From NBC's Mark Murray
WHO-TV's Dave Price reports that Jimmy Carter -- the first White House candidate to use the Iowa caucuses to jump start his campaign -- came to Iowa yesterday and said Iowans "should no longer get to make the first pick. Jimmy Carter made his comments in front of about 6,000 Wednesday night in Iowa City... Carter said instead of Iowa going first, the country should get divided into four regions with a primary on the east coast starting the process. He said, 'This will give every American an equal chance to elect candidates and also it will let candidate concentrate their television and radio advertising in particular regions.'  Carter says he hopes the country would start this new process in 2012."

From Chuck Todd and Mark Murray
*** The Main Attraction? After being postponed because of the Virginia Tech tragedy, Alberto Gonzales finally testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on the US attorneys controversy. But has this issue, which once captivated Washington, been eclipsed by other stories (the shootings, Imus, yesterday's Supreme Court ruling on abortion)? Or will what Gonzales says today place the story back on the center stage? There are hints today that he is on a VERY short Bush leash.

*** Abortion's Return to Politics: Yesterday's Supreme Court ruling is more proof that elections have consequences. It's also a reminder that Republicans have cared much more about judicial nominations and the Supreme Court than Democrats have, especially on the campaign trail. Will that change? Also, just throwing this out there -- would the vote had been the same if Harriet Miers, and not Sam Alito, was on the court?

*** A Tough Week for Rudy? The Virginia Tech shootings and yesterday's Supreme Court decision forced Giuliani to issue statements about guns and abortion that he might not have made as New York mayor. As our friends at Hotline's Last Call put it yesterday, "With everyone asking about guns and abortion, Rudy decided to get a root canal."

*** Stuck in the Middle with You: Today, Democrats begin the House-Senate conference on the Iraq supplemental. Republicans may very well face the long-term problem on Iraq (just look at the polls), but Democratic leaders have to feel like they're caught in a bind in the short term -- between being able to pass a bill that can pass both chambers, and a left that wants troops out of Iraq ASAP. Maybe that's why Democrats seemed to be playing nice after their meeting at the White House yesterday.

*** Jack's Back: Jack Abramoff is back in the news -- this time due to the FBI's raid of GOP Rep. John Doolittle's home in Northern Virginia.

*** The Sharpton Primary, Day Two: Richardson, Biden, and Dodd take their turn addressing Al Sharpton's National Action Network. Gravel and Clinton speak Friday, and Kucinich and Obama go on Saturday.

*** On the Trail: Edwards is in Roanoke, VA; Giuliani travels to Oklahoma City to participate in a ceremony memorializing the anniversary of the 1995 bombing there; Huckabee continues to campaign in New Hampshire; McCain hits Las Vegas, where he holds a press avail and then attends a GOP dinner; and Romney stumps in Iowa.

 

In a 5-to-4 decision yesterday, the Supreme Court upheld the nationwide ban against the controversial abortion procedure often referred to as "partial-birth" abortion. The AP says the ruling handed "abortion opponents the long-awaited victory they expected from a more conservative bench… It was the first time the court banned a specific procedure in a case over how — not whether — to perform an abortion."

The New York Times: "While the ruling will thus have a direct impact on only a relatively small subset of abortion practice, the decision has broader implications for abortion regulations generally, indicating a change in the court's balancing of the various interests involved in the abortion debate. Most notable was the emphasis in the majority opinion, by Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, on the implication of abortion's 'ethical and moral concerns.' 'The act expresses respect for the dignity of human life,' Justice Kennedy said."

Another Times article, looking at the politics of the ruling, writes that abortion rights advocates said the ruling "underscored the stakes of the 2008 presidential election, arguing that the next president will almost certainly appoint a justice who could shift the balance of the court on Roe itself."

The Wall Street Journal notes, "With Democrats running Capitol Hill, Congress is unlikely to pass additional abortion restrictions. Instead, the action likely will shift to the states, where dozens of legislatures have passed antiabortion laws only to see them struck down or ruled unenforceable. Already, more than half the states have enacted bans on partial-birth abortions, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive-health research organization. Litigation is sure to follow to see if, as written, they pass muster under yesterday's high-court decision."

