The Washington Post rounds up the presidential contenders' reactions to the speech. 

Democratic Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama got caught in a logjam last night, as one of us witnessed first-hand.  Because of the circular shape of the Russell rotunda balcony, Clinton and Obama were forced to be in very close proximity.  In one instance, Obama was doing a liveshot for CNN while Clinton waited, and waited, and waited for him to finish.  After realizing that it would take a long time (and, perhaps, that they looked silly just standing there), Clinton's aide had her walk all the way around the rotunda to avoid Obama.  Likewise, when Clinton was doing a liveshot, Obama wouldn't come near the TV crew until she was clear.  He hung out at the back of the hallway acting like he was doing something. 

Clinton's first visits to Iowa and New Hampshire as a presidential candidate are now set: She will visit Iowa this weekend and New Hampshire on February 3-4, in addition to keynoting the New Hampshire Democratic party's big 100 Club fundraising dinner in Manchester on March 10.  The Des Moines Register reports that Clinton's schedule for this weekend is starting to take shape with trips to Des Moines, Cedar Rapids and Davenport on the itinerary.  In what's sure to be a media frenzy, the Register adds that it has "received requests for information about Clinton's schedule from news organizations in Japan, Switzerland and Britain."

Former Sen. John Edwards is running an ad in Roll Call today calling on members of Congress to block Bush's effort to "escalate" the war by sending more troops.

The Politico reports, "The DNC's effort to rearrange the 2008 nominating calendar is effectively dead.  Nevada will never go ahead of New Hampshire, not if New Hampshire has anything to say about it."  The New Hampshire secretary of state "will not allow Nevada to go first, no matter whether Nevada calls its contest a caucus, a primary or a ring-toss.  That is where the DNC miscalculated." 

In a speech in Israel yesterday, former Gov. Mitt Romney (R) urged strict economic sanctions against Iran. Romney, Gingrich Edwards and Sen. John McCain (R) all took turns addressing the Herzliya security conference in Israel (either in person or by video conference) this week, "seemingly competing to see who could be strongest in defense of the Jewish state," reports the Washington Times. 

A spokesman for Karl Rove said he had "no comment" on the allegation made by Scooter Libby's attorney Ted Wells in his opening statements to the jury yesterday that Libby was "sacrificed" to protect Rove, NBC's Joel Seidman reports.  Attorneys for Libby said that Administration officials tried to blame him for the leak of a CIA operative's name to cover up for Rove's own disclosures.  "They're trying to set me up.  They want me to be the sacrificial lamb," Wells said, recalling a conversation between Libby and his boss, Vice President Cheney, as the leak investigation heated up in 2003.  "I will not be sacrificed so Karl Rove can be protected."  Wells said that Rove was protected because "his fate was important to the Republican party."

It's unclear whether Rove will be called as a defense witness at trial, Seidman says.  His name was on the list of people who may be mentioned, which was given to jury candidates before they were chosen to serve on the trial.

The New York Times adds, however, that Libby's defense team didn't "fully explain the connection between an effort to protect Mr. Rove and the actions that led to Mr. Libby's indictment.  It was also the first sign that there had been fighting within the Bush administration over the C.I.A. leak investigation."  

From NBC's Mike Viqueira
American politicians have taken the message of the November elections to heart, at least the one where voters said they were sick of bickering and negativity. The Capitol has been full of uplifting rhetoric over the past weeks, with the words "hope" and "optimism" getting frequent airing. Just moments ago House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was asked what she wanted to hear from the president this evening. The first thing she mentioned was a message of "hope and optimism." Earlier today she said she is "very optimistic that the president will present positive initiatives."

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid feels the same way. "I hope that he can bring us some hope," he said, referring to the portion of the speech that will address the situation in Iraq. Last week it was potential presidential candidate Mitt Romney who, somewhat improbably, praised Sen. Barack Obama for his "message of hope." Even more remarkable was that he said this to a meeting of House Republicans.

From NBC Boston affiliate WHDH's Scott MacEachern
A random sample of New Hampshire voters actually believe it's too early to have so many candidates jostling in the presidential field. One voter in Nashua, calling the large contingent "offensive," said there's too much politics in the state and the primary season shouldn't be starting so early. Others think the big group will give interested voters more time to listen and meet with the candidates in order to make more educated decisions.

One waitress at the popular Merrimack Coffee Shop in Manchester, a must-stop for all presidential hopefuls, said New Hampshire is "retail politics" where the candidates and voters can try each other on before buying. 

Although many candidates have visited New Hampshire to campaign, it's those who have visited for other reasons who are generating the most buzz. In Nashua, one young female voter said she was excited that Sen. Hillary Clinton (D) had joined the race and that she hadn't thought she'd see a serious female candidate in her lifetime. In Manchester, a veteran said he's definately voting for Clinton.

As for the Republicans, many voters in Nashua didn't seem to think that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) would be overshadowed in his own backyard by bigger-name candidates, and that their votes would go to him because of his New England ties.

From NBC's Ian Williams
As mentioned here earlier this morning, a number of hacks have descended on Jakarta to try and find more about what Sen. Barack Obama (D) did and where he studied during his five years as a child in Indonesia.  This follows suggestions in conservative circles that Obama attended a radical madrassa and was less than truthful about this in his book.

