Power: Obama's plan in Iraq relies on "best case scenario"

In her role as a top foreign policy advisor Samantha Power described Sen. Obama's plan to withdraw combat troops from Iraq within 16 months as a "best case scenario". Power added, "He will, of course, not rely on some plan that he’s crafted as a presidential candidate or a U.S. Senator."

Sen. Obama has repeatedly criticized Hillary for not having a "firm" and "clear" withdrawal deadline:

Sen. Obama: 'Why we would try [Hillary’s] approach as opposed to simply setting a timetable for withdrawal strikes me as a convoluted approach to the problem.' "Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton plans to introduce an amendment repealing the congressional authorization for the war. It would require the president to seek new authority from Congress if he wanted to continue operations past Oct. 11, 2007, five years after initial authorization was given. ‘If you simply repeal the language, then presumably you'd have to reauthorize something. You've got 150,000 troops over there and support personnel,’ Obama told The Associated Press in an interview after a campaign stop in Las Vegas. ‘Why we would try that approach as opposed to simply setting a timetable for withdrawal strikes me as a convoluted approach to the problem,’ he said." [AP, 7/13/07]

Sen. Obama: Sen. Clinton 'hasn't given a firm timetable in terms of executing the withdrawal, and I think that's a problem.' "And in--there is a difference, though, between myself and Senator Clinton on a couple of these issues. Number one, she hasn't given a firm timetable in terms of executing the withdrawal, and I think that's a problem. I think we have to provide certainty to the Iraqi leadership, so that they know that we are serious about changing course." [NBC Meet the Press, 11/11/07]

Sen. Obama: 'Senator Clinton continues to not provide a clear timetable for how she would pull our troops out' of Iraq. "Where Senator Clinton continues to not provide a clear timetable for how she would pull our troops out, so those are all differences we will continue to talk about." [Obama Press Conference Transcript, 11/9/07]

Sen. Obama: ‘I do think it’s important for us to set a date.’ When asked if he could make a commitment for a withdrawal date, Obama said, "I do think it is important for us to set a date. And the reason I think it is important is because if we are going to send a signal to the Iraqis that we are serious, and prompt the Shia, the Sunni and the Kurds to actually come together and negotiate, they have to have clarity about how serious we are. It can't be muddy, it can't be fuzzy. They've got to know that we are serious about this process." [CNN debate, 1/31/08]

Transcript:

STEPHEN SACKUR: Let me stop you just for a moment. You said that he’ll revisit it when he goes to the White House. So what the American public thinks is a commitment to get combat forces out within sixteen months, isn’t a commitment isn’t it?

POWER: You can’t make a commitment in whatever month we’re in now, in March of 2008 about what circumstances are gonna be like in Jan. 2009. We can’t even tell what Bush is up to in terms of troop pauses and so forth. He will of course not rely upon some plan that he’s crafted as a presidential candidate or as a US senator.

He will rely upon a plan, an operational plan that he pulls together, in consultation with people who are on the ground, to whom he doesn’t have daily access now as a result of not being the president.

So to think, I mean it would be the height of ideology, you know, to sort of say, well I said it therefore I’m going to impose it on whatever reality entreats me –

SACKUR: Ok, so the 16 months is negotiable?

POWER: It’s the best case scenario

It’s the best case scenario

POWER: It is –

SACKUR: And of course in Iraq we’ve never seen best case scenario

POWER: We have never seen best case scenario

SACKUR: So we needn’t necessarily take it seriously at all.

POWER: What we can take seriously is that he will try to get US forces out as quickly and as responsibly as possible. And that’s the best case, estimate of what it would take.

Obama aide quits after Clinton 'monster' label

BARACK Obama's White House ambitions were rocked yesterday when one of his top aides was forced to quit for branding Hillary Clinton "a monster".

Foreign policy adviser Samantha Power resigned after an interview in which she said Senator Clinton would stop at nothing to beat Senator Obama in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Ms Power, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and Harvard professor, resigned after her unguarded comments sparked a controversy in the White House race.

Senator Obama, who is vying to be the first African-American US President, has promised his campaign would rise above personal attacks and be about new politics.

The scandal erupted as Senator Clinton's camp sought re-runs of the deadlocked Florida and Michigan primaries.

Ms Power was quoted as saying: "She is a monster, too - that is off the record - she is stooping to anything.

"In Ohio, they are obsessed and Hillary is going to town on it because she knows Ohio's the only place they can win.

WashPost: Hillary Clinton, Through a Lens Wrongly

By Deborah Tannen

Sunday, March 9, 2008; Page B03

This isn't about Hillary. Well, okay, it is.

But it isn't only about her. It's also about every woman who has ever been underestimated, failed to get credit for work she did or been denied opportunities to do work at which she would have excelled.

With Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential primary victories in Texas, Ohio and Rhode Island last week, Democratic voters continue to evaluate her abilities and her chances of winning in a general election -- and are confronting the double bind that women in authority, including Clinton, face: If they speak in ways expected of leaders, they're seen as too aggressive, but if they speak in ways expected of women, they're seen as less confident and competent than they really are.

