May 2008

Harold Ickes and Tina Flournoy made the following statement this evening:

Today’s results are a victory for the people of Florida who will have a voice in selecting our Party’s nominee and will see its delegates seated at our party’s convention. The decision by the Rules and Bylaws Committee honors the votes that were cast by the people of Florida and allocates the delegates accordingly.

We reserve the right to challenge this decision before the Credentials Committee and appeal for a fair allocation of Michigan’s delegates that actually reflect the votes as they were cast.

19 in favor, 8 opposed and no abstentions. Full delegation seated with half a vote.

Applause for the committee co-chairs.

Ten hours. Two agreements reached. But a rowdy crowd. Angry protesters. And a Harold Ickes threat to push on to the Credentials Committee ...

Ickes: "Mrs. Clinton has instructed me to reserve her rights to take this to the Credentials Committee."

Here it is: Hillary Clinton 69 votes, casting 34.5 votes; Barack Obama 59 votes, casting 29.5 votes.

Don Fowler: Says it's not his first choice. But the proposal is the result of extensive negotiations and discussions and is in "the best interest of electing a Democrat in November."

"Harold, this is my position, I respect and love you, but this is what I think we should do, Madame Chair," Fowler adds.

Ickes: "I rise in opposition, but I'll sit. ... We find it inexplicable that this body that is supposedly devoted to rules is going to fly in the face of, other than our affirmative action rules, the single most fundamental rule in the delegate selection process, that is fair reflection."

More: "I am stunned that we have the gall and the chutzpah to substitute our judgment for 600,000 voters."

Accuses the RBC of "hijacking four delegates" from Clinton -- It's "not a good way to start down the path of party unity," Ickes adds.

(JS)

Despite seeing her earlier motion go down, Alice Huffman supports the new one. And she firmly beats back boos and shouts from opponents in the audience:

"We cannot leave here and not do something for relief for Florida. The world is not perfect but it's good. And when you can come here and leave with unity, it's what this party needs is unity. And you're about to see the best of this party in action. ... When we get this vote, we will leave here more united than we came. This is not about each other's campaigns."

Harold Ickes echoes Huffman's remarks, saying he's disappointed but will vote aye.

Applause fill the room as the vote is counted. Unanimous.

RBC co-chairman Alexis Herman: "We certainly are delighted with this outcome."

15 against
12 for
1 member doesn't vote

Lots of booing. Some in audience chant "Denver, Denver" as the motion goes down.

But is brief about it.

Tina Flournoy supports the motion but notes: "It has no chance of passing this body. That saddens me. It does."

ABERDEEN, SD – Barack Obama resigned his membership at Chicago’s Trinity United Church of Christ, campaign Comm Dir. Robert Gibbs today confirmed.

The resignation came just over a month after Obama denounced his former pastor and friend the Rev. Jeremiah Wright after the pastor made a series of controversial comments seen as unpatriotic and divisive and just days after new that another long-time Obama associate, the Rev. Michael Pfleger had delivered a sermon ridiculing Hillary Clinton from the church’s pulpit. Both men's comments were captured on video.

(NBC/NJ's ATHENA JONES)

My favorite moment from last night's Scripps National Spelling Bee finals comes courtesy of the winner, Sameer Mishra, 13, of West Lafayette, Ind:

They were due back at 4 p.m. ... We're still waiting.

Former Gov. Jim Blanchard of MI might regret mentioning that his mother's 98th birthday coincides with the RBC meeting.

"My mama always taught me to play by the rules," committee member Donna Brazile told Blanchard. "When you try to change the rules in the middle, in the end of the game, that’s called cheating."

(JS)

RBC member Sharon Stroschein (SD) noted that she's probably the only member of the panel whose state has yet to vote. But Stroschein said SD has seen all the primary-process "razzmatazz" -- the candidate visits and more -- that the early states experienced.

"If you had it to do over again," she asked former MI Gov. Jim Blanchard, a Hillary Clinton supporter, "would we be going through this?"

In other words, was messing with the calendar worth the fuss?

"As far as Michigan going early, I tend to agree with Carl Levin," Blanchard said, referencing remarks Levin made earlier in the proceedings..

(JS)

HUNGRY IN THE FOURTH ROW BALCONY -- Former MI Rep. David Bonior, a Barack Obama backer, was booed and hissed today when he called for the RBC to split the state's delegates between the presidential candidates.

"We cannot stand on ceremony and focus on anything other than amicable resolution for Michigan Democrats," Bonior said. "Let us concern ourselves with party unity."

(By the by, I should've kept a tally of the number of times speakers have used the words "not normal" and "fair reflection" and "flawed primary" in talking about MI.)

And this from Bonior -- Obama will campaign in MI again on Monday. Recall that John Edwards, whom Bonior previously supported, endorsed the IL Sen in Grand Rapids earlier this month.

(JS)

WASHINGTON -- Harold Ickes also dubbed the Michigan proposal one of "enormous violence." He cited the inaccuracy of exit polls and noted that the principle of "fair reflection" should guarantee that delegate allocation reflect the actual vote tally.

Under the MI proposal, the state shifts four delegates to Barack Obama without justification, Ickes said.

"Hell, why not take 10 of them, take 20 of them," Ickes said. "Just keep on going. I am right where you are on the full delegation, and I am right where you are on full votes. I'm right behind you, but, senator, I really plead when you think about fair reflection and what it means to the history of this party for this state Democratic Party to come to this group in my view, senator, in what is a matter of law ... I do not think that this committee has the jurisdiction, does not have the jurisdiction, senator, to even entertain this challenge as drafted."

Levin fired back: "You're calling for a fair reflection of a flawed primary. What we're trying to do is to keep a party together so that we can win a critical state in November. And let me tell you the precedent that we set it seems to me is a good precedent if circumstances like this ever existed again. ... It's an unusual circumstance."

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

"Sometimes a compromise to one person is not a compromise to another person."

-- HRC backer and Rules Cmte member Harold Ickes to Sen. Carl Levin

FOURTH ROW BALCONY, MARRIOTT WARDMAN, WOODLEY PARK -- Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) slammed the traditional lead-off role of Iowa and New Hampshire in the Democratic nominating process, telling the RBC that the early states aren't representative of the broader electorate.

"No state should have a right to go first and second every election," Levin said. "So, we fought to open up the process."

An angry Levin said NH, in particular, has "perpetual privilege that no state should have." He said the Rules Committee has given the Granite and Hawkeye states an unfair advantage in impacting the primary process and that MI officials justifiably challenged their dominance.

Levin urged the committee to seat the MI delegation in full and with full voting rights. He cautioned: "Do not inject disunity" into the state's voting process.

"It was a flawed primary folks, believe me we know it," he added.

Hillary Clinton's campaign will advocate a 73/55 delegate split, with her taking the majority over Barack Obama, Levin advised. Obama's team, meanwhile, wants an even split, 64/64.

He, however, supports the 69/59 split proposed by Brewer, who explained that the party's solution accounts for the actual vote and exit polls. It approximates a compromise between the two camps, Levin said. "It's the best we can do, folks," he said.

"The Democratic Party needs unity in the middle of this contentious battle between two strong candidates," Levin cautioned. "The people want us to strive for unity .. The Michigan Democratic Party has achieved unity. We're asking you to preserve it."

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

WASHINGTON -- Mark Brewer, chairman of the MI Democratic Party, urged the RBC to seat the entire 157-member MI delegation at full voting strength and to divide the state's 128 pledged delegates, 69 for Hillary Clinton and 59 for Barack Obama.

The plan, Brewer said, is overwhelmingly supported by the 80-member MI Dem Party executive committee.

"Michigan's Democratic voters have already been punished enough," he said, cautioning, that "our state is a must win state for whoever our nominee is."

On Call Reminder: Obama was not on the MI ballot.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

Michigan.

WASHINGTON -- If there are rules inside, there are not many out here. Impassioned speeches have been interrupted by announcements about lost Cover Girl compacts and missing tambourines.

The protest has become a love fest. Rally emcee Jehmu Greene, former head of Rock the Vote, just told eveyone to, "look next to them, into their neighbors' eyes, introduce yourselves, and give them a hug."

The crowd obliged.

By popular demand, folk singer Sandy Rapp crooned her original "Count the votes" tune:

"Count the votes; it's good to tell. The sounds of freedom, live and well."

(NORA MCALVANAH)

ELK POINT, S.D. - Former President Bill Clinton said today that he thought there would be an "unusual outcome" to the Democratic primaries, citing the Democratic National Committee Rules and Bylaws Committee meeting in Washington.

"I think that we are going to have an unusual outcome," Clinton said at a front porch rally here, before describing how Florida's and Michigan's delegations to the party convention were "eviscerated" by the Democratic Party.

"And we will see what happens," he said. "And Hillary's position has always been that if everybody gets to vote, and everybody's vote is counted, she would accept the will of the Democrats and those who are legally eligible to participate in that process, that we would unify this party and do our best to win in November."

(NBC/NJ's MATTHEW BERGER)

WASHINGTON -- Two impassioned speeches from speakers for the Dem rivals ...

FL State Sen. Arthenia L. Joyner, a Hillary Clinton backer this morning, urged the committee to count every vote and to seat delegates in accordance with Jon Ausman's petition. Joyner paraphrased the poet Maya Angelou, another HRC supporter, in reminding party leaders that FL voters turned out at the polls, 1.75M strong, despite the DNC decision to strip the state of its delegates.

"You may think you may not be heard," Joyner said, "speak anyway."

Meanwhile, Rep. Robert Wexler, who is supporting Barack Obama, told the RBC that FL's Jan. 29 vote was not "normal," that Obama didn't campaign there and many voters stayed home.

"The Obama campaign respected this Rules Committee policy," he said. But he added that he, too, backs the Ausman petition compromise, and he said Obama should be lauded for "his willingness to offer this extraordinary concession."

"We must find a way as Democrats, as members of the same political party seeking to bring change to the ways of Washington, to resolve this situation so that Florida may participate in this historic nominating process that will soon come to a close," Wexler said.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

WASHINGTON -- Hundreds of protesters gathered this morning outside the Marriott Wardman in Woodley Park, carrying signs that read: "I'm not half a voter" and "Count all the votes, or I'm for McCain."

While the RBC called the meeting to order, the protesters moved to a park space on Connecticut Ave. There, they formed a circular formation around the first speaker, Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, who urged the crowd to "count every vote," before she rushed back to the hotel.

The Rev. Marcia Dyson, a Hillary Clinton supporter, reminded rally attendees that, "there were five bad boys" who violated the party's primary rules -- adding NH, IA and SC, despite their traditional early roles, to FL and MI. And then, referring to the latter two states, she said, but only "two were left in detention."

Dyson intoned: "Hell to the no."

But as if to remind FL and MI that they are not alone, and in an illustration of what one protester told me was what a "convention should look like," delegations from MD, WA, DE, PA, IL, CO, and other states held up their signs.

Meanwhile, lifelong Democrat and FL mother Amy Siskind gave one of the more impassioned speeches of the morning saying: "Howard Dean, I'm not your sweetie. You have betrayed us, and you will learn the new meaning of stay-at-home moms in November."

(NORA MCALVANAH)

Barack Obama will hold a rally Tuesday evening -- as the Democratic Party's primaries and caucuses wrap -- at the site of the 2008 Republican Convention, the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN.

WASHINGTON -- As Jon Ausman, a FL DNC committeeman, began his remarks a few moments ago, he noted that Sen. Bill Nelson and his wife, Grace, are in attendance, as are former Sen. Bob Graham and his wife, Adele.

"I want this to be a healing process that unifies us that brings us together. ... that results in collegial bargaining," Ausman said. Ultimately, he said, he wants all Democrats to wear "blue jerseys" in November.

Ausman said FL officials are asking that 185 pledged delegates are subject to the 50% rule. He said the party is not asking for the full delegation to be seated.

"We recognize, in fact, that Florida has violated that timing rule," he said, acknowledging that FL moved its primary ahead of the party's Feb 5 restriction. The party's punishment, he added, is therefore "appropriate."

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

Jaime Gonzalez, Jr., of TX is also absent today. He gave his proxy to DC's Tina Flournoy.

WASHINGTON -- DNC Chairman Howard Dean, the 2004 presidential candidate who saw his campaign stall after a disappointing Iowa caucuses defeat, told a personal story this morning to the RBC -- and the nation -- to punctuate his call for party unity moving forward.

After his White House bid fizzled, Dean received a middle-of-the-night call from Al Gore. Dean recalled ranting and raving to the former vice president, pacing his house and asking Gore repeatedly what he owed the Democratic Party after its treatment of him.

"Finally, Al said to me, 'Howard, this is not about you, it's about your country,'" Dean said. "At the time, nobody could have said that to me, even my wife, except for Al Gore."

Dean noted that Gore, after all, had seen the presidency "snatched" from him by "five intellectually bankrupt Supreme Court justices."

"This is not about Barack Obama, this is not about Hillary Clinton," Dean said of the 2008 fight. "This is about our country. This is about restoring America to its greatness."

The Democratic primary process has included "ugly moments," Dean said, including "blantant sexist comments" and "blatantly racist remarks" from the media.

"Those comments have no place in our society and certainly no place in our party," Dean said to applause.

Dean also urged the committee, as it revisits its decision to strip MI and FL of its delegates, to remember the 48 states that did not violate the rules.

"The person that we nominate will become the next president of the United States in January," Dean assured his party faithful this morning. "This has been a very long and hard-fought race. Throughout the course of this campaign, these two candidates have helped transform our party. They have proved that when we show up everywhere and talk about our values, Democrats can win everywhere."

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

WASHINGTON -- Hundreds of protestors, mostly women, descended on the Marriott Wardman in Woodley Park this morning for a meeting of the Democratic National Committee's Rules and Bylaws Committee. The group's decision could effectively spell the end of the road for Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign.

Outside, protestors are holding signs urging that that the will of voters from FL and MI is fully represented at the party's convention in Denver. Clinton's camp needs the full delegations seated, in large measure to bolster her argument to the remaining uncommitted superdelegates that she's won the popular vote across the states' primaries and caucuses. General consensus, though, is that's unlikely to happen -- a 50% ruling is more likely.

Committee members are seated at a U-shaped table in a medium-sized ballroom, while reporters are watching the proceedings from a balcony. The meeting is being broadcast live on C-SPAN, MSNBC and CNN.

"This is probably the largest Rules and Bylaws Committee meeting we've ever had," said Alexis M. Herman, the committee's co-chair said at the meeting's outset. "Usually, we're applauding if our members are in full force."

Jim Roosevelt, Jr., Herman's co-chair, took roll. Only IA's Sarah Swisher, whose daughter is getting married today, was absent; she gave her proxy to NH's Martha Fuller Clark.

"We definitely have a quorum," Roosevelt assured the group. "... I know we are all committed and ready to work to take back the White House in November."

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

KEYSTONE, SD, May 30 -- Barack Obama joked with reporters on a late-night visit to Mount Rushmore Friday that his most prominent feature could prevent his addition to the national monument.

The senator decided to make the trip upon hearing that the traveling press was heading to the park after landing in nearby Rapid City. He spent about 15 minutes on the lookout platform chatting with Wesley Jensen, a ranger with the U.S. Department of the Interior.

When asked if he would like to see himself on the monument someday with Presidents George Washington, Teddy Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln, he joked: "I don't think my ears would fit. There's only so much rock up there."

It was his first trip to the national landmark, which was completed in 1941 and dramatized in the classic 1959 Alfred Hitchcock film "North by Northwest."

"There's something about seeing it at night that's spectacular," he said.

Obama was making his second campaign trip to the June 3rd state, which along with Montana is the last to vote in the primary season.

Hillary Clinton visited the monument earlier this week.

(NBC/NJ's ATHENA JONES)

Live blogging the RBC tomorrow. Protests and more. So ... check in early and often.

From her campaign lawyers, and available after the jump.

Here are the scheduled guests for the Sunday public affairs shows and other weekend programs:

SUNDAY:

Meet the Press hosts ex-WH press sec. Scott McClellan.

Face the Nation hosts Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) and PA Gov. Ed Rendell (D).

This Week hosts McClellan and Clinton chair Terry McAuliffe, and a roundtable with Dem strategist Donna Brazile, New York Times' David Brooks, Vanity Fair's Todd Purdum and George Will.

Fox News Sunday hosts Clinton comm. dir. Howard Wolfson and Obama surrogate/ex-Rep. David Bonior (D-MI). The "Power Player" is Headfirst exec. dir. Brendan Sullivan.

Late Edition hosts Chris Dodd, Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL), Dem strategist Jamal Simmons, GOP strategist Leslie Sanchez, Dem strategist Hilary Rosen, and a roundtable with CNN's Suzanne Malveaux, CNN's Fareed Zakaria and CNN's Jeffrey Toobin.

See other weekend shows after the jump (KATHERINE LEHR).

FL State Sen. Arthenia L. Joyner will speak tomorrow at the DNC's RBC meeting for Hillary Clinton.

South Dakota's Argus Leader endorsed Hillary Clinton today, saying she's the "strongest Democratic candidate."

More: "Her mastery of complex policy detail is broad and deep, and her experience as a senator and former first lady matches that. Measured against her opponent, Clinton is philosophically more moderate. That is likely a good thing for South Dakota."

In this week's National Journal Insiders Poll, Dems and GOPers in-the-know agree that the Democratic Party will see double-digit gains in the House in November.

Republicans said on average that the Dems would win 14 seats in the House and four in the Senate. Dems believe they'll take 17 in the House and five in the Senate, reports NJ's Jim Barnes and Peter Bell.

Updates from our Hotline Political Network Affiliates

Speaking at Barack Obama's Trinity United Church this past weekend, Michael Pfleger, a white Catholic priest, mocked Hillary Clinton for having cried in NH and suggested that she cried because she felt entitled to the presidency. Obama denounced Pfleger's sermon, but there was still a lot of reaction on TV last night. Some highlights:

ABC's Klein: "This is one reason that Hillary Clinton has stayed in the race as long as she has, is for the possibility of something else emerging. Now, is this the something else that turns the tide? I'm not so sure. But that's the point that she's been making all along, is that he is unvetted and he's untested and that there's things out there we don't know about" ("On the Record," FNC, 5/29).

CNN's Crowley: "I think there is some question as to whether he can be held accountable for all things that are said in that church. ... The Reverend apologized. If you remember with Jeremiah Wright, he did not apologize. ... [The Obama camp] took care of this very quickly. And there is also a more distant relationship between the two of them than with Reverend Wright and Barack Obama" ("AC 360," 5/29).

Huffington Post's Sekoff: "This entire campaign has been the worst recruiting ad for purported men of God since Jim Jones started passing out the Kool-Aid. ... Of course it's a ridiculous thing that he said. That's the last thing Obama wanted him to be saying. ... It's like high stakes poker. I'll see your Rev. Wright and raise you two of a kind Hagee and Parsley -- no, wait a minute, I've got a white guy saying something about whitey. I trumped you. It's crazy" ("Verdict," MSNBC, 5/29).

After the jump, more Obama and McClellan continues the TV rounds (KATHERINE LEHR).

In a surprising twist, the Staten Island GOP endorsed MTA Board Member/Weiss, Peck & Greer ex-Managing Dir. Frank Powers (R) to run for retiring Rep. Vito Fossella's (R-NY 13) seat. Powers' nomination wasn't expected at all, as his name didn't find itself on any potential candidate list that was floated in the weeks between Fossella's announcement and tonight's convo.