Giuliani yesterday issued a statement praising the Supreme Court's ruling. But, the Los Angeles Times writes, "His praise … contrasts his position while seeking reelection as mayor in 1997. On an abortion rights group's questionnaire, he circled 'yes' next to the question of whether he would oppose 'legislation that would make criminals of doctors who perform intact D&X abortions' — the technical term for what critics call 'partial-birth' abortions. Kelli Conlin, president of the abortion rights group, now known as NARAL Pro-Choice New York, accused Giuliani of 'flip-flopping.' 'I am absolutely astounded that Mayor Giuliani would do a 180-degree pivot on his former position,' she said."

Bush travels to Tipp City, OH to make remarks on the global war on terrorism at 1:00 pm ET.

NBC's Mike Viqueira says today will be the day that Pelosi and the House Democratic leadership agree to begin the House-Senate conference on the Iraq supplemental. It's a formality on the floor involving a motion and a vote. The trouble for Democrats is that Republicans can offer a motion of their own to "instruct" the conferees, and they will use the opportunity to force a vote to instruct the conference to throw out all references to timelines for withdrawal. Pelosi and Democrats have been working to make sure they don't get embarrassed on this vote, which is non-binding but still could cause them problems -- if for no other reason than for appearances. Republicans would argue, "Why should Bush cave in on the legislation if the Democrats can't even get a majority in the House?"

Viq adds that Pelosi and Democrats are in a very difficult position at this point. First, there is some question over whether a House-Senate conference can pass a bill with a firm withdrawal deadline like the House has; without it, they are down to the soft "goal" the Senate version contains. So the anti-war left, which has already had to hold its nose and vote for what it considers a distant deadline of late summer 2008, would then be forced to vote on something yet weaker.

It could then get even worse for them, Viq says. Assuming that the legislation passes both chambers and the president still vetoes it (even without the hard deadline), the Democrats will then have choose between a very high stakes game of chicken as the clock ticks on funding for military men and materiel. Democrats have already sworn that they would not endanger funding for the troops, so they would have to find a fallback position, likely having to do with performance "benchmarks" for the Iraqi government to meet -- or perhaps approving short-term funding and having Bush come back at three- or four-month intervals. The bottom line is that unless Bush blinks, Democrats would end up passing something without any kind of deadline. The left wouldn't go for it, and they would lose maybe 50 votes from their base. That means they would need GOP support.

Perhaps that's why the Democrats' meeting with Bush yesterday was relatively friendly. After days of repeated harsh rhetoric between them and Bush over the Iraq supplemental, NBC's Ken Strickland says the Democrats' tone was dramatically softer after they emerged from their meeting yesterday with Bush. "We came in the spirit of hope," said Speaker Nancy Pelosi, adding later, "We extended the hand of friendship." Even Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who just two days ago said his only offer in negotiating the bill was for Bush to "sign it," stayed above the fray. "We believe [Bush] must search his soul, his conscience, and find out what is the right thing for the American people." Reid called the meeting "a good exchange."

That said, Reid, Sen. Ted Kennedy, and state legislators from across the country hold a press conference at 12:30 pm ET to state their opposition to Bush's war strategy.

The Washington Post reports that congressional Democrats appear to be "moving to make their proposed timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq an 'advisory.'" More: "The compromise language would keep the deadlines included in the original House bill but make them nonbinding, as the Senate version did, and would allow President Bush to waive troop-readiness standards, lawmakers said. Bush has vowed to veto legislation with timetables in it, calling it a schedule of surrender, but Democrats hope to show that they are being flexible and the president rigid by softening the terms. The compromises may cost Democrats votes among antiwar liberals, but they hope to pick up some Republicans."

The Wall Street Journal adds, "Democrats know they will have to soften their demands for a fixed date to withdraw U.S. forces, but Mr. Bush could be forced to accept language requiring the Iraqi government to do more to meet political and military benchmarks."

The Washington Post offers up some clues as to what Bush is looking for in Gonzales' testimony today. "Bush does not think Gonzales did anything wrong in dismissing the prosecutors, according to aides, but has been aggravated by his friend's clumsy, shifting explanations of what happened. In effect, advisers said, Bush is giving Gonzales a chance to fix the situation today. What happens if he does not remains unclear. No one in the White House believes Gonzales can say anything that would get Democrats to drop the matter, but his supporters hope he can be confident and consistent enough to explain his role without providing more ammunition for critics. Should he stumble, some Republicans said, Gonzales has a responsibility to fall on his sword, sparing Bush having to ask."

