early this morning Clinton aides "insisted that she had no intention of dropping out of the contest, pointing out that she had won in a state -- albeit narrowly -- that Obama had cast as the 'tiebreaker' in the nomination fight." In addition, ABC's Nightline reported Clinton "was very clear" when she addressed her supporters following her Indiana win, saying, "I'm going on, I'm going to West Virginia, I'm going to Oregon,' she said 'I'm going to Kentucky, don't worry, we'll keep on going." The New York Times reports Clinton's "remarks were a combination of combativeness and of a wistfulness that had not been heard in her voice in recent weeks. Throughout them, Chelsea Clinton kept up a smile, and at one point Bill Clinton wiped away a tear."
Whatever Clinton's internal decision making is, the media today seems to have decided that the race is all but over. The New York Times, in a front-page article titled, "Options Dwindling For Clinton," reports that "because Mrs. Clinton did not appear to come particularly close in North Carolina, despite a substantial effort there, she lost an opportunity to sow new doubts among Democratic leaders about Mr. Obama's general-election appeal. ... She was unable to build her base of support substantially beyond the white, working-class voters who had sustained her for the last month -- and that will not be lost on the superdelegates." The AP's Nedra Pickler, in a widely-distributed analysis piece, says "Clinton's defeat in North Carolina Tuesday took away her last best chance at the White House. The results dented if not doomed her hopes of convincing superdelegates to disregard Obama's lead in delegates, states won and popular vote to nominate her." USA Today reports the "disappointing results Tuesday - including a rout in North Carolina after the campaign devoted enormous resources there - could make it difficult for her to raise money to compete effectively in the handful of states that remain."
In a story headlined "Obama's North Carolina win a blow to Clinton," Long Island Newsday reports that "Tuesday night's results make it virtually impossible for Clinton to catch Obama in pledged delegates -- and it seriously compromised her argument to unpledged superdelegates that she is more electable." Similarly, the San Francisco Chronicle reported on its website, "With seven contests left to go in the calendar, Obama's definitive win in North Carolina, which boosted both his popular vote and delegate count, effectively puts Clinton further behind in the end game for the nomination -- and is likely to weaken her case with potential campaign donors and undecided superdelegates alike." In an analysis, the AP reports that Clinton "needed a game changer. Instead, it's almost game over." The New York Daily News says, "For Clinton, it was hard to find a silver lining." The Politico reports Clinton's "case to party elders - that Obama was a flawed, flagging candidate - lost much of its altitude despite a nail-biting victory in Indiana. Her bread-and-butter pitch to voters fell prey to the doubts Obama's television campaign raised about her sincerity. What had been, in the best of scenarios an up-hill climb, became far steeper."
Negative assessments of Clinton's prospects were commonplace in other newspapers, including the Boston Herald, the Boston Globe, the Chicago Tribune, the Newark Star-Ledger, the New York Post, the Philadelphia Inquirer and The Hill, while numerous columnists also weighed in negatively on Clinton's prospects.
However, while no media outlets see yesterday as a good outcome for Clinton, some do see the results as neutral and non-decisive, such as the Washington Post which, on its front page, says the results "essentially maintained the status quo and kept the Democratic race grinding forward." According to the Los Angeles Times, "The results left the dynamics of the presidential race essentially unchanged." In a front-page story, the Wall Street Journal said that "split decision underscored some of" Obama's "weaknesses and the party's fissures -- and left the likelihood that the nomination marathon will continue inconclusively for a final month, to be decided ultimately by the hundreds of party leaders known as superdelegates."
USA Today reports, "In a victory speech in Raleigh, N.C.," Sen. Barack Obama "said his supporters had rejected 'the politics of division.' He talked of party unity, his humble origins and love of country, and said...Sen. John McCain...offers 'nothing more than the failed policies of the past.' Obama also tried to dispel the idea, promoted by Clinton and her allies, that he is not tough enough to face the GOP this fall." USA Today also reports Obama pointed out that he "prevailed in a 'big state, a swing state,' and one in which Clinton had suggested a loss by him could be a 'game-changer.'" The Washington Times adds Obama "said there have been 'bruised feelings on both sides,' but that the prospect of another Republican president will force the party to unify behind him at the end of the contest. 'At this defining moment in our history - a moment when we are facing two wars, an economy in turmoil, a planet in peril - a dream that feels like it's slipping away for too many Americans, we can't afford to give John McCain the chance to serve out George Bush's third term.'"
