From NBC's Ken Strickland
While the House just passed the emergency war funding bill with a timetable for troop withdrawal from Iraq, John McCain says he's confident Republicans will strip similar language regarding withdrawal from the Senate's version of the bill next week. "We're not prepared to tell the enemy 'Hang on, we'll give you a date when we're leaving,'" McCain said in a news conference today, reacting to passage of the House measure. 

And the most recent Senate vote on troop withdrawal supports McCain's assertion. The withdrawal language in the funding bill is essentially the same as last week's controversial Iraq resolution, which was defeated, 48-50.  (John McCain didn't vote, and Democrat Tim Johnson continues to recuperate from brain surgery.)  With McCain present and assuming the votes stay the same, the vote would be 51-48 to strip the withdrawal language from the bill. While the Senate rules usually require a filibuster-proof 60 votes for controversial bills to pass, both sides appear reluctant block a bill that provides emergency money for troops in the field. So under that thinking, a simple majority wins.

For Democrats to be successful passing the funding bill with a withdrawal date, they'll need to put tremendous pressure on two of their red-state colleagues who voted against to resolution last week:  Nebraska's Ben Nelson Arkansas' Mark Pryor. Nelson has indicated he may switch, so it could all rest with Pryor.

Even if the withdrawal language is removed, the Senate bill will have to be reconciled with the House bill, and it could be added back in before it goes to the president. Bush says he'll veto any bill with withdrawal dates included.

From NBC's Mark Murray
Moments after the Democratic-led House narrowly passed a spending bill that calls for US troops to be withdrawn from Iraq by fall 2008, President Bush used his bully pulpit -- and several soldiers and their families standing behind him -- to call the vote an "act of political theater" and argue that it "undermines the gains our troops are making on the ground."

Contending that the vote is delaying getting necessary money to the troops serving in Iraq, Bush added: "Congress needs to send me a clean bill that I can sign without delay."

The measure passed the House, 218-212. Just two Republicans voted for it: Walter Jones of North Carolina and Wayne Gilchrest of Maryland. Fourteen Democrats voted against it, and they included both liberals who didn't the think the bill went far enough (like Maxine Waters and Lynn Woolsey of California) and those hailing from red states (like John Barrow and Jim Marshall of Georgia and Gene Taylor of Mississippi).

From NBC's Chuck Todd and Mark Murray
And it's just not just Tom Vilsack who will be endorsing Hillary Clinton on Monday. Also endorsing her will be Vilsack's wife, Christie, according to a Democratic source. If you remember back to the 2004 presidential campaign, Christie Vilsack endorsed John Kerry earlier in the nominating process while Tom -- then serving as Iowa governor -- followed her lead after the Iowa caucuses were over.

Update: The Vilsacks and Hillary Clinton have a personal tie that goes back decades. Christie's late brother, Tom Bell, worked on the Watergate investigative committee when Clinton was on it. Clinton also was one of the few national Democrats to help Vilsack raise money during Tom Vilsack's first run for governor when very few Democrats at the time thought the little-known state senator had a chance against the favorite in that race, Jim Ross Lightfoot.

From NBC's Mark Murray
Hillary Clinton's campaign has picked up a major endorsement from an important figure in one of the key nominating states -- Tom Vilsack, the former Iowa governor and one-time presidential candidate. The endorsement will take place on Monday morning in Des Moines, IA.

From NBC's Mark Murray
Tonight, at least four of the Democratic presidential candidates -- Clinton, Obama, Dodd, and Richardson -- will speak at a Culinary Workers Local 226 rally in Las Vegas. The local, which represents bartenders, cooks, and maids who work on the Strip, is negotiating for a new collective bargaining agreement. So expect the presidential wannabes to address this in their remarks. About 5,000 people are expected to attend the rally.

And tomorrow, all the Democratic candidates except for Joe Biden (who has a family event back in Delaware) will participate in a health-care forum in Vegas sponsored by the powerful Service Employees International Union, as well as the liberal-leaning Center for American Progress think tank.

