IOWA
PRESIDENTIAL WATCH
Iowa...
Where Presidents Begin
click
on each candidate to see today's news stories
(caricatures by
Linda Eddy)
Wednesday, April 2,
2008
GENERAL NEWS HEADLINES with excerpts
OBAMA TAKES LEAD in Pennsylvania...
Obama 45, Clinton 43
Hillary to Bill Richardson: He cannot win
Sources with direct knowledge of the conversation
between Sen. Clinton and Governor Bill Richardson, prior
to the Governor's endorsement of Obama say she told him
flatly, "He cannot win, Bill. He cannot win."
Richardson, who served in President Clinton's cabinet,
disagreed.
Dem turmoil testing leader Howard
Dean
... Some Democratic Party leaders, while offering
sympathy for Mr. Dean’s plight, said it was urgent that
he take a more assertive role to restore peace. Several
suggested that Mr. Dean — who has sought to build a
legacy by expanding party operations to all 50 states —
risked having his tenure as party leader remembered for
a traumatizing loss in a year where most Democrats think
victory should be easy.
Dean says superdelegates are free agents
Citing Democratic rules, national committee Chairman
Howard Dean on Tuesday said that the superdelegates who
are poised to select the party's presidential nominee
are free to back whomever they wish at the end of the
primaries, regardless of who leads in the popular vote
or pledged delegates...
Dowd to handwringers: buck up
... Hillary’s work is done only when she is done,
because the best way for Obama to prove he’s ready to
stare down Ahmadinejad is by putting away someone even
tougher.
North Carolina primary
registration 'unprecedented'
That puts the total of new registered voters in the state since
January 2007 at almost 522,000. For comparison's sake, that's more
than TWICE the amount of new voters registered during the same time
period before the 2004 election...
Oregon's May Primary spawns
party-switchers
"The bottom line is, this is the first Oregon presidential primary I
have ever voted in my life that actually could matter, and I am not
going to pass up that chance just because I am registered with the
wrong party," said the 45-year-old Buckingham. "I want to make sure
whoever gets in there, it is someone I can live with."
THE CANDIDATES:
John McCain... today's headlines
with excerpts
McCain working on veep list
Sen. John McCain is in the "embryonic stages" of
selecting a vice presidential running mate and he hopes
to unveil his choice before the Republican National
Convention to avoid the type of problems that plagued
Dan Quayle's debut two decades ago.
"It's every name imaginable" he said Wednesday of his
list-in-the-making, about 20 in all.
McCain won't fight GOP platform on
abortion, gays
McCain associates told The Washington Times that his operatives are
not going to work behind the scenes to eliminate the party's calls for
constitutional bans on abortion and homosexual marriage before the GOP
convention in September.
Under
the presumptive Republican nominee's health-care plan,
Edwards told reporters, she would not be covered, an
accusation that McCain's aides deny.
Today, Edwards expanded on that claim at The Wonk Room, a new policy
blog published by the liberal Center for American Progress.
... Edwards ends the blog item with a challenge to McCain to answer a
string of questions about his health-care plan.
Is this round one of Elizabeth Edwards versus John McCain?
McCain, Letterman trade insults on
'Late Show'
It
began with Mr. Letterman, in his monologue, making some
of his trademark McCain-looks-like-a-cranky-old-man
jokes.
“He looks like the guy at the hardware store who makes the keys,’’ he
said, according to a transcript provided by CBS. “He looks like the
guy who can’t stop talking about how well his tomatoes are doing. He
looks like the guy who goes into town for turpentine. He looks like
the guy who always has wiry hair growing out of new places. He looks
like the guy who points out the spots they missed at the car wash.’’
Then Mr. McCain walked out on stage.
“Hi, Letterman,’’ he said. “You think that stuff’s pretty funny, don’t
you?”
Then Mr. McCain unleashed a slew of his own you-look-like-a-guy jokes
at Mr. Letterman.
Mr. Letterman interjected: “Don’t knock it if you haven’t tried it.’’
Mr. McCain continued: “You look like the guy who the neighbors later
say, ‘He mostly kept to himself.’ You look like the night manager of a
creepy motel.’’
“Well, that’s what I need,’’ Mr. Letterman said.
Then Mr. McCain delivers the coup de grace: “And you look like the guy
who enjoys getting into a hot tub and watching his swim trunks
inflate.’’
DNC's top 10 reasons to elect John
McCain:
10. Who needs health insurance when we have Head On!
'McNasty' goes back to school
... One of his biographers, Robert Timberg, wrote in
“John McCain: An American Odyssey” about Mr. McCain’s
youth at Episcopal, and the way he always wore blue
jeans with his coat and tie and was given some colorful
nicknames: “he was known as Punk, alternatively as
Nasty, in another version, McNasty.’’
“He cultivated the image,’’ Mr. Timberg wrote. “The
Episcopal yearbook pictures him in a trench coat, collar
up, cigarette dangling Bogey-style from his lips.’’
McCain's 'Biography Tour' may
highlight views on war
John McCain's weeklong ``biography tour'' to showcase
his half-century of public service will underscore how
war dominates his world view.
