Sen. Hillary Clinton attends an EMILY's List luncheon honoring Speaker Nancy Pelosi, where she plans to unveil a huge women's networking drive.  "The campaign intends to use social networking tools and other Web technology to develop a thousands-strong Women's Leadership Network, which would promote Mrs. Clinton's candidacy nationwide and, by this fall, hold campaign events and take part in fund-raising." 

Clinton continued her pro-ethanol tour in Johnston, IA yesterday, touring the Pioneer Hi-Bred International Facility Research Greenhouses, meeting with employees, and over-enthusiastically learning about the bio-engineered plants and advancements in the field.  Per NBC's Lauren Appelbaum, Clinton exclaimed "wow" and "this is amazing" throughout the explanations.  Although she voted against ethanol bills early in her Senate career, she's now calling it one of many "miracles of science."  Asked about some short-term fixes to America's energy challenges, Clinton recounted a story about her late father, who always turned off every light before leaving a room.  She challenged the audience to "turn off that light because we don't want to send any more money to Chavez in Venezuela," which garnered a large applause. 

The New York Times looks at how Clinton's first few campaign trips have been about re-shaping her image.  "She is, in this latest unveiling, the Nurturing Warrior.  She displays a cozy acquaintance ('Let's chat') and leaderly confidence ('I'm in it to win it').  She is a tea-sipping girlfriend who vows to 'deck' anyone who attacks her; a giggly mom who invokes old Girl Scout songs and refuses to apologize for voting for the Iraq War Resolution in 2002.  Her aim, of course, is to show that she is tough enough to lead Americans in wartime but tender enough to understand their burdens." 

After a long weekend, Sen. Barack Obama spent most of yesterday out of the spotlight attending fundraisers in Boston and New York.  A list of "heavy hitters" attended the Boston event and, "Some who attended said they were reminded of President Kennedy."

The New York Times reports that Obama disinvited the senior pastor at the Church of Christ in Chicago from giving the public invocation at his presidential announcement last month.  "Some black leaders are questioning Mr. Obama's decision to distance his campaign from Mr. Wright because of the campaign's apparent fear of criticism over Mr. Wright's teachings, which some say are overly Afrocentric to the point of excluding whites." 

The New York Daily News says Clinton and Obama are now going head-to-head for Jewish voters.  They "plan dueling receptions Monday when an influential pro-Israeli lobby group, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, holds its major Washington policy conference.  The competing receptions are one more sign of the intensifying scrum between Clinton and Obama over key Democratic interest groups." 

Reporting on the DVD sent by former Sen. John Edwards to over 70,000 Iowa Democratic caucus-goers detailing his plan for universal health care, the Des Moines Register says, "Aides said the DVD will not be a substitute for personal appearances by Edwards in Iowa.  Underlining that point, the campaign released a schedule for Edwards' next visit to Iowa at the end of this week." 

In an interview Beliefnet.com, Edwards "said Jesus would be most upset with the selfishness of Americans and the country's willingness to go to war 'when it's not necessary,'" reports the AP. 

Sen. Chris Dodd's campaign let us know that Dodd, over the weekend, won a straw poll among York County, SC Democrats with 28%, followed by Obama at 24%, and Clinton at 18%.  Per the Hartford Courant, "Jim Watkins, York County chairman, had a simple explanation for Dodd's success: 'He visited here,' Watkins said." 

The AP reports that New Hampshire "is widely expected to leapfrog six days ahead of Iowa, which would be Jan. 8, but no one knows for sure."  The New Hampshire Democratic Party is starting a series of panels on the importance of the state's first-in-the-nation primary.  The first panel, which will feature correspondents from CNN and FOX, takes place next Wednesday. 

And with at least 19 states looking to move their primaries to February 5, the Boston Globe looks at the effect it would have on the nominating process.  "The trend would mark the biggest change in the presidential nominating process in decades.  It would mean that presidential candidates would need to raise massive amounts of money -- at least $100 million before the first vote is cast, according to analysts in both parties -- and may see their chances of success evaporate at a stage when the contenders in past presidential contests were still introducing themselves to American voters." 

From NBC's Pete Williams
The man in charge of all the US attorney's offices in the country is stepping down. But a senior Justice Department official insists it has nothing to do with the recent political controversy over the firings of some prosecutors.

Michael Battle, director of the Executive Office of US Attorneys, is leaving his post, Justice Department officials say. But they add he made it known last June that he wanted to move on. "It's unfortunate timing, but it's completely unrelated to the controversy," an official says. Battle has served in his job since April 2004.

The Justice Department has come under fire from some in Congress, who question the decision to fire eight US attorneys in December. All of them are political appointees.

 

From Elizabeth Wilner, Mark Murray, and Huma Zaidi.
In previous cycles, this stage of the presidential race was known as the "invisible primary," the period of time when the candidates focus on courting key constituencies, snagging top operatives and influential endorsements, and raising enough money to make a splash in April when the first-quarter fundraising reports come out -- all largely unnoticed by a disinterested general public.

Yet another result of the "earlier than ever" dynamic in the 2008 race is unprecedented early scrutiny of the candidates' efforts to court key constituencies.  Part of the appeal of these efforts, of course, is that they tend to bring the candidates into close proximity, prompting a lot of "face-off" hype.  A horde of national reporters recently trekked to Carson City, NV to watch the Democrats parade, for the most part newslessly, before members of a local union.  The Republican candidates just spent last Friday and Saturday wooing conservative leaders and activists at a gathering in Washington.  The top Democrats spent yesterday battling for black votes by commemorating a major civil rights anniversary. 

Also over the weekend, the Los Angeles Times released its first survey of members of the Republican and Democratic national committees about their presidential preferences.

This spate of events is having a short-term, potentially warping effect on how the field is viewed, most significantly by undermining Sen. John McCain's efforts to look like the early frontrunner.  Former Gov. Mitt Romney won the straw poll at the conservatives' confab, followed by former Mayor Rudy Giuliani.  McCain, who did not attend the conference, placed fifth and his name was greeted with boos when called out by the pollsters, NBC's Carrie Dann reports -- even though 82% of those surveyed agreed with him in supporting the troop increase in Iraq.  The Los Angeles Times poll of RNC members found McCain placing third behind Romney in first place and Giuliani in second. 

