July 2008 - Posts
From NBC’s Alex Wall and Katie Mulhall Obama campaign is launching a Web site to discredit the McCain campaign’s recent attacks on Obama, it announced in a conference call this afternoon. Campaign Manager David Plouffe said that LowRoadExpress.com , a title taken from a New York Times editorial , will focus specifically on documenting and fact checking these attacks.
The Obama campaign already has a page on its Web site dedicated to debunking attacks from viral e-mails and other sources called, “Fight The Smears .” Plouffe clarified that this new site would be solely used to “correct mistruths” coming directly from the McCain campaign.
VIDEO: A day after Sen. John McCain mocked Sen. Barack Obama's celebrity status in a TV ad, Obama's campaign launched a new web site to rebut attacks and responded with an ad of its own. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports. Aides also emphasized that even some Republicans are questioning McCain’s tone and tactics. Susan Eisenhower, president of the Eisenhower Group (and Ike’s granddaughter), added, “These kind of comments and innuendos have no place in a presidential campaign of this importance.”
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From NBC’s Jim Miklaszewski and Courtney Kube
"I am planning and expecting to return to the Pacific Northwest 173 days from today," Gates said with a smile.
When reminded that that is not exactly a denial, Gates said simply, "I'll just leave it at that."
In February of this year, a reporter for the New York Times Magazine asked Gates if he would consider staying on in the next administration, to which he replied, "The circumstances under which I would do that are inconceivable to me."
Later in today's briefing, a reporter asked how Gates is able to come up with the precise number of days before he is scheduled to leave the Pentagon. Gates replied, "I'm paying attention."
From NBC/NJ’s Adam Aigner-Treworgy RACINE, Wisc. -- Just hours after his campaign manager accused Obama of playing the race card, McCain appeared at the Racine Civic Center here and pushed the same message he has been pushing all week: Obama's actions don't match his words.
In his opening remarks, McCain repeated lines he has been using for the past two days, saying Obama is an "impressive speaker" who has excited millions of "young" voters, but it will take more than words to change Washington.
"I have asked Sen. Obama to travel across this country with me and engage in town hall meetings," McCain said. "He has refused to do so, and yesterday he -- in case you missed it -- he wanted to have a duel. I'm not sure exactly what weapons he had in mind, but why don't we just sit down together and have a discussion, because that discussion has got to be with the American people."
This back-and-forth between Obama and McCain has heated up in recent days, especially since the release of the new McCain TV ad dubbing Obama a "celebrity." The media has not had the opportunity to ask the GOP senator about the new ad or about this week's line of attack, but a questioner did the job today by asking if McCain had flip-flopped on his pledge to run a positive campaign.
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From NBC's Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro , McCain campaign manager Rick Davis released this one-sentence statement: "Barack Obama has played the race card, and he played it from the bottom of the deck. It's divisive, negative, shameful and wrong."
The statement refers to this Obama line yesterday: "So nobody really thinks that Bush or McCain have a real answer for the challenges we face, so what they're going to try to do is make you scared of me. You know, he's not patriotic enough. He's got a funny name. You know, he doesn't look like all those other Presidents on those dollar bills, you know. He's risky. That's essentially the argument they're making."
VIDEO: NBC's Andrea Mitchell talks with McCain campaign manager Rick Davis about the Republican candidate's new ad. Obama's remark yesterday seemed innocuous. In fact, it's similar to what he has said many times before. "I know that I don’t look like the Americans who’ve previously spoken in this great city," Obama noted in last week's speech in Berlin.
Perhaps more important, Obama's remarks wouldn't have been seen as playing the race card if Davis hadn't issued this release. After all, the best way to play the race card sometimes is to accuse the other side of playing it.
Could you argue Obama has used the color of his skin as an attempt to garner votes? Yes. Could you also argue that some Republicans have played the race card? Yes. (See here and here and here .) And was it inevitable that race was going to play a role in this campaign? Yes.
But Obama's remarks yesterday seemed like an obvious observation; Obama was very subtle. Davis, though, decided to use a sledgehammer.
Obama spokesman Bill Burton issued this statement: "This is a race about big challenges -- a slumping economy, a broken foreign policy, and an energy crisis for everyone but the oil companies. Barack Obama in no way believes that the McCain campaign is using race as an issue, but he does believe they're using the same old low-road politics to distract voters from the real issues in this campaign, and those are the issues he'll continue to talk about."
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From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa --
Obama condemned the
Paris Hilton ad today as the latest of
McCain’s “predictable political attacks” and sought to portray his opponent as looking out for profitable big oil contributors instead of the working class.
“Given the magnitude of our challenges when it comes to energy and health care and jobs and our foreign policy, you’d think that we’d be having a serious debate,” Obama told residents of this flood-ravaged town. “But so far, all we’ve been hearing about is Paris Hilton and Britney Spears . I do have to ask my opponent, is that the best you can come up with? Is that really what this election’s about? Is that what is worthy of the American people?”
Hours after Exxon-Mobil announced a record $12 billion quarterly profit, Obama whacked the oil industry. “While big oil is making record profits,” he said, “you’re paying record prices at the pump, and our economy is leaving working people behind.”
Obama defended his opposition to expanded offshore oil drilling, saying it wouldn’t provide “short-term relief or medium-term relief or, in fact, long-term relief.”
“Now, although it won’t save you dollars at the pump, I have to say that it has helped raise campaign dollars,” he added. “Because last month, Senator McCain raised more than a million dollars from -- guess who? -- oil and gas company executives and employees – most of whom, most of these campaign contributions came after he went to Houston to meet with a bunch of oil executives and announce that he was in favor of offshore drilling. That’s not a strategy designed to end our energy crisis, it’s a strategy designed to get politicians through an election.”
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From NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner-Treworgy
RACINE, WI --
McCain was just asked at his town hall here about his controversial TV ad comparing
Obama to Britney Spears and Paris Hilton.
"All I can say is that we are proud of that commercial," he answered. "We think Americans need to know that I believe that we should base this campaign on what we can do for Americans here at home and how we can make America safe and prosperous. And that is the theme of our campaign."
*** UPDATE ***
McCain: "First of all, let me say there are differences, and we are drawing those differences. And I said earlier, I admire his campaign. But what we are talking about here is substance and not style. And what we are talking about is who has an agenda for the future of America."
"Campaigns are tough," he added, "but I'm proud of the campaign that we have run. I'm proud of the issues that we have been trying to address with the American people. And again, I would hope that Sen. Obama would join me so we could discuss this as he said he wanted to quote duel over taxes, I believe yesterday. So, all I can say is that we are proud of that commercial. We think Americans need to know that I believe that we should base this campaign on what we can do for Americans here at home and how we can make America safe and prosperous. And that is the theme of our campaign."
From NBC's Ken Strickland and Andrea Mitchell McCain's recent TV ad depicting Obama as celebrity without substance, two of McCain's key Senate allies fired back in an unrelated news conference.
GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham said the whole idea of the ad was "fame without portfolio." "This is a hysteria around a personality that's attractive, but when you look under the hood there's not a whole lot there," Graham told reporters. "So fame without portfolio is sort of fashionable. But leadership without experience is dangerous."
VIDEO: A TV ad released by John McCain's campaign labels Barack Obama an an empty celebrity to be compared with Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. Ads from Obama have hit back. NBC's Savannah Guthrie reports. The "hysteria" Graham referenced was about Obama's recent European trip. "If you embark upon a world tour and you decided to make a campaign speech in a foreign country in front of 200,000 Germans and you act like you're already president, people may notice."
Graham then suggested that Obama may be getting too big for his britches. "He said something yesterday, basically, that he embodies everything good about America. Well, it's good to have self confidence, but you can maybe go too far."
Meanwhile, Sen. Joe Lieberman took a different tack, saying the ad simply compares the two candidates in a "creative" way and people should lighten up. "To some extent the appearance of Paris Hilton and Britney Spears -- people complain about it -- they should just relax and enjoy it," he said. The idea is to draw people into the ad. The point of the ad is really quite strong: Who's ready to lead America?"
From NBC/NJ's Carrie Dann
RICHMOND, VA -- During an hour-long program on Richmond talk-radio station WRVA, Gov.
Tim Kaine continued to offer few hints about his status as a reportedly "serious" contender for the vice presidency. The latest mini-nugget: He says that he has NOT been approached to speak at the Democratic National Convention.
"I haven't been contacted about that," he said when asked if he'd be speaking in Denver. "If they want me to, I'd be glad to."
VIDEO: While not making "categorical declarations," Gov. Tim Kaine says he's focused on running the state of Virginia and spending the day with his daughter, not talking to Barack Obama about a possible V.P. candidacy. Kaine was introduced by the station's producers with a tongue-in-cheek promo: "Ask the Future Possible Vice President." But he diligently continued the refrain that he does not discuss his conversations with
Obama's team.
"I'm not going to make a case for myself for VP, because I haven't ever asked to be considered," he told a call-in questioner who asked about his foreign policy qualifications as a veep. But he quickly added, "You're right: I'm an economy and education guy. That's what governors do."
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From NBC's Domenico Montanaro MSNBC's Morning Joe , McCain spokeswoman Nicolle Wallace and Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs passive (and not so passive) aggressively sparred this morning over the "Celeb" ad.
After Wallace defended the campaign calling Obama "fussy" and talked about celebrity, the food fight began:
VIDEO: McCain strategist Nicolle Wallace and Obama adviser Robert Gibbs discuss the newest McCain ad, which labels Obama "The biggest celebrity in the world." GIBBS: You know the last time I saw Britney Spears on stage with a politician, the guy looked a lot like John McCain, because that's who it was. It was John McCain. ... We'll let them take the low road; it's a place they feel very comfortable in.
On why Obama isn't doing any town halls with McCain, Gibbs insisted Obama camp did offer to do town halls (two as far as we know. McCain's campaign asked for 10. So far, they have done zero together.)
GIBBS: ...We did; we offered... Maybe Nicolle can figure out...
WALLACE [smiling]: We would love that Robert; we would just love that.
Joe Scarborough raised if Gibbs' statement meant that Obama would agree to 10 town hall meetings and sent a letter saying so.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Mike Viqueira Nancy Pelosi is gladly accepting praise from McCain -- but to an extent.
She was asked at the end of her weekly on-camera session with reporters about McCain's reported praise for her. “I respect Speaker Pelosi. I think she's one of the great American success stories," McCain told the San Francisco Chronicle .
Pelosi says that she and McCain "have worked wonderfully together" in the past on such issues as campaign finance reform (she had to bring THAT up) and global warming.
"I look forward to continue working with him in the United States Senate," she concluded to laughter.
From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro The day after Britney-Paris: Today might be a day when John McCain ought to simply forget to read the news clippings, turn off the cable TV, and not browse The Google. The editorials that are blasting his new Britney-Paris ad and other attacks against Obama are piling up. (An example from the St. Pete Times : “The self-described ‘happy warrior' in the 2000 presidential campaign has turned sour in 2008, and the candor and straight talk that once made him such an attractive candidate are rapidly disappearing.”) And so are the blind quotes from Republican strategists questioning his campaign’s tactics. (See the next paragraph.) The danger here for McCain is that, by all accounts, he’s more sensitive to criticism by the media and fellow colleagues than your average Republican; as someone who’s been praised by the press more often than not, he cares what the New York Times has to say. So today and tomorrow, McCain’s body language will be interesting to watch. But since his campaign has made the decision to go after Obama -- it has now produced four consecutive negative ads against the Democrat -- the best course for McCain may simply be to put on the blinders and move forward. The question is whether McCain has the self-discipline to ignore the noise and march forward and accept this strategy as the winning one.
VIDEO: A Race for the White House panel talks about John McCain's new attack ad targeting Barack Obama and comparing him to Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. ***
When ex-aides attack: While it’s too soon to know whether McCain’s Paris-Britney ad will work, it’s clear that some Republicans and ex-McCain aides weren’t too impressed. “Their increasing bitterness reflects a campaign that is more about some sort of therapeutic frustration venting for the staff than any coherent strategy to elect McCain,” one GOPer told the
Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza . “It's unprofessional to the core.” Meanwhile, ex-McCain strategist John Weaver called the ad “childish” and “tomfoolery.” "John's been a celebrity ever since he was shot down," Weaver said to the
Atlantic’s Marc Ambinder . "Whatever that means. And I recall Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush going overseas and all those waving American flags." Indeed, what’s perhaps most interesting to us are all the Republicans and ex-McCain aides who have been openly critical of the campaign. In presidential contests, Republicans are normally unaccustomed to this kind of intra-party dissent and criticism. But as we found with the Kerry campaign in ’04 and the Team Hillary in ’08, it doesn’t necessarily help when there are so many people who like to talk. No matter how disgruntled the McCain campaign says these folks are, these ex-McCainiacs have an impressive track record and know how to give a good quote…
***
What’s he for ? Here’s an additional thought from NBC’s David Gregory, host of MSNBC’s Race for the White House, from his top headline last night: "'What's he FOR?' That was Obama's back of the hand for McCain's stepped up efforts to go negative -- big time -- against the Illinois senator. It's said that campaigns are often about choices. McCain, who can depend on his biography, now seems intent on creating a biography for his opponent, one that borrows from themes raised successfully by President Bush against John Kerry in 2004. Kerry seemed French (remember?); didn't support the troops (though he was a decorated Vietnam veteran); and was weak and a politician first. A McCain source recently told me that the Arizona senator would only attack about something if he believes it. That tells us there is something about Obama McCain has really come to dislike. Or it means making the campaign about Obama is the only way to win. It should also be pointed out that embedded in what some may condemn as baseless negative advertising are serious questions for debate in this campaign about Obama's judgment and plans. It's ironic, however, that McCain -- whose political career has been defined by his biography -- has taken to playing on his opponent’s turf. A big challenge for McCain is this: Obama isn't alone; there are Republican allies of McCain's who urge him to spend time spelling out what he is for." The campaign will argue that between the debates and McCain's convention speech, he'll have a chance to spell out what he's for ... but will that be enough?
***
Battleground update: A new round of
Quinnipiac polls shows Obama leading in the swing states of Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania -- but McCain gaining ground on him. In Florida, Obama is up by two points (46%-44%); a month ago, the lead was four points (47%-43%). In Ohio, Obama is also up two (46%-44%); a month ago, he was up six (48%-42%). And in Pennsylvania, Obama is up seven points (49%-42%); a month ago, the lead was 12 (52%-40%). The good news for McCain is that he’s gaining ground in these crucial states. The bad news for him is that both Florida and Ohio are absolute must-wins for him. That’s not the case for Obama. These numbers in these three states match what we've heard on the ground from campaign types. Basically, Obama has moved Florida from Lean McCain two months ago to toss-up; has held his own in Ohio (though some might argue his lead is a bit bigger than Q shows); and continues to hang on to this high single-digit lead in Pennsylvania, which at some point has to frustrate the McCain campaign because it's starting to make GOPers wonder if the Keystone state is the party's new white whale.
***
Are Obama’s North Carolina chances for real? Folks, it’s not every day that we get a press release from the RNC announcing a new state director for just one state -- North Carolina. But that’s what we found in our email inbox this morning. This is the first acknowledgment from Republicans that they are now taking the Tar Heel State seriously.
VIDEO: President Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki have agreed to pursue a "general time horizon" for withdrawal from Iraq, even as Maliki announces support for Barack Obama's Iraq proposal. NBC's Patty Culhane reports. ***
President Bush makes some news: From the president’s statement this morning: “Beginning tomorrow, troops deploying to Iraq will serve 12-month tours instead of 15-month tours… We're also making progress in our discussion with Prime Minister Maliki's government on a strategic framework agreement. This agreement will serve as the foundation for America's presence in Iraq once the United Nations resolution authorizing the multinational forces there expires on December the 31st.”
*** All about the brand: What's the most damaging thing for Senate Republicans out of the Ted Stevens news? He's become the third sitting GOP senator in the last two years who has had trouble with the law. The other two: David Vitter and Larry Craig. The Rule of Three in this case is not something the GOP could use right now. As conservative activist Tony Perkins put it in his newsletter yesterday regarding Stevens: "As Republicans try to claw their way back to respectability before an election cycle that could plunge them even deeper into the congressional minority, they're instead pushed back into the familiar role of damage control. The news of Stevens' indictment can undo any progress the party has made in rebuilding voters' trust. Instead of purging corruption, Stevens' debacle may do even more damage to the Republican brand." Will Senate Dems be able to use this GOP troika to attack the party and whittle away at its brand in the same way the House Dems hurt the House GOP in '06 on this front?
*** Meet Bobby Jindal: When sworn in as governor, he became the youngest sitting governor at age 36… Jindal, a Rhodes Scholar, turned around the failing Louisiana public health system when he was in his 20s… Named Piyush by a family of Indian descent, but insisted on being called Bobby, after Bobby from The Brady Bunch (we're not kidding)… Converted to Catholicism at age 18… Wrote of witnessing an exorcism of a friend who had cancer -- and then afterward, he wrote, "surgeons found no traces of cancerous cells." Attacks on Jindal using religion backfired on Democrats in Louisiana, but how would this play on a national stage?… Recently Jindal got in legislative hot water before he reversed course and vetoed a legislative pay raise…. But likely the biggest obstacle to Jindal being picked is the most obvious one -- he's been governor for less than a year and he's so young, he could be McCain's grandson.On the trail: McCain holds a town hall in Racine, WI, while Obama holds his own economic town hall in Cedar Rapids, IA. Also, Hillary Clinton addresses AFSCME -- the government employees union that backed her in the Democratic primaries -- in San Francisco; Obama speaks to the union via satellite. Click here to sign up for First Read emails.
The New York Times front-pages McCain’s new ad against Obama. “After spending much of the summer searching for an effective line of attack against Senator Barack Obama, Senator John McCain is beginning a newly aggressive campaign to define Mr. Obama as arrogant, out of touch and unprepared for the presidency. On Wednesday alone, the McCain campaign released a new advertisement suggesting -- and not in a good way -- that Mr. Obama was a celebrity along the lines of Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. Republicans tried to portray Mr. Obama as a candidate who believed the race was all about him, relying on what Democrats said was a completely inaccurate quotation.”
VIDEO: Sen. John McCain's new campaign ad featuring Paris Hilton and Britney Spears attacks Sen. Barack Obama for being a celebrity instead of a leader. NBC's Kelly O'Donnell reports. More: “Mr. McCain’s more focused assault comes after one of his worst weeks of the general election campaign, when he seemed to fumble for a consistent, overarching critique of Mr. Obama, who winged around the Middle East and Europe. Mr. McCain’s advisers continue to look for ways to bring more discipline to his message, and are being urged by some supporters to cut back the frequency of his question-and-answer sessions with reporters, a staple of his campaign but one that occasionally yields unscripted moments, misstatements and off-the-cuff pronouncements that divert attention from the themes he is trying to promote. The intensity of the recent drive -- which has included some assertions from the McCain campaign that have been widely dismissed as misleading -- has surprised even some allies of Mr. McCain, who has frequently spoken about the need for civility in politics.”
The Washington Post ties the new McCain ad to criticisms that he doesn’t always stick to the script. “As Election Day nears, McCain's campaign is adopting the aggressive, take-no-prisoners style of Karl Rove, the GOP operative who engineered victories for President Bush. The campaign continued the attack Wednesday with a sarcastic television ad deriding Obama as a "celebrity," part of an intensifying effort to cast him as an elitist.”
“But the sharp-edged approach is being orchestrated for an unpredictable candidate who often chafes at delivering the campaign's message of the day. It is that freewheeling style that has made him popular with voters and cemented his reputation for candor and straight talk… The result is a presidential campaign that sometimes rolls between serious policy discussions about the nation's future and gotcha politics aimed at undermining his opponent's character. McCain himself is often caught in the middle, proclaiming his commitment to the former while participating in the latter.”
Tom Edsall , writing on Huffington Post, writes, "Facing gale-force anti-Republican headwinds, John McCain must cut Barack Obama down to size in order to be competitive. But McCain's track record using negative ads has been and may still be problematic -- if not disastrous." More: "For McCain, negative ads have by and large been poorly conceived and minimally effective. In 2000, his decision to go negative against George W. Bush was a crucial factor in McCain's eventual defeat." In South Carolina, after Bush allies accused McCain of fathering a black baby, "McCain, who is known for his temper, took the Bush bait, becoming visibly enraged as he roamed the state and produced a television commercial in which he personally accused Bush of twisting 'the truth like Clinton.' ... By the standards of the GOP in South Carolina, John McCain had crossed over into the nether world. In a matter of a week, the Arizona Senator's bid collapsed."CONTINUED >>
A new CNN/Opinion Research poll has Obama leading McCain by seven points nationally among registered voters, 51%-44%.
Meanwhile, the latest round of Quinnipiac battleground polls show Obama up in Pennsylvania (49%-42%) and statistically tied but leading in Ohio (46%-44%) and Florida (46%-44%). Though Obama still leads, the polls are closer than a month ago with some movement apparent with independents.
VIDEO: NBC Political Director Chuck Todd takes a look at new polls that show John McCain gaining on Barack Obama in swing states and the "ad wars" going on between the candidates. Looking at Quinnipiac’s numbers, the
Wall Street Journal notes Obama's losses in demographic groups: "Looking at changes across all four states, independent voters inspired the biggest shift. Obama saw a 26 percentage point loss from June to July, whereas McCain saw a 22 point gain. Similarly, Obama lost 23 points with white males and 22 points with young voters. McCain gained 23 points and 11 points with the respective demographic groups."
MISSOURI: The Washington Post takes a look at Obama's attempts to win the Show Me State. "With a town hall meeting and rally in Springfield, another in Rolla, a stop in Lebanon, and a rainy barbecue here, Obama is trying to mimic Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill's winning game plan from 2006 and get beyond more traditional strategies that left Vice President Al Gore and Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) narrow losers in the Show-Me State. Democrats have traditionally counted on huge margins in St. Louis and Kansas City to counter GOP strength in the rest of the state, and it hasn't worked."