Companies invite me to speak about my research on women and men at work because they want to make sure that they accurately assess everyone's abilities when deciding whom to promote. Just so, voters need to understand the double bind when deciding who deserves the ultimate promotion to presidential candidate.

BREAKING NEWS: Samantha Power Resigns from the Obama Campaign

Power, once considered a valuable addition to the Obama foreign policy team, has called Hillary Clinton a "monster" in the press.

Talking Points Memo:

Today's Gallup tracking poll gives Hillary Clinton a four-point national leader over Barack Obama — the first time in several weeks that she's been able to claim that big a lead. Here are the numbers, compared to yesterday:

Clinton 48% (+3)
Obama 44% (-1)

Obama had been up 48%-43% two days ago, meaning there has been a potentially significant swing of about four or five percent over to Hillary in that short time.

After Texas and Ohio, Obama Campaign Mimics Ken Starr

"When Senator Obama was confronted with questions over whether he was ready to be Commander-in-Chief and steward of the economy, he chose not to address those questions, but to attack Senator Clinton. I for one do not believe that imitating Ken Starr is the way to win a Democratic primary election for president." – Howard Wolfson, 3/6/06

Citing Wall Street Journal editorial, Obama campaign attacks Hillary on 'cattle futures trading profit.' [Obama campaign memo, 3/5/08]

On ABC This Week, Top Obama strategist references Whitewater. AXELROD: " I honestly -- with all due respect, I would think that the Clinton campaign would be the last person to be wanting to characterize any real estate transaction as unusual, but anyway, George, I'm sorry." [ABC This Week, 3/2/08]

Axelrod: ‘We still don't have the records from the Clinton library.' [Time, 3/5/08]

Obama campaign memo attacks Hillary on tax returns, demands 'accompanying schedules and attachments.' [Obama Campaign Memo, 3/5/08]

Obama advisor grossly distorts Hillary's record on foreign policy

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Distorting Hillary’s record won’t address the doubts voters have about Senator Obama’s readiness to be Commander in Chief. - Campaign Spokesperson Phil Singer

Today on a campaign conference call, Obama aide Greg Craig issued three false attacks on Hillary’s record:

For seven years she aligned herself with Sen. McCain in putting all our eggs in General Musharaf's basket," Craig said. "And she aligned herself with Sen. McCain when they both criticized Barack Obama for taking action against al Qaeda leadership, which has taken safe havens in Pakistan. She aligned herself with Sen. McCain in supporting the Kyl-Lieberman resolution," which many Democrats fear raises the specter of war with Iran.

First: Craig falsely asserted that Hillary aligned herself with McCain and supported General Musharaff. This is incorrect. Hillary actually issued a release calling Musharraf to cancel the state of emergency, and criticized the Bush administration’s failed policies in Pakistan:

Hillary called on General Musharraf to restore Constitution, said Bush Administration's policies had failed. I call on General Musharraf to cancel the state of emergency, restore the Constitution, release arrested opposition leaders, and hold free and fair elections on schedule. The failed policies of the Bush administration are part of the reason we are in this difficult and dangerous position. The policies of this administration have diverted resources and attention from the fight against terrorism on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, while inciting radical elements inside Pakistan. We now find ourselves having to cope with yet another threatening challenge made worse by the failed policies of this President." [Clinton Senate Office press release, 11/5/07]

Hillary criticized Bush Administration for not sending presidential envoy to help in Pakistan and Afghanistan.When asked how to deal with alliances with countries like Pakistan, which is "not a democratic country," Senator Clinton said: "Well, it's a really important question, because we have been supporting Pakistan through President Musharraf now for a number of years. And it is clear that he has not moved toward democracy, but has solidified his rule and become quite anti-democratic, with his removal of the chief justice and many of the other moves that he's taken. At the same time, we depend upon him to try to control the tribal areas out of which come the resurgent Taliban and Al Qaida fighters who cross the border into Afghanistan. Again, this is an area where I think the United States needs to be just focused, like the proverbial laser. [CNN, Manchester Debate, 6/3/07]

Second: Craig distorts Hillary’s criticism of Sen. Obama regarding Al Qaeda. Hillary didn’t criticize Obama for wanting to take action against al Qaeda; she criticized Sen. Obama for recklessly threatening an adversary:

Clinton countered by saying that while U.S. forces might have to pursue action inside Pakistan ‘on the basis of actionable intelligence,’ it was ‘a very big mistake to telegraph that and to destabilize the Musharraf regime, which is fighting for its life against the Islamist extremists who are in bed with al Qaeda and the Taliban.’” [CNN, 8/7/07]

Third: Craig distorts the truth about the Kyl-Lieberman resolution. Hillary aligned herself with Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), a staunch anti-war Bush critic and prominent Obama supporter. Hillary was also one of the earliest and staunchest opponents of Bush’s saber rattling on Iran. She spoke out on the issue back in February, and co-sponsored the Webb bill prohibiting use of funds for military action in Iran without congressional authorization.