If Romney is scoring with conservatives and the Establishment, Giuliani continues to win national polls, suggesting that he's the only top GOP candidate who's capturing the public's imagination.  The latest Newsweek survey shows him topping the list for registered Republicans, with his lead over McCain growing.  The press release notes that "most registered Republicans are not familiar with Giuliani's positions on key social issues" such as abortion, gun control, and a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.  "When asked about whether Giuliani's views on these same issues would be enough to prevent them from supporting him, few registered Republicans voters said it would."

On the Democratic side, Sen. Hillary Clinton continues to look like the Establishment frontrunner, winning the Los Angeles Times survey of DNC members.  But the "Selma face-off" arguably showed a woman candidate who needs her husband's help in courting certain constituencies and who gets bested on the stump and in crowd size by a more charismatic if less experienced candidate.  Obama placed third in the survey of DNC members, with former Sen. John Edwards placing second. 

In Washington today, President Bush and Vice President Cheney deliver back-to-back speeches on the war on terror early this week, with Cheney making opening remarks at a Veterans of Foreign Wars conference today and Bush addressing the American Legion tomorrow.  Top Bush advisor Karl Rove is scheduled to speak at the Clinton presidential library in Little Rock later this week about "an insider's look on the American presidency." 

And in South Carolina today, the Rev. Al Sharpton visits the cemetery in Edgefield where his ancestors, the Sharptons and the Thurmonds, are buried.

 

The Washington Times notes, "Both President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney will give speeches in the next few days on the war on terrorism, to the applause of Republicans who say the White House needs to be more aggressive in selling the successes in Iraq."  Per a senior Administration official, the point of the speeches is "'to give the broader context'...  Politically, the White House is happy that the center of the Iraq war debate has shifted to Capitol Hill, giving the Democrats the chance to fail on their campaign promises to end the war." 

The Washington Post focuses on how there's no Plan B if the troop increase doesn't work.  "In the weeks since Bush announced the new plan for Iraq -- including an increase of 21,500 U.S. combat troops, additional reconstruction assistance and stepped-up pressure on the Iraqi government -- senior officials have rebuffed questions about other options in the event of failure.  Eager to appear resolute and reluctant to provide fodder for skeptics, they have responded with a mix of optimism and evasion." 

The Boston Globe writes that some analysts are questioning Bush's call to expand US ground forces: "They say the additional troops will not be available in time to relieve the strain on the Army and Marines from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and there has been virtually no discussion in Washington on the purpose for the largest military expansion since the end of the Cold War." 

The New York Times writes that the Department of Veterans Affairs and Secretary Jim Nicholson are facing increased scrutiny in the aftermath of the findings of neglect at Walter Reed.  Nicholson "has been accused by some veterans and the organizations that represent them of being primarily a mouthpiece for the Bush administration and of being slow to respond to increasing strains on his agency as returning soldiers move from facilities like Walter Reed, which is run by the Defense Department, into the veterans affairs system." 

The Financial Times says of CPAC, "Unlike at the recent parade for the Democratic presidential candidates last month at the Democratic National Committee meeting, where the main preoccupation was to set out assertive stances on the Iraq war and for withdrawing troops, the Republican candidates largely avoided the subject, focusing instead on the need to win the war on terror."  (It also points out that in addition to McCain, "the other notable missing figure at the conference was [President Bush].") 

 

A couple of big pieces from the weekend look at whether or not Giuliani could win the GOP nomination with the help of staunch conservative support despite his personal history and moderate positions on social issues.  Newsweek put him on the cover: "As Giuliani campaigns to protect the country from disaster, he will have to account for calamities from his own past and of his own making...  The former mayor's life story is that of a man with a righteous sense of right and wrong who excels when the world presents him with a crisis, and, when left to his own devices, creates crises for himself." 

"His strength in recent national polls and some state polls has already prompted many strategists, including some in rival camps, to reexamine their long-held assumptions about a party that is approaching not only its first nomination battle since the terrorist attacks but also the first since the 2006 midterm elections, which put Democrats back into power in Washington.  With President Bush's approval ratings still low, Republicans are looking for a winner," says the Sunday Washington Post. 

The Washington Post's Kurtz writes this morning that Giuliani's "earliest adversary is the New York press corps, and its depiction of what has come to be dubbed the 9/10 Rudy...  There is a sense of disbelief among some writers and columnists that their Rudy -- a man of great strengths and equally great flaws -- could become president." 

Might this complicate his attempt to appeal to family-values voters?  The New York Daily News writes that Giuliani's son Andrew thinks his father would make a better president than he did a dad.  "'I got my values from my mother,' 21-year-old Andrew Giuliani told ABC in an interview quoted on 'Good Morning America' yesterday…  'She's a strong influence in my life,' Andrew Giuliani said of his mother, Donna Hanover, seemingly drawing a contrast between her and Rudy Giuliani."  More: "While Andrew stressed he still loves his father and said 'we are both working on our relationship,' his comments are a sharp reminder of the outrageous marital soap opera that accompanied Giuliani's estrangement and divorce from second wife..." 

We wrote last Friday that Romney seems to be invoking the mainstream media more often in an effort to gin up conservative support.  At CPAC, he told The Politico in an interview that "the blogs are able to really zero in on issues and find the truth.  Sometimes the mainstream media writes one article and it sits out there and it may be accurate, it may not be accurate.  But the blogs are open - there's a discourse, there's back and forth and it allows us to get to the truth." 

NBC's Dann reports that at CPAC on Saturday, former Speaker Newt Gingrich, who placed fourth in the straw poll, reiterated that he's waiting until the fall to decide if he'll run: "I'm not going to think about the presidential campaign until the 30th of September."  But he did call for more hand-to-hand intellectual combat between candidates, proposing that the two parties' nominees hold a series of nine weekly 90-minute forums going into the general election.  And he specifically extended the challenge to Obama, whose plea for candor and spin-less dialogue has become a pillar of his campaign.

The Sunday Washington Times points out that "Mr. Gingrich... tied [Romney] for second place in the conference's combined first- and second-choice straw poll with 30 percent each, trailing only [Giuliani], who won with a combined 34 percent." 

Brownback campaigns in Greenville, SC today.  Out in California, Giuliani and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger appear with Los Angeles law enforcement officials.  McCain is in Michigan with no public events scheduled.