"In the libertarian-leaning West, where Paul's message of distrust of the federal government and ardent individualism played particularly well, there is talk of Republicans straying from McCain," the AP writes. "Libertarian candidate Bob Barr has emerged as a favorite alternative for Paul activists, followed by Constitutional Party candidate Chuck Baldwin. Even if the numbers of such dissenters are small, in tight contests in key Western states they could spoil McCain's chances, experts say."
VIDEO: Just hours after returning from his trip overseas, Barack Obama faced a string of attacks from John McCain, who accused him of calling for a withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq for political gain. NBC's Kevin Corke reports. At his fundraiser in Kansas City yesterday, McCain talked about Social Security and his opponent’s lack of military service, NBC/NJ’s Adam Aigner-Treworgy points out. "I am opposed to raising taxes,” the Arizona senator said. “Sen. Obama wants to raise your taxes. He wants to raise your taxes and if any negotiation I might have when I go in my position will be that I am opposed to raising taxes, but we have to work together to save Social Security."
And: "What puzzled me was when Sen. Obama announced his policy concerning Iraq before he left, after not having been there in more than 900 days. And he got a briefing from Gen. Petraeus, and Gen. Petraeus told him that his policy of setting a date for withdrawal was dangerous for America. And the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on television, our highest-ranking military officer, said it would be a dangerous course. Now for somebody who's had no military experience whatsoever, I would strongly recommend that Sen. Obama at least listen, at least listen to our military leaders and not devise a policy before you leave."
MoveOn and the Sierra Club will begin airing two new TV ads that hit McCain on the issue of energy. A MoveOn spokesman tells First Read that both ad buys are in the six figures.
MoveOn’s ad features a testimonial from a father: “Sen. McCain, you let me and my kids down. From the very beginning, I told them, 'This is a principled guy.' So when you said you were going to help me drive affordably again, I believed you. And then your idea is to do offshore drilling, which I find out won't produce any oil for 10 years…”
The Sierra Club’s ad: “Big Oil companies have our economy and politics in a choke hold. They are getting billions from the government...raking in record profits...while we pay $4 a gallon for gas. John McCain’s answer? Another $4 billion giveaway to Big Oil.”
Yesterday was a decidedly un-Paris Hilton day for Obama, NBC/NJ’s Mike Memoli notes. As if by design, the candidate’s first day back on the campaign trail in weeks was all about showcasing the Democratic nominee as just the opposite of what the John McCain ad sought to portray. Instead of the rock star attracting hundreds of thousands abroad, Obama was speaking in small venues in ruby-red “Missoura,” talking about high gas prices, and trying some “feel your pain” shoulder pats and hugs.
VIDEO: TODAY's Matt Lauer talks to Nicolle Wallace, an aide for John McCain, and Robert Gibbs, a spokesman for Barack Obama, about a McCain ad that compares Obama to celebrities. He capped it off by dishing out burgers and franks to dozens of people in Union, where a few hundred huddled under a canopy to see the Democrat. Obama even sent his staff scrambling to keep up as he paraded around the venue to shake as many hands as he could, without so much as a poncho to keep him dry. “Since they don’t have any new ideas the only strategy they’ve got in this election is to try to scare you about me,” Obama said earlier, mentioning a “funny name,” a different look and “nasty emails.”
“You know, the latest one they’ve got me in an ad with Paris Hilton.” He added, “You know…never met the woman.”
For process junkies, AP's Pickler and Fournier have the story of the day -- examining the microtargeting efforts of the Obama campaign. Among the highlights: "Those 75,000 Democrats who will pack a football stadium for Barack Obama's convention speech won't be there just to whoop and holler on television. They'll form the world's largest phone bank to boost voter registration -- fired-up supporters using computer targeting the campaign has spent months putting together."
CONTINUED >>
Compiled by NBC/NJ’s Matthew Berger and Carrie Dann DEMOCRATS: Has Obama’s short list gotten longer? The Fix says his “vice presidential vetting process has moved into a new stage in which a larger than previously reported group of candidates is being exposed to a ‘deeper dig’ into their backgrounds -- in the words of a source familiar with the process.” It may mean no decision is imminent. And is Obama meeting again with chief vetter Eric Holder? The Houston Chronicle reports that Holder was in Houston Wednesday for fundraisers. That’s where Obama will be Thursday for a finance event.
VIDEO: Time is running low for Barack Obama and John McCain to pick their running mates. NBC's David Gregory and Chuck Todd weigh in on the possible short lists. Also interviewed is analyst Mike Murphy.
A group focused on pressuring Obama to pick Sen. Hillary Clinton as his running mate is shutting down. “Because it seems that Senator Obama has made his decision to offer the slot on the ticket to another candidate, we believe that continuing to ask him to pick Hillary is no longer helpful to our party’s chances of winning in November,” organizers of VoteBoth , Sam Arora and Adam Parkhomenko, are telling supporters in an email this morning. And, by the way, While Clinton has paid off 15 colleges and universities for her primary campaign, she still owes more than $150,000 for events at schools across the country. Politico . Charlie Rose (which the gov's camp says was scheduled before the veep feeding frenzy started), Kaine addressed concerns among the pro-choice community that the Roman Catholic governor would support limits on abortion rights. Although he is personally pro-life, he said he does not advocate for the overturn of Roe v. Wade. “Roe vs. Wade is ultimately about saying that there is a realm of personal liberty for people to make this decision," he said. Larry Sabato think? “If Obama and Kaine win, it could be the last victory the Democrats in Virginia have for a while,” says the UVA prof., predicting disastrous consequences for state Dems should the governor relinquish his seat. REPUBLICANS: Gov. Tim Pawlenty is on to us : “Lately, I've just stopped talking about it because I get asked about it frequently and if I say a word different than I said last time, it just fuels another round (of speculation).” Pawlenty is in Washington Thursday to speak at a press conference for Achieve, Inc., touting a new report on improving academic standards. Pawlenty serves as vice chair of the bi-partisan, nonprofit group. He told state lawmakers in Chicago Wednesday to take a Sam’s Club approach to government. “I want to get the best value for my money,” he said. “That’s missing in government in dramatic, dramatic measurement.” Dan Schnur says both men “exacerbate the greatest weaknesses of Mr. McCain and Mr. Obama, respectively, rather than addressing them.”
From NBC's Mark Murray Obama campaign is responding to McCain's Britney-Paris-Obama ad with its own TV advertisement -- which calls McCain's attack "the same old politics," links McCain to Bush , and points out that news organization and fact-checkers have found falsehoods in past McCain ads.
The script: Announcer: He's practicing the politics of the past.
From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli
ROLLA, MO --
Obama said at a town hall here today that
McCain is running a campaign based on nothing more than fear and negative attacks.
“He’s spending an awful lot of time talking about me,” Obama told a crowd of 1,200. “I haven’t seen an ad yet where he talks about what he’s going to do. And the reason is because those folks know they don’t have any good answers. They know they’ve had their turn over the last eight years and made a mess of things... And so the only way they figure that they're going to win the election is if they make you scared of me. So what they’re saying is, 'Well we know we’re not very good, but you can’t risk electing Obama. You know, he’s new. He doesn’t look like the other presidents on the currency.'"
VIDEO: John McCain's negativity towards Barack Obama struck again in his latest ad, which mocks the Democratic presidential candidate's worldwide celebrity. Earlier, speaking at a restaurant in the town of Lebanon, Obama responded directly to a question about McCain’s new television ad by asking reporters to turn the tables. “He doesn’t seem to have anything to say very positive about himself,” Obama said. “You need to ask John McCain what he’s for and not just what he’s against.”
The comments came as Obama continued his focus on energy and the economy. He told the crowd in Rolla that while offshore drilling may poll well, President Bush and McCain are selling the American people a “bill of goods” that offers no real relief to the current crisis. “If I thought that the only way to solve the energy crisis was to go ahead and drill some more, I’d be all for it,” Obama said. “We can work to increase supplies, but the truth of the matter is that we have got to have a much bolder energy policy.”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC/NJ's Matthew Berger
THE SHORT LIST. Virginia Gov. Tim
Kaine tells NBC/NJ that he doesn't "have any idea about where the process is" for the selection of the vice presidential nominee, and that he has not spoken to Sen. Barack
Obama “for a number of weeks, since before his trip.” He also said the speculation is “kinda fun.”
The
latest in the pros and cons of former Mass. Gov. Mitt
Romney : He could help Republicans in the West. He knows economics, has been vetted, and can throw and take a punch.
VIDEO: A Race for the White House panel takes a look at potential running mates for Barack Obama and John McCain, including Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., and former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Conservative Catholic group Fidelis is
going after Obama for possibly choosing a pro-abortion rights Catholic running mate -- Kaine or Kansas Gov. Kathleen
Sebelius : They “would represent a major insult to Catholic voters who are still evaluating his candidacy ... The choice of a pro-abortion Catholic for vice president would deal a major blow to any efforts by the Obama campaign to reach out to Catholic voters," said Brian Burch, president of the group.
ON THE RECORD. The Obama campaign announced Kathleen McGlynn, who was Sen. John
Edwards’ presidential campaign chief of staff, will serve as deputy chief of staff for the forthcoming vice presidential candidate. And David Wade, who was spokesman for John Kerry in his 2004 presidential run, will be the vice president’s traveling spokesman.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Ken Strickland
Sen. John Ensign, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, declined to endorse Stevens' campaign for reelection. The NRSC describes itself on it's Web site as "the only political committee solely dedicated to electing Republicans to the U.S. Senate."
VIDEO: Guest host Mike Barnicle talks about the ten U.S. senators indicted while in office in the Hardball Big Number. Ensign, instead of endorsing the longest serving Senate Republican in history, said he wanted to wait for the results of Alaska's Republican primary on August 26th. Stevens faces six opponents.
"The candidates are on the ballot right now, and we're going to wait to see how that whole thing plays out," Ensign said.
"Do you still endorse Sen. Stevens?" a reporter asked Ensign.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Andrea Mitchell Obama senior strategist David Axelrod called into the 1:00 pm MSNBC hour to respond to McCain's latest TV ad . Having watched McCain campaign policy adviser Nancy Pfotenhauer defend it, Axelrod called in and said the latest ad is both "sophomoric" and "negative."
VIDEO: NBC's Andrea Mitchell talks with John McCain's policy advisor Nancy Pfotenhauer about a new ad by the Republican presidential candidate that says Barack Obama is the biggest celebrity, but he is not ready to lead. When asked about the ad's attempt to link Obama with Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, Axelrod replied, "I think the most important reference in the ad was Britney Spears, because as it said in the [Obama campaign] statement, she has that song in a paraphrase 'Oops, he did it again!' Sen. McCain has been criticized in papers all over the country -- Factcheck.org -- for the tactics he has taken in the last several weeks, and the ads that he has run including one that blames Barack Obama for the energy crisis and so on."
He continued, "And in the words of USA Today yesterday, it's baloney! And the thing that is sad about it is that Sen. McCain entered this campaign as someone who was going to elevate the debate and talk about the future, and that is the reputation he had. And instead, we get some very familiar tactics. And it makes you wonder who is running the campaign, who is making the decisions, who is behind all of this. This isn't the John McCain we expect."
When told the McCain campaign's charge that it was the Obama camp who ran the first negative ad of the general election -- which was a response to an RNC TV ad hitting Obama -- Axelrod added: "The real point is we have got serious, serious challenges facing this country, including a genuine energy crisis. And we ought to have a real discussion about it. Instead, we get sophomoric, negative ads that are completely false. There are things in that ad that are fundamentally wrong in terms of what Sen. Obama's position is."*** UPDATE ***
From NBC's Doug Adams Stevens' money" -- the billions in federal grants, contracts and largesse that Sen. Ted Stevens has steered to Alaska over the last 40 years. But "Stevens' money" on Capitol Hill isn't so popular anymore apparently.
VIDEO: U.S. Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska has been indicted on seven felony counts for allegedly failing to disclose gifts he received from an oil services company. NBC's Pete Williams reports. In a sign that his support within the party may be slipping, at least four GOP senators in tough re-election campaigns have announced they will give away political contributions made by Stevens' political action committee (PAC).
Through his "Northern Lights" PAC, Stevens has made more than $340,000 in campaign contributions this campaign cycle, including donations to every Republican senator up for reelection in 2008. He's given $5,000 to John McCain's campaign for president ... and $10,000 to his fellow embattled Alaskan, Rep. Don Young .
JOHN SUNUNU (R-NH) -- Yesterday, Sununu's campaign, locked in a tough re-election battle with former NH governor Jeanne Shaheeen , announced it would donate to charity the $10,000 it received from Stevens PAC. Previously it has given away other contributions it received from convicted VECO employees in 2007.
ELIZABETH DOLE (R-NC) -- Dole's campaign was the first to announce yesterday afternoon it would donate $10,000 that it received from Northern Lights PAC to charity -- the Soc. of St. Andrew, a Christian ministry dedicated to feeding America's hungry. Dole is battling a well funded Democratic opponent -- Kay Hagan .
GORDON SMITH (R-OR) -- Smith's campaign announced yesterday it would donate to charity the $10,000 it received from Steven's leadership PAC. Smith has received nearly $40,000 from Stevens in contributions over the years, and Smith's PAC has contributed to Stevens' re-election campaign.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro and his campaign repeated at least two lines of attack against Obama, which when first said in early July, were called "bogus," "wrong," "inflated" and "misleading" by independent fact checkers.
At his town hall today, McCain repeated that Obama wants to raise taxes on those making as little as $32,000 a year and in his campaign's response to Obama's event in Springfield, Mo., today, repeated that "...Obama’s bad judgment led him to vote in support of higher taxes 94 times...."
Of the $32,000 point, FactCheck.org called that "bogus" and "wrong." "The McCain campaign falsely claims that Obama voted to raise income taxes on individuals earning "as little as $32,000 per year," Fact Check wrote on July 8.
"The resolution Obama voted for would not have increased taxes on any single taxpayer making less than $41,500 per year in total income, or any couple making less than $83,000. The $32,000 figure is approximately the taxable income of a single person making $41,500 per year, after all deductions and exclusions. Obama's vote (for a non-binding budget bill) does not change the fact that his own tax plan would provide a tax cut of $502 for a non-married taxpayer earning $35,000." It also points out that despite the fact check, the Republican National Committee still aired radio ads "in two states repeating the bogus $32,000 figure."
NBC's Ken Strickland wrote at the time , "There was no vote during the budget resolution process to actually raise taxes. Simply put, there was not a vote which in effect said, "let's raise taxes by 3% on certain tax brackets." So Obama did not vote to raise taxes per se. BUT... the overall budget resolution does assume the BUSH 2001/2003 tax cuts will expire (or have to be offset by new spending.) And if they expire, taxes in the 25, 28, and 33 percent tax brackets would increase 3% as Holtz-Eakin suggests. (Democrats are happy to remind folks that McCain was against those tax cuts, before he was for them.) ...
CONTINUED >>
From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli
SPRINGFIELD, MO --
Obama returned to the campaign trail today, guns blazing.
Responding to a barrage of attacks in recent weeks, he linked
McCain to the
Bush economic policies and claimed that it was the Republican nominee who was the “risky” choice in November.
“Nobody thinks that Bush or McCain have a real answer for the challenges we face, so what they are going to try to do is make you scared of me,” he told more than a thousand people at a high school here. "'He's risky' -- that's the argument... It's like, 'Well, we don't have very much to offer but he's risky.' And let me just say, it's true that change, change is hard. Change isn't easy. And the question you have to ask yourself is, 'What's more risky?’”
He added, "We are in a time right now where it is too risky not to change. It is risky to keep on doing what we are doing, to accept the tired status quo."
Obama focused almost exclusively on the economy during his half-hour opening remarks, including the high-energy costs. He challenged the notion that drilling was the answer to the crisis, saying the effort may not have an impact for 10 years, if at all.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC/NJ’s Adam Aigner-Treworgy, NBC’s Alex Wall and Domenico Montanaro Obama an "international celebrity," McCain campaign manager Rick Davis held a conference call this morning to address the content of their latest TV ad entitled "Celeb." The ad begins with pictures of Britney Spears and Parish Hilton before showing clips of Obama speaking to a massive crowd in Berlin, and then calls him the "the biggest celebrity in the world."
Davis also defended the ad, claiming that it accurately portrays the way the Obama campaign “has conducted his campaign” and “the events he has held.” He argued the Obama campaign’s strategy was to “build a fan base around the world” rather than address the issues, and called the Illinois senator “presumptuous” and “not ready to lead.”
VIDEO: Jonathan Capehart of the Washington Pose joins the "Morning Joe" team to analyze Barack Obama's recent statements and question whether he is acting arrogant. “The difference between John McCain and Barack Obama is that [our campaign] has the expectation that the American people will decide who the next president is going to be,” Davis said. “My view is that there is a distinct difference in how John McCain conducted himself in the various world capitals compared to the ‘Obama world tour.’”
McCain adviser Steve Schmidt said, "It's beyond dispute that he has become the biggest celebrity in the world. It's a statement of fact. It's backed up by the reality of his tour around the world. He has many fans. The question that we are posing to the America people is this, ‘Is he ready to lead yet?’"
Obviously the McCain campaign's answer to that question is no, as Schmidt then went on to detail how Obama has failed to lead on the biggest issue in this election -- the economy -- calling his opposition to offshore drilling "economic crackery."
When asked what makes Obama a celebrity and not McCain, Davis said that he'd "love to think that John McCain was a big international celebrity, but he's not."
"One of the points that should be clear here today is that the Obama campaign does a wonderful job of presenting their candidate in the most popular light that they can get, and I think they do a very good job at it," Davis said. "They have more fans around the world than Britney Spears does. I make that bold, blatant statement."
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Mark Murray and Domenico Montanaro Bill Richardson endorsed Obama over Hillary Clinton during the Democratic primary season, many in Clinton Land were upset with the New Mexico governor -- given that Bill Clinton made Richardson his Energy secretary and UN ambassador.
Well, it looks like Richardson is making amends by hosting two fundraisers in New Mexico on August 17 to help Hillary Clinton retire her debt.
Added Clinton spokesman Kathleen Strand: "Sen. Clinton is grateful for Gov. Richardson's and Sen. Obama's efforts to assist with retiring her campaign debt and she is looking forward to continuing to campaign for Senator Obama and help ensure victory for Democrats throughout the country this fall."
It's worth noting that Richardson's own debt from his presidential run (as of June 30) is $292,726.
*** UPDATE ***
From NBC's Mark Murray and Domenico Montanaro Obama , the McCain campaign calls Obama the "biggest celebrity in the world" -- and in the process shows clips of Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. The ad continues, "With gas prices soaring, Barack Obama says no to offshore drilling. And says he'll raise taxes on electricity. Higher taxes, more foreign oil, that's the real Obama."
On Morning Joe yesterday, McCain manager Rick Davis compared Obama to Paris Hilton. "Barack Obama has become a global celebrity," he said. "I mean, Barack Obama has more fans across the world than Paris Hilton does. I mean, it's just an extraordinary thing. And I don't think anybody would underestimate that."
Unlike its TV ad blasting Obama (falsely) over the Landstuhl controversy, which ran just a handful of times, this new ad, the campaign says, will be cycled into the campaign's buy on national cable and in Colorado, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Northern Virginia, and Wisconsin.
*** UPDATE *** Obama camp's response:
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Mike Viqueira Karl Rove in contempt of Congress.
VIDEO: Former White House adviser Karl Rove has ignored a subpoena to testify in front of Congress about allegations of political pressure at the Justice Department. MSNBC's Mike Viqueira reports. Recall that Rove has recently defied a committee subpoena, refusing to testify on the firing of federal prosecutors and the politicization of the Department of Justice.
At this point it is unclear what -- if any -- action the House will take in response to the committee recommendation, assuming it passes. After Friday, the House is gone on recess until after Labor Day, when it is only expected to return for three weeks before leaving again for the year.
From NBC/NJ's Carrie Dann
CHINCOTEAGUE, VA -- Virginia Gov.
Tim Kaine tells NBC/NJ that he doesn't "have any idea about where the process is" for the selection of the vice presidential nominee, and that he has not spoken to
Obama "for a number of weeks, since before his trip."
Kaine, widely rumored to be at the top of Obama's veep short list, attended the annual Chincoteague Pony Swim this morning with his 13-year old daughter. In an interview with NBC News and the National Journal, Kaine downplayed chatter over his potential role as Obama's No. 2 as a more casual matter than the frenzy makes it seem. "I have no idea how serious it is or anything," he said, "but it's been kind of fun."
Asked if he's spoken with the Illinois senator recently, Kaine responded, "No, not for, gosh, for a number of weeks. Since before his trip. And I really don't have any idea about where the process is."
VIDEO: A Hardball panel discusses who are the top candidates on Barack Obama and John McCain's short list for vice president. Kaine insisted that he has "no hints about timing" for the veep rollout, whoever the choice may be. But he doesn't seem to mind the spotlight in the meantime. "It's nice to be speculated about," he said with a smile.
Kaine, who called the hype "kind of weird," and "surreal," was clad in a t-shirt celebrating the Virginia town's annual Pony Swim, when Chincoteague's trademark breed of ponies are herded across a channel from a nearby island for penning and auctioning.
Square on the back of Kaine's screen-printed tee: the calendar year "08."