A new CBS News poll suggests that a large majority of folks haven't been following the US attorneys controversy -- which may be why 36% of those surveyed didn't have an opinion about whether they thought Gonzales should resign or not. For the record, 36% were in favor of him resigning, 28% were not in favor.

Also, did anyone else know that Bill Richardson has not yet called for Gonzales' ouster? And check out his reason… According to The Hill, Richardson "said Monday the reason he has not called for the removal of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is that the two both have Hispanic backgrounds. Richardson, in an interview with The Hill, said he is 'pretty close' to making such a call, but added that he is reluctant to do so before Gonzales's Senate testimony despite the high-profile involvement of New Mexico in the U.S. attorneys scandal. 'The only reason I'm not there is because he's Hispanic, and I know him and like him,' Richardson said, adding, 'It's because he's Hispanic. I'm honest. I want to give him the benefit of the doubt.'"

 

A new Washington Post/ABC poll has Giuliani's lead in the national GOP primary slipping a bit to 12 points over McCain. Fred Thompson and Romney are tied at 9%, with Thompson's inclusion the primary reason for Giuliani's fall from the low 40s to the low 30s. On the Dem side, Clinton maintains a double-digit lead over Obama, with Al Gore (17%) and John Edwards (14%) trailing them. The poll did not report a result without Al Gore.

CLINTON: Is Harold Ickes more of a central player in the campaign than many realized? Does he deserve the credit for keeping costs down?

DODD: The Hartford Courant says Dodd plans to unveil an "ambitious" energy plan today "that aims to reduce 80 percent of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and enact a 'corporate carbon tax' that would bring in $50 billion annually. His greenhouse gas emission framework would require the U.S. to reduce emissions by one-third of 80 percent below 1990 levels. Ten years later, emissions must be cut another third, and by 2050, the 80 percent level must be reached."

The AP adds that the revenue from the carbon tax "would be used to develop renewable energies and to reduce prices for consumer products. Critics warn such a tax would burden consumers and hurt the economy." http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/20070418-1427-onthe2008trail.html

MCCAIN: While in South Carolina yesterday, McCain reaffirmed his opposition to new gun control measures.

ROMNEY: The AP: "An array of donors who never had given money in a federal election opened their wallets to Mitt Romney this year, drawn to him through his networks in the business world and the Mormon church… An analysis of new campaign finance reports by The Associated Press shows that in some Utah ZIP codes, Romney, a Mormon and former governor of Massachusetts, raised nearly 10 times the amounts raised by President Bush in each of the past two presidential elections."

(Also, check out the ad to the right of that AP story in the Boston Globe -- it's an ad for "The Mormons," which will air on PBS on April 30.)

F. THOMPSON: The New York Times covers his visit with GOP lawmakers on Capitol Hill yesterday. "Those who met with Mr. Thompson … said he did not tip his hand about whether he would enter the presidential race. But he assured fellow Republicans that he knew he could not deliberate too long and promised an unconventional candidacy should he become a contender."

A little home-cookin' by the Tennessean? After all, local papers love having a favorite son in contention. Here's the lead: "Fred Thompson took the stage and gave a virtuoso performance Wednesday during a private meeting with House Republicans — leaving many star-struck and gushing about the prospect of the former Tennessee Republican senator running for president."

Although the "Law and Order" actor is the talk of the Beltway, he's apparently not garnering the same kind of buzz in the early primary/caucus states.

And potential third-party presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg will have one consistent opponent on the campaign trail should he run: the NRA. A new magazine out this week by the NRA has a controversial photo of Bloomberg that has some charging anti-Semitism.

Remember the disgraced lobbyist? Well, he's still causing heartburn for GOP lawmakers. The FBI raided the Northern Virginia home of California Rep. John Doolittle (R). "Abramoff, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy, mail fraud and other charges, is in federal prison and has been cooperating with the FBI investigation."