These events reflect just how important Nevada -- and vote-heavy Vegas, in particular -- has become now that it's slated to hold the Democrats' second nominating contest. And with unionized service workers making up a good portion of the Democratic voters there, labor has become an extra-important constituency. In fact, it shouldn't be surprising that Dodd is introducing legislation today -- before he heads to Vegas -- that would modify the definition of a work supervisor, to make it easier for workers to join a labor union.

 

The marquee event today is the House vote over the $124 billion spending bill that contains a provision for US combat troops to be withdrawn from Iraq by fall 2008. As we mentioned yesterday, the bill appears headed for passage after liberal House Democrats dropped their objections to the measure that it doesn't go far enough. The Bush White House, however, has threatened to veto the bill. And it's doubtful that the Senate can muster the 60 votes to pass a similar measure there.

What's most striking about today's Iraq debate is that the people's house is about as divided and unsure of how to get out of Iraq as the public. It's not a lack of will on the issue but a lack of confidence on what the right course should be. The predicted slim victory for Pelosi -- not to mention Bush's veto threat -- only serves to remind folks that Congress isn't going to be able to do much about Iraq. Republicans will crow that this shows Democrats are all talk on the campaign trail but can't get it done on the governing front. True, but if no Democratic plan is enacted regarding Iraq and if the Republicans in Congress and the White House continue to reject any Democratic influence on policy, then the war remains theirs in political terms.

The Washington Post: "A Senate committee also passed a spending bill yesterday setting a goal of bringing troops home within a year. The developments mark congressional Democrats' first real progress in putting legislative pressure on President Bush to withdraw U.S. forces."

The New York Times front-pages that in his first few weeks on the job, Defense Secretary Robert Gates argued that the detention facility at Guantanamo should be closed. But: "Mr. Gates's arguments were rejected after Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales and some other government lawyers expressed strong objections to moving detainees to the United States, a stance that was backed by the office of Vice President Dick Cheney, administration officials said."

Could the news that as many as 15 British sailors were detained by an Iranian ship impact any of the debate over Iraq and the Middle East?

The Washington Post reports on new documents showing how Justice and White House officials were maneuvering to approve Tim Griffin's appointment as the new US attorney in Arkansas "as early as last summer, five months before Griffin took the job."

For whatever it is worth, the Edwards coverage over the last 24 hours has been more intense, more positive, and more saturated than what he received during his announcement week in December. (Even the Wall Street Journal's editorial page had nice things to say about Edwards today). Obviously, this wasn't meant to be couched in political terms, as pollster/friend Harrison Hickman put it in the New York Times: "Asked for his gut sense of how the campaign would turn out for Mr. Edwards, Mr. Hickman said: 'I don't really know, I don't. It's another window into him, and I think it gives people a better sense of who he is and what he's all about.'"

The Edwards camp sent out a blast email to supporters yesterday thanking them for their thoughts and prayers, a reminder that the campaign does go on.

Meanwhile, Teresa Heinz (Kerry) admitted on "Imus" this morning that "selfishly" she's glad John Kerry didn't run in '08. She chimed in that she would have been on board, though, had he decided to run.

The "1984" YouTube creator, Philip de Vellis, is getting connected a bit more closely to the Obama campaign than they perhaps would like, the New York Post suggests. De Vellis "boasted about his work for Obama in an e-mail he sent to friends announcing the launch of the Illinois Democrat's glitzy new Web site last month. 'Check out Barack's new Web site,' de Vellis wrote in the e-mail, which was obtained by The Post. 'One shameless look-at-me plug, I designed the MyBarackObama toolbox that is on the front page and all the sidebar pages.' More: "Thomas Gensemer, Blue State's managing director, said de Vellis was referring only to 'generic toolset graphics' that are 'company assets' and could be used for other clients, although they do appear on Obama's site." 

