Fletcher To Hold "Unity" Rally — Without The Other Candidates
In Kentucky today, Governor Ernie Fletcher (R) will be holding a post-primary unity rally. One problem: His opponents in the Republican primary, Anne Northup and Billy Harper, won't actually be there. Northup has simply sent a "positive letter" to the rally, and won't be involved in the campaign, and Harper is out of the country. Others attending the rally include the state's GOP Congressional delegation, many of whom endorsed Northup in the primary.

Poll Has Even More Bad News For Fletcher
In the Kentucky Gubernatorial Race, Democratic nominee Steve Beshear has built his campaign in part on a call to expand gambling in the state and collect government revenues from it, a proposal Fletcher has derided as being a platform "based on what we can do with the roll of the dice." The new SurveyUSA poll — which has Beshear up 62%-34% — shows support for legal gambling in the state is at 81%, versus only 16% who think gambling should not be allowed.

Selective Outrage From The Right On War Funding
Steve Benen documents an overlooked aspect of the current war debate: Right-wing critics who are now outraged about Hillary and Obama's votes against the Iraq War funding bill didn't seem to mind so much when President Bush himself vetoed the last war-funding bill sent to him by Congress.

MoveOn: Send Weak Tea To Reid
MoveOn.org has announced a novel form of protest at Democratic leaders over the Iraq funding bill: They are calling upon members in Harry Reid's home state of Nevada to send bags of "weak tea" to Reid, borrowing from the term Reid himself used last week to refer to the idea of an Iraq funding bill that did not include a timeline for withdrawal. MoveOn is seeking 360 Nevadans, exactly the number the of Senators and Congressmen from both parties who voted for the bill.

Direct Mail Firm Shareholders Sue CEO Over Clinton Largesse
Vinod Gupta, a longtime Democratic donor and CEO of direct mail firm InfoUSA, is facing a shareholder lawsuit over payments made to Bill Clinton for corporate consulting work since he left office. The irate shareholders state that Gupta's favors for the Clinton's, which have over $900,000 in travel expenses and a $3.3 million consulting deal for Bill, all on the company's account, amount to a "waste of corporate assets." "The dispute over Gupta's bankrolling of the Clintons offers new detail about how successfully Bill Clinton has leveraged the inner circle of donors he cultivated during his tenure in the White House to his personal financial benefit since he left office," The Washington Post reports. "In addition, it suggests the degree to which Hillary Clinton's political career is also benefiting from those connections."

Auto Industry To Run Ads Against Mileage Standard Increases
The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers is running a radio and newspaper ad campaign starting this weekend, calling upon members of Congress to oppose a proposal to increase the fuel mileage requirements for cars and trucks by 10 miles per gallon over the next ten years. The ads will be targeted at states with a high proportion of truck and SUV drivers.

McCain: "It's no more amnesty than I am a Martian."
John McCain defended the immigration deal in a conference call with Iowa reporters: "It's no more amnesty than I am a Martian." McCain also issues an ultimatum to opponents of the legislation. "I believe that if you are opposed to this legislation, then you have the obligation to propose something of your own."

Arpaio Denounces McCain: Put Illegal Immigrants In Jail
In Arizona, popular yet controversial Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio put out a statement lambasting McCain's immigration legislation. "All they talk about is amnesty, deportation and border security because Washington politicians are scared to death to talk about putting these illegals in jail when there are already laws on the books to allow it," Arpaio writes. Arpaio is an Arizona Republican who is not supporting his home state's candidate, and is instead boosting Mitt Romney.

Fred Thompson Blames Reagan For Illegal Immigration Problem — And Terrorism
At Thursday night's Connecticut Republican dinner, Fred Thompson had very strong words for the 1986 immigration bill signed by President Reagan, which he says encouraged more illegal immigration by granting amnesty for the people here at the time. "Twelve million illegal immigrants later, we are now living in a nation that is beset by people who are suicidal maniacs and want to kill countless innocent men, women and children around the world," Thompson said.

Hillary Unveils Health Care Proposals
Hillary Clinton is walking upon ground that proved to be treacherous for her in the early 1990's, rolling out a set of health care proposals. While her proposals mainly focus on preventive health care and electronic record-keeping in order to lower costs, one aspect could have a tough time passing: "As president, I will end the practice of insurance company cherry-picking once and for all by allowing anyone who wants to join a plan to do so and prohibiting insurance companies from carving out benefits or charging higher rates to people with health problems."

Edwards Campaign: Hillary Is Taking Our Health Care Proposals
"Today's ideas have a familiar ring," said Edwards campaign spokesman Mark Kornblau, talking about Hillary's proposals for health care. "John Edwards proposed specific steps to make health care affordable three months ago and — from preventative care to chronic care to paperless records — Senator Clinton has followed him down that path. We welcome her support and eagerly await her plan for universal coverage."

NH GOP Chair Solicits $10,000 Contributions From Candidates To Speak At Dinner
New Hampshire Republican Party chairman Fergus Cullen is taking the unusual (for New Hampshire) step of soliciting donations of $10,000 from the Presidential candidates for a "premier speaking opportunity" at the state party's June 6 fundraising diner. A donation of $5,000 will grant a less cushy "opportunity to speak." The New Hampshire GOP, out of power in state government since last fall, and owing $125,000 over five years to the state Dems in a settlement for the 2002 phone-jamming, needs the money.

Rudy Accuses Hillary And Obama Of Being "Anti-Troops"

In an interview with ABC News radio, Rudy Giuliani said that Hillary and Obama's votes against the no-withdrawal-timetables Iraq funding bill showed that they had "moved from being not just anti-war, but to being anti-troops." No response yet from either Dem.

Intelligence Committee: Administration Ignored Warnings That Iraq Would Turn Out Badly

By a 10-5 vote — Eight Democrats plus Republicans Olympia Snowe and Chuck Hagel — the Senate Intelligence Committee has issued a report accusing the Bush Administration of ignoring warnings from the nation's spy agencies in 2003 that Iraq could degenerate in the wake of a U.S. invasion, creating a situation ultimate benefitting Al-Qaeda and Iran. In his dissent, the committee's head Republican Kit Bond said the committee "has become too embroiled in politics and partisanship to produce an accurate and meaningful report."

Several White House Candidates Didn't Read The NIE

Ben Smith reports that numerous Presidential candidates are now admitting they did not read the National Intelligence Estimate before voting on the Iraq War, but simply received briefings about it from the White House. The ones who have admitted to not personally readiing it: Hillary Clinton, John McCain and Chris Dodd — and they're the ones who have admitted to it so far. By contrast, Senators who did read the classified document included Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), Pat Roberts (R-KS) and Dick Durbin (D-IL).

Poll: In Kentucky, Fletcher Facing Landslide Defeat

In the first poll released since Tuesday's Kentucky primary, SurveyUSA has incumbent Governor Ernie Fletcher (R) losing in a landslide to the Democratic nominee, former Lt. Governor Steve Beshear, by a margin of 62%-34%. Interestingly, the poll shows that half of those who voted for Fletcher's two challengers in the Republican primary now intend to vote for Beshear.

Brownback: Religion Belongs In Public Life — But Not Theocracy

Sam Brownback told a group of Christian conservatives in Iowa that religious faith has an important role to play in politics: "I believe we should celebrate faith, not run it out of the public square." Brownback also stressed, however, that he is not advocating theocracy, the direct control of government policy by religious leaders. "I think it would be bad for religion," Brownback said. "I also think it would be bad for government."

Romney Loses Marsha Blackburn To Thompson

Mitt Romney has lost the endorsement of Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), a strong conservative who served as a national co-chair for the Romney campaign and now intends to join up with the expected campaign of fellow Tennessean Fred Thompson.

Edwards Proposes "Total Force GI Bill"

Presidential hopeful John Edwards proposed a number of policies to aid service members, including expanded health and other benefits and a "Military Families Advisory Board" at the Department of Defense. — T. W. Farnam

Key New Hampshire Legislator To Hold House Party With Biden

Joe Biden will be holding a house party in New Hampshire next Friday at the home of New Hampshire state Senator Lou D'Allesandro. A leading Democrat in the state legislature, supported John Edwards in the 2004 cycle. Is he playing the field this time?

Poll: Chambliss Potentially Vulnerable

A new survey from independent pollster Insider Advantage shows Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) potentially vulnerable to a challenge by former Governor Roy Barnes (D), edging Barnes by a mere 42%-40%. Barnes has not shown any interest in the race, was used as a baseline measurement for a well-known Democratic name. Barnes was defeated for re-election in 2002, the same year that Chambliss was elected to the Senate over one-term Democrat Max Cleland. The poll showed Chambliss beating current candidate Vernon Jones, the CEO of DeKalb County, by a wider 48%-31% margin.

Anti-War GOP'er Gilchrest Faces Primary Challenge

Congressman Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD), who has voted with the Democrats on war funding during this Congress, now has an opponent in the Republican primary. State Sen. Andy Harris, a Johns Hopkins obstetric anesthesiologist and a commander in the Naval Reserve, has formed an exploratory committee to challenge Gilchrest from the right, saying that "People across the country desire to return to the Reagan values that brought the Republican Party to power — fiscal responsibility, a strong national defense, traditional values and an optimistic view of this country and its role as a world leader.

Paccione To Run Again In Musgrave's District

Right-wing Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave (R-CO) may be in for a rematch with her 2006 opponent, former state Rep. Angie Paccione. Paccione has announced that she will seek the Democratic nomination for a rematch, and has a new campaign Web site up. Currently there are two other Democrats seeking the nomination: State Sen. Brandon Shaffer, and ex-Republican Eric Eidsness, who served in the Reagan Administration and took 11% of the vote last year as the Reform Party candidate.

Fred Thompson Wows Connecticut Crowd With Jokes

Fred Thompson had a good reception at dinner for the Connecticut Republican Party last night, impressing the crowd with humor. On his 2002 retirement from the Senate, Thompson said, "After eight years in Washington, I longed for the sincerity of Hollywood." And when he told the audience that he had an important announcement to make, "Law & Order will return for an 18th season," a woman shouted back to him: "We need you for a different job!"

Video: Bird Defecates On Bush

Here it is — A YouTube of President Bush being struck by bird dung while taking a question about Attorney General Alberto Gonzales:

Slow news day, so indulge us on this one. Take a look at Matt Drudge's latest blaring headline:

If you click on that huge headline, you get sent to an item at The Politico, where an anonymous aide to John McCain is quoted slamming Obama with the phrase. Also note that the bottom link in the upper right corner contains a link to another assault on Obama from McCain himself.

Obama, meanwhile, released his response to McCain nearly three hours ago. No sign of that anywhere on Drudge. Anonymous aide blasts Obama and it's Drudge's lead story. Obama himself faults McCain on the record -- no link at all. Funny, that.

Like we said, slow news day.

McCain hits back at Obama's broadside from earlier today:

"While Senator Obama's two years in the U.S. Senate certainly entitle him to vote against funding our troops, my service and experience combined with conversations with military leaders on the ground in Iraq lead me to believe that we must give this new strategy a chance to succeed because the consequences of failure would be catastrophic to our nation's security.

"By the way, Senator Obama, it's a 'flak' jacket, not a 'flack' jacket."

By the way, Senator McCain, you've been consistently wrong about Iraq for five years now.

So why should anybody listen to you anymore, and who cares whether you know how to spell "flak" if your military experience didn't lead you to see that Bush's Iraq adventure would turn out to be an interminable disaster that has killed thousands of Americans and maimed many thousands more?

Update: And by the way, Senator McCain, the New Oxford American Dictionary says "flack" is okay, after all:

And by the way, Senator McCain, here, courtesy of TPM Reader MM, is an example of the "flack jacket" spelling in the Army Times.

Update II: And by the way, Senator McCain, you voted against funding our troops when you opposed the last war-funding bill that Democrats sent to the President.

From a new WNBC/Marist poll out today (link not yet available):

Most Americans do not believe either the Bush Administration or the Department of Veterans Affairs has done a good job in meeting the needs of the men and women who have returned home from Iraq. 70% disapprove of the job the Bush Administration has done and 65% do not think the Department of Veterans Affairs has done well.

Here's what's interesting about this. While the public sees Bush's policies as wasteful of the lives of American soldiers and against their interests -- frequent polls show that Americans think the war was not worth fighting, and now this poll shows that they think he's letting Iraq veterans down -- Americans do appear to think of Bush as overwhelmingly supportive of the troops in a general way.

A recent CNN poll, for instance, found that 83% of Americans think Bush supports the troops, 57% strongly. And while 73% saw the Dem Congress as supportive of the troops, only 31% saw them as strongly supportive.

One possible explanation for this could be the general meaninglessness of the phrase "support the troops." For all we know, the 83% who think Bush supports the troops think he either wishes them well or wants them to succeed, neither of which have anything to do with the actual policies he creates that directly impact them.

The Marist numbers above would seem to suggests that Dems have been successful in getting the public to see Bush policies as hurting the troops, which they've done by pushing the Walter Reed scandal and other stories. But these storylines don't appear to be putting much of a dent in the perception that Bush is more "supportive" of the troops, whatever that means, than Dems are.

