The Democrats may have hoped to show a unified party at their convention this week, but despite the best efforts of Barack Obama's campaign, the media's major focus is on the ongoing friction between the Obama and Clinton camps. In its lead story, NBC Nightly News calls the story "the subplot" as the convention gets underway: "Forces loyal to the Clintons are still active. All is not running entirely smoothly behind the scenes. Feelings are still bruised, and there are about three days left to heal them." Also in its lead story, ABC World News said last night "the unity of the Democratic Party was under the spotlight" in Denver, with "many supporters of Sen. Hillary Clinton still bitter about her loss in the primaries." ABC World News added later in its broadcast that "there is a lot of concern...about whether this convention shows unity or disunity. There are some signs of disunity, discord. A lot of unhappy Clinton delegates."
A widely-distributed McClatchy story says "signs of trouble for Obama persisted," as "about half of Clinton's supporters are still not sold on Obama, polls show, with some leaning his way and others saying flat out they'll vote for McCain." The Washington Post, under the headline "Not All Clinton Backers Feeling The Love From Obama," reports on Clinton supporters "who are threatening not to fully support Obama in his general election battle against" McCain, and they "have been nicknamed PUMAs 'party unity my [expletive].'" The AP reports Clinton and Obama "agreed Monday to limit a divisive roll call for president, giving delegates a brief but historic choice between a black man and white woman." However, "some Clinton delegates said they were not interested in a compromise, raising the prospect of floor demonstrations that would underscore the split between Obama and Clinton Democrats." In a front-page story titled "Barack Obama-Hillary Clinton Rift Persists," the Los Angeles Times reports, "some black delegates who are pledged to Obama are unhappy -- even seething -- at what they say is weak support from the former president and first lady in the wake of a bitter primary campaign." In his "Washington Sketch" column for the Washington Post, Dana Milbank writes Clinton and Obama aides are supplying "reporters with murderous anonymous quotes about each other -- one Obama partisan told Politico.com that aides to Clinton, who will address the convention Tuesday night, were acting like 'Japanese soldiers in the South Pacific still fighting after the war is over.'"
Cable broadcasts also picked up the theme. Fox News referred to "the subplot here in Denver of the disunity and lingering potential resentment between the Clinton supporters and the Obama supporters." That rift, added Fox, "threatens to overshadow all that careful choreography." CNN's The Situation Room also said "Democratic strategists are concerned that disunity is the biggest threat to Obama making Denver a success."
McCain Looking To Rub Salt In Wounds ABC World News notes that the McCain camp is working hard to exacerbate the rift between the two camps, reporting that "last week, Clinton's brother Tony Rodham met with some campaign officials for Sen. John McCain. And former President Clinton recently praised McCain for his leadership on global warming. Fissures in the party that Republicans are hoping to exploit in a glut of new TV ads reminding voters of what Clinton said about Obama just a few weeks ago." ABC played footage of the ad, which shows Clinton saying, "You never hear the specifics. Senator McCain will bring a lifetime of experience to the campaign. I will bring a lifetime of experience. And Sen. Obama will bring a speech that he gave in 2002." ABC continued, "Another ad features a former Democratic delegate for Clinton." Debra Bartoshevich, former Clinton delegate: "She had the experience and judgment to be president. Now in a first for me, I'm supporting a Republican. John McCain." The CBS Evening News noted that "Clinton, calling on party unity, responded" to the ad featuring Bartoshevich "with a message of her own." Clinton was shown saying, "I am Hillary Clinton, and I do not approve that message."
The New York Times adds Republicans "here are ready to exploit the divide, with Carleton S. Fiorina, the former Hewlett-Packard chief executive and one of Mr. McCain's economic advisers, seeking to meet with Clinton delegates."
Obama Camp Worried About Bill Clinton's Speech Hillary Clinton appears to be doing what she can to tamp down the flames. She is scheduled to speak tonight and praise Obama, and yesterday, the New York Times reports she "implored" her supporters to back Obama. However, The Hill reports that its not her, but Bill Clinton "who has Democrats worried" as he "has a history of stealing the limelight at conventions."