The New York Times adds, "Mr. Doolittle was elected to a ninth term last fall in a race that was unusually close for a heavily Republican district, largely because of questions over an unusual business arrangement with his wife's company as well as his ties to Mr. Abramoff. Under the arrangement, Mrs. Doolittle, through her company, served as her husband's chief fund-raising consultant and took a 15 percent commission on most of his donations. An October 2006 fund-raiser for Mr. Doolittle that featured President Bush's visit to the district netted about $90,000 for Mrs. Doolittle. Mr. Doolittle has defended his wife, saying her commission is in line with what other consultants charge."

Doolittle released this statement yesterday: "My wife has been cooperating with the FBI and the Justice Department for almost three years and that cooperation is going to continue in the future.  I support my wife 100 percent and fully expect that the truth will prevail."

By the way, another GOP congressman, Alaska's Don Young, had to deny that his retaining of a big name lawyer has anything to do with an investigation involving a donor of his.

From NBC's Joel Seidman
Sixty-three House Republicans attended a private meeting on Capitol Hill this afternoon with former GOP Sen. Fred Thompson, to discuss his potential White House bid. The attendees were a Who's Who of House conservatives: Reps. Dan Burton, Steve Buyer, Shelley Moore Capito, Don Manzullo, and Zack Wamp (who organized the event).

After the meeting, Thompson told the press, "I came over to see some old friends, meet some new friends, and I will see you again." That's all he said about his possible bid. But the members who attended the meeting said they were excited and called Thompson "presidential."

From NBC's Mark Murray
According to advance excerpts of his speech tonight at Al Sharpton's National Action Network convention, John Edwards takes the issues of Don Imus and racial intolerance head on. "I find it astonishing that there was even a debate over whether Don Imus' comments crossed the line. And I know I don't have to tell anybody here:  Don Imus' comments didn't just cross the line.  They defined the line that divides this country like the blade of a knife. There can be no debate over how much bigotry is too much bigotry. Any bigotry is too much."

He goes on to say, per the excerpts: "It's a shame we have to wait for the Don Imus' of the world to provoke a national conversation through bigotry - but we should jump at the chance to have this conversation, not just to look at whatever bigotry lies in our own hearts, but to finally engage on a problem that isn't going anywhere unless we do something about it."

From NBC's Mark Murray
As we predicted, many of the other 2008 presidential candidates have begun weighing in on the Supreme Court's 5-4 ruling that upholds the nationwide ban on the controversial abortion procedure. The Republicans have applauded the ruling, while the Democrats have criticized it.

Brownback: "This ban was enacted to put an end to one of the most grotesque forms of abortion, and it is completely in line with the respect for life that is at the very heart of our Constitution. This is a great step forward for our nation's citizens, born and unborn."

Giuliani: "The Supreme Court reached the correct conclusion in upholding the congressional ban on partial birth abortion. I agree with it." (However, it should be noted that this hasn't always been Giuliani's position. In 2000, he said on Meet the Press that he backed Bill Clinton's veto of the ban.)

Edwards: "This hard right turn is a stark reminder of why Democrats cannot afford to lose the 2008 election. Too much is at stake -- starting with, as the Court made all too clear today, a woman's right to choose."

Obama: "As Justice Ginsburg emphasized in her dissenting opinion, this ruling signals an alarming willingness on the part of the conservative majority to disregard its prior rulings respecting a woman's medical concerns and the very personal decisions between a doctor and patient. I am extremely concerned that this ruling will embolden state legislatures to enact further measures to restrict a woman's right to choose."

From NBC's Andrea Mitchell
Rutgers' Center for American Women and Politics has announced that Hillary Clinton has rescheduled her appearance there for this Friday, April 20.

She was to address the center on Monday, but it was cancelled at the last minute because of the floods.

Clinton has had a longstanding invitation to speak at Rutgers, which she acted upon after the Imus controversy. However, given that the Virginia Tech shootings have eclipsed the Imus story, it's unclear whether her speech on Friday will receive the same amount of attention it once had.

From NBC's Mark Murray
John McCain was the first presidential candidate to respond to today's 5-4 Supreme Court ruling. "Today's Supreme Court ruling is a victory for those who cherish the sanctity of life and integrity of the judiciary," he said in a statement. "The ruling ensures that an unacceptable and unjustifiable practice will not be carried out on our innocent children. It also clearly speaks to the importance of nominating and confirming strict constructionist judges who interpret the law as it is written, and do not usurp the authority of Congress and state legislatures. As we move forward, it is critically important that our party continues to stand on the side of life."

