From Chuck Todd and Mark Murray.
*** What did Senate Democrats win with yesterday's vote on Iraq? Will a Bush veto continue to make this a "Republican" war? Then again, aren't Senate Republicans tired of carrying Bush's water so they actually let Bush be the decider on this one? And what does it mean for the senators running for president and re-election in '08?

*** Swift Boat redux: Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee today could sink the nomination of Sam Fox to be the ambassador to Belgium because of a $50,000 donation he made in 2004 to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. Three current Dem presidential candidates are on the committee.

*** Another day, another Democratic cattle call: Why aren't the GOP presidential candidates appearing at as many forums sponsored by party interest groups? Or are they, but the press just doesn't know about it?

*** Strings attached: Can Hillary Clinton secure a major endorsement without having a follow-up story that includes the "price" of the endorsement? (First it was the campaign contracts for those South Carolina black leaders; now there are allegations that Tom Vilsack and Bill Shaheen endorsed her to help retire campaign debt and possibly win an ambassadorship.)

*** Packing heat: Did Sen. Jim Webb's (D) comments yesterday about his aide's arrest for carrying a gun (possibly Webb's) on Capitol Hill suggest that the senator is somehow above the law?

More on these topics below…

So what did the Senate Democrats win yesterday? One could argue that the Republicans finally allowed the Democrats to lay claim to some ownership of the Iraq issue. But Democratic ownership, of course, will be short-lived since Bush plans to veto the bill because it includes a specific withdrawal date. Politically, a Bush veto may be the best thing for Democrats since they can tell voters that they tried to get the troops out of the unpopular war -- but that the president and his party wouldn't allow it.

Per NBC's John Yang, President Bush is slated to address the National Cattlemen's Beef Association later this morning. The White House has released excerpts dealing with yesterday's Senate vote. "The bottom line is this: the House and Senate bills have too much pork, too many conditions on our commanders, and an artificial timetable for withdrawal," Bush is expected to say." As I have made clear for weeks, if either version comes to my desk, I will veto it. And it is also clear from the strong opposition in both houses that my veto would be sustained. Yet Congress continues to pursue these bills - and as they do, the clock is ticking for our troops in the field. Funding for our forces in Iraq will begin to run out in mid-April. Members of Congress need to stop making political statements … start providing vital funds for our troops … and get a bill to my desk that I can sign into law."

More Bush: "Some Democrats believe that by delaying funding for our troops, they can force me to accept restrictions on our commanders that I believe would make withdrawal and defeat more likely. That's not going to happen. If Congress fails to pass a bill to fund our troops on the front lines, the American people will know who to hold responsible."

Both WH '08 and SEN '08 politics seemed to influence yesterday's final vote count. The two Republicans to side with the Democrats were Chuck Hagel (who continues to mull a possible White House run) and Gordon Smith (who is up for re-election in '08 in the blue state of Oregon). As we mentioned yesterday, the DSCC released its own poll showing Rep. Pete DeFazio (D) narrowly leading Smith in a possible match up. The two Democrats to side with the GOP were Joe Lieberman (of course) and Mark Pryor (the Arkansas Democrat who is up for re-election next year; Some Arkansas Democrats are nervous about running statewide in 2008 if someone is perceived to be too liberal is leading the national ticket).

The Los Angeles Times says the overall Senate emergency spending bill, with its withdrawal deadlines and all, is poised to pass as soon as today.

As for the ramifications in the presidential race, Giuliani showed that there would be little difference between his stance on the issue and McCain's. "I can't imagine in the history of war anybody announcing a timetable to run out and retreat," he said at a fundraiser yesterday. "I think it's a terrible mistake. To put up the white flag and announce a timetable for retreat seems like a very bad strategy to me." He added that he hopes Bush vetoes the bill.

Also of note, Americans United, the coalition of liberal groups which helped defeat Bush during the Social Security battles of 2005, is going up with a $200,000 ad buy in Kentucky targeting Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell on Iraq. The ad juxtaposes clips of McConnell offering optimistic assessments about the war with scenes of chaos in Iraq. "Tell Mitch McConnell: Stop blocking change in Iraq," the ad concludes. McConnell is up for re-election in 2008 and is likely to become a favorite target of the liberal netroots.

