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First Read is an analysis of the day's political news, from the NBC News political unit. First Read is updated throughout the day, so check back often.

Chuck Todd, NBC Political Director

Mark Murray, NBC Deputy Political Director

Domenico Montanaro, NBC News Political Reporter



Renzi to step down from McCain camp

Posted: Friday, February 22, 2008 4:14 PM by Mark Murray

From NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner-Treworgy and NBC's Kelly O'Donnell
On his weekly blogger conference call, John McCain said that Rep. Rick Renzi (R) would probably step down as co-chair of his Arizona campaign. McCain was unaware of the Arizona congressman's indictment until asked about it this morning after a town hall in Indianapolis, at which point he said that you always think about the family in these circumstances and he would look into Renzi's role in his campaign.

In other news, the McCain campaign says the fundraising email sent out yesterday that described the New York Times story as a "smear campaign" was its most successful fundraising email to date, but the campaign declined to say how much it raised.  

Senior adviser Steve Schmidt said in response to questions, "There was a lot of outrage across the country on the story and the campaign has raised a lot of money in the last 24 hours."

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Well here we go again, Lobbysist arent in your campaigne because they like you there there to protect there interest...Let se we have a congressman from airizona, corrupt catering to lobysist, there were earmarks of about 235million dollars to your state, dont tell me you didnt know about that, we have an Alaskan Senator, of apporopriation whos under investigation, you know the guy who supported the bridge to nowwhere, with a ferry for 60million to now where, and 1million to put salmon fishes on alaskan airlines to promote his sons, businees..And you wonder why congress has the support of only 29 percent of the american people....Washington is taking care of itself first...Why do you think Americans are supporting change...For the reason i have stated...This country is in the shape it is because washington doesnt care...Well once again the cry at bunker hill was dont shoot till you see the whites of there eyes, well were comming to washington and when we see the whites of your eyes we will make sure we shoot straight with a voice and vote...This is the year for change...and all you couch people give up your controls and go pull the lever at the polls for change....Again i find it hard to believe that lobysist are there for your best interes but theres.....Washing has more scandal going on and the work of the american people seems to have a low priority,,,,,,,CHANGE    CHANGE   CHANGE CHANGE
Your right Marty. How dare the truth get in the way of your vote. Just one question? do you actually read the newspaper before you wrap your trash in it. You are just the type of towering intellect that elected G.W. Bush twice and we all know how that worked out.
How can u run for president and u want to keep the policies of a current w/a low 30% approval rating.  Does he thing Bush would win again?  Does he know Bush is the reason the Republicans can him his one chance at his dream job when he is too old and at a time when the Republicans have NO change on taking back the White House.  The only Republican who would have a chance after the Bush years is Lincoln--and we know he ain't running.
Patty ..... Clinton must be paying you well to monitor and counter some of these concerns....Me for one and am an independent and dont want anymore disrespect for the White house or its capital which is going on in the Congress now...Nope no more i want change not the same old politics.....I want washington to represent the people which they were elected to do but it seems they come first...I want the nation to trust and look at the white house and who evers in it to represent the true American People and not the fear that most countries sees ous....Change
My question for Mr. McCain is this:  what makes you think you will be up against Obama in the general election.  Does he know something the rest of us are unaware of.  I didnt know we had elected a Democratic candidate yet.  maybe I missed something
IF NOT THIS TIME, NEXT TIME.IF NOT NEXT TIME THE TIME AFTER THAT,BUT, WE SURE CAN NOT KEEP GOING IN THE SAME DIRECTION.SOONER OR LATER WE WILL CHANGE THIS DO AS I SAY NOT AS I DO MENTALLITY AND REALIZE THAT THE U.S, IS IN SERIOUS TROUBLE AT HOME AND ABROAD.CHANGE WE MUST OR CRUMBLE WE WILL. OBAMA TIME IN 09.......
WOW!  Can't we all learn to disagree and still be civil?  I sincerely wonder if Obama knows what he is talking about when he says he can unite Americans when it seems we just can't accept another's opinion without degrading them in some way.  God help the next President as she/he will come under the same attacks as soon, or before, he enters office.  Shame on us.
To me the choice is clear. We can pick Clinton or McCain both of whom are double talking entrenched politicans, or we can try someone new, like Obama. I don't know too much about Obama, but at least I know he isn't "an experienced" politician like the other two. Let's give the new kid a chance!
To me the choice is clear. We can pick Clinton or McCain both of whom are double talking entrenched politicans, or we can try someone new, like Obama. I don't know too much about Obama, but at least I know he isn't "an experienced" politician like the other two. Let's give the new kid a chance!
Are you people ALL idiots?  ALL politicians go crooked when they become CAREER politicos.  Osama Obama is from Chicago!  Jeez, don't any of you remember Richard J. Daley?  "Vote early and often!"  Obama is from the same party and cut from the same cloth!  Hillary is from Chicago and USED to be a Goldwater supporter 'til she went to college and became a lez and a Dem.  Remember the missing Rose Law Firm records?  Unbelievable!  McCain and the Keating Five?  He's rotten to the core.  And he's nearly as conservative as Hillary.  Then there's Mike Huckabee.  Can't make it as a Baptist preacher so he tries his hand at being governor of Arkansas?  Gimme a break.
I would like to see a tape I saw on C Span seen on prime time.

In it , Michelle Obama seemed to be presenting her distrust of people outside her racial group.

It was offensive.

The tape was obviously not being seen live:  I saw it around 4:55 am EST between Feb 6 and Feb 11 this year.
Didn't the NYT endorsed McCain a month ago?...Now they go after him with a ridiculous story, ridiculous enough to make him look GOOD. The kind of "Democrates" that would rather see McCain in the White House if Hillary looses. Very disappointing? Judith Miller in sept 2002 was disappointing...now it comes with no surprise.
Slick Rick is very stubborn.  Even John McCain might not be able to get him to resign from the McCain campaign, or from Congress.
lets get all of them including obama.Rezko---they have the letters Obama wrote for him to get taxpayer money to buy the thirty apartment buildings---course nobody could live in them as they were uninhabitable----but Obama got his payback from campaign moneys and a discounted on the obamanoid mansion plus extra lot.Larry Sinclair claims he did cocaine with Obama in the back of his limoplus other nasties.HThat is what Orieley is talking about---it will come out as soon as they think obama has the nomination.Instead of bring up the clintons past you should have been checking obamas-----he was your candidate not Hillary.
well you cant tell me that McCain just found out about it...Here we are politics as usual, Another crooked politician with pay off from lobysist, and McCain has the most lobbysist working for him, once again they may  be honarable people butthey have and interest at stake, politics as usual...We have a Senator in Alaka who had the bridge to now where, with a ferry basically   to nowwhere, and his support of a Million dollars to put Salmon fish on alakan airlines to support his sons business.  We have corruption in wahington, misaprobiation of billions of dollars for earmarks, and pork barrell...We have billions going to Irag unaccounted for...U now see the comptroller for the budject of the Nation leaving and he also saying we are on a road to disaster, which has been  brought on by the worst approval of washington politics in history....Well if we dont vote for change now it will be 4 more yrs of the same just different people...Basically parties first, american people second...Independents unite to the call of the battle of bunker hill dont shoot till you see the whites of there eyes, well were on our way to washinton and when we see your eyes we will shoot straight with our voice and vote.....Change....We want our country back from the politicians who have made it there own........Change.....
John Mc Cain counts amongst his friends 2 convicted felons. Charles M Keating Jr and John Fife Symington III. How many convicted felons do you count amongst your friends? John Mc Cain is married to a convicted criminal. You dont possess the jounalistic fortitude to print that.  


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