Even though it's never been a top-shelf issue for him, McCain has been stressing what he says are his consistent anti-abortion views -- in contrast to Giuliani's and Romney's positions on the issue.

From NBC's Mark Murray
With his wife running for president, Bloomberg reports that Bill Clinton this year is tripling the number of university commencement addresses he gives -- by speaking to graduates "on six campuses, led by Harvard University and the University of New Hampshire, the biggest school in the state that hosts the nation's first presidential primary... Clinton will [also] make addresses in May and June at Rochester Institute of Technology in New York, Vermont's Middlebury College and Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois."

From NBC's Mark Murray
In a decision that's likely to dominate politics today -- perhaps more than the Virginia Tech shootings -- the US Supreme Court, in a 5-4 vote, has upheld the nationwide ban on the so-called "partial-birth" abortion procedure. We'll have more on this throughout the day.

From Chuck Todd and Mark Murray
*** War Games: Politics begins to return to normal today when Bush and congressional leaders sit down at the White House to discuss the contentious Iraq supplemental. Since a compromise between Bush and congressional Democrats doesn't appear to be likely, the questions on our mind are: 1) What will the eventual House-Senate conference bill look like? 2) Will that bill be able to pass both chambers? 3) And what will Democrats do after Bush vetoes the legislation? A new Gallup poll shows that 57% support a timetable for withdrawal. Democrats seem to have public opinion on their side, but they seem hesitant to test the depth of that support.

*** To the Rescue: Fred Thompson meets today with about 50 House GOP members to discuss a possible White House bid, and is expected to hold a press availability afterwards. Is he Ronald Reagan with a drawl? Or the next Wes Clark? One thing is for certain: There is a hunger among many Republicans for someone else.

*** Go Ahead, Make My Day: On Thursday, House Democrats plan to bring up the legislation that would award a member of Congress to Washington, DC -- daring Republicans to again attach a repeal of the District's gun ban to the legislation, this time just days removed from Virginia Tech shootings. Will Republicans blink?

*** Think Imus Will Come Up? Al Sharpton's National Action Network confab begins today in New York -- with a speech tonight by Edwards. And he won't be alone: Richardson, Biden, and Dodd speak on Thursday; Gravel and Clinton go Friday; and Kucinich and Obama address the group on Saturday. Meanwhile, Sharpton has cancelled an event that would have honored the head of a music group, whose roster includes the rapper Ludacris. "We don't want to be inconsistent," Sharpton said.

*** Labor Parties: The AFL-CIO has announced its own forums for the Democratic hopefuls -- including town halls for the individual candidates, plus a group forum in early August. Despite labor's mixed record of success in recent Democratic presidential primaries, there isn't a labor group that the field has turned down. By the way, has anyone counted up the number of debates and town halls that are scheduled for 2007?

*** On the Trail: Huckabee stumps in New Hampshire; Richardson, in New York, gives a speech to the Asia Society; Dodd (as part of his Senate job) has a media availability on Capitol Hill after holding a closed-press homeownership summit; and McCain, in South Carolina, does two town halls and a finance event. 

*** And on a Lighter Note: Will Florida Gov. Charlie Crist light the fire of Doors fans and pardon Jim Morrison for an infamous indecent exposure charge in Miami?

 

The New York Times says the shooting tragedy -- and the way the guns used in it were purchased -- "has prompted calls from several Democrats and at least one leading presidential candidate, John Edwards, for measures to restrict gun sales, even as they proclaimed their support for the Second Amendment."

The Politico reports that Giuliani's camp yesterday issued a statement in Giuliani's name stating that the Virginia Tech tragedy "'does not alter the Second Amendment.'" Said Giuliani: "'People have the right to keep and bear arms and the Constitution says this right will not be infringed. The recent Parker decision makes it clear that restrictions, if any, must be reasonable and these are best decided on a state-by-state basis,' [he] concluded, referring to the recent federal appeals court decision overturning the gun ban in Washington, D.C. But Giuliani was once a strong supporter of enacting federal restrictions on access to firearms."