 

The Washington Post on the Selma showdown: "advisers to Obama and Clinton insisted it would not be a day for politics.  But the candidates' mere presence in Alabama signaled the extraordinary importance of black voters in the upcoming Democratic primaries...  The crowd in and around Obama's appearance was decidedly larger -- his audience included 15 members of Congress, compared with four who went to hear Clinton." 

The Los Angeles Times notes in its coverage, "Many of the black voters who wondered about Obama's chances came from Selma or other pockets of the South where, decades after integration, obvious divisions remain." 

The New York Times notes how Obama mentioned that his parents fell in love due to the tumult in Selma -- but that Obama was born four years before the violence in Selma took place.  "Mrs. Clinton, meanwhile, recalled going with her church youth minister as a teenager in 1963 to hear the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. speak in Chicago.  Yet, in her autobiography and elsewhere, Mrs. Clinton has described growing up Republican and being a 'Goldwater Girl' in 1964 - in other words, a supporter of the presidential candidacy of Senator Barry M. Goldwater, who opposed the 1964 Civil Rights Act." 

The New York Post says Clinton "peppered her 18-minute talk with a Southern twang and numerous references to her husband." 

Me, too?  Sen. Joe Biden's campaign today will announce the endorsements of two African-American South Carolina legislators.  Stumping in the state over the weekend, Biden said he believes the Democratic nomination will be settled with the results of the state's primary.  He also "said he has more depth on foreign policy issues than other candidates, but would not put down any candidate in his own party." 

The Chicago Tribune: "Sunday marked the first entrance into the presidential campaign by former President Bill Clinton…  He avoided upstaging his wife at her speech by staying away from the church.  But people cheered and rushed to be near him." 

"Clinton's husband proved the real celebrity,... emerging from an SUV to shrieks of 'Bill! Bill!'  The shrieking and rock star clamor continued through a reenactment of the march." 

In his Sunday column, Bob Novak wrote that Democratic super-lawyer Greg Craig, who defended Bill Clinton during his impeachment trial, is backing Obama.

The Sunday Los Angeles Times revisits David Geffen's critique of Clinton, noting that "Geffen's waspish comments to a New York Times columnist gave voice to the kind of sentiments - that she is polarizing, dishonest, far too ambitious - that her presidential campaign expected from the right, not from a political soul mate." 

Clinton returned to Iowa yesterday to "promote a campaign proposal encouraging ethanol production," reported Sunday's Des Moines Register, which looked at the evolution of her position on the issue. And she also spoke about her health care plan.  The Register writes that "Clinton's tone about health insurance for all Americans was more aggressive than five weeks ago, when she stressed, on her first trip to Iowa as a candidate, her goal of making sure all children were covered." 

Edwards "is mailing DVDs to more than 70,000 Iowa households this week...," The Politico reports, "introducing the audience of likely caucus-goers to his plan for universal health care with a combination of passion, wonkiness, and implicit comparison with his rivals."  It marks "the first effort this presidential cycle to reach voters directly and in numbers beyond those who tune into announcement speeches on television or on candidates' websites."  The story notes that Edwards' "ability to stay even, in the key early measures of fundraising and media attention, with his two rock-star rivals... has hinged on polls showing him with a lead among Iowa's caucus-goers." 

The Edwards campaign is hoping to raise $100,000 off of Ann Coulter's slur that was focused on him during the CPAC conference. 

The Washington Post notes that Obama's "reign as the only perfect attendee of Senate votes among presidential hopefuls came to a crashing end last week" when, after 56 straight votes this year on the chamber floor, Obama "missed his 57th on Friday... to deliver a speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee meeting in Chicago." 

On Sunday, The State examined a potential problem for candidates who hope to win both Nevada and South Carolina.  In Nevada, candidates "need to oppose opening a nuclear waste repository in the state" but "[w]hile pulling that lever might be a winner in Nevada, it's a clunker in South Carolina.  Palmetto State residents and nuclear power officials long have expected to send tons of high-level waste from South Carolina to a site near Las Vegas." 

Biden is in South Carolina again today.  Clinton campaigns in Johnston, IA.  Edwards holds a rally at UCLA.

The Wall Street Journal, keying off Clinton's effort last week to draw attention to US foreign debt, looks at "how big an issue the growing unease over globalization and free trade will be in the 2008 campaign."

The Los Angeles Times observes that efforts by "leading Democrats in Congress... to add tax credits and deductions to benefit narrow groups of largely middle-class constituents" raise questions "about how the Democrats can give away tax revenue while keeping their pledge not to deepen the government's deficit."  More: "Among potential beneficiaries: people with elderly parents in nursing homes, new parents, college students, volunteer firefighters and organ donors." 

Bloomberg says Democrats' hope of collecting tens of billions of dollars in unpaid taxes may be "a mirage" because, tax experts say, "doing so would require thousands of new Internal Revenue Service agents as well as stricter filing rules, more stringent audits, tighter scrutiny of small businesses and other politically unpopular steps that Paulson says would penalize 'honorable and honest' taxpayers." 

The Washington Post reported over the weekend that the White House "approved the firings of seven US attorneys late last year after senior Justice Department officials identified the prosecutors they believed were not doing enough to carry out President Bush's policies on immigration, firearms, and other issues...  Most of the prosecutors have said they were given no reason for their dismissals.  At least five of the prosecutors... were presiding over public corruption investigations when they were fired, but Justice Department officials have said those inquiries played no role in the dismissals." 

Today, the Post reports that Sen. Pete Domenici (R) of New Mexico has conceded that he "contacted the U.S. attorney in Albuquerque last year to ask about an ongoing corruption probe of Democrats, but said he 'never pressured him nor threatened him in any way.'  Domenici also said in a statement that he told the Justice Department it should replace U.S. Attorney David C. Iglesias...  But Domenici said the recommendation came before his call to Iglesias about the criminal investigation," which, legal experts say, may have violated congressional ethics rules. 

Presiding US District Judge Reggie Walton is expected to address jurors this morning when they resume deliberating the fate of former Cheney chief of staff Lewis "Scooter" Libby, NBC's Joel Seidman reports.  Today marks the ninth day of jury deliberations. 