The Washington Post gets what seems to be the first comment from the Clinton camp over the unmasking of de Vellis. "Howard Wolfson, Clinton's communications director, said he finds it 'disappointing that we all believed this ad was made by an average citizen expressing himself or herself, and that turned out not to be the case.' Asked if the Obama camp should disavow the video, Wolfson said: 'That's their decision.'"

A Tsumani Tuesday update: Tennessee has moved one step closer to moving its primary up from February 12 to February 5. The bill passed the state House overwhelming. A key Tennessee GOP leader tells us there is bipartisan support to move this up.

A new Pew survey shows that public allegiance to the GOP has plunged, says the Los Angeles Times. "The survey … found a 'dramatic shift' in political party identification since 2002, when Republicans and Democrats were at rough parity. Now, 50% of those surveyed identified with or leaned toward Democrats, whereas 35% aligned with Republicans."

The New York Times notes how Giuliani's stance on guns has evolved into a states-rights position (the exact position Howard Dean held in '04). Is Giuliani's evolution necessary for a Republican candidate trying to appeal to rural voters in, say, Iowa and South Carolina? Of particular note in the piece: "Giuliani's campaign says it is not clear that he would support a measure he once championed, an assault weapons ban."

Giuliani also made his first comments on the US attorneys controversy. He said Alberto Gonzales should get "the benefit of the doubt." "The attorney general's an honorable man. He's a decent man. He should be given a chance to explain." the AP notes, "Giuliani was one of the last presidential contenders to comment on the case, even though he served as a U.S. attorney in New York and was the former No. 3 official in the Reagan Justice Department."

John McCain seems to be searching for middle ground between Congress and the White House on the controversy. The AP quotes McCain: "I hope they'll continue negotiations to satisfy both the concerns of the Senate but also preserve the executive privilege and the relationship between the president and his advisers. I hope it doesn't run into one of these things that has to be decided by the United States Supreme Court."
 
Mitt Romney is trying to distance himself from Salt Lake mayor Rocky Anderson, who has been calling for Bush's impeachment. The two struck up a friendship during the '02 Winter Olympics and Romney even cut a TV ad for Anderson in '03. Oops.

The AP reports that Tom Tancredo (R) will make up his mind on presidential run in two weeks. Keep in mind that the leading GOP candidate for Colorado's open Senate seat, Scott McInnis, has decided not to run. Could Tancredo, seeing an opening, decide he'd rather serve in the Senate than vying for attention on the campaign trail with Duncan Hunter and Tommy Thompson?

And in case you're keeping count, the total number of marriages between Rudy and Judith Giuliani is six, not five. Mrs. Giuliani came out yesterday and acknowledged she, too, has been married three times.

From NBC's Mike Viquiera
Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her allies in the House now appear to have the Democratic votes necessary to pass the measure that requires American combat troops to be out of Iraq by Fall 2008 at the latest. Three House liberal leaders have just announced that they are "letting go" of their nominal underlings in the Progressive and Out of Iraq caucuses, meaning that they will not pressure them to vote "nay" on the grounds that the bill continues funding the war -- notwithstanding the withdrawal date.

Also, liberal Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA) has also announced that he will go along with Pelosi and vote "yea." That might be just enough to put Pelosi over the top with the 218 votes she needs for passage. For weeks, she has struggled to round up votes from progressives on the left and "Blue Dogs" on the right who don't like the idea of a timeline. This is easily the biggest test to date of her leadership.

The vote is scheduled for tomorrow.

From NBC's Carrie Dann
The Clinton folks have an opportunity to go on the attack, now that the mastermind of the anti-Hillary "1984" YouTube ad has been unmasked as a political operative with just a few degrees of separation from rival Barack Obama. But when Clinton was questioned about the YouTube ad today at a press conference on Capitol Hill, she merely repeated her laugh line: "I was a little bit tickled that it took attention away from my singing on YouTube," she joked, referring to her off-key rendition of the National Anthem that found its way onto the Web. Reporters pressed her about the creator's potential connection to Obama, but for now she's not taking the bait, simply saying,"I'll have to leave that to the other campaign to comment on."

