IOWA
PRESIDENTIAL WATCH
Iowa...
Where Presidents Begin
click
on each candidate to see today's news stories
(caricatures by
Linda Eddy)
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
GENERAL NEWS HEADLINES with excerpts
Texas, Ohio,
Vermont, Rhode Island
vote today
Obama wins Vermont -
Clinton wins Rhode Island
Texas, Ohio still close to call...
Hillary Clinton signaled that her campaign would
continue on no matter the results later in the evening.
“My husband didn't get the nomination wrapped up until
June (in 1992). That has been the tradition," she said.
"This is a very close race."
McCain wins Vermont, Texas,
Ohio - passes delegate threshold
Huckabee drops out...
“It’s now important that we turn our attention … to now
what must be, which is a united party," Huckabee said.”
President Bush will host McCain at the White House
Wednesday to offer his official political blessing.
Day of reckoning for Clinton,
Obama
"We know this has been an extraordinary election. It
continues to be. We're working hard to do as well as we can," said
Obama, who planned to await Texas returns in San Antonio.
"I'm just getting warmed up," Clinton told reporters, a
clear sign that she expects to press the campaign on beyond Tuesday no
matter the outcome.
see also:
Obama, Clinton in key face-off
Texas Dems expect no knockouts
Surveying
Ohio's Democratic landscape
Contests in four states today -
easier tracking
With just four states voting — Ohio, Rhode Island, Texas and Vermont
—there is less to keep track of compared to the mega-dose of 22 states
last month.
But with so much at stake, especially in Ohio and Texas, and with the
proceedings in Texas more complicated than a simple primary, there
will be no shortage of facts and analysis as the evening unfolds.
Iraq casts shadow on Ohio, Texas votes
Ohio and Texas have something more tragic in common - high numbers of
military casualties in Iraq.
Combined, Ohio and Texas have sustained roughly one-eighth of all U.S.
troop deaths...
THE CANDIDATES:
Mike Huckabee... today's headlines with excerpts
Huckabee: debate not BBQ
"I think his time would have been better spent at a debate and I think
the people of Texas should take that into consideration when they vote
either today or tomorrow," he said at a press conference. "They ought
to think about, you know, what would be a better use of his time,
being in Texas having a debate on issues that affect Texans or serving
BBQ to the media?"Not only did he think he is a better candidate, he said he's a better
cook.
"Actually I would put my ribs to the test of anybody's, they're pretty
darn good," he said. "But you know, we've been campaigning non stop
and working hard because we feel like the people of Texas deserve this
discussion, this debate, and I'm disappointed we never had that debate
that we should have had. I think Sen. McCain should have come to
Texas, we should have had the debate on television, and let the people
hear the differences. If they they then decided differently, the would
have made an informed and intelligent decision."
John McCain... today's headlines
with excerpts
McCain seeks winning number in
Texas today
McCain blasts Russian election
John McCain issued a harsh critique of this week's
Russian elections, going well beyond the White House reaction, in a
news conference aimed at showcasing his foreign-policy credentials.
The near-certain Republican presidential nominee also
was critical of the United Nations for failing to condemn Hamas for
firing rockets into Israel, actions that prompted Israel to retaliate
with a major offensive, again taking a harder stance than President
Bush has.
Republicans like McCain most, but Obama not too
far behind
Republicans like Sen. Barack Obama nearly as much as
they like their own likely presidential nominee, Sen. John McCain,
according to a new Fox 5/The Washington Times/Rasmussen Reports poll.
The survey determined that a quarter of self-identified
Republicans rated Mr. McCain most likable, but nearly as many — 23
percent — chose Mr. Obama as most likable. And among all adults
surveyed, Mr. Obama was rated likable by more people than Sen. Hillary
Rodham Clinton and Mr. McCain combined, underscoring the Illinois
senator's appeal to voters across the political spectrum.
McCain looks to California
"I want to compete in California," the Arizona senator
said Monday, saying his outlook on such issues as the environment will
be a help in the traditionally blue state. McCain also enjoys the
support of California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican.
Ralph Nader... today's headlines with excerpts
Bill O'Reilly:
Nader - perennial thorn in the
Left's side
That’s why Nader’s presidential announcement was a one-day story. No
New York Times profile for him, not this
year. No NBC News feature story. Ralph Nader is going to be mighty
lonely on the campaign trail because the far-left has abandoned him.
Feeling sorry for the guy, I called him a few days ago and asked him
to appear on my syndicated radio program, heard on more than 400
stations. At first, Nader’s “person” was excited. Free media! But a
short time later she told us Ralph was “unavailable.” Perhaps a
conference call with Raul?
The reason, I believe, that Nader passed on the Radio Factor was that
he knew I would poke a bit of fun at him. Let’s face it, Jane Fonda
has a better chance of winning the presidency than Ralph. But unlike
the lefty media, I have no problem with Nader running. He entertains
me. I never know what he’s going to say or whom he’s going to hammer.
Give him points for that.
Ron Paul... today's headlines with excerpts
Hillary Clinton... today's
headlines with excerpts
Limbaugh urges Hillary vote
"The strategy is to continue the chaos in this party. Look, there's a
reason for this. Our side isn't going to do this. Obama needs to be
bloodied up. Look, half the country already hates Hillary. That's
good. But nobody hates Obama yet. Hillary is going to be the one to
have to bloody him up politically, because our side isn't going to do
it. Mark my words. It's about winning, folks!"
Hillary Clinton does the Daily Show with Jon
Stewart
"It is pretty pathetic," she dead-panned...