CNN's "Situation Room" last night visited Basuki School in Jakarta, where Obama studied for two of his years in Indonesia (1969-1971).  It turned out to be a mixed public school -- girls and boys, Muslim and Christian -- where religion was taught as one subject among many.  It certainly was not a madrassa.  CNN presented the report as a debunking of FOX News and others, and it may well take the sting out of the story, but it doesn't answer all the questions.

Obama spent four years in Indonesia between 1967 and 1971, when he was aged 6 to 10.  In his book, "Dreams from my Father," he says: "In Indonesia, I'd spent two years at a Muslim school and two years at a Catholic school," which suggests the Muslim school was the first he attended and Basuki may be the one he describes as "Catholic."  CNN did not clarfiy this, so the search is continuing for the other school -- the "Muslim school" where he supposedly spent the first two years.

One thing to keep in mind, though: If the first does turn out to be a religious school -- or pesentran, as they are called in Indonesia -- the overwhelming majority are anything but sinister.  Back then, large-scale Saudi funding of Wahabi religious schools had yet to begin in earnest.  Indonesian pesentran have always been far different from Pakistani madrassas.  Today, most are still moderate, attended to a large extent by poor kids whose families can't afford a more secular education.  More recently, they have been tainted by the Bali bombings and other terrorist attacks, where most of the bombers attended such schools.

From NBC's Kelly O'Donnell
LENGTH: Advisers say the president's speech is running about 40 minutes.  They also estimate that his walk to the podium takes 12 minutes, so with interruptions/applause and the speech itself, advisors guess at roughly an hour.

BRIEFING: Senior advisers will provide reporters with an on-the-record briefing which will be embargoed and reportable at speech time.

EXCERPTS: Excerpts of the president's address will be released at about 5:00 pm ET, with fact sheets early in the afternoon.

REHEARSALS: The president has continued to rehearse in the family theater at the White House.  The speech has been revised more than 30 times, but every word change generates a new draft.  Advisers say Bush has been involved in editing personally since very early drafts.  About a half-dozen speechwriters have been working the text.

MAIN TOPICS: Advisers describe the address as centered on a "handful" of issues, as opposed to the usual, so-called laundry list of proposals.  Advisers also say there's a focus on areas where the White House suggest both parties can work together.  The topics will include Iraq, the greater war on terror, health care, energy, education, and immigration.

From Elizabeth Wilner, Mark Murray, and Huma Zaidi.
When President Bush takes the podium this evening, he will face an American public that is, for the most part, dubious of his ability to accomplish anything for the remainder of his presidency and resigned to what he considers an unacceptable conclusion to the war in Iraq, according to the latest NBC/Wall Street Journal poll.

Tonight will mark Bush's sixth State of the Union address and his first to come on the heels of a losing election, as will be evidenced by the majority-Democrat audience in the chamber.  In acknowledgement of the role the Iraq war played in those November losses and resistance from lawmakers on both sides, Bush isn't expected to talk at length about his plan to send more US troops to the region.  Instead, he will focus on domestic issues with bipartisan appeal, proposing -- or re-proposing -- ways to provide more Americans with health insurance, combat global warming and illegal immigration, and improve education. 

Just yesterday, senior GOP Sen. John Warner introduced his own bipartisan, non-binding resolution opposing Bush's plan to increase troops in Iraq.  NBC's Ken Strickland notes that while Warner's version doesn't use the word "escalate," it still "disagrees with the 'plan' to augment our forces by 21,500."  Also yesterday, House Republicans announced their desire to form a select committee "to oversee the implementation of benchmarks" to be met by the Iraqis themselves, one top House GOP aide told NBC's Mike Viqueira.

And Warner's Virginia colleague Jim Webb, who will deliver the Democratic response tonight and whose son is serving in Iraq, told reporters yesterday that Bush's decision to send more troops to Iraq is more like "flailing around" than coming up with a real strategy.  Webb's son's unit has had its service extended 60-90 days, making him a part of the Administration's "surge."

NBC/Journal pollster Bill McInturff (R) says that people will always be interested in hearing new ideas from the President, but that he sees "little capacity for movement on his major policy initiatives" in the poll, especially on Iraq.  A majority of the public, 55%, think Bush's plan to increase the number of troops will make very little or no difference in securing Iraq against the ongoing violence.  The survey was taken from January 17-20 of 1,007 adults.

The poll also shows deep public skepticism and resignation about the outcome of the war.  Two-thirds think that the United States will eventually have to withdraw from Iraq and leave it without a stable democratic government, while 27% think the United States and a stable democracy will prevail.  And a plurality of 40% say the most acceptable outcome in Iraq would be if most US troops leave within a year.  Just 23% agree with Bush's position that the most acceptable outcome is if there's an increase in US troops now, and if US troops leave only after Iraq becomes a stable democracy, however long that takes. 

Americans' displeasure with Bush's approach to the war also seems to be manifesting itself in a growing perception that he's obstinate and unwilling to listen.  Over the course of his presidency, he has seen sharp drops in the public's view of his willingness to work with people who viewpoints differ from his own, and his willingness to work with Congress to get results.  Fifty percent think he will be too inflexible in dealing with the new Democrat-run Congress; 37% think he will strike the right balance.  In January 1995, after then-President Clinton and his party took a drubbing in the 1994 midterm elections, just 17% said they thought that Clinton would be too inflexible in dealing with the Republican Congress, while 55% said he would strike the right balance. 