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In an ominous development for the Obama campaign, exit polls taken yesterday in Indiana and North Carolina found he is no longer the favorite among Democratic-leaning independents, and that his already anemic support among working-class white voters continues to erode. The AP reports Obama "again failed to gain ground with a crucial voting bloc that has consistently eluded him - working-class whites. But he was piecing together a coalition that besides blacks included the young, first-time primary voters, the very liberal and college graduates, plus sizable minorities of whites." The Los Angeles Times also says Obama "fell short in Indiana among white blue-collar voters. ... The battle in November for white working-class voters in the Midwest...would be crucial for the Illinois senator to capture enough states to win the presidency." The Politico reports, "According to exit polls, a third of North Carolina voters were black - and with the support of more than nine in 10 black voters," Obama "was able to overcome" Clinton's "white support and win the Tar Heel State. Eight in 10 voters in Indiana were white - and with the support of six in 10 whites, Clinton won a narrow victory in the state."
In another potentially troubling development for Obama, the Washington Post reports this morning, "Fewer than half of Clinton voters in both states said they would support Obama over McCain in the general election should that be the matchup." The Houston Chronicle says, "Resistance to" Obama's "candidacy from many Clinton supporters could prove costly in a general election contest against John McCain. According to CNN exit polls, only 48 percent of Clinton supporters in Tuesday's Indiana primary and 45 percent of her North Carolina backers said they'd vote for Obama in November."
The Politico says that Barack Obama's win in North Carolina "was particularly crucial for his campaign given that" Hillary Clinton "faces friendlier terrain in coming weeks, starting with the West Virginia primary on May 13. Of the remaining contests, Obama likely will be favored to win in only Oregon." The Wall Street Journal adds, "Even before polls closed in Indiana and North Carolina," Clinton and Obama "were shifting their attention to the five states and one territory that have yet to vote." Clinton's camp "is eagerly turning its attention to West Virginia, which votes May 13, and Kentucky, May 20. In both states, large numbers of rural, older, low-income and white voters make her the heavy favorite, and the campaign hopes to use these to press its case that Sen. Clinton is more electable. Polls show that Sen. Clinton could rack up blowout wins in both states." However, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says that none of the remaining states "represent a major prize likely to alter the dynamics of the race dramatically."
In a speech at Wake Forest University yesterday, Sen. John McCain sought to reassure social conservatives that he will appoint strict constructionists to the federal judiciary. According to press accounts, he appears to have succeeded, as most articles on the speech include glowing reviews from prominent conservative leaders. However, commentators also note that McCain did not make any mention of abortion yesterday even as there was no evidence that any notable conservatives were concerned by the omission. Fox News' Special Report showed McCain saying: "Sens. Obama and Clinton have very different ideas from my own. They're both lawyers themselves and don't seem to mind at all when fundamental questions of social policy are preemptively decided by judges instead of by the people and their elected representatives." According to Fox, McCain "reassured conservatives that he will appoint strict constructionist judges who...will apply the constitution rather than create new law." The AP adds that though McCain "didn't mention abortion, the far right understands that such nominees would be likely to limit or perhaps overturn the Roe v. Wade decision."
USA Today reports McCain's remarks were "part of an effort to highlight McCain's stands on conservative issues, coming less than a month after he campaigned in largely Democratic areas of Alabama and Ohio." McClatchy reports, "The intended audience seemed delighted." The Washington Post also reports that conservatives "were quick to praise McCain."
The Hill reports Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, an Obama supporter, said McCain "chose to pander to those on the far right who prefer partisan fights designed to energize a political base during an election year."
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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is preparing to sacrifice two 2006 Democratic campaign pledges in a clash with the White House over Iraq war funding in order to achieve some of her party's domestic agenda. The Politico reports Pelosi is "violating two Democratic campaign pledges in one fell swoop," but "to the critics...Pelosi has made her feelings clear: Get over it." Her moves reveal she's "self-confidently playing what she believes -- with increasing evidence -- is a strong hand." Pelosi "is expected to break one promise -- her 2006 pledge for a more open and inclusive committee process -- by circumventing the powerful House Appropriations Committee on the Iraq bill," as well as a second promise by deciding "any troop withdrawal conditions are likely to be gone from the legislation."
The Wall Street Journal, meanwhile, notes Pelosi said yesterday the "war-funding bill...will include unemployment insurance funding" and "funding for increasing veterans' education support." The Washington Post notes "the White House remained opposed to the additional spending, demanding a 'clean' bill to fund the wars by the symbolically important date of Memorial Day."
Meanwhile, in the Senate, The Hill reports senior Democrats "on the Senate Appropriations Committee are pushing back against Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) for suggesting he might bypass their panel and send a massive emergency war spending bill directly to the Senate floor."
And the Washington Times reports Iraq's US Ambassador, Samir Sumaida'ie, "said yesterday that his country still needs time before it can fully finance its own reconstruction effort, despite an oil-export windfall that has lawmakers on Capitol Hill demanding Baghdad pick up more of the tab."
