While the Democratic contest may be ongoing, both Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain are acting as if it were over and actively targeting each other. McCain yesterday targeted Obama during a speech to the National Restaurant Association in Obama's hometown of Chicago, where Fox News reported he "ripped into Obama for suggesting that because the U.S. negotiated with the Soviets during the Cold War talks with Iranian president Ahmadinejad are logical now." McCain said, "Such a statement betrays the depth of Sen. Obama's inexperience and reckless judgment. These are very serious deficiencies for an American president to possess." ABC World News reports Obama "shot back that McCain had glossed over why Iran is a threat at all." Obama was shown saying, "The reason Iran is so much more powerful now than it was a few years ago is because of the Bush-McCain policy of fighting an endless war in Iraq." The CBS Evening News ran a very similar report as its lead story.
The Chicago Tribune adds that McCain's "charge...advanced a heated ongoing battle of words over how the new president should navigate the tricky shoals of Middle East diplomacy and laid the rhetorical foundation for an issue that almost certainly will be revisited in the coming months." While "a wispy cloud of uncertainty hovers over the Democratic race, the framework of the November campaign is rapidly taking shape, with Obama saying a McCain presidency would amount to four more years of George W. Bush and McCain countering that Obama lacks the heft and experience to be president."
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times reports Obama "assailed" McCain "for a campaign 'being run by Washington lobbyists and paid for with their money.'" In a reference to "a string of resignations from McCain's presidential campaign by staffers with ties to lobbying organizations, Obama said that 'after nearly three decades in Washington, John McCain can't see or won't acknowledge what's obvious to all of us here today: that lobbyists aren't just part of the system in Washington, they're part of the problem.'" The Washington Post reports in a front page story that McCain's campaign "shot back quickly, challenging Obama to 'shed light on the long list of federal lobbyists advising him on policy issues' and accusing him of diverting attention from more serious matters."
The AP reports this morning that Sen. Barack Obama will "reach a significant milestone" after today's primaries in Oregon and Kentucky while he will still be shy of the total number of delegates needed to secure the nomination, he will have a majority of those awarded in nominating contests. McClatchy adds that Obama campaign manager David Plouffe said Monday, "When the votes are counted in Oregon and Kentucky, we could secure a majority of delegates elected by the voters. A clear majority of elected delegates will send an unmistakable message: The people have spoken, and they are ready for change." The Los Angeles Times adds that to "mark the moment," Obama "will appear at a rally tonight not in one of the primary states, but in Iowa -- the state whose January caucuses brought Obama a win that galvanized his campaign."
However, the New York Times reports in a front page story that Obama "said he would not declare victory...or suggest the Democratic primary should end until the final three contests are finished on June 3." Obama "does not want to appear as if he is pushing Mrs. Clinton out of the race, preferring instead to treat her gracefully as a worthy Democratic fighter, not as a stubborn nemesis."
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Sen. Barack Obama continued to pull in the backing of the superdelegates that will be necessary to formally put him over the top in the Democratic contest. The Des Moines Register reports this morning that Iowa Democratic Party chairman Scott Brennan is expected to announce today that he is backing Obama, while the Seattle Post-Intelligencer says that Washington State Democratic Party Chairman Dwight Pelz has also backed Obama. Meanwhile, the Washington Post reports on its front page that Sen. Hillary Clinton "suffered a major blow yesterday when" West Virginia Sen. Robert C. Byrd "announced that he will support Obama, even though Clinton won his home state by 41 percentage points last Tuesday, has worked with him on a measure to de-authorize the Iraq war and has courted him repeatedly." Finally, the AP reports that a pair of Alaska superdelegates, Alaska National Committeewoman Cindy Spanyers and state Democratic Party Vice Chairman Blake Johnson, both also backed Obama yesterday.
With Democrats going to the polls today in Kentucky and Oregon, Sen. Hillary Clinton is looking to notch another big win in Kentucky to bolster her flagging campaign. The CBS Evening News reported, "Polls indicate" Hillary Clinton "is expected to win big here in Kentucky tomorrow. Her strategy seems simple, emphasize Kentucky, ignore Oregon where Obama's expected to win and then hope other Democrats do the same." The Louisville Courier-Journal reports that Clinton and her husband "spent the day crisscrossing the state, holding event after event in cities such as Grayson, Richmond, Danville and Lexington and ending with a nighttime rally at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville. Obama, who was campaigning in Montana, sent his wife, Michelle, to Kentucky to stump for him. She made stops in Hopkinsville, Louisville and Lexington."
Clinton Up Big In Kentucky Poll The AP (5/20) reports that a Suffolk University telephone poll of 600 likely Kentucky Democratic primary voters conducted May 17-18 shows Sen. Hillary Clinton leading Sen. Barack Obama 51% to 25%.