Regarding the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's consideration of Sam Fox -- who donated money to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth -- to be the next ambassador to Belgium, apparently John Kerry has been whipping today's vote. There are three Democratic presidential candidates on the committee: Biden, Dodd, and Obama. Yet Fox could survive. Two Democrats/Independents on the committee support him publicly, including Joe Lieberman and Claire McCaskill.

We must sound like a broken record, but for the second-consecutive day -- and the third time in the last five days -- a herd of Democratic presidential candidates steps in front of a key labor group. This time, it's this morning's Building and Construction Trades Department's annual legislative conference in DC. The speaking order is: Edwards, Richardson, Clinton, Kucinich, Dodd, Biden, and Obama. (The GOP presidential candidates were also invited. But the only one who accepted, Hagel, later declined due to a schedule conflict.)

On Tuesday, Clinton, Edwards, and Obama addressed the Communication Workers of America. And last Saturday all of them, save Biden, participated in a health-care forum that the powerful Service Employees International Union. Now liberal MoveOn is the latest to announce a Democratic presidential forum, this one a "virtual town hall" on Iraq to be held April 10.

By comparison, the Republican field so far has had less exposure to GOP-leaning interest groups. And when these candidates actually do meet with these groups, it's sometimes closed to the press -- like the conservative Club for Growth conference that begins on Thursday, featuring visits by Romney, Giuliani, Brownback, Gingrich, and Giuliani. (McCain and Huckabee, whom the Club has criticized, won't be attending.)

Remember that "South Park" parodies Clinton tonight. She'll get a warmer reception when she receives the endorsement from the National Organization for Women's PAC this afternoon in DC. While this endorsement shouldn't seem too surprising, do note that women's organizations seem to be uniting around Clinton's candidacy faster than African-American politicians are for Obama.

The Clinton-is-too-polarizing whispers inside the Democratic party might be a little louder thanks to this Harris poll claiming half of those surveyed nationally wouldn't vote for her.

No endorsement seems to be free these days. Apparently, per the AP, Clinton promised to help Tom Vilsack -- who endorsed her earlier in the week -- with his presidential campaign debt, which the AP pegs at $400,000.

Speaking of endorsements coming for a price, Bill Shaheen, the husband of ex-New Hampshire Gov. Jeanne Shaheen (D), is denying allegations in an AP story that his endorsement of Clinton was tied to a promise to become an envoy (or some sort of "ambassador") in Middle East negotiations.

The Los Angeles Times' Barabak covered Edwards' event in San Francisco on Monday and remarks: "Perhaps most important, the sudden spotlight, even if shaded with a tinge of morbid curiosity, represents a chance for Edwards to pitch himself in a way that was impossible a week ago. Witness the scene Monday in San Francisco, a press turnout that would have been unthinkable if all he had to talk about were carbon dioxide emissions."

Earlier this morning, Bill Richardson discussed his strategy for handling the threat of nuclear terrorism at the Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University in DC.

While Clinton picks up NOW's endorsement today, Obama nabbed the support of one of the co-founders of BET, Sheila Johnson. She's the ex-wife of Robert Johnson, who has endorsed Clinton.

After leaving fundraisers yesterday to vote on the Iraq emergency spending bill, McCain returns to Florida today, where he holds a town hall and then a media availability. Giuliani, in New York, opens the NASDAQ market and then heads to Las Vegas.

Giuliani's campaign tells CBN News that the former New York mayor won't seek to change the Hyde Amendment, which restricts federal funding of abortion in most cases.

More Giuliani: He's hired key South Carolina GOP aide Jason Miller, who ran the successful re-election bid of Gov. Mark Sanford (and who some thought was in South Carolina to help George Allen's then-fledgling campaign). His title is deputy communications director, but he will focus on South Carolina for now.

Meanwhile, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R) spoke at a McCain fundraiser yesterday but has not officially endorsed the Arizona senator. And McCain is about to nab a key Iowa endorsement: former Rep. Greg Ganske (R). Ganske was in Congress for a decade or so before running for the U.S. Senate in 2002; he lost to Tom Harkin.