A day after Federal Reserve Bank Chairman Ben Bernanke said the government should intervene to provide more aid to struggling homeowners, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson also weighed in, saying the worst of the credit crunch had passed. Paulson's optimistic view comes as the Administration threatened to veto the $2.7 billion housing bill sponsored by Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank. The Wall Street Journal reports Paulson "said US financial markets are emerging from the credit crunch and that 'the worst is likely to be behind us,' marking possibly the most optimistic comments yet from the Bush administration on the financial crisis."
The New York Times reports "on the eve of a House floor debate" on Frank's bill, "the Bush administration said on Tuesday that it opposed the measure and that White House advisers would urge the president to veto it." The Washington Times reports House Democrats will bring the Frank measure to the floor today, "but Republicans say the $2.7 billion bill is nothing more than a 'bailout scheme.'"
The Hill reports Frank "has "countered this criticism by bundling his measure with three items the administration badly wants in order to clean up the mortgage mess. He is also benefiting from remarks by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, who urged more action to stem foreclosures and hinted that the approach Frank is pushing may be 'the best solution.'"
Positive Reports Raise Recession Doubts The Financial Times reports, "Positive first-quarter growth, smaller than expected job losses in April and a rebound in service sector activity has reopened debate as to whether the US economic downturn is properly described as a recession." What is "indisputable is that US economic activity has deteriorated sharply since last summer and the economy is essentially stalled, with many measures pointing to mild contraction and others still slightly positive." But the economy "is not falling off a cliff. If this is a recession, it is, so far at least, 'recession-lite.'"
The House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday escalated its standoff with the White House on the Administration's interrogation policy by subpoenaing a key aide to Vice President Cheney. The AP says the panel voted "to compel a top aide to Vice President Dick Cheney to testify to the committee." David Addington, Cheney's chief of staff, is "one of several lawyers believed to have played a key role in crafting the administration's interrogation policies shortly after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks."
McClatchy reports Chairman John Conyers "could issue the subpoena for Addington as early as Wednesday." The Washington Post, meanwhile, reports that lawyers for the Vice President "have sought to limit the subjects about which Addington can be questioned, and committee sources say the scope of his testimony remains under negotiation."
The New York Times reports that "two former administration officials -- John Ashcroft, who was attorney general, and John C. Yoo, who wrote legal opinions justifying harsh techniques -- have agreed to give public testimony to the panel," staff members said.
The CBS Evening News reported, "FBI agents raided the office and home of US Special Counsel Scott Bloch today. He's being investigated for possibly destroying evidence that he mistreated members of his own staff. As special counsel, Bloch's job is to protect government whistleblowers."
The AP notes a "group of current and former Office of Special Counsel workers filed a complaint against Bloch in 2005, accusing him of retaliating against those who opposed...his policies through intimidation and involuntary transfers. The employees also accused Bloch of refusing to protect federal workers from discrimination based on sexual orientation." The Washington Post reports in a front-page story, "Bloch has long been a target of criticism, some of it by his agency's career officials, but the FBI's abrupt seizure of computers and records marked a substantial escalation of the executive branch's probe of his conduct."
The Wall Street Journal notes, "Among the office's recent inquiries was whether former White House political director Karl Rove and others improperly used U.S. agencies to help elect Republicans." A task force "interviewed officials at more than a dozen agencies and examined White House emails but found few clear violations, lawyers close to the case said." The New York Times also reports Bloch's "critics quickly accused him of announcing an inquiry into the Rove-inspired briefings simply to draw attention away from his own shortcomings. ... Mr. Bloch has denied wrongdoing."
McClatchy reports, "Agents are looking into whether Bloch deleted his agency's computer files to hinder an outside investigation of his treatment of employees," according to "officials familiar with the investigation." The Financial Times notes, "A person familiar with the raid said the FBI investigation appeared wide-ranging."
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Jay Leno: "President Bush's daughter Jenna is getting married this weekend. There'll be 200 guests at wedding, which according the latest polls, means that 140 of those people at the wedding disapprove of the job President Bush is doing.
Jay Leno: "Indiana and North Carolina held their primaries today. But the Democrats are now saying that Hillary and Barack could be battling for the nomination well into June. Now, aren't they acting more and more like Republicans? Neither one of them has an exit strategy, you know?"
Conan O'Brien: "President Bush celebrated Cinco de Mayo at the White House last night," and "he said, 'We consider ourselves fortunate that Mexico is a friend and a neighbor.' Very nice, yeah. Then Bush said, 'And by neighbor, I mean the kind who climbs over your fence and refuses to leave.'"
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