Sen. Obama missed the vote Craig is now using to attack Hillary.

Boston Globe: Since triple win, Clinton campaign reports $4 million online boost

WASHINGTON - Riding a victory wave, Hillary Clinton has raised $4 million online since Tuesday's presidential primary successes in Ohio, Texas, and Rhode Island, her campaign said yesterday.

more stories like this

• Clinton stumps in Obama-friendly Miss.
• Solution sought on Fla., Mich. delegates
• Obama vies to push back, stay positive
• Obama raises $55 million in February
• Democrats can't win without superdelegates
• 

But Barack Obama is still leading the fund-raising battle, and his campaign responded yesterday by saying it raised a record $55 million during February.

He broke his own fund-raising record from January, when he brought in $36 million, more than any other presidential candidate who has ever been in a contested primary. His campaign said it raised $45 million through the Internet in February and had 385,000 new contributors for a total of more than 1 million donors. All told, Obama has raised $193 million during his yearlong bid for the White House.

Clinton has reported raising $34 million for the primary in February. Her campaign said it had raised the $4 million online from the time polls closed Tuesday through noon Thursday. It reported 30,000 new donors. The influx of money made the online total raised for this month $6 million, the campaign said.

An Open Letter from Bill Clinton

Dear Friend,

Did you feel the race shift?

Those last few days before Hillary's big wins, could you feel the difference? The crowds, the energy, the momentum of the whole race seemed to be shifting in Hillary's direction.

That was you.

You fueled Hillary's stunning comeback, and she and I both know that this campaign would not be where it is today without you. You should be incredibly proud of what you have accomplished.

And in the last 24 hours, you did it again, raising an extraordinary $3 million.

We worked too hard to get to this point to do anything except drive towards victory in Pennsylvania and beyond. And doubling the $3 million you just raised -- reaching $6 million in 48 hours -- will make it clear to everyone watching that we're playing to win.

Give Hillary a head start with another $3 million day.

Let me put what you accomplished yesterday in perspective. More than 45,000 of you contributed to Hillary's campaign in the wake of her wins in Texas, Ohio, and Rhode Island.

You didn't just make her comeback possible. You are providing the resources it takes to win big races. We need to hit the ground running in Pennsylvania, and thanks to your commitment to Hillary, we are doing exactly that.

No one thought we could compete on the air in Ohio and Texas -- but thanks to you, we did. You are making the impossible possible and meeting every challenge.

That's just what Hillary will do as president, just so long as we keep working with her to win. Can you help put Hillary in the position to win Pennsylvania with your contribution today? Hitting another $3 million goal in 24 hours will give her a big head start.

Contribute now to give Hillary another $3 million day.

I know I speak for Hillary when I tell you that we both know how deep your commitment to her campaign runs. And she is matching that commitment with her effort every day on the campaign trail, because your support deserves nothing less.

Thank you so much for everything you are doing to help Hillary win.

Sincerely,

Bill Clinton

David Gregory Gives Obama A Pass On "I Won Michigan" Slip

This morning on the "Today" show, David Gregory interviewed Barack Obama about last night's primary results. Gregory challenged Obama by saying, "you have also not demonstrated that you can win some of the big states that'll be important in a general election. California, New York, Ohio." Obama countered immediately, "Well, David, we've won Michigan and Georgia and Illinois and Missouri. We've won twice as many states as Senator Clinton."

The "we've won Missouri" line was likely an example of a very tired Obama making a verbal gaffe — he wasn't even on the ballot in Michigan, which is one of the states the Democratic party sanctioned for moving its primary date up too early by discounting its delegates. But Gregory didn't correct Obama's mistake, leaving the unsavvy "Today" show viewer believing that Michigan is firmly in the Obama column.

Transcript (via Newsbusters):

GREGORY: But Senator you have not demonstrated that you can decisively put the nomination away. You have also not demonstrated that you can win some of the big states that'll be important in a general election. California, New York, Ohio.

OBAMA: Well David we've won Michigan and Georgia and Illinois and Missouri. We've won twice as many states as Senator Clinton. We have more of the popular vote. We've won more primaries, more caucuses. Keep in mind what's happened here. We have won decisively in a whole number of states and you know Senator Clinton and her campaign have tended to cherry pick which states they think are important. But the bottom line is, is that we are in a very strong position. Senator Clinton barely dented the delegate count yesterday. We are going on to Mississippi and Wyoming where we feel confident that we can do well. And this process is gonna ultimately be about who's got the most delegates and we think we'll be in that position.

GREGORY: You just heard Senator Clinton. She said, unequivocally, that's not how the process works. That there are pledged delegates but these superdelegates should be independent. Should be able to vote how they want. So let's be clear on what your position is. If she tries to get the superdelegates to come over to her side, even if she trails in the pledged delegates, would you consider that, in effect, stealing the nomination?