CQ has put together a handy chart comparing the voting records of Fred Thompson, Chuck Hagel, John McCain, and Sam Brownback. All four senators served together from 1996 to 2002

Countdown to the March 31 deadline… According to the Washington Post, Edwards' online donations have skyrocketed since the announcement of the return of Elizabeth Edwards' cancer. Said former Kerry finance director Tracy Sturman in the article: "What clearly happened last week is, he made a connection. But after that point, the question is whether donors will start asking, 'Why am I backing this person when there's this doubt about whether he'll still be running?'" Edwards top finance person, Fred Baron, said "that people may have been 'too embarrassed' to approach him at fundraisers with such a pointed question, but so far no one has asked him about the campaign's long-range fundraising outlook." More Baron: "I know it's delicate, but I think if people had these kinds of feelings -- that they were working for a campaign that was doomed -- I would think they would express that to me."

Two new Iowa polls -- one by Zogby and the other by the University of Iowa -- confirm the conventional wisdom that John Edwards is leading in the state. Remember, however, that caucus polling is difficult and expensive. And, frankly, the best surveys may be those that are conducted by the campaigns. 

Speaking of Iowa, AARP CEO Bill Novelli today begins visiting three cities in the Hawkeye State, where he'll unveil a new poll on health care and long-term financial security.

And, yes, we know it's early, but this could have gigantic repercussions in Iowa, which has become an important swing state in presidential elections. The governor there is likely to sign legislation which will allow same-day voter registration, meaning that an unregistered voter can go to the polls on Election Day, register, and then vote. Only a couple of states now allow this -- most notably Minnesota. Generally, the C.W. says that Democrats are helped in situations like these since it allows younger voters to procrastinate before voting.

The Washington Post writes that Sen. Jim Webb (D) expressed support for his aide who was arrested for carrying a gun on Capitol Hill. But he declined to confirm what the aide told authorities: that the gun was Webb's. Said Webb: "I have never carried a gun in the Capitol complex, and I did not give the weapon to Phillip Thompson, and that's all that I think I'll say." Asked whether he feels he is above D.C.'s gun laws, which are among the strictest in the country, Webb replied, "I'm not going to comment on any level in terms of how I provide for my own security."

From NBC's Mark Murray
In a 50-48 party-line vote, Senate Democrats -- with one key GOP defection, Sen. Chuck Hagel -- defeated a Republican effort to strip an Iraq withdrawal timetable from wthe emergency spending bill the Senate is considering. That means that both the House and Senate spending bills have withdrawal provisions in them. But President Bush has promised to veto any such legislation if it reaches his desk.

From NBC's Mark Murray
With Fred Thompson's third-place showings in a new USA Today/Gallup poll and a recent Iowa survey by the American Research Group, the Draft Fred Thompson committee that's chaired by two Tennessee GOP congressmen is now flexing its muscles. "Fred Thompson has not even entered the race and his polling seems to be growing stronger every day," said Dean Rice, the committee's treasurer. "There is truly a grassroots phenomenon out there with real momentum."

For us, however, the real news in these two polls isn't that Thompson finishes third -- but that the well-financed and well-staffed Mitt Romney finishes fourth (in the American Research Group one) and tied for fifth (in USA Today/Gallup).  

From NBC's Carrie Dann
The magenta-clad Code Pink protestors who dog Hillary Clinton along the campaign trail were back this morning -- this time at the Communication Workers of America's conference in DC. During a break in the program, TV cameras swiveled to catch shots of a group of five demonstrators sporting pink shirts that spelled out "NO WAR." Event organizers glumly took to the microphone to announce that "CWA has been outspoken in its criticism of the war... It is sad that [the protestors] aren't extending the same respect to us that we did to them."

Hotel management escorted the protestors out before Clinton took the stage, sparing her the tension of having to speak over their chants -- as she did during a similar disruption at the DNC's Winter Meeting last month. But they didn't leave before their shouts were drowned out by a collective tongue-in-cheek response from the union delegates at the event, who chanted at them "Go See Bush!"

