Sunday Snapshot

Hillary Clinton was on "This Week":

Asked about Obama's argument he can get GOP and indie votes in a general election: "I think that my record and the elections that I've been through demonstrate that I'm more likely, at the end of the day, to be able to attract voters who know how serious the issues are that we face, with a war to end in Iraq and a war to resolve in Afghanistan, an economy that is slipping into a recession and not working for most people.

"And I think it's also clear that on issue after issue, I can draw a very stark contrast with Senator McCain, if he happens to be the nominee. And, finally, ... I've been taking the incoming fire from Republicans for about 16 years now and I'm still here, because I have been vetted, I have been tested. There's unlikely to be any new surprises. People understand who I am, where I'm from, what I do, what I believe in, and I think that I can go up against Senator McCain or any of the Republicans and be able to defend our positions, put them forward to the American people and make an affirmative case as to why I should be the president."

Asked what voters don't know about Obama: "I think it's fair to say ... that it's not so much about him as it is about me, that, you know, I have been through these Republican attacks over and over and over again and I believe that I've demonstrated that, much to the dismay of the Republicans, I not only can survive, but thrive. I think that's a very important difference to take into this election, because you know well, as I do, that the Republicans are not going to go quietly away. They want to win, obviously. They want to keep the White House. They'll run a very vigorous campaign."

More: "You know, in his prior election in Illinois, Senator Obama didn't face anyone who ran attack ads against him. He ran against a very weak opponent, without resources or credibility. So I believe that this will be a very tough fought general election."

HRC: "I want to say something else. You know, Senator Obama consistently misstates what I had said and really tries to gloss over his answer to a question in an early debate. The question was very specific -- would you, without precondition, meet with five of the worst dictators, including Ahmadinejad from Iran and others, without precondition, personally, as president? He said yes, I said no."

More: "I'm always a little amused when Senator Obama goes around quoting President Kennedy, when he was running for the presidency, about how you should never be afraid to negotiate. But then if you look at the actual transcript of what President Kennedy said in the debates with Vice President Nixon, he said he would not meet with Khrushchev unless there had been a lot of groundwork laid. That is the appropriate position for the president of the United States to take. And so I really hope that Senator Obama will quit deliberately misstating what I said in order to avoid scrutiny for what he says."

On her health care plan: "The misleading information that Senator Obama's campaign is putting out, that I will force people to do it even if they can't afford it, is absolutely untrue."

On what she thinks of Ann Coulter saying she'd vote for her over McCain: "This will be an interesting election all the way through. ... You never know. Strange bedfellows and all of that. But I honestly believe that it would be a tremendous contest between Senator McCain and myself. I think I can draw the contrasts and stand on that stage with him. You know as well as I do that at the end of every election, independent voters are often drawn back to a fundamental question -- who can protect and defend the United States of America? And although security is not foremost on the agenda, there is no predicting what the agenda will look like come next fall. And I believe that I am much better positioned by record and experience, by the values and the opinions that I've expressed in this campaign, to go one-on-one with John McCain. And, you know, at some point, I'm happy to have any voters, although this one took me somewhat by surprise" (ABC, 2/3).

She was also on "Fox News Sunday":

FNC's Wallace: "Senator, you started calling for pulling U.S. troops out of Iraq in November of 2005. If we had followed your policy, wouldn't al Qaeda by now be able to say that they had driven the U.S. out of Iraq?"

HRC: "I think we have to look at this in the context in which it's taking place. The so-called surge was designed to give the Iraqi government the space and time to make the tough decisions that only the Iraqis can make for themselves. It's my assessment that only now is the Iraqi government starting to grapple with problems that many of us have been pushing them to resolve for five years. And the problem is that they have up until now believed that they didn't really have to take any tough action, that President Bush had given them basically a blank check, that the American military would be there to protect them and protect other parts of the country. And I think that putting forward a very clear objective of beginning to withdraw our troops is the best way to get the Iraqis to take responsibility. So I think that it's clear there is no military solution. We can stay for a day, a month, a year, 10 or 100 years, as Senator McCain has said would be fine with him, but I don't think that's the answer. I think we've got to bring our troops home and really require and put the pressure on the Iraqis to make the tough decisions that they have to make."