OBAMA: No I don't think it would be stealing the nomination. She can try to persuade the superdelegates to support her. I think that most Democrats are gonna feel like whoever has won the most delegates in these primaries and caucuses will end up being the nominee. That's why we have primaries and caucuses, otherwise the superdelegates could just go into a smoke-filled room and make those decisions.

Obama's New Strategy: Blame the Media!!!

by Rachel Sklar

Oblame the media! In the wake of Tuesday's game-changing defeats in Texas and Ohio (and hey, Rhode Island), Barack Obama is clearly steamed that the media turned on him. Yesterday in a media avail on his plane, he accused the media of being complicit in Hillary Clinton's "kitchen sink" strategy and allowing themselves to be "persuaded that you had been too hard on her and too soft on me." This, Obama seemed to feel, was clearly an injustice and had resulted in the press' abdication of their duty: "Hopefully now people feel like everything's evened out and we can start actually covering the campaign properly." Oh, snap! Step up, media, you really dropped the ball this time.

Jack Nicholson Exclusive: Actor Talks About Hillary Clinton, Campaign Ad -- 'This Woman Can Do This Job'

'The only thing I can say is, it's obvious one person is more experienced,' actor says.

By Josh Horowitz

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Barack Obama may have Oprah on his side, but he doesn't know Jack ... Nicholson, that is. Hillary Clinton does, and as millions have learned thanks to a recently released viral campaign endorsement, the senator from New York has a little star power on her side, even as some pundits write her 2008 campaign epitaph.

The Nicholson video, a mash-up of memorable moments from the three-time Oscar winner's career, begins with his Joker asking "Who do you trust?" and ends with the actor himself saying that he approves the message, a surprising appearance given his notorious press-shyness. (Nicholson spoke in a rare interview with MTV News last November about "Chinatown" and "Batman.")

MTV News' curiosity was piqued by Nicholson's seemingly sudden involvement in the '08 campaign and reached out to the actor to find out why he chose to make a public splash at this time in support of Clinton. Lo and behold, Nicholson was on the phone hours later, happily talking for the better part of an hour about the woman he wholly believes should be the next commander in chief. Check back Wednesday for the second part of the Nicholson interview, in which he discusses what went wrong and right with the Oscars this year and his personal connection to the death of Heath Ledger. (Check out the second part of the Nicholson interview, in which he discusses what went wrong and right with the Oscars this year and his personal connection to the death of Heath Ledger.)

Jack Nicholson: What put it in your head to give me a call today, Josh?

MTV: A lot of people here at MTV News were talking today about this video endorsement of yours that's suddenly all over the Web.

Nicholson: Yeah, I'm hot in the theaters. [He laughs.]

MTV: So the question is, why now? Why support Hillary in this public way now?

Nicholson: Well, I'm a longtime Clintonite. I guess that's no secret. I'm not a talking-points guy, Josh. I'm a rolling cannonball. I basically do it on my own

Democrats brace for a long battle

Clinton's victories Texas and Ohio shift the momentum to her.

By Michael Finnegan and Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
March 6, 2008

WASHINGTON -- With no end in sight, Democrats braced Wednesday for a prolonged and nasty fight for their party's presidential nomination as Barack Obama assailed his reinvigorated rival over taxes and, in a turnabout, her experience in foreign affairs.

Hillary Rodham Clinton, in turn, renewed her assault on Obama's resume and preparedness for the White House, a line of fire that helped produce three back-to-the-wall victories that saved her campaign from extinction Tuesday.

BIG NIGHT FOR HILLARY

NY Times: Big Wins for Clinton in Texas and Ohio

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton defeated Senator Barack Obama in the Ohio and Texas primaries on Tuesday, ending a string of defeats and allowing her to soldier on in a Democratic presidential nomination race that now seems unlikely to end any time soon.

Mrs. Clinton also won Rhode Island, while Mr. Obama won in Vermont. But the results mean that Mrs. Clinton won the two states she most needed to keep her candidacy alive. Her victory in Texas was razor thin and came early Wednesday morning after most Americans had gone to bed. But by winning decisively in Ohio earlier in the night, Mrs. Clinton was able to deliver a televised victory speech in time for the late-night news. And the result there allowed her to cast Tuesday as the beginning of a comeback even though she stood a good chance of gaining no ground against Mr. Obama in the hunt for delegates.

COMEBACK!!! Hillary Wing Texas, Ohio, and Rhode Island

(CNN) -- Sen. Hillary Clinton got her campaign back on track with projected wins in the Texas, Ohio and Rhode Island primaries.

Delegate-rich Texas and Ohio were considered must-wins for her campaign.

Obama, who claimed victory in Vermont, had won 12 straight contests since Super Tuesday on February 5.

Texas also held Democratic caucuses Tuesday, but it was too close to declare a winner.