In her remarks, Clinton chose to respond with pep rather than annoyance, although she mentioned the standoff only indirectly. Thanking one of the event organizers who helped to defuse the situation, she said, "You've done a lot to keep people in good spirits this morning... We're on the march! Let's be in a good humor!"

From NBC's Mark Murray
Democrats are already salivating over the prospect next year of picking up Colorado's open Senate seat, which is being vacated by retiring GOP Sen. Wayne Allard. Maine (Susan Collins' seat), Minnesota (Norm Coleman's), and New Hampshire (John Sununu's) are other potential pick-up opportunities for Democrats. But what about Oregon? The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has just released their own poll showing that Oregon Sen. Gordon Smith (R) isn't a shoo-in for re-election next year. While the survey finds that 56% view him favorably (versus 25% unfavorably), just 46% think he's doing either an excellent or good job -- compared with 43% who believe he's doing a poor or only fair job. And in a potential match-up against Rep. Peter DeFazio (D), the poll has Smith trailing, 42%-38%.

Of course, in order for Democrats to defeat him, they'll need to find a candidate -- DeFazio or someone else -- who is up to the task.

From NBC's Chuck Todd and Mark Murray
In recent days, the Iraq war has largely disappeared as an issue on the presidential campaign trail (where health care and Elizabeth Edwards' cancer has dominated the discussion) and in the buzz around Washington (which has focused mostly on the US attorneys controversy). But it remains Topic A on Capitol Hill. Late last week, the House narrowly passed an emergency spending bill that sets a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq. And this week, the Senate is working on its own emergency spending/withdrawal measure.

NBC's Ken Strickland says that as early as today, Senate Republicans hope to hold a vote that would strip the withdrawal language from the bill. And recent history, he notes, suggests the GOP should be successful: Two weeks ago, Democrats couldn't muster 51 votes to pass identical language in their highly touted Iraq resolution. While the Senate rules usually require a filibuster-proof 60 votes for controversial bills to pass, both sides appear reluctant block any part of this bill -- which provides emergency money for troops in the field. So under that strategy, all that's needed is a simple majority. Yet even if the withdrawal language is removed, the Senate bill will have to be reconciled with the House bill, where it could be added back in before it goes to the president. Bush says he'll veto any bill with withdrawal dates included.

The New York Times adds that Senate Republicans "signaled that they would not use procedural measures to block the bill, but would instead let the White House kill it" -- via a veto -- "and then urge Democrats to pass a bill that provides funding for the war without setting any dates for troop withdrawals."

The Washington Post says the vote is expected to be close, "requiring the presence of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who had skipped several previous Iraq votes to attend presidential campaign events. McCain canceled a series of fundraisers and meetings in Florida to return to Washington, telling a conservative radio program that he wanted to 'beat back this recipe for defeat that the Democrats are trying to foist off on the American people.'" (The McCain campaign tells us, however, that he's not cancelling the fundraisers; they're still going on -- just without his participation.) 

Overall, watching today's debate and vote will tell us which Republicans are more worried about re-election versus the White House's political peril on Iraq.

In an exclusive interview yesterday, Alberto Gonzales told NBC's Pete Williams that the prosecutor firings were not improper.

The news that the Justice Department aide, Monica Goodling, invoking the 5th Amendment is leading to all sorts of speculation that Kyle Sampson's upcoming testimony on Thursday may be a bit more interesting than some expect.

In response to Goodling taking the 5th, Sampson's attorney released this statement: "Kyle plans to testify fully, truthfully and publicly." More from the New York Times: "People briefed on Mr. Sampson's view of events say he believes there were clear errors in communication about the dismissals, including some misstatements by Mr. Gonzales, but no deliberate effort to mislead Congress."

A new USA Today/Gallup poll finds that respondents -- by nearly a 3-to-1 ratio -- believe Congress should issue subpoenas to force White House aides to testify in the fired prosecutors controversy; 53% think the prosecutors were dismissed for political reasons; yet 59% say Democrats are investigating the matter for political advantage. Bush's job-approval rating in the poll is 34%.