On Friday, notes from the jury gave a hint that there might be at least one holdout on a conviction, Seidman says.  The jurors sent two notes to Walton, one with a question asking for further explanation of the concept of reasonable doubt, suggesting possible uncertainty or even disagreement over the core standard by which they are to measure the case against Libby.  A conviction would require that all jurors find guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.  The question reflects the central role that memory has played in the 14 days of testimony in the trial.  "We would like clarification of the term 'reasonable doubt,'" the note said.  "Specifically, is it necessary for the government to present evidence that it is not humanly possible for someone not to recall an event in order to find guilt beyond a reasonable doubt?"
 
The juror's question suggested that at least some of seven women and four men deliberating the case are struggling with the imprecise definition of reasonable doubt, as well as how to decide whether a false statement should be attributed to faulty memory or willful deception, the issue at the center of the case.  In his instructions to the Libby jury before sending them off to deliberate, Walton said, "A reasonable doubt, as the name implies, is a doubt based on reason."

From NBC's Carrie Dann
Mitt Romney took home the blue ribbon from CPAC this weekend, where yesterday's straw poll of conservative attendees put his name at the top of the list of GOP presidential hopefuls with 21% of the vote.  Rudy Giuliani came in second with 17%, followed by Brownback with 15%, and the (as-yet) unannounced Newt Gingrich at 14%. Bringing up the rear for candidates on the big board at 12% was John McCain, whose conspicuous absence from the conference was clearly viewed as a snub by the audience, which booed and hissed when his name was called by the pollsters.  

The poll -- taken among 1,705 registered attendees of the annual conference -- was watched closely by supporters and journalists alike because it provides a barometer of how Republican presidential hopefuls are faring among the party's most loyal.  (To give a sense of how conservative the CPAC crowd is, another poll result showed a whopping 82% supporting the troop surge in Iraq). Giuliani scored big among those who said they prioritized national security, while Brownback was the big winner among values voters.

The results' announcement preceded the highly-anticipated remarks by Gingrich, who was a crowd favorite. Chants of "Newt! Newt! Newt!" filled the ballroom as he made his way through the crowds, who rewarded his abundant swipes at Democrats with hearty applause and laughter.  Gingrich, who has said he is waiting until the fall to decide if he'll jump into the race, reiterated it firmly during his speech. "I'm not going to think about the presidential campaign until the 30th of September," Gingrich said.  But, he did have some advice for the prospective nominees. Gingrich called for more hand-to-hand intellectual combat between candidates, proposing that the two parties' nominees should hold a series of nine weekly 90-minute forums going into the general election.  (He specifically extended the challenge to Barack Obama, whose plea for candor and spin-less dialogue has become a pillar of his campaign). 

 

From NBC's Carrie Dann
In a field dominated by three candidates whose ideological oscillations have raised eyebrows on the right, Sam Brownback is fighting to bring his conservative credentials into three dimensions. At CPAC this afternoon, he tried to do that with the use of an edgier entrance soundtrack (Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger") and some theatrical props. Brownback brandished two volumes of IRS code like a barbell and declared "This is a monstrosity!" Later in his remarks, he held up a piece of carpet made from corn plants to illustrate his energy plan to make America "more dependent on the middle west than on the Middle East." In addition to tax reform and energy, Brownback focused on conservative crowd-pleasers like border security and right-to-life issues. He noticeably avoided specifics on Iraq, other than adding the war on terror to his list of causes that are "right and just."

Although Brownback touted his goal of being "the family president," Mitt Romney continues to corner the market as the high-profile family guy on the GOP side. As he has since his announcement, Romney invited his wife Ann to address the attendees, implicitly reminding them of the contrast between his own squeaky-clean marriage and the divorces of John McCain and Rudy Giuliani. Romney went heavy on social issues, berating the "few folks in black robes" who could affect federal policies on abortion and gay marriage. As governor of Massachusetts, he said, "I stood at the center of the battlefield on every major social issue. I fought to preserve our traditional values and protect the sanctity of human life."

We also noted the giggles of attendees in the hallways who saw "Flip Romney," an enterprising young person in a dolphin suit and a t-shirt reading "Just another Flip-Flopper from Massachusetts" - a reference to Romney's more liberal stances during his gubernatorial years.

From NBC's Andrew Merten
Taking the stage to deliver his address to CPAC, Rudy Giuliani got a standing ovation from many supporters sporting homemade signs, including "Red Sox Fans for Rudy" and "Women for Giuliani."  The former New York City mayor centered his speech on his long-time hero former President Ronald Reagan, calling him a "visionary and practical" leader.  He also compared Reagan's often unpopular decisions with Bush's in an effort to praise the current president's penchant to "consult something broader than public opinion."

Giuliani repeated his recent criticism of the Democratic Congress' stance against the Iraq war.  "When you do non-binding resolutions, you're trying to escape the responsibility of making these decision," he said, adding that the country needs leaders who will "make decisions, not be commentators."  Giuliani compared his time on the "offensive" against organized crime in New York to the "necessity of being on the offense" in the war on terror, adding that he understood the need for measures like the Patriot Act and electronic surveillance.

On the domestic front, he received heavy applause when reminding audience members that he was the first mayor in the history of New York to lower taxes and introduce welfare reform.  Unlike those that spoke before him, Giuliani did not touch on social issues like abortion and gay marriage, especially since his views on those issues don't exactly jive with the conservative crowd.

From NBC's Lauren Appelbaum and Andrew Merten
The ballroom at CPAC has gradually filled, Sen. Sam Brownback's supporters are roaming the hallways with signs and chants, and former Gov. Mitt Romney's supporters are handing out stickers.  Rep. Tom Tancredo is the only candidate to have signs inside the ballroom.  Not everyone who wanted to hear former Mayor Rudy Giuliani speak was able to get into the room.

When former Gov. Mike Huckabee took the stage, he was received warmly with a standing ovation, and his speech sounded a much more conservative note than those he has delivered recently. He said he's running for president "not because of my ego," but "because of my country...  The conservative movement must make sure... we preserve not just winning elections but preserving a country." 

He poked fun at the Clintons, his fellow Arkansans (sort of): "If Hillary Clinton is the nominee for president, I can't wait to show the results of education in my 10 years as governor versus the 12 years she and her husband had the educational system," Huckabee said. "Let's measure the results between those two times and let's find out whose ideas about education improve it for the students and whose focus is on the kids and not just the institutions of the teachers' unions. That would be a wonderful comparison for us to have in this country," he added.