You might point out that given the general meaninglessness of the phrase, perhaps this doesn't matter all that much. But let's fact it, it would be much better for Dems if voters saw them as wishing the troops well to the same extent they seem to think Bush does. Or, better still, if voters took actual policies into account when thinking about who supports the troops and who doesn't.

The back and forth between Dem and GOP Presidential candidates is heating up big time over Iraq.

Barack Obama has just unleashed the following statement hammering John McCain and Mitt Romney for criticizing Obama's vote with the majority of Americans and against the no-timetables Iraq War funding bill. Both of them lobbed familiar attacks at Obama -- surrender, white flag, blah, blah, blah. Obama's response:

?This country is united in our support for our troops, but we also owe them a plan to relieve them of the burden of policing someone else?'s civil war. Governor Romney and Senator McCain clearly believe the course we are on in Iraq is working, but I do not.

?And if there ever was a reflection of that it's the fact that Senator McCain required a flack jacket, ten armored Humvees, two Apache attack helicopters, and 100 soldiers with rifles by his side to stroll through a market in Baghdad just a few weeks ago.

?Governor Romney and Senator McCain are still supporting a war that has cost us thousands of lives, made us less safe in the world, and resulted in a resurgence of al-Qaeda. It is time to end this war so that we can redeploy our forces to focus on the terrorists who attacked us on 9/11 and all those who plan to do us harm.?

Note the direct mockery of McCain's Baghdad Stroll. Now, Barack, that's just not done. We just don't go there with McCain. Everything he does is born of unimpeachable integrity, so we don't take such a tone with him. D.C.'s elders will be very unhappy with your incivility and will be shaking their heads and murmuring their disapproval.

Seriously, one thing that deserves constant debate is whether the Dems are hitting back effectively and hard against the GOP's endlessly predictable national security attacks. This, incidentally, is why we often posts statements like these in full -- so you can evaluate the Dems' responses in light of that question.

So how's this latest? Is Obama hitting the mark here? Or does this fall short? Thoughts?

"Is it possible to be quoted yawning?"

-- Hillary spokesman Philippe Reines, quoted by The Washington Post responding to the lack of damaging revelations in two new and heavily-hyped Hillary books.

Check out the statement John McCain uncorked this morning blasting Hillary and Barack Obama for voting yesterday against the no-withdrawal-timetables Iraq War funding bill:

"I was very disappointed to see Senator Obama and Senator Clinton embrace the policy of surrender by voting against funds to support our brave men and women fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"This vote may win favor with MoveOn and liberal primary voters, but it's the equivalent of waving a white flag to al Qaeda."

Yep -- everybody except for MoveOn members and liberals wants Bush to get his war funding with no strings attached.

Oh, the mendacity, the mendacity!

Check out these numbers from the latest CBS/New York Times poll:

Which of these comes closest to your opinion? 1. Congress should block all funding for the war in Iraq no matter what; 2. Congress should allow funding, but only on the condition that the U.S. sets benchmarks for progress and the Iraqi government are meeting those goals; OR 3. Congress should allow all funding for the war without any benchmark conditions.

Block all 13%
Fund with benchmarks 69%
Allow all 15%

So nearly 70% in the latest poll want the war funded on the explicit condition that the funding comes with benchmarks that the Iraqi government is meeting. In other words, a huge majority wants the funding of the war to be conditioned on the Iraqis meeting the benchmarks. Yesterday's bill doesn't have that provision.

Wow, so nearly 70% of the public are MoveOn members and liberals. Guess they're doing much better than anyone thought.

Update: I should add an even better piece of evidence contra McCain: Back when the Dems passed their initial supplemental with a withdrawal timetable, solid majorities supported this approach in every poll I saw. Hillary and Obama were reflecting the desires of solid majorities by voting against the bill yesterday. McCain is just makin' it up.

Update II: Ask and ye shall receive. Here are three polls showing solid majority support for withdrawal timetables before the veto.

And here's a post-veto poll showing a solid majority wanted Congress to send another bill back to the President with withdrawal timetables. And 61% supported sending a bill with real enforceable benchmarks -- again, which this bill didn't have.

Webb: The Democrats Are A Senate Minority On Iraq — Blames Lieberman
Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) put out a statement explaining his vote for the Iraq bill last night: "I worked very hard to try to persuade the Democratic leadership to include clear, restrictive language in this Supplemental. I did not succeed, and was disappointed in many of the provisions that remained. However, we are working under the reality that, on the issue of Iraq, this Senate does not have a Democratic majority. From the outset, we are a minority of 49, given Senator Lieberman’s position on the war. This reality dictates our conduct. On the one hand, I find myself unable to vote against a measure that is necessary to fund our troops who are now in harm’s way. On the other, I will not relent from my continuing efforts to bring this occupation to an end."

Poll: Hillary Climbing, Rudy In Decline — And Majority Of Republicans Unsatisfied
The new CBS/New York Times poll shows Hillary Clinton's national lead over Barack Obama increasing, from 39%-24% in early April to 46%-24% now — and John Edwards has shriveled from 21% to 14%. On the Republican side, Rudy Giuliani's lead over John McCain has shrunk from 47%-25% down to 36%-22%, with Mitt Romney growing from 10% to 15%. But the current GOP'ers should watch out — only 38% of Republicans are satisfied, compared to 57% who want more choices.

Iowa Dems Not Worried About Hillary Skipping State
Iowa Democrats are not concerned about recent Clinton campaign internal memo suggesting that Hillary bypass Iowa, chalking it up as a purely hypothetical scenario that the campaign won't actually pursue. "I've spoken with them in the past about the focus on Iowa and also the need to make sure their attention continues to go into the living rooms and not just the large forums. And they have been very receptive to that," said Sandy Opstvedt, an Iowa labor activist and member of the DNC's executive committee, who is currently neutral in the campaign.

Minimum Wage Increase Will Pass
The Democrats succeeded in keeping a minimum wage increase tied to the Iraq funding bill, with a vote of 348-73 in the House. The President will sign the bill, meaning that the minimum wage will increase for the first time since 1997, going from $5.15 to $7.25.

Obama, Giuliani Favored Picnic Guests
Although Hillary has a double digit lead in national polls, most people would prefer to spend their Memorial Day with her rival Barack Obama, according to the AP. However, Hillary is actually beating Obama among Democratic respondents alone. Out of the major Republican candidates, Rudy Giuliani takes 37% to John McCain's 27%. — T. W. Farnam

Poll: Americans Support Immigration Bill's Proposals
The new CBS/The New York Times poll finds overwhelming support among the American public for the proposals being put forth in the immigration bill. Most notably, maintaining a guest-worker program, allowing illegal immigrants to attain legal status by paying a fine, and the creation of renewable "Z-Visas" all have support of over 60%. Opinions are spread fairly evenly across partisan identifications — meaning even Republicans support the bill by a wide margin. Oddly enough, though, 69% simultaneously think illegals should be prosecuted and deported.

Gingrich: I Want Real Debates
When asked what sort of developments in the Republican field might keep out of the Presidential race, Newt Gingrich said he's frustrated with the lack of substantive policy discussions in the GOP Presidential debates "I’d like to see a willingness to reject the standup, American Idol-style non-debates and insist on genuine dialogue," Gingrich said. One example Newt offered: The idea of a debate focused entirely on illegal immigration, between John McCain and Mitt Romney.

Richardson Blasts Dem Leadership
Bill Richardson has slammed the Democratic leadership for giving in to the White House on the timetable issue, saying simply that "It is wrong for the Congress to abandon a withdrawal timetable." Congress, Richardson said, should move to deauthorize the war, and for a very simple reason: "The president could not veto it," as it is Congress' authority along to declare war.

House Passes Ethics Bill
The House passed legislation requiring campaigns to disclose bundling of financial contributions by lobbyists. More information would be made available online, and breaking the rules would result in prison time. Differences with a Senate version passed in January must be reconciled in conference. – T. W. Farnam

McCain To Raise Money In Massachusetts
John McCain intends to raise money in Mitt Romney's Massachusetts stomping grounds, with a fundraiser scheduled for next month in Boston. Among the events organizers are former Acting Governor Jane Swift and former state GOP chairwoman Jean Inman.

Rudy Names Donald Trump Jr. As "All-American" Fundraiser
Rudy Giuliani has tapped 29-year old Donald Trump Jr. to serve as one his top-level fundraisers, dubbed "All-Americans." Rudy's All-Americans are committed to raising between $25,000 and $1 million for the former Mayor's campaign. Donald Trump Sr. has also done fundraising for Rudy.

Conservative Pastor Criticizes Huckabee Over Pulling Out From Carter Event
Marty Duren, an influential pastor in the Southern Baptist Convention, is publicly criticizing Mike Huckabee for withdrawing from a Baptist event in January organized by Jimmy Carter. Huckabee pulled out as a result of Carter's recent remarks about President Bush. "This, to me, is a clear confounding of the two kingdoms," Duren wrote on his blog, referring to the "kingdoms" of God and of politics. "What conservatives are about to do is pull out of the program (even though they’ve been invited) and then criticize it for being too liberal. You can’t have it both ways."

Brady Named "Mayor" of Capitol Hill
Congressman Robert Brady (D-PA) has been named Chairman of the House Administration Committee, replacing the late Juanita Millender-McDonald (D-CA), who died of cancer last month. Brady, who ran unsuccessfully in the Democratic primary for Mayor of Philadelphia last week, can take some consolation his new chairmanship — it is unofficially dubbed "Mayor of Capitol Hill."

Stender Files Against Ferguson, But Not Yet Certain About Candidacy
New Jersey State Assemblywoman Linda Stender (D) has filed to seek a rematch against GOP Congressman Mike Ferguson. However, Stender's chief of staff said the filing was for legal reasons, so Stender can continue to accept money coming in. Stender has not affirmatively stated that she will run again, but is strongly considering it. In 2006, Stender lost to Ferguson by a 49%-48% margin, his worst showing in his four elections in the district.

Huckabee Builds Whole Fundraiser Around Edwards' Haircuts
Forget Howard Dean's 2004 campaign fundraising baseball bats: Mike Huckabee now has a barber pole theme for measuring his contributions, all designed to make fun of John Edwards' $400 haircuts. Huckabee explains on the campaign's Web site that he got such a good reception to his joke about Edwards' haircuts at the recent South Carolina debate, "So we added a Barber pole to my campaign website, the kind that hangs inside or outside of barbershops all over this country, but probably not where John Edwards gets his haircut!"

The suspense is over: Both Hillary and Obama voted against the no-timelines Iraq War bill.

Obama's statement:

"This vote is a choice between validating the same failed policy in Iraq that has cost us so many lives and demanding a new one. And I am demanding a new one.”

“We must fund our troops. But we owe them something more. We owe them a clear, prudent plan to relieve them of the burden of policing someone else's civil war. We need a plan to compel the Iraqi people to reach a political accommodation and to take responsibility for their own future. It's time to change course.”

“I opposed this war in 2002 precisely because I feared it would lead us to the open-ended occupation in which we find ourselves today.”

“This President has led us down a disastrous path and has arrogantly refused to acknowledge the grim reality of this war, which has cost us so dearly in lives and treasure.”

“After he vetoed a plan that would have funded the troops and begun to bring them home, this bill represents more of his stubborn refusal to address his failed policy.”

“We should not give the President a blank check to continue down this same, disastrous path.”

“With my vote today, I am saying to the President that enough is enough. We must negotiate a better plan that funds our troops, signals to the Iraqis that it is time for them to act and that begins to bring our brave servicemen and women home safely and responsibly.”

Update: Here's Hillary's statement:

“Tonight I voted against the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Bill because it fails to compel the President to give our troops a new strategy in Iraq. I believe that the President should begin a phased redeployment of our troops out of Iraq and abandon this escalation. I fully support our troops, and wish the President had followed the will of the people and signed the original bill we sent which both funded the troops and set a new course of phased redeployment. But the President vetoed Congress’s new strategy and so Congress must reject the President’s failed policies. I will also continue to press with Senator Byrd for our legislation to end the authorization of the war in Iraq.

"While I am deeply disappointed that the supplemental does not provide for a new course in Iraq, I want to recognize the many worthy parts of this bill: funding to help those sickened in the aftermath of 9/11, additional relief for Katrina and Rita victims, homeland security funds for high-threat cities like New York City, resources to protect parts of New York affected by recent flooding, $650 million for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, and the first federal minimum wage increase in ten years. I support these measures but cannot support this Emergency Supplemental which will not change our course in Iraq.”

House Passes Iraq Funding
The House of Representatives voted 280-142 in favor of funding the Iraq War without any binding benchmarks to measure progress. While the vote was roughly two-to-one in favor of passage, 140 Democrats voted No, and the bill passed on the strength of 194 Republican Yeas plus 86 Democrats, including Majority Leader Steny Hoyer. Curiously, Congressman David Obey (D-WI) voted against the very measure he helped to negotiate, as did Speaker Nancy Pelosi -- the only member of the House leadership to vote against it. The bill goes to the Senate for expected passage tonight.