Asked if the race for the Dem nod goes on after Super Tuesday: "This whole Super Tuesday national primary is something nobody's ever gone through before. We're kind of making it up as we go. So it's hard to sit here and predict what will happen on Tuesday or what happens the next day. But I'm very excited and encouraged by the response I'm getting across the country. You know, I've had huge crowds. I've had a lot of people coming forward to support me. There seems to be a lot of great activity going on the ground in all of these states. So we'll see what happens on Tuesday."

Asked who will be the boss in the WH: "I don't think there'll be any doubt about that ... you know, just as there wasn't any doubt that he was the president and the commander in chief. And all of us, including everyone in the White House, and that was me as well, were there to support his efforts. That's what it will be when I'm in the White House. I will be the decision-maker. Obviously, I'm going to seek advice from a wide range of people who have expertise and experience that will be helpful in making decisions, and that certainly includes him, because I think he'll play a very important role in representing our country around the world. But at the end of the day, I know very well, having been there for eight years, that the weight of decision-making falls on the president. I'm ready to accept that responsibility. I don't believe in government by advisers. I believe we need a president who is a hands-on manager of the government. I think that's what I offer, and that's what I intend to do" (2/3).

THE QUIET CONSERVATIVE?

John McCain was on "Face the Nation":

Asked if he can "handle" being the front runner: "It might be hard to do. ... We've been here before. But, look, I'm very happy with where are. I know that Tuesday is going to be hotly contested. But I'm very pleased where we are. And I'm pleased at the gathering support from all parts of the party that we're gaining. But, you know, we'll wait until the votes are counted."

Asked about conservatives speaking out against him: "I'm proud of the conservative support I have. People like Jack Kemp and Phil Gramm and Steve Forbes just signed up; Bill Simon, Jr. We're gathering support. I understand that primaries are tough. ... You've seen them. And sometimes there are some bruised feelings. But I have a strong conservative record that I'm proud to run on. And I believe -- I know that I can unite the party once we get through this primary. And, again, I'm proud of my record. And I know that we can unite and move forward and win in November."

On Romney saying he's not in line with conservatives: "If you examine my record, it's more conservative than Governor Romney's is."

Asked if he can win in Nov. if the conservatives decide to sit it out: "Oh, I would doubt that. But I am confident we are already seeing many of the conservatives, and in the state of Florida, we carried Florida in a Republican-only primary. We got very large percentage of the, quote, conservative vote. And I'm confident that electability and I'm confident that once they examine my record and as we unite against a common opponent that we'll do fine with that."

More: "I've been able to keep my conservative principles and reach across the aisle and get thing done. I think that's what people want. When you look at polls of the American people, they are very frustrated with us in Congress because we don't work together on issues that are important to them. I have a record of knowing how to do that and at the same time maintain a very conservative record" (CBS, 2/3).

He was also on "Fox News Sunday":

Asked if he can wrap up the nod on Super Tuesday: "Well, I hope so. But you know, you don't know for sure. I think we got a lot of good momentum and a lot of endorsements, and crowds who are enthusiastic, and we're working hard, and I'm guardedly optimistic. But I can't predict it. There have been too many ups and downs so far in this primary for me to predict even 48 hours ahead of time."

Asked about the conservative vote: "We're doing fine with the conservatives and the moderates and the liberals, if there are any. We're doing fine. In Florida we got, as you know, a majority of the Republican vote. It was a Republican-only primary. And we're doing well. ... But we've got a lot of work to do. ... Primaries are tough. Primaries are very tough, and there's a lot of strong feelings. But the job is -- when the primaries are over, is to unite the entire party, and I'm confident I can do that. I have a strong conservative record, and I'm proud of that record, and I also believe on the national security side it's going to be a clear difference between me and Senator Clinton or Senator Obama."

FNC's Wallace: "In 2001, you voted for a tax cut, but one that was targeted more at the middle class, and you voted against the tax cut when it was favored or tilted more toward the wealthy. Don't you sound a little bit like Obama or Clinton on that?"