And he also poked fun of the Hollywood nature of the campaign, "If celebrity and money are criteria for president of the United States, then Paris Hilton will be our next president."

On a more serious note, Huckabee addressed the issues of abortion and marriage, receiving two more standing ovations, including one for a comment about preserving marriage as between a man and a woman "until Moses himself comes back down with two tablets marked 'Brokeback Mountain,'" for which he was inundated with applause. 

From Elizabeth Wilner, Mark Murray, and Huma Zaidi
Presidential candidates seem awfully quick to mar their own announcements with unfortunate remarks these days, and nearly as quick to say they're sorry.  Appearing on Letterman Wednesday night to officially declare his run for president, Sen. John McCain (R) suggested that the lives of US troops fighting in Iraq have been "wasted:" "Americans are very frustrated, and they have every right to be," he said.  "We've wasted a lot of our most precious treasure, which is American lives." 

Oddly, McCain's flub was the same as the one committed by his colleague and potential future rival Barack Obama (D) just a day after he officially kicked off his presidential campaign last month.  And, like Obama, McCain quickly apologized, saying less than 24 hours later that he should have used the word "sacrificed" instead of "wasted" in referencing US casualties in Iraq.  "No one appreciates and honors more than I do the selfless patriotism of American servicemen and women in the Iraq War," said McCain, whose son is a Marine bound for Iraq. 

Obama himself commented that "over 3,000 lives of the bravest young Americans" have been "wasted" in the war.  A day later, he apologized and said he meant that "those sacrifices have not been honored by the same attention to strategy, diplomacy and honesty on the part of civilian leadership that would give them a clear mission."  Obama mentioned to reporters yesterday that "nobody would question Senator McCain's dedication to our veterans," NBC's Ken Strickland reports. 

If McCain and Obama seem like just the latest two casualties of foot-and-mouth disease, they also are new graduates of the YouTube school of politics.  If the 2006 election cycle demonstrated the dangers of screwing up anywhere near an unidentified cell phone, the 2008 cycle will be the cycle of instant apologies in an effort to squash such gaffes before video of them spreads so far and wide over the Internet that the mistake becomes uncontainable.  A McCain aide yesterday called the written apology a "preventative measure."  But even then, there's no guarantee that the instant apology will work.  As the Cook Political Report's Jennifer Duffy wrote recently, "It's awfully tough for a politician to move beyond an unflattering incident when that incident never quietly fades." 

In their cases, McCain and Obama both appear to have to stymied a problem that could have threatened to overshadow their respective announcements.  Sen. Joe Biden (D) wasn't so lucky.  On the same day as his official announcement, comments he made about Obama being "articulate and bright and clean" landed him in hot water.  Biden issued several apologies, saying he didn't mean for the remarks to be construed the way they were, but the self-inflicted blow undercut his entrance to the race.

More troublesome for the Bush Administration, of course, is that the mini-trend of "wasted" comments highlights how two of the country's most prominent politicians, who take diametrically opposed positions on the war, seem to agree that the lives of US troops are being expended on an ill-judged and ill-managed pursuit.  "What both [McCain] and I have simply tried to express," Obama elaborated yesterday, "is that when you give a mission to our extraordinarily brave soldiers that's not thought through, it's a failure of civilian leaderships."  Even as McCain apologized for his "wasted" remark, he maintained that the Administration has made many mistakes in the execution of the war and that the country has "paid a grievous price for those mistakes."

Addressing a gathering of prominent conservative leaders and activists in Washington last night, Vice President Cheney called it an "inconvenient truth" that "the enemy we face in the war on terror has made Iraq the primary front in that war."

Addressing CPAC today, in order of appearance: Rep. Duncan Hunter, former Gov. Mike Huckabee, former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Rep. Tom Tancredo, Sen. Sam Brownback, and former Gov. Mitt Romney.  Tomorrow, former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich will speak before the results of the group's straw poll are released in the afternoon.

And on Sunday, the Democratic party's presidential frontrunners come together -- or face off, as many see it -- to commemorate the 1965 civil rights march in Selma, AL.  Former President Clinton will join his wife, lending her his popularity among African-Americans.  That announcement that came shortly after a new national poll showed Obama gaining on her among that crucial voting bloc.  Obama told NBC's Norah O'Donnell, "I think all of the candidates are going to be actively soliciting the support of the African-American community and that's how it should be," and that he doesn't take the community's support for granted. 

Pentagon officials testified yesterday that Bush's planned troop increase will require "as many as 28,500" more -- not 21,500.  "The increase in troops is expected to peak in May, according to the Congressional Budget Office.  Pentagon officials stressed that the additional troops will be properly equipped." 

"Republicans in Congress -- including most who have defected from President Bush's plan to send reinforcements to Iraq -- have closed ranks and are prepared to thwart the Democrats' continued efforts to undermine the war strategy," the Washington Times reports.  "Most of the 17 House Republicans who voted for a resolution against the troop-surge plan... now oppose moves to cut war funding or attach conditions to appropriations bills that would hamstring the war effort.  All but one of the seven Senate Republicans that backed the anti-surge resolution in their chamber say they will not support any funding cuts." 

"The Iraq war is proving a humbling experience not just for President Bush, but also for those in Congress who want to end it," says the Wall Street Journal.  "Plagued by internal divisions, House Democrats have largely abandoned efforts to cap the increase in U.S. troop levels for Iraq and will focus instead on highlighting the war's strain on the military and competing U.S. interests in Afghanistan." 

The New York Times notes that some Senate Democrats who voted against the 2002 war authorization aren't pleased with the plan to repeal that authorization "because it contains language saying explicitly that 'the president is authorized to use the armed forces of the United States in Iraq' for the purposes of protecting American forces and bases, training Iraqi soldiers and policemen, conducting operations against terrorists and protecting Iraq's borders.  Critics of the war, particularly those who opposed the 2002 authorization, worried that this approach would effectively put them on record as sanctioning almost any use Mr. Bush and his commanders might make of the troops." 

House Democratic leaders announced yesterday that they "have coalesced around legislation that would require troops to come home from Iraq within six months if that country's leaders fail to meet promises to help reduce violence there," says the AP.  "The plan would retain" Rep. John Murtha's proposal "prohibiting the deployment to Iraq of troops with insufficient rest or training or who already have served there for more than a year.  Under the plan, such troops could only be sent to Iraq if President Bush waives those standards and reports to Congress each time." 