Bush "has the defects of his qualities," says McInturff.  He has a "terrific ability to stick with what he believes, have enormous focus, and try to accomplish big goals," but the flip side of that coin is a public perception that "he doesn't listen and he won't change."  McInturff suggests that "people had already come to that conclusion," and that "Iraq solidified that notion."  He points out that the comparably low percentage of people who thought Clinton would be inflexible in dealing with the Republican Congress in early 1995 wasn't entirely positive for Clinton because it reflected the view that Clinton "couldn't be trusted with his positions."

Overall, the poll shows that the President is "really in the cellar of public opinion at this stage," says pollster Peter Hart (D).  "If we had a British parliamentary system, there would be a public call for a vote of 'no confidence,' because that's essentially what this poll is."  Two-thirds of those surveyed say that Bush is facing a longer-term setback from which things are unlikely to get better for him; 25% say he's facing a short-term setback, and only 7% see him as not facing setback at all.  Seventy-two percent have little or no confidence that he "has the right set of goals and policies to be president," and two-thirds of those surveyed have little to no confidence that he "has the right set of personal characteristics to be president." 

Bush's job approval rating is 35%, one point off his all-time low in this survey.  For more, see here.

 

The Washington Post says "the uproar over [Bush's] decision to send more U.S. troops to Iraq has eclipsed potential consensus on domestic policy…  Aides said Bush will not directly engage in a debate over congressional efforts to block the troop increase.  But in private briefings for administration allies yesterday, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove said Bush will challenge Congress to put up its own plan if it does not like his 'new way forward.'" 

The Wall Street Journal reports on Warner's new resolution that he allowed his GOP colleague Chuck Hagel, a possible presidential contender and co-sponsor of the other resolution opposing a troop increase, "to preview the language on Friday."  "'The bottom line is this is a pretty significant piece of legislation,' Mr. Hagel said.  'In no way is this good news for the administration.'"

The New York Times agrees: "While details of the competing Iraq plans varied, one point could not be mistaken: a growing number of senators in both parties find the president's strategy flawed." 

GOP Sen. John McCain is blaming Vice President Cheney for the "'witch's brew' of a 'terribly mishandled' war in which U.S. forces are on the verge of defeat," per McCain's interview with The Politico, which debuts today.  "McCain also for the first time opened the door to the possibility of a U.S. troop pullback to the borders of Iraq should the president's planned troop surge fail."  He "said that even the planned insertion of 21,500 new U.S. troops into Iraq, which he supports, may not succeed.  'I don't know if this is enough troops or not,' McCain said.  'I can't guarantee success by doing this.'" 

And in what has to be a first, Cheney's daughter Liz criticizes Sen. Hillary Clinton's position on the Iraq war in a Washington Post op-ed, keying off Clinton's line that she's "in to win."  "It's time for everyone -- Republicans and Democrats -- to stop trying to find ways for America to quit.  Victory is the only option… We must be in it to win." 

NBC's Courtney Kube notes that despite an extremely violent and deadly weekend in Iraq, the Pentagon is keeping a very low profile right now so as not to get out ahead of anything Bush might say in his speech.

Our polling partner, the Wall Street Journal, looks at our new data and also finds that Bush has lost the public's ear.

The New York Daily News says Bush "will try to rally Americans around his plans for the country tonight despite approval ratings that rival the worst days of Richard Nixon's presidency." 

The AP suggests that Bush's more thematic speech is designed to help him compete with the 2008 presidential contenders and new Democratic leaders" who "present fierce competition for headlines." 

There will be a battle of the guest boxes tonight.  Speaker Nancy Pelosi will fill her box with former and current Democratic party leaders, including former Speakers Jim Wright and Tom Foley.  She'll also steal a page from former President Reagan and all the presidents who've followed by including two September 11 widows.  And she's invited the wives of the chairmen and vice chairmen of the Joint Chiefs.  New Washington, DC Mayor Adrian Fenty, will also sit in the Pelosi box -- after turning down Laura Bush's invitation to sit with her because the President opposes voting rights for DC.  NBC's Andrea Mitchell notes that the practice of inviting heroes or other political guests began when Reagan's staff invited the hero of the Air Florida crash rescue to sit with Nancy Reagan, Mitchell notes. 

 

Despite appearing to strike a more "conciliatory" tone tonight, Bush is not expected to compromise on any of this domestic or foreign policy agenda, reports the Boston Globe.  In turn, "members of both parties see the State of the Union address more as a preview of coming battles than an invitation to negotiate on important domestic issues. 

Bloomberg says Bush's health care proposal "has already divided lawmakers and interest groups along partisan lines" -- basically Democrats and unions versus Republicans and business. 

"Former President Clinton has signaled privately that his wife... will include aggressive healthcare proposals in her campaign for the White House, despite the debacle of what critics labeled 'Hillary Care' 14 years ago," The Hill reports.  "The indications are that Sen. Clinton's strategy will be to turn healthcare, a political weakness, into a strength."  Clinton "does not want her opponents to own healthcare, an area in which Democrats have traditionally enjoyed huge poll leads over Republicans." 