Another Politico article examines why the gun lobby usually wins. "The National Rifle Association has money, motivated members and powerful allies in Congress. But what puts the NRA in a separate class among interest groups is its track record of defeating incumbents. In Washington, that is real power."

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says there shouldn't be a rush to debate gun control measures. The AP has a rundown of the divide that's developing among congressional Democrats on the issue.

NBC's Mike Viqueira says House Democrats announced that on Thursday, they are going to bring up the legislation that would give DC a member of Congress, as well as a new one for Utah. Eyebrows were immediately raised. When we last left our story, Viq notes, Democrats were cruising to victory on the floor with the measure when -- suddenly -- Republicans used their standard "motion to recommit" at the end of debate to put forward a repeal of DC's gun ban and attach it to the DC voting bill.

Seeing they would lose (and be humiliated in the process), Democrats yanked the bill off the floor. But now they have decided to bring DC voting measure back up this week, three days after the Virginia Tech shootings. The suspicion is that they don't think Republicans have the nerve to again attach a measure that would loosen gun laws in this environment, so they are basically daring them to do it. But Majority Leader Steny Hoyer's staff denies that has anything to do with it. And in truth, there are other ways around the GOP motion.

Meanwhile, Viq says, Republicans insist that they "don't see anybody changing their mind on this issue" of the Second Amendment and gun control, implying that they will in fact bring up the gun measure Thursday if given the chance. For their part, Democratic leaders are emphasizing the need to address funding and personnel issues with law enforcement -- not so much gun control, which they refused to even discuss publicly yesterday on the grounds that it was too soon after the tragedy.

Per the New York Post, Al Sharpton cancelled a planned event that would have honored the head of Island Def Jam Music Group -- "whose stable of singers includes foul- mouthed Ludacris. 'We don't want to be inconsistent,' Sharpton told The Post.

John Kerry -- a frequent Imus guest -- doesn't think the shock jock should have been fired.

And 55% agree with Kerry, per a new Gallup poll -- although many of them supported a suspension for Imus.

 

NBC's Kelly O'Donnell reports that Bush's White House meeting with the bipartisan congressional leaders is going forward today as planned. The White House has described this meeting as "not a negotiation," but an opportunity to discuss the war supplemental. Democrats want compromise from the president on their demands for a timetable for withdrawal.

NBC's Viqueira says that GOP leaders McConnell, Lott, Boehner, and Blunt spoke with Bush yesterday to strategize about today's meeting. On the Democratic side, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi will hold a press conference with veterans and military families at 11:45 am ET, before heading over to the White House for their meeting on the Iraq supplemental.

The AP writes, "Congressional Democrats say there is no doubt President Bush will soon be confronted with legislation calling for an end to the Iraq war. But the new majority must decide how far to go in trying to tie Bush's hands and what will happen after the president's inevitable veto. The debate is likely to expose fissures among Democrats, who remain divided on whether to cut off money for the unpopular war and risk leaving troops in the lurch."

Bloomberg: "Some new Democratic lawmakers, including Donnelly, Nancy Boyda of Kansas and Nick Lampson, are wary of any timeline plan that could leave them open to charges they are endangering the troops or creating greater chaos in Iraq. This ambivalence is weakening the hand Democratic leaders have to play in their first confrontation with Bush over the war. Donnelly urged House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada to take a conciliatory tone when they sit down today with Bush at the White House to discuss the stalemate over the spending bill."

The House Judiciary Committee will meet this morning to consider granting immunity to ex-DOJ aide Monica Goodling -- to get her to testify in the US attorneys controversy. Goodling has so far declined to talk, invoking the Fifth Amendment. Two-thirds of the Committee must approve immunity.

The Washington Post: "Such a grant of immunity … would free Goodling to speak about the plan to fire the U.S. attorneys and the dismissals' aftermath, without fear that prosecutors could use her testimony in a criminal proceeding." The article adds that the RNC "yesterday turned down congressional demands that it hand over e-mails related to the firings, angering Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers Jr."

The AFL-CIO is organizing two sets of forums for the Democratic candidates. The first is a series of town halls with the individual candidates. The second is a group forum in Chicago on August 6 or 7. Here's the rundown of individual forums: Dodd (April 29 in Sacramento); Edwards (May 1 in Seattle); Obama (May 14 in Trenton, NJ); Biden (May 16 in Miami); Clinton (May 19 in Detroit); Richardson (June 4 in Phoenix); and Kucinich (TBD).

