Hillary Clinton is from (fill in primary state here)

After her ad about a Scranton cottage "with no heat or indoor shower," the New York Senator reminds she is actually from Indiana-bordering Illinois.

Help or hurt?

The editorial board of the Washington Times says that Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour told them that he is too conservative to be John McCain's running mate.

Perhaps they are paraphrasing him, because Barbour is never quoted as explicitly saying so in the interview.

What New York Democrats will be overheard asking

How do you dispute charges like these without looking like you're defending Eliot Spitzer?

Lightly commits

The Boston Globe editorial board knocked Hillary Clinton yesterday for comments she made with regard to Iran launching a nuclear attack on Israel. Originally she said such an act would garner "massive retaliation," following it up with this statement to ABC's Chris Cuomo:

I want the Iranians to know that if I'm the president, we will attack Iran [in the event they launch a nuclear strike against Israel]. In the next 10 years, during which they might foolishly consider launching an attack on Israel, we would be able to totally obliterate them.

The Globe points to chiding reactions from around the world, disappointed that Clinton would publicly make such a commitment.

While Clinton has hammered Obama for supporting military strikes in Pakistan, her comments on Iran are much more far-reaching. She seems not to realize that she undermined Iranian reformists and pragmatists. The Iranian people have been more favorable to America than any other in the Gulf region or the Middle East.

A presidential candidate who lightly commits to obliterating Iran - and, presumably, all the children, parents, and grandparents in Iran - should not be answering the White House phone at any time of day or night.

But can America reasonably sit by while Israeli civilians are being annihilated? Absolutely not. While it should not be voiced, what other reaction could possibly be taken?

Time traveler

Ryan Lizza writes about one of the strangest developments in the 2008 campaign: Bill Clinton's inability to adapt to today's political media.

“It’s like he’s been plucked out of time and thrown into the middle of this entirely new kind of campaign,” the adviser told me. Jay Carson, a senior Clinton campaign official and Bill’s former spokesman, said, “Because of the way he is covered, the only thing anyone ever sees is fifteen seconds that is deemed by the pundits to be off message.”

Who sets the table

In making a point about how issues get lost in the fray, Gwen Ifill points to Obama's big flaw in Pennsylvania:

One of the most amazing things about Pennsylvania is ... how much Barack Obama, in trying to chase after voters in places like Scranton and Steelton, where I once lived, I'm telling you, he wasn't going to win in Steelton and only made one big appearance in Philadelphia, where his base was. His theory, up until now, had been, "Run up my numbers in the places where I'm strong." But he only, Friday night before the election, made--had a big--one big rally in Philadelphia, while the Clintons were running rings around him in the suburbs, where he was supposed to be strong, and he didn't do as well as he was supposed to. So there's something--it, it seems like that campaign gets thrown off balance when Hillary Clinton sets the table for where they ought to be and what they ought to say.

Violence at the center of the world

The images coming out of the attempt on Afghan President Hamid Karzai's life on a stand at a military parade commemorating the defeat of the Soviets are strangely familiar, reminiscent of the assassination of Chechen President Akhmad Kadyrov.

Kadyrov died in 2004 because of a bomb planted in a concrete pillar underneath his seat at a parade celebrating the defeat of the Nazis. Karzai and his party were fired upon by small arms and RPGs, killing three, including a 10 year old boy.

Blair thinks Labour bound for defeat

A new book from a close confidant of Tony Blair says that the former prime minister does not believe his successor Gordon Brown can defeat Conservative Party leader David Cameron.

“But Gordon? ’He can’t defeat Cameron,’ Tony told me. Blair believed Cameron had major strengths - political timing, a winning personality and a natural ability to communicate to Middle England that Gordon would be unable to match,” he added.

A Blair spokesperson denies the comment, but public sentiment seems to confirm he would say such a thing.

Cuba meddling in domestic politics

The Cuban government has allegedly sought to to normalize its relationship with the United States by tarring Cuban-American politicians in scandals.

Olmert's vacation

The New York Times reports that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is likely passing word to the Syrians that he's willing to withdraw from the Golan Heights in exchange for peace between the two nations.

The same article also notes that Olmert is currently vacationing with his family and friends in a cabin on the Golan.

Is that his version of John Kennedy sending Pierre Salinger out to buy all the Cuban cigars in Washington D.C. the night he ordered the trade embargo?

So why is McKinnon still with McCain?

"I would simply be uncomfortable being in a campaign that would be inevitably attacking Barack Obama." - Top John McCain media strategist Mark McKinnon on February 13, explaining why he would leave the Republican's campaign if Obama became the Democratic nominee.