"For everyone here in Ohio and across America who's been ever been counted out but refused to be knocked out, for everyone who has stumbled but stood right back up, and for everyone who works hard and never gives up -- this one is for you," Clinton said before supporters in Columbus.

"You know what they say," she said. "As Ohio goes, so goes the nation. Well, this nation's coming back and so is this campaign."

Obama congratulated Clinton on her victories but downplayed his losses.

Clinton Takes Obama Head On

Clinton loaded her speeches with a laundry list of policy promises: to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement; provide universal health coverage; restore manufacturing, with an emphasis on new jobs providing clean energy; get rid of "every single tax break" that rewards companies for sending jobs overseas; abolish the No Child Left Behind program; forgive college debt for students who agree to do public service; reduce gas prices, in part by taking a tougher line with the Saudis; take better care of veterans; begin pulling troops out of Iraq. She boasted of the endorsements she has received from retired admirals and generals, including two former chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (both of whom, as it happens, served under her husband). "I've been very specific in this election," she said in a serious understatement.

And she's been equally specific in her blistering critiques of Obama of late. On Monday, after the Associated Press reported that Obama's senior economic adviser had indeed privately told Canadian consular officials not to take the candidate's anti-NAFTA rhetoric all that seriously, Clinton lit into both Obama and the media. She said the alleged communication, which the senior adviser claimed had been misinterpreted, shows the Obama campaign has "done the old wink-wink. Don't pay any attention. This is just political rhetoric." She also suggested the media would be treating this more seriously if she had done it. "With this story, substitute my name for Senator Obama's and just ask yourself."

New Ohio Poll: Clinton Up By About 9 Points

The University of Cincinnati has released its final Ohio Poll concerning tomorrow's election and a relatively easy win by Clinton is projected:

51.3% Clinton
42.3% Obama
6.0% Edwards
0.4% Other

For this poll, undecided voters were allocated to the candidates they are most likely to support. 624 probably Democratic voter were interviewed between Feb. 28th and March 2nd and the potential sampling error is 3.9%.

This poll contrasts sharply with the Zogby two-day tracking poll that shows the race deadlocked but trending Obama's way.

Talking Points Memo: Hillary Takes Lead in Texas

By Eric Kleefeld - March 3, 2008, 11:57AM

The new Public Policy Polling (D) survey from Texas shows Hillary Clinton taking a lead here, a possible sign of recovery after polls had put Barack Obama in the lead for the past week. Here are the numbers compared to last week's poll:

Clinton 50% (+2)
Obama 44% (-4)

From the internals: Hillary leads 58%-37% among whites and 67%-30% with Hispanics, while Obama is ahead 78%-13% among a core base of black voters.

From the pollster's analysis: "Barack Obama has tried hard but still seems unable to win over Hispanic voters. That dynamic is what caused him to lose in California, and it looks like recent history may repeat itself tomorrow in Texas."

Meanwhile, the new Rasmussen poll shows Obama ahead in Texas by only a 48%-47% margin, after having previously led by four points.

Clinton faces toughest test, vowing to go on

TOLEDO, Ohio - Hillary Rodham Clinton steeled herself for a day of political reckoning, defiantly telling reporters yesterday that her campaign is "just warming up" - and suggesting she'll battle on regardless of today's results in Texas and Ohio.

Clinton, who holds a slim lead in the polls in Ohio but trails Barack Obama slightly in Texas, had until recently counted on the March 4 primaries to halt an 11-contest losing streak and narrow Obama's lead among delegates. She offered scaled-back expectations yesterday, refusing to predict what would happen and keeping her benchmark of victory vague.

When asked to define success today in Ohio, Texas, Vermont and Rhode Island, Clinton said: "Winning. Winning. Winning, that's my measure of success - winning." She wouldn't say if that meant winning states or a majority of delegates.

The former first lady, working on about two hours' sleep, began her day offering doughnuts to shift workers at a Chrysler plant here before addressing reporters at a local hotel. From there it was on to Beaumont, Texas, for a rally in an airport hangar, followed by a televised town hall meeting and rally in Austin.

Win in Texas or Ohio could buoy Clinton

WASHINGTON - Buoyed by polls showing tight races in today's key primaries, Hillary Clinton is preparing to press ahead with her presidential campaign, even if she wins only one big state.

Clinton trails Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination, and she has no realistic chance of erasing his lead in delegates allocated through primary and caucus contests, including today in Ohio, Texas, Vermont and Rhode Island.

FactCheck.org: Obama Mailing Misleading

Barack Obama's campaign is distributing a mailer in Ohio that plays upon anti-NAFTA feelings in the Buckeye State. But the flyer is misleading:

• Obama is quoted as saying that "one million jobs have been lost because of NAFTA, including nearly 50,000 jobs here in Ohio." But those figures are highly questionable and from an anti-NAFTA source. Other economic studies have concluded the trade deal resulted in much smaller job losses or even a small net gain.
  
  
• The mailer quotes Hillary Clinton as saying "NAFTA has been good for New York and America." That quote, however, is taken out of context. She also said in that same news conference that NAFTA was flawed and old trade deals needed to be revisited.