The endorsement, reported in the Staten Island Advance, came after one of the party's top choices for the seat, state Sen. Andrew Lanza (R), withdrew his name from consideration this p.m. Staten Island DA Daniel Donovan (R), who was favored by many in the GOP to run for the seat, pulled out last week. His announcement began an avalanche of GOPers who decided to pull the plug on potential bids, leaving the party to nominate Powers, a first time candidate.

Despite giving Pres. Bush 55% in '04, the CD gave Al Gore an 8% win in '00. So this will certainly be one of the races to watch in '08. One big question is whether Powers will self-fund (fully or partially) his bid. If so, that's a huge factor in whether he'll be successful, considering the huge expense of campaigning in the NYC media market. But if he chooses not to self fund, he should have a considerable fundraising base from his past connections in the financial services community.

Powers, assuming he doesn't face a 9/9 primary challenge, will face the winner of an expected primary between NYC Councilor Michael McMahon (D) and '06 nominee Stephen Harrison (D). The Staten Island Dems endorsed McMahon last p.m.

(TIM SAHD)

The Democratic National Committee announced tonight that it has credentialed a record number of blogs for the 2008 party convention in Denver -- more than triple those sanctioned to participate in 2004. A list can be viewed here.

A few you may or may not have heard of that, well, caught our attention:

Cotton Mouth Blog

My Left Nutmeg

No Rest For The Awake

Rum, Romanism and Rebellion

Sepia Mutiny

Celtic Diva's Blue Oasis

Yes, it's a mad, mad media world. Full DNC release -- including details about the convention's "Blogger Lounge" -- available after the jump.

Former Rep. David Bonior (D-MI) and Rep. Robert Wexler (D-FL) will speak for Barack Obama's campaign during the DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee meeting Saturday in Washington ...

(JS)

Women Count and Count Every Vote '08 announced the speaker line-up for Saturday's rally outside the Democratic National Committee's Rules and Bylaws Committee meeting in Washington:

Jehmu Greene, Former President of Rock the Vote

Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand (D- NY)

Rep. Corrine Brown (D-FL)

Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-OH)

Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY)

Ambassador Elizabeth Bagley, former U.S. Ambassador to Portugal

Kim Gandy, president of the National Organization for Women (NOW)

Brent Wilkes, national executive director, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)

Lulu Flores, president, National Women's Political Caucus

Amy Rao, founder, Integrated Archive Systems and president, 11th Hour Project

The Rev. Marcia Dyson, African-American minister

Jim Hannagan, founder, Florida Demands Representation

Expect additional participants to be announced tomorrow.

Rep. Alan B. Mollohan (D-WV) endorsed Barack Obama today:

“I believe Senator Obama will bring America a new era of trust, principled leadership and positive results. He has the intelligence, capacity and values that assure me he will confront the real issues that Americans face every day - health care, pension reform, energy prices, the struggling economy, and, of course, the issue of Iraq. “

NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli notes that Hillary Clinton's press corps received sign-up information today for travel after the final June 3 primaries.

A tease? Or will Clinton soldier on?

Politico's Michael Calderone has this loaded comment from Jeff Gannon on the Scott McClellan book:

"What I hear about the book does not sound like the Scott McClellan I knew for two years. I can say, without fear of contradiction, that I knew Scott better than any other White House correspondent or Washington reporter."

HURON, SD – Declaring that it "really all does come down to next Tuesday," Hillary Clinton said that the enthusiasm she's seen among South Dakotans proves that she was right to fight to the bitter end of the campaign calendar.

"A lot of folks said, 'Well, you know, by the time we get to South Dakota and Montana, people are going to be tired of it,'" Clinton said, again quoting unnamed skeptics out there. "Well, I don't know what they're talking about. … I think there is an enormous amount of enthusiasm for this election here in South Dakota, and it's because you're taking our measure and you're trying to decide who you can count on to be your president."

Clinton, who said that politics "can get either silly or complicated," said this nomination "really all does come down to next Tuesday," and pointed to the fact that voters across America have ignored pundits who have called the race over.

"This is the closest election we've had in a really long time," she said. "They've been trying to tell me to stop running since January. Every time they say it, people rebuke it, and keep voting for me. That's what I hope will happen here in South Dakota."

Clinton also argued that she'd be a more formidable candidate against John McCain, who she called a "formidable candidate." For the second day in a row, also she alluded to her travels to Iraq and Afghanistan with him.

"He's a friend of mine," she said. "He is someone whose service to our country I deeply honor. … But he is offering the wrong ideas for America."

The rally here was held indoors because of rain. Only some of the crowd was able to fit into the meeting hall where she spoke, and Clinton later greeted some of the overflow outside. "We couldn't get everybody in here," she told the audience. "But I want to take credit for the rain, 'cause I know that's something that everybody is happy to see."

(NBC/NJ's MIKE MEMOLI)

Hillary Clinton's campaign announced the endorsement today of singer Ricky Martin.

"These elections will have historic repercussions both in the United States and the world. Senator Clinton has always been consistent in her commitment with the needs of the Latino community. Whether fighting for better education, universal health care and social well-being, as First Lady and Senator from New York -- representing millions of Latinos --she has always fought for what is most important for our families," said the 5-time Grammy award winning artist.

DAVID L. SCHEINER, M.D.
Hyde Park Associates inMedicine, Ltd.
1515 East 52nd Place, Chicago, IL 60615

To Whom It May Concern:

I am David L. Scheiner, a board certified general internist licensed to practice in the State of Illinois. I am on staff at the University of Chicago Hospitals and Rush University Medical Center. I have been Senator Barack Obama’s primary care physician since March 23, 1987. The following is a summary of his medical records for the past 21 years.

During that period of time, Senator Obama has been in excellent health. He has been seen regularly for medical checkups and various minor problems such as upper respiratory infections, skin rashes and minor injuries.

His family history is pertinent for his mother’s death from ovarian cancer and grandfather who died of prostate cancer. His own history included intermittent cigarette smoking. He has quit this practice on several occasions and is currently using Nicorette gum with success.

Senator Obama’s last medical checkup was on January 15, 2007; he had no complaints. He exercised regularly often jogging three miles. His diet was balanced with good intake of roughage and fluids. A complete review of systems was unremarkable. On physical examination, his blood pressure was 90/60 and pulse 60/minute. His build was lean and muscular with no excess body fat. His physical examination was completely normal.

Laboratory studies included triglycerides of 44(normal under 150), cholesterol 173 (normal under 200), HDL 68 (normal over 40), and LDL 96 (normal under 130). Chem 24, urinalysis and CBC were normal, PSA was 0.6, very good. An EKG was normal.

In short, his examination showed him to be in excellent health. Senator Barack Obama is in overall good physical and mental health needed to maintain the resiliency required in the Office of President.

Gail Rasmussen is the third Democratic superdelegate in two days from OR to endorse Barack Obama, reports the AP.

New Hillary Clinton ad running in MT. The spot -- called "Only One" -- notes that HRC voted against the Bush energy bill, is "taking on the insurance companies to guarantee health coverage for every American," and will end $55B in giveaways to corporate special interests.

Ex-WH press sec. Scott McClellan appeared on "Today" this a.m. to talk about his memoir.

McClellan, on his hope for the book: "In some small way, it might help move us beyond the destructive partisan warfare of the past 15 years."

More: "There's no one I'm harder on in the book, I don't think, than myself."

Asked if he will ever talk to Pres. Bush again: "I don't know. I certainly don't expect that any time soon."

On the criticism: "There's that country western song that says, 'You find out who your friends are.' And I guess, maybe, I'm finding that out" (NBC, 5/29).

See today's Hotline for more from the interview.

Meanwhile, ex-Bush admin. officials made the TV rounds last night to discuss McClellan's memoir.

Ex-WH press. sec. Ari Fleischer: "He's wrong on substance. And he wasn't in a position to know, because his jurisdiction wasn't over those issues. He was the deputy. I was the press secretary. I don't make these allegations. I don't think what Scott is saying is right. ... I'm talking about Scott's most important, salacious words in the book about propagandizing the reasons that we went to war, manipulating facts. To me, that's the most serious part of the book. Much of the other parts are things I think, particularly when it came to the Valerie Plame matter, Scott stands on strong ground" ("AC 360," CNN, 5/28).

More after the jump (KATHERINE LEHR).

Wayne Kinney, a DNC committeeman from Bend, OR, has announced his support for Barack Obama.

In a statement posted to Blue Oregon, Kinney, a superdelegate, wrote of his decision:

While there are a few primaries left to go, it’s now over for Oregon. Sen. Obama won our state by almost 18 points. He is very close to winning a majority of the delegates he needs to be our nominee for President.

Senator Obama will win our nomination, and will be our President. It felt good to write that sentence.

RENO, NV -- In a Reno gymnasium festooned with American flags, John McCain knocked Barack Obama today for failing to visit Iraq since 2006 or meet with the U.S. generals overseeing the military efforts in the region.

McCain contrasted Obama's accused negligence with the Illinois senator's proposal to meet with Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, asking, "Why is it that Senator Obama wants to sit down with the president of Iran but hasn't yet sat down with General Petraeus, the leader of our troops in Iraq?"

The McCain camp's criticism of Obama's single pre-surge trip to Iraq originated Sunday, when surrogate Sen. Lindsey Graham raised the issue and proposed a joint McCain/Obama trip to the region as a solution. (McCain has visited eight times to Obama's one.) McCain told the Associated Press Monday that he hopes to use such a venture to "educate" Obama. The Republican National Committee joined in today, posting a clock of the days elapsed since the likely Democratic nominee visited Iraq.

McCain reiterated that appeal, saying of the proposed trip with Obama, "I would be glad to go with him because these issues are far more important than any election. The security of this nation is far more important than any political campaign."

He read aloud the Obama camp's strongly-worded reaction statement, in which spokesman Bill Burton derided the offer as a "political stunt" and called McCain's optimism about the war a "false promise."

"That is a profound misunderstanding of what's happened in Iraq and what's at stake in Iraq," McCain retorted.

"I will never surrender in Iraq," he added, "I will not let that happen."

(NBC/NJ's CARRIE DANN)

John McCain's campaign is spending $1.135M on ad buys between May 6 and June 16.

Per my media buyer source, here are the states McCain's team is targeting:

Ohio -- $483,184

Pennsylvania -- $228,159

Michigan -- $227,978

Iowa -- $107,940

West Virginia -- $84,275

As On Call reported earlier this month, the McCain campaign has two 'head-fake' buys in Oregon and Wisconsin, for $1,405 and $2,181 respectively. The bigger numbers, meanwhile, provide a window into the GOPer's general election strategy. McCain is hoping to snag PA and MI, both of which went for Democrats in 2000 and 2004. Iowa narrowly voted for President Bush in 2004, and in 2000, voters gave the edge -- by 1% -- to VP Al Gore. OH and WV went for Bush both cycles.

A McCain spokesman did not respond to a request for comment.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

SAN JUAN, P.R. - President Clinton said today that he believes the new book by President Bush's former press secretary confirmed what some already knew about the Iraq war.

"I haven't seen it, but I think, from what I read, it seems to confirm what Joe Wilson has always said about his own experience," Clinton said, referring to the former diplomat whose wife was outed as a CIA agent after he questioned the war. "And it shows all the more why it's important that we change the direction of the country and pick the best president."

In full after the jump, Hillary Clinton makes a plea to the undecided superdelegates, cautioning that she's more electable in the fall and asserting -- as her camp has over the last several weeks -- that she's won the popular vote.

Here's a snippet:

"Recent polls and election results show a clear trend: I am ahead in states that have been critical to victory in the past two elections. From Ohio, to Pennsylvania, to West Virginia and beyond, the results of recent primaries in battleground states show that I have strong support from the regions and demographics Democrats need to take back the White House. I am also currently ahead of Senator McCain in Gallup national tracking polls, while Senator Obama is behind him. And nearly all independent analyses show that I am in a stronger position to win the Electoral College, primarily because I lead Senator McCain in Florida and Ohio."

Statement released this afternoon by the DNC press office:

"Last night members of the DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee received a 17 page memo that outlined a staff analysis of the Michigan and Florida challenges. Included in the materials were copies of the challenges, and an overall timeline re-capping the process from the decision in 2004 to establish a Commission on Presidential Nomination Timing and Scheduling, through to current events.

"The staff analysis is intentionally neutral; it does not make specific recommendations. The analysis lays out a rules framework for each challenge, and the issues raised within each challenge.

"The analysis maintains that the RBC did have proper authority and jurisdiction in imposing the 100% sanction. The RBC had wide latitude in that decision.

"The document also examines the 50% automatic sanction and how to implement such a sanction: Under this scenario, one option would be to reduce the total number of delegates by half; the second option for consideration by the RBC would be to reduce the delegation's votes by half, so that each delegate gets a half vote.

"We look forward to a thorough discussion of these issues at the Rules and Bylaws Committee meeting this Saturday, May 31st in Washington, DC."

Barack Obama campaign manager David Plouffe noted on a call with reporters this afternoon that his team is not encouraging supporters to protest the DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee meeting in Washington this weekend. Supporters of Hillary Clinton took out an ad in Sunday's New York Times urging like-minded voters to turn out Saturday at the Marriott Wardman to make their views known.

"We don’t think it’s a helpful dynamic to create chaos," Plouffe said. "... We don’t think a scene as we wind down the primary season here is helpful to bring the party together."

(JS)

MOUNT RUSHMORE, SD -- When the traveling press learned we'd be staying near Mount Rushmore overnight, some asked if we could make an quick trip before heading off for the day. The campaign obliged, arranging an early morning bus ride for those interested. Then late last night we learned that there was another interested party: Sen. Hillary Clinton.

Clinton and her entourage visited the national landmark this morning, surprising some tourists who didn't expect to see a presidential candidate in the flesh. "We got fogged in yesterday, and I'm so glad we did," a North Carolina woman told Clinton.

Clinton stood before the four former presidents and listened in as a park ranger explained some of the history. At one point she was asked if she could one day picture herself up there. She smirked and shook her head as she contemplated whether to offer a quick soundbite.

"I …" she started to say, before throwing her hands up.

"You think Bill Clinton should be up there?" another reporter asked.

"Why don't you learn something about the monument," Clinton finally said, before walking away to greet some more tourists.

A reporter later attempted to get a quick reaction from the New York senator to some of the claims in former White House spokesman Scott McClellan's book. But Clinton, who has not held a formal press conference in two weeks, ignored the question.

(NBC/NJ's MIKE MEMOLI)

An interesting point raised on the Clinton campaign call with reporters, but not directly answered by Harold Ickes and Howard Wolfson:

Would the Clinton camp accept a FL delegate distribution that gives John Edwards' delegates to Barack Obama?

Edwards, who, of course, endorsed Obama in MI recently, won 14% of the vote in FL. Obama took 33% of the vote, compared with 50% for Clinton. So, adding Edwards' take to Obama's, Obama would have 47%. Close to an even split.

The Dems could appease the Clinton folks by seating all of the state's delegates, but they'd also do right by Obama in including Edwards' cut in his total, assuming JRE's delegates are willing. The only rub in this scenario is that the state wouldn't get the wrist-slapping that Dem party officials in NH and Iowa believe it deserves.

But the question is .. Which is worse -- Handing the Clinton camp a talking point that gives them ammo to fight on to the convention? Or for the party to have to moderate the same old calendar battle in 2012?

Readers, fair? Unfair?

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

Barack Obama spokesman Hari Sevugan weighs in on revelations in former WH press secretary Scott McClellan's tell-all book:

“It’s not news that this Administration engaged in spin and deception to lead us into a war that should’ve never been authorized and never been waged," Sevugan told On Call. "The only question now is, do we continue George Bush’s failed policy in Iraq or do we change it? John McCain is promising four more years of the exact same policy in Iraq that asks everything of our brave troops and nothing of the Iraqi government, while Barack Obama wants to begin a phased withdrawal of our troops and refocus our efforts on going after al-Qaeda in Afghanistan."

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

The Clinton camp's Howard Wolfson and Harold Ickes and DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee Member Tina Flournoy argued a few moments ago on a conference call with reporters that all of the delegates for FL and MI should be seated by the DNC's Rules and Bylaws Cmte this weekend.

Their (familiar) top-line points:

-- Recognize the January primary votes in FL and MI

-- Pledged delegates fairly reflect the will of the states' voters (2.3M total votes cast)

-- Full state delegations should be seated, and full votes should be awarded to those delegates

-- The number for the nomination is not set

Ickes said that the 2,026 target for clinching the nomination does not include FL and MI and should not be regarded by the media as the ultimate benchmark. The Clinton camp prefers 2,210.

"The one thing that we can count on is the number that you all have been using … is not the number that will be needed to secure the nomination," Ickes said.

Neither Clinton spokesman would say if they would challenge a RBC ruling that doesn't seat 100% of the FL and MI delegates.

"We fully expect and have every hope and expectation that these issues will be resolved on Saturday," Ickes said.

Wolfson added: "Resolved in our favor."

When pushed on the question of an appeal, Ickes said only: "That’s a bridge to cross when we come to that particular stream."

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

The Save Darfur Coalition has united Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John McCain behind its cause. The three candidates have signed onto a pledge stating their resolve to end the Darfur genocide and bring peace and security to Sudan.

“As we campaign for President of the United States over the next several months, we expect there to be significant focus on the many differences between us,” reads the statement, which is also featured today in a New York Times advertisement. “It is with this awareness that we are taking the uncommon step of issuing a joint statement about an issue. After more than five years of genocide, the Sudanese government and its proxies continue to commit atrocities against civilians in Darfur. This is unacceptable to the American people and to the world community.”

Guam Senator and Democratic National Committeeman Ben C. Pangelinan endorsed Barack Obama today.

Pangelinan is Obama's third Super D endorsement of the day.

Harold Ickes, Tina Flournoy and Howard Wolfson will hold a conference call in an hour to discuss Saturday’s DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee Meeting ... Stay tuned for the Clinton camp's pre-meeting spin.

Meredith Wood Smith, chairwoman of the Democratic Party of OR and one of 12 OR superdelegates, endorsed Barack Obama today in an editorial in The Oregonian.

CO Democratic Party Chair and superdelegate Pat Waak also announced her support for Obama in a statement released by the campaign.

Updates from our Hotline Political Network Affiliates

Last night's TV primarily focused on a breaking Politico report featuring exclusive details about ex-WH press sec. Scott McClellan's "scathing" new book, which is due out next week.

Karl Rove, on McClellan's claim that he and Scooter Libby had a secret meeting to get their story straight about the CIA leak case: "I've just read the same small article you have, so I'm going to reserve my judgment on the greater book until somebody else buys it and gives me a copy. ... It's a little irresponsible, if this is an accurate depiction of what's in the book. ... Scooter and I visited all the time. I don't know what the particular meeting in question was about. I know what it wasn't about, which was it was not about Plame and Wilson. ... I think it's, frankly, maybe a sign of irresponsibility for Scott to sort of suggest that because he saw the two of us meeting and he didn't happen to be in the meeting, he somehow knows what the meeting was about."

More Rove: "This doesn't sound like Scott. It really doesn't. Not the Scott McClellan I've known for a long time. ... It sounds like somebody else. It sounds like a left-wing blogger. ... If he had these moral qualms, he should have spoken up about them. And frankly, I don't remember him speaking up about these. I don't remember a single world" ("Hannity & Colmes," FNC, 5/27).

Politico's Allen, on whether anyone saw these accusations coming: "They didn't. And I think that they thought that it would be much milder than it was. We learn in this book that Scott McClellan's Secret Service code game was Matrix. And I can tell you people are calling him other names tonight" ("AC 360," CNN, 5/27).