The Hill says "Republican immigration hard-liners are preparing to come out aggressively against a proposed guest-worker program favored by President Bush," which Bush is expected to address tonight. 

The Washington Times reports in its preview that Bush "will seek to renew his bipartisan friendship with [Sen. Ted Kennedy], who he teamed with to win overwhelming approval in Congress for the No Child Left Behind Act.  The act comes up for renewal this year, and some Republicans fear the president may cut a deal with majority Democrats, offering more money if Democrats agree to include more requirements for the high school level.  Mr. Kennedy, chairman of the Senate education panel, has said the White House failed to fight to adequately fund the massive federal program." 

The Wall Street Journal notes how the global warming debate is shifting from one based in science to one based in economics, which will factor into how Bush addresses it. 

Bush budget director Rob Portman, in a USA Today op-ed, touts Bush's success at cutting the deficit in half and says the next step is to balance the budget by 2012.  "Getting to balance requires both keeping the economy strong and keeping federal spending under control."  To the Administration, keeping the economy strong means extending the Bush tax cuts. 

NBC's Chris Donovan notes that if "An Inconvenient Truth" is nominated this morning for an Oscar for best documentary feature, chances are good that its star, former Vice President Al Gore, will be walking down the red carpet come February.  But before he starts getting billed as an Academy Award nominee, it's important to note that he probably won't have to worry about writing an acceptance speech.  The Academy confirms that if the film is nominated, Davis Guggenheim, the film's director and executive producer, will be the sole nominee and the only person eligible to win an Oscar statuette, something all the parties involved sign off on when the forms are submitted.

Sen. Hillary Clinton is "in to win" -- and also to chat, notes NBC's Carrie Dann.  A professional lifetime in politics has given Clinton a stock of conversational tones, and she showed them off last night in her first of three webcasts streamed live on her campaign site.  In the 30-minute online production, Clinton's tone ranged from stern to chummy in her answers to strategically ordered questions submitted by audience members.  She checked the big boxes, addressing the war, health care and education costs, and energy independence.  She took some shots at the Administration's response to Hurricane Katrina and criticized Bush's "blank check" given to the Maliki government in Iraq.  Her harshest tone was reserved for Bush's stance on environmental issues.

The content of her responses remained similar to what we've heard before, but the online effort gave her the chance to do what pundits have been prescribing since she threw her hat into the ring on Saturday – show a hint of the human behind the media shellac.  We now know what her favorite childhood movie was ("The Wizard of Oz") and who she'll root for on Super Bowl Sunday (da Bears).  And she admitted that she has "the scars to show" the difficulty of her own missteps during her failed health care overhaul as First Lady. 

In his first remarks after his wife announced she's running for president, Bill Clinton said he's ready to support her in any way he can, the New York Post writes.  "'I can only tell you that I know her better than anybody on Earth, and she's got the best combination of mind and heart, the ability to lead and learn, to stand fast . . . and to make honorable agreements with people who disagree with her, than anybody I've known.'" 

The Washington Post follows on the Los Angeles Times report yesterday about Clinton's bid marking the likely demise of public financing of presidential campaigns.  "Clinton is the first since the current structure was created in 1974 to declare she will forgo public financing in the general election as well."  The story notes that McCain, who has "long championed the importance of campaign finance laws," now thinks "the current public finance system 'is not fulfilling its original goal' and is also contemplating opting out." 

The Chicago Tribune also writes about the upcoming money chase.  "To wage a serious presidential campaign in 2008, the ante is $50 million raised by Dec. 31 of this year, said one adviser to Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.).  And that is just to get a place at the table." 

Don't you forget about me: A press release from former Sen. John Edwards' campaign is headlined, "Edwards is the Democrats' best shot," and touts a Newsweek poll showing that "Edwards leads John McCain by the largest margin and is the only Democrat to beat both John McCain and Rudy Giuliani."

NBC's Ian Williams notes that a number of hacks have descended on Jakarta to try and find more about what Sen. Barack Obama (D) did and where he studied during his five years as a child in Indonesia.  This follows suggestions in conservative circles that Obama attended a radical madrassa and was less than truthful about this in his book.

At his press conference yesterday, Gov. Bill Richardson (D) stated, "I am not ready to make a formal announcement of my candidacy.  However, I am going to run," NBC's Lauren Appelbaum reports.  He stressed that he will keep the New Mexico legislative session a priority, and that his status as a presidential candidate can only help his state.  In response to a question about possibly changing his opinions on Iraq, Richardson responded, "I have consistently stated that the war in Iraq has to be affecting our national security.  I have always said we've had an obsession with the Iraq war, and that has caused us to miss opportunities in areas that really affect America's security."  On running against Sen. Hillary Clinton, whose husband he's close to, Richardson said: "I feel very strongly I can lead this country.  I feel very strongly I can bring this country together.  And that overrides any personal concern."

Sen. John Kerry is resisting pressure to make a decision about his plans as the pool of Democratic candidates grows.  "According to two people who have discussed the matter with Kerry in recent weeks, the deep desire he had to become president in 2004 hasn't abated.  Nevertheless, he realizes that another run would be difficult, given his diminished public standing -- and given the Democratic heavyweights who are already in the race," reports the Boston Globe.  Another factor Kerry has to consider is whether he'll run for re-election in the Senate: "In theory, he could lose in the presidential primaries but still have time to make the May 6 Senate campaign filing deadline."