McCain: "I don't think so. ... Back in 1983 and '84, when I first came to the Congress as a foot soldier in the Reagan revolution, I was one of those who fought hard for tax cuts, and we were able to get them. And after that we had one of the greatest periods of economic prosperity in history. I voted for spending restraints along with my friend Phil Gramm and Jack Kemp and many others. My record is very clear of support for tax cuts but also fighting against waste and pork barrel spending, which has not enhanced my popularity sometimes in the United States Senate. And I went after Abramoff, and I went after a Boeing deal that was going to cost the taxpayers an additional $6 billion. I've been after them and I'll stay after them. And as president, I can understand why it might make a few of them nervous that depend on pork barrel and earmark spending" (2/3).

BRINGING IN THE INDIES

Barack Obama was on "Face the Nation":

Asked what he will consider a good night on Super Tuesday: "I think the race is close all across the country. There are going to be some states where I anticipate Senator Clinton will do well. Her home state of New York. In California, she had a big lead that we're chipping away on. My home state of Illinois, we'll do well. But I think that we want to make sure that we're getting a good chunk of delegates, and we think that we can win a lot of states that traditionally haven't taken a look at Democrats. I was in Idaho yesterday and we were up in Boise. We had 13,000 people come out to a rally. Keep in mind that four years ago only 5,000 people participated in the Democratic caucus. And I think that's one of the untold stories of this campaign, is the enormous turnout that we've been seeing in the first four early states. I think that if we continue to bring people who haven't be voting -- younger voters, independents and even some disenchanted Republicans, then I think we'll do pretty well."

More: "I think that we can attract independents and Republicans in a way that Senator Clinton cannot. ... That broadens the political map. I think it bodes well for the election. But more importantly, it bodes well for us being able to govern and actually deliver on promises like health care for all people or making college more affordable or trying to put together an energy policy that actually makes sense for America. Those are going to be the kinds of difficult issues where we need a working majority for change. That's something I think I can put together."

Asked if HRC winning the Hispanic vote means there is a "brown-black divide": "You know, I really don't see it. In Illinois, when I ran for the United States Senate, I got 75 percent of the Hispanic vote. In Iowa, where we had time to campaign and Hispanic voters knew my track record of working on issues that help with the education of Hispanic kids, and have a comprehensive immigration strategy that will deal with the problem in a way that isn't just having it used as a political football, we actually won in Hispanic precincts. So my challenge has always been to make sure that the Hispanic voters know who I am. ... I think Ted Kennedy's support was important because he was able to highlight the work that I had done on comprehensive immigration reform. We've just recently received the endorsement of La Opinion, the largest Spanish-language newspaper in the country. And so I think we're closing the gap."

Asked about Bill Clinton watching the Super Bowl game with Bill Richardson: "I suspect that they're going to be watching the game. That's what I'm going to be doing. And so, probably, for at least three hours, you're not going to see too much politics going on."

Asked if what Bill Clinton said in SC backfired: "I think you'd have to ask Senator Clinton or President Clinton that. I know that we were very pleased to see the people of South Carolina push away some of the politics of the past. There had been a lot of emphasis during that week of campaigning in South Carolina about race and the divide between black and white voters. And it turned out that in fact, you had voters, I think, make a judgment about how can take this country to the future. And we have always believed that people want to get past some of these divisions to actually solve problems. That's one of the premises of my campaign. And I think that the people are responding in a way that gives me confidence we can have a politics that is less based on black versus white or young versus old or even rich versus poor, but is more based on how we're going to move the country forward to get things done."

Asked about an Obama-HRC ticket: "I think it would be presumptuous for me to think that Senator Clinton was interested in taking a vice presidential slot at this point. And I think she is running actively for the presidency, as I am. But I think that there's no doubt that Democrats are eager to unify against the Republicans. And it looks, at this point, like Senator McCain may end up being the nominee. There is a vast difference between my philosophy and John McCain's. He essentially wants to continue the Bush economic policies that have led to such big problems here in this country. He has staked his presidency on following the Bush agenda when it comes to foreign policy. And I think in both cases, there is going to be a sharp contrast between an Obama candidacy and a John McCain candidacy in terms of where we want to take the country. John McCain is going to want to continue the Bush program. I want a clean break from it so we can move the country forward."