NBC's Strickland notes that today could be another uneasy hearing for Gonzales' Justice Department, as FBI Director Bob Mueller testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee. It's Mueller's first appearance before the panel since an internal report showed the agency had misused its power to obtain bank and phone records by issuing National Security Letters.

Another day, another Democratic presidential forum in front of a labor group. This morning, the three front-runners -- Obama, Clinton, and Edwards (in that order) -- address the Communication Workers of America conference in DC. Biden spoke at the conference on Sunday, and Kucinich made a stop there yesterday.

The New York Times front-pages Clinton's attempt to build a positive relationship with the military -- something she apparently believes was one of her husband's early mistakes/problems. Among the other things we learned from the piece, Chris Dodd is the only major presidential candidate on the Dem side with any military experience; he was an Army reservist.

Already struggling with the under-30 crowd, Clinton is going to see herself lampooned -- possibly tastelessly -- by the South Park gang tomorrow.

Edwards' campaign yesterday announced the support of some 50 South Carolina supporters, including Columbia Mayor Bob Coble. (Many of these folks endorsed Edwards in his '04 run.) During a stop in San Francisco yesterday, Edwards may have guaranteed that he'll have NO CHANCE at carrying West Virginia if he's the nominee. Edwards, the San Fran Chronicle writes, "announced a new pledge to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas pollution by banning construction of coal-fired power plants that did not incorporate technology to contain carbon dioxide emissions."

NBC's Carrie Dann notes that when asked yesterday if the American people might be wary of a president with an ailing wife, Edwards responded: "They have to evaluate that. And one of the ways to evaluate that is, starting last Thursday, my ability to focus and to make decisions, both on the campaign trail and ... about where America needs to go."

Meanwhile, an AP analysis notes the lack of policy speeches Obama has given to date. "The voices are growing louder asking the question: Is Barack Obama all style and little substance? The article adds that he began his "campaign facing the perception that he lacks the experience to be president, especially compared to rivals with decades of work on foreign and domestic policy. So far, he has done little to challenge it. He has delivered no policy speeches and provided few details about how he would lead the country. He has focused instead on motivating his impressive following with a call for unity and change in Washington. But along with the attention comes a hunger to hear more about what he's about."

The Politico adds, "Obama's gift with language -- his powerful speaking style and the graceful prose and compelling story of his best-selling memoir -- has been an engine of his dramatic, high-velocity rise in presidential politics. But he has also shown a tendency toward seemingly minor contradictions and rhetorical slips that serve as reminders that he is still a newcomer to national politics."

In the GOP field, McCain holds a media availability this morning in Tallahassee, FL before heading back to DC. Giuliani, meanwhile, visits Teaneck, NJ.

Fair or not, the tone of the coverage for McCain continues to be glum, even in the Christian Science Monitor, which sports this headline: "Can McCain recover in race for GOP nomination?"

Giuliani's campaign fixed a flaw in his Web site after the AP discovered the ability for hackers to get personal info of volunteers and contributors. "The vulnerability affecting Giuliani's site, JoinRudy2008.com, could have exposed confidential information stored in the campaign's databases. The Web site failed to block commands that can instruct it to improperly display sensitive information, a popular hacking technique known as 'structured query language injection.'"

So how many reporters will call former RNC chair Ed Gillespie now based on the news that he had lunch with Fred Thompson?

Brownback's latest fundraising email appeal has the subject header: "Roe v. Wade Can Be Overturned."

According to the AP, Bay Buchanan has left CNN to temporarily oversee Tom Tancredo's presidential campaign. She's only doing this until the campaign finds a permanent campaign manager.

And the Washington Post lists Newt Gingrich's reading list.

The USA Today/Gallup poll shows Edwards with a small bump (up 5 points) since the news came out that his wife's cancer had returned. Clinton leads at 35%, followed by Obama at 22%, and Edwards at 14%. Moreover, 58% say they support Edwards' decision to stay in the race. In the GOP field, Fred Thompson debuts in double digits (12%) -- behind Giuliani and McCain. Thompson appears to take most of his vote from Giuliani and Romney, as McCain's number actually went up a couple of points from the last Gallup survey.