MSNBC's Carlson: "This hurts Bush. But McClellan's been hurting Bush for a long time. Maybe the lamest press secretary in American history, a beneficiary of that weird Bush affirmative action program for the extremely loyal, of which he was one. It seems to me, he's implicated in everything he says. If Bush was telling lies, through whose lips are those lies coming? Scott McClellan. He ought to be in ashes and sackcloth" ("Verdict," 5/27).

After the jump, more McClellan and Obama's Auschwitz gaffe (KATHERINE LEHR).

The Democratic National Committee's Rules and Bylaws Committee members received 38-pages of documents last night from the DNC, including copies of the MI and FL challenges, a staff analysis of each challenge and the overall timeline.

The bottom line, as I understand it at this point, and there will be more to come on this later today, is that the RBC cannot reinstate 100% of the FL and MI delegates; 50% is the ceiling. Anything more than 50% would require a rules change -- something that the RBC doesn't have the authority to do. That responsibility would fall to the DNC's Credentials Committee, which doesn't meet until July.

Hillary Clinton's campaign has called, as recently as last week, for all of the states' delegates to be seated at the party's convention in Denver -- and for all of them to be counted. But the RBC, which meets Saturday in Washington for its much-anticipated evaluation of the MI and FL challenges, can't, per the rules, fully oblige Team Clinton.

So the question lingers -- Will HRC fight on beyond June 3? Perhaps to the July Credentials Cmte meeting? Or the convention? It seems her only hope of seating 100% of the FL and MI delegates is to trudge on.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

BILLINGS, MT - Hillary Clinton continues to argue she would be the Democrats' best choice. But of late she is making more pitches for simply electing a "Democratic president," something she did again last night during a big rally in this state's largest city.

"On January 20, 2009, somebody's going to be sworn in as our next president," she said. "I sure hope it's going to be a Democrat. That's what I'm working and fighting for."

She later added that she is "excited about what we can do with a Democratic president," and a country " that understands it's not just electing a president and then saying, 'OK, take care of it.' We're in this together."

These comments, though more common, don't necessarily indicate that she has given up hope that she'll be the nominee. Rather, she could be attempting to soothe lingering fears that her still-active campaign will hurt the party. She remains adamant that she's most electable in November.

"We have not gone through this exciting, unprecedented, historical election only to lose," she also said tonight. "So you have to ask yourself, who is the stronger candidate. ... Based on every analysis, of every bit of research, and every poll that's been taken, and every state that a Democrat has to win, I am the stronger candidate against John McCain in the fall."

Clinton again said that this state gets to have the "last say." And she conceded that Barack Obama "has a deep base of support here, and I respect him for it." "But I believe ... that what Montanans wants is somebody who will go to bat for you, who will be in your corner, who will stand up for you, who will make sure that you have the tools at your disposal to make the most out of your own lives."

Clinton's visit to Montana was brief, with only two stops. She hadn't visited since attending a Democratic party dinner here in April and likely won't again until next week, if at all. Today, she begins a two-day visit to South Dakota with a trip to Mount Rushmore.

(NBC/NJ's MIKE MEMOLI)

Meant to post this Friday ... This week's National Journal features a piece by my colleague, Bara Vaida, examining whether John McCain's much-reported ties to lobbyists will diminish donor enthusiasm. Read it in full after the jump.

First, here's a snippet:

"McCain has used more lobbyists and former lobbyists to raise money than have either Obama or Clinton. According to Public Citizen, 70 McCain bundlers are lobbyists while 22 Clinton bundlers are; for Obama, 14 formerly registered lobbyists are bundlers. (The McCain campaign’s new policy on lobbyists doesn’t affect those who are raising money, only paid staff and volunteers doing non-fundraising work. As of April 20, McCain had raised $613,500 from registered lobbyists.)"

MOROVIS, P.R. - Following Bill Clinton is always interesting. But nothing like this.

For weeks, a colleague told me to dread the former president's return to Puerto Rico. Without a press bus or spokesman, our style of being embedded has always been on the fly. We have to drive ourselves to events and race out when he starts to shake hands at the ropeline, hoping to get a head start to the next site. Through the desolate roads of South Dakota last weekend, we used an outside power outlet at a closed gas station to power our laptops to send video near Dallas, population 141.

Today's schedule requires much the same. But add windy roads, streets with no names and a language we don't speak, and it gets downright difficult.

President Clinton and Chelsea have five events scheduled today. We don't have addresses for all of them, and some are just highway numbers. The streets are built for one way traffic, but the cars flow both ways, and we seem to be the only ones slowing down to avoid a collision or a fall down a cliff. Finding a Secret Service agent has become the "Where's Waldo" of our day.

We have been late to events because my rudimentary Spanish has only gotten us so far with the cops blocking the streets. But I have learned a new phrase, "La prensa con el presidente." Translation: "The press with the president."

The Republicans are circulating this video of Barack Obama in Las Cruces this weekend, saying that commanders in Afghanistan would prefer agricultural specialists to troops.

"If you talk to commanders on the ground there, they'll tell you, 'Instead of having another platoon, I'd rather have a couple of agricultural specialists,'" Obama said. "We need more troops on the ground in Afghanistan, but what we also need to is to teach them to grow things other than poppy. Right? And that's something that we just simply have not focused on."

Do GOPers see foreign policy naiveté in this remark? Perhaps. Do they believe Obama is taking a step beyond his earlier comments, reported 5/13 by ABC News, in which he said simply that there's a need for ag specialists in Afghanistan, but not instead of troops? Possibly.

I'm frankly lukewarm on the notion that Obama is advocating anything other than an expanded effort to control the country's rampant drug trade, which fuels Afghanistan's terrorist groups. But I thought I'd let readers weigh in.

Here, meanwhile, is Obama spokesman Hari Sevugan's react:

"Barack Obama has spent over five years arguing that the war in Iraq has diverted us from the fight in Afghanistan. While we were surprised that they would find the idea objectionable, we want to thank the Republican party for circulating this video highlighting that - in addition to his long-stated call for more troops for Afghanistan - Barack Obama believes that we need more resources to cut off the financing of the Taliban and Al Qaeda generated by the poppy trade, and to improve life for ordinary Afghans through sustainable economic development. Thanks for the assist guys."

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

Barack Obama, speaking in Nevada today about the nation's housing crisis, launched his speech by chiding John McCain for holding a fundraiser with President Bush. Full speech after the jump, but here's the related (and largely predictable) snippet:

Today, John McCain is having a different kind of meeting. He’s holding a fundraiser with George Bush behind closed doors in Arizona. No cameras. No reporters. And we all know why. Senator McCain doesn’t want to be seen, hat-in-hand, with the President whose failed policies he promises to continue for another four years.

That’s the choice in this election. On issue after issue, John McCain is offering more of the same policies that have failed for the last eight years. That’s the agenda that he and the President are raising money to support later today. But I’m here in Nevada because we know it’s time to turn the page.

John McCain was interrupted four times by anti-war protestors during his morning speech in Denver about halting nuclear proliferation.

Three of the four sets of objectors were young, banner-bearing hollerers who shouted anti-war slogans. One sported a "Iraq vets against the war" sign. Another was an older man who shouted a response to a line in McCain's speech about using force as a last resort. "What about Iraq?" he shouted.

All interrupters were calmly escorted out.

As he often does, McCain noted after one outburst that he holds open town halls to promote free speech. The supportive crowd has chanted his name to drown out angry yells, and McCain won applause for declaring at one point, "I will never surrender in Iraq. Our American troops will come home with victory and honor."

After the third of four interruptions, the senator noted: "This may turn into a longer speech than you anticipated."

(NBC/NJ's CARRIE DANN)

Wyoming Democratic Party Vice Chair Nancy Drummond endorsed Barack Obama today. Obama's campaign believes he's 48 delegates away from capturing the party's nomination.

John McCain is set to speak about nuclear security at the University of Denver at noon ET. His full speech is available after the jump.

The opening graph of his prepared remarks includes several not-so-subliminal buzz words:

"For much of our history, the world considered the United States a young country. Today, we are the world's oldest constitutional democracy, yet we remain a young nation. We still possess the attributes of youth -- spirit, energy, vitality and creativity. America will always be young as long as we are looking forward, and leading, to a better world."

On a more substantive note, McCain will say that the United States must work "to reduce dramatically the number of nuclear weapons in the world's arsenals." McCain is expected to promise "to reduce the size of our nuclear arsenal to the lowest number possible consistent with our security requirements and global commitments. Today we deploy thousands of nuclear warheads. It is my hope to move as rapidly as possible to a significantly smaller force."

McCain will also advocate the creation of a new arms control agreement with Russia, reflecting his broader desire for nuclear weapons reducations, and he will suggest the U.S. "begin a dialogue with China on strategic and nuclear issues." He promises, too, to continue the country's moratorium on testing.

(JS)

John McCain will benefit from President Bush's fund-raising prowess over the next couple days, as POTUS raises money for the likely GOP nom at closed-press events in Arizona and Utah. McCain has a cash flow problem, so it's no surprise he'd enlist the president to help him raise money. But every time McCain voluntarily links arms with the unpopular Bush, he reinforces Barack Obama's frequent stump speech line that a McCain presidency would invariably provide Americans with a third term of Bush administration policies.

McCain, meanwhile, is only expected at today's AZ event. Guessing a joint photo op is unlikely. Also note: Mitt Romney is scheduled to appear at the Salt Lake City fund raiser.

(JS)

Here's Bush's sched, per Reuters, today:

PRESIDENT BUSH: At 10:10 PM President Bush attends a “McCain for President” and “Republican National Committee Victory” fund-raising reception. Private residence in Phoenix, AZ.

Tomorrow:

PRESIDENT BUSH in Salt Lake City, UT: At 6:30 PM President Bush attends a “McCain for President” and “Republican National Committee Victory” fundraising reception with Mitt Romney in Salt Lake City.

PRESIDENT BUSH in Park City, UT: At 11:25 PM President Bush attends a “McCain for President” and Republican National Committee Victory” fundraising reception.

Updates from our Hotline Political Network Affiliates

Barack Obama earned the support of six additional Super Ds over the holiday weekend:

AK, former Gov. Tony Knowles

GA, Stephen Leeds

HI, Brian Schatz, Kari Luna, James Burns

WY, Patrick Goggles

Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, is newly backed by Verna Cleveland from GA.

MSNBC's First Read is reporting that Obama is 51.5 delegates away from the required 2,026.

Hillary Clinton is up in South Dakota with new TV (below) and radio spots. Script for her 60-second radio ad -- "Matters" -- is available after the jump. With MT, SD finishes off the Democratic primary contest next week, 6/3.

New John McCain spot up in PA and MI ...

Hillary Clinton's reference to Robert Kennedy's assassination was the talk of the Sunday shows.

Clinton chair Terry McAuliffe: "What she was talking about was the time line. ... She had made a very similar statement, as you know, in Time Magazine in March. Nobody said anything about it. ... But it's unfortunate. A hyped-up press over Memorial Day weekend -- the [Barack] Obama campaign inflaming it, tried to take these words out of context. She was making a point merely about the time line. ... She understands if it offended people. She apologized for that. ... If Robert F. Kennedy Jr. doesn't find offense to it, why is it that everybody else should?."

McAuliffe, asked if Clinton will apologize to Obama: "Let's be clear. This had nothing to with Senator Obama or his campaign. It was about Hillary Clinton staying in the race" ("Fox News Sunday," 5/25).

Obama strategist David Axelrod: "She said, you know, that's not what she meant, and we take her at her word. ... We're beyond that issue now, so certainly we're not trying to stir the issue up. ... She has apologized. The apology, you know, is accepted. Let's move forward."

Axelrod, on Clinton continuing to run: "This isn't 'American Idol,' OK? This is a nominating process. We have rules. We elect delegates state by state. Senator Obama has built a lead over these ... five months. And we expect on June 3rd that this process will come to an end" ("This Week," ABC, 5/25).

After the jump, more WH '08 and party chairs look at the landscape (KATHERINE LEHR).

The mighty Mo Elleithee attempts to press rewind on his boss' RFK remark:

"She was simply referencing her husband in 1992 and Bobby Kennedy in 1968 as historical expamples of the nominating contest going well into the summer," said Elleithee, an HRC spokesman. "Any, any reading into it beyond that is inaccurate."

National Journal's Ron Brownstein interviewed John Bolton, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, for the May 23 edition of "National Journal On Air." Bolton had strong words for the likely Dem nom's assertion that he would meet with the leaders of rogue nations such as Iran.

Here's a snippet:

Q: Well, let me ask you this -- and I think your comments there may point to your answer -- now Senator Obama has made a great deal in response in this back-and-forth in saying look, I’m saying without precondition, but I’m not saying without preparation. There would be preliminary diplomatic contact before we reach the level of heads of state talking to each other. Does that change the equation at all in your mind?

Bolton: No, and I must say that is a silly, indeed, embarrassing statement for a candidate for president of the United States to make. Obviously, you make preparations before you engage in any meeting. You made preparations before this interview. Of course there are preparations. The notion that you meet without precondition, however, is not a process point. It’s a substantive point, and for him to try to align the distinction that way -- I just think that’s embarrassing. I think the American people are a lot smarter than that.

The New York Post is reporting that, in a meeting with the Sioux Falls Argus-Leader editorial board, Hillary Clinton defended her long-running campaign by noting that her husband did not wrap up the nomination in 1992 until he won the CA primary that June. She also raised the assassination of Sen. Robert Kennedy in defending her decision to stay in the race.

"We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California. I don't understand it," she said, dismissing calls to drop out.

Barack Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton fired off a quick response: “Senator Clinton's statement before the Argus Leader editorial board was unfortunate and has no place in this campaign."

-- Oregon superdelegate Jenny Greenleaf

-- U.S. Reps. Jim Costa (CA-20) and Dennis Cardoza (CA-18). (Cardoza previously backed Hillary Clinton.)

-- Two NH delegates formerly for John Edwards -- state Sen. Peter Burling and Deborah Bacon-Nelson -- endorsed Obama.

Today's NY Post cover:

John McCain's presidential campaign has finally paid off its debt to 3eDC, a private Web company linked to campaign manager Rick Davis and his longtime lobbying pal, Paul Manafort. But there's one big curiosity: Last year, the cash-starved campaign, without explanation, reported to the Federal Election Commission that 3eDC's bill had been reduced by $107,000.

In the end, 3eDC was paid $972,000, not the $1,079,000 originally billed.

"It's always a serious question for the public and auditors when over $100,000 is removed without explanation from a financial disclosure report," says Kent Cooper, a political money expert and former FEC official. "Indeed, this raises the question of whether actual services were provided and the bill was reduced, making it an illegal corporate contribution."

But a campaign spokesman says that 3eDC determined, in reconciling invoices, that the campaign actually owed the company less money than shown in FEC reports. 3eDC did not respond to several requests for comment.

(National Journal's EDWARD T. POUND)

John McCain, the three-time melanoma survivor who turns 72 in August, appears cancer free, according to the AP's examination of 1,173 pages of medical documents spanning 2000 to 2008 that his campaign made available today.

Other McCain health highlights:

He takes cholesterol meds.

He frequently has precancerous skin lesions removed, and in February had an early stage squamous cell carcinoma, an easily cured skin cancer, removed.

He had benign colon growths taken out during a routine colonoscopy in March.

He has degenerative arthritis from war injuries that might require a future joint replacement.

His blood pressure and weight were healthy.

His cholesterol was good but not optimal, forcing him to switch medication.

He was a two-pack-a-day smoker until quitting in 1980.

And this about his bouts with skin cancer:

"He has had four separate spots of melanoma removed from his head and arm on three occasions -- in 1993, 2000 and 2002. Three spots were very early stage, when they were in the uppermost skin surface and easily cut out.

"But one, on his left temple in 2000, was invasive melanoma, what doctors call an ''intermediate risk'' melanoma because of its thickness -- 2.2 millimeters. McCain required delicate surgery to remove and examine lymph nodes that showed no sign of spread."

The 10-year survival rate for intermediate melanoma is 65 percent, according to Dr. Stuart Lessin, director of the melanoma risk-assessment program at Philadelphia's Fox Chase Cancer Center, who was not involved in McCain's care.

Here are the scheduled guests for the Sunday public affairs shows and other weekend programs:

SUNDAY:

Meet the Press hosts CBN's David Brody, New York Times' Maureen Dowd, historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, Washington Post's Ruth Marcus, Newsweek's Jon Meacham and NPR's Michele Norris.

Face the Nation hosts Clinton comm. dir. Howard Wolfson, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL).

This Week hosts Karl Rove and Obama strategist David Axelrod, and a roundtable with ex-WH spokesperson Dee Dee Myers, Washington Post's E.J. Dionne, ex-Bush strategist Matthew Dowd and George Will.

Fox News Sunday hosts Clinton chair Terry McAuliffe, NRCC chair Tom Cole (R-OK) and DCCC chair Chris Van Hollen (D-MD). The "Power Player" is Dir. of the Pres's Own U.S. Marine Band Col. Michael Colburn.

Late Edition hosts Major Gen. Mark Hertling, Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA), Rep. David Dreier (R-CA), ex-Labor Sec. Robert Reich, Clinton economic adviser Gene Sperling, McCain economic adviser Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Mary Tillman, and a roundtable with CNN's Bill Schneider, CNN's Suzanne Malveaux and CNN's Gloria Borger.

See other weekend shows after the jump (KATHERINE LEHR).

The RNC issued this vid in light of Barack Obama's remarks today before the Cuban American National Foundation. It calls Obama "naive on foreign policy, not ready to be commander in chief." Obama's prepared speech is available after the jump; in it, he is expected to say that John McCain, like President Bush, has failed to address foreign policy priorities beyond Iraq. On Cuba and more, Obama will say, McCain has embraced Bush's policies and has shown, "you can't take his so-called straight talk seriously."

Yesterday, CNN's Brian Todd delivered a breaking news report on John McCain's decision to reject the endorsement of Pastor John Hagee.

Todd: "As a result of our inquiries today, John McCain makes a dramatic turnaround and rejects the endorsement of a key religious leader in the United States. ... We have been in contact with ... Pastor Hagee and his representatives. Mr. Hagee would not go on camera with us or do any kind of interview with us. His representatives say, however, that he was badly mischaracterized. ... Here is a statement that we just got a short time ago from John McCain: 'Obviously, I find these remarks and others deeply offensive and indefensible, and I repudiate them. I did not know of them before Reverend Hagee's endorsement, and I feel I must reject his endorsement as well.' ... A very important note here from McCain's campaign, who says that Reverend Hagee was never John McCain's pastor, that McCain did not have the kind of relationship with Pastor Hagee that Barack Obama had with Jeremiah Wright" ("Situation Room," 5/22).

Newsweeks' Alter: "Best defense is a good offense. He's engaged in sensible damage control on this by separating himself further from Hagee. The problem is if they want to have any Republican sponsorship of Reverend Wright ads this fall, Democrats are going to be right back at them with Hagee, with Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell" ("Verdict," MSNBC, 5/22).

Dick Morris: "He didn't baptize the kids. He didn't marry him. He wasn't his pastor for 20 years" ("Hannity & Colmes," FNC, 5/22).

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC): "When you're running for president it's not guilt by association. We have a lot of supporters out there we don't always agree with. ... There comes a point in time when you're running for president that you have to disconnect yourself from rhetoric because you're trying to be the pros of everybody. You're trying to reassure people that as president of the United States you have a big view and you're a tolerant person. There comes a point in time where you have to break and John made that decision today" ("Situation Room," CNN, 5/22).