The Wall Street Journal covers Sen. Chris Dodd toiling in the shadows of the star candidates.

In his own prebuttal to Bush's State of the Union address, former Gov. Tom Vilsack (D) yesterday took aim at the news that Bush might propose making health insurance benefits taxable income, arguing that Bush would be waging two wars: on Iraq and the middle class.  "It's the wrong policy," he said in a conference call with reporters, "and I sincerely hope the Democratic Congress rejects it in hand."

Newt Gingrich's new political organization, American Solutions for Winning the Future, has kicked off "with a check for $1 million from a source many in his conservative base would shun -- the gambling industry."  The "donation marks a new frontier in political fundraising -- a seven-figure check to a group associated with a single politician whose aspirations may include the White House." 

The Wall Street Journal editorial page whacks former Gov. Mitt Romney's health care plan, saying it has made him a media darling, but may be illegal.  Romney is in Israel today meeting with government officials and giving what his campaign calls "a major policy speech," consisting of a "strategy on how to deal with the threat of Iran."

"To many marchers" in the March for Life yesterday, Sen. Sam "Brownback isn't an asterisk, he's a hero.  And that's what gives Brownback hope that his grassroots-oriented campaign could take the establishment by surprise," McClatchy writes.  Brownback -- who participated in the march -- "so far is the only Republican presidential hopeful who appeals strongly to the party's social conservative wing, and his candidacy is a test of how influential that wing of the party remains." 

The AP previews the opening statements that begin today in the trial. 

The New York Times: "The jury selection spanned four days, an unusually long time, because so many prospective candidates said they might be biased because they were so strongly critical of the administration, especially Mr. Cheney.  The vice president is expected to be a major witness for Mr. Libby." 

From NBC's Huma Zaidi
Sen. Jim Webb says he's still thinking through what he wants to say tomorrow night when he delivers the Democratic Party's response to Bush's State of the Union address but he does not intend to deliver a "particularly partisan" speech.  "My speech will highlight areas where Democrats in Congress have different priorities," Webb said in a conference call with reporters this afternoon. "That part of the campaign is over. It's now time to govern," he added.

Webb would not comment specifically on what else he plans to say in his speech, but he did say that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid have made a "number of recommendations" and given their "thoughts" but that he will write the speech himself. Webb said he will make some comments about Iraq. While it's not clear that he will address this particular issue, Webb expressed concern over the amount of money being spent on reconstruction efforts in Iraq versus the money that is being used to rebuild New Orleans. He also said that Bush's decision to send more troops to Iraq is more like "flailing around" than coming up with a real strategy.

From NBC's Mike Viqueira
House Republicans want to see "tangible results" from the President's planned troop increase in Iraq, and they want Congress to play a bigger role in making sure it happens. House Minority Leader John Boehner and others will announce later today their desire to form a "select committee" in the House "to oversee the implementation of benchmarks" to be met by the Iraqis themselves, according to a top House GOP aide.

They want to see more military coordination and cooperation between Iraqi and US forces, an increased level of training for Iraqis, and more efficiency from Iraqi government ministries. And they would demand that the President report back to Congress every 30 days with a progress report.

Boehner also will send a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi later today requesting her agreement in forming this special, or "select," committee of the House. The idea is the product of weeks of "listening sessions" that Boehner has held with rank-and-file in an effort to come up with a GOP political strategy in response to the situation in Iraq, short of having dozens of Republicans jump ship and vote for resolutions disapproving of the Bush plan.

Formation of the committee would require the acquiescence of Pelosi, who's likely to see this as political cover for Republicans unhappy with the Bush policy, and reject it.  Republicans could be expected to counter that this select committee would beef up oversight, something that Pelosi and Democrats have called for since the war began.

From Elizabeth Wilner, Mark Murray, and Huma Zaidi
Enter Hillary.  In making her 2008 exploratory committee official today, she plants herself at the front lines of President Bush's effort to focus on domestic issues in his upcoming State of the Union address, and the escalating debate over his plan to send more US troops to Iraq.

Borrowing a page from the Bush playbook, Clinton's campaign is trying to cement the perception that she's the inevitable Democratic nominee, not only by setting her up as the party's chief foil to Bush's State of the Union proposals, but also by issuing a stream of e-mails touting her wide leads over her Democratic rivals in national polls.  Surveys in Iowa and New Hampshire, on the other hand, show her jostling with former Sen. John Edwards and Sen. Barack Obama.  Clinton is expected to visit Iowa this weekend and New Hampshire shortly.  New early primaries in big states like California, where better-known and -funded candidates would have an edge, could also help her.

Whether by coincidence or design, Clinton makes her move just as Bush is rolling out a new proposal to address the growing number of Americans who lack adequate health care coverage.  His plan, which he'll lay out tomorrow night, entails changing the tax code to give Americans a break for buying their own insurance, and funding that break by taxing pricier employer-funded health plans.  (The proposal has already sparked a debate over whether or not it amounts to a tax increase; the White House insists it doesn't.)  For Bush, it's his first big foray into health care.  For Clinton, it's familiar turf -- though her indisputable knowledge of the subject comes with reminders of her own failed effort to reform the system.