Asked if he thinks McCain will be the GOP nominee: "Well, it looks like that at this point. But as we've learned, predictions are very difficult in this political season. It's volatile. We've got a lot of strong candidates. I'm sure Mitt Romney is going to continue to try to campaign vigorously. Right now, McCain seems to have the advantage. But whether it's McCain or Romney, both of them have essentially embraced a Bush economic policy that extends tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans to the exclusion of solving a lot of the domestic problems like health care. On foreign policy, both have suggested that we should continue the war in Iraq" (CBS, 2/3).

NEVER GIVE UP, NEVER SURRENDER

Mitt Romney was on "This Week":

On how he stops McCain's momentum going into Super Tuesday: "You make sure, as you go across the country, that you build the support among the base of our party to remind them that this is a battle, in some respects, for the heart and soul of the Republican Party, that, frankly, if we want a party that is indistinguishable from Hillary Clinton on an issue like illegal immigration, that we're going to have John McCain as a nominee. That's the wrong way to go. Instead, I believe that you're going to want to have somebody who can show a contrast on issues like campaign finance reform, like illegal immigration, like global warming. ... I think the mainstream members of my party are going to choose somebody who stands for the same kind of principles that -- well, that built the house that Ronald Reagan built. And I think the voices of conservatism across the country, radio talk show hosts, magazine columnists and so forth, who are conservative mainstream Republicans, are coming out for me in record numbers. And I think that's what you saw in Maine yesterday."

More: "The McCain campaign does its very best to try and characterize what I believe, and I think you've found time and again that they have stretched, twisted or completely walked away from the truth."

Asked if he's prepared to keep writing personal checks past Super Tuesday: "Of course. You know, I recognize that I'm not as well known as Senator McCain or Mayor Giuliani, or, for that matter, Fred Thompson. I got into this race recognizing that I had to build my name recognition. Theirs was already there. But I'm also proud of the fact that we've raised more money than any other Republican in this race. We've raised it from more people than any other Republican in this race, and that makes me proud. We got a lot of support across the country. But I of course am going to contribute to the very campaign I'm asking other people to contribute to" (ABC, 2/3).

He was also on "Late Edition":

On McCain criticizing him for his negative ads: "I'm not going to worry about the rough and tumble of politics. I think Senator McCain has been around a long time. He can give as good as he gets, and he gave a lot of tough stuff."

More: "As I go into Super Tuesday, what I have to do is continue to see what's been happening the last few days. Specifically, that is conservatives across the country are saying, whoa, we have to get behind Mitt Romney. It's effectively a two-person race, with all due respect to Mike Huckabee. He's a great guy and he'll probably do well in some states. But nationwide, it's a two-person race. And you've got people like Rush Limbaugh and Laura Ingraham and, well, the list goes on and on and on -- Hugh Hewitt, Lars Larson -- conservative voices, both from radio and from publications, are saying, you know what, we've got to get behind Mitt Romney; we really can't afford John McCain as the nominee of our party. And that kind of groundswell, I think, is what led me to win in Maine yesterday. We had Olympia Snowe and Senator Collins both fighting for John McCain, and I won 53 percent of the vote there. John McCain got 20 percent. And that was because conservatives, who normally would have stayed home, turned out in record numbers and gave me the win."

Romney: "I'm not placing a lot of stock in the finality of polls, but I am saying that I'm going to coalesce the strength of the Republican Party and our base, our conservative voters, around my campaign" (CNN, 2/3).

HE'S STILL IN THIS RACE

Mike Huckabee was on "Late Edition":

Huckabee: "I think it's time for Mitt Romney to step aside. You know, I'm leading in the states that are going to be real critical on Super Tuesday throughout the South, substantially ahead of Mitt Romney in these states. And I think it's ludicrous for him to suggest that with only 8 percent of the delegates counted and us being very close to the same delegate count, that somehow that makes me irrelevant? The fact is, he spent $100 million to have the same market share that I have for $7 million. Now, anybody with a Harvard MBA ought to know that the business model on that is, it's time to pull the plug on a business that is just not selling that well."