After the jump, McCain goes on "Ellen" and a FL superdelegate files a lawsuit (KATHERINE LEHR).

I have a story running in tomorrow's National Journal on the pros, cons and precedents for putting Hillary Clinton on the Supreme Court. NJ subscribers can read it here. For On Call devotees, it's available after the jump.

Enjoy!

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

John McCain cut ties with Christian Pastor John Hagee today after learning that Hagee, during the 1990s, said Nazism reflected an expression of God's will.

“Obviously, I find these remarks and others deeply offensive and indefensible, and I repudiate them," McCain said in a statement issued to The Washington Post. "I did not know of them before Reverend Hagee's endorsement, and I feel I must reject his endorsement as well. I have said I do not believe Senator Obama shares Reverend Wright's extreme views. But let me also be clear, Reverend Hagee was not and is not my pastor or spiritual advisor, and I did not attend his church for twenty years. I have denounced statements he made immediately upon learning of them, as I do again today. “

And here's Hagee's letter, withdrawing his endorsement:

Dear XYZ,

I hope that the Senator McCain will accept this withdrawal so that he may focus on the issues that are most important to America and the world.

As reported by The Washington Post, Hagee's comments were first posted on the website "Talk to Action" on May 15. They "draw from a biblical verse and imply that Adolf Hilter's actions had helped speed the creation of the state of Israel."

"'And they the hunters should hunt them,' that will be the Jews," Hagee said. "'From every mountain and from every hill and from out of the holes of the rocks.' If that doesn't describe what Hitler did in the holocaust, you can't see that."

From Sen. Ted Kennedy's office: “Throughout the last week, Senator Obama has offered his support to Senator Kennedy including stepping in to deliver the commencement address at Wesleyan University. Senator Kennedy accepted knowing it would be an historic opportunity for the school and all those attending, including his daughter Caroline Raclin who is graduating and his son Ted Jr. who is attending his reunion. He's enormously grateful to Senator Obama and the support he's received from all of his colleagues this last week.”

John McCain's campaign is set to release "400 pages of medical records, including documents related to his melanoma surgery in August 2000, to a tightly controlled group of reporters on the Friday before Memorial Day weekend," reports The New York Times.

More from the NYT: On Friday, the campaign will allow a small pool of reporters access to the records from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Pacific time in a conference room at the Copper Wind Resort in Phoenix, near the Mayo Clinic Scottsdale. The reporters will be allowed to take notes but not remove or photocopy the records. Campaign officials said they were imposing the restrictions to prevent the actual records from wide dissemination.

The news organizations in the pool, selected by the campaign, include ABC News, The Arizona Republic, The Associated Press, Bloomberg, CBS News, CNN, Fox News, NBC News, Reuters, The Washington Post and, possibly, a newsmagazine.

UNION CITY, CA - If any confirmation is necessary to indicate that the days of mutual admiration between John McCain and his likely general election opponent are a distant memory - and if the debate over unconditional meetings with Iran didn't suffice - today's exchange between the rivals should do the trick.

On the Senate floor today, speaking in support of Sen. Jim Webb's proposal to fund education for armed service members after single enlistment tours, Sen. Barack Obama called McCain's voiced opposition to the bill "partisan posturing" and questioned why McCain found the bill "too generous to our veterans."

"I can't understand why he would line up behind the President in his opposition to this GI Bill," Obama said. "There are many issues that lend themselves to partisan posturing, but giving our veterans the chance to go to college should not be one of them."

The Webb bill passed 75-22 today, a veto-proof majority that will survive opposition from the White House.

McCain, who just arrived at a roundtable in Union City, CA, outside of San Jose, issued a blistering statement this afternoon in response to Obama's criticism. The release outlines McCain's reasons for opposing Webb's bill. (He - and allies, Sens. Lindsay Graham and Richard Burr - worry that, by offering full benefits to troops after a single enlistment, Webb's bill would discourage reenlistment by GI's eager to collect on the educational promise. The Arizona senator's bill offers benefits on a sliding scale based on time of service.)

Here are excerpts from McCain's withering assessment of Obama's comments:

"Unlike Senator Obama, my admiration, respect and deep gratitude for America's veterans is something more than a convenient campaign pledge," McCain said in the release. "I think I have earned the right to make that claim. I will not accept from Senator Obama, who did not feel it was his responsibility to serve our country in uniform, any lectures on my regard for those who did."

"He prefers impugning the motives of his opponent and exploiting a thoughtful difference of opinion to advance his own ambitions," the statement concludes. "If that is how he would behave as President, the country would regret his election."

(NBC/NJ's CARRIE DANN)

When he went to woo the National Rifle Association convention in Louisville, Ky., on Friday, it did not hurt that presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, was accompanied by a former outside NRA lobbyist turned campaign adviser, Randy Scheunemann.

Officially the top foreign policy and national security adviser to McCain’s campaign, Scheunemann told National Journal in March he has weighed in with advice on Second Amendment and firearms issues. He said he had stopped lobbying for all his clients early this year, and his lobbying registration forms show that the NRA work ended at the end of 2007.

But during that year while he was helping the campaign, Scheunemann & Associates, one of two boutique firms he runs, received $40,000 in fees from the NRA. The NRA, one of his oldest clients, paid him the same amount for several prior years. Scheunemann, who started working for the campaign as a volunteer in early 2007, did not return four calls seeking comment for this story.

According to one NRA lobbyist who was at the convention, Scheunemann arrived and departed with McCain. Scheunemann spent most of his time at the event backstage -- where McCain had a brief meeting with NRA leaders, according to a lobbyist.

In 2001, the NRA labeled McCain “one of the premier flag carriers for the enemies of the Second Amendment.” But this year the group has been much friendlier, in part because of its fears about what Democratic Sens. Barack Obama or Hillary Rodham Clinton would do on gun issues if they won the presidency.

In his remarks to the NRA, McCain drove the point home by saying that if either Democrat won the election, “the rights of law-abiding gun owners would be at risk.”

Before he became a lobbyist about eight years ago, Scheunemann spent more than a decade on Capitol Hill serving as a top foreign policy aide to, among others, former Senate Majority Leaders Bob Dole and Trent Lott. Scheunemann’s other lobbying firm, Orion Strategies, has worked for several foreign governments, including Georgia, Latvia, Macedonia and Romania, who have joined or are seeking to join NATO.

During the last week since the McCain campaign established conflict-of-interest rules to minimize criticism over the large number of well-known lobbyists working for the senator, Scheunemann has drawn scrutiny mostly over his foreign work. USA Today reported Wednesday that Scheunemann lobbied a McCain staffer on matters relating to the Georgian government in 2007 while he was working for the campaign.

(National Journal writer PETER STONE)

In light of today's renewed Clinton camp push for seating all of the FL/MI delegates, here's Terry McAuliffe telling MTP's Tim Russert 5/11 that he "certainly might" accept a 50% compromise. (Clip starts at 21:00ish.)

Daytime talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, who has promised to marry her actress girlfriend, pushes guest John McCain today on the gay marriage issue. A must watch.

Harold Ickes and Howard Wolfson pointed this morning to David Axelrod's recent interview with NPR, during which he said his team is interested in a FL/MI compromise, as proof that both sides believe it's time to strike a deal. And if they're ready for a deal, any deal, why not go all the way then? Seat and count all of the delegates, Clinton's guys suggested on a call with reporters. (Since, as we know, that's the only arrangement that's satisfactory to HRC's camp.)

"The rubicon has now been crossed by the Obama campaign," Wolfson said.

He noted, too: "If FL and MI are not seated, it will harm the chances of a Democrat to win in those states in November."

These are not new Clinton camp arguments, just the latest push in light of the 5/31 DNC Rules and Bylaws Cmte meeting.

On another topic ... Jill Lawrence of USA Today asked if there's any truth to reports that Obama's campaign is embarking on its running mate search and that the two camps are discussing the Clinton-as-veep possibility.

"I think it is clearly premature in the sense that he is not yet the nominee," Wolfson said of talk that Obama has started that effort.

As for a team venture: "We are resolutely focused on this nominating process on the top of the ticket," Wolfson said. "We believe Sen. Clinton will be the nominee. … We’re just not going to entertain the possibility of anything other than that."

(JS)

There's trouble for Barack Obama in a new Quinnipiac University poll that shows the likely Dem nom trailing GOPer John McCain in FL and OH but with a small edge in PA. Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, shows better against McCain in these critical battleground states.

Here are the numbers:

FL: Clinton tops McCain 48% - 41%; McCain leads Obama 45% - 41%;

OH: Clinton beats McCain 48% - 41%; McCain tops Obama 44% - 40%;

PA: Clinton tops McCain 50% - 37%; Obama leads McCain 46% - 40%.

One irrefutable cause of Obama's woes: women.

In FL, Clinton leads McCain 54% - 37% among women, while women split in an Obama/McCain match-up, 43% - 42% for the IL senator.

In OH, Clinton leads McCain 53% - 37% among women, while they tip more narrowly to Obama over McCain, 42% - 40%.

In PA, Obama does marginally better with women, likely accounting for his lead over McCain in the statewide numbers. After all, 58% of the state's Dem primary voters were women. Clinton bests McCain 57% - 31% with women. Obama also tops McCain, 49% - 37% with women.

So, what's a Team Obama, with almost every visible public spokesperson of the male variety, to do? Well, they've started by hiring veteran political journalist Linda Douglass, a National Journal contributing editor, as a senior strategist and senior campaign spokeswoman, as the Atlantic's Marc Ambinder reported first yesterday. With Samantha Power gone, the campaign's only top female message pushers are Michelle Obama and Susan Rice, a former assistant secretary of state for African affairs. Seems likely then that a woman -- see KS Gov. Kathleen Sebelius -- will wind up, if not on the Dem ticket, making the list of finalists.

The Quinnipiac numbers indicate that Obama clearly needs to make a visible outreach to women voters. Hiring a new female advisor, even one as talented, smart, well-spoken, poised and all-around wonderful as Douglass, may be a good start, but he’ll obviously need to provide other incentives to draw more women voters into the fold.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

Late yesterday afternoon, the New York Times reported that John McCain will meet with FL Gov. Charlie Crist (R) and LA Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) 5/23. Mitt Romney's name was also mentioned. This led to much speculation that McCain is shopping for a VP.

Karl Rove: "Some interesting names here and some strong talent. ... Bobby Jindal is a terrifically intelligent and reform-minded governor of Louisiana. It's sort of hard, though, to say I'm experienced and my opponent is inexperienced, but incidentally forget the fact I've chosen a very young man who's been governor for a year and a half as my running mate. Charlie Crist is in sort of the same situation. Again, if Senator McCain says Senator Obama's unqualified and inexperienced and he's young and has only been in the Senate for three years, and incidentally I'm picking a governor who's only been in office for two years, creates a little bit of discountenance."

More Rove: "Romney was governor for one term. ... He's got a broader record that people can associate with, head of the U.S. Olympics, successful business person. I'm not suggesting that he is the only person that McCain ought to consider, but I have been surprised how many conservatives have expressed a confidence and an enthusiasm in Romney" ("Hannity & Colmes," FNC, 5/21).

MSNBC's O'Donnell, on Jindal and Crist: "It's unlikely that he would pick either of those governors, I think, as vice president. I think this is the beginning of a process by McCain to sort of get to know and talk to these governors. ... He's going to need these governors for state operations. He's going to need their fundraising lists to help raise money. So this is part of the process. He should be doing this at this point. I don't think we should read too much into it that these guys now are at the top of the list" ("Hardball," 5/21).

CNN's Borger: "We all got on the phone here with the McCain people. The McCain people said, he's grilling. He loves to grill, and we're not talking about grilling vice presidential candidates. But he does want to sort of socialize with these folks and this is all about ... building the relationships. ... I would say there probably wouldn't be a lot of alcohol served at this event" ("Election Center," 5/21).

After the jump, more McCain and Pelosi goes on PBS (KATHERINE LEHR).

It's a primary fight to the finish -- even, apparently, for the Libertarian Party hopefuls.

LP contenders Wayne Allyn Root, Bob Barr and Mike Gravel, in Washington Tuesday for a forum hosted by reason magazine, made their pleas for their adopted party's nom just days before its Memorial Day weekend convention in Denver.

"I'm the Ronald Reagan of the Libertarian Party," Root, who has a wrestler's build and a mobster's tailor, told reporters before the start of the event. He rattled off his credentials: Vegas odds maker, infomercial pioneer, best-selling author.

"I'm kind of an MTV guy running for president, and so I think I could catch fire with the youth movement in this country," Root added. "What Ron Paul started, I could finish. I'm the frontrunner, I don't think there's any doubt about that."

After Barr arrived late, the 30-minute forum began with the candidates's two-minute opening statements. It had the feel of a speed date.

Gravel railed against the "War On Drugs." Barr, who served four terms in the House, talked about a "rebirth of freedom." And Root won over the crowd with a political bombshell. During a dinner with Karl Rove two years ago, he told Bush's brain: "If you allow the United States Congress to ban [Internet] poker, what you're going to do is destroy the entire Republican revolution. Karl Rove laughed it off, and the Republican revolution ended."

When the show wrapped, Barr, swarmed by reporters, said that Libertarianism had gone mainstream.

"How much more mainstream can you get than serving in the House of Representatives?" said Barr, whose campaign is headed by Russell Verney, Ross Perot's ex-adviser.

Nearby, Gravel explained that he "ran as a Democrat only to get into the debates."

Root, meanwhile, offered this prognostication: "It all comes down to the debate Saturday night on C-Span."

(SEAN J. MILLER)

Sarah Brady, honorary chair of the Brady Campaign and the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, issued this statement today, crediting Sen. Ted Kennedy with passage of the Brady Law and wishing him well in his fight against cancer:

“Jim and I send Senator Kennedy, Vicki and the entire Kennedy family our love and warm wishes. It was great to see the Senator looking so strong and fit when he left the hospital this morning.

“Senator Kennedy has been an inspiration to Jim and me for many years. Publicly, he seems larger than life when you are with him. But privately, he is a man of great humility and kindness. Throughout the fight to pass the Brady Law, he worked feverishly behind the scenes, lobbying his colleagues, resolving dilemmas, but never wanting any credit. He deserves credit, though, because we never would have passed it without him - we wouldn’t have even gotten close.

“Sitting on my windowsill is an orchid that Teddy and Vickie gave me two years ago. It is blooming now. I look at it, and I know that Teddy will win this fight, as he has won so many in the past.”

UPDATE: Here's the audio of HRC's interview ...

WASHINGTON - As she prepares to campaign in Florida today, Hillary Clinton said in a radio interview this morning that Democrats should learn from the lessons of the hanging chads from elections past and not ignore the will of the voters.

Clinton, speaking with WMJI radio in Cleveland, Ohio, this morning before flying to Florida, referred to the upcoming HBO movie about the 2000 recount and said she has heard that it "makes a very strong case" for seating the state's delegates today.

"The lesson is if you can discern the clear intent of the voter, why would you punish the voter?" she said. "We are turning this into a major battle that I think is really ill serving the party."

Clinton will be making that case today during three campaign appearances in South Florida, where she is expected to also press her argument that she is leading in the popular vote. Clinton also said the entire nomination process should be looked at in the future.

"We've got to change the way we nominate presidents for a lot of reasons," she said. "I personally believe these caucuses are terribly unrepresentative. ... [And] I think that what's happened with Florida and Michigan raises serious questions about the principles of our party."

Updates from our Hotline Political Network Affiliates

Per Sen. Ted Kennedy's Senate office:

On Wednesday, May 21st at approximately 10:00 AM, Senator Edward M. Kennedy will depart Massachusetts General Hospital and travel home to Hyannis Port.

He will depart from the Wang Entrance, 15 Parkman Street, Massachusetts General Hospital. NOTE: This is a photo opportunity only.

Senator Kennedy’s doctors released the following statement:

Statement of Dr. Lee Schwamm, Vice Chairman, Department of Neurology and Dr. Larry Ronan, Primary Care Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital

“Senator Kennedy has recovered remarkably quickly from his Monday procedure and therefore will be released from the hospital today ahead of schedule. He will return to his home on Cape Cod while we await further test results and determine treatment plans. He’s feeling well and eager to get started.”

With 88% of precincts reporting, Barack Obama won OR last night, 58% to 42% for Hillary Clinton.

Here are OR exit polling highlights:

-- Obama won 53% of the $50K and under earners and 63% of those earning more than $50K;

-- Obama won each age group, except the 65 and older set, which voted 55% to 44% for Clinton;

-- Obama won white voters ages 18 to 59, though Clinton edged him with whites 60 and over, 51% to 48%;

-- White women split, 50% to 50%, for the candidates, while white men voted overwhelmingly for Obama, 65% to 34%;

-- The overall electorate was 55% women, 45% men -- staying true to trends we've seen in other early states. Women are turning out in record numbers this cycle. Both genders went for Obama;

-- Voters (45%) said the economy is the most important issue facing the nation, followed by the Iraq war (31%) and health care (20%);

-- Half of OR voters said an interest in "change" most determined their vote, and among them, 83% voted for Obama, 17% voted for Clinton;

-- 62% of OR voters said Clinton attacked Obama unfairly, while 39% said Obama attacked Clinton unfairly; and

-- No matter how they voted 71% said they'd be satisfied with Clinton as the nom, 79% said the same of Obama.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

Last night's TV coverage was dominated by Hillary Clinton's win in KY and Barack Obama's win in OR.

Clinton supporter/PA Gov. Ed Rendell (D): "In the last three months ... she's won seven out of the ten primaries and won five of them by absolute blowouts. ... It's sort of amusing to me that the candidate who's doing all the winning is the one people want to drop out. I think the message is clear to superdelegates. Hillary Clinton is our most electable candidate, and that's what conventions are all about, finding out most electable candidate" ("Hannity & Colmes," FNC, 5/20).

CNN's Schneider: "There were two big reasons why Barack Obama carried the state of Oregon. One, education. Oregon Democrats have a lot of that. Those who did not go to college voted for Hillary Clinton. ... Second factor, religion. In this case, they do not have a lot of that. Protestant voters were split. Catholic voters were split. The key to Obama's victory were voters who said they do not have any religion or they have some other religion other than Protestant or Catholic or Mormon or Muslim or Jewish" ("Election Center," 5/20).

Obama supporter/Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), on Obama gaining the majority of pledged delegates: "I just see this as a major step. It's not the end. ... This was about delegates, the number of delegates, from both voters in primary states and in caucus states. And the fact that a come-from-behind candidacy was able to achieve this tonight, I think it's significant. But, as has been pointed out, it's not the end. We have a few more weeks to go here" (MSNBC, 5/20).

See today's Hotline for the most recent coverage on the KY and OR primaries.

After the jump, kind words for Ted Kennedy (KATHERINE LEHR).

Somehow, ’06 nominee/businessman Mike Erickson (R) survived the OR-05 GOP contest, and is the party’s standard bearer in its effort to pick up a Dem open seat, vacated by Rep. Darlene Hooley (D). He’ll face state Sen. Kurt Schrader (D).

Erickson faced a barrage of accusations in the final week, perpetuated by '02 GOV nominee/'06 GOV candidate/ex-OR GOP chair/ex-state Sen. Kevin Mannix (R), that he once forced a woman to have an abortion. This led the OR Right to Life, who had backed Mannix, to say it wouldn’t endorse Erickson if he were the nominee. Polls leading up to the race showed that Erickson, once the commanding leader, had lost his lead and was trailing Mannix by several points.