HILLARY SURGING IN TEXAS AND OHIO

The latest round of polls out today suggest that Hillary Clinton might have some momentum heading into Tuesday's crucial contests in Ohio and Texas.

The Ohio surveys, which were all completed Sunday, indicate that Barack Obama is no longer closing the gap and that Clinton might have rebuilt a double-digit lead. For instance, a SurveyUSA survey of 873 likely voters gives her a 54 percent to 44 percent edge. Meanwhile, a Public Policy Polling survey gives Clinton a 9-percentage-point lead.

The Texas polls, also finished Sunday, suggest that Clinton is catching Obama after he overtook her in recent weeks. The SurveyUSA survey of 840 likely voters gives Obama a 49 percent to 48 percent edge, well within the margin of error. The Public Policy Polling survey says Clinton now leads in Texas.

An Open Letter from Terry McAuliffe

Over a million people will go to the polls tomorrow in Ohio, Texas, Rhode Island, and Vermont to vote for Hillary, and I hope you know that you helped get them there.

In one incredible month, you've contributed tens of millions of dollars and made more than a million phone calls for Hillary. And in the last 72 hours, 50,000 of you stood up and spoke out by making a contribution to our campaign.

That means we put more ads on the air, knocked on more doors, and reached more voters leading up to tomorrow's primaries. It means we can offer more rides to the polls. You have given us the energy and momentum we need, and our victories are your victories.

We're in our final push to win tomorrow, and you can still lend a hand. You are Hillary's best supporters and her best surrogates, and voters need to hear from you in the final 24 hours!

You can call voters in the March 4 states from your own home by getting on our online calling tool.

Click here to call voters in Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

Thank you so much for everything you have done to help Hillary win -- it means so much to her to know you are with her all the way.

Sincerely,

Terry McAuliffe
Chairman, Hillary Clinton for President

P.S. Don't forget to tune in tonight to "The Stories of Texas: A Texas-Sized Town Hall" where in the Lone Star State, Hillary will talk to voters and give them a chance to make their voices heard. Tune in at 7:30 p.m. EST to www.hillaryclinton.com.

Clinton suggests she'll stay in the race

By Mike Glover Associated Press Writer / March 3, 2008

TOLEDO, Ohio—Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton suggested Monday she'll press on with the campaign after Tuesday's crucial primaries, arguing that momentum is on her side despite 11 straight losses to rival Sen. Barack Obama.

"I'm just getting warmed up," Clinton told reporters, looking ahead to a busy day of campaign events in Ohio and Texas where polls show a close race ahead of Tuesday's primaries.

Clinton's husband, former President Clinton, has asserted that his wife must win both Texas and Ohio to keep her campaign alive. On Friday, Hillary Clinton's advisers recast the stakes, saying if Obama lost any of the four presidential primaries Tuesday -- Rhode Island and Vermont also vote -- it would show Democrats are having second thoughts about him.

Hillary Clinton predicted success on Tuesday and looked ahead to the next big contest -- Pennsylvania on April 22.

"I think I know what's happening and I believe I'm going to do very well tomorrow," she said. "I think that's going to be a very significant message to the country, and then we move on to Pennsylvania and the states coming up."

Clinton and Obama have been waging a tough and competitive race for the party's nomination, but Obama has seized the momentum, reeling off 11 straight wins in primaries and caucuses since Super Tuesday on Feb. 5. Superdelegates, the party's elected leaders and senior officials, also have been moving toward his candidacy.

As for Tuesday, Clinton said, "Obviously it's within the margin of error in both the popular vote and the delegate count. Ohio is the key to winning the presidency and I'm excited about tomorrow and I'm looking forward to it."

Speaking with reporters on her campaign plane, Clinton argued that the competitive primary contest would be good for the party heading into the November elections, a view at odds with some in the party who fear a lengthy, divisive nomination fight would weaken the Democratic candidate.

"Hard-fought primary contests are a part of American politics," said Clinton. "We're going to have a hard-fought contest, we're going to have a unified Democratic Party, we're going to get behind whoever our nominee is and we're going to win in November."

Lacking from Clinton's comments was the traditional confidence assurance of victory.

"I intend to so as well as I can on Tuesday and we'll see what happens after that," she said.

With John McCain as the Republican nominee in waiting, Clinton said she's going to focus on national security, because the former prisoner of war is certain to make that the core issue of the fall campaign.

"This is a wartime election, which Democrats haven't talked enough about in my opinion," said Clinton.

Clinton planned a town hall meeting in Texas later Monday, and had bought television time to broadcast it across the state. She was returning to Ohio on Tuesday to await election returns, but planned to fly out of Ohio after those returns were final.

Paul Krugman: Deliverance or Diversion?

The trouble is that faith in Mr. Obama’s transformational ability rests on surprisingly little evidence.