House Democratic leaders also said yesterday that they'll attach Katrina-related spending measures to the upcoming emergency bill funding the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in an effort to make the bill more attractive to anti-war members, NBC's Mike Viqueira reports.  Assistance for utilities, more disaster relief, and levee rehabilitation funds will be attached to the measure, which is expected to pass through Congress in about a month's time.  Also included will be a suspension of the Stafford Act, which will enable localities affected by natural disasters to spend money without putting up matching funds.  Supporters of this move say it will free up millions in federal dollars for Katrina and Rita recovery. 

The emergency war spending bill is causing a great deal of division within the Democratic caucus, Viq says.  Attaching Katrina-related measures might make the bill more attractive to anti-war members who think the caucus should be doing more to stop the war.

In a look at how McCain could catch up to Giuliani, Slate's Dickerson labels McCain "'soft launch,' as an adviser called it,... vintage McCain-candid and messy." 

Also yesterday, McCain "pledged to accept public funding in a general election, provided the Democratic nominee does the same," The Politico reports.  "Combined with Obama's request to the FEC that candidates be allowed to change their minds on accepting public financing for the general election even if they don't plan to now, the moves "seemed designed to solidify their positions as the field's leading advocates for reducing the influence of money in politics." 

Romney is invoking the mainstream media more often in an effort to gin up conservative support.  He said in New Hampshire yesterday that the intense media scrutiny of his campaign is a sign that he's "considered a conservative choice" in this campaign. 

In an interview with the Union Leader, he also said "the Republican Party has lost its way and no longer follows its economically conservative roots." 

The Politico's Simon notes that "something very troubling has happened to Romney over the last 10 weeks: The more voters learn about him, the less they seem to like him." 

While Romney addresses CPAC today, McCain makes an appearance in Utah with the state's governor, who has endorsed him despite the conventional wisdom that the Mormon Romney would have an edge there.  That said, Giuliani meets with McCain's friend Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) and state law enforcement officials on Monday.  And while it's not Madonna, Denzel, or Barbra, the New York Daily News notes that Giuliani will have some Hollywood stars at his Los Angeles fundraiser next week: Adam Sandler, Cheryl Ladd, Tom Selleck, Dennis Miller, and John O'Hurley (a/k/a J. Peterman on "Seinfeld"). 

The Daily News also writes that Giuliani and Romney clashed for the first time yesterday, after Romney said in an interview that Giuliani is pro-gay marriage.  "But Giuliani - while in favor of civil union laws granting gay couples legal protections - has always said that he thought marriage should be 'between a man and a woman.'  Aides to Giuliani were quick to make his position on the volatile issue clear.  But they declined to hit back hard, saying Giuliani would abide by Ronald Reagan's 11th Commandment and 'not speak ill of a fellow Republican.'" 

The Washington Times reports that underdog Gilmore "will become the first Republican presidential contender to say publicly that the three top-ranked party candidates are phony conservatives...  Republicans have been observing their 11th Commandment...  However, Mr. Gilmore singles out [Romney, Giuliani and McCain] in an ad that will be posted tomorrow on YouTube.com and his campaign Web site... as well as e-mailed to likely voters in the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses." 

The Los Angeles Times profiles 16-term New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner, "probably the most influential figure in national politics you've never heard of," because of his power to change his state's presidential primary date.  The date is currently -- but far from certainly -- scheduled for January 22. 

The New York Times looks at how all of the candidates are campaigning in California, given that the state is planning to move its primary to February 5. 

Al Franken will hold a rally and media availability in St. Paul tomorrow, effectively kicking off his 2008 Senate campaign.  (Even Senate campaigns are kicking off this early?)

The Washington Post front-pages the anticipated Clinton-Clinton-Obama face-off in Selma on Sunday.  The story notes that the Clinton campaign admitted that the decision" for the former President to attend "was made yesterday, more than a week after Hillary Clinton made her plans to go to Selma."

Obama told NBC's O'Donnell that he's going to Selma because "this is the first year that my schedule actually allowed it.  Uh, I think in previous years we had conflicts, I'd made previous commitments.  John Lewis, who is a genuine hero of mine, had asked me before and the fact that we could make it work this time was thrilling to me."  He also said this will be his first visit there.  When asked about how his campaign got drawn into the squabble with the Clinton camp over David Geffen's comments, Obama replied, "You know, we're a young campaign.  We've been up and running for four or five weeks, and what I've told my staff is that I want all our statements to sound like me."  He added that he can "mix it up."

The Selma Times-Journal previews the Clintons' visit.  Articles from earlier in the week note that candidates are making appearances there because the state has moved up its primary from June to February.  And, already, Obama's Sunday event is sold out.  

More on this front: The New York Post reports that hip-hop mogul Timbaland "will host a swank Miami fund-raiser this month for… Clinton - a sign the former first lady isn't ceding an inch to [Obama].  The Post has learned the music-industry titan - who has worked with such black artists as Jay-Z, 50 Cent and LL Cool J - is jumping into Clinton's camp with the cash bash on March 31." 

And the Chicago Tribune writes that it appears forebears of Obama's white mother owned slaves, according to genealogical research and Census records.  "'While a relative owned slaves, another fought for the Union in the Civil War,' campaign spokesman Bill Burton said.  'And it is a true measure of progress that the descendant of a slave owner would come to marry a student from Kenya and produce a son who would grow up to be a candidate for president of the United States.'" 

In an email to First Read, Obama spokesman Bill Burton says that Obama, on page 13 of his book, acknowledges that he's the descendant of Jefferson Davis -- not just a slave owner but the leader of the Confederacy. 

The Democratic money chase is about to hit Wall Street, reports the Wall Street Journal, which details upcoming fundraising efforts by the top candidates.  "Wall Street has always been a vital source of campaign cash, but for 2008 the financial industry is even more crucial because it is teeming with record numbers of hedge-fund managers flush with cash and unfettered by previous political allegiances."  The story notes that "none of the Republican hopefuls are expected to be able to match the fund-raising clout of the hometown favorite," Giuliani. 