These ads were not made by McCain, but they are from an organization he's directly linked to and arguably the nominal head of.

If McKinnon is true to his word, he should leave now; yet he's rolling along -- quite literally -- on McCain's bus in Kentucky.

"In the Bush campaign we used to say that we won the campaign in 2000 and 2004 between March and June," McKinnon told Time earlier today. "And I think the way things are going we could say that McCain won this election between March and June."

Well if it's over by then, why ever leave?

A liability

Bill Clinton, yesterday on WHYY :

INTERVIEWER: “Do you think [comparing Barack Obama's South Carolina victory to that of Jesse Jackson's] was a mistake, and would you do that again?"
CLINTON: "No. I think that they played the race card on me. And we now know, from memos from the campaign and everything, that they planned to do it along."

Today, to NBC/National Journal reporter Mike Memoli:

NBC/NJ: “Sir, what did you mean yesterday when you said that the Obama campaign was playing the race card on you?”

CLINTON: “When did I say that, and to whom did I say that?”

NBC/NJ: “On WHYY radio yesterday”

CLINTON: “No, no, no. That’s not what I said. You always follow me around and play these little games, and I’m not going to play your games today. This is a day about election day. Go back and see what the question was, and what my answer was. You have mischaracterized it to get another cheap story to divert the American people from the real urgent issues before us, and I choose not to play your game today. Have a nice day.”

He goes on, but does it really matter?

Search engine informational warfare

Via Mike Allen:

Someone bought TuckerBounds.com for $10.19 yesterday. Hint: It wasn't Tucker Bounds.

If this is a Google-bomb/AdWords-driven spokesman watchdog group, then... wow.

If 2006 was a precursor, it looks like this will be the year of full-blown search engine informational warfare.

Politics and pro wrestling

Whatever gets people voting, right?

Kids today

Older members of the Senate are finding that their stature is not translating into electoral cakewalks. Rather, most are facing tough fights.

In New Jersey, 84* year-old Frank Lautenberg will have to fend off a well-funded Democratic primary challenger in Rep. Rob Andrews, 51, before the likely GOP nominee, former Rep. Dick Zimmer, 64, who is no political novice.

And earlier today in Alaska, Democrat Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich, 46, officially announced he will take on long-time Republican Sen. Ted Stevens who, on election day, will be two weeks away from turning 85. This will likely be the most significant challenge Stevens has ever faced, given his age and recent corruption investigations into his home and his family.

The next oldest Senators, John Warner, 81, and Pete Domenici, 76, chose not to stand for reelection.

Then again, 72 year-old Senators Pat Roberts and Elizabeth Dole look strong in their re-election prospects, as do Oklahoma Sen. Jim Inhofe, 73, and Missouri Sen. Thad Cochran, 71.

*Unless otherwise noted, these are the ages they will be on November 4, 2008.

Quick-draw response teams

Chuck Todd, on the message machines:

For all the recycled Clinton-Obama bickering this past weekend -- over health care, who’s being more negative, and who’s saying nice things about Republicans or using GOP talking points -- Democrats should be encouraged by what they're seeing in terms of the general election, at least when it comes to the blocking and tackling of politics. Their rapid response teams of both these campaigns are well oiled and battle tested. And as Newsweek reported, Team Obama is expanding its rapid response squad for the general. But the same can’t be said for team McCain, which isn’t quite sure whether its opponent will be Obama or Clinton and which hasn’t engaged in all-out political fight since Florida back in January.

Snow on CNN

Just in time to pick apart the results from the Pennsylvania primary, Tony Snow has joined CNN.

Perhaps he and MSNBC's David Gregory can square off for old time's sake.

On Hillaryland

It's hard to know how much to believe when reading a behind-the-curtain piece like today's Michelle Cottle on Hillaryland.

If true, the take away from this article is how wily Mark Penn has been at keeping the deck stacked against his colleagues in Clinton headquarters.

Oil woes

The price of oil hit a new high today at $117.40 per barrel in the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Fears are being stoked by an apparent rocket attack on a Japanese tanker off the coast of Yemen, rebels attacking a Nigerian pipeline last week, and an impending labor strike in Scotland that threatens to reduce world supply by 200,000 barrels per day.

Barring the Scottish news, the question must be whether the most recent news of the market's volatile relationship between attacks and price inspire more violence to affect supply?

CBS debate axed

It looks like Katie Couric won't get the debate her network so desperately wanted for her.