Just Over One Percent of Iraq Funding Tied to Benchmarks
Only $1.6 billion of the $120 billion Iraq funding bill before Congress is tied to benchmarks for the Iraqi government, according to the AP. The bulk of the money, $99.5 billion, goes straight to the Defense Department and other provisions of the bill allocate $465 million for fighting wildfires and $425 million for rural schools. — T. W. Farnam

Gore To Hit Late Night TV
Just to remind you, Al Gore will be featured on two late-night comedy shows tonight: The Daily Show and The Late Show With David Letterman.

Edwards Hits Back At Bush and Rudy
John Edwards struck back at the rhetoric coming from President Bush, Rudy Giuliani and others over his declaration that "War On Terror" is just a "bumper sticker slogan." Edwards said, "What we are seeing now in this campaign is John McCain, Rudy Giuliani and the other Republicans running for president of the United States are trying to be a bigger, badder George Bush. Is that really what America wants over the next four years?"

Romney Joins In, Slams Edwards
Mitt Romney has now pounced on Edwards' anti-Bush rhetoric. "Remember that old Edmund Burke quote, it's a famous quote, 'The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing,'" Romney said. "And that, I am afraid is the boiled down version of what John Edwards said, is that good men should do nothing. Put their head in the sand and hope it all goes away."

Poll: Fred Thompson Running Second In Florida
A new poll by California-based pollster Datamar has non-candidate Fred Thompson running a close second in Florida, with 22% to Rudy Giuliani's 27%. Mitt Romney is third with 18%, followed by John McCain at 12%.

Brownback Calls For The Keeping And Publicizing Of Cultural Statistics
Sam Brownback has said that the federal government should actively keep track of various social indicators and publicize them, so that the American public can react to the news and judge themselves on it. "What would happen then in a state like Iowa, or in my state of Kansas, if you started having data out like that? 'Out of wedlock child birth rates up seven percent from a year ago' — What would happen?" Brownback asked rhetorically. "...People would react to it."

Romney: I'm Not Anti-Gay — And I've Had Gay Staffers
Mitt Romney has said he is not anti-gay — he merely opposes gay marriage, because he believes it is not beneficial to children — and when he was Governor he had gay people in his cabinet and other positions. "I oppose discrimination against gay people," Romney said. "I am not anti-gay. I know there are some Republicans, or some people in the country who are looking for someone who is anti-gay and that's not me."

Edwards Backs Immigration Sponsorship For Gays
John Edwards has come out in favor of allowing gays to sponsor foreign partners to come into the United States, just as married homosexuals are able to sponsor each other for the purposes of immigration.

Obama, Richardson, Edwards to Attend YearlyKos
YearlyKos announces that Democratic presidential candidates John Edwards, Sen. Barack Obama and Bill Richardson will attend the convention this August in Chicago. Their forum will be moderated by New York Times Magazine writer Matt Bai and DailyKos editor Joan McCarter. — T. W. Farnam

Brownback Endorsed By "Jane Roe"
Sam Brownback has been endorsed in his campaign for President by Norma McCorvey, aka "Jane Roe," the plaintiff in Roe v. Wade. In 1995, McCorvey became a born-again Christian and a pro-life activist

Dems Add $4 Billion Annually to Farm Bill
The Des Moines Register reports that Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) and House counterpart Collin Peterson (D-MN) will add up to $20 billion in price subsidies over 5 years to the farm bill. Harkin had previously talked about cutting price supports in order to free up money for other projects. Peterson has not committed to spending all $20 billion on price supports, but has said there will be increases. – T. W. Farnam

Allen Speaks About GOP Field
George Allen, the former Senator and Presidential frontrunner before his dramatic "macaca" implosion last year, has given an interview to Pat Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network, and given his input on the current GOP field.

Simon Will Not Challenge Renzi
Democrat Ellen Simon, who lost 51%-44% against Congressman Rick Renzi (R-AZ) last year, says she will not seek a rematch against the scandal-plagued Congressman, who just weeks ago was dodging rumors of an imminent resignation.

Ron Paul Challenges Rudy — To Read Some Books
During his news conference today at the National Press Club, Ron Paul defied Rudy Giuliani to read a set of books on foreign policy, most notably the 9/11 Commission's report, and still be able to say that American foreign policy has not inflamed Arab and Muslim enmity against the United States. "I don't think he's qualified to be President," Paul said. "If he was to read the book and report back to me and say, 'I've changed my mind,' I would reconsider."

Bush Hit By Bird Droppings At Press Conference
At the moment President Bush said, "I've got confidence in Al Gonzales doin' the job," during his press conference today, a bird flew overhead and defecated upon him.

The American people were squarely behind withdrawal timetables right up until the Democratic Congressional leadership caved and decided to send the President a no-timelines, non-binding benchmarks Iraq War funding bill, the new CBS/New York Times poll finds.

Do you think the United States should or should not set a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq sometime in 2008?

Should 63%
Should not 34%

The kicker: A surprising 42% of Republicans were for setting a timetable. Independents were for a timetable by a margin of 61%-34%.

What's more, the people also wanted benchmarks with far stronger enforcement language than the Dems ultimately got, and it wasn't even close:

Which of these comes closest to your opinion? 1. Congress should block all funding for the war in Iraq no matter what; 2. Congress should allow funding, but only on the condition that the U.S. sets benchmarks for progress and the Iraqi government are meeting those goals; OR 3. Congress should allow all funding for the war without any benchmark conditions.

Block all 13%
Fund with benchmarks 69%
Allow all 15%

The poll didn't ask directly if the public would support Congress sending another bill with binding withdrawal timetables to the President, such as the one he vetoed last time around. But nonetheless, the numbers are clear: The American people overwhelmingly wanted withdrawal timetables, or at the very least some sort of binding benchmarks, and the Democratic Congress has failed to force the President's hand to make it happen.

Meanwhile, the Dem Congress' fearsome adversary, President Bush, has a miniscule 30% approval rating, an all-time low in CBS/NYT polling.

The pressure has apparently gotten to John McCain over his recent absenteeism from the Senate, which we first noticed last week. After missing every single floor vote held from April 16 to the present — a total of 46 consecutive missed votes — in order to focus on campaigning for President, McCain made it to the floor today to cast a vote.

And what crucial measure was it that merited his attention? It was an amendment to the immigration bill by Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-HI), "To exempt children of certain Filipino World War II veterans from the numerical limitations on immigrant visas."

A McCain aide has told the local press, "Although he has missed a few votes, he works really hard to ensure that he has not missed any votes in which his vote would have been the determining one." But here's the thing: This amendment wasn't controversial, and passed 87-9. This leads us to believe McCain simply had to show up for a vote in order to stop the talk about his absences.

At today's presser, President Bush told reporters that lack of support for his policies would put their own children in danger:

Asked by NBC's David Gregory why anyone should view him as credible on the war, Bush gave an answer that included this about the terrorists:

"They are a threat to your children, David."

And in response to The New York Times's Jim Rutenberg, who asked why Bin Laden is still at large, Bush gave an answer that included this about terrorism:

"It's a danger to your children, Jim."

I'm a better daddy-protector than you are -- now that'll make 'em think again about asking tough questions! If you do, the Prez names you on national TV, suggests he understands the threat to your own kids better than you do. Sadder and sadder...

...oh, and I know Rutenberg, he doesn't have kids, Mr. President.

You don't ordinarily think of "public service announcements" as making for compelling TV, but a new PSA from New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine is an absolute must-see. As you may know, Corzine was grievously injured and almost died in a car accident last month in which he was not wearing his seatbelt. In the ad, he urges people not to make the same mistake he did — and the result is very, very powerful. To watch it, click here.

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With the House set to vote on the no-timelines Iraq War funding bill later today, The New York Times provides a glimpse into the thinking among top Dems that led to the current proposal:

...in recounting the leadership’s thinking, senior Democrats and other officials said that by early this week they had concluded there was no alternative but to give ground to President Bush despite their view that he had mishandled the war and needed to be put under tighter Congressional rein.

Democrats said they did not relish the prospect of leaving Washington for a Memorial Day break — the second recess since the financing fight began — and leaving themselves vulnerable to White House attacks that they were again on vacation while the troops were wanting. That criticism seemed more politically threatening to them than the anger Democrats knew they would draw from the left by bowing to Mr. Bush.

Oooooooooooooo, scary! If we didn't give Bush his way, the White House would have criticized us!

Seriously, the Times account dovetails with what we've heard from multiple Dem staffers. And it has to be said that this is, like, soooooooooo June 2006. Recall that last spring many Dems were terrified of taking on the GOP and the White House over Iraq because they worried that the Republicans would tell the electorate an irresistable story: Dems are weak, and Republicans are strong. When Dems finally realized that Republicans would tell this story no matter what they did, they started telling the story their way: The war in Iraq is a disaster; it has made us weaker; Dems want to end it, and Republicans don't. The rest is history. Dems won the argument.

Now Dems appear to have let their own worries about the potential story that Republicans will tell -- Dems are on vacation while the troops are wanting! -- largely shape their course of action here. Sure, you want to game out what the opposition will do. But Dems, Republicans are going to keep telling the story this way no matter what you do. Indeed, the President just reminded everyone at today's presser that some Dems didn't want to support the troops -- even though the Dem leadership has already agreed to give him his no-timelines funding. Why not start by deciding what the right policy is, and then tell your story as forcefully as you can? Dems can win arguments, as 2006 showed.

But look, what's done is done. And now that we're finished popping off, it needs to be said that generally this new Dem Congressional leadership has repeatedly defied expectations with its willingness to take on the White House. Just not this time.

Meanwhile, here are a couple things to watch for related to the upcoming House and Senate votes on the supplemental. The key outstanding questions: How effective will pressure from antiwar groups on Dem legislators prove in driving down the number of House Dems who will vote for the proposal? This is key, because the lower the Dem support for it, the more the GOP and the White House will own this policy. Second key question: Which way will Hillary and Barack Obama go?

We'll be bringing you more coverage of this throughout the day. Stay with us.

Bush To Hold Press Conference — At Very Exact Time
It has just been announced that President Bush will hold a press conference from the White House Rose Garden, scheduled precisely on the White House's press list as "11:01:30 a.m." The press conference will deal with two key issues faced by the administration: Funding of the Iraq War, and the immigration bill.

Rudy Hits Edwards Over "War On Terror" Label
Rudy Giuliani attacked John Edwards yesterday in New Hampshire, over Edwards' claim that the "War On Terror" label is simply a political slogan. "One of the democratic Presidential candidates today gave a speech in New York and the speech that he gave suggested that the global war on terror was no more than a slogan of George Bush’s," Rudy said. "I understand the zeal and the overzealousness that some of these people have to attack George Bush. It comes out a of a political process. I think it is wrong. I think it doesn't put George Bush’s presidency in proper perspective."

Edwards, Dodd Hit Other Dems Over War Funding
John Edwards and Chris Dodd have turned up the rhetoric against their fellow Democratic Presidential candidates, taking a firm stance that Congress should not agree to President Bush's demands on war funding. "Congress should send the president the same bill he vetoed again and again until he realizes he has no choice but to start bringing our troops home," Edwards said yesterday. Chris Dodd was just as forceful: "If we are serious about ending the war, Congress must stand up to this president's failed policy now — with clarity and conviction."

Novak: Bush Won The Funding Showdown
Bob Novak writes in his latest column, "President Bush has won a rare showdown victory over Congress simply because Democrats felt they could not afford the risk of letting a war in progress run out of money." Novak added that if the Congressional Democrats were not willing to face the President down in 2007, they certainly won't be willing to in 2008, an election year.

Ron Paul To "Educate" Rudy
Ron Paul will hold a news conference today before the National Press Club in Washington, accompanied by Michael Scheuer, the former head of the CIA's Bin Laden Unit, to hit back at Rudy Giuliani's condemnation of Paul's position on 9/11 and the motivations of Al Qaeda. The official billing of the event is that it is to "educate former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani on foreign policy."

Richardson Comes Out Against Immigration Bill — From The Left
Bill Richardson, who initially said he would support the immigration deal, has now come out against it after saying he read it more closely. Richardson's objections are from the liberal end, opposing restrictions on immigrants sponsoring family members to come over, the guest-worker program's creation of second-class laborers, and the construction of a border fence.

Conservative Enlists Labor's Help To Stop Immigration Bill
Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) has written a letter to the leaders of three top labor unions — the AFL-CIO, SEIU and the Teamsters — asking their help to stop the immigration bill, with its guest worker provisions, from becoming law. "To protect the American workers that we all represent, we must prevent this bill from becoming law," Smith said. Will labor be receptive to Smith's call? He received ratings for 2005 of 13% from the AFL-CIO, and 11% from SEIU.