From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro Rock bottom for Republicans? OK, Hill Republicans, ask yourselves -- is this bottom? The indictment of Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) is a BIG deal. This appears to be a case of a politician who just didn't think he could get touched. And also, he probably believed the favors he was receiving were favors he deserved (that's usually how these longtime lawmakers talk themselves into taking these favors). As for his re-election bid, realize that Stevens was in trouble BEFORE the indictment, and his seat was one of the Democrats top pick-up opportunities this cycle. This isn't a case where he was coasting to re-election, and NOW this indictment makes him vulnerable. By the way, the Stevens indictment is actually a potential opportunity for McCain, who has never been a fan of the pork-barrel senator and has had his share of clashes with the man. But so far, we haven’t heard a peep on this from McCain... And the indictment certainly doesn’t hurt Obama’s quest to put this ruby-red state into play. But Stevens represents everything McCain's been running against inside the GOP for a decade. He ought to embrace his downfall before the GOP's tarnished brand stains him with this. Meanwhile, NBC’s Pete Williams and Tony Capra report that Stevens will appear in federal court in Washington on Thursday at 1:00 pm ET for his initial appearance on the federal charges of filing misleading financial disclosure statements.
VIDEO: NBC Political Director Chuck Todd takes a look at today's political headlines including criticisms Barack Obama is receiving for being "too arrogant" and John McCain is receiving for being "cranky." ***
Dueling narratives : When you scroll through the newspapers today -- or our summaries of them below -- you’ll discover developing narratives about Obama and McCain that have the ability to dent the images of both men. For Obama, it’s that he has become too arrogant and too confident. The
Washington Post has him telling House Democrats yesterday: “I have become a symbol of the possibility of America returning to our best traditions.” But Politico is reporting that that wasn’t the entire quote. Per a Democratic source, “[The Post] left out the important first half of the sentence, which was along the lines of: ‘It has become increasingly clear in my travel, the campaign, that the crowds, the enthusiasm, 200,000 people in Berlin, is not about me at all. It’s about America. I have just become a symbol…” Regardless of the context now, this narrative has been ready to explode at some point and even a misreported quote was enough to spark this arrogance watch. Some see him violating the cardinal sin of politics, acting as if this campaign is about him. He needs to remember that he's latching on to the anti-Bush coattails; any Democrat would be up right now. By the way, where are Michelle Obama’s comments about her stinky and snorey husband? He could use the self-deprecation.
*** The angry warrior : For McCain, the potentially damaging narrative is that he has become the angry warrior -- lashing out harsh and lately unsubstantiated attacks against Obama. The danger for him: This could turn off independents (who happen to be McCain’s lucky shield in this tough political climate for Republicans), and it could make it nearly impossible for McCain to seem like a change candidate in this change election. Unlike Clinton, McCain does have a reservoir of favorable ratings to throw the kitchen sink at Obama. But it does seem lately that he's on the verge of mumbling one of Bob Dole's quotes of '96, when he would constantly complain about the lack of caring the public had for Clinton's character issues.
*** That’s a lot of dough in less than two months : This morning, the Wisconsin Advertising Project is up with a new report showing that more than $50 million has been spent on TV ads for the general election campaign (from June 3 to July 26). Per the report, Obama has spent more than $27 million while McCain has spent more than $21 million, with the RNC and other third-party groups making up the rest. What’s interesting is that the McCain camp -- sometimes with the RNC’s help -- is outspending Obama in many key battlegrounds (MI, OH, PA, WI, CO, MN, MO, NH, NV, NM). But where Obama’s camp is running up the score versus McCain is in six red states where McCain has yet to run an ad (FL, GA, NC, IN, MT, and AK). McCain’s camp, right now, is betting that Team Obama can’t turn one of those six blue. But if it can, it could further open up the playing field in this election.
VIDEO: Speculation is growing that Virginia Governor Tim Kaine is on Barack Obama's vice-presidential short list and John McCain is considering Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports. ***
Today's veepstakes buzz : Tim Kaine appears to have vaulted to the top of the Obama short list. The campaign did nothing to tamp down the speculation that began yesterday. In fact, it appears the Obama short list is truly now short -- with as few as three names now on it: Kaine, Joe Biden and Evan Bayh. As for McCain, it's been a quiet couple of days on the VP front with speculation that he's perhaps not as far along as the campaign hinted at last week when rumors were flying he could name a running mate at any moment. Mitt Romney and Tim Pawlenty continue to be seen as the top two potential picks.
*** Meet Kathleen Sebelius : Obama is in Missouri, which borders Kansas. That brings us to Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius… Her father, John Gilligan, was governor of Ohio. She also happens to be the first daughter of a governor to be elected governor herself… As a symbol of bipartisan appeal, her father-in-law was a Republican congressman from Kansas… Chose a Republican as her gubernatorial running mate in 2002… Ranked one of America's five best governors by Time magazine in 2005… A Catholic, she is personally opposed to abortion, though she has supported abortion-rights positions. That has led to one Archbishop to call for her not to receive communion (Remember that, John Kerry?)… Delivered the Democratic response to this year’s State of the Union, which was widely panned from the left for its bipartisan message. Even though Obama and Sebelius seem to have a lot in common, Sebelius' major obstacle is not that she is a woman, but that she is the wrong woman -- not Hillary Clinton.
*** On the trail : Both candidates are in the Show Me State. McCain raises money in Kansas City, but before that, he’s in Colorado, where he meets with conservative Catholic Archbishop Charles Chaput and visits Wagner Equipment Company. Meanwhile, in Missouri, Obama holds economic security town hall meetings in Springfield and Rolla before heading to a BBQ in Union. Click here to sign up for First Read emails .
The New York Times : "The indictment of a sitting senator, particularly one of Mr. Stevens’s seniority and stature, reverberated swiftly and ominously through the Capitol, in no small part because of the political implications. Democrats already had high hopes that they would win more seats in November. They now control the Senate by a razor-thin 51 to 49, thanks only to two independents who vote with them. As far-fetched as it might seem, some Democrats have started thinking aloud that they may be able to win nine more seats in November, bringing them a filibuster-proof majority of 60."
VIDEO: In a serious blow to one of the most powerful members of the U.S. Senate, Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, was indicted on corruption charges for failing to report $250,000 in gifts from oil companies. NBC's Pete Williams reports. Stevens professed his innocence . "With the indictment, Stevens, an icon in Alaska politics, becomes by far the most powerful politician charged in the broad, four-year federal investigation into public corruption in the state. To date, three state legislators, a high-level official in Gov. Frank Murkowski's administration, two businessmen and a lobbyist have been convicted, while two legislators are awaiting trial."
Just how much trouble is he in for re-election? Um, a lot . "Stevens, who has never had a close election race since being appointed to the Senate in 1968, says he's innocent and will fight the charges. His campaign is expressing confidence, and even detractors concede his reservoir of loyalty in the state. The question is whether a federal corruption indictment is enough to poison that goodwill.”
CONTINUED >>
Michael Duffy looks at the dilemma facing Obama between the Kaine and Biden choice. "The alternate universe goes like this: The last thing Obama ought to do is pick a figure from the Washington establishment. He needs, instead, to reinforce his message of change and shake up the status quo with an outsider untainted by the Capitol games. Such a pick would be aimed not at the party's base but at the pool of independent voters who still aren't comfortable with Obama and are looking all summer for signs that he is both something different and up to the job. Those who back this approach have been talking about Kaine for months in this context, as well as former Virginia governor Mark Warner, Kansas governor Kathleen Sibelius and Virginia Senator Jim Webb (before he took himself out of the contest)."
VIDEO: Talk that Virginia Governor Tim Kaine may be tapped as Barack Obama's running mate spilled out of the Betlway Tuesday. NBC's Brian Williams reports. More: "Of course, Obama could try to split the difference. And parked somewhere between these poles is Senator Evan Bayh, a moderate Democrat from Indiana who has been a member of the Intelligence and Armed Services committees and backed Hillary Clinton during the primary but has kept a comparatively low profile despite a decade in Washington. He has been elected statewide five times in a state where his last name is something close to hard currency, though that is hardly a guarantee that he could help Obama carry the state. Bayh's also a little short on excitement, but that's the one area where Obama can carry the ticket all by himself.”
“In any case, the choice between doubling down and compensating for weakness is not unlike the judgment awaiting Republican John McCain. He could look to a younger Republican who is more oriented toward domestic policy — such as Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty, who is 48, or former Bush Administration official and Ohio Congressman Rob Portman of Cincinnati, who is 52. Or he could forgo those relative newcomers and instead try to underscore his own experience by tapping former governor, businessman and Olympics organizer Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, who is 61."
Get to know Tim Kaine, via the Richmond Times-Dispatch . "Kaine's enthusiasm, however, cannot mask a record as governor that even Democrats describe as mixed. Hobbled by a sour economy and a scornful Republican majority in the House of Delegates, Kaine has been able to do little for the state's cash-starved transportation system and has had to settle for less on such initiatives as expanded pre-kindergarten for 4-year-olds.”
"[S]ome analysts now say McCain might gain more of an advantage by waiting until the last possible moment. Obama must announce his pick by the time of the Democratic convention during the last week of August," the Boston Globe writes. "McCain can wait until the following week, when the Republican convention is held. Historically, the candidate who has the later convention gets the later 'bounce' in the polls. As a result, some political analysts and commentators say it would not make sense for McCain to give away the vice presidential bounce by announcing his pick before Obama." DEMOCRATS : Obama has not conducted formal sit-down interviews with vice presidential candidates and the decision is viewed as weeks, not days away, the New York Times reports. The death penalty cases Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine defended two decades ago are being reviewed in Richmond by Obama vetters. Kaine told a Chincoteague Island hotel owner Tuesday night that the vice presidential list “seems to be getting shorter . And I’m still being mentioned.” But he acknowledged a lot could change. Kaine made the comments near the Tilt-A-Whirl at the Chincoteague, which he didn’t ride. that he doesn’t want to be vice president , but “I’d say yes” if asked. He also wouldn’t answer a question on whether he was being vetted. Biden remains on the short list, the local paper says , boosted by Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell’s platitudes. REPUBLICANS : A profile of the McCain-Romney bond says six hours on a plane ride healed their relationship. “McCain and his aides used to openly dislike Romney. Top strategists jokingly nicknamed him ‘Damien,’ after the kid in ‘The Omen’ who grows up to become the antichrist.” Chris Cillizza looks at why McCain shouldn’t pick former Rep. Rob Portman. Top on the list: he’s a Bush guy. Offshore gambling odds have Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney both at 2 to 1, as are Kaine and Sen. Evan Bayh on the Democratic side.
The New York Times examines the harsh tone coming out of the McCain campaign. "The old happy warrior side of Mr. McCain has been eclipsed a bit lately by a much more aggressive, and more negative, Mr. McCain who hammers Mr. Obama repeatedly on policy differences, experience and trustworthiness. By doing so, Mr. McCain is clearly trying to sow doubts about his younger opponent, and bring him down a peg or two. But some Republicans worry that by going negative so early, and initiating so many of the attacks himself rather than leaving them to others, Mr. McCain risks coming across as angry or partisan in a way that could turn off some independents who have been attracted by his calls for respectful campaigning.”
VIDEO: A Race for the White House panel discusses whether John McCain is starting to lose his cool when attacking Barack Obama. The
Washington Post writes that the McCain campaign’s charge that Obama skipped his Landstuhl visit because he couldn’t bring the press along with him doesn’t have any evidence to back that claim up. The paper also notes: "The attacks are part of a newly aggressive McCain operation whose aim is to portray the Democratic presidential candidate as a craven politician more interested in his image than in ailing soldiers, a senior McCain adviser said. They come despite repeated pledges by the Republican that he will never question his rival's patriotism."
The Post doesn't pull punches with this next graph, reporting flat out that McCain and his allies are questioning Obama's patriotism. "Despite serious and repeated queries about the charge over several days, McCain and his allies continued yesterday to question Obama's patriotism by focusing attention on the canceled hospital visit."
Speaking of the Landstuhl attack, the New York Times reports the campaign put very little money behind its TV ad attacking Obama on the issue. "The number of times Senator John McCain’s new advertisement attacking Senator Barack Obama for canceling a visit with wounded troops in Germany last week has been shown fully or partly on local, national and cable newscasts: well into the hundreds. The number of times that spot actually, truly ran as a paid commercial: roughly a dozen.”
“Result for Mr. McCain: a public relations coup that allowed him to show his toughest campaign advertisement of the year — one widely panned as misleading — to millions of people, largely free, through television news media hungry for political news with arresting visual imagery."
CONTINUED >>
Obama has gone up with a response to McCain's gas prices ad, which blames Obama for the price of gas. Obama's response is called "Old Politics," and it directs viewers to Obama's energy plan and the plan's Web site. "The ad is less hard hitting than one Obama aired earlier this month that said McCain was 'part of the problem' of high gas prices," the AP writes. "That ad responded to a Republican National Committee ad that accuses Obama of offering no new solutions for high gas prices and global warming."
VIDEO: The Obama campaign released a comeback ad to the McCain one which blames the Democratic presidential nominee for rising gas prices. A Race for the White House panel discusses. The ad is running in Colorado, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, northern Virginia, and Wisconsin.
The hubris factor is front and center today. Here's the anecdote that got this issue started and a reminder that he should not use the word "I." It's a good rule for columnists (that a few annoyingly ignore) and one for candidates: "In his closed door meeting with House Democrats this evening, presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama delivered a real zinger. According to a witness, he was waxing lyrical about last week's trip to Europe, when he concluded, ‘this is the moment, as Nancy [Pelosi] noted, that the world is waiting for.’”
“The 200,000 souls who thronged to his speech in Berlin came not just for him, he told the enthralled audience of congressional representatives. ‘I have become a symbol of the possibility of America returning to our best traditions,’ he said."
The Washington Post's Milbank adds, "Some say the supremely confident Obama -- nearly 100 days from the election, he pronounces that ‘the odds of us winning are very good’ -- has become a president-in-waiting. But in truth, he doesn't need to wait: He has already amassed the trappings of the office, without those pesky decisions."
CONTINUED >>
From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli
WASHINGTON -- A group of women leaders spoke at length this morning with
Obama about a number of key concerns, including health care and pay equity. But no conversation with any group these days could go without some discussion of running mates, and one participant said that Obama was encouraged to put
Hillary Clinton on the ticket.
“It was mentioned very briefly,” said Ellen Malcolm of EMILY’s List, one of about 30 women part of the discussion. “I think everybody realizes this will be his personal decision.”
VIDEO: Former Clinton campaign chairman Terry McAuliffe joins "Morning Joe" to discuss how Barack Obama will use Hillary Clinton in his campaign and why they haven't appeared together since Unity, N.H. Obama told the group that he had met with Clinton earlier as part of a conversation with women senators. A Clinton spokesman confirmed that the two former rivals were together this morning, but was unaware if there was one-on-one time.
“He actually told us who it’s going to be,” Malcolm joked, quickly adding that she like others has no indication of the Illinois senator’s thinking.
Obama has just departed the office of Eric Holder, who is heading his running mate search. He spent two and a half hours there today, after spending nearly two hours there yesterday.
From NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner-Treworgy
SPARKS, Nev. -- Speaking under an American flag and in front of a huge banner that read, "Country First,"
McCain leveled some articulate charges at his opponent today, criticizing
Obama on taxes, energy, his position on Iraq and the value of his word.
"Sen. Obama is an impressive speaker, and the beauty of his words has attracted many people, especially among the young, to his campaign," McCain said, before showering his opponent with the kind of underhanded praise familiar to politics. "My concern with Sen. Obama is that on big issues and small issues, what he says and what he does are often two different things, and that he doesn't seem to understand that the policies he offers would make our problems harder, not easier to solve."
VIDEO: Just hours after returning from his trip overseas, Barack Obama faced a string of attacks from John McCain, who accused him of calling for a withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq for political gain. NBC's Kevin Corke reports. On Iraq, McCain tried to paint his opponent as irrational, highlighting Obama's opposition to the surge and then going on to say, "No rational person can look at the success on the ground in Iraq today and say that the surge hasn't succeeded."
During the question-and-answer portion of the event, McCain was asked about the recent Gallup poll that showed McCain ahead despite, as the questioner phrased it, all of the media attention lavished on Obama while he was overseas.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Mark Murray
VIDEO: Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, has been indicted on seven counts of making false statements. NBC's Pete Williams reports. "In accordance with Senate Republican Conference Rules, I have temporarily relinquished my vice chairmanship and ranking positions until I am absolved of these charges. The impact of these charges on my family disturbs me greatly. I am innocent of these charges and intend to prove that."
*** UPDATE *** Begich , mayor of Anchorage:
"The indictment of Senator Ted Stevens is a sad day for Alaska and for the senator after his 40 years of service to our state. The people of Alaska are resilient and strong. I have great faith in our state and our people, and we will continue to move forward."
From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli and MSNBC.com's Andy Merten Obama said he had a "productive and wide-ranging discussion" with Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and called the Pakistani tribal areas "central front in the war on terrorism," according to a statement released by Obama's Senate office.
"I had a productive and wide-ranging discussion with Prime Minister Gilani," Obama said in the statement. "Pakistan is an extremely important partner to the United States, and we covered a number of issues vital to the security of both our nations. We discussed how to more effectively deal with the central front in the war on terrorism -- the threat from al Qaeda and the Taliban originating from the Pakistani tribal areas -- which threatens the United States, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.
VIDEO: Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama discusses the future of the conflict in Afghanistan and the security situation in Pakistan with NBC's Tom Brokaw on "Meet the Press." "We also discussed how to bolster opportunity for the Pakistani people, while consolidating democracy, the rule of law, and human rights in Pakistan, and curbing the proliferation of nuclear materials. Each of these steps is necessary to bring peace and stability to an increasingly volatile region of the world, and I look forward to working with the democratically elected government of Pakistan to make progress on these issues in the future."
In an interview with CNN after his meeting with Bush , Gilani called on the United States not to act “unilaterally” against militants in Pakistan.
“We must have more cooperation with each other and it’s our job because we are fighting the war for ourselves,” he said.
The Bush administration has engaged in such attacks since 9/11, and Obama has also advocated for such action, if necessary.
From NBC's Katie Mulhall and Alex Wall Obama campaign for an unprecedented $20 million effort to organize and mobilize Latino voters. Frank Sanchez, the chairman of the campaign's National Hispanic Leadership Council, and DNC Vice Chair Linda Chavez-Thompson called the initiative an “historic commitment” on a conference call this afternoon.
VIDEO: NBC Political Director Chuck Todd discusses today's political headlines including Barack Obama and John McCain courting Latino votes and McCain criticizing Obama on immigration reform. Sanchez noted that in 2004, according to findings by the Johns Hopkins Hispanic Voter Project, both presidential campaigns spent a combined $8.7 million on Latino-voter outreach. He used this figure to put the $20 million the Obama campaign and the DNC have committed into perspective.
Besides money, another key difference between this effort and past ones in 2000 and 2004 is just how early this year's outreach has started. “I can’t remember any campaign starting this early," Sanchez said. "I can’t remember this amount of resource both in terms of money and in terms of people power.”
“It’s nice to have the money. However, we’re talking about Latinos begging for the opportunity to be involved," Chavez-Thompson added. "Giving Latinos the opportunity to say ‘we will not be ignored’, I think that’s what Sen. Obama is telling us. He wants us to be at the table, he wants us to be involved."
From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli Obama again visted veep vetter Eric Holder's office. Reporters following the candidate spotted him walking into Holder's downtown DC office building this afternoon. Obama was at the office yesterday as well.
*** UPDATE ***
From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli
WASHINGTON, DC --
Obama discussed his own multi-ethnic family today as he spoke today at a fundraiser for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
“Being here is especially meaningful to me because I consider myself to be an honorary AAPI member, and I think I’ve got some pretty good credentials,” Obama told donors at the Mayflower today.
His remarks focused heavily on immigration and Asian-American issues, according to a pool report of the event this afternoon at the Mayflower. That report described the crowd as heavy with South Asian, Southeast Asian and East Asian Americans, and Obama played up his connection to the community -- noting that he was born in Hawaii and raised for a time in Indonesia. He also said he had college roommates who were Indian and Pakistani (today he met with the Pakistani prime minister.
Attendees included those who’ve donated $500, up to those who have committed to raise $33,100. Several members of Congress also attended, including the aforementioned Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA).
Obama is currently meeting at the Federal Reserve with chairman Ben Bernanke. He also plans to speak with House Democrats later this afternoon before departing for Missouri.
From NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner-Treworgy and NBC's Domenico Montanaro McCain's campaign is out with some new luggage tags today for the traveling press. With McCain in Reno, Nev., the campaign features a photo of... the Reno 911 TV cast. those other luggage tags .
From NBC/NJ's Carrie Dann WASHINGTON -- Some guys would have walked out a side door with just a wave and a "no comment."Kaine held a full-blown press conference outside the Washington, D.C. radio station where he appeared to discuss state issues on a monthly radio show.
As in the radio interview, Kaine's press conference was peppered with questions about his rumored top spot as a vice presidential pick to the Democratic nominee. Kaine denied lobbying for the job -- a sure way not to get the job -- saying, "I have not sought it, I'm not running for it, I'm not asking for it. I've never asked anything of the campaign." Obama campaign. (But the governor said that he does "chat fairly often" with Obama, mostly about campaign efforts in home state Virginia.)
[EDITOR'S NOTE: An earlier version of this post incorrectly indicated that Kaine doesn't normally do the radio show from Washington, D.C. Kaine's office called First Read to let us know that Kaine, in fact, does normally do the show from D.C.]
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Pete Williams and Mark Murray Ted Stevens (R) on charges related to a long-running investigation of business dealings in Alaska.
Stevens, who has served in the US Senate for 40 years, is up for re-election this year, and Democrats view his seat as one of their top pick-up opportunities.
*** UPDATE ***
However, before the general election, Stevens has to survive a GOP primary that occurs on August 26.
*** UDPATE II ***
Stevens is ranking member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee.
From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli Obama, who is in DC today, spoke with Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson.