The new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll shows the dichotomy for Bush between looking for common ground on health care and other domestic proposals and his intention to send more troops to Iraq.  Per the poll, taken from January 17-20, the cost of health care is Americans' top economic concern.  But the poll also shows that if Congress passes a non-binding resolution opposing additional US troops for Iraq, 65% say Bush shouldn't send them.  That 65% includes 71% of independents polled. 

Not surprisingly, in a speech which White House advisors say will focus on areas of bipartisan concern, Bush isn't expected to expound upon his new strategy for the war.  They also say his remarks will be more thematic than detailed.  Bush has tended during his presidency to propose broad initiatives and then leave the details up to Congress to work through, although previously, he was handing his initiatives off to a GOP majority.  The White House also may be worried about Bush getting less applause than usual.  He'll follow up on his address with health care and energy events outside Washington later this week. 

But for all his focus on domestic proposals which could receive bipartisan support, Iraq will remain on the front burner.  Democratic leaders chose Sen. Jim Webb, whose son is serving in Iraq and who had a widely publicized confrontation with Bush at a recent social gathering, to deliver their response tomorrow night.  House Democrats are out of the spotlight for a change, having completed their 100-hours agenda and facing a short work-week because of a scheduled GOP retreat, but the Senate will continue to focus on the war with hearings, resolutions, and a confirmation vote. 

This afternoon, Armed Services members John Warner (R), Susan Collins (R), and Ben Nelson (D) will unveil their own bipartisan resolution on Bush's plan to boost US forces in Iraq, reports NBC's Ken Strickland.  On Wednesday, the Foreign Relations Committee will vote on the non-binding resolution proposed last week by Sens. Joe Biden (D), Chuck Hagel (R), and Carl Levin (D).  Bush's proposed Iraq strategy will get more scrutiny tomorrow during the confirmation hearing for Lt. General David Petraeus, Bush's nominee to be the top commander in Iraq.  The hearing will give presidential candidates Clinton and John McCain (R) another chance to sound off, Strickland says. 

With Speaker Nancy Pelosi seated behind Bush at the podium tomorrow night, the top two Democratic party foils to Bush's speech will be women.  The prospect of the first serious woman candidate for the White House also overshadowed the entrance of the first serious Latino candidate, Gov. Bill Richardson (D), who announced his intention to run yesterday.  The 2008 presidential field is the most diverse field of viable candidates in US history.

Bush tells USA Today in an interview that he "can't guarantee that all U.S. troops will be out of Iraq by the end of his presidency because 'we don't set timetables.'"  He "believes Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki can clamp down on sectarian violence, and he warned Iran not to aid Iraqi insurgents."  And he "said he'll use Tuesday's speech to assuage skeptics in both parties about his new Iraq plan." 

He also tells the paper that he's not worried about his legacy: "'You can ask the legacy question 20 different ways...  People are going to analyze my presidency for a long time.  All you can do is do the best you can, make decisions based upon principles and lead.'" 

Bloomberg says that Iraq "may consign [Bush] to the bottom tier of U.S. leaders.  That's the view of a number of historians and presidential scholars, who say that unless Bush's decision to inject some 20,000 more troops succeeds in quelling sectarian violence, he risks joining the ranks of such poorly regarded American leaders as James Buchanan and Warren G. Harding."  Other historians "are reluctant to give Bush flunking grades just yet, saying Iraq is just one battlefield in a multi-front war on terrorism and cautioning that it's premature to declare the intervention a failure." 

The Washington Post, noting Bush's consistency on Iraq, asks this question: "If people really admire consistency, how is it that Bush's ratings have fallen so low?"  The story suggests that "people think they admire consistency more than they actually do...  When voters say they want consistency from a politician, in other words, they may really mean they want a leader who consistently agrees with them." 

On NBC's Meet the Press yesterday, Sen. John McCain (R) once again used the example of Sen. Joe Lieberman's re-election as evidence that Americans didn't necessarily vote in the midterms to change US policy in Iraq.  What McCain didn't note is that five of his former colleagues who supported the Administration's stay-the-course all lost, and 50% of Connecticut voters opposed Lieberman in his three-way race. 

McCain also said he's inclined to oppose Bush's nomination of Gen. George Casey to become the Army chief of staff, accusing Casey of "presiding over 'a failed policy' in Iraq, in which McCain said Iraqi forces were expected too quickly to assume growing responsibility for security matters there." 

The AP notes that the sponsors of the resolution condemning Bush's troop increase have to walk a tightrope -- between Senate Republicans who want to filibuster the measure and some Democrats who think it doesn't go far enough. 

In an interview, State of the Union responder Webb tells USA Today that "he favors cutting off funding for Iraq reconstruction in order to pay for Hurricane Katrina recovery instead...  Iraq and what he sees as the precarious state of the nation's economy and infrastructure are two of the topics he'll tackle in his speech." 

The Washington Post notes that Democrats' choice of Webb to respond to Bush speech tomorrow night underscores the growing role Virginia is playing in Democratic politics," as Webb follows Gov. Tim Kaine, who gave the response last year." 

Roll Call notes that "the first 100 hours didn't take 100 hours. According to the clock on the House Majority Leader Web site, they came in at a tidy 42 hours and 25 minutes." 