New Hampshire Could Move Up Primary Even Further
The New Hampshire Union Leader reports that with Florida moving up its primary to January 29, it's now increasingly likely that New Hampshire will move its primary up even further before the national parties' desired date of January 22. "The New Hampshire primary — which by state law must be a week before any 'similar election' — could be Jan. 15, or perhaps even Jan. 8," the Union Leader writes. New Hampshire's Secretary of State is empowered to set the primary date unilaterally, without needing further legislative authorization.

NRCC To Target Freshman House Dems
The NRCC will launch a national advertising campaign targeting a group of freshman House Democrats who picked up seats from the GOP last year. The ads will slam the Representatives for voting with Nancy Pelosi, and target Pelosi's visit to Syria and plans to raise taxes. Radio ads will run against Reps. Nancy Boyda (KS) , Chris Carney(PA), Joe Donnelly (IN), Brad Ellsworth (IN), Gabrielle Giffords (AZ), Kirsten Gillibrand (NY), Steve Kagen (WI), Tim Mahoney (FL), Jerry McNerney (CA), Carol Shea-Porter (NH), Heath Shuler (NC), and Tim Walz (MN). The NRCC will also run automated phone calls against Reps. Jason Altmire (PA), Joe Courtney (CT), John Hall (NY), Nick Lampson (TX), Harry Mitchell (AZ), and Zack Space (OH).

South Dakota GOP'ers Planning Around Tim Johnson
In South Dakota, numerous Republicans are planning around a possible open Senate race if Democratic Senator Tim Johnson retires, or even the potential of taking on the incumbent who is currently out of action due to medical treatments. The current names who have been the most active are state Rep. Joel Dykstra and businessman Sam Kephart. In the case of an open seat race, at-large Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin would in all likelihood be the Dem nominee.

New Hampshire Dem Establishment Backing Pro-Lieberman Senate Candidate
Democratic Senate candidate Katrina Swett is being backed in the primary by a multitude of names from the party establishment, including former Manchester Mayor Bob Baines and state Sen. Lou D'Allesandro. Swett, as we pointed out two months ago, not only continued to support Joe Lieberman's bid for re-election after he lost the Democratic primary, but also claimed that "no less a progressive Democrat than Barack Obama chose to support his candidacy" after the primary — a complete fiction.

Arizona Republican Calls For McCain's Resignation

Arizona State Rep. Russell Pierce, a staunch conservative Republican who is a critic of the immigration bill, has called upon John McCain to resign from the Senate over his absenteeism. "We need a Senator," Pearce said. "I think if McCain wants to be a full-time candidate and not be at the Senate, he ought to consider resigning."

Poll: GOP In Third Place In Self-Identification; Bush Approval at 32%

A new Hotline/Diageo poll finds that the GOP is in third place in self-identification by registered voters. Democrats have 35% of voters, 28% say they are Independents, and a mere 26% say they are Republicans. President Bush's approval rating, meanwhile, checks in at 32%; only 23% of independents approve of his performance.

House Dem Staffer To Leadership: Clean Up Your Message On Iraq

A staffer for a House Dem tells the Democratic leadership that it's time to clean up its message on the no-timetables Iraq War funding bill.

Chris Dodd Will Vote Against No-Withdrawal Iraq Bill

The Senator explains his decision here. Still unknown: How will Hillary and Obama vote?

Rudy Allies Hitting Back At Jerry Hauer

Rudy Giuliani's people are striking back at Jerry Hauer, who has questioned the validity of Rudy's Hero-of-9/11 image by talking about Rudy's decision to place the emergency command center in the World Trade Center complex — by bringing up a 2004 TV appearance where Hauer solidly stood by the decision:

Rudy Pans McCain Immigration Bill

Rudy Giuliani is blasting the proposed immigration bill coming from John McCain and other Senators. "I've gone over this thing about four times. I'm a lawyer," Giuliani said. "I've actually written laws, argued cases. I'm having a hard time understanding this law."

Senate Halves Number of Guest Workers

A Democratic amendment to the immigration bill passed 74-24 in the Senate, cutting the number of guest workers from 400,000 to 200,000. — T. W. Farnam

Boehner's Office On "Piece Of Shit" Remark: "An Off-The-Cuff Wisecrack"

A spokesman for John Boehner has responded to reports that he called the immigration bill a "piece of shit" at a private fundraiser: "Mr. Boehner’s comment was nothing but an off-the-cuff wisecrack made jokingly during a private gathering. While he has serious concerns about the Senate bill, it’s unfortunate that this comment in particular found its way into print."

Bill Richardson: To Latinos, I'm "Bill Richardson Lopez"

Bill Richardson has a strategy for reaching out to the Latino community, and letting them know that he is one of them despite the Anglo family name passed down from his paternal grandfather: "I am saying 'It's Bill Richardson Lopez and I am one of you and I would like you to consider me, not because I am Hispanic but because I have the best program for the country.'" In the Spanish-speaking world, it is not uncommon for people to mainly use their father's surname, but occasionally tack on their mother's maiden name afterwards — such as Markos "Kos" Moulitsas, who sometimes goes by Markos Moulitsas Zúniga.

Right-Wing Press Really Loves Ann Romney

Ben Smith has unearthed what may be the worst example of political writing we've ever seen.

Romney Blasts ABC For Revealing Covert Activity In Iran

Mitt Romney has come out strongly against ABC News' reporting of covert CIA activity to undermine the Iranian government: "The reporting has the potential of jeopardizing our national security, stated quite plainly, it has the potential of affecting human life, we may never know."

Romney Camp Silent On Massachusetts-Bashing Ad And The Boston Media Market

A fun post-script to an ad we highlighted today from Mitt Romney's campaign, which speaks ill of liberal-leaning Massachusetts, where Romney served as Governor: The campaign is declining so far to say whether the ad will run on Boston channels that reach part of New Hampshire.

Edwards Pick Up Labor-Friendly NJ State Senator's Support

John Edwards has been endorsed by New Jersey State Senator Stephen Sweeney, who is the head of an ironworkers union and chairs the Senate Labor Committee. Edwards is also supported by former state Labor Commissioner A.J. Sabath, former Governor and current State Senate President Richard Codey, and others in the legislature.

Bush's Rating Hits Sustained Trough In Rasmussen

Rasmussen Reports, the polling firm that has tended to give President Bush his best approval ratings, has recorded President Bush's approval rating at 35% or below for the last seven days, his lowest showing ever with them. In the last week, the President has broken his all-time low approval record with them twice, first sinking to 34%, and then 33%.

Lobbyists: Hey, We Really Want To Help Obama

Some lobbyists are reportedly unnerved by Barack Obama's policy of not accepting contributions from lobbyists — they sincerely want to see him win, and would like to help out. "Most people really want to help him," said one anonymous K Streeter, talking about lobbyists who would like to donate to Obama's campaign. "They are thinking further down the road, doing what lobbyists do: plan and strategize."

McCain Loses Top South Carolina Staffer

McCain campaign South Carolina political director Brad Henry (not to be confused with the Democratic Governor of Oklahoma, of the same name) has quit the campaign, and is going back to work for State Attorney General Henry McMaster, who has endorsed McCain.

Huckabee Says He's Okay Being A Lesser-Known For Now

Mike Huckabee says he's fine with being towards the back of the pack for now, as that will focus scrutiny on the top three contenders "Have they ever taken a position that's consistent and stuck with it?" said Huckabee during a visit to Texas, where he endorsed a national sales tax to replaced existing federal taxes.

Kucinich Opposes Iraq Hydrocarbon Law

Dennis Kucinich is voicing his strong opposition to any Iraqi benchmark that calls for passage of the proposed Hydrocarbon Act, as well as the proposed act itself. Kucinich said, "We must not be a party to any attempt by multi-national oil companies to take over Iraq’s oil resources. This is an outrageous exploitation of a nation torn apart by American intervention."

Tancredo Responds To Reported Support From David Duke

Tom Tancredo responded to an interviewer's question about reports that his campaign has been endorsed by David Duke: "I don’t know what David Duke likes about me and I don’t know what to do about it. You know, I am a compassionate person. What I say about immigration has nothing to do with racism. Nada. My press secretary’s name is Carlos Espinosa."

Mary Cheney Gives Birth

Vice President Cheney's openly gay daughter Mary has given birth to a boy, Samuel David Cheney. Mary Cheney was impregnated by artificial insemination, and will raise the boy with her partner of 15 years, Heather Poe.

New Hampshire State Senate Committee Preserves State's Libertarian Heritage

In New Hampshire, the State Senate Transportation and Interstate Cooperation Committee has recommended the defeat of a bill to require seatbelt usage while driving. The bill will still likely come up for a vote on the floor, but this does not bode well for passage. New Hampshire is the last state in the Union that does not outlaw driving without buckling up.

How Much Do People Lie To Pollsters About Their Own Participation?

If the new Hotline/Diageo poll is to be believed, the American people are extremely active in party politics. In response to the question: "Thinking now about primary elections for national, state and local office, how often would you say you vote in your party's primary?", 64% of respondents said they always vote in party primaries, and 23% said they nearly always vote in primaries. Compare this to yesterday's Kentucky primary, which had a turnout of around 20% of registered voters, a pretty good result for a heavily contested race.

Atrios makes some strong points in arguing that Congressional Dems should vote against the no-timelines Iraq War funding bill:

Right now they've established the worst of all worlds: they appear to have lost; they've done nothing to halt the war; they've put up a bogus bill which if they support will allow conservative Republicans to continue to screech while letting Republicans in swing districts vote for it and claim they've done something to tie the president's hands. If this is the bill, let it be a Republican bill.

On that score, it's worth noting that the Dem leadership still hasn't figured out what its messaging should be here. Dem Rep. Rahm Emanuel, for instance, is out there praising the effort as "the beginning of the end of the President's policy on Iraq," and Dem Senate leader Harry Reid has made similar noises. But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is so disappointed that she's voting against the bill. If this is the successful effort Emanuel and Reid claim it is, why is Pelosi saying she may vote against it?

The Dems -- reflexively -- want to claim some measure of victory here. After all, you have to "win," otherwise D.C. pundits will call you a loser. But as a Dem House staffer remarked to me earlier today, why bother declaring victory here at all? It wasn't a victory. The President basically got his way, and the Dems didn't. And that's fine -- let that be the story. As the staffer suggests, why not acknowledge that this is a crappy bill -- and let it be seen as the President getting his way? Dems had to pass this bill because the Commander in Chief wouldn't let the Dem Congress do what the American people wanted it to do.

"Never mind declaring victory," this staffer says. Indeed. This policy belongs to the people who "won" -- the President and the GOP.

John Edwards makes no effort to conceal the fact that his foreign policy views have changed. To his credit, he frequently says he was wrong in voting for the Iraq War, for instance.

Today Edwards made big news during his foreign policy speech by blasting the phrase "war on terror" and saying that it was a "bumper sticker" slogan that was actually weakening the U.S. internationally.

But Edwards didn't always look askance at the phrase. He used it repeatedly during the 2004 campaign, a quick Nexis search shows. On CNN on October 21, 2004, he said that stopping terrorists before they harm us is "by far the most effective way to win this war on terrorism." A few days earlier he said that Bush's Iraq invasion had turned "the focus away from the war on terror." There are other examples from that year and before.

Edwards' critics and rivals will argue that this proves that his move to the "left" on foreign policy issues is born of optimism. But perhaps his views on this genuinely evolved, just as they did on his war vote. So what's the explanation? An Edwards campaign adviser emails us the following:

John Edwards has seen the Bush administration use the phrase to justify everything they do. So although he believes that there are terrorists and terrorism, the phrase itself has become a political tool the right uses to justify whatever they want to do -- like Guantanamo, like Abu Ghraib, like warrentless wiretapping of Americans here at home.

Has he used the phrase before? Yes. He has and does believe that America should fight individual terrorists and terrorist groups when they pose a real threat. But as a political doctrine, as a slogan, as a universal justification it must be rejected because of what Bush and friends have done with it, because it?'s backfired, making America less safe.

Whaddaya think?

The scoop of the day in the Presidential race is this Associated Press story saying that a member of Hillary's campaign wrote an internal memo making the case for why she should skip the caucuses in Iowa, where John Edwards is leading in the polls.

As you know, that guy Hillary is married to skipped Iowa in 1992 en route to the White House, making the story that much more sensitive.

But she's not skipping Iowa, however. Hillary spokesman Phil Singer emails over the following:

Senator Clinton and her campaign are unequivocally committed to competing in Iowa. Senator Clinton will be in Iowa the next three weekends, our staff continues to grow each week -- in fact, we have more than doubled the size of our field staff in the past month alone -- and we’ve got over ten offices across the state. The memo reflects the thoughts proposed by one member of our staff and it is not the opinion of the campaign or of Senator Clinton.

As Ben Smith aptly notes, perhaps the really interesting question here is "the fact that multiple, anonymous, `senior,' Clinton aides would describe such a memo on background," despite the Hillary camp's notorious discipline.

Okay, Joe Klein has just sent me an email responding to the scathing criticism of him contained in former Kerry strategist Bob Shrum's forthcoming book.