Asked about reports McCain has the nod locked up and Huckabee is running for the VP slot: "No, not at all. I mean, let's keep in mind that until somebody has 1,191 delegates, they're not the nominee. They may be a front-runner, but front-runner can become the back burner real quick in this race, as we've seen over and over. Rudy was the absolute de facto nominee. He's gone. Fred Thompson, he was going to suck all of the oxygen out of the room. He's gone. A number of others -- seven or eight other candidates, they're gone. I'm still here. And I think people need to remember that the people are going to make this choice, not the national pundits. And Mitt Romney is not going to make the choice, either. That's why we're in it for the long haul. Come Tuesday, we feel like we're going to pick up quite a few delegates and do very well. And we're going to keep going. And until somebody has 1,191 delegates, I'm still on the stage. You know, you're not going to force me out. I've worked to hard to be here. And the fact is, you know, I'm not a quitter. I didn't get in my life where I am by just giving up and quitting because things got tough. I've had a tough going all the way through, and it just makes me tougher and more determined."

Asked about the argument he's willing to go after Romney but not McCain: "I've heard the argument. John McCain hasn't gone after me either. Does that mean he's wanting to be my running mate? I think the point is, that we've had a respectful relationship because we both believe politics needs to be more civil. And that's why we haven't attacked each other. But we both, McCain and me, we have been on the receiving end of millions of dollars of Mitt Romney's negative attack ads. So we understand that Mitt's tried to become the nominee by destroying the people around him. And John McCain and I both have taken a different approach to the nomination and a path to it. We've tried to talk about what we are for, not what the other candidates are wrong about" (CNN, 2/3).

ROUNDTABLE ROUNDUP

The "Meet the Press" roundtable discussed WH '08:

GOP strategist Mike Murphy: "All we know is it's going to be a close race, and there are a bunch of really strong candidates out there."

GOP strategist Mary Matalin, on McCain: "He's not, in the end, going to get the crossovers, because they're going to go back to Obama."

The "This Week" roundtable discussed WH '08:

George Will: "There will be enormous pressure on Mr McCain to pick Mr Crist who certainly saved him at a crucial moment. And it's a terrific state to the Republicans. I mean the evidence mounts of Republican weakness all across the board."

The "Fox News Sunday" roundtable discussed WH '08:

FNC's Hume, on Obama: "I don't think he can beat her on Tuesday, but he has a lot of momentum, and she has, I think, less. And the likely outcome of Super Tuesday is, in terms of delegates, kind of a split verdict in which she will get more, but he'll get a lot, and he'll then have no incentive to give way to her."

Weekly Standard's Kristol: "I do want to say a word for Mitt Romney. We're so ruthless and cruel the way we bury people when they run second. Mitt Romney was a one-term governor of Massachusetts who had had almost no involvement in politics in the '70s, '80s and up till 1994 when he ran and lost against Ted Kennedy. He ran a pretty good campaign. You know, he is standing alive getting competitive in several big states like California and Missouri against John McCain. But Giuliani is out of the race. Thompson is out of the race. All these people, you know, sitting senators who have been around a lot longer, are out of the race. It's an impressive performance, and actually, he's running pretty well in the states where he's put ads up in the last few days, especially Missouri and California. I wonder if he had really decided to spend even more of his kids' fortune, you know, in this last week and really tried to become the conservative alternative to McCain, and more aggressively, whether he could have made a dent. But I think it was probably ultimately going to be too little, too late."

The "Late Edition" roundtable discussed WH '08:

CNN's Toobin, on conservatives not liking McCain: "I think it is a problem, but it's certainly not going to stop him from getting the nomination. I think it's going to hurt him in two ways, potentially. One is money. For all that he's made an enormous amount of progress, financially, he's still way behind Obama and Clinton. And I expect that will continue, because he doesn't have the mobilized Republican base. The other issue is turnout. Certainly most Republicans will vote for John McCain. But, you know, these elections historically have been very close. And, you know, in 2004, you had a very mobilized Republican electorate. They had all the gay rights initiatives that they wanted to vote down -- those folks may just stay home" [EMILY GOODIN].