NBC's Andrea Mitchell reported earlier that
Obama also was to meet with Federal Reserve Chairman Ben
Bernanke .
From NBC's Mark Murray Obama and promote his economic agenda.
One mailing -- entitled "A message from your union" -- features this question: "Have questions about Barack Obama? See inside for answers." And inside, the mailing says that Obama does wear a flag pin on his lapel ; that he is a Christian; that he was sworn in on the Bible (not the Koran); that he was born in the United States; and that he places his hand over his heart when reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.
A second mailing features a testimonial from union members who support Obama's economic agenda. "We're voting for Obama because he's committed to ending special deals for big business and putting working families first. There's too much at stake to risk voting for anyone else," they say.
From NBC/NJ's Carrie Dann and NBC's Ben Weltman Tim Kaine (D) is in Washington to talk traffic and see his daughter. Obama today, the vice presidential prospect replied, "My daughter and I are spending family time together today, and that's the only secret meeting that's going to happen."
VIDEO: While not making "categorical declarations," Gov. Tim Kaine says he's focused on running the state of Virginia and spending the day with his daughter, not talking to Barack Obama about a possible V.P. candidacy. The Virginia governor, whose status as a "seriously considered" candidate for the Democratic vice presidency is getting front-page treatment this morning, appeared on WTOP's "Hands Across the Potomac" radio show to talk with local leaders about congestion, housing prices, and other local issues.
But less than a third of the way through the hour-long program, Kaine faced questions about his rumored vetting to be Obama's second-in-command. "It's flattering to be mentioned," Kaine joked. "My mom loves it."
Further pressed as to whether or not he is being vetted, Kaine repeated his desire to stay mum. The decision, he said, is "for the campaign to decide."
CONTINUED >>
From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro *** Raising Kaine: Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine is all the rage today -- with a front-page Washington Post piece saying that he has had “very serious” conversations about possibly becoming Obama’s veep pick, as well as a Politico article that has a source saying that Kaine is “very, very high on the short list.” What’s more, Kaine today just happens to be in Washington (for his WTOP interview at 10:00 am ET). And guess what? Obama’s in DC, too. For all we know, the two are meeting as you read this, or have already met (Obama had a VERY early call time this morning). Kaine’s strengths: He helps with the battleground of Virginia; reinforces Obama’s outside the Beltway message (although part of his state happens to be inside the Beltway); also reinforces Obama’s emphasis on faith (he’s a devout Catholic); speaks fluent Spanish (once serving as a missionary in Honduras); and is close to Obama. Kaine’s weaknesses: He has little name ID across the country; has no national security experience; and it’s debatable how much more support Obama might gain in Virginia with Kaine on the ticket -- given that Mark Warner and Jim Webb are also campaigning for him and given that Kaine’s geographic strength in the state is fairly similar to Obama’s. The Obama campaign isn't one that likes to surprise. Could it be they are sending a signal that Kaine is very likely, and if you don't speak now Dem special interest groupies, forever hold your peace?
VIDEO: NBC's Mark Murray takes a look at the various nation-wide polls and handicaps Obama's vice presidential short list. ***
Gallup, Gallup, Gallup: As many readers know, we're not fans of the Gallup tracking poll and yesterday was more proof why. Gallup has two samples out -- one (the daily tracking) with Obama up eight points and another (conducted for USA Today) with McCain up four points among likely voters and with Obama up three among registered voters. Somehow, technically, one can claim this all falls inside the various margins of error. But it's results like these that should remind us that even good pollsters are struggling to poll this year. This isn't an easy time for a pollster. The Gallup folks are in the charge of the best brand there is in public opinion research. So if they are getting screwy results, that should make you suspect of a lot of results you see, particularly on the state level by folks who claim to be pollsters but haven't been doing this for very long. We continue to recommend to folks that they do their best to get their hands on polling conducted by the campaign pollsters. These are folks who are in the field every day and get paid to get it right, not to get a story.
*** McCain and the health issue: Yesterday's very routine decision to remove a mole was a reminder of just how sensitive the campaign is regarding the health and age issue for McCain. The fact is there are many fair-skinned residents of Arizona who are 30 years younger than McCain that get moles removed out of precaution. But as we noted before, everything health related is under a microscope for McCain. Is it fair? No. And is it a double standard between how health issues are treated with Obama (see his hip deal on Sunday) versus McCain? Yes. It's the nature of the age beast. The health issue popping up yesterday -- just as when VP speculation was heating up -- only adds to McCain's need, potentially, to avoid an unknown and pick a VP that is viewed by the public as ready to be president. And speaking of McCain’s VP pick, do be sure to check out today’s Washington Times , which has some evangelicals who aren’t big fans of Romney being McCain’s choice.
*** Meet Evan Bayh: While Tim Kaine is all the rage today, we also turn our attention to Evan Bayh… He’s the son of former Sen. Birch Bayh, who ran for president in 1976 but -- speaking of veeps -- lost his Senate seat in 1980 to Dan Quayle… Attended elite prep school St. Alban's in Washington, DC, but chose to go to Indiana University for college… Was just 30 in 1986 when he became Indiana Secretary of State; became governor two years later at 32, despite Republicans having controlled the office for 20 years… Has twin 12-year-old boys… By September 2006, he raised $10.6 million for a potential White House run… Was viewed as a centrist Democrat (before it was apparent he was running for president), so he differs with Obama on some issues, particularly abortion. He has voted to ban partial-birth abortions, irritating women's groups, and is what is said to have derailed his chances to be Gore's VP in 2000… Questioned Obama's ability to legislate in March during the primary: "The question is, who is experienced enough, smart enough, tough enough to actually implement those plans? And I just think, look, Barack is a great guy; he's got a lot of strengths. But I find that [Clinton's] seasoning, deep experience, familiarity with these issues, gives us a better chance of getting the job done."
*** This year’s ballot initiatives: In 2004, NBC/NJ’s Carrie Dann notes, some analysts credited Bush’s squeaker win in Ohio to evangelical voters mobilized by opposition to a proposed same-sex marriage ban on the state ballot. Although most experts call that a myth -- discrediting the idea that such ballot initiatives actually boost turnout -- they still note that downballot issues are worth keeping on the radar screen. Initiatives on hot-button topics like affirmative action, gay marriage, stem cell research, and abortion are slated to appear on the 2008 ballots in some of the nation’s most contentious battleground states. Voters in Colorado, for example, will likely have the chance to weigh in on an initiative that would legally redefine fertilized eggs, as well as another that would ban race- and gender- based employment decisions. Same-sex marriage will be under the microscope in California, Arizona, and swing-state Florida (although state law requires its proposed ban to be passed by 60% of the vote in the Sunshine State). Such social-issue measures could put candidates in sticky positions, especially John McCain, who prefers to keep his social-issues stances out of the limelight in lieu of foreign and economic policy.
VIDEO: A Race for the White House panel takes a look at the presidential candidates could employ in three important battleground states: Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan. ***
One to watch: But of all the ballot initiatives, Dann adds, here’s one that might be the most interesting as far as potential resonance with real live voters in a crucial swing state: The Ohio Healthy Families Initiative, expected to be approved for the November ballot, would mandate that all companies with more than 25 workers provide seven paid days of sick leave to employees. A recent Quinnipiac poll found that 71% of Ohioans support the sick leave requirement, which is almost identical to one in Obama’s proposed economic plan. Sen. John McCain opposes the measure.
*** On the trail: McCain spends his day in Nevada, attending a local leadership meeting in Reno, holding a town hall in Sparks, and raising money in Incline Village. He then heads to a fundraiser in Englewood, CO. Obama is in DC, where meets with Pakistan’s prime minister, national women leaders, and the House Democratic conference. Click here to sign up for First Read emails.
Today’s Washington Post : “Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine has told close associates that he has had ‘very serious’ conversations with Sen. Barack Obama about joining the Democratic presidential ticket and has provided documents to the campaign as it combs through his background, according to several sources close to Kaine. Sens. Evan Bayh (Ind.) and Joseph R. Biden Jr. (Del.) are also being seriously vetted by the campaign staff, according to sources with knowledge of the process.”
VIDEO: While neither presidential candidate has announced a vice presidential pick yet, each has offered hints into what kind of running mate he's looking for. NBC's David Gregory reports. Meanwhile, the
New York Times’ Adam Nagourney reports that “there is mounting evidence that Mr. Obama’s interest in Mrs. Clinton for the post has faded considerably, if, in fact, she ever really was a strong contender to be on the ticket with him. In conversations, Mr. Obama’s advisers discuss Mrs. Clinton’s role at the Democratic convention next month in a way that suggests they are not thinking of her arriving in Denver as Mr. Obama’s running mate.”
And here go again -- evangelicals are warning McCain that picking Romney could hurt the GOP ticket. "They say Mr. Romney lacks trust on issues such as outlawing abortion and opposing same-sex marriage and because he is a Mormon. Opposition is particularly powerful among those who supported former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee in the Republican presidential primaries earlier this year. ‘McCain and Romney would be like oil and water,’ said evangelical novelist Tim LaHaye, who supported Mr. Huckabee. ‘We aren't against Mormonism, but Romney is not a thoroughgoing evangelical and his flip-flopping on issues is understandable in a liberal state like Massachusetts, but our people won't understand that.’”
More compiled by NBC/NJ’s Matthew E. Berger and Carrie Dann… DEMOCRATS: Sen. Joe Biden is outlining a $50 billion crime-fighting bill to bolster community-oriented policing, fight recidivism and capture child predators. Richmond Times-Dispatch quotes Kaine's father-in-law, former GOP Gov. Linwood Holton, who says that he originally advised the Virginia governor against the vice presidency but now is warming to the idea. REPUBLICANS: McCain wouldn’t say whether he’d announce before or after the Olympics. “I can tell you that I will announce it just as soon as the process is completed but it won’t be driven by any other factors, the Olympics, or any other,” he said on “Larry King Live.” “It will be strictly on when we can arrive at a conclusion and obviously it’s tough because we have so many highly qualified individuals.”
CONTINUED >>
The latest USA Today/Gallup poll: “Obama was ahead 47%-44% among registered voters, down from a 6-percentage point lead he had last month. McCain led 49%-45% among likely voters, reversing a 5-point Obama lead among that group. In both cases, the margin of error is +/- 4 points.”
“‘Registered voters are much more important at the moment,’ Gallup chief Frank Newport said. He said McCain's lead among likely voters suggests ‘the possibility's there that Republicans can get energized.’”
VIDEO: NBC Political Director Chuck Todd and NBC Political Analyst Mike Murphy join the "Morning Joe" team to discuss the changing polls and how difficult they have been during this election. In its fact-check of the Landstuhl controversy, the
New York Times says the McCain assertion that Obama cancelled his visit because the traveling press corps wouldn’t be allowed into Landstuhl “is not correct, Mr. Obama’s advisers say. Before his visit to Ramstein Air Base, which is near the medical center, was canceled, the plan called for reporters to stay behind at an airport terminal while Mr. Obama and one adviser met with the troops. Why? The Pentagon does not allow reporters and photographers inside Landstuhl. For weeks, Mr. Obama had been planning to visit wounded troops in Germany, just as he did in Afghanistan last week and previously had done at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington. Yet the Landstuhl visit carried more risk because it was to come in the middle of an overseas campaign trip.”
FactCheck.org adds, "A new McCain ad says Obama 'made time to go to the gym, but canceled a visit with wounded troops. Seems the Pentagon wouldn't allow him to bring cameras.' McCain's facts are literally true, but his insinuation -- that the visit was canceled because of the press ban or the desire for gym time -- is false. In fact, Obama visited wounded troops earlier -- without cameras or press -- both in the U.S. and Iraq. And his gym workouts are a daily routine."
And here’s more criticism of McCain’s energy ad from a USA Today editorial: “Even by the elastic standards of political ads, this is more than a stretch. It's baloney. It's also a marker on the path toward the kind of simplistic, counterproductive demonizing that many expect will poison the fall campaign. Perhaps the silliest implication in the ad is that any one person, even a U.S. senator, is singlehandedly responsible for rising gasoline prices. ... The ad is right, at least in our view, in saying more drilling would help. But any implication that drilling alone would solve the energy problem is simply fiction that distracts attention from actually fixing the problem." More: "The pity of misleading ads like this is that McCain and Obama have both shown signs that they can embrace good ideas and elevate the debate. If 'Pump' represents the standard of truth in advertising for this presidential campaign, it's going to be a long and distressingly fact-free three months until Election Day."
Reuters : "Obama and McCain turn focus back to economy."
The AP's headline: "McCain backs off his no-new-tax pledge." "McCain drew a sharp rebuke Monday from conservatives after he signaled an openness to a higher payroll tax for Social Security, contrary to previous vows not to raise taxes of any kind." The Club for Growth was one conservative group that went after him in a letter.
The DNC has a new Web video hitting McCain on his support for lifting the moratorium on offshore drilling.
"Obama yesterday blamed 'irresponsible decisions' by the Bush administration and Wall Street for the country's economic woes as government officials said the budget deficit would soar to record heights next year." (Or here .)AP writes. "Independents and moderate Republican women remain a question mark, too. So Obama is working fiercely to win their votes. He has put out a report explaining what his economic plans would mean for women, reinforcing the message with town hall meetings devoted to the subject. He talks frequently about being raised by a single mother, her economic struggles (including a period on food stamps) and her worries about health insurance as she was dying of cancer. He's hired former Clinton aides, including Dana Singiser as a senior adviser on female voters. His Web site offers a prominent "welcome" to Clinton supporters and an extensive section for women. Aides are planning events nationwide on the 88th anniversary of the day American women won the right to vote."
VIDEO: Barack Obama and John McCain are both shifting towards the economy - the issue that concerns Americans the most. In Monday's "The Strategists," Republican strategist Ron Christie and Democratic strategist Rich Masters discuss what the candidates should do to convince voters they have the economic answers Americans need. RNC spokesman Alex Conant released this statement in anticipation of Obama’s meeting today with Pakistan’s prime minister. “Over the course of this campaign, Obama’s inexperience has led to careless statements about Pakistani sovereignty. We need to take every step necessary to fight terrorism, but careless statements from an inexperienced would-be commander-in-chief have no place in that constructive dialogue.”
Compiled by NBC/NJ’s Carrie Dann… The
Washington Post reports that the DNC and the Obama campaign will pour $20 million into Hispanic outreach in battlegrounds with high Latino populations. "Targets will include Florida; Western states such as Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico; and Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan, industrial battlegrounds with sizable Hispanic populations. The money will be spent on niche advertising and other outreach, along with mobilization efforts aimed at identifying, registering and turning out new Democratic voters."
IOWA: Pawlenty 2012 ? The Minnesota governor will be doing an awful lot of stumping in caucus state Iowa, with three visits planned in the next three months.
The
Des Moines Register's Yepsen writes, "While there's plenty of historic and electoral evidence to predict an Obama victory, those of us who dismissed McCain when he was in the primary doldrums may want to take a little time before we do it again." McCain finished
fourth in the Iowa caucuses -- behind Fred Thompson even -- and essentially pulled out to focus on New Hampshire.
NEW HAMPSHIRE: The
Washington Times pinpoints movement among independents in New Hampshire that could spell trouble for John McCain.
OHIO: PolitickerOH talked to RNC Chairman Mike Duncan about how he plans to combat Obama's grassroots effort. The answer: new phone technology and a leaner, meaner Republican operation.
VIRGINIA: A
new office in the heart of Shenandoah brings the Obama campaign's total in the Old Dominion to 25.
CALIFORNIA: Could the fact that Republicans have failed to put ballot inits on the state ballot in order to draw conservatives to the polls cause the GOP problems in some congressional races and other key state contests? "Republicans have been tripped up by mishaps and errors that have kept measures off the ballot. One leading ballot measure activist was sidelined for this November's contests after being arrested in Oklahoma on charges of violating petition rules. Some conservative strategists also blame a lack of new ideas for initiatives. They say the right, beaten down by the Republican Party's dismal rankings in the polls and its lukewarm electoral prospects, has no stomach this year for expensive initiative battles.”
”‘There has been a lack of funding on the right side, up and down. The right is despondent and demoralized,’ said Tim Mooney, an Arizona initiative consultant. At the same time, an energized left has fought harder to keep conservative-backed measures off ballots and put their own measures on them. Although there will be ballot measure fights in several states, many will be taking place in states where there is little question about the outcome of the Barack Obama vs. John McCain contest."
MICHIGAN: Michigan congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick is locked in a tough reelection battle, encumbered by her scandal-ridden son -- Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. She enlisted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to campaign on her behalf as she prepares to face her primary challenger next week.
From NBC/NJ's Matthew Berger and Carrie Dann Obama traveled Monday afternoon to the Washington office of Eric Holder, his vice presidential search committee chair. Campaign manager David Plouffe also joined him Monday on the road, a rare occurrence. Kaine “has emerged as one of the campaign’s potential finalists” for vice president, Politico says.
VIDEO: Time is running low for Barack Obama and John McCain to pick their running mates. NBC's David Gregory and Chuck Todd weigh in on the possible short lists. Also interviewed is analyst Mike Murphy. McCain told donors that choosing a veep is a “very tough decision” and said there were many “highly qualified people” to choose from, including party “stalwarts” to governors, senators and business people.
Terry McAuliffe told “Morning Joe” that Obama picking Hillary
Clinton would create a “
50-state sweep ” for the Democrats.
A dark horse being talked about on the McCain side is Federal Express CEO Frederick
Smith ,
Ambinder reports.
ON THE RECORD. McCain laid out his criteria for a veep to Bermuda donors via webcast: “You want to make sure you have a candidate that's not going to hurt the ticket,” he said. “The second thing is, and I think it's the key criteria, is it someone who shares your principles, your values, your philosophy and your priorities. The hardest thing for the president is to establish priorities and I'm -- I think we're blessed with having a wealth of candidates. But I haven't -- we really aren't mentioning names.”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Mark Hudspeth Obama will meet with Pakistani Prime Minister Gilani tomorrow in DC, the campaign confirms. It will be a closed meeting.
From NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner-Treworgy BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Speaking via webcast to donors gathered at a fundraiser on his behalf in Bermuda, McCain got a bit more specific about his vice presidential selection process than he has in recent weeks when speaking to reporters. But he stopped short of naming any names.
"I just want to assure you that we're going through the process," McCain said. "There are so many highly qualified people in our party ranging -- and I won't mention names -- but ranging from people who have been stalwarts in our party for a long time, and great governors and senators and business people. It's a very tough decision."
He then educated the listeners as to some of the criteria he is considering in selecting his running mate.
"You want to make sure you have a candidate that's not going to hurt the ticket," McCain said. "The second thing is, and I think it's the key criteria, is it someone who shares your principles, your values, your philosophy and your priorities. The hardest thing for the president is to establish priorities and I'm -- I think we're blessed with having a wealth of candidates. But I haven't -- we really aren't mentioning names."
From NBC's Alex Wall Bradley (D-NJ) said he would not accept a vice presidential offer from Obama in a conference call this afternoon.
VIDEO: Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama discusses what he's looking for in a running mate with NBC's Tom Brokaw of "Meet the Press." When asked about the position by
NBC’s Andrea Mitchell , Bradley replied with a simple “no” and continued to discuss Obama’s meeting on the economy.
Bradley characterized the meeting as a “good exchange and free flow of discussion” while calling it a “very positive day.” He later added, “the meeting that was held here today is an example of Barack Obama putting the economy number one on his agenda.”
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro Fiscal conservative group The Club for Growth went after presumptive GOP nominee McCain on social security.
"We listened with concern yesterday to your interview with George Stephanopoulos on Social Security," the club's president Pat Toomey writes in a letter to McCain. "When asked if you would be open to raising the payroll tax, you refused to rule out a tax increase, saying 'There is nothing that’s off the table.' This statement was particularly shocking because you have been adamant in your opposition to raising taxes under any circumstances."
Then, the club pulls out one of McCain's own quotes from February of this year: “No new taxes . . . In fact, I could see an argument, if our economy continues to deteriorate, for lower interest rates, lower tax rates, and certainly decreasing corporate tax rates, which are the second highest in the world, giving people the ability to write off depreciation in a year, elimination of the AMT.”
"We strongly applaud the above statement and believe further tax cuts would play an important role in stimulating the country’s economy," Toomey continues. "But your comments yesterday send American taxpayers and businesses a mixed message about where you stand on this issue."
The close: "We hope you will clarify where you stand on this important issue and reaffirm your commitment to eschew all tax increases."
Full letter:
CONTINUED >>
From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli
WASHINGTON -- After a week spent shoring up his foreign policy credentials with a trip overseas,
Obama turned his focus to the domestic economy with a meeting of economic advisers in Washington today. Saying that the there is an “economic emergency” that is “growing more severe, Obama called for bipartisan solutions while pinning some of the blame on Wall Street.
“It was not an accident or history nor a normal part of the business cycle that led us to this situation,” he said. “There were some irresponsible decisions that were made on Wall Street and in Washington. In the past few years, I think we learned an essential truth that in the long run we can't have a thriving Wall Street if we don't have a thriving Main Street.”
VIDEO: John R. Talbott, author of "Obamanomics," stops by "Morning Joe" to discuss his book, the state of the economy, and the potential economic policies of an Obama administration. He said the economic stimulus package enacted earlier this year has provided some relief, but said more action is necessary.
“I'm glad to see we have a broad representation of people here,” Obama said of the group joining him, which included former Republican and Democratic administration officials and business and labor leaders. “It's a group that I will be convening periodically over the next few months because of the dynamic situation and one that the next president will need to be prepared to deal with the moment he takes office.
From NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner-Treworgy and NBC's Mark Murray
Obama hasn't been the only one
who's been to the doctor lately ...