But Erickson managed to defeat Mannix 49-46% anyway. And OR’s process of mail balloting might have saved him. Had the accusations surfaced a week earlier, Mannix may have been able to overcome the small 2K-vote margin. But considering that a large percentage of ballots had already been cast by the time Mannix brought up the allegations, and he was losing miserably at that time, it wasn’t enough to save him.

In a CD as competitive as OR-05 – Pres. Bush won the CD both times, but barely – the GOP should have a good shot at winning. But with his conservative base alienated, and with allegations of past drug use also flying around, Erickson will have a tough fight against Schrader.

(TIM SAHD)

Barack Obama's speech, delivered in Des Moines -- where it all began in a bitter January cold, is available after the jump. Check out the John McCain bashing.

A snippet:

"The skeptics predicted we wouldn’t get very far. The cynics dismissed us as a lot of hype and a little too much hope. And by the fall, the pundits in Washington had all but counted us out. But the people of Iowa had a different idea."

And this:

"You have put us within reach of the Democratic nomination for president of the United States of America."

And a big cheer for HRC:

"In her 35 years of public service, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has never given up on her fight for the American people, and tonight I congratulate her on her victory in Kentucky. We have had our disagreements during this campaign, but we all admire her courage, her commitment and her perseverance. No matter how this primary ends, Senator Clinton has shattered myths and broken barriers and changed the America in which my daughters and yours will come of age."

Just sent to Obama supporters:

Friend --

Barack Obama

NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli is reporting that Hillary Clinton's campaign raised $22M in April. ...

Lost in tonight’s results is the fact that yet another conservative Dem has emerged in an open House seat in the South. In the Bowling Green-based KY-02, where Rep. Ron Lewis (R) is retiring, state Sen. David Boswell (D) defeated Daviess Co. Judge-Exec. Reid Haire (D) in the primary, and will face state Sen. Brett Guthrie (R) in Nov.

While this CD is considerably more GOP than either MS-01 or LA-06 – it gave Pres. Bush 65% in ’04 – there are some positive signs for Dems. And there are none more positive than the fact that Lewis took just 55% in '06, despite heavily outspending his challenger.

CNN exit polls indicate that 21% of KY voters said the race of the candidate was important. Of them, 81% voted for Hillary Clinton, while 16% cast a ballot for Barack Obama.

Meanwhile, 18% of those who said race was important to them were white, and almost nine of 10 voted for Clinton.

For all the talk of the impact of gender bias in the Democratic contest and, most notably, in media coverage of the battle, the race of the IL senator persists as a variable for many rural, white voters.

(JS)

As expected, the KY SEN Dem primary was won tonight by '03/'07 GOV candidate/businessman Bruce Lunsford (D), who cruised to an easy 51%-34% victory over businessman Greg Fischer (D). Lunsford and Fischer (best known for developing the combination soda dispenser/ice maker) each spent over $1M through 4/30, but Lunsford started off with much higher name ID from his previous statewide bids -- an advantage Fischer was unable to match in just a few months of campaigning. Fischer ran several scathing TV ads over the final few weeks of the campaign, and while Lunsford may have been somewhat bruised by them, the spots clearly didn't give voters sufficient reason to vote for Fischer.

Waiting in the wings is Senate Min. Leader Mitch McConnell (R), who's already spent $3.7M (much of that on early TV ads of his own) and still has $7.7M CoH to Lunsford's $337K. In the primary, Lunsford self-loaned more than $1.6M and could certainly contribute more for the general election. Of course, he might also carefully avoid tripping the Millionaire's Amendment, since McConnell would easily be able to take advantage of the increased donation limits. A Research 2000/Lexington Herald-Leader poll taken 5/7-5/9 showed McConnell leading Lunsford 48%-36%.

(QUINN MCCORD)

The two contradictory elements of Hillary Clinton's KY victory speech -- and, more generally, of her message in the homestretch:

The Fighter

I'm winning the popular vote, and "we're more determined than ever to see that every vote is cast and every ballot counted," including those cast in FL and MI. The party needs a nominee "who is best positioned to win in November." I have received more primary votes than any Dem in history. Keep the cash coming, I'm fighting on.

The Realist

"We do see eye to eye when it comes to uniting our party to elect a Democratic president in the fall." KY's motto rings true: "United we stand, divided we fall."

And this, HRC's bottom line:

"This continues to be a tough fight, and I've fought it the only way I know how -- by never giving up and never giving in. I have done it not because I've wanted to demonstrate my toughness but because I believe passionately for the sake of the country that the Democrats must take back the White House and end Republican rule."

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

Per Barack Obama's campaign, and, we'll note, blitzed to reporters just as Hillary Clinton took the stage to in KY:

New donors in April: 200,000

94% of contributions were under $200

93% of contributions were $100 or less

77% of contributions were $50 or less

52% of contributions were $25 or less

Number of donors to the Obama campaign overall at the end of April: 1.475 million

Number of contributions given: 2,929,000 million

Average donation: $91

Amount raised in April: $31.3 million (plus an additional $600,000 for the general election)

Cash on Hand: $37.3 million (plus an additional $9.2 million for the general election)

KY exit polls posted by CNN show Hillary Clinton leading Barack Obama 62-32% among men and 67-27% among women.

Exit polls also show…

- 62% of KY Dem voters believe Clinton is most likely to win in Nov.

- 53% of voters believe Obama will get the nod; only 43% say Clinton will get it

- 45% say the endorsement of John Edwards was important – a group which broke nearly evenly, 48-47%, for Obama

- 55% say Obama should choose Clinton as his VP – a group which broke 77-21% for Clinton

- 58% believe the gas tax holiday is a good idea – a group that favored Clinton 77-19%

- 67% say the economy is the top issue facing the U.S., followed by at Iraq at 19% and health care at 11%

- 46% say change is the most important quality to their WH choice – a group which broke 52-44% in favor of Obama

- 76% say they would be satisfied if Clinton gets the nod, while only 41% will be satisfied with Obama

- 64% say Clinton is honest and trustworthy, while 46% say the same about Obama

- 72% say Clinton shares their values, while only 45% say the same about Obama

- 53% say Clinton attacked Obama unfairly, while 49% say Obama attacked Clinton unfairly

(MATTHEW GOTTLIEB)

Here's Terry McAuliffe, Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman, talking to FOX today about the affections of swing state voters: "If Sen. Obama is the nominee, can we win these states? Of course."

Another sign of Clinton camp resignation? TPM had the vid first.

Nets call KY for Hillary Clinton. CNN's Blitzer: She'll win "by a wide margin." As much as 30 points.

On MSNBC a few moments ago, Barack Obama said he spoke with Ted Kennedy, 76, a couple days ago. "I didn't get any sense that his capacities had been diminished," Obama said.

He added: "I do know that he is going to fight, and I also know that he has got one of the most wonderful wives in the world. ... She will be fighting by his side every step of the way, and I want to make sure that all the rest of us are there as well."

NBC's Andrea Mitchell noted that Kennedy was expected to play a critical role in bringing the Obama and Hillary Clinton camps together when the primaries wrap early next month. Obama said that Kennedy's health should be his foremost priority.

"I am confident that the Democratic Party is going to come together, partly because of those issues that Ted Kennedy cares so deeply about," Obama said.

UPDATE:

Hillary Clinton's campaign issued this statement ... “Ted Kennedy’s courage and resolve are unmatched, and they have made him one of the greatest legislators in Senate history. Our thoughts are with him and Vicki, and we are praying for a quick and full recovery.”

(JS)

Per NBC/NJ's Carrie Dann, John McCain on Ted Kennedy's diagnosis:

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and to him. We hope and pray that they will be able to treat it and that he will experience a full recovery. I have described Ted Kennedy as the last lion in the Senate. And I have held that view because he remains the single most effective member of the Senate."

Nets breaking ... More to come.

UPDATE:

Tuesday, May 20, 2008 -- 1 p.m.

Statement from Dr. Lee Schwamm, Vice Chairman, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Dr. Larry Ronan, Primary Care Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital

"Over the course of the last several days, we've done a series of tests on Senator Kennedy to determine the cause of his seizure. He has had no further seizures, remains in good overall condition, and is up and walking around the hospital. Some of the tests we had performed were inconclusive, particularly in light of the fact that the Senator had severe narrowing of the left carotid artery and underwent surgery just 6 months ago. However, preliminary results from a biopsy of the brain identified the cause of the seizure as a malignant glioma in the left parietal lobe. The usual course of treatment includes combinations of various forms of radiation and chemotherapy. Decisions regarding the best course of treatment for Senator Kennedy will be determined after further testing and analysis. Senator Kennedy will remain at Massachusetts General Hospital for the next couple of days according to routine protocol. He remains in good spirits and full of energy."

John McCain in Miami this morning makes an open play for Cuban-American voters. He also criticizes Barack Obama for his willingness "to sit down unconditionally for a presidential meeting with Raul Castro," saying such a meeting would "send the worst possible signal to Cuba's dictators."

"I believe we should give hope to the Cuban people, not to the Castro regime," McCain said.

An excerpt and summary of the GOPer's Cuba policy:

"Maintaining the embargo is, however, just one element of a broader approach my administration would make to the people of Cuba. I would provide more material assistance and moral support to the courageous human rights activists who bravely defy the regime every day, and increase Radio and TV Marti and other means to communicate directly with the Cuban people. My Justice Department would vigorously prosecute Cuban officials implicated in the murder of Americans, drug trafficking, and other crimes. While our Cuba policy will not always be in accord with that of our hemispheric and European partners, my administration will begin an active dialogue with them to develop a plan for post-Castro Cuba, a plan that will spark rapid change and a new awakening in that country. The Cuban people have waited long enough."

And here are the responses issued by the Obama camp from its top supporters, CT Sen. Chris Dodd and NM Gov. Bill Richardson. Echoing Obama's approach, both advocate for direct negotiations with Raul Castro.

Dodd: "John McCain needs to explain why continuing to do exactly what George Bush has done will somehow produce a different result. The Senator McCain I used to know was open to negotiations with Cuba to lift the embargo, but now he’s taking a hard line position, embracing a policy that has failed the Cuban people and the American people alike for fifty years. Instead of four more years of George Bush's policy, Barack Obama will help bring liberty to Cuba through direct diplomacy and change that allows for unlimited family visitation and remittances to the island. It's time to reject a Bush-McCain approach that has isolated us in our own hemisphere, so that we can have renewed American leadership under Barack Obama."

Richardson: "John McCain doesn't understand as well as Senator Obama and I do how the Castro regime works. John McCain -- like George Bush -- is afraid to talk to bad guys. He feels safer pretending to talk tough by hiding from them. Unfortunately ordinary people will pay for his lack of diplomatic skill. This is the Bush-McCain foreign policy that has failed all over the world, and it has failed to promote change in Cuba. I have successfully negotiated with Castro and many like him, and I know that Barack has the judgment and experience to nudge the Cubans toward a better future. He'll do it without needlessly harming those who just want to send money to their families and visit loved ones. He knows that you need to talk to tough customers so that you can show them that you are tougher than they are. If you want to see real results, you need to do what Barack will do -- talk to the bad guys. It's through direct negotiations that you deliver your toughest message."

Full McCain speech, provided by his campaign, available after the jump.

GOPer Jennifer Horn, running for Congress in NH's Second District, issued a statement this morning announcing that comedian Jackie Mason has endorsed her. (Yes, I.Am.Speechless. First time for everything, I suppose ... )

Mason: “First, I think she is one of the most intelligent people I’ve ever met and no one loves her Country or the state of New Hampshire more than she does. Jennifer is someone who can make me proud of our Congress again.

"Jennifer is a real person. She is a mother, a former radio show host, a columnist, and a community activist. We’ve given politicians and lawyers a chance and they have screwed things up for everyone. It’s time we give someone else a try.”

On Call brings you live coverage this evening of the Oregon and Kentucky primaries. Check in early and often for news and exits, candidate speeches and Chris Matthews' most bizarro pronouncements.

As we anticipate a likely split -- OR for Barack Obama, KY for Hillary Clinton -- here is the most recent state polling, released yesterday by Suffolk University:

In KY, Clinton leads Obama, 51% to 25%. Much as he did in WV and despite being out of the race for, oh, four months now, John Edwards is polling at 6%.

In OR, Obama leads Clinton, 45% to 41%. OR's mail-in primary makes it tougher to accurately poll voters, however, so take this number with a grain of salt.

I'm taking a quick point of personal privilege this morning to introduce readers to a wonderful new documentary filmed by my friend and former Concord Monitor colleague, photojournalist Dan Habib. The film, Including Samuel, examines the education and social inclusion of youth with disabilities as a civil rights issue and focuses on the Habib family's efforts to include Samuel, 7 and diagnosed with cerebral palsy, in all facets of school and community.

Here's what The Washington Post wrote about Including Samuel:

"In the film, we learn that in many ways, Samuel is much like any other 7-year-old. He likes hot dogs and tee ball, and is debating between careers as an astronaut or a race car driver. Like a good New Englander, Samuel roots for the Boston Red Sox, and he loves watching games with his big brother, Isaiah, 11."

Dan, an inspiration to all journos and photogs who are lucky enough to spend a few years working for the Monitor, is in NYC this week screening the film. Keep a lookout for upcoming showings in Providence, RI; North Carolina; Nashua, NH; St. Louis; University of Alabama; and Idaho. Click on the film link above to watch the trailer and to find out when this touching film heads to a city near you.

Dan recently signed on as filmmaker-in-residence at the Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire. Until joining UNH in April 2008, he was the photography editor of the Concord Monitor since 1995. He oversaw the Monitor's 2008 Pulitzer Prize winning photo essay -- "Remember Me" -- about the family of a woman with a terminal illness.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

Updates from our Hotline Political Network Affiliates

There was very little talk of Hillary Clinton's expected win in KY and Barack Obama's expected win in OR. Instead, last night's TV focused on a variety of WH '08 topics, including John McCain nat'l finance co-chair/ex-Rep. Tom Loeffler (R-TX) resigning because of his lobbying ties. Loeffler was the fifth person to leave the camp amid a growing concern about lobbyists' influence over McCain.

Newsweek's Isikoff: "Some people are going to make that argument, saying, 'Look, why did it take you so long? You're were surrounded by lobbyists and you have been for the last year.' ... The problem for John McCain is he ran in 2000 as the foe of special interest, the guy who was going do smash the iron triangle of lobbyists and lawmakers and special interests. He runs in 2008 and he's got a very different cast or background to who his people running his campaign are" ("Hardball," MSNBC, 5/19).

CNN's Bash: "McCain aides say they should be applauded for new strict policies prohibiting staffers from lobbying and working with outside political groups, but privately some advisers concede these are self- inflicted wounds, something that could have been dealt with months ago, knowing it will be a constant question given McCain's crusade against special interest. And McCain was asked several times earlier this evening why it took so long to implement these new policies, and he wouldn't answer the question" ("Lou Dobbs Tonight," 5/19).

New Republic's Cottle, on McCain: "This is a man who's entire candidacy is based on his character. McCain is the reformer. He is the special interest scourge. And for him to have all these problems with these lobbyists is just a prime opportunity for Obama to tee up on him for the entire general election
campaign. ... For all the time that they've had, suddenly it's a problem now?" ("Race for the WH," MSNBC, 5/19).

After the jump, Obama warns GOPers to leave his wife alone (KATHERINE LEHR).

Rep. Vito Fossella (R) announced last night that he wouldn’t seek re-election to his Staten Island-based CD. The Staten Island Advance reported late last p.m. that Fossella will post a letter to constituents on his Website today, telling them of his decision. Fossella: “This choice was an extremely difficult one, balanced between my dedication to service to our great nation and the need to concentrate on healing the wounds that I have caused to my wife and family.”

His decision came amid signs he would run again. Last weekend, he surprisingly showed up at a Conservative Party dinner, and also attended a Memorial Day parade in his CD. At both events, he got a warm reception from constituents and party leaders, leading many to speculate that he’d run again. Fossella, in the statement: “Despite the personal mistakes I have made, I am touched by the outpouring of support and encouragement I have received from so many people. Their kind words and prayers during this difficult time mean more to me than I can express. And while many have urged me to run for re-election, I believe this course of action is best for my family and our community."

The Advance writes that the Staten Island GOP Exec. Cmte. Will interview candidates 5/21 for the seat. It’s “not yet known” who will interview, but Richmond Co. DA Daniel Donovan (R) and state Sen. Andrew Lanza (R) “are two possible contenders.” Dems “mulling” the race include NYC Councilor Michael McMahon (D), Assemb. Michael Cusick (D) and state Sen. Diane Savino (D). All three are from Staten Island, which makes up the huge majority of the CD, while NYC Councilor Domenic Recchia (D) and ’06 nominee Stephen Harrison (D) – who are the current candidates -- are from Brooklyn.

Fossella’s now open seat is now a toss-up CD. Al Gore won it in ’00, but Pres. Bush took it in ’04. Bush’s victory was perhaps shaded by 9/11, which seemed to bump his numbers up in several CDs around the NY Metro area.

Fossella’s decision means the GOP will now be forced to protect 27 open seats in the fall, a tall task for a party with scant resources. But considering the problems a Fossella re-election bid would’ve caused the party, his retirement likely wasn’t unwelcome news in most GOP quarters.

(TIM SAHD)

John McCain heads to Miami tomorrow for a town hall at the Sheraton Mart Hotel in Miami. Barack Obama, meanwhile, is expected to woo Florida voters Wednesday at a rally in Tampa and an Orlando fundraiser. He ventures Thursday to Palm Beach, and is expected to give a foreign policy speech Friday in Miami.

UPDATE: Hillary Clinton's camp announced that she, too, will return to South Florida Wednesday. Additional details TBA.

Kansas Democratic Party Chair Larry Gates announced his endorsement of Barack Obama today, saying he has red state appeal.

“Kansans can unite behind Sen. Obama and his positive campaign, and that is why I have chosen to endorse him,” Gates said, in a statement released by Obama's campaign. “He has proven his ability to bring Democrats, Republicans and Independents together, and holds the same commitment to working across party lines as Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius."

On Call Aside: Veepstakes alert. Count Sebelius, who has been awfully quiet of late, as a strong contender. As a female guv of a GOP stronghold, she has demographic and geographic appeal.

John McCain's staffers might be mired in lobbyist questions, but looking to shift course, they're spinning a different line today, and it involves a stern smackdown of their likely Dem rival for saying he would engage diplomatically with rogue nations, most prominently Iran.

Reporting from Chicago, NBC/NJ's Carrie Dann notes that before addressing the National Restaurant Association, McCain offered these stern words about Barack Obama's foreign policy:

"Senator Obama has declared, and repeatedly reaffirmed his intention to meet the President of Iran without any preconditions, likening it to meetings between former American Presidents and the leaders of the Soviet Union. Such a statement betrays the depth of Senator Obama's inexperience and reckless judgment. These are very serious deficiencies for an American president to possess."

McCain's full Obama/Iran rant is available after the jump.

John McCain at the National Restaurant Association convention in Chicago this a.m. hit Barack Obama on trade and referenced the Austan Goolsbee imbroglio:

"Senator Obama has a habit of talking down the value of our exports and trade agreements. He even proposed a unilateral re-negotiation of NAFTA -- our agreement with Canada and Mexico that accounts for 33 percent of American exports, and 17 billion dollars' worth of exports last year just for Illinois. As you may recall, the Senator's senior economic advisor told a representative of Canada to pay no attention to this anti-trade rhetoric from Senator Obama -- it was all just "political positioning" for the primary elections. But for those of us who were paying attention, what we heard was not impressive. It was bad judgment and a bit inconsistent. Senator Obama is fond of scolding others for engaging in the "old-style politics," but when he plays on fears of foreign trade he's resorting to the oldest kind of politics there is. It's the kind of politics that exploits problems instead of s olving them, that breeds resentment instead of opportunity. If I am elected president, this country will honor its international agreements, including NAFTA, and we will expect the same of others."