The Washington Post reports growing tensions between Speaker Nancy Pelosi "and many new committee chairmen and other members over her aggressive management style and her approach to the war."  Among the beefs: her "decision to impose six-year term limits on" committee chairs; her allegedly being "too cautious in confronting President Bush on the war;" her "denying Republicans more say in the early legislation, making [her] appear autocratic;" and her allegedly "relying too heavily on a coterie of liberal allies from her home state and Massachusetts to the exclusion of more conservative lawmakers." 

The Washington Times looks at how the Republican minority has been able to quote Democrats in complaining about being left out of the decision-making process.  "Though Republicans for a dozen years largely shut Democrats out of the lawmaking process using many of the same tactics, they have justified their complaints this year by saying voters sent a message they want more bipartisanship." 

The Washington Times reports that "Bush's record of getting his State of the Union proposals enacted, after successes in his early years in office, has dropped off substantially.  Of the 12 initiatives that he proposed or called on Congress to pass in 2006, the White House can claim complete success on just three: renewing the Patriot Act, expanding health savings accounts and expanding electronic medical records.  That followed unfulfilled calls in 2005 to reform Social Security and the tax code and to pass a guest-worker program for illegal aliens and future immigrants." 

Also in his USA Today interview, Bush "vowed that the Iraq war would not deter him from engaging the Democratic-controlled Congress on a sweeping domestic agenda, including helping states tailor their own plans for health insurance."  He's also proposing that "health insurance benefits from employers... be considered taxable income.  That means people with generous health coverage would pay taxes on the amount that exceeds the tax deduction."  Bush also "said he will submit a budget to be balanced by 2012 without raising taxes, but did not say whether it would depend on major cuts to existing programs, future economic growth or some combination of both." 

The Wall Street Journal tackles Bush's health care plan, noting the new NBC/Journal poll data showing health care costs to be Americans' top economic concern, but also that "the odds of major legislation in the current Congress appear long, and health care is likely to be a point of contention in" the 2008 race.  Under Bush's plan, "[w]ith the average premium for an employer-provided family policy at $11,500, 80% of employees with health benefits would see their overall tax go down...  But many executives and professionals, as well as some rank-and-file union workers, could see their taxes increase."  The story also notes that Bush will "have another initiative aimed at encouraging states to create insurance pools for lower-income people." 

Bush is also expected to outline steps to tackle global warming.  The Boston Globe says this "marks a shift for the White House, which critics say has consistently tried to undermine scientific evidence of the link between air pollution and disturbing trends in the environment."  Some are wary of any pledges he might make on energy: "In all six of his previous State of the Union addresses, Bush has committed to work toward energy independence, yet the nation imported about 60 percent of its oil from abroad last year -- up from 53 percent when Bush won office in 2000."

NBC's John Yang reports that Bush has accepted an invitation from House Democrats to address their annual policy retreat at Williamsburg, VA, on February 3 -- a rare instance of a president of an opposing party appearing at such a session.  Bush will address House Republicans at their conference in Cambridge, MD this coming Friday.

Clinton has an event at Ground Zero today.  Starting this evening, she'll hold a series of 30-minute online "conversations" in which she will appear live and will take questions submitted online by visitors to her website.  (Aspiring questioners have to register with the site.)  NBC's Andrea Mitchell points out that the webchats are an updated version of the town meetings she held when she first ran for the Senate.

Per yesterday's Des Moines Register, "Clinton plans to visit Des Moines and Cedar Rapids on Saturday and name Iowa campaign leaders early this week, aides said."  And she could make her first appearance in New Hampshire sometime in mid-March.

The Wall Street Journal says Clinton's entry "is underscoring new doubts among Republicans about how formidable [McCain] might be against" her in a general election because of how Clinton has adapted her position on Iraq, compared to McCain's unpopular stand in favor of more troops.  "Further McCain slippage in the polls... would undercut his top selling point among Republican voters long suspicious of his maverick ways and his past criticism of Christian conservative leaders: The belief that Mr. McCain is the Republican who is best able to beat their nemesis, Mrs. Clinton."  (That said, all three of the Republicans currently viewed as the "top" contenders have come out in favor of an increase in US troops in Iraq.) 

USA Today covers some Democrats' concerns that she can't win. 

A New York Daily News poll shows that registered New York City voters would choose Clinton over Obama by 49%-23%.  "The survey points out a significant strength for Clinton: She bests the Illinois senator, who is black, in a liberal bastion with a heavy concentration of minority voters.  But it also shows Clinton is vulnerable in a presidential contest, failing to get more than 50% of the vote in the heartland of her support." 

The Washington Post covers Clinton's health care event in New York yesterday, at which "she signaled that she will use her uniqueness as a woman -- and more specifically as a mother -- to stake out her ground in the crowded presidential field...  Using her first appearance as a candidate to present her domestic side -- rather than the tougher side she has displayed as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and on her recent trip to war zones in Afghanistan and Iraq -- suggested that, at least initially, Clinton would like to strengthen her appeal to women." 

The Los Angeles Times reports that Clinton won't take public matching funds in either the primary or -- if she becomes the nominee -- the general election.  In fact, neither nominee is expected to accept matching funds in the general.  "Abandonment of the public financing system would threaten the survival of a Watergate-era measure that was supposed to limit the influence of big donors in presidential politics and enable more candidates to compete...  But it remains to be seen whether the heavy spending forecast for 2008 will... trigger public disgust and lead to changes." 