Michelle Obama led off the Democratic convention's prime time speaker's list, appearing with brother Craig Robinson, the basketball coach at Oregon State University. She was introduced by a short video, "South Side Girl," which described her humble roots in Chicago. The Wall Street Journal reports that her "biggest challenge" in her prime time speech was "to make the country more comfortable with her husband -- and herself." Aides "called her speech on Monday a 'reintroduction' to the country. The goal was to show the Obamas as 'an American family,' said one. 'It's get to know the Obamas; they could live next door.'" The AP adds Michelle Obama "cast herself and husband Barack as people guided by bedrock American values and a desire to improve the world for their two daughters and all children in her address Monday to the Democratic National Convention." The Los Angeles Times reports Michelle Obama, "a graduate of Princeton, stressed her blue-collar Chicago upbringing" and to "those who would question her patriotism, Michelle Obama offered a long and passionate paean to America's possibility, ending with the affirmation, 'That is why I love this country.'" The Washington Post reports in a front page story that Mrs. Obama sounded "a call to the country to listen 'to our hopes instead of our fears,' and 'to stop doubting and to start dreaming.'"
The New York Times notes the extent to which the campaign went to re-introduce Michelle Obama, writing she "is at the center of a multimedia charm offensive that may be the most closely managed spousal rollout in presidential campaign history. On Monday night, Mrs. Obama delivered a prime-time speech at the Democratic National Convention, preceded by an intricately made biographical video, a touch usually afforded to candidates, not their wives."
Early reaction to the speech is positive. For example, in their New York Post column, Dick Morris and Eileen McGann write that Michelle Obama "last night became a political plus, not a problem." In his column in The Politico, Roger Simon writes that "she made the speech hers, and she made it a good one."
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Sen. Edward Kennedy, who has been receiving treatment for terminal brain cancer, was scheduled to address the Democratic convention via video. But Kennedy, ignoring medical advice, flew to Denver to personally call upon delegates to unify in support of Barack Obama in an emotion-laden speech. The AP says, "His voice firm, his wave familiar," Kennedy "told a cheering Democratic National Convention Monday night that this is 'a season of hope' for an era of justice and fair prosperity with the election of Barack Obama as president." The New York Times reports on the front page that Kennedy arrived "in a triumphant appearance that provided an emotional start for the event as the party turned to a new era and gathered to nominate" Obama. The Wall Street Journal adds in a "surprise, emotional appearance before adoring Democratic delegates, an ailing" Kennedy "invoked the memory of his slain brother as he called on America to elect Barack Obama." McClatchy says Kennedy's "presence alone was expected to be a reminder of the party's glory years, and that Obama is about to inherit the family legacy, said Rep. John Lewis , D-Ga., a 1960s civil-rights movement veteran who was close to Robert Kennedy."
Most reports focused on the high level of emotion that accompanied the appearance. The Washington Post says "almost every sentence of which was greeted with cheers," while the Denver Post said Kennedy "electrified" the convention with "a voice that has rallied Democrats for 46 years." The New York Post reports, "Delegates wept openly as they waved printed blue 'Kennedy' signs." The Los Angeles Times adds Caroline Kennedy "choked up as she introduced her Uncle Teddy. Maria Shriver wiped away a tear."
The New York Times reports in a front page story in a "modern production studio about a mile from where the Democrats were opening their convention here Monday, a SWAT team of Republican operatives dispatched to crash Senator Barack Obama's party was reveling in its accomplishments." Though the "opposition party once more or less ceded the stage to the convening party during its convention," on the "first day of the Democratic convention, it was clear that this year will break new ground, with each side planning a full-bore run during the other's convention." USA Today reports that the GOP has launched notready08.com, a website that features "top Democrats blasting" Obama's "short political résumé in words they might wish to retract." USA Today also notes that a number of GOP officials will be rolling into Denver to give their take on the Democratic convention, including Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani.
On the CBS Evening News, former White House official Dan Bartlett said, "I think you will look for the McCain campaign to really" pursue "two objectives. First, trying to throw as many wrenches into this Democratic process this week as they can, pointing out the rifts we've been talking about tonight between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Secondly, I think they will try to use the more liberal aspects of the people being showcased here at this convention to help fire up the Republican base."
The AP reports, "Federal authorities are looking into reports that a man arrested with rifles, ammunition and drugs in his truck may have made threats against Barack Obama, officials said Monday. ... 'It's premature to say that it was a valid threat or that these folks have the ability to carry it out,' said a U.S. government official familiar with the investigation." The AP adds, "FBI spokeswoman Kathy Wright confirmed the FBI was investigating the reports but declined to elaborate." KUSA-TV Denver reported on its website from a broadcast story that "federal officials are downplaying the arrests, saying when one of the men was arrested, he made a threat against Obama, but they do not believe it was based on any kind of plan or actually intent." Federal officials are expected to hold a news conference today.