From NBC's Mark Murray
Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards announced at a press conference this afternoon that his wife's cancer has returned. But optimistic about her health and well-being, Edwards said that he wasn't stopping his campaign. "The campaign goes on. The campaign goes on strongly... We have no intention of cowering in the corner."

At the beginning of the press conference, Edwards said that after wife Elizabeth experienced pain in her side earlier this week, tests revealed that she had fractured a rib and further tests revealed that her cancer had returned there. "Her cancer is back," Edwards noted. "It is largely confined to the bone, which is a good thing."

Both Edwards and his wife said they were optimistic; in fact, Elizabeth Edwards noted that she doesn't expect her life to be significantly different, except for more visits to the doctor. "You keep a positive attitude," she said. "We are always going to look for the silver lining." Added John Edwards, "We are very optimistic about this."

From NBC's Mark Murray
Every political story that had popped up over the past few days -- the unmasking of the person who created the anti-Hillary Clinton YouTube video, the intense money chase for the first quarter, and even the Clinton-Obama sparring over the Iraq war -- takes a back seat today to a noon press conference in Chapel Hill, N.C., where John and Elizabeth Edwards will discuss her health.

This press conference comes after John Edwards canceled a house party in Iowa on Tuesday night. In announcing that cancellation, the Edwards campaign released a statement saying that Elizabeth Edwards was having a follow-up medical appointment on Wednesday to a routine test she had the day before. The release continued: "She's had similar follow-ups in the past and they've all resulted in a clean bill of health, but Senator Edwards has gone with her to these appointments and he wanted to be with her tomorrow too."

Elizabeth Edwards was diagnosed with breast cancer near the conclusion of the 2004 presidential campaign. She had treatment and recovered before her husband embarked on his second presidential bid. Besides Bill Clinton, it's hard to think of another spouse who is playing as important of a role as Elizabeth Edwards does for her husband's campaign. In fact, she has appeared at her husband's side in multiple TV interviews.

The New York Times: Mrs. Edwards, in a brief interview from her home in Chapel Hill, N.C., said she and Mr. Edwards would discuss her health at the news conference, but she declined to elaborate. 'I'm still here,' she said.

The Washington Post: "Her husband has repeatedly said he would put his wife's well-being first; he announced that he would mount a second bid for the presidency after she was given a clean bill of health."

 

In the showdown between congressional Democrats and the White House over the firing of the US attorneys, the Senate seems likely to follow the House in giving the Senate Judiciary Committee the authorization to subpoena Karl Rove and Harriet Miers. Yet whether Chairman Pat Leahy actually exercises that power is unclear. Bush's biggest problem, however, is that there continues to be Republicans who just aren't as willing to give the White House the benefit of the doubt they used to. This quote from Rep. Adam Putnam in the New York Times (he's becoming a chatty member of the leadership, isn't he?), sums it up: "Clearly, some of the reluctance on the part of Congressional Republicans to go to the mat for Gonzales is a consequence of having their fingers burned in the Rumsfeld debacle."

From another New York Times article: "The potential for the investigation to broaden into a constitutional confrontation has created a tricky political calculus for the newly empowered Democrats. As they consider their strategy, they are acutely aware that they are already entangled in another major clash with the administration over the question of pulling American troops out of Iraq."

The Dallas Morning News' Rove-expert-in-chief Wayne Slater has a story of the last time Rove had to testify before lawmakers. "It was in Texas in 1991. And it wasn't pretty."

The Los Angeles Times profiles one of the fired US attorneys who may have actually been dismissed for simply not being good at his job -- despite being loyal to the Bush Administration.