And Klein's response is worth dwelling over, because it sheds some fascinating light on -- and reveals some interesting insidery details about -- the relationship between two significant D.C. players, Klein and Kerry.

A quick recap. Shrum is about to release a new memoir of his campaign experiences called No Excuses: Confessions of a Serial Campaigner. The book is already stirring all sorts of D.C. chatter because it reportedly has a bunch of behind-the-scenes tell-all detail about Shrum's work for various campaigns, including the 2004 Kerry effort.

Over at TNR, Michael Crowley has posted an excerpt from the book containing a particularly eyebrow-raising series of criticisms of Klein:

Klein himself was trying to play many parts. He was not only reporting on the campaign and preparing to write a book about consultants; he was also a constant critic and yet another sometime adviser. After the Kerry appearance at the Iowa Jefferson-Jackson Day dinner, he told [Kerry spokesman] David Wade: "Great speech, but it's too late"--then turned around and stalked away. With Klein, it was almost always too late for us, in part because we didn't always take his persistent advice. He would chastise Kerry on the phone when he didn't like a speech, counseling both Kerry and me about what the canddiate should say and what our strategy should be. He argued to Kerry, for example, that his health care plan should call for an individual mandate, requiring all Americans to buy health insurance. Rejecting his advice was uncomfortable for Kerry, who liked Joe, craved his approval, and worried what his columns would say when we didn't take his recommendations.

Shrum also added that a mutual friend of both men brokered "several long evenings at Joe's house where he importuned me with his ideas for the Kerry campaign."

As you can see, Shrum is asserting flatly that Klein aggressively tried to advise Kerry on political and policy matters -- an overstepping of bounds for a journalist, and an uncomfortable, though not-unheard-of, role for a pundit. Shrum is also insinuating -- though not outright charging -- that the threat of bad coverage from Klein hovered over any decision Kerry made not to follow Klein's advice.

Eyebrow-raising stuff. But how true is it?

We emailed Klein for comment, and he just sent over a long response. Check it out after the jump.

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The full text of John Edwards' speech today at the Council on Foreign Relations is now available. It's after the jump. Let us know what you think in comments.

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John Edwards becomes the first Dem Presidential frontrunner to come out against the Congressional Dem leadership's plan for an Iraq War funding bill without timetables:

"The so-called compromise under discussion in Congress that would give the president another blank check to continue his failed war is a serious mistake. Full funding is full funding, no matter what you call it. Every member of Congress who wants to support our troops and end the war should oppose this proposal. If you're in Congress, and you believe this war is wrong, I urge you to use every power you have to stop it if it's brought up for a vote. Block the blank check."

As always, Edwards continues running against Congress.

Which brings up an interesting question: How will Hillary and Obama react to the Congressional Dem leadership's proposal?

Chris Dodd goes up on the air in New Hampshire and on national cable, blasting frontrunners Hillary and Obama by claiming they followed him in backing a defeated measure that would have cut off funding for the war:

John Edwards and Dodd are both using Congress, and its failure to stop the war, as a foil -- with the one difference that Dodd is in the Senate, and Edwards no longer is. Can Dodd really make any serious inroads with the antiwar voters that Edwards is laying claim to?

John Edwards is giving a big foreign policy speech today at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. The speech will be closely watched by political pros, because it's expected to lay out a broad foreign policy vision that both breaks with Edwards' past centrism and draws a sharp contrast between his views and those of his rivals, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

The part of the speech that will probably be seen as most newsworthy is his rejection of the "war on terror" frame in looking at America's relationship with the world.

According to advance excerpts of the speech, Edwards will call the "war on terror" nothing more than a "bumper sticker" slogan. Another key line:

"We need a post-Bush, post-9/11, post-Iraq military that is mission focused on protecting Americans from 21st century threats, not misused for discredited ideological purposes. By framing this as a war, we have walked right into the trap the terrorists have set—that we are engaged in some kind of clash of civilizations and a war on Islam."

Edwards' wholesale rejection of the idea of a "war on terror" -- and his assertion that such rhetoric plays into the hands of terrorists -- will be very refreshing to the Dem primary electorate after being bombarded by years of "war on terror" rhetoric by the White House, the GOP and even some leading Democrats.

By emphasizing this point, Edwards -- who's staked out ground as an aggressive antiwar critic of Congress' failure to stop the war -- is clearly seeking to draw a sharp distinction between himself and his top Dem rivals. At the most recent Dem Presidential debate, both Hillary and Obama affirmed that they believed in the "war on terror" frame.

Not enough of the speech has been made public for us to do a real evaluation of it. We'll bring you more details of the speech and a full transcript as soon as it's available.

Wow, what a guy! Mitt Romney is going up on the air tomorrow in Iowa and New Hampshire with a new attack ad. The target?

The state of Massachusetts, whose citizens extended him the honor of choosing him to be their Governor for one term.

"In the most liberal state in the country," a sinister-sounding narrator intones over the obligatory backdrop of photos of John Kerry and Mike Dukakis, "one Republican stood up, and cut spending instead of raising taxes. He enforced immigration laws, stood up for traditional marriage and the sanctity of human life."

We might be going out on a limb here, but we think Mitt is ceding Massachusetts in the general election.

Boehner Calls Immigration Bill "Piece Of Shit"
House Minority Leader John Boehner reportedly told a group of attendees at a Republican Party fundraiser that he doesn't actually think very much of the immigration bill, but won't say anything bad publicly in deference to the White House. "I promised the President today that I wouldn't say anything bad about ... this piece of shit bill." Thanks to leaks, his plans to keep his feelings silent may have just gone out the window.

Fletcher, Beshear Nominated In Kentucky
In last night's Gubernatorial primary, incumbent Republican Ernie Fletcher easily held back a strong challenge from former Congresswoman Anne Northup, who was backed by many in the state's Republican establishment, led by Mitch McConnell. With 40% of the vote needed to avoid a runoff, Fletcher took 50% of of the vote to Northup's 37%. The Democratic nomination was won by former Lt. Governor Steve Beshear with 41% of the vote, nearly double the showing of his closest challenger.

NY Post: Who's Worse, Iran Or George Soros?
Ben Smith has a great catch: The New York Post is faced with the dilemma of deciding who it dislikes more — Iran or George Soros? Find out who the paper decided it hates more here.

John Edwards To Attend YearlyKos
Elizabeth Edwards has announced in a Daily Kos diary that her husband will be attending the YearlyKos bloggers' convention being held in Chicago this August. The campaign has also set up a special Web page for supporters who want to sign up to help out at the event.

Thompson Picks Incoming Campaign Lawyer
Fred Thompson has reportedly tapped Michael Toner, former chairman of the Federal Elections Commission, to serve as the lead counsel to his potential Presidential campaign.

House Liberals To Jump Ship On Iraq Funding
Many House liberals will reportedly vote No on the upcoming Iraq bill, which will be stripped of timetables and benchmarks. "A lot of people have bought into the notion that you have to fund the troops," said Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), who has voted for the previous versions. "Funding the troops means more troops are going to die."

Rudy Holding Closed "Town Hall" With Insurance Executives Today
Rudy Giuliani is conducting what his campaign has billed as a "town hall" meeting today in Keene, New Hampshire. But there is a problem: It's actually a being held in the cafeteria of an insurance company, and is closed to the public. It is open only to employees and their spouses, which would likely be a friendly audience.

Bill Clinton To Hold Big-Money Fundraiser For Hillary
Bill Clinton will be holding a $2,300 per person fundraiser for his wife's campaign in Boston on June 6, plus a $500 per person party. At that larger, lower-dollar event, there will also be a discount $100 price for young professionals. Hillary, the candidate herself, will not be there. Bill alone is enough of a draw.

Michelle Obama Resigns From Wal-Mart Related Company
Michelle Obama has quit her position as director of TreeHouse Foods, a company that supplies food products to Wal-Mart. Obama officially cited the time constraints posed by campaigning for her husband as the reason for her resignation — but it is worth noting that she is also quitting a business relationship with Wal-Mart, a company often opposed by labor leaders and liberal activists.

Edwards Camp Makes Small Ad Buy In Oregon
The John Edwards campaign has made a $20,000 TV ad buy for this week in the Democratic stronghold of Eugene, Oregon. While Oregon is not a key primary state, the small ad buy is reportedly aimed at boosting activists in the area, and thus motivating them to donate more money than the cost of the actual ad buy.

Black Caucus Members Lobbying Hillary, Obama and Edwards Over Fox Debate
Twenty-six members of the Congressional Black Caucus, out of the total 43 members, have signed letters to the top three Democratic contenders, asking them to reconsider their decision to pull out from a proposed debate hosted by the CBC Institute and the Fox News Channel. "Basically, it would be in your best interests to talk to the communities we represent," said CBC Institute Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-MS).

Johns Hopkins To Host Iraq-Only Debate
Johns Hopkins University has invited the Democratic Presidential candidates to a debate on June 6, focused entirely on Iraq and conducted in a less rigid format than recent debates. Joe Biden has accepted, after having called for just such a debate, while Chris Dodd will not attend due to a scheduling conflict. No other candidates have responded yet.

McCain Picking Up The Fundraising
John McCain is focusing on raising more money for his Presidential campaign, after a disappointing third-place showing last quarter. For example, he's traveling the country to raise money today, first holding a fundraiser this morning in Fort Worth, Texas, then flying back to Washington to hold a Young Professionals For McCain fundraiser.

President Bush Drives Around Crawford Ranch Without Seatbelt
President Bush has been caught on video driving about his ranch in Crawford, Texas, without wearing a seatbelt. In Texas, it is not illegal to drive around one's private property without buckling up. But since the federal government is currently running its "Click It or Ticket" ad campaign, should the Chief Executive be careful about setting a good example?

President Bush Hits Record Lows In Two Polls
President Bush has reached a new low in Rasmussen polling — the firm that has tended to give him the best approval numbers at any given time — with only 33% approval. The kicker: He is breaking the record low 34% Rasmussen approval number that he set for himself ... three days ago. Bush has also hit a new low of 31% approval in American Research Group's polling.

D.C. Madam Supports Hillary
Just days after winning the support of adult movie star Jenna Jameson, Hillary has now won the support of Deborah Jeane Palfrey, a.k.a. the "D.C. Madam." “I think she’s great,” Palfrey says of Hillary. “She’s bright and articulate.”

Boehner: "I Have Significant Concerns" About The Immigration Bill
House Minority Leader John Boehner is the latest conservative to list his objections to the Senate immigration bill. "The Senate agreement appears to recognize that additional border security measures and more effective immigration law enforcement must come before any other issues are addressed," Boehner said in a statement, "but I have significant concerns about parts of the Senate proposal — particularly provisions that would reward illegal immigrants who have consistently broken our laws."

C-SPAN And XM Radio Team Up — All POTUS '08, All The Time
C-SPAN and XM Radio are teaming up to create a new satellite radio channel called "POTUS '08," dedicated to providing non-stop coverage of the Presidential race. The channel will be available to anybody with an XM receiver, and the channel will officially launch in September after a sneak preview in June.

Tonight Is The Kentucky Primary
In tonight's Kentucky primary for Governor, both parties' internal feuds could be put on display for all to see. Incumbent Republican Ernie Fletcher is expected to defeat former Congresswoman Anne Northup, whom many believe was recruited to run by Mitch McConnell. And Fletcher supporters are well aware of this — there is now a Web site for pro-Fletcher Republicans who want to draft 1995 Gubernatorial nominee Larry Forgy to run against McConnell in the primary next year. And on the Democratic side, businessman Bruce Lunsford's campaign has been damaged by his 2003 endorsement of Fletcher, after he had dropped out of the Democratic primary that year. While Lunsford appears likely to win a runoff slot, many Democrats may line up behind former Lt. Governor Steve Beshear because of Lunsford's actions in 2003.

Huckabee Pulls Out Of Carter's Baptist Conference
Mike Huckabee has announced via press release that he will not go to the New Covenant Celebration, a Baptist conference in January organized by Jimmy Carter, as he had previously planned, due to Carter's recent panning of President Bush's foreign policy performance. "I'm deeply disappointed by the unusually harsh comments made in my state this past weekend regarding President Bush, and feel that it represents an unprecedented personal attack on a sitting president by a former president which is unbecoming the office as well as unbecoming to one whose conference is supposed to be about civility and bringing people together," said Huckabee, who is a Baptist minister.

Gingrich To Visit All 99 Iowa Counties, Participate In The Straw Poll
Newt Gingrich dropped more hints today in Iowa about a Presidential bid, saying he might enter the race in the fall if no frontrunner emerges. He also said he will hold workshops in every county in the state and participate in the August straw poll.
— T. W. Farnam

New Hampshire GOP Extends Debate Invitation To Fred Thompson
The New Hampshire Republican Party has sent out the invitations for a June 6 Presidential debate. And among the invitees is Fred Thompson, who doesn't have a campaign yet. Will he declare — and accept the invitation — before then?