McCain had a regular three-month check-up this morning in Phoenix, and the doctor decided to remove a mole-like growth from the right side of his face near the temple, according to a spokesperson for the campaign. The removal was precautionary and the doctor was not concerned about a recurrence of the skin cancer that has left a scar along his left cheek, the spokesperson said.
The campaign's spokesperson was vague about whether McCain was awaiting further tests -- but repeatedly reassured the press corps that there was nothing to worry about and the procedure was purely a precaution.
*** UPDATE ***
NBC's Kelly O'Donnell adds he responded "absolutely" and gave a thumbs up when asked if his doctor thinks he is fine.
Advisors say they are waiting on the written statement from Dr. Connolly, McCain's dermatologist expected within the hour.
Before ending his news conference, McCain implored the country to "wear sunscreen" and said melanoma was avoidable.
"If you have any slight discoloration, go to your dermatologist," McCain said, before joking that that was the end of his lecture from the American Dermatologists Association.*** UPDATE II ***
From NBC's Mark Murray Obama TV ad on MTV and Comedy Central. The ad -- which won MoveOn's “funniest video” in its recent ad contest -- features Rider Strong of "Boy Meets World" and Amber Benson of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."
From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli
Obama departed Reagan-National Airport in DC 10 minutes ago en route to his economic event.
It's worth noting that campaign manager David Plouffe is traveling with the candidate today (which I understand has happened only a handful of times so far this campaign). He's joining David Axelrod and Robert Gibbs for the DC trip.
As I noted Friday, Caroline Kennedy is in Washington or a DNC Victory Fund event. Eric Holder, the other VP search team leader, is based in DC.
The convergence of all the senior staff here with that search committee only further signals that the process is at a critical stage. The campaign, of course, is not commenting on it.
From NBC/NJ’s Carrie Dann and NBC’s Alex Wall
Gov. Ed
Rendell (D-PA) called
Obama’s growing grassroots organization in Pennsylvania “unprecedented” and said that he was “confident” but not “overconfident” of an Obama victory in the Keystone State, in a conference call this morning.
Craig Schirmer, Obama’s Pennsylvania campaign state director, emphasized the campaign’s 24 state offices and approximately 700 neighborhood teams as key for Obama’s success in November.
“Our campaign has been about the grassroots,” Schirmer said. “Every day, Americans have been working to enact change through D-I-Y, or what I like to call do-it-yourself.”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Chuck Todd and NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli Obama's economic meeting today? Former Bush Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill, who famously broke with the Bush Administration in Ron Suskind's book, "The Price of Loyalty: George W. Bush, the White House, and Education of Paul O'Neill."
Below is the entire list of participants, according to the campaign:Bill Bradley , former US senator, managing director of Allen & Company
-- Warren Buffett, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway
-- Anna Burger, secretary-treasurer, SEIU
-- Jon Corzine , governor of New Jersey
-- William Daley, former Commerce secretary, JP Morgan Chase
-- James Dimon, chairman and CEO of JP Morgan Chase
-- William Donaldson, SEC chairman, 2003-2005
-- Indra Nooyi, chairman of PepsiCo
-- Paul O'Neill, former Treasury secretary, Blackstone Group, Alcoa special Adviser
-- Federico Peña, former Energy and Transportation secretary, Vestar Capital Partners
-- Penny Pritzker, CEO of Classic Residence by Hyatt
-- Robert Reich, former Labor secretary, professor at the University of California (Berkeley)
-- Robert Rubin, former Treasury secretary, Citigroup
-- Eric Schmidt, chairman and CEO of Google
-- William Spriggs, economics professor and chairman of the department at Howard University
-- Lawrence Summers, former Treasury secretary and former president of Harvard and
-- John Sweeney, president of the AFL-CIO
-- Laura Tyson, former chairman of Clinton's Council of Economic Advisers
From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro *** Analyze this: We’ve now crossed the 100-day mark before Election Day, and the chattering class is going to obsessed with two things this week: 1) over-analyzing the veepstakes and 2) over-analyzing any overseas bounce for Obama. So here's your handy-dandy pundits question prep guide for both topics, especially for the many of you going online or on the air to talk about both.
*** The big hint? Speaking of veepstakes, did Obama during his Meet the Press interview give a hint whom he WOULDN’T pick? Check out this line: “I'm going to want somebody with integrity; I'm going to want somebody with independence, who's willing to tell me where he thinks or she thinks I'm wrong; and I'm, I'm going to want somebody who shares a vision of the country where we need to go, that we've got to fundamentally change not only our policies, but how our politics works, how business is done in Washington.” Did he just rule out that he would pick a sitting Democratic US senator? Try and use that description Obama gave with Bayh, Biden, Clinton, or Reed? Now, try using it with Kaine, Sebelius, Nunn, or Hagel? Just sayin’… If Obama picks someone from the first group, he's going to have a tough time making the case that this person has shown a history of changing the way business is done in Washington. Frankly, it's tough naming any Washington player using that standard. As for McCain, it's amazing how convinced so many are in the media and in the GOP chattering class that the candidate has whittled his list down to two: Romney and Pawlenty.
VIDEO: Announcing a meeting on Monday between himself and his "core economic advisors," with the intention of examining fiscal policies they've put forward, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama discusses the state of the economy and his economic policies with NBC's Tom Brokaw of "Meet the Press." ***
Pivoting to the economy: Barack Obama, you’ve returned from a successful trip overseas. What are you going to do next? I'm going to talk about the economy… Today, in DC, Obama will meet with some of his top economic advisers -- including investor Warren Buffett, former Fed chairman Paul Volcker, former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, AFL-CIO President John Sweeney, SEIU Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger, and Google chairman and CEO Eric Schmidt. There will be a photo spray of the meeting.
*** You’ve gotta believe: McCain's latest TV ad hit on Obama blasts the Illinois senator for canceling a visit to meet with wounded US troops at the Landstuhl military base. Like other McCain attack ads on the air, it’s a bit over the top; it asks the voter to believe something that seems hard to believe -- that Obama doesn’t care about US troops. (In fact, in the advertisement, the McCain campaign contradicts its message by using footage of Obama actually playing basketball with US troops in Kuwait.) This McCain ad follows another one blaming Obama for high gas prices -- once again, an attack that doesn't seem believable. (Will voters actually believe Obama's to blame for high gas prices?) A negative ad is always more effective when the attack is believable, when it speaks to a question the voter has already pondered in his own head. And just asking: If the McCain campaign is airing TV ads that voters don’t find believable, what does that do to McCain’s straight-talk image? McCain seems off message. The good news for some conservatives is that McCain is disproving the prediction that he wouldn't be personally tough on Obama. But how long will McCain be comfortable in this role? Can't you picture McCain deciding he doesn't want to be the attacker anymore and suddenly decides he wants to go a different route?
*** Is it personal? One more thought about the Landstuhl TV ad: Obama cancelling his meeting with US troops really seems to have bothered McCain and his campaign -- personally. Do read this quote in the Washington Post from a GOP strategist: “‘They couldn't help themselves,’ the strategist said, adding that the ad over the hospital visit is ‘churlish and unlike McCain, and hardly will resonate with the swing voters who are going to decide this election.’ The strategist continued: ‘They're doing it because the candidate, and the campaign, is not happy with where they are and they're lashing out.’” Also, is this the beginning of wave of blind GOP quotes we’re going to start to see from Republicans complaining about McCain’s campaign… again?
VIDEO: NBC Political Director Chuck Todd talks about Sen. Barack Obama's trip abroad, Sen. John McCain's reaction to it, and how soon we can expect to see vice president picks. ***
A little sensitive, are we? By the way, seeing the Obama campaign’s cancellation of the troop turn into a controversy is a reminder of just how sensitive Democrats are regarding the troops. They made the decision that they'd get more criticism for politicizing a visit with wounded troops than not going at all. Our question: Why not dare your opponents for criticizing you for visiting troops if you really thought that? It seems like a decision made due to lack of sleep… For what it's worth -- and this will be the thing the McCain campaign takes away from this weekend back-and-forth -- McCain does seem to have gotten some traction on this attack, even if the facts aren't clearly on his side. But in order to win this back-and-forth, the campaign had to put up an attack ad doing and use the candidate to attack Obama personally as well. Was it worth the news cycle win?
*** On the trail: McCain is in Bakersfield, CA, where he raises money. Obama is in DC, where he meets with members of his economic team and later heads to a fundraiser in Arlington, VA. And Michelle Obama is in Chicago, where she hosts a “Women for Obama” luncheon.
Bloomberg's Al Hunt looks at this tweener period between the primaries and the general, and notes that Obama appears to be winning this middle period. Hunt also previews Obama's August a bit. “Obama's eight-day trip to the Middle East war zones and Europe was almost perfect. The Democratic candidate looked and sounded presidential and reassuring, while avoiding missteps. The contrasts, often unfairly, with McCain at home were stunning. One looking vigorous in a helicopter over Iraq, the other in a golf cart with former President George H. W. Bush -- 155 years of age between them.”
VIDEO: NBC Political Director Chuck Todd discusses the importance of Barack Obama's speech in Berlin and the new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, which has Obama leading John McCain by six points. Hunt also previews Obama’s August a bit, too. "The Obama camp anticipates a good next month. He's planning a ‘Biography Tour' aimed at filling in the blanks -- and alleviating concerns -- about his life and values. They have the skill and resources to do this well. The Denver convention plans are different, too. For the final speech, instead of speaking to a hall full of delegates as candidates of both parties have done for seven decades, Obama, 46, will deliver his acceptance speech outdoors before 75,000 people at Invesco Field. The symbolism is clear. (If Obama's luck holds, it will be a clear night, as they calculated it rarely rains in Denver in August.)”
“The convention's first three days will also be different. They want to downplay the parade of candidates trying to get television exposure, with evenings built around central figures. If it works, there will be simultaneous town meetings and forums around the country interactively linked to the site of the convention."
The cover of the NY Daily News : "Obama's poll vault." The paper cites Obama's nine-point (49%-40%) lead in the Gallup Daily tracking poll.
"With 100 days remaining in the race for the White House, Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama says he has succeeded in expanding the electoral map in his race against John McCain, principally in southern and southwestern states but also in Montana and North Dakota. 'It doesn't mean we're going to win all those states but at least we're making it a contest and giving voters something to choose from,' he said in an interview aboard his campaign jet on the way back from an overseas trip. 'Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia are all states where we are competitive," he said, adding he is going 'toe to toe' with his rival in New Mexico, Colorado and Nevada."
MICHIGAN: The Chicago Tribune’s Jill Zuckman notes that this could be a challenge for Obama in the fall. “This normally reliable state for Democrats may not be so reliable this year as issues of race and class cloud the election and voters say they still know little about the Democratic nominee because of a botched primary that kept him away.”
OHIO: RNC Chairman Mike Duncan says that, although the map is rife with new battlegrounds, the old favorites are still king, "From a practical standpoint, Ohio is going to be ground zero again," he said during his visit there last week.
PENNSYLVANIA: A very good piece by the McClatchy folks taking a look at how economically depressed white voters in the northeast part of the state aren't yet on the Obama bandwagon.
On Meet the Press yesterday, Obama said this about selecting his VP: “I'm going to want somebody with integrity; I'm going to want somebody with independence, who's willing to tell me where he thinks or she thinks I'm wrong; and I'm, I'm going to want somebody who shares a vision of the country where we need to go, that we've got to fundamentally change not only our policies, but how our politics works, how business is done in Washington.
VIDEO: Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama discusses what he's looking for in a running mate with NBC's Tom Brokaw of "Meet the Press." More: “I think the most important thing from my perspective is somebody who can help me govern. I want somebody who I'm compatible with, who I can work with, who has a shared vision, who certainly complements me in the sense that they provide a knowledge base or an area of, of expertise that can be useful. Because we're going to have a lot of problems and a lot of work to do, and I'm not interested in a vice president who I just send off to go to funerals. I want somebody who's going to be able to roll up their sleeves and really do some work.”
On Hillary Clinton, he repeated this line: I think Hillary Clinton would be on anybody's short list. She, she is one of the most effective, intelligent, courageous leaders that we have in the Democratic Party.”
But the New York Sun doesn't miss these very intriguing comments Obama made about his VP -- and how they may have eliminated Clinton from contention.
Go back and read Obama's words carefully. Did he also eliminate Bayh and Biden, too?
Would Dems really tolerate a Bush cabinet member as Obama's running mate? Ann Veneman is reportedly being floated .
The Boston Globe has a front-page story on Pawlenty. "The rapport between the two men, evident throughout long days on the campaign trail, now is being cited as one of the main reasons that Pawlenty has risen in speculation as McCain's possible running mate. ... If McCain is looking for a close friend whose loyalty is beyond question, Pawlenty could be his vice presidential pick, political observers said. Pawlenty might also help McCain win Minnesota, where a recent poll showed the race is statistically tied." Boston Globe reports on the Kaine buzz.
CONTINUED >>
The New York Times writes about the state of the race and notes: "McCain’s annoyance with the international coverage of Mr. Obama mounted steadily last week. He accused the news media of showing favoritism toward Mr. Obama. Over the last two days, his campaign has strongly implied that Mr. Obama declined to meet with wounded American troops at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany after he learned that he could not bring television cameras along. ‘I know of no Pentagon regulation that would have prevented him from going there, without the media and the press and all of the associated people,’ Mr. McCain said in the ABC interview.”
“Mr. Obama, who visited wounded troops in Iraq without notifying the news media, and has visited injured soldiers in the United States, said he was not traveling with an official delegation and did not want to politicize the visit."
VIDEO: Barack Obama's overseas trip was a success, causing the McCain camp to charge the media of bias. Democratic strategist Chris Kofinis talks with Keith Olbermann about John McCain's relationship with the media. NBC’s Andrea Mitchell reports that there was never a plan for Obama to take the press to Landstuhl, despite the claim by McCain folks and others. The plan was to go with his military aide, retired General Scott Gration. The Pentagon said Gration was off-limits because he had joined the campaign -- violating rules that it not be a political stop.
Obama had gone to see wounded troops in Iraq earlier in the week, without even confirming he'd been there. No press, no pictures. He has done the same when he goes to Walter Reed -- never any press.
The Washington Post also notes the ratcheted up rhetoric over Obama's decision to skip visiting troops in Germany, as well as on the issue of Iraq. "McCain's comments came days after he said in New Hampshire, ‘It seems to me that Obama would rather lose a war in order to win a political campaign.’ They appear to reflect the campaign's belief that it can make inroads with voters by keeping the focus on foreign policy issues after Obama's return from a week-long trip to Afghanistan, Iraq, the Middle East and Western Europe. The moves puzzled some GOP strategists, who said McCain would be better off touting a more positive message, and the senator from Arizona drew a strong rebuke from a longtime ally, Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.), who traveled with Obama last week to Afghanistan and Iraq as part of a congressional delegation."
More: "One GOP strategist with close ties to McCain's campaign said the new line of attack reflected the operation's ‘schizophrenic’ nature. He said that tendency was also on display last week, as McCain spoke at length about media coverage of Obama rather than sticking with his plan to focus on the economy. ‘They couldn't help themselves,’ the strategist said, adding that the ad over the hospital visit is ‘churlish and unlike McCain, and hardly will resonate with the swing voters who are going to decide this election.’ The strategist continued: ‘They're doing it because the candidate, and the campaign, is not happy with where they are and they're lashing out.’”
CONTINUED >>
The Los Angeles Times makes a good point about how last week was about Obama defining his 2008 opponent as Bush -- which may explain why McCain had such a hard time inserting himself into the story. The natural opponent for Obama last week was Bush, not McCain. "Though his language was muted, it was still clear that he was offering himself as the un-Bush, promising a less ideological American partner who would join forces on climate change, "reject torture and stand for the rule of law," and work jointly for nuclear disarmament. "The walls between old allies on either side of the Atlantic cannot stand," he said.”
The Washington Post looks at Obama's attempts to increase black turnout. "If 95 percent of black voters support Obama in November, in line with a recent Washington Post-ABC News national poll, he can win Florida if he increases black turnout by 23 percent over 2004, assuming he performs at the same levels that Democratic candidate John F. Kerry did with other voters that year. Obama can win Nevada if he increases black turnout by 8 percent. Ohio was so close in 2004 that if Obama wins 95 percent of the black vote, more than Kerry did, he will win the state without a single extra voter. But an increase in overall black turnout could help offset a poorer performance among other voters.”
“The push has also raised Democrats' hopes of reclaiming Southern states with large black populations, such as Georgia and North Carolina, where low turnout among voters of all races has left much more untapped potential than in traditionally competitive states such as Ohio. Obama, who himself led a huge voter-registration drive in Chicago in 1992, has said he could compete in states such as Mississippi by increasing black turnout by 30 percent."
Obama visited an orthopedic doctor for a sore hip from playing basketball, the campaign said.
Per NBC’s Louis Burgdorf and Abigail Williams… As the hands of Big Ben struck noon in London on Saturday Obama sat with Great Britain's opposition leader, David Cameron, advocating something groundbreaking: thinking. After a whirlwind tour of Europe and the Middle East visiting as many as eight countries in nine days, Cameron asked Obama, "Have you had a break at all?" Obama admitted he hoped to take a week in August, but emphasized the importance of refreshing yourself.
The two also discussed the inherent difficulties in having time to process a constant stream of information when your schedule is often splintered into fifteen minute increments. "You have a bunch of smart people out there that know ten times more than we do about the specifics of the topic and if what you're trying to do is micromanage and solve everything, you end up being a dilettante," Obama said, as he also pinpointed the risks: "You start making mistakes or you lose the big picture."
Compiled by NBC/NJ’s Matthew E. Berger… REPUBLICANS: Nine GOP senators up for re-election this year are
skipping the Republican convention or have said they haven’t yet decided if they will attend. Among those not attending: Susan Collins of Maine, who is close to McCain. Aides said they have a difficult landscape and only a limited time to campaign.
Ticket sales for Ron Paul’s Rally for the Republic did well on Friday, when they went on sale. The Campaign for Liberty reports more than 5,000 tickets were purchased in the first two hours. (press release)
DEMOCRATS: Drafts of the Invesco Field speech plans has Obama
accepting the Democratic nomination at the 50-yard line . He will walk from the main stage along the sidelines to a carpeted podium 6 ½ feet off the ground. The rest of the field will be filled by delegates.
The Wisconsin DNC delegate who says she’s supporting McCain has been
ousted . The Wisconsin Democratic Party voted Friday to strip Debra Bartoshevich of her delegate status. She was elected as a pledged delegate for Hillary Clinton and said in June she won’t support Obama. She asked the party to attend the convention as a Clinton delegate and said she hasn’t made up her mind who to support in November.
Financial difficulties have
forced Denver to shelve more than two dozen convention parties. Local business leaders say money they would have donated is being diverted to union-led ballot initiatives they are fighting.
From NBC/NJ's Athena Jones
CHICAGO -- There was no rest for the weary as
Obama attended a meeting of minority journalists today, just hours after returning from a whirlwind eight-day trip abroad that he deemed a success.
Obama said he was puzzled by the criticism by some of his trip abroad as “audacious” or somehow inappropriate, arguing as he did in a press conference yesterday that
McCain had also traveled to these countries -- as well as to Mexico, Canada ,and Colombia after winning his party’s nomination.
“Nobody suggested that that was 'audacious.' I think people assumed that what he was doing was talk to world leaders who we may have deal with should we become president. That's part of the job that I'm applying for,” he said. “Now, I admit we did it really well. But that shouldn't be a strike against me. You know, if I was bumbling and fumbling through this thing, I would have been criticized for that."
VIDEO: Barack Obama spent the week overseas, but can the Democratic candidate's globetrotting really sway voters in the United States? A Race for the White House panel discusses. The senator said he felt he had been able to assure world leaders that he would have to work with if he becomes president. “I do think that, in terms of me governing, being an effective president, that this trip was helpful, because I think I've established relationships and a certain bond of trust with key leaders around the world who have taken measure of my positions and how I operate and I think can come away with some confidence that this is somebody I can deal with."
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Mark Murray McCain on Friday seemed to agree with Obama that 16 months is a "good timetable" for withdrawing from Iraq (as long as it's based on conditions on the ground), the McCain campaign is now arguing that Obama is adopting McCain's position that troop levels in Iraq will be "entirely conditions-based."
"Today, Barack Obama finally abandoned his dangerous insistence on an unconditional withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraq by making clear that for the foreseeable future, troop levels in Iraq will be 'entirely conditions based,'" McCain foreign policy adviser Randy Scheunemann said in a statement. "We welcome this latest shift in Sen. Obama's position, but it is obvious that it was only a lack of experience and judgment that kept him from arriving at this position sooner."
But the remark the McCain campaign is jumping on -- from Obama's interview with Newsweek's Richard Wolffe -- pertains to residual forces, not withdrawal from Iraq. From the interview...
Obama: I also think that Maliki recognizes that they're going to need our help for some time to come, as our commanders insist, but that the help is of the sort that is consistent with the kind of phased withdrawal that I have promoted. We're going to have to provide them with logistical support, intelligence support. We're going to have to have a very capable counterterrorism strike force. We're going to have to continue to train their Army and police to make them more effective.
Wolffe: You've been talking about those limited missions for a long time. Having gone there and talked to both diplomatic and military folks, do you have a clearer idea of how big a force you'd need to leave behind to fulfill all those functions?
Obama: I do think that's entirely conditions-based. It's hard to anticipate where we may be six months from now, or a year from now, or a year and a half from now.
Keeping residual forces in and around Iraq is something that Obama has consistently talked about. As Obama told the late Tim Russert at the MSNBC debate in September 2007: "The only troops that would remain [in Iraq] would be those that have to protect U.S. bases and U.S. civilians, as well as to engage in counterterrorism activities in Iraq."