 

The countdown to March 31… Rudy Giuliani, who more and more people are seeing as the GOP's presidential frontrunner, flexed some of that newly acquired muscle in Florida. The St. Petersburg Times reports that a key Mitt Romney fundraiser resigned his post in order to join Giuliani's campaign, saying he's now convinced Rudy can win. The fundraiser in question, Richard Blankenship, is President Bush's former ambassador to the Bahamas. Also, yesterday in Louisville, KY, was an example of the enormous advantage Hillary Clinton's campaign has over every other candidate running for president: Bill Clinton was in the Bluegrass State raising money for his wife's campaign. While all of the presidential spouses do their share of fundraising, can any other spouse attract the attention that Bill Clinton can? It's one of the many reasons why we expect Hillary Clinton to be the clear-cut fundraising leader on March 31.

In primary calendar news, Tsunami Tuesday -- scheduled for February 5, 2008 -- appears to be on track. Both chambers of New York's legislature passed legislation yesterday that would enable the state to move its primary to that day. And Florida's House passed a similar bill that would move its primary to February 5 or seven days after the New Hampshire primary – whichever occurs first. More than 20 states could hold their primaries on this day. 

A new Quinnipiac poll has the three leading Democrats (Clinton, Obama, Edwards) leading or tied with the two leading Republicans (Rudy and McCain) in Ohio. In the Democratic primary, Clinton's lead over Obama shrunk from 38%-13% in January to a mere 10 points now, 32%-22%. And this is a poll that includes Al Gore in the ballot test. On the Republican side, Giuliani increased his lead over McCain since January -- it was 30%-22% then and its now 31%-20%. No other Republican received double-digit support.

The Washington Post reports on the unmasking of the creator of anti-Hillary YouTube that created so much buzz.

And in non-presidential campaign news, things seem to be getting only worse for Senate Republicans. In the same week that news came out showing the Senate Democrats already holding a substantial fundraising lead, the Republicans lost its best-funded candidate in the only open seat of the cycle so far. Former Rep. Scott McInnis (R) decided against running in the race to replace retiring Colorado Sen. Wayne Allard (R). McInnis' exit means the GOP will likely host a primary, which, if Colorado GOP history is any indication, will be divisive. Meanwhile, the leading Democrat is Rep. Mark Udall, son of the late iconic Rep. Mo Udall.

From NBC's Mark Murray
The maker of the much-talked about anti-Hillary Clinton "1984" YouTube video has been unmasked. His name is Philip de Villes, and he was an internet strategist for Sherrod Brown's 2006 Senate campaign last year and worked (until now) at the Democratic internet firm Blue State Digital, which had been under contract with the Barack Obama campaign.

De Villes' identity was first uncovered by the liberal blog Huffington Post.

Obama spokesman Bill Burton released this statement to NBC News: "The Obama campaign and its employees had no knowledge and had nothing to do with the creation of the ad. We were notified this evening by a vendor of ours, Blue State Digital, that an employee of the company had been involved in the making of this ad. Blue State Digital has separated ties with this individual and we have been assured he did no work on our campaign's account."

Thomas Gensemer, the managing director at Blue State Digital, issued this release: "This afternoon, an employee at our firm, Phillip de Vellis, received a call from Arianna Huffington of 'The Huffington Post' regarding the '1984' video currently circulating online. Initially, de Vellis refused to respond to her requests. He has since acknowledged to Blue State Digital that he was the creator of the video. Pursuant to company policy regarding outside political work or commentary on behalf of our clients or otherwise, Mr. de Vellis has been terminated from Blue State Digital effective immediately."

From NBC's Carrie Dann
The shadowboxing match between the Clinton and Obama camps continues to captivate political reporters -- especially after top advisers for the two candidates tussled at a Harvard University forum on Monday night over the exact phraseology of Obama's opposition to the Iraq war. Today, Obama took to the Senate floor to deliver his own subtle counterpunch: to reiterate his opposition to the war from its beginning.