Roger Simon: Clinton plays victim and victimizer
It is a nifty political two-step.
She is a victim because a male-dominated press corps has counted her
out, she says, and has lavished praise on Obama without submitting him
to any real scrutiny.
... And along with victimhood, Clinton has finally found a powerful
theme, the same theme that George W. Bush used at his convention and
in his reelection campaign in 2004: Vote for me or die.
With her “3 a.m. phone call” ad, she is saying exactly what Bush said:
I will protect you and your children, and the other guy will not.
ABC/WashPost
Poll: should she stay or should she go?
Democrats by more than a 2-1 margin say Hillary Clinton should stay in
the presidential race even if she loses either the Texas or Ohio
primary on Tuesday. But if she fails in both, fewer than half say
they'd want her to fight on.
Clinton aims to push beyond Ohio and Texas
Clinton hits Obama vetting as just the start
Hillary Clinton yesterday said damaging stories swirling around her
rival show that the true vetting of Sen. Barack Obama has just begun,
and she predicted that a strong finish today in Ohio and Texas will
revive her run for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Clinton's hawkishness ruffles feathers in Obama camp
In a weekend interview, a retired four-star general,
Jack Keane, said that when he briefed Mrs. Clinton in late 2006 and
January 2007 on the counteroffensive strategy known as the surge, she
"generally supported the surge strategy in the sense she wanted it to
succeed but she was skeptical about its chances."
The Obama campaign yesterday seized on the general's
comments after they appeared in an article on The New York Sun's Web
site, with the chief spokesman, William Burton, issuing a statement
saying: "Senator Clinton needs to explain to the American people what
she said to the architect of George Bush's surge that made him think
she wouldn't end the war."
Barack Obama... today's headlines with excerpts
Obama campaign disputes anti-trade rhetoric
... "Nobody reached out to the Canadians to try to reassure them,"
Obama said...
Obama Republicans carry weight
Barack Obama is courting an unlikely constituency to try to deliver a
knockout blow to Hillary Clinton today: Republicans and independents
who supported President Bush.
In the final days of his campaign, Sen. Obama has turned his attention
to wringing extra votes out of big cities and their suburbs. Today's
Democratic primaries in Texas and Ohio, as well as Texas' caucuses,
are open to Republicans and independents, and with Arizona Sen. John
McCain nearly wrapping up the Republican nomination, Republican voters
may be looking more closely at the contested Democratic race.
Many eyes on Rezko trial
The Sun-Times, in its
Eye
on Rezko blog, also came upon an interesting tidbit: a woman
taking extensive notes on jury selection who was identified as
attending court for Senator Obama. The woman apparently identified
herself when a security officer asked everyone in an overflow
courtroom to disclose his or her organization.
Bill Burton, a spokesman for Mr. Obama, confirmed for The Caucus that
the woman was with the campaign. He said in an email that she was
gathering information about the trial because the campaign has
received so many questions from reporters about it. He said she would
not be attending the entire trial.
Obama's Web marketing triumph
"He is a digital candidate while she is the analog candidate... his
Web site is amazing. It's completely and continually updated. It feels
alive and energetic..."
"... with over a million donors contributing, they position the entire
campaign as one owned by the people. That's what makes it so
authentic. While both teams spin stuff, Clinton's team tends to be
rather unsubtle in their use of spin and attack and this really does
not work as well these days. It's so much harder to control the
message with the Internet so widely used now. The spin comes back to
bite you. I think the Clinton staff haven't really understood. Every
time they try to spin stuff, they look like jokers..."
Spending
the night in the same Texas city, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama
expressed confidence in their chances. But both teams acknowledged
that split decisions and close votes could prolong the battle for at
least another month—or more. 
Huckabee
criticized McCain Monday for
serving barbecue to reporters on the day Huckabee had asked him to
debate. 
McCain
has 1,014 delegates to the Republican National Convention, according
to a tally by the Associated Press. To secure the nomination, he must
win 1,191. The primaries in Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island and Vermont on
Tuesday will award 256 delegates, giving McCain the possibility of
wrapping up the most wide-open GOP nomination fight in decades. 
John
McCain and his aides are already thinking about which states to target
in the fall and one tops the list: California.
I’ve
known Nader for decades and he is a hard-core socialist,
a man who fervently believes the government must control
evil corporations, regulate wages and even set prices
for what consumers buy. Nader has far more in common
with Raul Castro than Howard Dean. He thinks the Dems
are almost as bad as the Republicans when it comes to
exploiting folks.
El
Rushbo's plan, as heard from the Golden EIB microphone:
"Tomorrow
is perhaps one of the most important days of your life, and you've
chosen to spend the night before talking to me," Stewart told Clinton,
who was beamed in by satellite from Austin. "As a host, I'm delighted;
as a citizen, I'm frightened. Senator, your response?"
She
not only is vigorously attacking Barack Obama but simultaneously
portraying herself as a victim. 
Should
the senators split the states' contests -- or if Sen. Clinton wins,
but only by narrow margins -- the debate will turn to how to interpret
the results. Two smaller states, Rhode Island and Vermont, also vote
today. Clinton aides have started to imply that even just one big win
today would allow her to claim she had broken Sen. Obama's momentum,
justifying a continuing competition.
The
Canadian government denies a report that the Obama campaign reassured
a high-level official that the senator is not sincere about his
anti-NAFTA rhetoric; Sen. Clinton's campaign is demanding Obama
clarify the issue.
Prominent
advertising executive Rishad Tobaccowala says Obama's surprise
performance is partly attributable to a superior Web strategy:
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