``McCain's record of noble service is almost a singular asset in his
campaign,'' said David Gergen, a professor of public service at
Harvard University who advised four presidents. ``The question is
whether he can convince people that he will not only keep us safe but
also be cautious in using military power.''
... Building his campaign around his military background may be risky
for McCain, particularly if the economy -- which he has acknowledged
isn't his long suit -- takes center stage among voters' concerns.
McCain distances himself from Bush
"The point is, I'm not running on the Bush presidency, I'm running on
my own service to the country, my own record in the House of
Representatives and the United States Senate and my vision for the
future," McCain told ABC television.
"Now we'll have lots of time to portray that, and I'm doing that now."
Hillary Clinton... today's
headlines with excerpts
Hillary says she's ready for the 3 am phone call
announcing an economic crisis -- and John McCain is not.
Bill Clinton's tirade stunned some
CA delegates
In fact, before his speech Clinton had one of his famous meltdowns
Sunday, blasting away at former presidential contender
Bill Richardson for having
endorsed Obama, the media and the entire nomination process.
"It was one of the worst political meetings I have ever attended," one
superdelegate said...
“Rocky,”
anthem of the underdog, and a Philly favorite to boot,
rose up on the sound system Monday night at a Clinton
rally in nearby Fairless Hills, Pa. Mrs. Clinton has
grabbed on to Rocky’s story as her own, telling labor
leaders here that like him, she’s not a quitter.
“Let me tell you something,” she said in remarks prepared for delivery
to the A.F.L.-C.I.O. “When it comes to finishing the fight, Rocky and
I have a lot in common. I never quit. I never give up. And neither do
the American people.”
Hillary Clinton challenges Obama
to bowling match
In fact, she has her own bowling ball. And her own bowling shoes. She
even has her own case for the ball.
Mrs. Clinton revealed all in a brief chat with reporters Tuesday night
as her campaign plane flew here from Erie.
Earlier in the day, she had begun a news conference by stating, with
gravity, that she and her rival, Senator Barack Obama, had to do
something to clarify their competition for the presidential
nomination. This created enormous suspense, since some people have
been calling for Mrs. Clinton to concede the race. She then proposed a
bowl-off, in what turned out to be an April Fool’s joke.
Clinton aide Ickes pushing Wright
issue with superdelegates
Clinton to announce $7 billion jobs plan
Hillary Clinton is proposing $7 billion a year in tax incentives to
encourage U.S. companies not to ship jobs overseas.
At an economic summit in Pittsburgh on Wednesday organized by her
presidential campaign, the former first lady was expected to propose
the elimination of tax breaks for companies that move jobs to other
countries and use the savings to persuade companies to "insource" jobs
in the U.S.
Clinton suggests building for infrastructure,
jobs
Hillary Clinton told a gathering of Pennsylvania labor unions
yesterday that a building binge to repair American infrastructure
could create 3 million jobs over 10 years, linking her political
travails to the nation's economic malaise with a declaration that
"we're on the comeback trail as a country."
Barack Obama... today's headlines with excerpts
New polls show Obama surge in Pennsylvania
Barack Obama is surging in Pennsylvania, according to several new
polls. In one survey, released by Public Policy Polling this morning,
Obama is now leading New York Sen. Hillary Clinton for the first time,
45 percent to 43 percent. That represents a closing of a
26-percentage-point Clinton advantage from only two and a half weeks
ago.
Obama scoffs at deportations - not 'realistic'
"We are not going to send them home," the Illinois Democrat argued. "I
want us to have an honest conversation about this."
Hagel for... Obama?
But on Tuesday morning Mr. Hagel did not rule out the possibility that
he might endorse the candidacy of one of Mr. McCain’s Democratic
opponents, Senator Barack Obama. It began when, speaking on “Morning
Joe” on MSNBC, Mr. Hagel noted that he had yet to endorse anyone in
the presidential race.
Insert a new twist to the political parlor game that involves
following the moves of Rupert Murdoch and his clan: his daughter,
Elisabeth, is hosting at her London home a fundraiser for Senator
Barack Obama...
Obama race speech fails to assuage white Indiana
voters
... Pew [Research poll] also found that 39 percent of all white voters
who had heard of the controversy, including Republicans and
independents, said it made them less favorable toward Obama.
John Friend, an uncommitted Democrat and Evansville city councilman,
said Republicans may use Obama's ties to the pastor much in the same
way they attacked Democratic candidate John Kerry's patriotism in
2004.
``It's going to be like the Swift Boat thing,'' Friend said.
Obama wins backing of 9/11 commission
co-chairman Lee Hamilton
Hamilton, a former U.S. House member who co-chaired the commission
that investigated the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and headed the House
Committee on Foreign Affairs, said he was impressed by Obama's
approach to national security and foreign policy.
``I read his national security and foreign policy speeches, and he
comes across to me as pragmatic, visionary and tough,'' Hamilton said
in an interview. ``He impresses me as a person who wants to use all
the tools of presidential power.''