The Gallup daily presidential tracking poll shows the race tied nationally at 45% apiece for the 2nd day in a row. The poll surveyed 2,644 registered voters from August 22-24. The Rasmussen Reports automated daily presidential tracking poll of 3,000 likely voters for August 25 shows Barack Obama leading John McCain 46%-42%, and 48%-45% including leaners.
Three new polls out this morning from Quinnipiac University show John McCain holding a 4 point lead in Florida, Obama up 7 points in Pennsylvania, and nearly a dead heat in Ohio, where Obama leads by a single point. In Florida, McCain leads 47%-43%, up from a 46%-44% lead in a similar set of surveys released July 31. In Pennsylvania, Obama is up 49%-42%, unchanged from the last set. In Ohio, Obama edges McCain 44%-43%, down from a 46%-44% lead at the end of July. Quinnipiac surveyed 1,069 likely Florida voters, 1,234 likely Ohio voters, and 1,234 likely Pennsylvania voters from August 17-24.
In other state polls:
McCain Up 1 In Ohio A Columbus Dispatch poll of 2,102 likely Ohio voters taken August 12-21 shows McCain leading Obama 42%-41%.
McCain Up 3 In Florida A Kitchens Group poll of 605 registered Florida voters taken August 18-21 for the Florida Chamber of Commerce shows McCain leading Obama 42%-39%.
Obama Up 2 In Michigan An EPIC/MRA survey of 600 likely Michigan voters taken August 18-21 for the Detroit News shows Obama leading McCain 43%-41%.
Obama Up 5 In Colorado A Suffolk University poll of 450 likely Colorado voters taken August 21-25 shows Obama leading McCain 44%-39%.
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An increasingly assertive Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Monday said the US has agreed to withdraw its forces from Iraq by 2011. The Financial Times reports Maliki, in remarks to "a gathering of tribal leaders in the heavily fortified green zone in Baghdad...for the first time confirmed the deadline for a troop withdrawal, which is included in a draft US-Iraqi security agreement." AFP notes Maliki also "stressed...that despite 'significant progress', there are 'still points of disagreement crucial to both sides' in the proposed security pact that will decide the future of US forces in Iraq."
A number of media reports place Maliki's remarks in the context of the ongoing talks and several cast his comments as a blow to the Administration. The Washington Post sees Maliki's comments as "an attempt" to both "win support among Iraqi leaders for a draft security accord with the United States" and "extract further concessions from American officials, less than a week after both sides said they had agreed to remove all US combat troops by the end of 2011." Similarly, McClatchy says Maliki's comments represent "a direct challenge to the Bush administration." The White House, meanwhile, "disputed Maliki's statement and made clear the two countries are still at odds over the terms of a US withdrawal."
The AP says "Maliki dug in his heels Monday on the future of the US military in Iraq, insisting that all foreign soldiers leave the country by a specific date in 2011 and rejecting legal immunity for American troops." The New York Times reports Maliki "toughened his language," and adds that "though Mr. Maliki seemed to be referring to all foreign troops in his statements, Iraqi negotiators have said recently that an agreed-upon 2011 date is for combat forces only, and that 'training and support' forces could remain after that if invited by the Iraqi government."
In an editorial the Financial Times says the Bush Administration "has bowed to Iraqi pressure for a troop withdrawal timetable," agreeing "to a plan that looks embarrassingly closer to the position of Barack Obama."
Meanwhile, the Christian Science Monitor reports from Basra on the improving security conditions in that city, and says "the British role all along...has been one of training and assistance to the fledgling Iraqi security forces." The "gains seen on the ground make talk of a complete British withdrawal from the south of Iraq in early 2009 seem like a realistic possibility."
Video Shows Drugged Female Suicide Bomber Iraqi police released a video that purports to show a teenage girl who has been drugged and strapped with explosives. The AP reports the video shows the girl "with an explosives vest tightly strapped to her body" is "handcuffed to a metal grid, her head repeatedly falling forward as several policemen huddle around her. After several minutes, the officers lift her flowered robe, remove the white vest hidden underneath and then take her for questioning, videotaping her in the presence of reporters."
ABC World News showed the "rare video," which "gives a sobering view of a growing phenomenon here: Female suicide bombers." McClatchy reports that "a day later," the girl, whose name is Rania, "seemed in a daze as she spoke about the people who put her up to it: the relatives who forced her to don the vest and apparently drugged her, her husband, whom police accuse of being a member of the group al Qaida in Iraq , and her mother, who seemed to play a central role in turning Rania into a human bomb but whom she looked to as a rescuer."