From NBC's Mark Murray and Louis Burgdorf McCain campaign yesterday unveiled its latest TV ad, which hits Obama for -- among other things -- cancelling a visit to meet with wounded US soldiers at Landstuhl. "He made time to go to the gym, but cancelled a visit with wounded troops," the ad goes. "Seems the Pentagon wouldn't allow him to bring cameras. John McCain is always there for our troops
(While Obama didn't visit with those US soldiers at Landstuhl, he did talk to some of them by phone .)
Politico wrote that the ad ran on Saturday Night Live in Denver, CO last night. And today, it will run in the DC market, as well as in Harrisburg, PA.
In response to the TV ad, the Obama campaign released a statement from Sen. Jack Reed (D), who accompanied Obama on his swing through Afghanistan and Iraq. “I was with Sen. Obama last week as we met privately with troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Sen. Obama listened to their concerns and expressed his gratitude for their service without press or fanfare. He cares for our troops deeply and has worked hard to give them not only the resources they need, but also honor their service with a clearly defined mission and by providing them with the support they have earned when they come home."
Chuck Hagel (R), who also was on the overseas trip, said on CBS this morning that the McCain ad "was inappropriate." He said, "I think it would be totally inappropriate for [Obama], on a campaign trip, to go to a military hospital and use those soldiers as props... We saw troops everywhere we went on the congressional delegation. We went out of our way to see those troops. We wanted to see those troops."
And as one Obama aide points out to First Read, the footage the McCain TV ad uses when saying Obama went "to the gym but cancelled a visit with wounded troops" is when Obama was playing basketball with US troops in Kuwait. "It undermines the credibility of the ad" and proves that the ad is "nothing more than a political attack," the aide says.
From NBC/NJ's Athena Jones
LONDON -- During a 15-minute press conference outside of 10 Downing Street here today,
Obama responded to
McCain's criticism of his five-country swing through Europe and the Middle East, as well as his Republican rival's comments on a timetable for withdrawing troops from Iraq.
"It's hard for me to understand Sen. McCain's argument. He was telling me I was supposed to take this trip. He suggested it, thought it was a good idea," the senator told reporters, some of whom were seated on the ground in front of him and or standing on the sidewalk across.
"John McCain has visited every one of these countries post-primary that I have. He has given speeches in Canada, in Colombia, Mexico," he continued. "So it doesn't strike me that we've done anything different than the McCain campaign has done, which is to recognize that part of the job of the next president and commander-in-chief is to forge effective relationships with our allies."
VIDEO: Speaking in London, Barack Obama defended his travels to Europe and the Middle East, arguing that America faces global issues that cannot be solved independently. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports. McCain's comment that a 16-month timetable for withdrawing from Iraq could be good -- adding that it would have to be based on conditions on the ground -- was a sign that "there has been some convergence around proposals that we've been making for a year and a half" on this and issues like increasing troop levels in Afghanistan and negotiating directly with Iran, Obama said.
"The fact that John McCain now thinks that it's possible for us to execute a phased withdrawal -- I think that's a positive thing," he said. "And if the Administration believes that as well, then I will, I will be fully supportive."
CONTINUED >>
From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli Providence Journal this afternoon.
Reed was asked: "If you were offered this position you would decline, is that correct?"
"Yeah," he answered, "but I frankly I don't expect to be offered the position."
From NBC's Mark Murray McCain said that withdrawal from Iraq in 16 months is "a pretty good timetable."
That answer came when McCain was asked about Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki's earlier claim to Der Spiegel that Obama's 16-month plan "would be the right timeframe for a withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes."
Of course, McCain did stress that such a withdrawal would "have to be based on conditions on the ground." But calling 16 months a "good timetable" is something McCain hasn't said before -- and probably never would have said a week ago.
The transcript:BLITZER: What if Maliki persists? You're president and he says he wants US troops out and he wants them out, let's say in a year or two years or 16 months or whatever. What do you do? Do you listen to the prime minister?
MCCAIN: He won't. He won't. He won't. Because it has to be condition-based.
BLITZER: How do you know?
MCCAIN: Because I know him. And I know him very well. And I know the other leaders. And I know -- I've been there eight times, as you know. I know them very, very well.
BLITZER: So why do you think he said that 16 months is basically a pretty good timetable?
MCCAIN: He said it's a pretty good timetable based on conditions on the ground. I think it's a pretty good timetable, as we should -- or horizons for withdrawal. But they have to be based on conditions on the ground.
From NBC's Jim Miklaszewski Obama has every right to stay in touch with America's men and women in uniform. According to Pentagon officials, the problem was that Obama's request to visit Landstuhl included two members of his campaign staff -- retired Major General Jonathan S. Gration and Jeff Kiernan. US military officials in Germany informed the campaign the two political operatives would not be permitted on base.
Pentagon officials say Gration was the campaign's point of contact at Landstuhl in arranging Obama's visit and "got torqued" when he was told he would not be permitted to join Obama. It was Gration who later suggested to reporters that the Pentagon short-circuited Obama's visit.
Are there some in the Pentagon or military resentful because Gration has climbed on board the Obama campaign? Did Gration overreact? As a former policy director for the US European Command, he would surely be disappointed -- if not offended -- by being excluded from the visit. It's also been my experience that even retired generals do not want to hear the word "no."
Whatever the reason, Obama and the troops he would have visited have both missed a unique and historic opportunity. According to one Army lieutenant colonel, "Everyone was excited about Obama's visit. It's a shame."
From NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner-Treworgy McCain gave a speech here today at the American GI Forum National Convention that served as a wide-ranging defense of his position on the Iraq war -- as well as a biting condemnation of Obama’s war policy.
“Sen. Obama and I also faced a decision, which amounted to a real-time test for a future commander-in-chief,” McCain said of the 2007 debate over the surge. “America passed that test. I believe that my judgment passed that test. And I believe that Sen. Obama's failed.”
According to McCain, American voters should look at how the two candidates’ handled that decision and use that to make their decisions in November. “Because of the choice we made and all the surge has accomplished, the time will soon come when our troops can come home,” he said.
In response to McCain's remarks, the Obama campaign released this statement from former Nebraska Sen. Bob Kerrey, who like McCain is a Vietnam vet. "As is often the case in politics, the most important questions do not get debated while the most trivial ones are pushed front and center. Such is the case with the current attacks by Sen. McCain's supporters purporting that Sen. Obama's failure to support the surge demonstrates he has been wrong on this important foreign policy question," Kerrey said.
"Assessing all facts available to us today, Sen. Obama's judgment six years ago looks a whole lot better today than either Sen. McCain's or mine was back then.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC/NJ's Athena Jones Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy greeted one another in front of a crush of photographers, camera crews, and reporters here at the Elysee Palace today before meeting for about an hour to discuss issues ranging from Iraq, Afghanistan and Iran to climate change and peace in the Middle East.
The visit marked the fourth day of a five-country swing through the Middle East and Europe meant to burnish Obama's foreign policy credentials.
In the press conference after their meeting, the two men appeared comfortable, cracking jokes before making statements about the importance of a strong relationship between the United States and France and its other European allies.
Obama spent several minutes talking about Iran, an issue he stressed throughout a press conference in Sderot, Israel earlier in the week. He spoke of the need for the United States and Europe to be partners in negotiating with the country about its nuclear program, saying a nuclear-armed Iran would pose a grave threat and could embolden terrorists and spark a dangerous arm race in the Middle East.
"I applaud France's current role in the E.U. three-plus-three efforts to use strong diplomacy to end this threat," he said. "It's important as we move forward for the United States and our European allies to remain full partners in this effort."
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Mark Murray and Adam Verdugo Karl Rove's new electoral map , Obama is leading McCain , 272-183 -- with 83 electoral votes in the toss-up category.
Note that the map is as of July 23, so it doesn't take into account the recent Quinnipiac polling in Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. But per this map -- right now -- Obama could lose every toss-up state (Ohio, New Hampshire, Florida, Nevada) and still win the presidential election.
From NBC/NJ's Athena Jones and NBC's Jim Miklaszewski and Courtney Kube Obama campaign, came to the back of the plane at least three separate times to explain to reporters that the decision to cancel the senator's trip to Ramstein and Landstuhl came after word from the Pentagon that it would violate Defense Department regulations.
The impromptu briefing stemmed from confusion about two statements put out by the campaign -- one from Gibbs and the other from Gen. Scott Gration -- about the cancellation. Gibbs' statement had not mentioned the discussion with the Pentagon, while Gration's did.
"The statement that I sent out and the statement that Gen. Gration sent out are consistent in that what Gen. Gration learned from the Pentagon that the trip to Ramstein and Landstuhl will be viewed as a campaign stop," Gibbs said. "The decision that Sen. Obama made with that information was that we would not put our warriors in the position of being involved in a campaign stop. Therefore, he made the decision not to make the stop."
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From NBC's Jim Miklaszewski Obama made phone calls to wounded soldiers at Landstuhl Germany this morning, in lieu of a personal visit to the forces that was canceled by the Obama campaign.
Obama was expected to speak to a number of soldiers individually.
From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro The turning point? So was this week a turning point in the presidential race? The Obama campaign certainly believes it was, and that this will be the moment that Obama grabs the lead for good. If McCain never catches up at this point, his campaign's actions this week (its blistering criticism of Obama and the media, the visuals it picked, its body language, its VP games) will get second-guessed for months. We know this was a significant week; the question is was it enough to erase the doubts voters have with Obama about his ability to be commander-in-chief? But just asking: Did this week tell us more about Obama or McCain? Watching McCain chasing the news cycle and his inability to not let Obama get under his skin -- and the campaign's -- suggests that they could be reactive from this day forward. Why, for instance, did the campaign insist on the equal treatment (see network interviews) this week and not simply attempt to create its own week of coverage from the nets? They were second fiddle all week, and seemed to almost demand being highlighted in that way.
VIDEO: A Race for the White House panel debates: Where is Barack Obama weak politically and how effectively has the McCain campaign been capitalizing on those weaknesses? ***
This race is McCain’s to win, too : Can the McCain camp win by simply hoping for an Obama slip-up or by reacting faster and faster? Yesterday in First Read, we noted that NBC/WSJ pollster Peter Hart said this election was Obama’s to win. But isn’t that also true for McCain? McCain can't simply hope Obama loses this election or fails to adjust his campaign sail enough to capture the strong Democratic wind. Yesterday, actually, McCain finally seemed comfortable being the broccoli candidate -- embracing his role as the serious guy juxtaposed to the rock star opponent. Will the campaign around him have the patience to accept McCain's "keep on keeping on" promise he made to NBC's Kelly O'Donnell?
*** VP's coming? One of these days the McCain campaign won't be "crying VP" and will actually announce his pick. Today's Washington Post has a defensive “the pick could be coming any day now” story. “Anxious to counter the blanket media coverage that has followed Sen. Barack Obama on his overseas journey, Sen. John McCain is weighing whether to announce his running mate in the coming weeks before the spotlight shifts to China and the opening of the Olympic Games next month. ‘He's in a position to make [the decision] on short notice if he wanted to,’ said McCain's chief strategist Charlie Black. Bottom line: The media is being put on notice that the pick could come at any time, with the campaign hinting big time that McCain's going to make the pick before the Olympics. As for Obama's timing, considering how the campaign likes to let big events sink in, it seems highly unlikely they'll step on their own post-trip bounce (if they believe they'll be getting one) by announcing the VP next week. That leaves just one week before the Olympics if next week is indeed out.
*** About that Landstuhl visit : Perhaps the sole bump the Obama campaign hit this week was the minor controversy that erupted when Obama’s campaign decided to skip a visit to Landstuhl to meet with injured US soldiers. The Obama camp put out two statements, the first from retired Gen. Scott Gration: “Sen. Obama had hoped to and had every intention of visiting our troops to express his appreciation and gratitude for their service to our country. We learned from the Pentagon last night that the visit would be viewed instead as a campaign event. Sen. Obama did not want to have a trip to see our wounded warriors perceived as a campaign event when his visit was to show his appreciation for our troops and decided instead not to go.” The other was from strategist Robert Gibbs: “The senator decided out of respect for these servicemen and women that it would be inappropriate to make a stop to visit troops at a U.S. military facility as part of a trip funded by the campaign."
*** The rules : NBC’s Pentagon correspondent Jim Miklaszewski breaks down the rules for these kind of visits: “Political candidates, including the president, are not permitted to use military facilities as a campaign backdrop or anything that could be perceived as being part of a political campaign. Now, of course, we know those lines can be blurred in the president for example has some official purpose for appearing at a military installation. As a member of the Armed Service Committee John McCain could also have a legitimate reason for visiting a military base and attracting media coverage, but it hasn't happened and I think both sides would take a serious look at the implications. The other issue is concern over exploitation of the wounded, for any reason. When the president, the Defense secretary, or any member of Congress visit the wounded at a military hospital the media are not invited to cover the event.” Bottom line from us: The Obama campaign was being overly cautious, worried about the exploitation factor. (The real cynic might believe Obama realized he couldn't bring cameras so THAT's why he canceled). The McCain campaign decided to hit him -- and probably would have done it either way. It was a tiny press victory for McCain in a sea of disasters for the week.
*** Meet Tim Kaine : Tim Kaine is yet another Harvard law grad in those up for consideration for VP this cycle… While he eventually got his degree from Harvard law, Kaine -- a devout Catholic -- left midway through to embark on a nine-month Jesuit mission in Honduras, where he taught welding and carpentry to teenagers… He speaks fluent Spanish… Plays harmonica, sings in the church choir, and apparently likes Charlie Parker-era jazz… Kaine's father-in-law was Virginia's first Republican governor in the 20th century… He and Obama are close; Obama campaigned for Kaine during his governor's race… Like Obama, Kaine was a civil-rights attorney before going into politics… While Kaine is from the key battleground of Virginia, he isn’t as popular in the GOP-leaning southwest part of the state as Mark Warner is.
VIDEO: President Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki have agreed to pursue a "general time horizon" for withdrawal from Iraq, even as Maliki announces support for Barack Obama's proposal. NBC's Patty Culhane reports. ***
Bush’s shifts : Because of the presidential contest -- which is sucking the air out of most other news -- we haven’t paid much attention as we should to all the significant policy shifts coming from Bush Administration. They’re stunning, in fact. The “time horizon” for troop withdrawal from Iraq. Sending envoys to both Iran and North Korea. Just asking: Would the Republican Party and McCain be in a better position heading into this election had Bush announced these changes two years ago, when he still captured the public’s attention?
*** On the trail : McCain is in Colorado, speaking to the GI Forum Convention in Denver and then heading to Aspen to meet with the Dalai Lama. (The Lama is already a big hitter, no telling what the thin air of Colorado will do for the Lama's driving abilities.) Obama, meanwhile, flies from Berlin to Paris -- where he chats with President Nicolas Sarkozy -- before heading to London.Click here to sign up for First Read emails .
The Washington Post : “Anxious to counter the blanket media coverage that has followed Sen. Barack Obama on his overseas journey, Sen. John McCain is weighing whether to announce his running mate in the coming weeks before the spotlight shifts to China and the opening of the Olympic Games next month. "He's in a position to make [the decision] on short notice if he wanted to," said Charles R. Black Jr., one of McCain's top political advisers.”
VIDEO: NBC Political Director Chuck Todd takes a look at today's political headlines including the focus on who John McCain and Barack Obama will pick as their running mates. More: "Many Republicans say the traditional time frame for an announcement -- the days leading up to the GOP convention -- is not practical this year, because the Democratic convention ends so soon before the Republican gathering. It's unlikely, they said, that McCain would announce his pick the day after Obama gives his convention speech. And several McCain aides said they oppose the idea of making a vice presidential announcement during the Olympics. ‘It's not that it wouldn't get covered. But if you are looking for a calm sea and no waves . . . you don't do it during the Olympics,’ said one senior Republican adviser.”
"We don't know when some breakthrough performance will happen," the adviser said. "All sorts of news can come. . . . What if there's some sort of human rights protest?"
The Wall Street Journal looks at Bobby Jindal's conversion to Catholicism.
More compiled by NBC/NJ’s Mike Memoli…Ken Khachigian thinks the veepstakes needs to be “put in perspective.” “In a presidential campaign, there are only a handful of occasions when a running mate has news value: the day of the announcement and the few days following; the nominee's convention speech debut; the joint kickoff rally; and the televised debate with the counterpart running mate.” LA Times has a long pros/cons list.
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McCain meets with the Dalai Lama today in Colorado.
And with that visit, here’s a classic from Caddyshack (hat tip to NBC’s Bill Hatfield):
Check out this admission in Charles Krauthammer's lead : "In a stunning upset, Barack Obama this week won the Iraq primary."
The New York Times on McCain’s tough week: "Campaign advisers to Mr. McCain say that the mood is not good at headquarters in Arlington, Va., and that the week got off to a bad start when Mr. McCain was photographed in a golf cart with the 84-year-old former President George Bush in the resort town of Kennebunkport, Me. It was the same day that pictures of Mr. Obama in sleek sunglasses alongside Gen. David H. Petraeus in a helicopter in Iraq were beamed all over the world.”
VIDEO: More of Sen. John McCain's interview with NBC's Kelly O'Donnell. “But Mark Salter, one of Mr. McCain’s closest advisers, said Thursday over his own bratwurst lunch that he, for one, was not alarmed, and that Mr. McCain had spent the week in battleground states meeting with people who actually vote in American elections. ‘I think he’s getting his message out — go look at some of the local press and the local TV packages,’ Mr. Salter said. “It’s John McCain on energy and the economy.”
CONTINUED >>
The Washington Post: “Addressing a huge throng in the middle of this once-divided city, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on Thursday implored Americans and Europeans to renew the partnership that once defeated communism to address 21st-century threats that he said put the security of all nations at risk.”
The Boston Globe : "The Illinois Democrat spoke before an early-evening crowd that police estimated at more than 200,000, larger than any he has mustered in the United States. The overseas gathering in the midst of a presidential campaign was seemingly without precedent in American history."
VIDEO: Newsweek's Richard Wolffe, who was in Berlin for Barack Obama's speech, discusses how well it was received in Germany and how the tone will likely be perceived at home. The
New York Times : “The German police estimated that more than 200,000 people came to hear him speak from the base of the Victory Column in the Tiergarten, a sprawling park in the center of the city. Berliners waved American flags — provided by the campaign — throughout the address, offering precisely the visual message that Mr. Obama’s aides wanted to beam back home: a candidate who could restore the world’s faith in strong American leadership and idealism.”
The
New York Times also has this analysis: "Obama, Vague on Issues, Pleases Crowd in Europe."
Der Spiegel : "[A]n estimated 200,000-strong crowd finally got to see the candidate in the flesh. And it seemed as if the prominent guest wanted to make amends for the day's game of hide and seek. It was as if four different Obamas made an appearance at Berlin's Victory Column -- in the space of less than 30 minutes...CONTINUED >>
The LA Times uses the new Quinnipiac polls showing McCain closing in on Obama in some key states, and writes a glass-is-half-empty story -- which includes some Clinton criticism. "Obama also faces discontent from some of Hillary Rodham Clinton's most ardent supporters, who are put off by what they describe as a campaign marked by hubris and a style dedicated to televised extravaganzas. Susie Tompkins Buell, a major Clinton fundraiser, said: "The Clinton supporters that I know are bothered by these rock-star events. These spectacles are more about the candidate than they are about the party and the issues that we care about."
Regarding those Quinnipiac polls, don’t miss this : "Clay Richards, the assistant director of the Connecticut university's polling institute, said the Obama slide [in Minnesota] probably isn't as dramatic as the raw numbers reflect. Still, Richards said McCain is clearly stronger in the state than he was in June."
A Pew poll of Hispanics finds that Obama leads 66%-23%.
VIDEO: The latest NBC/WSJ poll shows that Barack Obama has not yet received any boost in ratings since his trip overseas. A Race for the White House panel discusses. In his most recent National Journal column, Charlie Cook writes, “Obama is more than midway through his tour of the Middle East and Europe, a trip designed to generate images of the freshman Democratic senator standing next to foreign leaders, projecting a presidential image. That’s important. Swing voters need to be able to visualize him as president and to see him dealing as an equal with the world leaders whose ranks he seeks to join. So far, Obama has made no major missteps during this important journey.”
CONTINUED >>
Compiled by NBC/NJ's Matthew E. Berger
Bill Richardson
could miss the DNC if a special session of the legislature runs late. “I'll stay here. This is my priority,” Richardson said at a news conference Thursday.
Makeup mogul Bobbi Brown -- and believe it or not, New Jersey delegate -- says New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine
has asked Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi to come to the convention, but no word on whether they’ve accepted. Brown will also be available for touch ups. Seriously.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
have taken their names off a housing industry reception at the conventions. A spokeswoman said the agencies will continue their financial commitment to the events.
From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli
ON THE RECORD, IRAQ EDITION: Back in the US, Chuck Hagel
had tough words for McCain, though he didn’t mention him by name. "Quit talking about, 'Did the surge work or not work,' or, 'Did you vote for this or support this,'" he said. "Get out of that. We're done with that. How are we going to project forward?" On the surge, he said of course there would be a result when you “flood the zone.”
In an interview with the AP , Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) called the talks with diplomats and military commanders candid and substantive.
VIDEO: With the party conventions approaching, Barack Obama and John McCain must decide on running mates. Political analyst Rachel Maddow weighs in on their potential choices. ON THE RECORD: Tom Ridge on MSNBC's Hardball: “It’s very flattering, because of my longtime relationship with my friend John McCain... I don’t know if I’m being vetted. Certainly, I have not had a conversation with my friend about it. So we’ll just see what transpires over the next couple weeks.” He said he hasn’t talked to McCain about the process at all.
At home in Minnesota, Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) dodged many VP questions . “I have just stopped engaging in the speculation because I think it is just largely speculation and it just fuels more speculation... I have just stopped engaging in the discussion."