Richardson will hold a news conference at his Santa Fe campaign HQ today.  He said on ABC that if he does not become the Democratic nominee for president, he would prefer to continue his term as governor than to become someone's running mate.  He tells the Albuquerque Journal that "he will be making campaign trips during New Mexico's 60-day legislative session," but that his "major campaigning and money-raising will commence with a formal announcement event after the legislative session concludes in mid-March." 

The New York Times notes that the video of Richardson's announcement was in both English and Spanish.  More: "Mr. Richardson is an enthusiastic campaigner.  According to his campaign, the Guinness Book of World Records cites him as the politician who shook the most hands in one day - 13,392 - during his 2002 campaign for governor, beating President Theodore Roosevelt's record of 8,515, set in 1909." 

Former Gov. Tom Vilsack (D) will hold a press conference call today to pre-but the State of the Union.

The Hartford Courant says that Democratic Sen. Chris Dodd "still has to convince people he can be a credible candidate." 

The Boston Herald runs excerpts of former DNC chair turned Clinton campaign chair Terry McAuliffe's new memoirs, in which he slams Sen. John Kerry's 2004 presidential bid, "calling it 'one of the biggest acts of political malpractice in the history of American politics.'" 

On the GOP side, Sen. Chuck Hagel "told C-SPAN's 'Newsmakers' program Sunday that he also was considering a presidential bid, perhaps as an independent." 

Missing Bush's State of the Union address, and the chance (or need) to comment on it, former Gov. Mitt Romney (R) is on a trip to Israel sponsored by the Republican Jewish Coalition.  Roll Call reports today that House Minority Leader John Boehner has not yet endorsed Romney but "is leaning strongly in his favor." 

The Boston Globe profiles the activist who wants to ensure that Romney doesn't pass muster as a conservative.  Brian Camenker and volunteers have "searched the Internet for material to disprove Romney's assertions that he is a conservative" and made it into a "10,000-word dossier, 'The Mitt Romney Deception.'" 

The New York Times front-pages how early this presidential contest has begun, "exposing an ever-growing field of candidates to longer, more intensive scrutiny and increasing the amount of money they need to remain viable." 

The Washington Post observes that "if last year was the year of the rogue videographers, the already-underway 2008 presidential campaign is likely to be remembered as the point where Web video became central to the communications strategy of every serious presidential candidate." 

Jury selection is coming to a close, but that "may not be the end of disputes over how much jurors should hear about the Iraq war," the AP says.  "Libby's lawyers, Theodore Wells and William Jeffress, have labored to keep opponents of the Iraq war and the administration off the jury...  The potential jurors are drawn from a city where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by more than 9-to-1." 

From NBC's Mark Murray
What a day! We already knew that Sam Brownback (R) was going to throw his hat into the presidential ring this Saturday. And as the AP reported on Friday, Bill Richardson (D) is slated to make his announcement on Sunday. But what we didn't know -- although we knew it was eventually coming -- was that Hillary Clinton (D) would also be making an announcement today.

On her Web site, Clinton made the news we had been waiting for: that she's forming an exploratory committee. "I'm in. And I'm in to win," she said. Recent national polls show Clinton to be leading Democratic rivals Barack Obama and John Edwards. But surveys taken in the important early battlegrounds of Iowa and New Hampshire show either Edwards or Obama to be ahead. 

Meanwhile, Brownback made his announcement -- which was obviously overshadowed by the Clinton news. "I am declaring today my candidacy for President of the United States," he said. "Ours is a great nation and I make one pledge to you, to use our greatness for goodness.

 

From NBC's Elizabeth Wilner
Sen. Hillary Clinton (D) plans to post a statement on her website today announcing her plans to file a presidential exploratory committee for 2008.  The timing of the actual filing is TBD.  Clinton's announcement comes just days after Sen. Barack Obama (D) filed his exploratory committee, making him the first African-American candidate with a real shot at winning the presidency.  New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D), who is expected to announce his intentions this month, would become the first serious Latino candidate for the White House.

From NBC's Mary Beth Fay
Having been recommended by President Bush, Sen. Mel Martinez was chosen by his party leaders to become the RNC's general chairman as was widely expected. An official voice vote took place at today's session of the RNC winter meeting. Some members were expected to protest his nomination because of his pro-immigration views but only a handful voiced opposition. In addition, Mike Duncan, a national committeeman from Kentucky, was elected to replace outgoing chair Ken Mehlman.  Duncan will be running most of the daily operations at the RNC while Martinez will emerge as the new face of the party.

In a media availability after the nearly two hour meeting, Martinez said that -- as a Hispanic -- his nomination for general chairman is a "pretty good step" towards diversity within the organization. On Iraq, Martinez said that "those who oppose the president on his new plan and his new approach on Iraq owe the country a response on how they would treat it differently."

From NBC's Kelly O'Donnell
President Bush will do a full rehearsal of his State of the Union address today. As is customary, it will take place in the "family theater" inside the White House. Advisers say Bush's speech will discuss the "war on terror" and Iraq ,but it will be more "global" than that. They add that he is not expected to repeat his new Iraq strategy in detail -- since that was the subject of his primetime speech on January 10.