Hagel And Primary Opponent Both Attended GOP Dinner
At a Nebraska Republican Party fundraiser Saturday night in Omaha, where Mitch McConnell praised Chuck Hagel's foresight about problems that would pop up in Iraq, there was another key person in attendance: State Attorney General Jon Bruning, who is gearing up to challenge Hagel in the GOP primary next year. And Bruning had a message for the pro-Iraq War activists in attendance: "I do not believe you are extremists and have hijacked the party."

Conservative Dem Marshall Gets Challenger
The NRCC has recruited Retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Rick Goddard to challenge Congressman Jim Marshall (D-GA), a relatively conservative Democrat who was re-elected last year by a 51%-49% margin. "I really do believe America is in danger if this leadership continues," Goddard said of the House Democratic leadership, "so I think I need to be a part of the solution."

Anti-War GOP'er Jones Faces Primary Challenge
Congressman Walter Jones (R-NC), a strong conservative and former Iraq War supporter who now votes with the Democrats on efforts to end the war, faces a potentially strong challenge next year in the Republican primary, against Onslow County commissioner Joseph McLaughlin.

Romney Hits Back At McCain With Dismissive One-Liner
Mitt Romney has offered a response to John McCain's quip yesterday, taking a shot at Romney for denouncing immigration reforms he'd once endorsed. "I have respect for Sen. McCain, and I guess it just shows that even when he's wrong, he's amusing," Romney said.

McCain To Romney: "Duh"
John McCain, meanwhile, responded to any questions people might have about whether he ever hired illegals to work on his homestead in Arizona: "No, we did not hire anyone who was in this country illegally, and we made sure we didn't. And you might go back to my opponent's camp and [tell them] we've moved. We now live in a condominium, OK? Duh."

Idaho Republicans Endorsing Romney
Mitt Romney has picked up a number of Idaho GOP'ers, including Senator Larry Craig, Congressman Rep. Mike Simpson and Lt. Governor Jim Risch. Governor C.L. "Butch" Otter has thus far declined to endorse anyone, but has hinted that he's interested in Tommy Thompson. — T. W. Farnam

Senator Russ Feingold uncorks a statement blasting the Congressional Democratic leadership, becoming the first member of Congress to go on record saying he won't back a bill without withdrawal timelines:

“Under the President’s Iraq policies, our military has been over-burdened, our national security has been jeopardized, and thousands of Americans have been killed or injured. Despite these realities, and the support of a majority of Americans for ending the President’s open-ended mission in Iraq, congressional leaders now propose a supplemental appropriations bill that does nothing to end this disastrous war. I cannot support a bill that contains nothing more than toothless benchmarks and that allows the President to continue what may be the greatest foreign policy blunder in our nation’s history. There has been a lot of tough talk from members of Congress about wanting to end this war, but it looks like the desire for political comfort won out over real action. Congress should have stood strong, acknowledged the will of the American people, and insisted on a bill requiring a real change of course in Iraq.”

Tough stuff indeed; note the direct attack on the Dem Congressional leadership.

Meanwhile, a Democratic leadership aide sends over this statement defending the decision:

"This bill is not as strong as we wanted but we don’t have the votes to override a veto. We will look at every upcoming bill, including the Defense Appropriations bill, as an opportunity to hold the President accountable and to bring our troops home safely and soon."

House Dems will be reportedly reviewing the proposal tonight. Outstanding question: What kind of support will this get?

Here's a partial transcript of Harry Reid in his press availability this afternoon explaining why the Iraq funding bill with no withdrawal timelines isn't a defeat for Dems:

QUESTION: How about exit dates and timelines or withdrawal strategies or language in the bill? Isn't that a significant concession by your side?

REID: First of all, it hasn't been determined what we're going to have in that. But keep in mind the progress that we have made. Even the Republicans now have timelines. Remember, they wouldn't accept our timelines in the bill that was vetoed? And they're talking now about a plan B, which basically is what was in the vetoed bill. So I think we have to look at the progress that has been made. We now have the timeline that the Republicans have set, and that's this September. And that's the very least. And then, as I've indicated, the defense authorization, we're going to start right where we've left off with this bill, continuing our push to change direction in the war in Iraq. And now we're being joined by Republicans.

"We now have the timeline that the Republicans have set" -- oh, dear.

Even if you accept that the Republicans will actually begin bailing on the President in September -- which is a pretty big If -- the political perils for Dems are clear here. If Republicans, eyeing 2008, do end up bailing, they will try to be seen as the ones who finally forced the President's hand -- as the ones who set the timeline, as Reid generously put it. And everyone will forget that it's the Dems who forced the foot-dragging, Bush-shilling, head-in-the-sand Republicans into coming around in the first place.

A vigorous effort will be required to prevent everyone from agreeing to forget this.

MSNBC reporting that Harry Reid just said as much. More soon.

Update: CNN has this, just posted:

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Speaker Nancy Pelosi will present a plan to House Democrats for a war funding bill that won't include a timeline for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq but will feature benchmarks with consequences, according to Democratic leadership aides...

Leadership aides said the benchmarks would be tied to Iraq reconstruction aid and would require President Bush to present to Congress 18 reports before August.

They said Democrats won't give up on a deadline for pulling troops out of Iraq, hoping to write language into defense appropriations and defense authorization bills over the summer.

A Democratic aide confirms to us that the CNN story is "essentially true." More as we learn it.

Update II: Here are Reid's comments from MNSBC:

"We now have the timeline that the Republicans have set, and that’s this September. And that’s the very least, and then as I’ve indicated –the Defense authorization– we’re going to start right where we’ve left off with this bill, continuing our push to change direction in the War on Iraq."

Update III: The Associated Press has Dem leader Steny Hoyer's comments:

WASHINGTON — House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer confirmed Tuesday a final Iraq spending bill will not include a deadline for troop withdrawals, but promised that Democrats would try to end the war using next year's spending bills.

"We can't pass something without the president's signature and the president can't pass something without our agreement," Hoyer, D-Md., told reporters. "So we can be at a standoff and go back and forth at each other, or we can come to an agreement."

The House planned to vote Thursday on the bill.

While the precise details remained in flux, officials said the legislation would likely threaten billions of dollars in reconstruction aid if the Iraqi government failed to make progress on political and security goals.

But Democrats planned to drop provisions from an earlier bill _ vetoed by the president _ that would have demanded troops start coming home this fall.

Is it just us, or is The New York Times essentially covering the Democratic Presidential primary as little more than a two-person race between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama?

It's clear to us that Edwards doesn't get anywhere near the coverage Hillary and Obama do from the Paper of Record. Yet Edwards has just as credible shot at the nomination as those two have. After all, Presidential politics is unpredictable. And Edwards is leading in most polls in Iowa, which is a big deal; he's a strong third in national polls; has lots of union support; and has stockpiled a perfectly respectable campaign warchest (albeit significantly less than Hillary or Obama).

As it happens, the perception that The Times is basically covering the Dem primary as a two-person race is borne out by the numbers. We did a Nexis search and discovered that both Hillary and Obama separately each earned mentions in nearly twice the number of articles that mentioned Edwards. We found:

Hillary: Mentioned in 304 articles in the last three months

Obama: Mentioned in 302 articles in the last three months

Edwards: Mentioned in 171 articles in the last three months

This is thoroughly unscientific, admittedly -- but that's a big disparity.

Of course, there are various reasons why Hillary and Obama might be expected to garner more mentions. Both are potentially history-making candidates. They're both sitting Senators, Hillary of course being from New York. They're first and second in national polls. And they've raised more money (though that of course would be a pretty woeful excuse for judging their campaign and policy proposals to be more newsworthy).

Still, given Edwards' positioning -- again, he's got a perfectly reasonable shot at the nomination -- should the Times really be giving that much more attention to Hillary and Obama? (And that's not even bringing up the coverage accorded the second-tier candidates.)

Let's hope this changes.

Update: As to the point that Hillary's home state is the same as that of The Times, let's keep in mind that it's basically functioning as a national paper when it comes to its coverage of the Presidential race.

Here's something that could irk Dem activists and the netroots alike: On May 30, Hillary will be the guest of honor at a fundraiser being thrown by the president of News Corp, which owns Fox News.

An overlooked article earlier this month in the New York Post reported that Peter Chernin, the president and chief operating officer of News Corp., is helping throw a May 30 fundraiser for Clinton in California for Hollywood bigshots.

Hillary, of course, has had a well-publicized thawing of relations with Fox News and News Corp. uber-lord Rupert Murdoch, who threw a fundraiser for her last year.

But that was well before Dem activists and the netroots launched an all-out campaign against Fox -- a campaign which ultimately won a couple high-profile victories against Fox, most notably getting the Dem Presidential candidates to pull out of the Fox/Congressional Black Caucus debate. Many Dem activists think that Dems should not appear on Fox because it lends credibility to a network that is basically a GOP propaganda outlet that pumps out material damaging to Dems.

In pulling out of the Fox-sponsored debate, Hillary stopped short of criticizing Fox, instead saying

Ahh, good old Fox News -- never a shortage of mendacity or entertainment.

The network is already declaring that the President has already won the standoff with the Dem Congress over Iraq War funding:

As you can see, the line on the screen reads:

PRESIDENT WINS SHOWDOWN OVER IRAQ FUNDING

The funny thing about this is that Wendell Goler, the Fox reporter pictured above, was simultaneously saying that negotiations between the White House and the Dem Congressional leadership are continuing. More to the point, Goler even said there was still a scenario that could lead to a Presidential veto -- that is, if the Dems insist on strict troop readiness standards.

Okay, so if Fox's own reporter is saying that a Presidential veto is still possible -- which, if it happened, wouldn't in any way, shape or form constitute a Presidential victory -- how could the network possibly be saying that Bush has already "won" this standoff?

Answer: By lying, of course.

Update: Commenter Crust notes that in fairness, it's possible that Fox was simply "confused," rather than outright lying. Fair enough. We'll allow it. Fox was either confused or lying. Of course, such "confusion" is endemic on the network...

The Republicans may be taking a drubbing in fundraising for the House and Senate races, but they do appear to be holding an advantage over Dems on one fundraising front. The Republican National Committee outraised its Democratic counterpart, the DNC, in April, pulling in nearly twice the haul of the Dems, CQ Politics reports:

The RNC reported raising $7.4 million in April, compared with $4 million for the DNC, according to campaign reports filed late last week with the Federal Election Commission (FEC). That continues a trend: The RNC has outraised the DNC every month this calendar year.

The RNC raised $33 million in the first four months of this year and had $14.2 million in cash on hand; the committee was debt-free as May began. The DNC has raised $19.7 million this year and had available cash of $6.1 million, with debts of $3 million.

As we reported here yesterday, fundraising in the month of April was very good for Dems with regard to the Congressional races. It has left both the DCCC, which is stockpiling funds for the 2008 House races, and the DSCC, which is doing the same for the Senate contests, in commanding positions over the GOP.

House Dem Leadership: There Is No Deal With The White House
The House Democratic leadership canceled a planned meeting last night at which they were to present an Iraq funding package to caucus members, and are now strongly denying that they are ready to pass a no-strings-attached funding package that the White House has been demanding. "There is no deal," said Rep. Dave Obey (D-WI), who is the chairman of the Appropriations Committee.

Will Rudy Skip Iowa?
Rudy Giuliani's campaign has given mixed signals about whether they will participate in the Iowa Straw Poll — seen as a key benchmark of on-the-ground activist support in the state — and by extension whether he might attempt to skip Iowa entirely. "The best organizations have to be McCain and Romney," said the state's top Republican, U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley. "I don't think Giuliani is very far along on organizing."

McCain Misses Cloture Vote — On His Own Bill!
John McCain missed the roll call vote yesterday for cloture on the immigration bill — of which he is a main author — bringing him to a tally of 43 consecutive missed Senate floor votes. McCain has not cast a single vote on the Senate floor since April 12.

Today Is The Kentucky Gubernatorial Primary
Kentuckians go to the polls today to pick the party nominees for Governor. Incumbent Republican Ernie Fletcher faces a primary challenge from former Congresswoman Anne Northup, with the contest profiled today in The Washington Post. Fletcher has a 44%-34% lead in the latest SurveyUSA poll, with 40% needed to avoid a runoff. On the Democratic side, former Lt. Governor Steve Beshear leads businessman Bruce Lunsford among a large field, though a runoff appears likely.

The New York Times Calls On Edwards, Giuliani And Others To Release Tax Returns
The New York Times has published an editorial calling upon the Presidential candidates — especially John Edwards and Rudy Giuliani — to publicly disclose their tax returns. Citing Edwards' holdings of more than $11 million in a hedge fund and his anti-poverty campaign, plus Rudy's amassing a fortune from speeches based upon his post-9/11 notoriety, the Times declares, "these election commission reports are more limited than the ultimate disclosure candidates should make by releasing their tax returns." Only one candidate, Barack Obama, has taken that step thus far.

