John Yang
From NBC's John Yang
Appearing on NBC's "Meet the Press" this past Sunday, Democratic Party chairman Howard Dean told Tim Russert that he hoped his party's nomination fight would "be over by the end of the month of June." That would require most of the 288 uncommitted superdelegates to declare their support for either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama.
So how does that sound to Leila Medley, the political director for the Missouri National Education Association and one of the superdelegates we profiled for "NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams"?
"He hasn't communicated with me," she says of Dean. "So, for now, I'm still doing my thing -- which is being uncommitted to the convention."
After the bruising Pennsylvania primary campaign, Medley, originally a John Edwards supporter, says the race is "more unpredictable now than a month ago." While still leading in pledged delegates, votes and states won, Obama is "sort of losing ground, it seems to me. He hasn't been able to close the deal."
The pressure from the campaigns and other rank-and-file Democrats has eased up a bit, Medley reports. She still gets letters and e-mails daily, but it's nothing like it once was. Nonetheless, it is wearying. "It seems like it ought to be over," she says with a sigh.
And she's been getting calls on behalf of Clinton from a fellow Missourian -- former House Democratic leader Richard Gephardt. Medley twice went to Iowa in support of Gephardt's presidential campaigns.
"Fortunately, I've been out of the office when he's called," she says.
And she hasn't called back.
From NBC's John Yang
Three weeks ago, we went to Missouri to meet two uncommitted superdelegates for "NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams": Leila Medley, the political director for the state's teachers union, and state Rep. Maria Chappelle-Nadal. At the time, both said they were dismayed that the race was getting more contentious the longer it went. And they both hoped Democratic voters would decide the nominee, not superdelegates such as themselves.
After Wednesday night's debate and days ahead of the Pennsylvania primary, we thought it was a good time to check back in.
Medley tried to watch the debate, but turned it off before it was over. "It was so contentious," she said. "I'm so worn out with all the arguing."
Chappelle-Nadal missed the debate because the legislature, now debating the state budget, was in session until about 1 a.m. Thursday. But she, too, laments that the campaign has been reduced to "bickering."
Medley fears it's hurting the Democrats' chance in November. "What we're doing is we're letting John McCain have a free ride," she said. "He's running a general-election campaign, and we're still fighting among ourselves. … They need to be more civil to each other. It's just gotten too contentious. Somebody has to step aside."
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From NBC's John Yang
In her off-camera, on-the-record gaggle, White House Press Scretary Dana Perino denied that Admiral Fallon's departure indicated that the administration doesn't tolerate dissent. She called that "nonsense. The President welcome robust and healthy debate. ... The President is in no way asking that people not talk to the media," she said. (Save that last phrase for future reference.)
VIDEO: March 11: After being portrayed in Esquire magazine as "brazenly challenging" President Bush over a potential war with Iran, Adm. William Fallon said those words had become a distraction, forcing him to step aside as leader of Central Command. NBC's Jim Miklaszewski reports.
On the other hand, she noted that Fallon participated in a weekly secure videoteleconference with the president and had "ample opportunity" to express himself privately.
Perino also clearly indicated that Bush wanted Fallon gone, repeatedly saying that he had asked Gates to handle "this matter" within the Pentagon. "He asked Secretary Gates to handle this in the Pentagon and it was," she said.
Timeline: Defense Secretary Gates called National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley Tuesday morning to tell him that Fallon was going and Hadley informed Bush before the president left for Tennessee.
From NBC's John Yang and NBC/NJ's Matthew Berger
A Romney campaign aide said Wednesday will be a day of "frank discussions." The aide said Romney will meet with aides in Boston Wednesday and is expected to speak at CPAC Thursday.
The aide said part of the discussion will be whether to travel to Kansas on Friday to campaign for the caucus.
From NBC's John Yang and NBC/NJ's Matthew E. Berger
The end is rarely pretty.
The morning after it was reported that Giuliani was dropping out was particularly chaotic for the campaign. The traveling press corps was asked to be in the lobby at 7:30 am to be bused to the airport for a 9:00 am flight to Los Angeles, including a refueling stop in Texas.
But the only buses that showed up were for a meeting of Wendy's franchisees.
The mayor departed the hotel -- in a pick-up truck.
Still no buses. And no campaign aides to tell us exactly where we were going and what we'd do when we got there.
Calls to officials revealed that more and more of them were heading home to New York instead of accompanying the mayor.
And still no buses.
A campaign aide said there was a problem and that we should get ourselves to the airport.
A fleet of cabs took the assembled reporters to the plane in time to see campaign officials campaign manager Mike DuHaime, campaign advisor Tony Carbonetti, former deputy mayors Randy Mastro and Joe Lhota and the ubiquitous celebrity endorser Jon Voight board the plane. Giuliani boarded carrying his own suit bag. His wife, Judith, was not with him.
And on the tarmac: The buses that were to carry the press to the plane.
From NBC’s John Yang
What could be President Bush's most significant event today isn't on his public schedule: A meeting this afternoon with the bipartisan congressional leadership. It was scheduled last week, so Bush can brief lawmakers on his Middle East trip. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and members of the Senate Foreign Relations and House Foreign Affairs committees will attend.
But coming amid turmoil in global financial markets -- blamed on growing fears of a U.S. recession and, by extension, a lack of confidence that Bush's vision for an economic stimulus package will be able to prop up the lagging economy -- administration officials begrudgingly acknowledge that the economy might -- just might -- come up in the conversation. (Gee, ya think?)
There's no coverage planned of the meeting, though congressional leaders will likely stop to talk to reporters on their way out. Bush could have some words on the topic when he appears before cameras with Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson in the Roosevelt Room to announce a Presidential Advisory Council on Financial Literacy. The time: 4 p.m., just after the closing bell of what could be a bumpy session on Wall Street.
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