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From NBC/NJ's Athena Jones
BERLIN, Germany -- In the most anticipated public event of his five-country swing through Europe and the Middle East,
Obama today addressed a crowd of more than 200,000 people at Tiergarten Park here, calling upon Americans and Europeans to work together to fight terrorism, poverty, genocide, climate change and to work toward a world without nuclear weapons.
He also touched on the need for peace in the Middle East, a strong European Union, and a free and fair trade system.
VIDEO: Speaking before an enormous crowd in Berlin, Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama warned against 'walls' between 'allies,...races and trives, natives and immigrants, Christian and Muslim and Jew.' The presumptive Democratic nominee -- who was greeted with several chants of “Yes we Can” and was frequently interrupted by cheers and applause -- returned to his common campaign themes of unity, hope, and the need to seize the moment. He also repeated a favorite phrase, “This is our moment,” several times throughout his roughly half-hour speech, which acknowledged about the need to repair the relationship between America and its allies.
“In Europe, the view that America is part of what has gone wrong in our world -- rather than a force to help make it right -- has become all too common,” he told a crowd that stretched about a mile from his stage in front of the Victory Column to the Brandenburg Gate. “In America, there are voices that deride and deny the importance of Europe’s role in our security and our future. Both views miss the truth.”
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From NBC’s Alex Wall McCain’s policy advisors painted Obama as “Dr. No” on energy policy in a conference call held by the campaign this morning. Senior Policy Advisers Doug Holtz-Eakin and Nancy Pfotenhauer stressed the contrast between McCain and Obama’s positions on offshore drilling and the expansion of nuclear energy.
VIDEO: John McCain seized a golden opportunity to talk energy and the economy, launching a new ad attacking Barack Obama on rising gas prices. A Race for the White House panel discusses.
“If you talk to any member of the environmental community, everything has to be on the table…coal, oil, nuclear and alternative [energy sources],” Holtz-Eakin said. “John McCain has said to me on numerous occasions, this is the right thing for the economy, the right thing for national security.” He later added, “Obama has said, ‘No,’ to offshore drilling, ‘No,’ to coal, ‘No’ to [nuclear power]. His policy will ensure that we will have no new energy supplies.”On Florida and offshore drilling: While discussing McCain’s support of offshore drilling, Holtz-Eakin argued that, “states that traditionally don’t support drilling…like Florida are [now] supporting drilling.” Holtz-Eakin went on to suggest that this change in public opinion shows increasing support for McCain’s energy policies.
From NBC's Mark Murray McCain questions whether Obama should have given a speech in Berlin before becoming president.
"I would rather speak at a rally or a political gathering any place outside of the country after I am president of the United States," McCain told O'Donnell. "But that's a judgment that Sen. Obama and the American people will make."
However, on June 20, McCain himself gave a speech in Canada -- to the Economic Club of Canada -- in which he applauded NAFTA's successes. An implicit message behind that speech was that Obama had been critical of the trade accord. Also, McCain's trip to Canada was paid for by the campaign.
VIDEO: At a town hall in Pennsylvania, Republican presidential candidate John McCain says Obama's failure to understand the success of the surge in Iraq is a huge problem. Other excerpts of O'Donnell's interview with McCain:
O'Donnell: Do you believe Obama really would be willing to lose the war in Iraq?
McCain: I think it’s very clear that he took the position that would enhance and maybe the reason why he won the nomination of his party. He doesn’t understand that the consequences of failure in Iraq would have disastrous consequences for America's national security. And he still doesn’t acknowledge that the surge succeeded, which is remarkable any rational observer who saw the conditions two years ago and sees them now.
O'Donnell: What is your best estimate in time for a significant drawdown [from Iraq]?
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro Der Spiegel writes, "SPIEGEL ONLINE has learned that Obama has cancelled a planned short visit to the Rammstein and Landstuhl US military bases in the southwest German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. The visits were planned for Friday. 'Barack Obama will not be coming to us,' a spokesperson for the US military hospital in Landstuhl announced. 'I don't know why.' Shortly before the same spokeswoman had announced a planned visit by Obama.
The RNC has been passing along the story as well.
The Obama campaign confirms to First Read they won't be visiting and here's its official response:
VIDEO: Following a brief stop in Afghanistan, presidential hopeful Barack Obama travels to Iraq to meet with U.S. commanders and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports from Baghdad. "During his trip as part of the CODEL to Afghanistan and Iraq, Senator Obama visited the combat support hospital in the Green Zone in Baghdad and had a number of other visits with the troops," Obama strategist Robert Gibbs said in a statement. "For the second part of his trip, the senator wanted to visit the men and women at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center to express his gratitude for their service and sacrifice. The senator decided out of respect for these servicemen and women that it would be inappropriate to make a stop to visit troops at a U.S. military facility as part of a trip funded by the campaign."
Also part of that live ticker, Obama gets some headlines it probably wants out of the speech -- "Obama Says He Loves America," "Obama Calls on the World to Support Iraq," "Obama Calls on Europeans and Americans to Fight Terror Together."
*** UPDATE *** From NBC's Jim Miklaszewski and Courtney Kube
One military official who was working on the Obama visit said because political candidates are prohibited from using military installations as campaign backdrops, Obama's representatives were told, "he could only bring two or three of his Senate staff member, no campaign officials or workers." In addition,
The official said "We didn't know why" the request to visit the wounded troops was withdrawn. "He (Obama) was more than welcome. We were all ready for him."
From NBC's Bethany Thomas Sen. McCain, tomorrow, will meet with the Dalai Lama in Aspen, Colo.
NBC Senior Investigative Producer Jim Popkin looks at "Obama and the case of the missing 'thesis'" in an item on NBC blog Deep Background .
Conservative provocateurs have been hunting for it. Investigative journalists have been on the prowl, too. Even a former professor has been searching through old boxes for his copy of it. But today Barack Obama made it official: He doesn’t have and can’t release any copies of the thesis-length paper he wrote 25 years ago while a senior at Columbia University.
“We do not have a copy of the course paper you requested and neither does Columbia University,” Obama spokesman Ben LaBolt told NBC News.
The hunt for Obama’s senior “thesis” began with a throwaway line in a newspaper article last October. The New York Times story, on Obama’s early New York years, mentioned in passing that the presidential contender had majored in political science at Columbia and had spent his time “writing his thesis on Soviet nuclear disarmament.”
Journalists began hounding Columbia University for copies of the musty document. Conservative bloggers began wondering if the young Obama had written a no-nukes screed that he might come to regret. And David Bossie, the former congressional investigator and “right-wing hit man,” as one newspaper described him, took out classified newspaper ads in Columbia University’s newspaper and the Chicago Tribune in March searching for the term paper.
So what does the missing paper say, and could it be politically damaging to Obama? The Obama campaign won’t offer any guidance since it says it doesn’t have a copy. Spokesman Ben LaBolt wouldn’t even say whether Sen. Obama threw out his copy or lost it.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli Looks like a change of plans, Rob Portman will join McCain at his event in Ohio tonight.
See First Thoughts for some little known facts and the pros and cons of Portman as VP.
From NBC's Mark Murray Obama from Berlin, which will air later tonight on NBC Nightly News:
VIDEO: Watch portions of NBC's Brian Williams as he interviews Sen. Barack Obama in Germany. Obama talks about being pegged as the "riskier" choice for president and the need for international cooperation against terrorism. Williams: I have to begin by getting your reaction to a piece in this morning's International Herald Tribune. It's by Elizabeth Bumiller. And it reads, "Senator
John McCain and his campaign have sharply stepped up criticism of Senator Barack Obama as a craven and naïve traveler to the Middle East, who, as McCain put it at a raucous town hall style meeting, quote, 'would rather lose a war in order to win a political campaign.'" That's -- that's tough language.
Obama: Yeah, I-- I was disappointed by that language. You know, John McCain and I disagree on policy. You know, we disagreed on going into the war in Iraq. We disagreed, until recently, about the need to get more troops into Afghanistan. But I've never questioned-- that he wants to make America safer. And for him to suggest that I don't-- for him to suggest that somehow -- I'm less concerned about the safety of my wife and daughter-- than he is I think -- was -- was unfortunate.
Williams: Forty-five minutes in Ramallah. No electoral votes in Berlin. Is the trip worth it?
Obama: It is because I have firmly believed -- since the beginning of this campaign and -- for the last several years that we can't solve the problems we face in the United States alone. We can't solve the problems of terrorism without support from the international community. We can -- go after al-Qaeda as we have and we must. We can hunt them down. But we are gonna be more effective if we've got an international coalition. If we wanna pressure Iran -- something that has to be at the highest priority to back down from nuclear weapons -- then we've gotta impose very tough sanctions.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Mark Murray Quinnipiac University/Wall Street Journal/WashingtonPost.com poll of the battleground states Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin:
McCain 46% - Obama 44%
VIDEO: NBC Political Director Chuck Todd discusses the importance of Barack Obama's speech in Berlin and the new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, which has Obama leading John McCain by six points. The methodology: From July 14 - 22, Quinnipiac University surveyed:
-- 1,425 Colorado likely voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.6 percent;
-- 1,684 Michigan likely voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.4 percent;
-- 1,261 Minnesota likely voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.8 percent;
-- 1,094 Wisconsin likely voters with a margin of error of +/- 3 percent.
In June's poll, Obama lead in all four states
From NBC's Mike Viqueira Barack Obama will be on the Hill next Tuesday evening to address House Democrats in a closed -door session, says a top congressional Dem source.
Recall that Obama received a hero's welcome from fellow Democrats when he made a surprise visit to the House chamber late in the primary season. Since then, there have been mutterings here and there about how he isn't communicating sufficiently with members of the caucus -- all of whom will be down ticket from the presumptive nominee.
Recently, Obama has brought in Phil Schiliro -- a veteran Dem staffer -- to work as a liaison.
From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro Obama’s election to win : How important has this overseas trip been for Obama? Look no further than our latest NBC/WSJ poll, which has Obama leading McCain by six points (47%-41%), unchanged from last month. While the survey finds that the political winds are at the Dem candidate’s back -- just 13% believe the country’s on the right track, an all-time low in the poll; this is the 25th-straight NBC/WSJ survey in which the GOP has a net-negative rating; and Bush’s approval rating is only at 30% -- there are plenty of signs that Obama hasn’t yet closed the deal; if anything, he's simply grabbing on to the reverse Bush coattails at the moment. A majority (55%) think he would be the riskier choice for president, less than half of respondents say he doesn’t share their values and background, and McCain clobbers him on experience and commander-in-chief questions. This election, in fact, has become a referendum on Obama: 51% say they are focusing more on what kind of president Obama would be, versus just 27% who say they are focusing more on McCain. While a common refrain is that this election is shaping up as Obama’s election to lose, NBC/WSJ co-pollster Peter Hart (D) puts it another way “This remains Barack Obama’s election to win,” he says. “In the end, the election is about reassuring voters and removing doubts.”
VIDEO: The latest NBC/WSJ poll shows that Barack Obama has not yet received any boost in ratings since his trip overseas. A Race for the White House panel discusses. ***
Re-running Hillary’s campaign isn’t the answer : But while Obama is working on some his shortcomings as he travels overseas, ask yourself this: Has McCain been working on his, especially on a week when he’s had the country to himself? A whopping 77% in the poll believe that McCain would follow Bush’s policies very closely or somewhat closely. Just 14% of McCain’s own voters are excited about his candidacy (compared with 44% of Obama voters who say that about the Illinois Democrat). And, by a 55%-40% margin, voters prefer a presidential candidate who will bring greater changes -- even if he’s less experienced and tested -- to an experienced candidate who will bring fewer changes. “McCain can’t make this election about experience,” says NBC/WSJ co-pollster Neil Newhouse (R). “Re-running Hillary’s campaign isn’t going to be enough.” McCain tried to do something different by traveling to a Gulf Coast oil rig to promote his policies on offshore drilling, but those plans got scrapped by Hurricane Dolly. If it wasn't for bad luck these days, McCain would have no luck at all. That said, will observers look back on this summer as a wasted opportunity for McCain to start creating distance with Bush? Appearing with Bush's father this week, after all, wasn't exactly the best way to create that distance.
*** It’s the economy, dumba$$ : No longer does the phrase “It’s the economy, stupid” suffice. We need more of an expletive to drive home the point how central the economy is to this presidential election. In the poll, the economy and energy/gas prices are the two biggest voter concerns; Iraq is third. Voters are screaming for the candidates to focus on the economy, which is what makes the European portion of Obama's trip potentially more troublesome. It’s not clear that either Obama or McCain owns this issue right now. Just 28% have confidence that Obama would be able to get the economy back on track, while only 17% say that of McCain. (But Democrats do enjoy a comfortable lead when it comes to which party better handles the economy and energy.) Also according to the poll, voters -- overwhelmingly -- want McCain to pick a running mate who’s an expert on the economy. They want Obama to pick an expert in military or foreign affairs, but a close second is an economic expert. Who out there fits those bills for McCain and Obama? Will Michael Bloomberg get second looks from both candidates? Romney and Portman rise to the top of McCain's list? Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina too? What about Mark Warner on the Dem side? Will Robert Rubin's name suddenly surface?
*** Bigger than David Hasselhoff
*** Touché: The RNC, meanwhile, is up with radio ads hitting Obama for his lack of support for troop funding last year. Where are the ads running? They’re in all three US cities named Berlin in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and New Hampshire, as well as all three US cities named Paris in Maine, Michigan, and Missouri. But we ask: Why no love for Paris, VA? Population 49!
*** Going for the gold : The AP writes, "Barack Obama is going for the gold. He has decided to buy $5 million in national advertising on NBC during the broadcast of the Olympic games. The ads will appear on network and cable channels. The ad purchase was first reported yesterday on the website of Advertising Age, a magazine that covers the industry." Blog fodder : Also, don’t miss this little shot Obama took at Fox News when talking at his avail about the information/news the soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan are getting. “Sure, they are well informed, especially because you know [Major] Garrett’s on their home channel. How is it that Fox News has such an impact with Armed Forces television?” Garrett, also on the plane, answered: “Choice.” Then Obama replied: “Is that the commander-in-chief’s choice?” Over to you, Mr. O'Reilly!
VIDEO: NBC Deputy Political Director Mark Murray takes a look at McCain's potential V.P. short list and addresses speculation that the Republican may soon announce his pick. ***
Meet Rob Portman : With McCain in Ohio, we take a look at Rob Portman (sorry, Bobby Jindal -- we were going to profile you before McCain canceled his appearance in Louisiana)… His family's ancestors were Quaker abolitionists who were active in the Underground Railroad… That you can put more money in your 401(k) and IRA is, in part, due to Portman… During 2000 and 2004 VP debate practice for Cheney, he played the roles of Lieberman and Edwards… On the one hand, Portman brings experience on the economy as OMB director and a geographic advantage being from Ohio. On the other, his close ties to Bush (pictures hung in his office of him running with Bush Sr. and fishing with Cheney in Snake River, WY.) and his work as US Trade Rep. are problems, particularly in his home state where he never ran for statewide office. He represented Cincinnati in Congress.
*** On the trail : McCain is in the battleground of Ohio, where he raises money and then attends a town hall in the evening with Lance Armstrong; the two hold a media avail after that. Obama, as mentioned above, is in Germany. Click here to sign up for First Read emails.
McCain isn't backing down from his claim the surge started when he said it did, countering Dem attacks. "McCain said Army Col. Sean MacFarland started carrying out elements of a new counterinsurgency strategy as early as December 2006. At issue are McCain's comments in a Tuesday interview with CBS. The Arizona senator disputed Democrat Barack Obama's contention that a Sunni revolt against al-Qaida combined with the dispatch of thousands more U.S. combat troops to Iraq to produce the improved security situation there. McCain called that a ‘false depiction.’”
VIDEO: John McCain tried to explain his statements about the surge in Iraq beginning before the Sunni Awakening by insisting that the surge was actually a broader counter-insurgency strategy of which the surge in U.S. troop numbers was a part. The Nation's Chris Hayes outlines the inaccuracies of what McCain said and what actually happened. “Democrats jumped on his comments. They said McCain's remarks showed he was out of touch, because the rebellion of U.S.-backed Sunni sheiks against al-Qaida terrorists in Iraq's Anbar province was under way well before Bush announced in January 2007 his decision to send 30,000 additional U.S. troops to Iraq. McCain asserted he knew that and didn't commit a gaffe. ‘A surge is really a counterinsurgency made up of a number of components. ... I'm not sure people understand that “surge” is part of a counterinsurgency.’”
The
New York Times fact-checks the back-and-forth. “Democrats noted that the sheik who helped form the Awakening, Abdul Sattar Buzaigh al-Rishawi, was assassinated in September 2007, after the troop escalation began. The National Security Network, a liberal foreign policy group, called Mr. McCain’s explanation of the surge’s history ‘completely wrong.’”
“But several foreign policy analysts said that if Mr. McCain got the chronology wrong, his broader point — that the troop escalation was crucial for the Awakening movement to succeed and spread — was right. ‘I would say McCain is three-quarters right in this debate,’ said Michael E. O’Hanlon, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.”
Using the fact that McCain's oil rig event had to be cancelled due to Hurricane Dolly, the Washington Post takes a look at the fact that if it wasn't for bad luck, McCain wouldn't have any luck at all. “It seemed like a great way to counter Obamamania. Sen. John McCain would board a helicopter in New Orleans today, skim quickly over the Gulf of Mexico and land on an oil rig -- a made-for-TV moment to highlight his call for offshore drilling, an issue that Republicans believe will be a big winner in November.”
Then came Hurricane Dolly, a Category 2 storm that made a helicopter ride impossible. And then, improbably, a 600-foot oil tanker collided with a barge on the Mississippi River, creating a 12-mile oil slick and causing diesel fumes to waft over the city's French Quarter. The trip was off. In this campaign, it seems, McCain just can't catch a break.”
VIDEO: A Race for the White House panel discusses whether John McCain is starting to lose his cool when attacking Barack Obama. The
Boston Globe front pages McCain's "deficit" with young voters. "McCain's campaign, lagging far behind Obama among young voters, is trying to catch up. It will soon roll out new MySpace-style social networking features on its website -- which at the moment has special sections for women, veterans, and even lawyers, but not young people. It is also increasing its youth grass-roots organizing across the country and honing a new message aimed at young voters - 'service to a cause greater than your own self-interest' -- designed to dovetail with the 71-year-old's biography. Still, McCain is late to the game."
CONTINUED >>
Der Spiegel has blow-out Obama coverage: "Debate over Germany Trip Leaves Team Obama Frustrated" Obama's Star Status Frustrating McCain Berlin Reopens World Cup 'Fan Mile' for Obama American Idol in Germany
VIDEO: Barack Obama arrives in Berlin to begin the European leg of his foreign tour. He's set to speak about his vision on the ties between the U.S. and Europe. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports. The State Department
has labeled today's Berlin speech by Obama as a "partisan political event" -- meaning US embassy personnel are being told not to attend. "Government employees serving in the United States are permitted to attend such events under the Hatch Act, which bars other partisan activity, such as contributing money or working in behalf of a candidate.” But: “‘We always maintain that no U.S. government Foreign Service person overseas should be seen to be advocating one side or the other,’ State Department Undersecretary for Management Patrick Kennedy said, adding that ‘it has nothing to do with who’ the candidate is. ‘When a German sees you there, they're not going to think, “Oh, he or she is on their off time.” It's “Oh, they are a Democrat, a Republican, an independent,” God knows what,’ Kennedy said in an interview."
The RNC is up with radio ads hitting Obama for his lack of support for troop funding last year. The ads are running in all three US cities named Berlin in PA, WI, and NH, as well as all three US cities named Paris in ME, MI, and MO. Paris, VA ? Perhaps with a town size of just 49 people, they don't have a radio market to buy?
CONTINUED >>
Compiled by NBC/NJ’s Carrie Dann…
The Hill offers a numbers piece on Obama's organizational advantage in battleground states, citing the count of field offices in states that will likely be in play in November. For example: "In states where both campaigns have announced field offices that they've opened or plan to open, Obama has a definite advantage. In Ohio, Obama will have 18 offices open by the end of this week, while Sen. McCain (R-Ariz.) has eight. In Virginia, Obama has opened 20 while McCain has opened six."
Obama campaign manager David Plouffe
took his battleground PowerPoint to Capitol Hill yesterday , asking House Democrats to join in the effort to push swing states into the (D) column. According to attendees, Plouffe "emphasized the need for lawmakers, particularly from safe districts in safe Democratic states, to join the effort to get out the vote in areas that are up for grabs."
From the
Washington Post : Plouffe spent the time "huddling with House Democrats behind closed doors for nearly an hour and assuring them that Obama would be helping their election bids -- and that they would be asked to help his."
OHIO : It's a Republican full-court-press in the Buckeye State . McCain's there today, Bush is there next week, and RNC Chair Mike Duncan will be in Ohio tomorrow to rally state GOP leaders to McCain's cause.
Compiled by NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli and Carrie DannREPUBLICANS : Asked by Sean Hannity if he had decided on a VP pick, John McCain said: “No.” He said he’s looking for someone “who shares your priorities. Your principles, your values and I’ve got to also say priorities. One of the toughest decisions the president makes is setting priorities. And so, that has to be those obviously important characteristics. And one of them of course is, someone who can take your place immediately.” no longer denying contacts with the McCain camp. Eric Fehrnstrom said he had no comment on the issue, "and that includes not revisiting prior statements on the subject." But a Boston Herald op-ed says that if the economy is Romney’s selling point, that’s not saying much, noting job losses and a mixed report card from the Club for Growth. tells the hometown Erie newspaper : “Don't know if I've been vetted, and I know for certain I've had no conversations with my friend John. And since we've been friends for 25 years, I'd prefer, if there's to be a discussion, it be a private one.”