Former Rudy Aide Jerry Hauer Emerges As Critic
Former New York City Office of Emergency Management head Jerry Hauer, who served during the Giuliani administration, has been emerging as an unlikely critic of the former Mayor. Hauer has disputed Giuliani's contention that it was his decision to put the city's emergency command center in the World Trade Center complex, and is depicting Giuliani as a heavy-handed bully. For example, Hauer recounts a phone call he got from Giuliani after he decided to endorse Mark Green for Mayor over Mike Bloomberg: "He was shouting, 'If you do this, you’re done ... I’m going to end your career,' or something along those lines."

Richardson To Step Up Iowa Presence
Bill Richardson says he will ramp up his Iowa campaign and increase advertising spending in the key state of Iowa, thanks to a poll showing him breaking into the double digits there. "I am very encouraged because it shows that our grass-roots campaigning and our TV ads are creating some momentum," he said.

Hillary, Obama And Edwards Fighting For Congressional Endorsements
The top three Democratic candidates for President have been working hard to whip up support amongst Congressional Democrats. Hillary Clinton leads the pack with 35 endorsements in Congress, most of them from her home state of New York. Barack Obama's whip operation is working hard to catch up. John Edwards does not have as much support from current lawmakers, but his campaign is buoyed by the support of former Michigan Congressman David Bonior, who served as House Minority Whip from the 1990's through 2001.

Ron Paul Picking Up Support Online
Congressman Ron Paul might be towards the back of the Presidential pack, but he's picking up a large fan-base online, thanks to his stance that Arab enmity against the United States is a form of blowback against American foreign policy. Paul's following has picked up in terms of MySpace friends, YouTube viewings, and his showings in online polls.

Swing State GOP Senator Opposes The Immigration Bill
U.S. Sen. John Sununu (R-NH), who faces a potentially tough re-election battle in 2008, has come out against the immigration bill. "It's a problem, and if you allow anyone who is here illegally to remain in the country, you run the risk of encouraging others to break the law in the future," Sununu said.

Another Side Of Elizabeth Kucinich — Piercings
Dennis Kucinich's wife is almost certainly unique among the Presidential candidates' spouses in this respect: She has a tongue piercing, described by the Times of London as "a bar with two delicate balls on either side."

Will the dissembling ever stop? Here's Joe Lieberman, in an interview with Bloomberg News, threatening to switch to the GOP, in the process snookering a reporter into puffing up his importance:

May 22 (Bloomberg) -- Senator Joe Lieberman, a Connecticut independent, says his disagreement with the Democrats over the Iraq war won't prevent him from working with his former party. For now.

"I hope the moment doesn't come that I feel so separated from the caucus" that he decides to shift allegiance to the Republicans, he said in an interview. Asked what Democratic actions might cause such a break, he invoked Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart's famous 1964 definition of pornography: "I'll know it when I see it."

This comes less than a week after Lieberman acknowledged in a little-noticed speech that he'd promised during the campaign against Ned Lamont that he'd stick with the Dems. In that speech to the Republican Jewish Coalition on May 16, Lieberman said:

In all seriousness, many of you in this room stood with me last year through the long journey up a winding road that was my 2006 reelection campaign. You came to my side without regard for party affiliation, and you stayed there even after I ran as an Independent but said I would caucus with the Democrats. Your non-partisanship in my race is a model for what our politics should be. I thank you personally and deeply for it. I could not have won without it.

As we've documented here, of course, Lieberman did indeed promise -- over and over and over again -- to stick with the Dems.

Look, if you're really desperate to defend Lieberman here, you can argue that perhaps Lieberman changed his mind since the election, that politicians drift away from their parties over time. The simple, indisputable point, though, is that every time Lieberman threatens to switch, he's threatening to break a promise he repeatedly made to voters. It's hard to imagine a fact that has more central importance to this story -- yet mystifyingly, it's almost always missing from articles about this. No mention of it in this Bloomberg piece, for instance. Bloomberg, Lieberman is very grateful to you for your willingness to deep-six recent history on his behalf.

The more important point, though, is that it's clear that Lieberman knows he's threatening to break his vow to voters with his switch talk, as evidenced by his speech last week. And it doesn't seem to concern him in the least. If I'd voted for the guy, I'd be pretty irked by that.

Special thanks to TPM Reader AZ for sending in the Bloomberg piece.

Edwards: Other People Made The Haircut Decisions

John Edwards is yet again addressing the media storm created by his big house, and the $400 haircuts:








Fred Thompson Picks Tobacco Exec As Campaign Manager In Waiting

Chris Cillizza reports that Tom Collamore, vice president of public affairs for tobacco company Altria (formerly known as Philip Morris), has taken a lead role in building infrastructure for Fred Thompson's potential candidacy, and will likely head up his campaign if/when he declares. Collamore also served in various positions in the Reagan and Bush 41 administrations, last serving as Assistant Secretary of Commerce under the elder Bush.



Carter: I Misspoke When I Called Bush "Worst In History"

Jimmy Carter is retracting his statement over the weekend, when he called President Bush the "worst in history" among Presidents for foreign affairs, saying it was unintentional. "I should have avoided the question or been more careful," Carter said.



New York GOP Endorses Rudy

The New York State Republican Party has endorsed Rudy Giuliani, after some delay. State party chair Joseph Mondello said, "Only Rudy Giuliani has stood at the abyss of terror and destruction and shown a city, state, nation and, yes, the world the true meaning of leadership." Mondello had previously urged officials to hold off from endorsing Rudy's campaign, in what was seen by some in the press as evidence of a feud between Mondello and the Giuliani campaign.



Michelle Obama: I'm Not An Adviser

Michelle Obama says she is not an adviser to her husband on policy or political decisions. "There is so much work we need to do as a family and as a couple. We talk about our work, we talk about what we do, but he makes his decisions on his own and I try to be supportive," she said.



McCain: "Wait A Couple of Weeks" and Mitt Could Flip-Flop To Supporting My Bill

Ana Marie Cox reports that John McCain hit back at Mitt Romney's opposition to the immigration deal, taking a shot at Romney's reputation for flip-flopping — saying "wait a couple of weeks and see if the winds change and Mitt comes back around" — and Romney's hiring of of a landscaping company that hired illegals: "Maybe Mitt should get out his small varmint gun and chase those Guatemalans off his yard."



On Eve Of Kentucky Primary, Fletcher and Beshear Lead

In tomorrow's primary for Governor of Kentucky, a new SurveyUSA poll shows scandal-plagued incumbent Governor Ernie Fletcher (R) leading primary challenger Ann Northup, a former Congresswoman, in tomorrow's primary for his re-election. Fletcher leads 44%-34%, followed by businessman Billy Harper at 17%. Fletcher only needs 40% to avoid a runoff. On the Dem side, former Lt. Governor Steve Beshear leads businessman Bruce Lunsford 32%-23%, followed by four other candidates, with a runoff seeming highly likely. Lunsford led until recently, but has fallen in the wake of ads reminding voters that he endorsed Republican Ernie Fletcher in 2003, after he withdrew from the Democratic primary that year.



Edwards Continues Anti-War Campaign

Continuing to lambaste the war in Iraq, John Edwards is advocating war protests as the best way to honor veterans on Memorial Day. At an appearance in New Hampshire, he also floated the idea of a compulsory national service "so that everybody in America — not just the poor kids who get sent to war — are serving this country." — T. W. Farnam



Hunter To Launch "The Right Stuff Express" Tour In South Carolina

Duncan Hunter will kick off a new campaign gimmick with a tour of South Carolina in an RV dubbed "The Right Stuff Express," accompanied retired Gen. Chuck Yeager, the first pilot to break the sound barrier. Unlike John McCain's "Straight Talk Express" bus, Hunter will only ride the RV every few months, and his campaign has a minimum goal of a mere two more tours.



Fred Thompson To Appear On Leno

The Los Angeles Times reports that Fred Thompson will appear on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, some time in June.



Gingrich Going To Iowa

Newt Gingrich will be visiting Iowa this week, stopping at Council Bluffs and West Des Moines on Tuesday.



In Kucinich's District, Local Mayor Considering A Primary Challenge

Parma, Ohio, Mayor Dean DePiero is considering a run against Dennis Kucinich in the Democratic primary next year. DePiero admitted that such a campaign would be difficult, but political observers there think that many local residents are tired of Kucinich's quixotic bids for President, and might be willing to give a chance to someone else.



Rothenberg Report: Dems Targeting Wilson, GOP Targeting Space

The Rothenberg Political Report writes that Democrats are gearing up to target Heather Wilson, who frequently wins by close margins and is now tied up in the U.S. Attorney scandal. Meanwhile, Republicans will target freshman Dem Zack Space of Ohio, believing that his win last year was a fluke in the GOP-leaning district, caused by the resignation of Bob Ney.



TSA Confiscates Congressman's Peanut Butter And Jelly

Congressman Tim Ryan (D-OH) blogs about a recent run-in with the Transportation Security Administration at the airport in Manchester, New Hampshire. Ryan, who is living on the monetary equivalent of food stamps in order to better understand the plight of the nation's poor, had carefully rationed a supply of peanut butter and jelly to last him through his travels, only to have the security gates take it away under the onerous no-liquids rule.


"I took my bag and walked towards the gate thinking about the 4 or maybe 5 meals that she had taken from me. What am I going to do now? It’s not like I can just go to Safeway and grab another jar. I have .33 cents (sic) and a bag of cornmeal to last today and tomorrow," Ryan writes. He finished sarcastically, "I’d like to thank the TSA for doing an exceptional job protecting our nation’s airports and allowing me to illustrate that not even Congressmen get any special treatment at the airport."

Updated below. And updated again: The story looks like it was false.

On Friday we told you that House liberals were worried that the Dem Congressional leadership would ultimately concede the game to President Bush on Iraq, sending him a bill to fund the Iraq War through September with benchmarks to measure Iraqi progress but no withdrawal timetables of any kind.

Now look what the Associated Press is reporting:

In grudging concessions to President Bush, Democrats intend to draft an Iraq war-funding bill without a timeline for the withdrawal of U.S. troops and shorn of billions of dollars in spending on domestic programs, officials said Monday...

While details remain subject to change, the measure is designed to close the books by Friday on a bruising veto fight between Bush and the Democratic-controlled Congress over the war. It would provide funds for military operations in Iraq through Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year.

Democrats in both houses are expected to seek other opportunities later this year to challenge Bush's handling of the unpopular conflict.

...officials said the legislation is expected to include political and military goals for the Iraqi government to meet toward establishment of a more democratic society.

Failure to make progress toward the goals could cost the Iraqis some of the reconstruction aid the United States has promised, although it was not clear whether Democrats intended to give Bush power to order the aid to be spent regardless of progress.

As we noted below, House Dems are caucusing tonight and will likely engage in a give and take with leadership about its planned approach. If this is it, a lot of people will be very unhappy indeed...

Update: We're told by sources that the leadership is not confirming this story. So we'll see...

Update: The New York Times reports that no such decision has been reached by the leadership, and adds that the meeting where leadership was to present the plan to members was canceled. So it looks like the AP story may be false.

So what exactly will be the Dem Congressional leadership's next step in the standoff with the White House over Iraq? We may know as early as tonight.

A Democratic aide confirms that at a Dem caucus meeting this evening, the Dem leadership will "brief the members on what's likely to be in" the Iraq bill that emerges from conference and will be sent to the President. No details are yet available. As we noted on Friday, Dem leaders Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi and David Obey, among others, talked through the weekend about their next move.

Oh, and not that this will come as a surprise, but the idea of sending precisely the same bill back to the President -- the notion championed by John Edwards -- just isn't going to happen. The Dem aide also confirms it hasn't been under consideration for some time. We'll see what the Dem leadership has planned soon enough.

Below we brought you the tidings that Dems have upped their advantage over the GOP for the 2008 House races. Well, we've just received the numbers for the Senate races -- and the picture is more striking.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which stockpiles the cash for Senate races, tells us they raised $4.6 million in April -- more than double the $2.1 million raised by NRSC, according to the DSCC's figures.

Upshot: The DSCC reports $12.1 million on hand -- more than three times the NRSC's $3.4 million. This Dem advantage of nearly $9 million is a significant hike from the $6 million advantage Dems held over the GOP at the end of the first quarter in March.

Key footnote: Elizabeth Dole, the former head of the NRSC, took a beating from critics for her lackluster fundraising in 2006. Well, as Dem insiders note with some glee, Dole raised more in April of 2005 -- $3.7 million -- than the NRSC raised this April.

Being in the majority continues to help the Democratic Party stockpile cash for 2008 -- and its advantage over the GOP for the 2008 House races continues to mount.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee -- which raises the party's cash for House races -- just sent us April's fundraising totals. The DCCC now has $9.4 million on hand, while the NRCC has $1.6 million, according to the figures sent our way by the DCCC.

That's a robust $7.7 million cash on hand advantage for the Dems -- up from the $7.3 million advantage the Dems held at the end of the first quarter, which brought Dems a record-breaking haul of $19 million (much of which went to paying off debt).

While the NRCC slightly outraised the DCCC this April -- pulling in $3 million to the Dems' $2.342 million -- these numbers actually contain further bad news for the GOP.