"I believed that an invasion of Iraq without a clear rationale, without strong international support, would strengthen Al Qaeda and erode the moral thought that took our country generations to build," he said. Obama added that the way forward should include the recognition of "the lessons of war that too many refused to heed back then."

From NBC's Mark Murray
John McCain is receiving fire from all sides. Liberals (and even some independents) dislike his stance on the Iraq war. Conservatives are grumbling about his position of immigration (which spurred him to slightly shift his views on the subject). And now this: Economic conservatives are blasting him for his position on taxes. In an email today, the conservative Club for Growth called on McCain to apologize for voting against Bush's 2001 and 2003 tax cuts. "The Bush tax cuts were responsible for widespread economic growth and the creation of 7.5 million new jobs," Club for Growth President Pat Toomey said in the email. "If John McCain had the opportunity to do it all over again, would he again oppose the Bush tax cuts and 7.5 million new jobs? Or will he finally admit that his 2001 and 2003 votes were a huge mistake? American taxpayers are waiting for Senator McCain's answer."

From NBC's Lauren Appelbaum
Last night, more than 1,000 people (including members of the former Clinton administration, congressmen, and supporters) donated approximately $2.7 million to attend a fundraiser for Hillary Clinton headlined by her husband, Bill. But the fundraiser was not without its hecklers. Several women dressed in pink held large signs and sang about the sorrows of the Iraq war at the driveway of the Marriott Hotel, where the event was taking place. In fact, before the speeches began and the press was still in a holding room, two women snuck in as press members -- at least one had a Capitol Hill press pass -- and joined the reporters in the room. They changed their clothing, adding pink shirts and pulling out signs, and began singing about boys and girls dying. They then walked into the lobby and were soon quietly ushered out.

Then, 15 minutes into Hillary Clinton's speech, another woman posing as a reporter threw on a pink shirt and jumped up on the camera riser, screaming: "What about Iraq?" She then continued to scream: "Why? Why? Why?" The crowd jumped to support Clinton, drowning out the woman's screams. The woman was quietly ushered off the riser while a supporter in the crowd continued to yell: "Go Hillary!" After the heckler was removed, Clinton addressed the issue of the war and responded with her standard line: "This president owes this country a plan to end our involvement in Iraq. If he does not extricate us from Iraq before he leaves office, I will as president." The applause continued to get louder after this statement.

The event was Bill Clinton's second fundraiser for his wife and his third overall campaign event with her.  Former DNC chairman Terry McAuliffe, who is serving as Clinton's campaign chair, introduced Bill and Hillary. The couple entered center stage with their arms around one another. Bill Clinton recounted their first date -- which occurred 36 years ago this month -- and told the crowd that 36 years later, he still thinks "of all the people in our generation she is still the best." After introducing her, Bill Clinton stepped off the stage, letting his wife take the entire stage.

She told supporters the election "is about getting our country back and putting it back on the right track" and set several goals to do so: universal health care, energy independence, and education (both pre-K and affordable college). This was when the heckler asked about Iraq. After she finished speaking, the audience swarmed the Clintons. Several had copies of Bill's book, hoping to get it signed. A supporter remarked, "Every time I shake their hands, I'm in ga-ga land."

From NBC's Mike Viquiera
In a divided vote, the Democrat-led House Judiciary subcommittee has authorized subpoenas for Karl Rove and other top WHite House aides in the US attorneys scandal. Yet keep this distinction in mind: The subcommittee voted to authorize John Conyers (D), the chairman of the full committee to subpoena Rove, et al. A subpoena has not been issued.

Conyers still has to sign the subpoena before it is issued. He has not done so, and for the time being it will be "held in abeyance," per a committee source, while they see if they can work things out with the White House.