Considering how former Sen. John Edwards will do in fundraising for this first quarter, The Politico notes, "Edwards also has some new deep-pocketed friends on Wall Street and elsewhere to supplement his supporters in the trial lawyer community.  In 2005, he became a senior adviser at Fortress Investment Group, a New York hedge fund.  Last month, Fortress Investment became the first hedge fund to go public, and its stock surged.  The firm's now-wealthier officers are sponsoring events to boost the coffers of Edwards' presidential bid." 

CNBC's Karin Caifa was just starting to ask herself, in the wake of the Dow's 416-point plunge on Tuesday and the downward GDP revision on Wednesday, whether the presidential candidates will come out and really seize on the potential for US economic vulnerability as a campaign issue, when Sen. Hillary Clinton answered her question.  Yesterday, Clinton sent a letter to the nation's two top economic guys, Fed chief Ben Bernanke and Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, to warn of the dangers of foreign-held debt to the nation's economy.

Foreign debt isn't the sexiest of topics, Caifa notes.  But with market jitters in no short supply, and some harboring fears that the economy could slip from its supreme status in the world, it gives Clinton the opportunity to strike at two hot targets with one swing: the current Administration and potential Republican opponents with similar fiscal views, and the rising global power of China.

Democrats will be out and about campaigning in key states today.  Sen. Chris Dodd campaigns in South Carolina, while Edwards heads out to Fresno to meet with the United Farm Workers Association, and Obama addresses the AIPAC briefing in Chicago.  Tomorrow, Obama holds a workers' rights rally in Chicago.  On Sunday, Obama and Clinton both address the Selma march.  Later in the day, Clinton will join her husband as he's inducted into the Voting Rights Hall of Fame before she heads off to campaign in Dubuque, IA.  Also, Biden holds a series of town halls on Iraq in South Carolina and Edwards holds a rally in Berkeley.

Also yesterday, a House Judiciary subcommittee approved "the first in what is expected to be an avalanche of subpoenas to Bush administration officials.  They will likely explore corruption and mismanagement allegations on everything from pre-war Iraq intelligence to the mishandling of the response to Hurricane Katrina," reports The Hill.  "The first round of subpoenas concern the recent controversial firings by the Bush administration of seven U.S. attorneys, some of whom were pursuing public corruption cases against Republican members of Congress...  The White House has denied that the attorneys were fired for anything other than performance-related issues." 

A New York Times/CBS poll on health care shows that 64% believe the federal government should guarantee health insurance to every American; by comparison, 56% said this in 1996, at the end of the Clinton Administration effort to revamp the country's health-care system.  Also in the poll, only 24% approve of Bush's handling of health care and 62% said Democrats were more likely to improve the system. 

President Bush heads to Indiana to campaign for the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind and then host a fundraiser for his water-carrier in the Senate, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.  The Los Angeles Times points out that despite his sagging job approval ratings, his fundraising ability remains as strong as ever. 

Katrina recovery efforts also are an undercurrent for the seating of Rep. William Jefferson (D) on the Homeland Security Committee.  Pelosi says that Jefferson "has already paid a price" for the allegations against him, NBC's Mike Viqueira reports, and because his constituents have re-elected him from his New Orleans district.  Jefferson is the alleged recipient of a bribe, $90,000 of which was reportedly found in his icebox.  He has not been indicted.

Republicans have announced that they will force a vote on Pelosi's decision to appoint Jefferson to a seat on the panel.  Normally such appointments are done by 'unanimous consent,' i.e., if there is no objection the appointment is approved without a vote.  And, Viq reports, the fact that Democrats have chosen not to bring the matter to the floor this week in the face of the Republican threats may be an indication that not all members of the Democratic caucus support the seating of Jefferson. In other words, Pelosi may not have the votes to do it.

And an effort by some members of the Hispanic Caucus to oust their chairman, Rep. Joe Baca (D), seems to have fizzled.  Baca allegedly steered funds to campaigns involving his sons and also allegedly called one of his female House colleagues a "whore." 

From Elizabeth Wilner, Mark Murray, and Huma Zaidi
About one month after a State of the Union address in which he didn't once mention Hurricane Katrina or Gulf Coast recovery,  President Bush returns to the still struggling region today, stopping first in Mississippi and then heading to New Orleans.  A White House release this morning notes, "The Federal government has committed more than $110 billion to help the Gulf Coast recover from Hurricane Katrina.  President Bush remains committed to progress on all fronts in the Gulf Region, and will discuss progress in education as well as other reconstruction efforts."  This will be his first visit since August 29.

While the situation on the ground in New Orleans may have changed little since then, the political circumstances certainly have.  Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco (D) is up for re-election this year, and the criticism she received in Katrina's aftermath has left her vulnerable both to possible challenger John Breaux (D), the state's popular former senator, and to repeat challenger Bobby Jindal (R), who lost to Blanco in 2003.  Although New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin managed to get re-elected last spring, Blanco hasn't displayed the same canny survivor instincts.  Central to her re-election effort would be efforts to shift blame onto the Bush Administration, and away from her own, for the government's failed response to Katrina.  "I can't speak for the President of the United States, but he could have given just a few words to lift up our citizens," she said after the State of the Union.

Back in Washington, nothing better illustrates how things can change in a year than the latest Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), which begins today with addresses by White House spokesman Tony Snow and Vice President Cheney.  One year ago, at least five possible GOP presidential candidates addressed the confab: then-Sen. George Allen, Sen. Sam Brownback, Sen. Bill Frist, former Speaker Newt Gingrich, and then-Sen. Rick Santorum.  Allen ended up winning the CPAC presidential straw poll with 22%.  Sen. John McCain and former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, neither of whom addressed the group, finished second (20%) and third (12%), respectively.

A year later, however, onetime frontrunner Allen is out of a job after losing his re-election bid.  So is Santorum, who was routed.  Ditto Frist, who retired from Congress and also decided not to run for president.  These absences are a big reason why there isn't a bona fide conservative frontrunner in the current field -- the 2006 midterms took them out. 

But that isn't stopping others from trying to fill the gap.  Tomorrow, in order of appearance, Rep. Duncan Hunter, former Gov. Mike Huckabee, Giuliani, Rep. Tom Tancredo, Brownback and former Gov. Mitt Romney all address the convention.  Gingrich wraps up the event with a speech on Saturday -- just after organizers announce the results of the convention's straw poll.  Gingrich is viewed by many as the conservative favorite-in-waiting, a view which overlooks his own considerable political hurdles.