That's because the GOP's fundraising haul for April fell significantly from April of 2005, a clear sign of plummeting GOP morale, while the Dems' tally from the same period edged up. The $3 million raised by the NRCC this April is roughly two-thirds the $4.85 million it raised in April 2005.

Meanwhile, the $2.342 million raised by the Dems this April represents an increase over the $2 million they raised in April 2005.

"By surpassing our goals, we are ensuring that House Democrats will have the resources they need to strengthen our majority," says DCCC spokesperson Doug Thornell.

Key footnote: The Dems are growing their advantage despite the fact that their donors are being squeezed more tightly than ever before by the record-smashing fundraising pace being set by the party's Presidential candidates.

Update: As CQ Politics notes, April's haul for both parties was relatively light compared to the first quarter. That's mainly because cash intake tends to be lower during the first month of each quarter than during the last ones, when both parties push to maximize their takes.

It's official: The rogue state of Florida's primary will happen on January 29, potentially upending the Presidential nominating schedule for Republican and Democratic candidates alike.

Florida Governor Charlie Crist (R) has just signed the law moving up the primary, proudly declaring, "We will be the first megastate to weigh in on the next leader of the free world."

The problem: The national parties have forbidden all but a few states from going before February 5. In fact, Howard Dean has gone so far as to threaten giving zero Florida delegates to any Dem who campaigns there, and both parties are ready to drastically cut the number of delegates from the state.

But on the other hand, candidates could still proudly campaign in Florida, winning zero delegates, for another reason: The notoriety of a popular win in Florida could generate enough media buzz to boost a campaign in the February 5 states, even if little or no delegates are actually won. And if one candidate goes to Florida for their votes, others may be forced to follow, which would set up a conundrum for the DNC and RNC: What if all the candidates campaign there?

In other news, Crist also signed a law to stop using electronic voting machines in 15 key Florida counties, and experiment going back to paper ballots in the wake of a disastrous contested House race last fall. It's about time.

Now here's an interesting subplot to the story of the success Dem Presidential candidates are having -- the Dems appear to actually be outraising their GOP counterparts in, of all places, the GOP stronghold of the south.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution tallied up the numbers and reached some startling conclusions:

Something unusual happens to the political map when it's overlain with first-quarter fund-raising for the 2008 presidential election: Georgia, like much of the South, turns a pale shade of blue.

While Republican candidates at the state and local levels hold a distinct edge in fund-raising now that the GOP controls Georgia's statehouse, the party doesn't dominate at the presidential level.

The specifics, according to the AJC, are that Dems outpaced the GOP in first-quarter fundraising in the following eight southern states:

Georgia North Carolina Alabama Mississippi Louisiana Kentucky Virginia Florida

...while the GOP led Dems in only four states:

South Carolina Tennessee Arkansas Texas

AJC's full analysis here. The key is that this Dem success is not the result of a single superstar candidate. As it happens, the top three Dems -- Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John Edwards -- are all doing well in the south. Here's the breakdown of the states in which each of the Dems outdid his or her rivals:

Edwards did best in North Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.

Hillary outraised her Dem rivals in Florida and Virginia.

And Obama -- in a very striking finding -- outraised the others in Georgia and Kentucky.

What accounts for the Dems' besting of the GOP in such a solidly Republican geographic region? According to political science professor Merle Black, it's because there's "no consensus conservative Republican in the race to draw the money."

Another related point: Thanks to the implosion of George Allen, who was positioned to be the south's standard bearer, none of the GOP frontrunners are from the south.

Republicans Playing Catchup Online
The Washington Post reports that the GOP is having a hard time keeping up with the online activism of the Democrats. For example, the top three Dem Presidential candidates raised $14 million online in the past quarter, while the top three Republicans raised only $6 million. The Post posits, "an underlying cause may be the nature of the Republican Party and its traditional discipline — the antithesis of the often chaotic, bottom-up, user-generated atmosphere of the Internet."

Iowa Straw Poll Is About Activists, Not Actual Votes
A new Des Moines Register poll of likely Republican Iowa caucus goers finds that 60% of them will probably not attend the Iowa Straw Poll this August in Ames, compared to only seven percent who definitely will, and 30% who probably will. Nevertheless, according to White House political director Sara Taylor, is the dedication of a campaign's activists. "You certainly couldn't use it as a scientific survey of support in the state," Taylor said "But what it shows is an ability to identify and motivate and mobilize people who support your candidate and get them to show up."

Richardson To Officially Launch Bid Today
The Associated Press reports that Bill Richardson will officially launch his bid for President today in his birthplace, Los Angeles. The AP notes the significance of Richardson's birth there: "William Blaine Richardson Jr., an American banker living in Mexico City, sent his Mexican wife to the Los Angeles suburb of Pasadena to give birth to ensure there would be no questions about his child's citizenship."

Fallen Soldier's Mother Disputes Richardson's Story Of Their Conversation
The Associated Press reports that Bill Richardson is taking heat from New Mexico native De'on Miller, mother of the late Lance Cpl. Aaron Austin, who died at age 21 three years ago in Iraq. Richardson has said in campaign speeches that a conversation with Miller about insufficient compensation from the government inspired him to create a fund in Austin's name. Miller, however, says the story is bogus, and is insulted that she is said to have talked about money at her son's memorial. "I got the feeling he's trying to use us to make us sound like little Podunks or something," Miller said. "My husband makes $60,000 a year. I'm a college graduate. You know, I find it all very insulting."

McCain: Hold Cabinet Heads Accountable, Withhold Cash From Underperforming Programs
The Associated Press reports that John McCain will give a speech today in Oklahoma City, calling for cabinet members to be held responsible for the ethical standards of their departments — a not-too-subtle shot at Attorney General Alberto Gonzales — and for money to be withheld from federal programs that are not meeting their performance goals. "It is essential to our party's success, and to the nation's honor that we claim sincerely the mantle of reform," McCain will say, according to the prepared remarks.

Arizona GOP Chair Blasts Immigration Deal
The Arizona Republic reports that Randy Pullen, chairman of the Arizona Republican Party, has put out a statement blasting the immigration bill as "790 pages of new bureaucracy and window-dressing" that will not solve the problem. Pullen, who is remaining neutral in the Presidential race even as home-state Senator John McCain is among the frontrunners, also took a swipe at McCain and fellow Senator Jon Kyl: "Over the past several days, the Arizona Republican Party has had hundreds of calls and e-mails from activists, voters of all partisan persuasion ... questioning the judgment of our elected officials in Washington, D.C."

Obama Picks Up $750,000 At Two Connecticut Fundraisers
The Associated Press reports that Barack Obama raised at least $750,000 on Saturday at two fundraisers in Greenwich, Connecticut, which featured a parade of big-name Democratic donors. Hedge-fund executive Paul Tudor Jones II hosted an event that featured the likes of George Soros and Tyra Banks. Obama then headed to the Greenwich home of former New York Knick Allan Houston for another event.

Hillary Proposes Universal Pre-Kindergarten
The Associated Press reports that Hillary Clinton is unveiling a proposed $10 billion grant to provide matching funds to states for universal, voluntary pre-kindergarten. The grant would be paid for through closing tax loopholes and eliminating some Bush Administration spending programs. "There is a lot of evidence that this saves money over the long run and economists and others have validated what experts in early childhood education have told us for a long time," Clinton told NBC The Today Show.

Pelosi Critical Of Immigration Bill
The Hill reports that Speaker Nancy Pelosi has a set of objections to the new immigration bill, most notably a point system that weakens the principles of family unification, and immigrants being able to easily sponsor relatives to come over. "We're about families and family values," Pelosi said. "And having people coming and going, taking their children out of school and being separated from them — we should try to fashion something that recognizes the reality of life."

Reid Will Repeatedly Call The Senate Into Session, To Block Recess Appointments
U.S. News reports that Harry Reid has a plan to block President Bush from making recess appointments during the upcoming August vacation: Reid will call the Senate into a quick session every ten days, in order to stop the President from having a window in which he could make appointments.

GQ Profile: Webb Won By Bucking The Usual Politics
GQ has a profile of Jim Webb, with the colorful title, "The Honorable, Enraged Gentleman From Virginia." The author sums up Webb's victory as more than just a function of George Allen's implosion: "He did so by ignoring the advice of most national Democrats ... He railed against the war from the first day of his campaign, back when Senator Chuck Schumer and Congressman Rahm Emanuel, the leaders of the effort to take back Congress, were warning candidates in red states to shy away from Iraq, believing it had cost Democrats two elections in a row."

Sharpton Visiting Mormons In Salt Lake City Today
The Associated Press reports that Al Sharpton is touring Salt Lake City today, where he will meet with Mormon church leaders and tour Temple Square, in something of a mea culpa for his remarks two weeks ago, "As for the one Mormon running for office, those who really believe in God will defeat him anyways, so don't worry about that; that's a temporary situation."

Carter: Bush "Worst In History" In Foreign Relations
The Associated Press reports that Jimmy Carter said that President Bush has been the worst President in American history, in terms of America's foreign relations and image around the world. "I think as far as the adverse impact on the nation around the world, this administration has been the worst in history," Carter said. "The overt reversal of America's basic values as expressed by previous administrations, including those of George H.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon and others, has been the most disturbing to me."

Over 550 Obama Supporters Canvass New Hampshire With Petition
The Hotline reports that over 550 Obama supporters in New Hampshire went door to door yesterday on the candidate's behalf. The canvassers were collecting signatures from mostly Democratic neighborhoods for the candidate's petition to pressure the state's GOP Senators, John Sununu and Judd Gregg, to change their votes on Iraq. All signatures collected will be entered into a campaign database, so the Obama campaign will later be able to target those same voters during the primary.

Hillary Accepts Fundraising Support From Controversial Katrina Sheriff
The New York Times reports that Hillary Clinton has accepted the support of Jefferson Parish Sheriff Harry Lee, who sat on the host committee of a fundraiser in New Orleans for the Clinton campaign. Lee is perhaps best known for his officers preventing mostly black New Orleans evacuees from crossing a bridge into his parish in order to get out of the city. Lee defended the action as "a duty to protect our people," which many people felt had racial overtones.

South Carolina Republicans Boo Immigration Deal, Cheer Romney
The Boston Globe reports that yesterday's South Carolina Republican convention was the site of much booing by grassroots activists against the proposed immigration legislation — with a strongly negative reception given to even the state's own Senator, Lindsey Graham. The other Senator, Jim DeMint, was cheered for his opposition to the bill, and Mitt Romney was also received positively for his opposition. "If that's not a form of amnesty, I don't know what is," Romney said.

Romney Leaps to HUGE Lead in Iowa!
A new Des Moines Register poll has Mitt Romney jumping to a lead in Iowa with 30%, followed by John McCain at 18% and Rudy Giuliani with 17%. Furthermore, 74% of Republicans have a favorable view of Romney, ahead of even Rudy Giuliani 70%. On the Democratic side, John Edwards leads with 29%, followed by Barack Obama with 23% and Hillary Clinton at 21%. Bill Richardson has taken a solid fourth place with 10%.

Associates: No Way Bloomberg Would Run For Vice President
Ben Smith reports that those close to Mike Bloomberg think there is no way he would run for Vice President with Chuck Hagel, with whom the Mayor has been seen dining and is also contemplating a third-party run of his own. If the two were to run, it would have to be as Bloomberg-Hagel, not Hagel-Bloomberg. "I'm not sure he would run for president, but I'm fairly certain that he wouldn't want to run for vice president," said public relations executive Howard Rubenstein, who represents Bloomberg's company but was not officially speaking on the Mayor's behalf. "It's just in his personality."

Romney Has New Ad, Opposing Illegal Immigration
Mitt Romney has a new ad running in Iowa and New Hampshire, a 60-second piece in which the candidate lays out his stance on immigration during a town hall. The candidate declares strongly, "Legal immigration is great. But illegal immigration, that we've got to end ... And amnesty is not the way to do it."

Edwards' Iraq Ads Get Strong Ratings From Dems
The Hill reports that John Edwards' recent ads, in which various people talk about getting out of Iraq, followed by a required disclaimer from Edwards that he approved the message, has gotten a positive reception from Democrats. According to a survey by Wilson Research Strategies, the ad scores a 7.8 out of 10 for strength of message, a 7.5 for credibility, and scored 6.8 or above in all six categories for which Wilson Research Strategies did ratings.

Kerik: My Reputation Won't Damage Rudy's Campaign
Chris Cillizza points out that Bernie Kerik appeared on MSNBC on Friday, where he was asked about Rudy Giuliani's statements that supporting Kerik for Secretary of Homeland Security was a "mistake," and whether Kerik's reputation would damage the Giuliani campaign. "No, absolutely not," Kerik said, pointing out Giuliani's record of leading New York, and his strong performance on 9/11. "That's what they should be judging him for, not whether or not he recommended me for Homeland Security or not. They have to look at his 33, 35-year career as a manager and a public servant. And I think when you do that, you compare him to the other candidates, I think the decision is pretty obvious, and I think he should be the man to run the White House.""