From NBC's Mark Murray and Chuck Todd
Fresh off his Oscar and Nobel Peace Prize nomination, Al Gore returns to Capitol Hill today to testify before House and Senate committees on global warming. NBC's Andrea Mitchell notes that this will be the first time he has been to the Hill since certifying the 2000 election results and attending Bush's inaugural. The best TV moment today? Probably when Gore faces off against Sen. James Inhofe (R), who has called global warming a hoax.

Gore's return to Washington, of course, will only further the speculation if he will decide to run for president. From his public statements about it, he most likely won't. And a look at his poll numbers gives him a good reason not to. In June 2006 -- around the time Gore was receiving tons of publicity from his "Inconvenient Truth" documentary -- the NBC/Wall Street Journal poll showed him with a 30% positive rating and 42% negative rating. A closer look at those numbers revealed that 53% of Democrats viewed Gore positively, compared with only 8% of Republicans. But among independents -- a crucial group for any Democrat to win -- just 23% saw him in a positive light, while 40% had a negative impression of him.

The more recent NBC/WSJ poll, which came out earlier this month, showed him with better numbers -- a 44% positive rating and a 36% negative rating. Yet independents still viewed him negatively by a 39%-30% margin.

 

The White House most likely did itself little public good with its decision yesterday to keep Karl Rove and Harriet Miers from testifying under oath in the US attorneys controversy. That said, history has shown that whenever presidents stand up to Congress, they usually -- in the long run -- receive some political benefit. Meanwhile, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales isn't out of the woods just yet. To the lose support of a GOP stalwart like Rep. Adam Putnam (R) isn't good news for him. Per the Washington Post, Putnam "said the attorney general's ability to lead the Justice Department has been 'greatly compromised. He himself should evaluate' his future."

A New York Times analysis looks at the history of clashes between the White House and Congress over executive privilege. "The Bush administration has few equals in its commitment to a broad conception of executive authority, and it has on several occasions argued for an expansive understanding of executive privilege and similar protections. But legal scholars said that President Bill Clinton asserted the doctrine of executive privilege more often and more vigorously, including in the investigation of his relationship with Monica Lewinsky."

One of the US attorneys who was dismissed, David Iglesias, pens a New York Times op-ed entitled "Why I Was Fired." He writes, "I will never forget John Ashcroft, then the attorney general, telling me during the summer of 2001 that politics should play no role during my tenure. I took that message to heart. Little did I know that I could be fired for not being political."

The Democratic House campaign committee, meanwhile, starts running a radio ad today against Rep. Heather Wilson (R), who Iglesias claims pressured him to take up a corruption case against a Democrat. "A phone call is made ... a scandal begins," the ad goes. "According to testimony from the United States Senate Judiciary Committee, Congresswoman Heather Wilson called U.S. Attorney David Iglesias and pressured him concerning a federal corruption investigation… Serious questions remain about Heather Wilson and violation of Congressional ethics rules. It's time for Heather Wilson to release her phone records and come clean. It's time for Heather Wilson to tell the full truth."

And this harks back to another scandal/controversy/investigation, but the New York Post writes that Cheney appears to back a pardon for Lewis "Scooter" Libby. "Cheney spoke to Hudson Institute members Monday at the Union League Club. Asked about a possible pardon for Scooter Libby, he smiled and said, 'You can imagine how I feel about that.' Libby himself was seated in the front row."

John Edwards canceled a house party last night in Iowa due to a medical appointment wife Elizabeth -- who has recovered from breast cancer -- has today. Per a statement the campaign released yesterday: "Mrs. Edwards is having a follow-up medical appointment tomorrow to a routine test she had on Monday. She's had similar follow-ups in the past and they've all resulted in a clean bill of health, but Senator Edwards has gone with her to these appointments and he wanted to be with her tomorrow too."

Speaking of Al Gore, the AP interviewed Edwards as he rolled out his energy plan yesterday -- and the article focused on Edwards' claim that his 28,000-square-foot estate in North Carolina is energy efficient (in fact, it is not until the eight paragraph when the article begins discussing his energy plan). "'The house was built from the beginning, both in its location for passive solar and the use of active solar, to help provide some of the energy for the house,' Edwards said... 'It doesn't provide all of the energy, but it provides some.'" 