Mr. Obama’s ability to attract wildly enthusiastic crowds to rallies is a good omen for the general election; so is his ability to raise large sums. But neither necessarily points to a landslide victory.

Polling numbers aren’t much help: for now, at least, you can find polls telling you anything you want to hear, from the CBS News/New York Times poll giving Mr. Obama a 12-point national advantage over John McCain to the Mason-Dixon poll showing Mr. McCain winning Florida by 10 points.

What we do know is that Mr. Obama has never faced a serious Republican opponent — and that he has not yet faced the hostile media treatment doled out to every Democratic presidential candidate since 1988.

Yes, I know that both the Obama campaign and many reporters deny that he has received more favorable treatment than Hillary Clinton. But they’re kidding, right? Dana Milbank, the Washington Post national political reporter, told the truth back in December: “The press will savage her no matter what ... they really have the knives out for her, there’s no question about it ... Obama gets significantly better coverage.”

If Mr. Obama secures the nomination, the honeymoon will be over as he faces an opponent whom much of the press loves as much as it hates Mrs. Clinton. If Mrs. Clinton can do nothing right, Mr. McCain can do nothing wrong — even when he panders outrageously, he’s forgiven because he looks uncomfortable doing it. Honest.

Clinton hones messages for Ohio voters

By John McCormick and Rick Pearson |Tribune correspondents

March 3, 2008

WESTERVILLE, Ohio - Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama battled for undecided voters Sunday in a central Ohio suburb with a long history of civic activism, each attempting to strike a resonating message before critical balloting in the next stage of a prolonged Democratic presidential contest.

Clinton traveled to Westerville to intensify efforts to portray the Illinois Democrat a candidate of flowing rhetoric with few accomplishments. Obama replied that the New York Democrat's attempts to depict herself as a foreign policy expert were overblown.

Bill Clinton reaches out to undecided voters at rally in Houston

Associated Press

Bill Clinton is appealing to undecided voters to support his wife for president, saying she'd leave the country better off at the end of her term.

The appeal came at a rain-drenched rally at a Houston park Sunday before more than 1,200 supporters of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Her husband, the former president, was campaigning through the state for his wife before Tuesday's pivotal primaries in Texas and Ohio.

Polls have shown Hillary Clinton is in a virtual dead heat in Texas with rival Barack. She's campaigning in Ohio Sunday but is scheduled to return to Texas on Monday, when she'll hold a televised town hall meeting in Austin.

Jack Backs Hillary!

Jack Nicholson has released a video showing his support for Hillary Clinton’s U.S. presidential campaign, dubbing the former first lady as ‘sexy’.

The notorious womaniser enlisted the help of his director friend Rob Reiner to make the internet advert, which features clips from some of his most famous movies including Batman, The Shining and A Few Good Men.

In one of the segments, his character from A Few Good Men says: "There's nothing sexier than saluting a woman."

Although the advert doing the rounds on the internet has no official backing from the democratic candidate, it will help will undoubtedly help with Hillary’s campaign.

The ‘Jack and Hill’ video spokesperson Yusuf K. Robb says: "They (Nicholson and Reiner) decided to do this as something on their own to assist her campaign."

Bill Clinton had better watch out because Jack Nicholson is on the prowl!

Be sure to catch the trailer below.

Rosner: Hillary Clinton comes out swinging as Ohio primary nears

OHIO - Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni does not yet know which of the U.S. presidential primary candidates she will meet when she visits the United States in 10 days. It is hard to plan such encounters when no one knows whether by the time she arrives, Hillary Clinton will be history, and Barack Obama and John McCain will be the official candidates. How can anyone know? On March 11, Mississippi goes to the polls, and if the battle is not decided by then, the candidates will still be busy campaigning when Livni lands in Washington.

The Ohio primary is set for Tuesday, and interest in it grows with every passing day. Absentee voters have shown a historic interest in the contest. In the 2000 primaries, about 10,000 votes were cast before election day. In the 2004 primaries the number was 9,500. This year, in the Cincinnati area alone, 40,000 people filed for absentee ballots. Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner said Friday that she expected a 52-percent voter turnout rate for the primaries. That is only 1 percent less than the turnout for the 2006 gubernatorial elections, which usually sees many more people than the primaries do.

Hillary Begins Big Push Before Primaries

By MIKE GLOVER –

WESTERVILLE, Ohio (AP) — Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton argued Sunday that her campaign is "about solutions," not feelings, as she swept through Ohio on an intense push two days before the state's presidential primary.

She told more than 2,000 cheering backers that she wants to solve the economic troubles facing the industrial Midwest.

"For some people this election is about how you feel, it's about speeches," Clinton said. "Well, that's not what it's about for me. It's about solutions."

The former first lady opened an Ohio campaign marathon, sweeping across the state on a series of appearances lasting until the wee hours of Monday. Her first stop, in suburban Columbus, was aimed at firing up canvassers who were manning phone banks and knocking doors for her.