In a development that threatens to destabilize a key US ally in the war on terror, Pakistan's governing coalition has fragmented. The AP says the move throws "Pakistan into political turmoil just as it faces an increasingly difficult fight against Islamic militants," even as it gives "more power to Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of assassinated ex-leader Benazir Bhutto and a corruption-tainted former polo player who now becomes the front-runner to replace Musharraf."
The New York Times says "the departure of" former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, "whose party sat uneasily with the Pakistan Peoples Party, is unlikely to result in immediate nationwide elections. The Pakistan Peoples Party holds the most seats in the Parliament, but not a majority." But McClatchy reports the breakdown of the coalition amounts to "a blow to chances for political stability in the nuclear-armed country."
The Washington Post reports "Sharif's party garnered the second-largest share of votes in national parliamentary elections in February, after campaigning aggressively on a promise to reinstate the judiciary." The Wall Street Journal and AFP also reported the story.
Khalilzad Under Fire On its front page, the New York Times reports Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad "is facing angry questions from other senior Bush administration officials over what they describe as unauthorized contacts with...Zardari, a contender to succeed Pervez Musharraf as president of Pakistan." According to a senior US official, Khalilzad "had spoken by telephone with Mr. Zardari...several times a week for the past month until he was confronted about the unauthorized contacts."
President Bush yesterday dispatched Vice President Cheney to the Caucasus region, where the situation in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia remains fluid, and could worsen significantly if Russian President Dmitry Medvedev takes the recommendation of Russia's lawmakers to recognize the country's breakaway provinces. The AP reports Bush "appealed" to Medvedev on Monday "to ignore the advice of lawmakers and refrain from recognizing Georgia's breakaway regions as independent." The White House also announced on Monday that Vice President Dick Cheney "would visit Georgia, a blast of support for an ally still reeling from its brief war with Russia."
The Wall Street Journal runs a brief report on Bush's comments, while the Washington Post reports that "neither Medvedev nor Prime Minister Vladimir Putin indicated whether the government would follow through and formally recognize the secession of South Ossetia and Abkhazia over the objections of the United States and Georgia's other Western allies. But in separate remarks, the two Russian leaders declared the government was ready to suffer a breakdown in relations with NATO and setbacks in its efforts to join the World Trade Organization."
The Financial Times notes the parliament's vote, which Bush said "deeply concerned" him, have "no force unless and until...Medvedev endorses it." Experts, meanwhile, "say it is unlikely that the Kremlin will take action immediately on the parliamentary resolutions, but that the votes were a way to increase pressure on Georgia's government, and increase Russia's negotiating clout with Nato as the conflict in Georgia moves from a military one to a political one."
The Wall Street Journal reports the Russian parliament's "unanimous votes...immediately drew stern condemnations from Western leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel," who "warned...Medvedev not to complete the process by officially recognizing the separatists as independent countries, a move that would effectively break up Georgia." But a "confident" Kremlin has "seemed impervious to pressure so far."
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Jay Leno: "Did you all enjoy the Olympic Games? ... Well, how about that one American female competitor who got robbed of her silver medal, huh? What was her name? Oh, Hillary Clinton. Yeah, that's what it was."
Jay Leno: "As you all know by now, Barack Obama sent out a cell phone text message at 3:00 a.m. on Saturday morning to tell everyone he picked Joe Biden as his vice president. How do you think this makes Hillary Clinton feel, huh? Finally gets a phone call at 3:00 a.m., it's to tell her they picked Joe Biden."
Jay Leno: "As you know, John McCain is an older white haired man who has been in the Senate over 20 years, voted for the Iraq war, and said Barack Obama did not have the experience to be president. I'm sorry, that's our intro for next week when Joe Biden is on. I'm sorry, I got confused."
Jay Leno: "How about this John Edwards thing? ... Imagine that, a personal injury attorney who turns out to be a sleaze ball. Who could have seen that coming?"
David Letterman: "Joe Biden is Barack Obama's running mate. ... Yeah, nothing says change like a guy who's been in the Senate for 35 years."
Conan O'Brien: "Tomorrow night at the Democratic Convention, to show her support for Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton is going to give a speech. ... Yeah, Hillary's speech is entitled 'Forget All Those Things I Said During The Primaries.'"
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