The Goolsbee mess proved a major distraction for Obama during the primaries, forcing the campaign to explain why one of their own told the Canadians that Obama wouldn't touch NAFTA -- despite his heated campaign trail rhetoric that it needed an overhaul. The situation proved problematic for Obama at a time -- pre OH and TX -- when he should've been able to effectively criticize Hillary Clinton for supporting the policy when her husband was president.

In raising the matter, McCain is speaking directly to those white, working-class Dems who have supported Clinton during the primary contests.

McCain's full remarks are available after the jump.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

MAYSVILLE, KY - Hillary Clinton used stronger language this morning in arguing that the nomination fight is "nowhere near over," saying that she will keep making the case that she is more electable until she is the nominee.

"We're not going to have [a nominee] today, and we're not going to have one tomorrow, and we're not going to have one the next day," she told a crowd of about 600 at Maysville High School. "And if Kentucky turns out tomorrow, I will be closer to that nomination because of you."

As she argued similarly in West Virginia last week, Clinton said: "People don't get elected president without winning Kentucky."

Clinton said that voting "has to be a decision of both the head and the heart," and she claimed that not only did she have a popular vote lead, but, "more people have voted for me than for anybody ever running for president before."

Her former point is one Barack Obama's campaign has disputed, as HRC's team counts Florida and Michigan in their popular vote total.

Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-WV) endorsed Barack Obama this afternoon, calling him "a noble-hearted patriot and humble Christian."

Per the Obama campaign, Byrd’s statement:

"As people all across this great nation know, I have been one of the most outspoken opponents of the Bush Administration’s misguided war in Iraq and its saber rattling around the globe."

"With the Bush Administration's latest request to fund this on-going war in Iraq without any attempt to start bringing our troops home, the issue of the upcoming presidential contest has been weighing heavily on my heart. The loss of life continues and the sons and daughters of tens of thousands of American families remain in harm’s way every day."

"This Democratic primary campaign has been tough and competitive. I had no intention of involving myself in the Democratic campaign for President in the midst of West Virginia's primary election. But the stakes this November could not be higher."

"After a great deal of thought, consideration and prayer over the situation in Iraq, I have decided that, as a superdelegate to the Democratic National Convention, I will cast my vote for Senator Barack Obama for President. Both Senators Clinton and Obama are extraordinary individuals, whose integrity, honor, love for this country and strong belief in our Constitution I deeply respect."

"I believe that Barack Obama is a shining young statesman, who possesses the personal temperament and courage necessary to extricate our country from this costly misadventure in Iraq, and to lead our nation at this challenging time in history. Barack Obama is a noble-hearted patriot and humble Christian, and he has my full faith and support."

HRC Communications Dir. Howard Wolfson weighs in on Barack Obama's plans "to declare himself the Democratic nominee tomorrow night in Iowa." Check out the low-blow subject line ...

To: Interested Parties

From: Howard Wolfson, Communications Director

Date: Monday, May 19, 2008

Re: Mission Accomplished? Not so fast.

Senator Obama’s plan to declare himself the Democratic nominee tomorrow night in Iowa is a slap in the face to the millions of voters in the remaining primary states and to Senator Clinton’s 17 million supporters.

There is no scenario under the rules of the Democratic National Committee by which Senator Obama will be able to claim the nomination tomorrow night. He will not have 2210 delegates, the number needed with Florida and Michigan included in the process, nor will he have 2025 delegates, the number needed to secure the nomination without Florida and Michigan.

Premature victory laps and false declarations of victory are unwarranted. Declaring mission accomplished does not make it so.

While Senator Obama inaccurately declares himself the nominee, Senator Clinton will continue to work hard, campaigning for every vote in the upcoming states and making the case that she will be the best nominee to take on John McCain and be our next President.

Here's a bit of pre-OR/KY spin from Obama campaign manager, David Plouffe:

Jennifer --

We're poised to reach a major milestone tomorrow.

When the votes are counted in Oregon and Kentucky, we could secure a majority of delegates elected by the voters.

A clear majority of elected delegates will send an unmistakable message -- the people have spoken, and they are ready for change.

As we near victory in one contest, the next challenge is already heating up. President Bush and Senator McCain have begun coordinating their attacks on Barack Obama in an effort to extend their failed policies for a third term.

Last week, President Bush used a speech before the Israeli parliament to launch an unprecedented partisan attack. Senator McCain echoed his divisive misrepresentation of Barack's foreign policy vision, engaging in the same fear-mongering and distortion.

Barack responded forcefully -- you can see a preview of the tough responses he will always give to GOP attacks in this video:

We're just 16 pledged delegates away from reaching an absolute majority.

Be sure to tune in tomorrow night to see Barack's speech.

Thank you,

David

No bygones here. In a New York Times story today about women still rankled by Hillary Clinton's fall, Geraldine Ferraro says that she might not vote for Barack Obama.

“I think Obama was terribly sexist,” she said.

Read on for evidence that Obama has a very real challenge ahead of him in appealing to those boomer women and low-income, non-college educated women who have steadfastly backed Clinton.

John McCain will give remarks this morning in Chicago to the National Restaurant Association. His speech is titled: "America's Leadership In The Global Economy." Expect hard-hitting language about Barack Obama's position on trade and NAFTA. Text to come ...

WA State Democratic Party Chairman Dwight Pelz, a Super D, has just announced today that he's backing Barack Obama, according to the IL senator's campaign.

"I am writing you today to let you know that I will be supporting Sen. Barack Obama at the Democratic National Convention in Denver," Pelz said in an e-mail to supporters. "I will be supporting Barack Obama for many reasons. Over the last few years, I have gained a profound respect for Sen. Obama. I have read his books, listened to his speeches, and watched the campaign he has run on the grueling modern presidential playing-field for nearly two years. And I have spoken with literally hundreds of friends and colleagues -- both in and out of politics -- regarding their opinions and observations of this man. I have concluded that Barack Obama is ready to be a great American President."

Here are the Dems' delegate counts, per NBC's First Read this morning:

PLEDGED: Obama 1,602 to 1,444 for Clinton; SUPERDELEGATES: Obama 298.5 to 279.5 for HRC; TOTAL: Obama 1,900.5 to 1,723.5.

Updates from our Hotline Political Network Affiliates

John McCain's lobbyist woes continue today, as The Washington Post reports that his fifth top adviser has resigned because of revelations that he lobbied for Saudi Arabia and other foreign governments. Tom Loeffler, McCain's national finance co-chairman, stepped aside yesterday.

McCain campaign manager Rick Davis issued an edict last week calling for all McCain staffers to sever lobbyist ties and links to other political groups or resign.

The McCain team is telling reporters that the lobbyist flap is a matter of perception, that to avoid the appearance of any impropriety, it's time for a house cleaning. But this mess could spell greater trouble for McCain, who needs to use his longstanding reputation as a crusader for campaign finance reform, a good government guy, in the general. For five top advisers to have to abandon ship is a an indicator that many in the top echelon of the campaign had the poor judgment -- and a Bush administration-esque (new word) arrogance -- to think they could do both.

Meanwhile, as The Hotline noted last week ... With public attention laser-focused on the Democratic primary feud between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, McCain's had months to quietly rejigger his staff. What's taken him so long?

I understand anew why the McCain camp went absolutely ballistic when I wrote last month that former FL senator Connie Mack, now a health care industry lobbyist, introduced McCain at his big health care policy speech in the Sunshine State. At the time, McCain campaign spokesman Tucker Bounds said the item "borders on ludicrous, absurd and ridiculous."

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

There continued to be talk of Pres. Bush's "appeasement" comment and how this influences a general election between Barack Obama and John McCain.

GOP strategist Ed Rollins: "This president has to realize that he is no longer on the ballot. He has to finish his seven months in office and move on. ... I think that it was inappropriate. I think it gave Obama an issue that he didn't have. I think it certainly stepped on the Hillary victories this week, which for our perspective, the longer the battle goes on, the better" ("Face the Nation," CBS, 5/18).

Obama supporter/ex-CO Gov. Roy Romer (D): "Ed Rollins said it was mistake, I'd say it's embarrassing. ... For Senator McCain not to disassociate himself clearly from that, I think, indicates that McCain's going to have a third Bush term, if he wins" ("Face the Nation," CBS, 5/18).

Bill Bennett: "We are, in fact, better than other countries. That is the problem. And just take this debate to another level. Does Barack Obama not believe that we are superior to these other countries? Is that why he's so ready to deal at the lowest common denominator?" ("Late Edition," CNN, 5/18).

Obama supporter/ex-Sen. Gary Hart, asked if he is worried McCain and GOPers will make Obama look weak on nat'l security: "This was exactly the case made against John Kennedy, who, as we know, led this country a couple of years after that election through the most critical era of its history. And that was the Cuban missile crisis. So youth and inexperience was the charge Nixon made against Kennedy and they proved to be false. ... I am not going to listen to anybody in this administration talk about Democrats being weak on national security. They let this country down" ("Late Edition," CNN, 5/18).

After the jump, GOPers face a tough political climate and pols talk Veepstakes (KATHERINE LEHR).

Here are the scheduled guests for the Sunday public affairs shows and other weekend programs:

SUNDAY:

Meet the Press hosts Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) and a roundtable with DLC chair/'06 TN SEN nominee/ex-Rep. Harold Ford Jr. (D), Mike Huckabee, GOP strategist Mike Murphy and Dem strategist Bob Shrum.

Face the Nation hosts FL Gov. Charlie Crist (R), GOP strategist Ed Rollins, ex-NY Gov. Mario Cuomo (D) and ex-CO Gov. Roy Romer (D).

This Week hosts Joe Biden and House Min. Leader John Boehner (R-OH), and a roundtable with New York Times Magazine's Matt Bai, Wall Street Journal's Peggy Noonan, Dem strategist Donna Brazile and George Will.

Fox News Sunday hosts Chris Dodd, Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) and Karl Rove. The "Power Player" is Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown's trainer Rick Dutrow Jr.

Late Edition hosts Commerce Sec. Carlos Gutierrez and ex-Senate Maj. Leader Trent Lott (R-MS), and a roundtable with CNN's John King, CNN's Jessica Yellin and CNN's Dana Bash.

See other weekend shows after the jump (KATHERINE LEHR).

"Partner" in KY

"Right Track" -- also in KY

"What's Right" in OR, features footage of Tim Russert and George Stephanopoulos as a narrator says: "In Washington, they talk about who's up and who's down. In Oregon, we care about what's right and what's wrong." Notes that Clinton voted against the Bush energy bill, adding: "She's the one insisting on health coverage for every American."

In an interview airing today on National Journal On Air, Rep. Henry Waxman tells National Journal Contributing Editor Linda Douglass that President Bush’s remarks in Israel yesterday were “shameful” and a “smear.” The fervent supporter of Israel also says that he thinks the U.S. should engage in diplomatic conversations with Iran -- and he says Bush’s actions brought Hamas to power.

LD: Well, you mentioned President Bush and that brings us to a news event that erupted when President Bush was speaking in Israel. He appeared to take a political shot at Senator Obama. He said that Americans who advocate meeting with Iran's leaders, which Obama has suggested, are like the appeasers who failed to check the onslaught of Hitler and the Nazis. What is your reaction to that?

WAXMAN: I thought that was shameful for him to make such a statement on the occasion of Israel's 60th anniversary, and to try to politicize that event by making that kind of a statement. When he was finished, as I understood, his campaign people there said this was a shot at Barack Obama and then the White House people here in Washington realized how offensive it was and they tried to pull it back. But that's the way they often will smear. They will say things and then say – no, they didn't mean it. It is nothing but a smear. And it's so offensive when we've had seven failed years of foreign policy by the Bush Administration that has destabilized the Middle East, made Israel more insecure. Every time I travel to the Middle East, and I'm going there again tonight, I talk to leaders among Palestinians in the Arab world who say with regret that it was Bush who pushed for an election that brought Hamas, the leading terrorist group in that area, to power. And I just think for him to make this kind of smear – all my life I've heard these kinds of smears -- the Democrats are Communists, the Democrats are weak, the Democrats are for treason. This is not a civil debate. This is beneath the presidency and even beneath George Bush.

Updates from our Hotline Political Network Affiliates

A majority of last night's TV focused on Pres. Bush's "appeasement" statement in Israel, as well as Barack Obama's reaction to it.

CNN's Henry: "For the president to lay out his definition of what an appeaser is, and for that definition to fit into the narrative that Republican operatives are putting out there about the Democratic front-runner, it's a pretty amazing coincidence" ("Situation Room," 5/15).

Newt Gingrich: "All Barack Obama had to say was, 'I agree with the president. ... I don't think we should talk with terrorists.' ... What does it tell you about the level of guilt that Senator Obama must feel that he identified a reference to a 1939 isolationist nut cake senator as referring to him? ... What you just saw was a revealing test of the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, all of whom were offended by a description of appeasement, isolationism, self-delusion, which they thought must refer to themselves. ... If [Bush] was referring to anybody in particular, he was referring to Jimmy Carter who recently hugged a murdering terrorist in Damascus" ("Hannity & Colmes," FNC, 5/15).

Joe Biden, on calling Bush's remarks "bulls---": "I shouldn't have used that word. I came off the elevator, and I was confronted with what had happened. And I responded. I should have just said malarkey. But the essence of what I was saying is absolutely accurate. This is outrageous" ("Situation Room," CNN, 5/15).

More Biden: "If talking to the Iranians is appeasement, I assume the president of the United States is going to come home and fire Secretary Gates and fire the secretary of state, Condi Rice, both of whom have been saying we should be sitting down and talking with the Iranians. ... It's pure, pure political gamesmanship, appealing to American fear" ("Hardball," MSNBC, 5/15).

After the jump, more Obama and reviews of McCain's presidential goals speech (KATHERINE LEHR).

A CA judge ruled today that the state's ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional, likening it to laws requiring racial segregation in schools and saying that there appears to be "no rational purpose" for denying marriage to gay couples, reports the AP. If upheld on appeal, the decision could clear the path for CA to follow MA in allowing same-sex couples to marry.

UPDATE: Obama campaign statement on California Supreme Court decision: "Barack Obama has always believed that same-sex couples should enjoy equal rights under the law, and he will continue to fight for civil unions as President. He respects the decision of the California Supreme Court, and continues to believe that states should make their own decisions when it comes to the issue of marriage.”

Reps. Henry Waxman and Howard Berman, California Super Ds and House committee chairmen, endorsed Barack Obama today. Waxman says that he stayed upcommitted so that Hillary Clinton "had every opportunity to bring her campaign to the American people," but that it's clear the Democratic Party is "nearing a broad consensus on our nominee." His full statement is available after the jump.

And here's Berman's comment, released by Obama's campaign: “Barack Obama has laid out a foreign policy vision driven by principle and conviction, and he understands that our moral authority and our safety as a nation go hand in hand. I spoke with him about a number of foreign policy issues that most concern me. He assured me that he shares my views. The moment President Obama takes office, we’ll send a powerful message to the world that America is back and ready to lead again—that we haven’t abandoned the values that made us the light of the world, and neither should anyone else.”

COLUMBUS, OH – An appeal for cooperation, an optimistic target date for troop drawdown, and a lofty call for post-partisan sweetness and light.

For John McCain, Barack Obama doesn't own hope.

In a news-rich speech this morning in the key swing state of Ohio, the nominee-to-be of the Republican Party outlined his image of his own future presidency, including the prediction that - by January 2013 – the Iraq War will have been won and "most" of the troops in the region will have returned home. McCain also described a future administration marked by transparency, bipartisanship, selfless solutions and measured debate.

Call it a much-needed rebranding of a Republican Party at its stomping saddest. After losing its third special election Tuesday – and likely facing a Democratic party steered by the candidate whose word-associations are all about change and hope – the GOP's need for a pick-me up is no secret. (McCain acknowledged as much yesterday. "I have a lot of work to do," he told reporters when asked about the party's loss in Mississippi this week. "I have no delusions that this campaign will be a very difficult challenge.")

Today, McCain's promises for the future were sunny. Acknowledging that he "cannot guarantee" achievement of each goal, he went on to lay out a series of hopeful proposals for foreign and domestic policies.
Within four years of his inauguration, he said, a new flatter tax will save Americans billions of dollars. The genocide in Darfur will be ending, the border will be secure, and Osama bin Laden will be dead or captured. There will be more jobs and less obese kids. Commander-in-Chief McCain will be holding weekly press conferences, and Democrats will be a part of his administration. (No word on how the polar bears are doing or whether Dancing with the Stars is still on the air.)

The vision outlined this morning provided a marked - if not explicit - contrast to the status quo. (Note his promise, for example, that he will not "subvert the purpose of legislation I have signed by making statements that indicate I will enforce only the parts of it I like.")

McCain's wording on Iraq, in particular, has prompted a flurry of debate over whether the 2013 date implies a timetable for withdrawal. (Campaign aides say that Democratic timetables are not contingent on success in the war, whereas McCain's calendar provides a hopeful target but not an unconditional end date.)

But during his remarks at the Greater Columbus Convention Center this morning, the greatest applause might have come during McCain's clarion call to cease and desist with partisan bickering. "This mindless, paralyzing rancor must come to an end," he declared.

(NBC/NJ's CARRIE DANN)

Text of McCain's full speech available after the jump.

Full endorsement release available after the jump.

And here's the RNC react: “Big union endorsements are no substitute for Obama’s serious lack of experience and understanding of economic policy. Obama’s poor judgment on economic matters would result in higher taxes on rank-and-file union members and hurt job creation. Americans looking for strong economic leadership won’t find it in Obama’s tax-and-spend agenda.” – Alex Conant, RNC Spokesman

Updates from our Hotline Political Network Affiliates

In comments apparently directed at the likely Democratic nominee, President Bush jumped full force into the presidential contest today, telling the Israeli Knesset in Jerusalem that any U.S. foreign policy allowing negotiations with terrorists should be unequivocally discounted as detrimental to stability in the region and the security of Israel.

"Some seem to believe we should negotiate with the terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along," Bush told the Israeli lawmakers. "We have heard this foolish delusion before. As Nazi tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American senator declared: 'Lord, if only I could have talked to Hitler, all of this might have been avoided.' We have an obligation to call this what it is -- the false comfort of appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history."

Though White House spokeswoman Dana Perino told reporters after the speech that Bush was not referencing Obama's campaign trail suggestion that he would meet with the Iranians, the Illinois senator promptly issued a stern statement chiding Bush for politicizing Israel's anniversary and noting that does not intend to negotiate with terrorists.

“It is sad that President Bush would use a speech to the Knesset on the 60th anniversary of Israel's independence to launch a false political attack," Obama said in a statement released by his campaign. "It is time to turn the page on eight years of policies that have strengthened Iran and failed to secure America or our ally Israel. Instead of tough talk and no action, we need to do what Kennedy, Nixon and Reagan did and use all elements of American power - including tough, principled, and direct diplomacy - to pressure countries like Iran and Syria. George Bush knows that I have never supported engagement with terrorists, and the President's extraordinary politicization of foreign policy and the politics of fear do nothing to secure the American people or our stalwart ally Israel.”

Bush's remarks will drown out expected day-after discussion about the impact of John Edwards' endorsement of the Illinois senator in Grand Rapids last night. Instead, the wisdom and underlying political intention of the president's comments will be debated for days to come.