"Ohio is once again the center of attention, for a reason," Clinton said. "It truly does represent America, the hopes and aspirations, the challenges and opportunities, they are all right here in Ohio. It is a picture of America."

Jack Nicholson Endorses Hillary (with help from Rob Reiner!)

Obama an Empty Suit

by Rick Pearson

WESTERVILLE, Ohio--The central Ohio community of Westerville is the center of the presidential campaign universe today, hosting visits by Democratic contenders Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in two of its high schools.

Clinton was first to get to the city today, speaking to supporters at the Westerville North High Schools gymnasium at a voter canvass kickoff event, where she continued to make her pitch to middle-class voters while ridiculing rival Obama’s speaking skills as empty rhetoric. Obama makes an appearance this afternoon at Westerville Central High School, a scant two miles away from Clinton's event.

Clinton said she has been “very specific” in speaking to audiences in the critical March 4 states, that include Ohio and Texas.

“I’ve given a lot of speeches in my life—probably hundreds of thousands,” she said. “You know, sometimes I finish a speech and people will come up to me and say, ‘That was so inspiring, so wonderful and making people feel so good.’ I said, ‘That’s great. But that’s just words.’ Our job is to make a difference.”

New York Times: Media is Biased Against Clinton

As the two Democratic candidates shuttled between Ohio and Texas this week before Tuesday’s potentially decisive nominating contests, questions over whether reporters were giving each candidate an equally fair shake were thrust into the center of the campaign itself. There were already indications that Mrs. Clinton and her surrogates were finding traction in casting the news media as a conflicted umpire, while also prompting some soul-searching among the reporters themselves.

The night after Mrs. Clinton reprimanded Tim Russert and Brian Williams during the Cleveland debate on MSNBC for asking her a disproportionate number of “first” questions, she appeared Wednesday at a rally in St. Clairsville, Ohio. When someone stood to castigate the news media for being unfair to her, the audience cheered, with some even turning to cast a collective evil eye on the reporters in the high school gymnasium.

In a New York Times/CBS News telephone poll conducted Feb. 20-24 and released Tuesday, nearly half of those respondents who described themselves as voters in Democratic primaries or caucuses said the news media had been “harder” on Mrs. Clinton than other candidates. (Only about 1 in 10 suggested the news media had been harder on Mr. Obama.)

Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama spar over experience vs. judgment

By CHRISTY HOPPE and TODD J. GILLMAN / The Dallas Morning News
choppe@dallasnews.com; tgillman@dallasnews.com

The Lone Star showdown roared into its final stretch Saturday, Hillary Rodham Clinton assailing Barack Obama's campaign as being built entirely on one anti-war speech six years ago and Mr. Obama questioning her judgment on what he calls the most important decision this decade: going to war in Iraq.

"His entire campaign is based on one speech he gave at an anti-war rally in 2002," Mrs. Clinton said in a news conference aboard her campaign plane as she traveled to Fort Worth and Dallas for two rallies, her biggest events yet in North Texas.

'Live, From New York,' It's... Hillary?

NEW YORK (AP) — Hillary Rodham Clinton took a break from the campaign trail to thank "Saturday Night Live" for giving her candidacy a boost — although she failed to get an official endorsement from the show.

Clinton's campaign has gotten a good deal of mileage out of an "SNL" sketch from a week ago in which reporters fawned over her rival, Barack Obama. Clinton brought up the sketch during last Tuesday's debate between the two candidates, and the campaign has encouraged supporters and voters to watch it on NBC's Web site.

This weekend's episode opened with a similar sketch recreating Tuesday's debate. It portrayed NBC anchors Brian Williams and Tim Russert asking Clinton, played by Amy Poehler, tough questions while serving softballs to Obama.

Then the real Clinton appeared onscreen with an "editorial response."

The sketch, she said, "wasn't an endorsement of one candidate over another. I can say this confidently because when I asked if I could take it as an endorsement, I was told, 'Absolutely not.' But I still enjoyed that sketch a great deal because I simply adore Amy's impression of me."

When Poehler asked her how the campaign was going, Clinton responded: "The campaign is going very well. Very, very well. Why, what have you heard?"

Open Letter From Hillary to Her Supporters

Dear Friends,

Yesterday, I asked you to make a statement, and you shouted from the rooftops.

I set an ambitious goal -- 30,000 contributions in 48 hours -- and you're almost there just one day later. So we're setting a new goal to reflect your commitment to this campaign: 50,000 contributions in 72 hours.

Your energy and enthusiasm match what I'm seeing on the campaign trail. Every day I talk to crowds of thousands of people in the March 4 states who are ready to get to work to solve America's biggest problems. Just like you and me, they want to win this race, and together, I know we will.

But first, let's make it to this big new goal: 50,000 contributions in 72 hours.

Contribute and help us win on March 4.

Together we are doing the hard work it's going to take to win. You are giving us the support, the resources, and the momentum we need at this critical moment, and I can't possibly thank you enough.

Sincerely,


Hillary Rodham Clinton