Obama readies plan to reshape the electorate
... But there are signs that this year could be different. In the
Obama campaign, youth turnout and Internet-based organizing - so often
promised, and rarely delivered in the past - have been made real. And
the first black nominee could reach deep into the large non-voting
tracts within the African-American community.
Pro-life groups slam Obama
"He would want his own grandchild aborted. It shows a real callous
disregard for human life," said David Osteen, executive director of
National Right to Life. "This is a window into his soul."
Obama's negative coattails?
The fact that no one is any longer talking about a sweeping Obama win
is a stunning and rapid change.
Rather, Republican strategists are looking at swing districts in
Pennsylvania, Michigan, Indiana, Arizona and others. Those 4 states
alone are home to 9 Democratic freshmen who will be vulnerable in
their first run for re-election. The list also ignores a number of
races where Republicans will be competitive regardless of how the
Democratic presidential candidate fares.
Ralph Nader... today's headlines with excerpts
...
three years after he won election as the party
chairman by running largely as an outsider, it is not
clear that Mr. Dean has the political skills or the
stature with the two campaigns to bring the nominating
battle to a relatively quick and unifying conclusion.
Whether
or not she wins, Hillary has already given noble service
as a sophisticated political tutor for Obama, providing
her younger colleague with much-needed seasoning. Who
else was going to toughen him up? Howard Dean? John
Edwards? Dennis Kucinich?
Hot
off the presses: New numbers from the North Carolina
Board of Elections show that, since the first of the
year, more than 165,000 new voters have registered to
participate in advance of the state's May 6 primary.
...
nearly 10,000 Oregonians — and thousands more voters in
other late-primary states — Buckingham has temporarily
switched his party affiliation in order to be able to
vote in the red-hot Democratic primary.
Advisers
to Sen. John McCain's presidential bid say he will not
try to "soften" the Republican party's platform on
abortion and same-sex marriage to appeal to more voters.
Elizabeth Edwards issues a
challenge to McCain on health care
WATCH
IT HERE
“Well, you look like a guy whose laptop would be seized by the
authorities,’’ Mr. McCain said. “You look like a guy caught smuggling
reptiles in his pants.’’
9. How else are we going to increase Rick Davis and
Charlie Black’s billing rates?
8. Who DOESN’T want to stay in Iraq for 100 years?
7. Early bird specials at the White House cafeteria.
6. He won’t need Dick Cheney to tell members of Congress
to "go f--- yourself.”
5. With the economy as good as it is, we really don’t
need a president who understands economics anyway.
4. His BBQ ribs actually looked pretty good.
3. Finally, the President of the National Press Club
will be made a member of the cabinet.
2. Best Karaoke Song Ever: “Bomb, Bomb, Bomb, Bomb,
Bomb, Iran.”
1. The last seven years have been so great, let’s have
four more! 
Day
Two of Senator John McCain’s This-is-Your-Life-Tour is
to begin here this morning at Episcopal High School,
where he was a somewhat rebellious member of the Class
of 1954.
Hillary's
new '3 am' ad - on economy
The
Bill Clinton who met
privately with California's superdelegates at last weekend's state
convention was a far cry from the congenial former president who
afterward publicly urged fellow Democrats to "chill out" over the race
between his wife, Hillary Rodham
Clinton, and Barack Obama.
Hillary's new 'Rocky' campaign
theme song...
Hillary
Clinton may have been joking Tuesday when she challenged
Senator Barack Obama to a bowling match, but she’s no
stranger to keggling.
top
Clinton aide Harold Ickes admitted pushing the Rev.
Jeremiah Wright issue with superdelegates: "Look
what the Republicans did to a genuine war hero," Ickes
said, in a reference to John Kerry. "Super delegates
have to take into account the strengths and weakness of
both candidates and decide who would make the strongest
candidate against what will undoubtedly be ferocious
Republican attacks," Ickes continued. "I've had super
delegates tell me that the Wright issue is a real issue
for them." ...
A
man asked the presidential hopeful what he would do about border
security. In his response, Mr. Obama posed the question about what to
do with the people here illegally, prompting someone in the audience
of his town hall forum to shout "Send them home!"
It
is no secret that Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, an outspoken
Republican critic of the war in Iraq, does not see eye to eye with
Senator John McCain on the war.
Murdoch's
daughter hosts Obama fundraiser
Interviews
with dozens of Democrats in this overwhelmingly white region -- where
voters will go to the polls in the May 6 primary -- suggest residual
concerns over the controversy involving Obama's former pastor,
Reverend Jeremiah Wright. 
Barack
Obama has won the endorsement of one of his party's top foreign policy
figures, Lee Hamilton, who hails from Indiana, home to one of the next
crucial primary votes. 
Every
four years, Democrats claim, and reporters write, that a massive voter
registration and field operation will reshape the electorate in their
favor. In recent years, they've been matched or bested by the
Republican National Committee's targeted outreach to likely Republican
voters. 
Pro-life
activists say Sen. Barack Obama's abysmal record on abortion issues is
reflected by his remark that he would not want his daughters to be
"punished with a baby" if they were to make a "mistake" as teenagers.
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