Countdown to the March 31 fundraising deadline… As we've already mentioned, McCain is skipping a fundraiser to come back to DC for the Senate Iraq debate; Obama raised approximately $500,000 in Atlanta yesterday (rapper Ludicris was in attendance); and Brownback said this of the coming deadline: "These things take time… Candidates should not be discounted because in their first reporting period or two, they don't have the same amount of numbers as somebody who has been a national candidate for some time."

The Clinton folks are trying to lower the expectations of their fundraising a bit. Over the weekend, press reports had her weekend haul at over $10 million; however, the campaign said yesterday it was closer to $6 million. The likely discrepancy is the amount of money the campaign is raising in general election dollars -- which should NOT be counted when assessing how much money she raised compared to the rest of the campaigns.

And speaking of fundraising, today is the fifth anniversary of when President Bush signed the McCain-Feingold campaign-finance reform into law.

From NBC's Ken Strickland
Democratic Sens. Pat Leahy and Chuck Schumer expressed disappointment upon learning today's news that Monica Goodling, counsel to the attorney general, will plead the Fifth Amendment and not testify before the Judiciary Committee regarding the US attorneys controversy. "It is disappointing that Ms. Goodling has decided to withhold her important testimony from the Committee as it pursues its investigation into this matter, but everybody has the constitutional right not to incriminate themselves with regard to criminal conduct," Leahy, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said in a statement. "The American people are left to wonder what conduct is at the base of Ms. Goodling's concern that she may incriminate herself in connection with criminal charges if she appears before the Committee under oath."

Schumer added, "We are disappointed that we won't hear Ms. Goodling's testimony at the Judiciary Committee hearing, particularly given her two roles as senior member of Attorney General's team and liaison to the White House. Each day brings new developments making it even more imperative to find out what happened."

 

From CNBC's Karin Caifa
In an interview today on CNBC's "Kudlow & Company," Rudy Giuliani told Kudlow he's surprised by the polls that show his campaign on top. "We didn't really get started until the end of January and probably should have done it three months earlier," he said.

The 2008 race is Giuliani's first political battle since a prostate cancer diagnosis prompted him to step out of the 2000 New York Senate race. On the heels of last week's announcement from John and Elizabeth Edwards that the former North Carolina senator will continue his quest for the Democratic nomination even with the return of Mrs. Edwards' cancer, Giuliani said he is in good health. "I'm cancer-free. I have been for six years," he told Kudlow. "I'm extremely healthy and energetic and I just got back on a red eye from California and I do four or five speeches, fund-raisers, meetings a day, sometimes six. So I've got tremendous energy."

Giuliani said that while he was disappointed he had to drop out of his 2000 race, the prospect of campaigning while undergoing treatment was just too daunting. "The way I campaign is 24 hours a day," he said. "It was going to be very, very close, and I couldn't give the Republican Party my best, if I was in and out of cancer treatment."

He said he never considered making a Senate bid against potential presidential opponent Hillary Clinton last year, and that the presidency has been the only office on his mind for the last two or three years. At 63, Giuliani acknowledged this will likely be his last political campaign. "For me to campaign," he said, "This is the year I have to do it."

Thrust into the national spotlight after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York City, the man dubbed "America's Mayor," warned that congressional Democrats are focusing too much on Iraq, and not considering the different kind of threat terrorists pose to the country. "In the long stretch of the Cold War, they never came into the United States and infiltrated and blew up the World Trade Center or tried to blow up the Brooklyn Bridge or tried to blow up train stations and buses in London," Giuliani said. "So this is a different kind of enemy, and it's an enemy that has tremendous aggression toward us."

Within Iraq, he also said proposed timelines for U.S. troop withdrawal make no sense. "I don't understand where the common sense comes about in wanting to tell your enemy the time for your retreat," he said. "I can't imagine in the long history of war that that's ever been very successful."

In the polls, Giuliani is leading the other top tier presidential hopefuls -- including John McCain and Mitt Romney -- but he acknowledged his campaign still has a long way to go. "I don't take them too seriously," he said of the polls. "And if I were that far behind, I wouldn't take it too seriously either. It's too early."