The Washington Post takes another look at the early pushing and shoving between the Clinton and Obama camps over the Iraq war. And the paper also notes all the candidates' aggressive fundraising events before March 31, the cut-off date for the 1st quarter fundraising reports. "The amounts that contenders can bring in will shape the narrative of the race for months to come -- potentially vaulting a candidate into the top tier -- and could spell an early exit for some."

Clinton has picked up a major New Hampshire endorsement: Bill Shaheen, husband of ex-Gov. Jeanne Shaheen (D). Bill Shaheen announced his support in an email to Clinton's New Hampshire supporters; his wife, who could seek a Senate rematch with Sen. John Sununu (R) in 2008, is technically uncommitted. In 2004, Bill Shaheen endorsed John Kerry first and his wife followed a few months later.

Meanwhile, it appears that a Clinton supporter has created a YouTube response to the Apple-Obama-1984 video. It ends: "The [Chicago] Bears lost; so will Obama."

Score one for the DNC's research shop? Per the AP, "The co-chair of presidential candidate Mitt Romney's finance committee contributed to a group that used the money for a newspaper ad comparing Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm to Adolf Hitler. John Rakolta said he and other Republicans unwittingly paid for the ad with contributions to Voice the Vote, a Detroit-based political action committee. The full-page ad last summer featured a photo of Hitler and urged black voters to reject Granholm's 2006 re-election bid. The ad included a swastika and photo of Granholm, who defeated Republican businessman Dick DeVos in November."

Finally, a few thoughts on oh-seven and Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco's (D) decision not to seek re-election this year.  Louisiana is one of three states hosting gubernatorial races this year (the others are Kentucky and Mississippi). Blanco's exit clears the way for ex-Sen. John Breaux (D) to run. Rep. Bobby Jindal (R), who lost to Blanco in 2003, has been the front-runner and apparently is acting as if he's undeterred by the prospect of facing Breaux. The Jindal folks have polling showing them favorably competitive against Breaux. We shall see. But don't be surprised if some Republicans try to talk Jindal out of running for governor. Why? Sen. Mary Landrieu (D), arguably the most vulnerable incumbent senator up in '08, doesn't have an opponent yet. And Jindal just happens to be the state's most popular Republican. Should he run for governor and lose to Breaux, he might be damaged goods by 2008.

From NBC's Carrie Dann
A centerpiece of John McCain's reputation is his refusal to sway in the winds of public opinion, especially when it comes to his stance on Iraq. But the barrage of questions over immigration that McCain has faced on the road this week appears to have him tweaking his position on an issue that is shaping up to be a tall lightning rod in the run-up to 2008.
 
McCain has been one of the chief architects of immigration reform legislation that would create a guest-worker program and a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. But speaking today in Montgomery, Ala., he modified his position somewhat, echoing a proposal by Rep. Mike Pence (R), who's pushing legislation that requires illegal immigrants to exit the country before applying for citizenship.

"Some people should just go back and apply for this temporary worker program once we set it up," McCain said today. "Others maybe should go back to a place, say Tijuana or someplace  ... and make sure they're legitimate citizens and let them come back. Give them a three-year work visa. If they're fine then give them another one and another one and another one after that."

From NBC's Mike Viqueira and Kelly O'Donnell
In a letter to the Democratic-controlled Congress, White House Counsel Fred Fielding says the White House will allow testimony from Karl Rove and Harriet Miers in the US attorneys controversy -- but that testimony will have to be closed, unsworn, and unrecorded. Congressional Democrats say they are disappointed with that decision, and will consider what their response will be.

Moreover, Bush now plans to make a statement on this entire matter at 5:45 pm ET. Per senior officials, the president will discuss the content of Fielding's letter to Congress, as well as give his support to embatttled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.