Even Sen. Joe Lieberman -- 2008's Zell Miller apparently -- issued a statement endorsing the president's comments: “President Bush got it exactly right today when he warned about the threat of Iran and its terrorist proxies like Hamas and Hezbollah. It is imperative that we reject the flawed and naïve thinking that denies or dismisses the words of extremists and terrorists when they shout “Death to America” and “Death to Israel,” and that holds that—if only we were to sit down and negotiate with these killers—they would cease to threaten us. It is critical to our national security that our commander-in-chief is able to distinguish between America’s friends and America’s enemies, and not confuse the two.”

John Edwards' endorsement of Barack Obama was the talk of the TV last night.

NBC's Todd, asked if Obama gets Edwards' delegates: "He's likely to. ... These pledged delegates to Edwards are basically kind of like superdelegates. ... We've learned all of these delegates could change their mind at any moment. You know, they're not legally bound to anybody. But the assumption is, of course, that if you have a pledged delegate that they are rabidly for you. ... You would assume most of them, if pressured, would gravitate over to Obama" ("Countdown," MSNBC, 5/14).

CNN's Borger: "I think it's got to be a great disappointment for Hillary Clinton. Both she and Barack Obama were really courting John Edwards, keeping in touch with him, talking about his poverty agenda. She really reached out to him quite often. And I think she would have appreciated an endorsement from him at any time, but particularly early on. So this has got to be a real problem for her" ("Situation Room," 5/14).

FNC's Barnes: "It helps this way: Obama suffered a 41-point defeat in the presidential primary in West Virginia yesterday -- 41 points. And the big story today is not that, it's John Edwards with his meaningless endorsement of Barack Obama" ("Special Report," 5/14).

Air America's Maddow: "The fact that this came on the same day that NARAL the abortion rights group also endorsed Obama, that is a stinging double whammy for Clinton" ("Race for the WH," MSNBC, 5/14).

After the jump, more Edwards and HRC makes the TV rounds (KATHERINE LEHR).

John Edwards' better half was absent from his big Barack Obama endorsement event this evening in Grand Rapids. While JRE's backing lends Obama credibility with the white, working class, Elizabeth Edwards' support would've signaled to women, to the faithful boomers holding tight to Hillary Clinton's campaign, that it's okay to let go of their hope that she will be the first woman president.

Obama needs women to emerge from the bruising primaries as enthusiastic about him as they are about Clinton; in several state contests, after all, female voters have comprised about six of 10 Dems voting (59% in OH, 58% in PA, 57% in NH).

The bottom line, in case anyone doubted, is that Elizabeth Edwards matters. She matters to voters who view her as a strong advocate for reforming America's health care system, and she matters to the working moms who see themselves in her.

Elizabeth Edwards' absence from the rally this eve should also dampen buzz about a joint Obama/JRE ticket. The visual would've been all the more effective had Elizabeth and Michelle Obama stood with their husbands as the two men embraced.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

OBETZ, OH -- One thing's for sure: Polar bears are way cuter than investors and lobbyists.

John McCain, in the midst of a green-focused campaign swing, opened his brief press conference today by commenting on the official recognition of polar bears as "threatened" under the endangered species act.

The follow up questions were not about cute animals.

Instead, they prompted similar responses to two tough lines of questioning for the Arizona senator: We took care of that.

McCain, whose wife has come under fire for refusing to disclose her tax return documents, fielded tough questions about her investment in a mutual fund that deals in Sudan, as well as about the resignation of two McCain aides over their involvement in lobbying deals with the Myanmar junta.

The Arizona senator said that he was not aware of his wife's investment in two mutual funds that include holdings in Oil & Natural Gas Corp., which in turn does business in the genocide-ridden African nation.

“We respect John Edwards, but as the voters of West Virginia showed last night, this thing is far from over.” -- Terry McAuliffe, Clinton camp chairman, 5/14

Tonight in Grand Rapids. Campaign confirming ... John Edwards, if you'll remember, won 19 delegates before pulling out of the race.

I reported yesterday that John McCain's OR ad buy turned out to be peanuts, just $1,310. Today I learned that his WI buy -- Green Bay focused -- is equally small, about $2,180, according to sources.

So the strategy ...

1. To make it look like McCain is playing early in Dem-leaning states.

2. To piggyback, as best he can, on the Dem primary contest and the voter interest its generated.

3. To make appeals based on moderate matters, such as the environment, as he did in OR -- an effort to remind voters of his maverick, moderate reputation, even as Barack Obama is promising that McCain would provide a third term of George Bush's policies.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

OK Senate President Pro Tempore Mike Morgan, who is a designated superdelegate for the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, endorsed Barack Obama for president today, according to the campaign. The camp says that the nod boosts Obama's Super D take to 288.5, with 134.5 to go to secure the nom.

“Senator Obama embodies the character of a leader that I believe all Oklahomans and all Americans want—principled and strong and ready to change the way business is done in Washington," Morgan said in a statement released by Obama's team. "He understands bringing people together and giving everyone a seat at the table will move our state and our country forward, and I deeply admire that about Senator Obama.”

Talk about losing sight of the broader mission. Emily's List shows in the statement released today by the group that there is indeed festering friction in the pro-choice community over the Dem primary. Following NARAL Pro-Choice America's endorsement today of Barack Obama, Emily's founder Ellen Malcolm, who serves as national co-chairwoman of Hillary Clinton's campaign, released this blistering statement:

“I think it is tremendously disrespectful to Sen. Clinton - who held up the nomination of a FDA commissioner in order to force approval of Plan B and who spoke so eloquently during the Supreme Court nomination about the importance of protecting Roe vs. Wade - to not give her the courtesy to finish the final three weeks of the primary process. It certainly must be disconcerting for elected leaders who stand up for reproductive rights and expect the choice community will stand with them.”

Earlier in the primaries, Emily's went after Obama for those pesky "present" votes he cast on choice-related bills while an IL state senator. Why? The group's spokeswomen said he showed a lack of commitment to reproductive health rights for women. Planned Parenthood of IL in turn assured reporters that Obama had voted "present" at the group's request as part of a strategy to help Dems from moderate districts beg off a vote on a bill that wouldn't ultimately pass. The votes alone, however, would have given the GOP ammo to run against those Dems, who could have been targeted for saying no to a partial birth abortion ban, for example.

Dividing the Dems on the choice issue for the sake of Clinton's doomed candidacy is terribly dangerous. Women voters deserve the truth about Obama's views on choice and his record. Muddying that conversation and sparking an intra-party feud at just the moment the two camps need to unite women, in particular, for the sake of the party come November can only be described as startlingly myopic, a Kamikaze mission.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

MISSOULA, MT - Bill Clinton made an expanded and direct argument for seating Florida and Michigan delegates Wednesday, suggesting his wife is being punished even though other Democrats supported moving the primary elections earlier in both states and did not back a recount when she did.

"I never thought it would be the Democratic Party that didn't want to count votes in Florida," he said at a rally at the University of Montana. "I thought that was a Republican strategy - or strategery as the case may be. And I just ask you all this, do you really believe Florida would be getting this kind of treatment if the vote had turned out the other way?"

For more than six minutes, Clinton went through the timeline of how both states lost their election delegates, and who he believes is to blame. While he has made the case before, he placed new emphasis on it Wednesday, as it becomes clearer that seating the delegates from both states is one of the few remaining options to help Hillary Clinton defeat Barack Obama.

NARAL Pro-Choice America endorsed Barack Obama today. Nancy Keenan, the group's president, praised Obama and Hillary Clinton for their leadership in standing up for women’s reproductive rights throughout this campaign, but noted in a statement released by Obama's camp that only one candidate can advance to the general election.

“Pro-choice Americans have been fortunate to have two strong pro-choice candidates in Sen. Obama and Sen. Clinton, both of whom have inspired millions of new voters to participate in this historic presidential race,” Keenan said. “Today, we are proud to put our organization’s grassroots and political support behind the pro-choice candidate whom we believe will secure the Democratic nomination and advance to the general election. That candidate is Sen. Obama.”

Updates from our Hotline Political Network Affiliates

As Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton cavorted with their colleagues on the Senate floor yesterday, an air of uncertainty loomed. When will their uncommitted colleagues cast their lot with the other superdelegates, ending this bitter primary once and for all?

Hillary Clinton's big win in WV prompted a lot of discussion about what this means for Barack Obama, including his problem with white, working-class voters.

Karl Rove: "It doesn't change much of the narrative about Senator Obama's weakness. In fact, it heightens it. He has a big problem with working-class, white, blue-collar voters. He cannot break through to them. Tonight, he should be doing better than he is in West Virginia, given the fact that momentum is on his side. He is the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party. And for him to do as badly as he did among this key voter group tonight, you know, speaks of some real weakness in the general election."

More Rove: "I think he made a mistake by not going out tonight and having a speech. ... For the first time since this primary season began, did not go out and have a primetime event during which he could speak to the American people. ... I think that was a little bit of a tactical mistake. He missed an opportunity to lay his message out. ... It makes him look like a sore loser. ... And it also makes him look like he lacks confidence" ("On the Record," FNC, 5/13).

Obama supporter/Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA): "I think that too often the commentary in the primary has focused on how we can categorize voters. ... I think a lot it doesn't make much sense because we're talking about a primary election versus a general election. ... I think he can deliver that message without getting into categories and pitching a message to one group of Americans versus others. I think he can have a very broad based message" (MSNBC, 5/13).

Clinton comm. dir. Howard Wolfson: "A week ago, people were telling Senator Clinton to get out. Tonight, we may have a 35-point win in a key swing state. So a lot can change in even a week. ... No Democrat has been elected president without winning West Virginia since Woodrow Wilson. ... Let's see what happens when people wake up tomorrow, they open their paper, Clinton landslide in West Virginia, a key swing state, a state that Democrats must win in November against John McCain, a state that Hillary Clinton has pledged and promised to win against John McCain. ... People are going to pause. They're going to look and see what happens in the upcoming states. We're looking forward to Kentucky and Oregon and the upcoming states. We've got to do well. We think we'll do well" (CNN, 5/13).

More after the jump (KATHERINE LEHR).

House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) tonight responded to the MS-01 special election results with this cautionary statement:

“The results in MS-01 should serve as a wake-up call to Republican candidates nationwide. As I’ve said before, this is a change election, and if we want Americans to vote for us we have to convince them that we can fix Washington. Our presidential nominee, Senator McCain, is an agent of change; candidates who hope to succeed must show that they’re willing and able to join McCain in a leading movement for reform. We need to stop wasteful Washington spending, fight and win the war on terror, and stop the largest tax increase in history. That is truly the change the American people deserve -- and that is a message on which we can succeed.”

With 61% of precincts reporting, Clinton leads Obama in WV, 65% to 28%. Or 144,518 to 61,400, according to MSNBC.

Clinton's delegate advantage so far: 16 to 6.

The third time proved to be the disaster for GOPers, as Prentiss Co. Chancery Clerk Travis Childers (D) defeated Southaven Mayor Greg Davis (R) in tonight’s MS-01 special election, according to the AP. Childers, who will fill the remainder of Sen/ex-Rep. Roger Wicker’s (R) term, leads 51-49%, with 80% of the precincts reporting.

The House makeup is now 236 Dems and 199 GOPers.

This is the third seat GOPers have lost in special elections this year, and symbolically, it was the biggest one. Not only was it the safest GOP seat of the trio – Pres. Bush took 62% here in ’04 – it was also the one in which the party went all out in an effort to save it. Every major MS GOP politician campaigned for Davis, and VP Cheney parachuted into the CD for an election eve rally.

With all of this very visible GOP activity in the CD, the loss represents a referendum on the party. In previous contests, the GOP could blame poor candidates and other factors. In MS-01, while Davis wasn’t exactly the most polished of candidates, he certainly wasn’t unacceptable, as Woody Jenkins (R) and Jim Oberweis (R) were in LA-06 and IL-14, respectively.

Hillary Clinton wasted no time this evening sending out this plea for cash:

Dear XYZ,

Hillary Clinton

"Like the song says, 'It's almost heaven,' and I am so grateful for this overwhelming vote of confidence. Now, there are some who have wanted to cut this race short. They say, 'Give up, it's too hard, the mountain is too high.' But here in West Virginia, you know a thing or two about rough roads to the top of the mountain. We know from the Bible that faith can move mountains. And my friends, the faith of the Mountain State has moved me. I am more determined than ever to carry on this campaign until everyone has had a chance to make their voices heard."

--Hillary Clinton in Charleston, WV, tonight

Clinton struck a conciliatory note this evening, promising to fight for the eventual nominee, but she noted, too, that the presidential contest is waged "for a solemn and crucial purpose," and she vowed to continue on through the end of the primary season.

Clinton commended Barack Obama and his supporters for a hard-fought race. There was no combative talk tonight, however, of results trumping rhetoric.

She made a familiar plea for cash, directing supporters to her Web site. And she noted, as her campaign has intensely over the last few months, that she and Obama believe the FL and MI delegates should be seated at the party's convention in Denver -- though they differ, of course, about the details.

Clinton defended her continued participation in a contest that has been all but called for her rival, saying she is in the race because she believes she is the "strongest candidate" to lead the party in November and the nation beginning January 2009.

"The bottom line is this," she said, "the White House is won in the swing states, and I am winning the swing states."

She added: "I'll stand with you as long as you stand with me."

But, sounding a wistful note, the New York senator said she is committed to electing a Democratic president in the fall, and she noted that the party's candidate "will be stronger for having campaigned long and hard."

"I will work my heart out for the nominee of the Democratic Party to make sure we have a Democratic president," she said.

Clinton gave gracious thanks to WV Sen. Robert Byrd and Gov. Joe Manchin -- undeclared superdelegates -- for their warm welcome to her cause. It was a sign that she's still making a plea for their support. Her fate belongs to the superdelegates.

Tonight's speech, however, sounded like a final argument. Clinton, tough, combative, scrappy throughout this 15-month fight, didn't even take a shot at the presumptive GOP nominee, John McCain.

"Let's finish the job we started," Clinton said, her husband and daughter, usually by her side, were nowhere to be found. "America is worth fighting for."

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

--ABC World News

--CBS Evening News

--CNN’s Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer

--FOX News

--NBC Nightly News

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO – As the West Virginia primary race came to a close Tuesday, Barack Obama held a town hall with garment workers here, another sign he was shifting his focus to key general election battlegrounds.

Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill, a supporter, introduced the Illinois senator at Thorngate Ltd., a men’s suit manufacturing plant with about 500 employees. The roughly 100 guests in attendance were invited by the campaign and the company.

"This is no traditional, ordinary candidate, 'cause you know, if you were a traditional, ordinary candidate you might think, 'Well, don't go campaign in Cape Girardeau. It's too many Republicans," she said. "But this isn't somebody who's playing the game the way it's always been played. In fact, he's running so we no longer play the game that's always been played."

The Illinois senator leads Hillary Clinton in the popular vote, the number of states, pledged delegates and now the number of superdelegates won, and many political observers believe the race for the Democratic Party’s nomination is all but over. His campaign expects Clinton win in West Virginia and Kentucky, which votes next week, and they put out a memo this afternoon saying just that. It included a reminder that Obama won neighboring Virginia by 29 points, highlighting his gains among superdelegates and arguing he is well-positioned in national polls.

Today’s event was intended to begin to position Obama for the general election and allow him to start to enunciate his differences with John McCain. Obama did not mention Clinton in his opening remarks.

"There's a reason that record numbers of Americans think that the U.S. is on the wrong track. The number has never been higher: 82% of the American people think we are going on the wrong direction," Obama said, before going on to link John McCain to George Bush on the economy and Iraq and say lobbyists were running McCain's campaign.

Obama also criticized the Arizona senator's environmental record: "John McCain, he just went out to Oregon was making a big speech about how he was in favor of dealing with global warming and he wants to develop these new energies and new technologies, except you know what – there’s something called the investment tax credit that he has not voted to renew, that you have to renew if you want to have these new wind factories opening up."

McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds sent a response: "Barack Obama debuted his 2008 attack playbook showing more of the same negative, partisan politics that have paralyzed Washington for too long. Barack Obama talks about change and bipartisanship, but he has never showed the leadership needed to bridge party divides. Senator Obama says he stood up to the special interests, but he voted to give billions in taxpayers' money to the same big oil companies he so often decries. Senator Obama offers nothing more than the soaring rhetoric of an old-style, partisan politician, and his lack of experience suggests that's all he'll be able to deliver."

"It's almost like she's the Al Sharpton of white people."

- Chris Matthews, on Hillary Clinton, MSNBC, 5/13.

Bill Clinton won high marks from WV voters, almost two of three (62%) said he was very or somewhat important in their decision. Among those exit poll respondents who gave props to WJC, 79% voted for Hillary Clinton, 19% voted for Barack Obama. Of the 33% who said he wasn't a factor, 55% backed Obama, 39% went for HRC.

WJC won WV in 1992 and 1996.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

CNN's Yellin reports that Chelsea Clinton is in Puerto Rico today, a sign that her mother will indeed fight until June 3, when the Dem primary contests wrap. PR votes June 1.

Meanwhile, Michelle Obama heads to San Juan and Old San Juan tomorrow.

A demographic sweep for Hillary Clinton in WV:

-- Women went 71% to 27% for Clinton; men opted for Clinton, too, 59% to 37%;

-- Barack Obama lost each age group, including the 17-29 set, which he typically wins. Today, it went 57% to 41% for Clinton;

-- Obama lost each income group as well. Consistent with her performances to date, Clinton played stronger with lower income earners. The less-than-50K set went 69% to 28% for HRC. Those earning more than 50K also edged for HRC, 59% to 37%;

-- Non college voters (68%) opted for Clinton, 70% to 27%, while college educated voters (32%) went for HRC, 54% to 43%;

-- Interestingly, almost half (48%) of WV voters said change mattered most for them as they cast their ballots today. Among them, Obama won out, 53% to 45%. Clinton, however, trounced her rival among those voters who said that it mattered most that the candidate cares about them, has experience and can win in Nov;

-- Meanwhile, 88% of those who voted said the economic slowdown has affected them a great deal/somewhat;

-- 59% of voters noted that HRC attacked Obama more than Obama attacked her, while 48% said the reverse; and

-- The Rev. Jeremiah Wright fallout lingers; half of voters said today that Obama shares the views of his former pastor.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

(photo credit: Mike Dec, blog.4President.us)

TO: Interested Parties

FR: The Obama Campaign

RE: West Virginia and Obama’s Strong Position in the Race Ahead

DA: 5/13/08

West Virginia

There is no question that Senator Clinton is going to win by huge margins in the upcoming primaries in West Virginia today and Kentucky next weeks. She has poured resources into both states and she, former President Clinton, and Chelsea Clinton have all campaigned extraordinarily hard there.

The Clinton campaign has already been touting their margins in these states – In fact, Bill Clinton said that Hillary can win West Virginia with 80 percent—and the West Virginia Senate Majority Leader said Clinton needs to win by “80-20 or 90-10.” And in keeping large margins in perspective, it is worth noting that, while Senator Clinton will win big in West Virginia, Barack Obama won neighboring Virginia by 29 points.

But with 49 contests behind us and only six to go -- including several states where we expect to do well -- Barack Obama leads in pledged delegates, contests won, and superdelegates. And for perspective, while 28 pledged delegates are up for grabs this evening, Obama has won the support of 27 superdelegates in the course of just the last week putting him less than 150 total delegates away from clinching the Democratic nomination.

Obama’s Strong Position in the Race Ahead

Nationally, Obama is running stronger among Independent voters than any winning Presidential candidate since 1988 and is significantly outperforming Sen. Clinton among these voters as well in general election polling.