"I think it's going to go up and down," he added. "I hope we're there at the end, and I think we will be."

From NBC's Mark Murray
Trying to further reach out to conservative voters, Rudy Giuliani has begun airing radio ads on the Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity programs. The ad goes: "Hi, this is Rudy Giuliani… My campaign is about leadership and optimism. We need strong leadership to stay on offense in the War against Terrorists. We need supply side policies and reduced government spending - fiscal discipline - to keep the economy growing. I need your support in this campaign. Please go to JoinRudy2008.com to sign up or volunteer."

 

From NBC's Chuck Todd and Mark Murray
Possibly for the fifth-consecutive day, the attention in the presidential race won't be on Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John McCain, or Rudy Giuliani -- but instead on John Edwards and his wife. The focus on the couple began on Thursday, when they announced that Elizabeth's cancer had returned but that the campaign would go on. It carried over to the weekend, ending with their joint appearance on 60 Minutes. And today, Elizabeth -- in front of more TV cameras and reporters than would have appeared a week ago -- addresses the City Club of Cleveland, while her husband holds a roundtable discussion on global warming with reporters in San Francisco.

People might not be sure what they're thinking about John Edwards and his decision to stay in the race. But one thing is for sure: They're thinking about him.

 

Will Attorney General Alberto Gonzales survive? It seems at least one senior White House aide is telling Newsweek that the attorney general still needs to "demonstrate competence and confidence." The testimony by Gonzales' ex-chief of staff Kyle Sampson this Thurs in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee could be make or break.

The New York Times writes up the Sunday show chatter on Gonzales, and it leads with the fact that three of the five GOP senators that appeared on the Sunday shows expressed reservations about him.

One of them, Sen. Arlen Specter, said "White House officials should testify publicly but not under oath about the firings of eight U.S. attorneys," the Washington Post writes. "Two other Republicans -- Sens. Lindsey O. Graham (S.C.) and Chuck Hagel (Neb.) -- agreed with Specter that any such testimony should at least be transcribed."

Bob Novak's Monday column is all about the lack of Hill GOP support for Gonzales.

The Wall Street Journal: "Justice Department efforts to contain the damage from the dismissal of eight U.S. attorneys are being hampered by two camps with differing loyalties that have emerged within the department. Loyalists to Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty have criticized how Attorney General Alberto Gonzales's staff has handled the political controversy now engulfing the department… Mr. Gonzales and his aides, meanwhile, say that it is Mr. McNulty's Senate testimony that began the fallout for the department."

More drip-drip today? The Washington Post reports on the comments by the fired US attorney in Washington state to NBC's Tim Russert that "White House officials questioned his performance in highly partisan political terms… John McKay…, who had decided two years earlier not to bring voter fraud charges that could have undermined a Democratic victory in a closely fought gubernatorial race, said White House counsel Harriet Miers and her deputy, William Kelley, 'asked me why Republicans in the state of Washington would be angry with me.'"

More Bush agenda today: At the White House, President Bush meets with automotive CEOs and then participates in a demonstration of alternative fuels.

Channeling First Read, the New York Times front-pages how Iraq presents a problem for the GOP senators up for re-election next year, especially New Hampshire's John Sununu.

And the Washington Times has both Democrats and Republicans trying to capitalize on Friday's divided House vote on Iraq. "Republicans sent 50 campaign missives saying Democrats were 'waving a white flag of surrender' by approving a war-funding bill that set a timetable for pulling troops from Iraq… Democrats plan to portray votes against the bill as rubber stamps for an unpopular president when they campaign against the Republicans who opposed it."

 

Besides the Edwardses' events today, Hillary Clinton is in Iowa to pick up an endorsement from former Iowa Gov. (and presidential candidate) Tom Vilsack and his wife. Obama, meanwhile, fundraises in Atlanta.

Newsweek speculates: "Ruthless as it may seem, some donors may withhold their support until it's clear Elizabeth's illness will not overwhelm Edwards's candidacy. A fund-raising deficit could make it impossible for Edwards to secure early endorsements from labor leaders who are wary of alienating Hillary Clinton and may only support a candidate with a decent shot at the nomination."