The New York Post reports this morning that a poll from Suffolk University yesterday showed Sen. Barack Obama leading Sen. Hillary Clinton only 45%-41% in Oregon, a state in which Obama is heavily favored in today's primary. However, the Portland Tribune runs an interview with Portland, Oregon pollster Tim Hibbitts, who says that the poll's methodology is flawed, as it gives too much weight to older voters who favor Clinton and too little to younger voters who favor Obama.
Gallup's Democratic primary tracking poll shows that for the first time, Sen. Barack Obama has opened a large lead over Sen. Hillary Clinton. Obama is currently favored by 55% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents to Clinton's 39%. Obama's lead has steadily increased in recent days, moving up from 48%-44% on May 15. In the general election, however, Clinton still slightly outperforms Obama against Sen. John McCain. While Obama edges McCain 46%-45%, Clinton holds a wider 48%-44% lead in general election trial heats. The Democratic results are based on interviews with 1,261 Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents from May 16-18, while the general election numbers are based on 4,444 registered voters interviewed from May 14-18.
The Philadelphia Inquirer, noting the sparring on Monday between Barack Obama and John McCain on foreign policy, says Hillary Clinton, "left out of this back-and-forth, reaffirmed her intention to stay in the race regardless of the outcomes today and warned Obama not to get ahead of himself. 'I'm going to make my case and I'm going to make it until we have a nominee,' she said in Maysville, Ky. ... 'But we're not going to have one today, and we're not going to have one tomorrow, and we're not going to have one the next day.'"
The New York Times reports this morning that Clinton is laying out "one of the most pugnacious political messages of her campaign: That she is ahead in the national popular vote when all votes are counted, including from the unsanctioned primaries in Michigan and Florida, and that party leaders who have a vote as super-delegates should reflect this level of appeal." The Times calls the claim "debatable."
However, there are signs that the campaign is winding down, whether or not Clinton is willing to say so publicly. The Washington Post, in a front-page article titled, "Democrats Observe A Fragile Cease-Fire," says "the reality is that both sides have declared an effective cease-fire as they prepare to bring the party together for a general-election campaign." In addition, the AP reports Obama's chief strategist David Axelrod has "reached out" to former Clinton campaign chief Patti Solis Doyle "about joining forces for the general election" in what the AP describes as "the latest sign of political reconciliation between the two rivals as Obama begins consolidating his position as the likely Democratic nominee." The Politico reports that Solis Doyle's "possible hiring is a major breach not just in Clinton's campaign but in the political universe known as 'Hillaryland,' a term Solis Doyle reportedly coined after joining the Clintons in 1991 as the first lady's personal scheduler."
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White House counselor Ed Gillespie took NBC to task for the editing of correspondent Richard Engel's interview with President Bush, which Gillespie said misled the network's viewers. The Wall Street Journal says the White House questioned whether NBC's "cable talk-show hosts are skewing the broadcast network's point of view." The "broadside by White House counselor Ed Gillespie, in a letter to NBC News President Steve Capus...describes NBC's editing of the Bush interview piece as 'deceitful...misleading and irresponsible,' and asked the network to air Mr. Bush's complete answers to a couple of questions." The Administration's "primary concern appeared to be that" Engel "suggested Mr. Bush views negotiations with Iran as 'pointless' under any circumstances, when the administration's policy is that it would negotiate with Iran if it verifiably suspended its uranium-enrichment program." In his response, Capus defends NBC, and calls Gillespie's accusations "a gross misrepresentation of the facts."
NBC Nightly News briefly noted the story last night, saying, "Late today the White House issued a strongly worded letter criticizing NBC News for among other things how we presented Richard Engel's interview with President Bush on this broadcast last night. As we pointed out on last night's broadcast, the entire interview with the president is available on our website nightly.msnbc.com." In The Politico, Michael Caldero runs the full text of Gillespie's letter, while The Hill calls Gillespie's letter "scathing." The Washington Post called it an "unusual attack on a national news network."
Radio Host Laura Ingraham, guest hosting Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, said, "As you know, there has been a lot of criticism of NBC made by Bill [O'Reilly] that the news agency has gone far left and this is just another piece of that evidence. As The Factor reported just a few months ago, Richard Engel, who conducted that Bush interview, has refused to give the surge in Iraq any credit whatsoever."
Former Bush aide Karl Rove, appearing on Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor said, "This is atrocious. Richard Engel was a respected journalist. For him to have edited this, or allowed it to be edited by some minion at NBC, so that the entire purpose of the President's answer is lost, or left on the cutting floor is pretty amazing."
Media reports are giving a new Senate deal on mortgage legislation a good chance of reaching the President's desk. Moreover, the Wall Street Journal reports on its front page that Bush yesterday "appeared to offer partial support for the Senate's efforts. Referring to the moves to bolster supervision of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, he said, 'Congress is making progress.' This was a shift from previous White House veto threats." Bush added, "We look forward to working with Congress to get a good piece of legislation to my desk that helps our fellow citizens, and helps us get through this housing issue." Rep. Barney Frank, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee "and a prominent voice on housing...suggested that the Senate deal, following the House vote, could ease passage for a final bill." The Boston Herald notes Frank told a Suffolk University Law School forum yesterday that Republicans "are really getting pressure to go forward," and that he "expects Bush to sign whatever lawmakers ultimately pass, as the measure has support from 'a lot of Republicans from (foreclosure-wracked) Ohio, Michigan, Florida and Nevada.'"