CONTINUED >>
Compiled by NBC/NJ’s Matthew E. Berger
DEMOCRATS : An announcement is expected today
on how tickets will be distributed for the Thursday night Invesco Field speech.
The
ongoing saga of a Wisconsin delegate who may be stripped of her right to vote at the convention because she is publicly supporting John McCain continues. Debra Bartoshevich, a Hillary Clinton supporter, had an official complaint filed with the party’s Credentials Committee against her when she said she would support McCain over Obama.
John Edwards said he expects his anti-poverty initiative to
play a prominent role at the convention . "I'm very hopeful and have good reason to believe that this issue will be heard loudly and clearly" at the convention, Edwards said.
REPUBLICANS : White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said Bush will leave St. Paul Monday night after his speech, without spending the night. “After the president speaks,” she wrote in an e-mail to the
New York Times , “it’s McCain’s spotlight and we intend to let it shine fully on him.” Bush’s speech will come several hours
after a massive march is planned against the war , ending at the Xcel Energy Center, where the convention will be held. Could the presidential address help boost their numbers?
Convention press secretary Joanna Burgos told NBC/National Journal though that the list of speakers has not been finalized and the organizers would not comment until all the speakers had been determined.
As if the GOP needed more problems in their attempts to defend the Virginia Senate seat being vacated by John Warner… Their nominee, one-time presidential candidate Jim Gilmore,
is accused of hiding his ties to a government contractor on his senate financial disclosure form . If you are keeping score at home, this probably means Mark Warner goes from, say a 10-point favorite to 15 points? 20?
From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli
THE SHORT LIST. Per Adam Aigner-Treworgy,
McCain was asked his feelings on Gov. Tim
Pawlenty (R-MN). “He’s a great, fine person. Reelected in one of the toughest reelection years in the history of the Republican Party. He comes from a -- his father I am pretty sure -- drove a truck. He has pretty successfully been able to work across the aisle in Minnesota with the Democrats. And I think he is, he, Bobby
Jindal and a number of governors, I think are the future of the Republican party. The next generation of leadership.”
Earlier today, McCain mentioned his “
beloved friend ” Tom
Ridge at a Pennsylvania fundraiser today, adding: “I think he’s one of the ideal Americans that I have ever known.”
VIDEO: Former New York City mayor and one-time presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani joins Hardball's Chris Matthews to talk about John McCain's V.P. search and Barack Obama's overseas trip. Jeff Sadosky, a McCain aide, said
predictions of rough weather Wednesday night, including strong thunderstorms, led the campaign to cancel the McCain trip to New Orleans. McCain’s camp says they’ll reschedule the meeting with Jindal.
Marc Ambinder offers some details on McCain’s veep preparations, with a full time staff dedicated to the eventual pick. He also downplays McCain’s mention of Pawlenty in a meeting with NH supporters, and reports that
Romney supporters are suggesting he make his pick sooner rather than later.
Meanwhile,
Bob Novak updates his take on VP: “The identity of McCain's running mate, whenever he is named, still is unknown. But former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney now leads all speculation. He is getting a boost from private polls that show his presence on the ticket puts McCain ahead in Michigan -- changing that state from Blue to Red.”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro Many are wondering just how many people will show up at Obama's Berlin speech tomorrow.
First Read obtained postcards created by the Obama campaign being handed out in Germany advertising the event.
From NBC's Michael McDonel
The press conference's purpose was to outline a national battle plan against cancer.
When asked which presidential candidate he would rather have as his workout buddy, Armstrong said there was an obvious choice, but that he tries to stay apolitical when it comes to the issue of cancer prevention and surviviorship and that he is confident both candidates would strongly support the cause.
Upon further consideration Armstrong replied, "Neither of them could hang."
From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli
As both campaigns zero in on their running mate selections, the new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll finds that a sizeable number of voters would like to see both nominees shore up their ticket with someone with economic credentials.
But for
Obama , the No. 1 quality sought in a running mate is someone with diplomatic or military credentials. Fifty percent of respondents said they’d like to see the Illinois senator pick someone who is an expert in the military or foreign affairs, compared to only 25 percent who thought
McCain should do so.
VIDEO: A new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll shows Barack Obama has a 6-point lead over John McCain in the race for the White House. NBC's Political Director Chuck Todd weighs in on the poll results. Sixty percent of the registered voters surveyed wanted to see McCain pick a running mate who’s an expert on the economy, with another 22 percent looking for someone who has experience in the business world. Forty-two percent of those surveyed want Obama to pick a fiscal expert.
Voters were allowed to choose more than one quality from a list. A smaller number of voters on each side thought it was important to pick someone who was conservative or liberal on social issues, with 13 and 11 percent, respectively.
From NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner-Treworgy McCain spent most of his prepared remarks discussing the two issues he has made the center of his week: (even at fundraisers) energy and Iraq. On Iraq he reiterated some of his attacks on Obama that have become mainstays of this week, including another pointed use of the ‘he’d rather win an election than win a war’ line and answered a couple questions on how the Iraqi police are still not well-trained enough to secure their own country.
He also hit Obama on his refusal to accept any of McCain’s energy policies -- "No We Won’t" instead of "Yes We Can."
Also, McCain is no longer going to New Orleans to meet with Bobby Jindal , but traveling to Columbus, Ohio, instead.
McCain also complimented his former House colleague and “beloved friend” Tom Ridge , who did not appear to be present: “A Vietnam veteran, a person, one of the few graduates of Harvard who was drafted and went and served in the Vietnam War, first head of -- you know all about Tom Ridge, uh, I think he’s one of the ideal Americans that I have ever known. I have to tell you his most unfavorite joke, which I tell all the time about the two inmates in the chow line at the state prison….”
Some excerpts from McCain's town hall:
CONTINUED >>
From NBC/NJ’s Athena Jones
SDEROT, Israel --
Obama used a press conference in a town seen as a symbol of Israel's security challenges to highlight the danger of a nuclear-armed Iran and to reaffirm his strong support for Israel and his commitment to the peace process.
Obama took questions for about 20 minutes, appearing alongside Israeli Defense Minister Ehud
Barak and Foreign Minister Tzipi
Livni . Livni spoke briefly before the senator took to the podium.
VIDEO: In Israel, Democratic presidential candidate Barack obama says he would offer "big sticks and big carrots" to Iran in an effort to halt that country's nuclear program. Obama largely reiterated views he has expressed before, such as the importance of having a U.S. government that was deeply engaged in the peace process but that did not dictate to either party what their agreement should look like and the need for Hamas to recognize Israel's right to exist.
While there was little news in the presser, it was remarkable in terms of the strong language Obama used repeatedly to demonstrate the depth of his support for Israel, saying at one point that he had an "unshakeable commitment to Israel's security." His message appeared to be directed at American Jewish voters, an important voting bloc and one that has been wary of Obama's commitment to Israel.
On Iran, Obama said he would take no options off the table in dealing with the potential Iranian threat.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Mark Murray Here's one result from the new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll that will be released tonight at 6:30 pm ET on Nightly News and MSNBC.com... With the news that Iraq's prime minister wants the US to set a timetable for withdrawal, 60% of registered voters believe it's a good idea for the US to set such a timetable, while 30% say it's a bad idea.
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro Obama makes an appeal to the Hispanic community drawing on his biography in his latest Spanish-language radio ad, which will run in Colorado, Florida, New Mexico and Nevada beginning today.
All four are battlegrounds with Hispanic voters. Florida, however, has a higher concentration of typically more conservative Cuban voters.
CONTINUED >>
From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro Obama’s tricky day : So far, so good for Obama. His campaign got the pictures it wanted from Afghanistan and Iraq. The candidate also seemed to successfully navigate yesterday’s press conference when every media outlet and GOP operative monitored every word he said. There are two big hurdles left: 1) the Berlin speech and 2) today’s events in Israel, which might be the trickiest part of Obama’s trip. Indeed, there will be a lot of attention on Obama’s stance on Jerusalem. When Obama called for Jerusalem to be “undivided” at the AIPAC conference in DC he got large applause from the pro-Israeli audience. But Obama was criticized from the Palestinian community and he then walked back from the comment, later telling Fareed Zakaria on CNN it was "bad phrasing." "You know, the truth is that this was an example where we had some poor phrasing in the speech, and we immediately tried to correct the interpretation that was given," Obama said. It is a fine line Obama walks with skeptical Israelis and -- more important politically -- Jewish voters in the US.
VIDEO: Time Magazine's Mark Halperin explains why Barack Obama's trip abroad can only help his campaign and why John McCain has a right to be frustrated. ***
A busy man : Of course, Obama's day in Israel is mostly over... Already today, Obama has met with Defense Minister Ehud Barak and then with opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu. After that, he visited the Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial and chatted with President Shimon Peres. He ventured to Ramallah to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. And he spoke with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni. Still on the agenda: a trip to Sderot, a border town that has come under repeated rocket attacks from Hamas. And finally, he speaks with embattled Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
***
Problematic body language : Sometimes body language can tell you a lot. And the body language coming from the McCain campaign -- as Obama continues his overseas trip -- doesn’t look too pretty right now. Let us count the ways: It has aired its first two negative TV ads of general election, one of which (on energy) was panned by virtually every media outlet for being factually incorrect. It later sent the press on what appears to be a wild goose VP chase, when it leaked to Bob Novak that a veep decision could be coming this week (and now even Novak admits that he might have been used).
Next came the McCain Web video blasting the media’s attention on Obama, as well as those luggage tags calling the reporters who have followed McCain for much of this election the “JV Squad” while others are covering Obama overseas; the other side of the luggage tag was in French with a beret-wearing guy pouring wine. (Side thought: Why does McCain think belittling his own press corps is a good idea? But we digress…)
Click for a larger photo of luggage tags
And then yesterday came McCain’s line that “Obama would rather lose a war in order to win a political campaign” -- language that spurred veteran journalist Joe Klein to wonder whether McCain “has the right temperament for the presidency.” McCain told CBS’s Katie Couric last night, “I relish [being] the underdog.” Did the McCain campaign push the candidate into this mode because they are obsessing SO MUCH over winning and losing daily news cycles? What happened to the happy warrior?
*** Poll alert : Where does the McCain-Obama race stand? Has Obama received a bump from his overseas trip? Do most Americans support a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq? Is Obama a riskier choice than McCain is safe? And how many think the country is on the wrong track? Some answers to these questions will be revealed when the latest NBC/WSJ poll -- the first national survey to come out after Obama departed on his international trip -- is released on NBC Nightly News and MSNBC.com at 6:30 pm ET.
*** Tar Heel dreaming? Does Obama really have a chance in North Carolina? GOP voices in today’s Raleigh News & Observer don’t think so. “There remains some skepticism among Republicans about whether the Obama effort is for real or just a feint. Some of them think Obama is likely to refocus his efforts on more traditional swing states closer to the election. ‘We are anticipating that it could be a race in North Carolina,’ said Ferrell Blount, a former state GOP chairman from Pitt County who is advising the McCain campaign. ‘But we are not totally convinced it will be at this point. But we want to be prepared to spend some money in North Carolina, and we are trying to make some preparations.’”
VIDEO: Quizzing people on whether or not they are being vetted never gets old and neither does talk of Obama's visit to the Middle East. Gov. Bobby Jindal, R-La., talks with Mika Brzezinski about whether he might be the vice presidential nominee. ***
McCain’s short list? We now have what appears to be the McCain VP short list: Romney, Pawlenty, and Jindal. Those seem to be the three after reading today’s news clips (check out our Veepstakes section). One person whose name isn’t on that list, but probably should be? See right below…
*** Meet Tom Ridge : With McCain in Pennsylvania today, we take a look at former PA Gov -- and Homeland Security secretary -- Tom Ridge, with whom McCain is close friends. (And remember, how McCain gets along with someone is a factor in the VP decision.)… Ridge, a Harvard grad, won a bronze star in Vietnam. In 1982, "he was the first enlisted Vietnam combat veteran elected to the U.S. House...." In some veep crossover, Gov. Tim Kaine (D-VA) appointed Ridge to the independent panel studying the Virginia Tech shootings… Ridge may always be remembered for his color-coded charts (and the emotions those invoked) at Homeland… But his Achilles heel in this process? His support of abortion rights; in fact, his pro-abortion rights stance derailed his veep chances in 1996 and 2000. On the trail : McCain is in Pennsylvania, holding a town hall and raising money in Wilkes-Barre, PA. He later visits his campaign headquarters in Harrisburg before heading to New Orleans, where he meets tonight with Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal. Obama, meanwhile, spends his day in Israel.
Countdown to Dem convention: 33 daysClick here to sign up for First Read emails .
McCain yesterday launched one of his toughest attacks yet on Senator Barack Obama, saying his Democratic rival ‘would rather lose a war in order to win a campaign.’” Washington Post : “Obama said he had hoped to avoid political warfare with his rival while overseas, but the attention the candidate's trip is receiving in the United States and potential implications for the November election makes that all but impossible. Minutes after the news conference, McCain's campaign issued a statement blasting the Democratic candidate. ‘By continuing his opposition to the surge strategy long after it has proven successful and by admitting that his plan for withdrawal places him at odds with General David Petraeus, Barack Obama has made clear that his goal remains unconditional withdrawal rather than securing the victory our troops have earned and the surge has made possible,’ spokesman Tucker Bounds said.”
VIDEO: Race for the White House panelists Rachel Maddow and Stephen Hayes debate which presidential candidate, Barack Obama or John McCain, is showing better judgement on Iraq. Obama
declared yesterday that there is a "growing consensus" in the United States and Iraq for a timeline to withdraw American combat forces, and that the United States now urgently needs to turn its attention to Afghanistan. "If we responsibly end the war in Iraq, we can strengthen our military, step up our efforts to finish the fight against Al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan, and succeed in leaving Iraq to a sovereign government that can take responsibility for its own future," Obama said at his first news conference since touring Afghanistan and Iraq. "The situation in Afghanistan is perilous and urgent," he said, calling the country the "central front in the war against terrorism."
Another McCain gaffe? The AP : “‘Because of the surge we were able to go out and protect that sheik and others. And it began the Anbar awakening,’ McCain said, referring to the U.S.-backed revolt of Sunni sheiks against al-Qaida in Anbar province. ‘I mean, that's just a matter of history.’ The problem with McCain's statement -- as Obama's campaign quickly noted -- was that the awakening got under way before President Bush announced in January 2007 his decision to flood Iraq with tens of thousands of additional U.S. troops to help combat violence.”CONTINUED >>
The New York Times' Maureen Dowd points out a visual contrast this week that's going to be remembered for some time. "The image of John McCain in a golf cart with Bush 41 in Kennebunkport — with Poppy charmingly admitting that they were ‘a little jealous’ of all the Obama odyssey coverage — was not a good advertisement for the future, especially contrasted with the shots of Gen. David Petraeus and Obama smiling at each other companionably in a helicopter surveying Iraq. (Asked by a Democratic lawmaker a while back why there weren’t more Democrats in the military, General Petraeus smiled slyly and said ‘there are more than you think.’)"
In a separate piece, the New York Times’ Stanley also writes on the visual contrasts. "It wasn’t a television blackout of John McCain; it was worse: split-screen contrasts that at times made it seem as if Barack Obama was on a state visit while back home his opponent chafed at the perks and privileges of an incumbent commander in chief."
More: “While Mr. Obama was shown striding across military tarmacs and inspecting troops standing at attention, Mr. McCain on Monday was seen being driven around in a golf cart by former President George Bush in the resort town of Kennebunkport, Me. Later, the two men spoke to reporters side by side at a waterfront, and they looked more like fellow members of a Past Presidents’ Club than a party elder passing the torch to his political heir.”
VIDEO: A Race for the White House panel discusses whether attacking the media is a smart political move for John McCain. And: “Mr. McCain’s surrogates complained bitterly about the Obama news blitz; on Tuesday the McCain campaign put out a Web video mocking reporters’ doting coverage with a montage of anchors’ gauzy looks and glowing praise set to the tune of the Frankie Valli hit ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You.’ But it’s not pro-Obama bias in the news media that’s driving the effusion of coverage, it’s the news: Mr. Obama’s weeklong tour of war zones and foreign capitals is noteworthy because it is so unusual to see a presidential candidate act so presidential overseas. Mr. Obama looks supremely confident and at home talking to generals and heads of state, so much so that some viewers may find the pose presumptuous — as if Mr. Obama believes that not only is his official nomination at the Democratic convention in August a mere formality, so is the November election."
CONTINUED >>
The reviews of Obama's overseas trip continue to be positive. From today's Washington Post : Obama "has remade the campaign's foreign policy playing field, neatly sidestepping Republican charges that he has been naive and wrong on Iraq and moving to a broader, post-Iraq focus on Afghanistan and Pakistan."
VIDEO: A Hardball panel discusses whether Barack Obama's Middle East trip will be a political success. The
New York Daily News' DeFrank writes under the headline, "Obama hits grand slam in Mideast tour; 'he's won the week' vs. McCain." "John McCain may rue the day he ever taunted Barack Obama into going to Iraq. Obama's four-day visit to the combat zones was a political tour de force, generating mega-coverage back home that left McCain gasping for traction. 'Unless he screws up in Israel or Europe, he's already won the week,' a former Bush White House aide conceded."
Perhaps the toughest day of Obama's trip happens today. The London Times : "The Democratic presidential candidate, who is struggling to win over Jewish voters in America and is viewed with suspicion in Israel, holds meetings in Jerusalem and the West Bank today during the thorniest leg of his international tour. It will be a far cry from the rapturous public reception that he is likely to receive in Berlin tomorrow." More: "Israelis are particularly suspicious of Mr Obama because of his willingness to talk to Iran’s leadership, and a perception that he is sympathetic to the Palestinian cause. Unlike a visit to the region by his Republican rival John McCain in May, the Democrat will not only hold meetings in Jerusalem, but will travel to the West Bank city of Ramallah to talk with Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian President, and Salam Fayyad, the Prime Minister." CONTINUED >>
NORTH CAROLINA : The Raleigh News and Observer looks at the seriousness of the Obama effort in the state and how the McCain campaign is responding. The Republicans quoted in the story appear to still be operating on the belief Obama's not REALLY taking North Carolina that seriously.
“There remains some skepticism among Republicans about whether the Obama effort is for real or just a feint. Some of them think Obama is likely to refocus his efforts on more traditional swing states closer to the election. ‘We are anticipating that it could be a race in North Carolina,’ said Ferrell Blount, a former state GOP chairman from Pitt County who is advising the McCain campaign. ‘But we are not totally convinced it will be at this point. But we want to be prepared to spend some money in North Carolina, and we are trying to make some preparations.’”
REPUBLICANS : A Republican who attended a private meeting in New Hampshire with McCain said that the Arizona senator "out of the blue" told the gathering that he thinks they are "really going to like" MN Gov. Tim Pawlenty.
VIDEO: A Race for the White House panel debates: How could John McCain not choose Mitt Romney as his running mate? A Romney source
claims he’s “near the top of a very short list” for VP. Romney spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom
repeats in an e-mail : "There's a lot of guessing and speculation going on, but the fact is that Governor Romney expects to be campaigning for John McCain as a supporter and not as a member of the ticket."
There was
no comment from Gov. Bobby Jindal’s (R-LA) staff about what his expected meeting with McCain today would cover.
At one of his town meetings,
Jindal said : "I'm not gonna be vice-president. I have no interest in that. I want to be governor of Louisiana." Jindal also
said on CBS this morning that McCain will not offer him the vice presidency, and that he has not confirmed McCain’s Louisiana visit.
Kathleen Parker wonders of Jindal is what Republicans have been waiting for. “Although Jindal is less well-known, he's got rising star power. Importantly, he's young -- and looks even younger. If he had cheeks, you'd want to pinch them. Reed-thin, Jindal has the metabolism of a hummingbird and the kind of intellect that makes Vulcans uneasy. Often referred to as the smartest man in the room, Jindal's mind can wrap around anything but the idea of repose. More to an important point, he's not another white guy.”
CONTINUED >>
Compiled by NBC/NJ’s Matthew E. Berger…
REPUBLICANS : Supporters of Ron Paul
are moving their counter-convention to a larger space, closer to the St. Paul festivities. The “Rally for the Republic” will be held at the Minneapolis Target Center (home of the Minnesota Timberwolves) between Aug. 31 and Sept. 2.
A third protest march to the convention site has been announced. This one comes from the Anti-War Committee, a Twin Cities peace group and is planned for Sept. 4, the last day of the convention.
An important note for all headed to the Twin Cities: The Bloomington City Council is
allowing bars to stay open to 4 am during convention week, but unlike Minneapolis and St. Paul, bar owners won’t have to pay $2,500 to do so.
DEMOCRATS : The committee hosting the Denver convention has been using the city’s gas pumps to refuel without paying state and federal taxes for four months . Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper says the Denver 2008 Host Committee will pay market price for fuel, but a Public Works spokeswoman said the committee, which has not yet paid for the gas its used, would be charged without the taxes.
From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli told reporters today: “When we are ready to announce, we will announce.” Bob Novak, appearing on FNC, says he got the tip from a very senior McCain aide, but acknowledges he may have been used. two major events under their control and they must be done correctly, not in a reactive fashion. If [Novak's report] is for real and they are about to name a vice president, it's campaign malpractice.” ON THE RECORD. On MSNBC, Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN) said he’s “stopped engaging in those discussions,” re: whether he’s being vetted. Pawlenty also appeared on Fox News, saying McCain would want to choose someone who could add to the ticket on issues and experience, and be someone he’s comfortable with.
VIDEO: A Hardball panel debates: Will John McCain choose his running mate this week? Sen. Lindsay
Graham (R-SC) says