The AP's lead from the 60 Minutes interview last night was John Edwards' discouragement of supporting him if you are simply feeling sympathetic to Elizabeth.

The New York Times' headline: "Edwards's Cancer Has Spread into One of her Hips."

Among the more interesting analysis pieces over the weekend was this one from the Los Angeles Times' newest opinion columnist, Ron Brownstein: "Obama's early support is following a pattern familiar from the campaigns of other brainy liberals with cool, detached personas and messages of political reform, from Eugene McCarthy in 1968 to Gary Hart in 1984 to Bill Bradley in 2000. Like those predecessors, Obama is running strong with well-educated voters but demonstrating much less support among those without college degrees… But it is not a pattern Obama can allow to harden. All of the candidates whose support fit that profile ultimately lost the nomination to rivals whose support was rooted in the blue-collar and minority communities where Clinton is strongest in early surveys."

Chicago Tribune finally weighed in Sunday with its own major profile of Obama: "More than 40 interviews with former classmates, teachers, friends and neighbors in his childhood homes of Hawaii and Indonesia, as well as a review of public records, show the arc of Obama's personal journey took him to places and situations far removed from the experience of most Americans. At the same time, several of his oft-recited stories may not have happened in the way he has recounted them. Some seem to make Obama look better in the retelling, others appear to exaggerate his outward struggles over issues of race, or simply skim over some of the most painful, private moments of his life."

Most of the Democratic candidates made it out to Las Vegas to participate in a health-care forum. Apparently, both Obama and Hillary hinted that they could raise taxes to implement their health care plans.

Remember, Edwards has already pledged to raise taxes to pay for his health care plan.

Brownback campaigns in Iowa; McCain raises money in Texas; and Romney, also in Texas, holds a media availability in Houston.

Newsday ran a story this weekend that implied Judith Giuliani is not popular inside the campaign. Here's a choice excerpt. "In private statements, some Giuliani loyalists said she directly intervenes with senior staff -- who have been with him for many years -- on matters from scheduling to event planning and use of personnel, sometimes in ways that the staffers might wish to resist but dare not." (Perhaps a spouse story might be worthwhile for someone this week. Elizabeth Edwards, Judith Giuliani, and Bill Clinton make a fascinating trio.)

In a weekend interview with the AP's Iowa pooh-bah Mike Glover, Huckabee said: "'Sometimes when people say, "When you get traction, I'm going to be with you," my answer is, "You are my traction."'"  Huckabee has said previously the Ames Straw poll, set for August, will make or break his candidacy.

The Sunday Los Angeles Times recounted how hard Romney worked in 2002 to win over Massachusetts' liberal establishment.

The Boston Globe profiled the semi-secretive "Arlington Group," which is in the process of interviewing all the candidates before deciding whom to support. They've interviewed most of the second tier, but none of the first.

The Washington Post examines a possible run by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and it speculates that he could spend up to $500 million of his money in his bid. "Publicly, the Democrat-turned-Republican professes no interest in the top job at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. But the founder of the Bloomberg financial news empire has dropped enough hints and has had enough tantalizing discussions with potential supporters that people who observe the city's politics for a living are convinced he is at least thinking about it."

Countdown to the March 31 fundraising deadline… If you're looking for an angle this week between Obama and Clinton regarding their fundraising, one might want to focus on their low-dollar vs. high-dollar events. Obama's Florida events were a mix of small and high, while Clinton's California trip apparently was almost all high dollar.

The New York Post adds up Hillary's weekend events and comes to the conclusion she raised $10 million this weekend. (Do we really think she has only raised three times that for the entire rest of the quarter?)

McCain was quoted over the weekend acknowledging that his campaign got a "late start" regarding fundraising. For what it's worth, his campaign was the first of the Big Three Republicans to open an FEC account.

Expect the Obama folks might take pride in the following: of the Big Six presidential candidates, he's the only one NOT worth tens of millions of dollars.

Also, Romney and Giuliani have enough personal money that there has been speculation they could partially self-fund if necessary.

Later in the week, we'll issue a guide to examining the FEC reports.