To understand a potential general election match-up between Obama and McCain, the only analysis and data that should be considered valid are the current head-to-head National polls rather than extrapolating irrelevant assumptions from exit poll data in Democratic primaries.

And, on the issue of Democratic unity in the Fall, analysts need only consider that in April of 1992, on a night when Bill Clinton won four primaries and was the presumptive nominee, 6 in 10 Democratic primary voters said they wanted another candidate in the race. Despite this, five months later, Democratic voters were unified behind Clinton and he won his first of two terms in office.

The USA Today/Gallup poll out today shows that 55% of Democrats want Barack Obama to select Hillary Clinton as his veep. The same percentage of primary voters want to see Clinton continue to campaign, rather than pull out.

There is, by the way, a significant and not surprising difference between HRC and Obama supporters when asked if they'd like Obama to run with Clinton: 73% of Clinton supporters say yes, compared with 43% of Obamacrats.

To: Interested Parties

From: Clinton Campaign

Date: Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Re: Why West Virginia Matters

With a record turnout expected in today’s primary, West Virginia Democrats will make clear who they believe is the strongest candidate to take on Sen. McCain in the Fall.

The Mountain State is used to picking winners. Every nominee has carried the state’s primary since 1976, and no Democrat has won the White House without winning West Virginia since 1916.

Democrats carried West Virginia in 1992 and 1996, but lost the state—and the White House--in 2000 and 2004. Hillary has predicted victory against Sen. McCain in West Virginia based on the strength of her economic message.

Given the attempts by our opponent and some in the media to declare this race over, any significant increase in voter turnout, coupled with a decisive Clinton victory, would send a strong message that Democrats remain excited and energized by Hillary’s candidacy.

In the face of grim poll numbers, the Obama campaign has attempted to dismiss today’s outcome despite the fact that Sen. Obama has outspent us on advertising, has more staff in the state, and more than double the number of offices.

He has also benefited from the support of the most high-profile endorsers in West Virginia—Sen. Jay Rockefeller and Congressman Nick Rahall. By every measure, the Obama campaign has waged an aggressive campaign in the Mountain State.

Despite being the so-called “presumptive nominee” and benefiting from these advantages, Sen. Obama has been unable to close a significant gap in the polls.

Sen. Clinton has already won Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida and Michigan. With a win in West Virginia, Sen. Clinton will have once again proven her greater ability to win in the key swing states.

There are 28 pledged delegates on the table today in WV. Hillary Clinton is expected to practically sweep. But take note -- Barack Obama has snagged 28 delegates since NC and IN voted last Tuesday. The full list is available after the jump.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

UPDATE: And Prince George's Cty (MD) Exec Jack Johnson, who flipped today from HRC to Obama, makes 29.

Word from OR is that John McCain's ad buy there for his "Better Way" spot is, drumroll: $1,310. So, he's not exactly flooding the airwaves. ...

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

On Call posts this week will be lighter than usual due to a few pending projects requiring my attention, BUT we'll bring you live team coverage this evening of the WV primary. Check On Call early and often for the latest news and information about the Mountain State contest.

Updates from our Hotline Political Network Affiliates

Last night's TV primarily focused on today's primary in WV.

FNC's Garrett: "[Hillary Clinton's] advisers say if there's a huge turnout tomorrow and Clinton wins by more than 25, it will send a signal to all the 'know-it-alls inside the beltway' that Clinton is still in this race" ("Special Report," 5/12).

MSNBC's Carlson, on Clinton chair Terry McAuliffe saying if Barack Obama were the nominee, how does the Dem nominee not win WV and KY: "He raises a really interesting question, which is: Why are all these people in West Virginia and Kentucky apparently going to vote for Hillary Clinton? They have television now in West Virginia, they can read. They know she can't win mathematically, but they are voting for her any way. So, what does that tell you? People don't like to vote for doomed candidates. They really don't. They're voting against Barack Obama, this points up a very serious weakness in his campaign. And Terry McAuliffe, though he is the 'Picasso' of spin, he's right. This is something Democrats should pay very close attention to. This says something profound about Obama's weakness" ("Verdict," 5/12).

CNN's Toobin: "Obama is going to be the nominee. But the question of how he gets poor, working-class, mostly white voters throughout Appalachia, whether it's West Virginia, or Ohio, or Kentucky, or Pennsylvania, those are votes that ... a Democrat needs. ... Now, just because they voted for Hillary in the primary doesn't mean they won't vote for him. But he's got his work cut out for him, and I think it is issue for him" ("Situation Room," 5/12).

Newsweek's Fineman: "This is one of few times where the Obama campaign is being too cute by half. I think they needed to make more of an effort in Kentucky and West Virginia because those are states that they shouldn't now take off the general election map, which they're in effect doing. Those are states that Bill Clinton won, that Democrats have generally needed to win" ("Countdown," MSNBC, 5/12).

After the jump, McCain goes green and Edwards says no (again) to VP spot (KATHERINE LEHR).

Barack Obama will turn his attention to several general election battleground states this week, including MO, MI and FL, sources say.

The strategy, no doubt, is to shift focus from Hillary Clinton's likely big double-digit victory in WV tomorrow to the seemingly inevitable battle between Obama and John McCain. So the big Wednesday header will be: 'Obama Makes Pitch For Unity To Disgruntled FL/MI Dems' ... drowning out news of HRC's Mountain State win.

Obama's pending travel plans prompted comment from the Republican National Committee today. “Barack Obama can travel wherever he wants, but it won’t make his calls for higher taxes, restricted gun rights, and proposed meetings with state sponsors of terrorism any more appealing," spokesman Alex Conant said in a statement. "Wherever Obama takes his flawed message, voters will learn more about the weak leadership he has demonstrated on important issues confronting the nation. Obama’s punitive tax plan shows he doesn’t understand the American economy or how to rejuvenate it – and that’s no different in Michigan, Florida or the other the states on his itinerary.”

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

John McCain, continuing to piggyback on the Dem primary contests, launched this new spot today on climate change in OR:

Rep. Tom Allen, a Super D and ME Senate candidate, today pleged his support to Barack Obama, according to the senator's campaign. Allen said he believes Obama and Hillary Clinton are “supremely qualified to be president,” but he called for an end to the Dems' primary battle.

“I have been friends for a very long time with former President Clinton and Senator Clinton," he said in a statement released by Obama's campaign. "I respect their service to our nation. Hillary Clinton has run a vigorous campaign and has attracted a passionate following in Maine and around the country. She loves this country and is a true leader. For her service, I am grateful. Most of the primary voters across the nation have now spoken. It is time to bring a graceful end to the primary campaign. We now need to unify the Democratic Party and focus on electing Senator Obama and a working majority in the United States Senate. That is how we can change the direction of the country."

The Sunday shows continued to discuss the odds that Hillary Clinton will capture the Dem nod.

Senate Maj. Leader Harry Reid: "I think we have to play this out. ... President Clinton didn't get the nomination until June 2nd. So I think we should just relax a little bit. After that June 3rd date arrives, I think that [Barack] Obama and Clinton will have a few days to make their case to the uncommitted delegates, and then the decision will be made, and we'll have a five-month general election" ("This Week," ABC, 5/11).

DCCC Chair Chris Van Hollen (MD): "That's a decision for her to make. And, you know, we'll have to see how this goes forward. Again, obviously Obama has a lot of momentum right now. But until you have a majority of the delegates, it's not over" ("Late Edition," CNN, 5/11).

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT): "As long as Senator Clinton is in there and Senator Obama doesn't have the pledged delegates he needs to clinch the nomination, it's not over" ("Late Edition," CNN, 5/11).

John Edwards: "I think it's very hard. ... In the last few weeks, I think she's become a stronger and stronger candidate. She's been making a pretty compelling case for her candidacy. The problem is, I think, you can no longer make a compelling case for the math. The math is very, very hard for her" ("Face the Nation," CBS, 5/11).

Chris Dodd, on Clinton staying in the race: "How the campaign is waged is more important than whether or not it's being waged. ... I'm confident, again, that Hillary Clinton understands how important it is that Democrats win this election, that we get back on track again both at home and abroad, that we have a candidate that the Democrats are united behind. And I know she wants to be a part of that, ultimately."

More: "Having been a candidate, it's awfully difficult when you're going 180 miles an hour in one direction and you have a rough night, as ... Senator Clinton did last Tuesday night, to expect to within 48 hours or 72 hours to reverse field, to stop everything and go in a different direction is asking way too much in my view. Give her a chance to breathe, to settle down, to recognize what's going on here. She'll make the right choice" (Meet the Press," NBC, 5/11).

More after the jump (KATHERINE LEHR).

ELEANOR, WV - Hillary Clinton invoked the name of one of her heroes, Eleanor Roosevelt, as she concluded a busy Mother's Day campaigning in the Mountain State.

"She is someone whom I am inspired by every day," Clinton said last night. "I used to kid people and tell them that I had conversations with Eleanor because she was a source of great advice."

She said America again needed the leadership of people like Roosevelt, her husband, Franklin, and Harry Truman, who she said "understood that helping people is what America's all about." "People aren't asking for a handout, they are asking for a helping hand, so that they can do their part and make their contributions," she said.

She also quoted Roosevelt as saying that a woman "is like a teabag -- you never know how strong she is until she's in hot water."

Clinton, as she has for most of the past week, offered only faint criticism of Barack Obama as she discussed health care and her plan for a gas tax holiday. On the former, she said simply that Democrats need to "stand for universal health care." And the only time she mentioned the Illinois senator by name was to note that he opposed her call for a gas tax holiday. "

"I think we should say to the oil companies, you gotta start being part of the solution. Help the drivers of WV bear this burden until we can have this longer term effort to have these prices down," she said.

Clinton, again joined by daughter, Chelsea, arrived a half hour early ahead of schedule for the event, her fourth stop of the day. She told the crowd of a few hundred at George Washington Middle School that they were counting West Virginians voting "in great numbers," hinting at a campaign strategy of at least building their popular vote numbers in the national contest.

"The eyes of the country and the world will be on West Virginia on Tuesday," she said. "There is no other state that is voting on Tuesday. There's no other state that everybody's going to be waiting to see what West Virginians have decided. This is West Virginia's time."

Clinton has three events in WV today. She returns tomorrow to Washington for Senate votes, before jetting to Charleston for what the campaign is sure will be a victory celebration Tuesday night.

(NBC/NJ's MIKE MEMOLI)

Amy Poehler and the SNL crew went to town last night on Hillary Clinton:

Get this guy some time off ...

COLUMBIA, SC – Back on the soil that was once his Waterloo -- and now the site of his seminal political victory -- John McCain said today that he's ready for the general election.

"I am ready," he told reporters in Columbia, South Carolina, before launching into the canon of his objections to Barack Obama's policy positions. "I'm ready to take to the American people the challenges and the issues we face."

McCain did not comment directly on the results of Tuesday's Democratic primaries in Indiana and North Carolina, which have spurred predictions that Obama could seal his bid for the Democratic nomination in the coming weeks. But McCain's determination today to take on his possible general election opponent centered only on his differences with Obama - not Clinton - especially on matters of foreign policy. The Arizona senator continued to slam his probable opponent for proposing to meet with Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

McCain mentioned the tensions in Iran and elsewhere in the Middle East earlier in his remarks when he acknowledged the "very serious situation" of mounting violence in Beirut at the hands of Hezbollah militants. The senator called Syria "the major motivator" of the aggression, and he called for increased United Nations involvement in the region.

"Pressures have to be brought to bear on Syria," he said, adding that "It's a very serious situation that calls for international concerted action to bring the situation under control."

The senator's press conference in South Carolina's state capital had an air of victory afresh. He was escorted by an adoring gaggle of longtime supporters -- including state Attorney General Henry McMaster, SC House Speaker Bobby Harrell, and U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham -- all largely credited for engineering his triumph in the 2008 SC primary, the sequel to his failed 2000 primary campaign. SC Gov. Mark Sanford, whose name has been bandied about as a potential vice presidential candidate for McCain, was unable to attend due to a commitment to part-time service in the Air Force Reserve. (His wife did attend.)

(NBC/NJ's CARRIE DANN)

In the latest heated exhange between Mitt Romney and Barack Obama, Romney, who has been stumping for John McCain, said of the IL Sen.:

"He seems like a charming guy who's very well spoken. But in terms of actually having led, actually having accomplished something ... he's untested and unproven."

During the GOP primary contest, Romney pitched his executive experience -- as MA governor, head of the '02 Winter Olympics and co-founder of Bain Capital -- as a key selling point. Solid bona fides, by anyone's measure. But as he slams Obama for lacking comparable leadership experience, shouldn't he consider the deftness with which Obama has run his presidential campaign, the largest in modern history?

Let's compare the magnitude of Obama's campaign with Romney's first business, his private equity firm, Bain Capital:

--In Bain's first year, Romney persuaded investors to give him $36M.

--In Obama's first year as a candidate, he persuaded voters to invest $100M (which has since ballooned to $235M).

Meanwhile, Eric Kriss, a former partner at Bain and a MA cabinet member under Gov. Romney, said this of his former boss' credentials:

"Mitt ran a private equity firm, not a cement company. He was not a businessman in the sense of running a company. He was a great presenter, a great spokesman and a great salesman. ... In private equity and in consulting, a lot of what you rely on is trust and confidence and persuasion."

Trust. Confidence. Persuasion. Traits also inspired by and attributable to ... Obama.

(Hotline staff writer CHRIS BODENNER)

Hillary Clinton's up in OR with a new ad featuring supporters Joe Wilson and Valerie Plame, who say that HRC has the "strongest plan" to get the country out of Iraq.

Here's the vid, per NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli.

Laurie Weahkee, a NM Super D, is backing Barack Obama. Add U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono of HI, too, to Obama's ledger. Both are per his campaign.

Wilber Lee Jeffcoat, the Democratic Party Vice Chair in SC and a Super D, endorsed Barack Obama this afternoon, according to his campaign. Jeffcoat is the 269th superdelegate to endorse the IL Sen. Team Chicago believes Obama is 162 delegates away from securing the Democratic nomination.

“Barack Obama inspired thousands of new voters in my state of South Carolina to get involved in our democratic process, and I am proud to announce my endorsement today," he said in a statement released by the campaign. "With Barack Obama as our nominee, we can bring more and more new voters out to become involved and have their voices heard. Obama has worked his whole life to unite people from all backgrounds and walks of life for change, he has done that in this campaign and he will continue to do that as President. I am excited to join his campaign today.”

A Hotline/Diageo survey out today shows John McCain's support among GOP voters has dropped dramatically over the last two months, while the prolonged Dem battle appears to be damaging Barack Obama's favor with Inds.

Trouble Ahead?

The national poll of registered voters, taken April 30-May 3, shows enthusiasm for McCain within the GOP is lagging. Just 34% of GOP primary voters said they would back him enthusiastically, while 42% said their vote for McCain would be, at base, a vote against the eventual Dem nom. In our February survey, 50% of Repubs polled said they'd support McCain enthusiastically, and 30% said their vote for him is a vote against the Dem candidate.

Obama, meanwhile, has seen his support among Inds suffer as his party's fight for the nom trudges on. Just 44% of Inds said they have a favorable opinion of the IL Sen, white an equal number have an unfavorable opinion. In March, his fav/unfav was 49%/40%.

McCain's Ind fav/unfav, by contrast is 57%/29%, a likely sign that he has to some degree maintained his trademark "maverick" image and his long-time appeal to moderates. Also, in a head-to-head with Obama, McCain wins out with Ind voters, 44% to 33%.

We Still Heart You Guys

Obama and Hillary Clinton's support among Dem voters hasn't waned dramatically -- despite the protracted fight for the nom. Obama's backing has remained steadier, with 56% of Dems saying they'll vote for him enthusiastically, compared with 55% in February. Clinton's support is not quite as solid, with 50% saying they'll vote for her enthusiastically. In Feb, 59% said as much of HRC.

Mano A Mano

Both Dems trump the likely GOP nom. Obama leads 47% to McCain's 43%, while Clinton has the edge, 46% to 43%.

Interestingly, among non-whites, Clinton fares better against McCain than Obama -- a sign that her edge with Hispanics could help in the general. Non-whites surveyed edged 66% for Obama, 20% for McCain. But 80% of non-whites backed Clinton, compared with 21% for McCain.

The female vote edges Democratic, meanwhile, no matter who emerges victorious. Obama has a 51%/37% advantage over McCain with women, while Clinton's edge over the GOPer is comparable, 52%/37%.

And for whatever this is worth in the homestretch of the Dem primary contests -- Obama leads Clinton, 48% to 37%.

Note: The survey of 803 registered voters has a 3.5 percentage point margin of error.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

JERSEY CITY, NJ – Asked to respond to Barack Obama's comment that the 71-year old senator is "losing his bearings," John McCain said today that questions raised about his age are "fine with me."

And, he added, if age is a legitimate issue, so are a few things about his likely opponent.

"Every issue that the American people want to be an issue, and it's part of their discussions, it's fine with me," he said in reponse to the question about his age.

Not missing a beat, he added the controversial statements of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Obama's former pastor, onto that same list.

Obama, McCain noted, "has said that [Wright] is a legitimate topic of discussion."

"'If that's what the American people want to discuss, that's fine," he added.

McCain also told reporters that the recent complimentary remarks for Obama by a Hamas spokesman are also fair game for debate. Prefacing his comment by saying that he believes that it's clear that Obama "shares nothing of the values or goals of Hamas," the presumptive GOP nominee added that the Palestinian organization's favorable assessment of Obama's candidacy is "a legitimate point of discussion."

"That's of interest to the American people," he said. "And that is something that needs to be discussed."

McCain said that he was not offended by Obama's assessment that he is "losing his bearings," a comment interpreted by some observers – including campaign biggie Mark Salter – as a swipe at the older McCain's mental sharpness.

During the morning press conference at Liberty Science Center in Newark, NJ, the senator was flanked by Sen. Joe Lieberman and former NJ Gov. Tom Kean, Lieberman was quick to jump to McCain's defense.

'I just want to report that this morning I personally checked John McCain;'s bearings," said the 2000 Dem veep nom. "He has not lost any of them. They are all in really great shape."

(NBC/NJ's CARRIE DANN)

Hillary Clinton's new WV TV spot. It begins: "She's fighting for America's middle class." HRC: "It's time to level the playing field against the special interests."

WV votes Tuesday.

DNC Member Ed Espinoza, a CA Super D, endorsed Barack Obama today. By the campaign's count, Espinoza is the 268th superdelegate to endorse Obama; Obama is 163 delegates away from securing the Democratic nomination. Espinoza says that he took a cue from Bill Richardson's March endorsement of the Il Sen.

“I am endorsing Barack Obama today because throughout this process I have seen him show a judgment and character that we need in our next president," Espinoza said in a statement released by Obama's campaign. "From day one he opposed the Iraq war and has a plan to end the war in a responsible way and bring our sons and daughters home. He has shown he has the character to lead our great nation, from his choice to spend his career serving people in the poorest communities in Chicago to his commitment to speaking truth to the American people, even when it isn’t politically convenient to do so. To unify the country at this time in our history we need a president who has these qualities, and that is why I am proud to endorse him today. My good friend Bill Richardson, who backed Obama some weeks ago, knows what it takes to lead, and I trust his judgment in this decision as well. I look forward to working with this great movement to bring victory in November.”

Also, Rep. Donald Payne, a NJ superdelegate who supported Hillary Clinton, has switched his allegiance to Obama. And Rep. Peter DeFazio today became OR's third Democratic congressman to endorse Obama.