Meanwhile, the New York Times also says "the Bush administration, which previously said it would oppose legislation to rescue troubled homeowners, suggested that it was willing to consider the Senate deal because lawmakers had found a way to eliminate any direct cost to taxpayers." Reporting on the Senate deal, the Financial Times reports that "after weeks of wrangling, Chris Dodd and Richard Shelby, the senior Democratic and Republican lawmakers on the Senate banking committee, said" their agreement "would allow the US government to guarantee the refinancing of up to $300bn (192bn, £153bn) in mortgages at more affordable levels for about 500,000 people." McClatchy notes Dodd told a press conference, "We've taken the word partisan out of this." Shelby "went on CNBC television with similar upbeat assessments."
The Washington Post briefly notes the agreement, and says it "addresses one of the administration's primary concerns: It would cover the cost of the rescue plan -- estimated at $1.7 billion over five years -- by temporarily diverting as much as $900 million a year that had been designated for low-income rental housing." The Hill notes the legislation is "expected to pass through committee on Tuesday," and the Los Angeles Times reports that "the deal, full details of which were not spelled out, reflects the election-year pressure that lawmakers feel to find common ground on one of the most pressing issues facing the country." Shelby "expressed optimism that a new financing arrangement agreed to Monday would attract more support from his Republican colleagues, who have voiced concern about any measure that could be seen as a government bailout of speculators."
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The Washington Post reports this morning that according to a House Democratic report, "Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen L. Johnson favored giving California some authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks last year before he consulted with the White House and reversed course." A "five-month probe by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee drew upon more than 27,000 pages of internal EPA documents and interviews with eight key agency officials, and it provides the most detailed look yet at the administration's mid-December decision."
The Los Angeles Times notes Rep. Henry A. Waxman, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and an implacable Bush critic, said yesterday, "It appears that the White House played a significant role in the reversal of the EPA decision." Waxman's comments "drew a sharp rebuke from the panel's top Republican, Rep. Thomas M. Davis III of Virginia, who called the chairman's allegation 'a knee-jerk conclusion of nefarious intent by the White House derived from a manifestly incomplete investigation.'" Johnson "repeatedly has denied that he was swayed by pressure from the White House or the auto industry, which has fought the state's efforts to enact tougher emission standards based on greenhouse gases. He also has refused to discuss his conversations with President Bush about the issue."
The Hill notes Waxman's memo also says the issue "raises questions about the basis for the White House actions. The Clean Air Act contains specific standards for considering California's petition. ... It would appear to be inconsistent with the president's constitutional obligation to faithfully execute the laws of the United States if the president or his advisers pressured Administrator Johnson to ignore the record before the agency for political or other inappropriate reasons."
UAW Siding Against Dems The Wall Street Journal reports, "An effort by Senate Democrats to let California regulate greenhouse-gas emissions from automobiles is drawing opposition from one of the party's traditional allies, the United Auto Workers, ahead of a pivotal vote Wednesday." The union "is urging members of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee to vote against legislation sponsored by the panel's chairwoman, Barbara Boxer (D., Calif.), that would effectively overturn the Bush administration's decision in December denying California permission to regulate such emissions." The Journal adds, "In a letter Monday to Sen. Boxer, the union's legislative director, Alan Reuther, condemned the measure as 'misguided.'"
Fox Special Report reported Sen. Joe Lieberman "has asked Google to block terrorist groups from posting videos on YouTube." Lieberman says "al-Qaeda and others use such videos to spread propaganda to these followers and even provide weapons training."
UPI reports that in a blog posting that YouTube "said it welcomed the dialogue with Mr. Lieberman but noted that 'most of the videos' his office had drawn to its attention 'did not contain violent or hate speech content' and had not been removed from the site 'because they do not violate our Community Guidelines.'"
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Jay Leno: "Thank you for coming out on such a hot day. ... It was so hot, Hillary Clinton became delusional, began claiming she could win the White House. I'm sorry, that's the regular Hillary."
Jay Leno: "Yesterday, an estimated 75,000 people attended a Barack Obama rally" on the banks of the Willamette River. And "if you believe the media, listen to this. After the rally, Barack Obama fed them all with five loaves of bread and two fish."
Jay Leno: "And the oldest serving member of Congress, former Klan member Senator Robert Byrd, has endorsed Barack Obama for president. That's got to make Hillary feel good, huh? Even the Klan guy is going, 'I'm gonna go with the black guy.'"
Conan O'Brien: "Hillary Clinton still campaigning hard. In a speech this weekend that she just gave, Hillary Clinton said that John McCain 'couldn't be more out of touch.' Yeah. Yeah, then Hillary said, 'Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm about to win the Democratic nomination.'"
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