Sen. John McCain (R), who will be notably absent from CPAC, has sought to appeal to a broader audience, reinvigorate his Iraq-burdened candidacy, and regain some of his old maverick spark by choosing to declare on David Letterman that he is, in fact, running for president.  By scheduling a formal announcement of candidacy in early April after a trip to Iraq, McCain also will manage to overshadow another big event on the GOP calendar in which he's not participating: the party's first presidential primary debate.  McCain is in Salt Lake City and Deer Valley, UT today with nothing public currently scheduled.

And in Congress today, the House is expected to vote on a bill that would facilitate union organizing which, if passed, could be labor's biggest legislative win in years -- even though the bill isn't expected to pass the Senate.  The focus on Iraq has obscured the massive lobbying campaign by both sides in this latest business-versus-labor brawl.

McCain's half-announcement on Letterman "followed a pattern increasingly common in this presidential contest, as candidates have used multi-step announcement schedules to garner maximum attention for their bids," says the Washington Post.  And beyond a news bump, he "may have additional motives for using the late-night comedian's show, as he tries to rekindle some of the spontaneity and unpredictability from his first campaign." 

The New York Times: "In truth, Mr. McCain has been running for the White House for nearly two years and, ever since forming a presidential exploratory committee in November, has repeatedly told interviewers that there are no circumstances he can foresee in which he would not run." 

As the AP notes, "There had been no doubt that McCain would eventually become a full-fledged White House candidate, and he had been expected to make his candidacy official in the spring...   Asked about polls showing him trailing former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, McCain said: 'We keep doing the best we can.  We're very happy with the way things are going.'"  Should he win the presidency, he would be the oldest just-elected president ever. 

The New York Daily News adds that "McCain's day didn't start out so hot: He awoke to find former Mayor Rudy Giuliani clobbering him, 44% to 21%, in" a new poll.  "Then, plane trouble forced McCain to cancel what was supposed to be an afternoon foray into Giuliani's backyard - the trading floor of the New York Mercantile Exchange." 

McCain yesterday "unveiled a presidential campaign finance committee... dominated by Californians and New Yorkers, including some of the biggest donors to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and President Bush."  They'll each be expected to raise $100,000 or more for his campaign. 

Robert Novak's look at the void left by a conservative favorite in the primary field includes the news that at CPAC, one conservative organization will "distribute a 23-page attack on McCain.  'He's no Ronald Reagan,' it begins, and concludes: 'John McCain is not a conservative'...  Simultaneously, McCain operatives are putting out material that depicts Giuliani riding into City Hall on the shoulders of the New York Liberal Party as a throwback to the old Tammany Hall Democratic machine." 

The Washington Times reports that some CPAC attendees are bitter about McCain's effort to schedule a private reception there while forgoing a public appearance.  "Conservative activists have speculated that Mr. McCain did not want to be seen on television 'pandering' to Republican 'right-wingers' but wanted to court those same activists at a reception in the same hotel." 

As he did at the very first GOP cattle call almost one year ago in Memphis, Romney will bring in two vanloads of college students to help ensure him a welcome reception at CPAC.  Romney is making a series of stops in New Hampshire today. 

Bloomberg notes that the pragmatism of some religious conservatives, "combined with fundamentalists' inability so far to coalesce around another contender, means Giuliani may draw significant support from voters who typically make conservative positions on social issues a litmus test." 

On the eve of CPAC, The Politico notes that while Giuliani appeals to conservatives by talking about how he'd nominate conservative judges, "most of Giuliani's judicial appointments during his eight years as mayor of New York were hardly in the model of Chief Justice John Roberts or Samuel Alito -- much less aggressive conservatives in the mold of Antonin Scalia."  More: "Giuliani's judicial appointments continue to win good reviews in New York legal circles for being what conservatives sometimes say they want: competent lawyers selected with no regard to 'litmus tests' on hot-button social issues...  Giuliani cast himself in New York not as a conservative (he had actually run on the Liberal Party line) but as a reformer." 

The New York Post: "One-third of voters take issue with a presidential candidate who supports gun control or has been married three times like Rudy Giuliani, a new Time magazine poll shows…  But the survey also shows 56 percent don't know Giuliani's marital history, 68 percent don't know his stand on gun control (he's been saying it's a state matter), and nearly 80 percent don't accurately know where he is on gay marriage (he's against it) or abortion rights (he favors it)." 

The race is on in South Carolina for tonight's Spartanburg County GOP straw poll.  Many "presidential hopefuls are spending thousands of dollars and making countless campaign phone calls and personal visits to the county in advance of tonight's straw poll vote," notes The State.  "One organizer sums up the importance of the event this way: "The winner gets to tell donors, 'See, those Spartanburg County Republicans down in South Carolina love me, and that's why you should give me money…'" 

"Anonymous mailings critical of [Romney], on the eve of what has become an all-important Spartanburg straw poll, have raised the specter of a long, nasty battle between now and the 2008 S.C. Republican primary...  One of the pieces was sent via U.S. mail Monday to several Spartanburg County Republicans.  The letter... is a six-page attack on Romney's record on abortion, gun control, taxes and 'conservative values.'" 

The New York Daily News notes a new Gallup poll showing that 70% believe former President Bill Clinton would be helpful to his wife as she runs for president. 

Former Sen. John Edwards makes another college tour stop today, visiting Metropolitan State University in Denver.  Next up are Berkeley and UCLA on Sunday and Monday and Howard University in two weeks.  The Hill notes that Edwards' "strong support of prohibiting gambling on college sports is expected to hamper his chances in the Nevada presidential caucus." 

Rutgers political science professor Ross Baker writes, "Those who chide Democratic Sen. Barack Obama for the slenderness of his curriculum vitae should heed the historical record, which shows that vast prior experience is no guarantee of a successful presidency and limited previous experience does not portend failure.  The record also suggests that there is no particular connection between prior experience and performance in the White House." 

Roll Call's Stuart Rothenberg suggests that the now-former campaign of former Gov. Tom Vilsack committed malpractice, in retrospect, "by asserting that fundraising was going well and that the candidate had the resources for the long haul" shortly before Vilsack quit the race because, as he himself said, he couldn't raise the money.  "Candidates and people who work for candidates ought to understand that they do themselves no favor by misleading journalists, contributors and, yes, even TV hosts about their prospects.  Trust, like a mind, is a terrible thing to waste."