CLINTON: The Washington Post profiles Clinton's tenure in the Senate and notes: "But keeping her plate full at the Senate is also part of Clinton's campaign strategy, a real-time illustration that she is a workhorse with a practical view of government. That emphasis on small-scale initiatives rather than ambitious ones was famously championed by Mark Penn, her campaign pollster and chief strategist, when he worked for President Bill Clinton nearly a decade ago and promoted such administration policies as school uniforms."

Clinton's Senate office -- not the campaign -- released a statement criticizing FEMA for not being ready for hurricane season (which starts in six weeks). In addition to John Edwards announcing his White House bid in New Orleans, it's very likely Katrina will be an issue throughout the Dem primary campaign. From Clinton's release: "I am extremely concerned about reports that, nearly two years after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will not have its new national response plan ready in time for the start of the hurricane season. One of the most devastating lessons we learned in 2005 is that we need to be prepared and I am stunned that after all this time FEMA still does not have a national response plan in place."

Meanwhile, the Clinton camp released a lengthy list of prominent gay supporters. Among the more notable ones: former Gephardt and Kerry strategist Steve Elmendorf, ex-RIAA head Hilary Rosen, California-based strategist Chad Griffin, and tennis legend Billie Jean King.

DODD: The Connecticut senator has a Q&A in the Las Vegas Sun. A one-time supporter of Yucca Mountain, Dodd now has reservations. By the way, Nevada's nomination contest is scheduled, for now, right after Iowa.

EDWARDS: Not quite an endorsement -- but close. Ex-New York Gov. Mario Cuomo (D) seems to be disappointed in the Democratic frontrunners for "evading the difficult questions." Cuomo "suggests that Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are trying to avoid the issues by raising big money, and that Edwards comes closest to actually spelling out his positions."

OBAMA: In a profile of South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn, Newsweek's Howard Fineman seems to think that if Clyburn endorses anyone, it will be Obama.

More slicing and dicing of the FEC reports… Today's most fascinating stat? Obama has more paid staff than Clinton.

Tom Freidman of the New York Times writes: "The strongest case one could make for an Obama presidency right now is his potential to repair the broken relationship between America and the world."

NBC's Viqueira says the House GOP conference is currently trying to arrange to have all Republican presidential candidates come to address them --one at a time -- over the course of the next several weeks. They habitually meet on the second day of legislative activity in a given week, and they are trying to arrange for the candidates to come by during these regular confabs. Hunter has done so already, but he has home-field advantage, of course.

GIULIANI: Oil baron (and Oklahoma State sports patron) T. Boone Pickens says he's raised $500,000 already for Giuliani, the Wall Street Journal writes.

HAGEL: Remember GOP Sen. Chuck Hagel? Is he a presidential candidate, or is he running for re-election? Well, he filed an FEC report that seems to offer few clues about his future. He raised about $150,000 for the quarter, the Omaha World-Herald reports -- not a lot for somebody thinking about a presidential race and not really a lot for someone thinking about re-election. And so goes the difficulty that is Hagel's ambition. What is it?

MCCAIN: McCain's media consultant, Greg Stevens, passed away on Monday. Per the Washington Post's obituary, Stevens "might be best known for taking presidential candidate Michael Dukakis's 1988 publicity appearance in a tank and using the image against him."

F. THOMPSON: The Nashville Tennessean previews Fred Thompson's visit to Capitol Hill today. "'The people that are most motivated and excited are the conservatives," [GOP Rep.] Wamp said… 'They are looking at the current field and saying, "No one here excites me, and Fred Thompson excites me,"' Wamp said. 'They also think he may transcend the party,' which means Thompson could attract independents and some Democrats, he said."

From NBC's Mark Murray
A new national Gallup poll finds that Barack Obama is gaining ground on Hillary Clinton. In the Democratic horserace, Clinton leads Obama, 31%-26% -- followed by Edwards at 16% and Gore at 15%; no other Democrat gets more than 3%. A Gallup poll earlier this month had Clinton up on Obama by 19 points (38%-19%).

Perhaps more troublesome for Clinton is that 52% have an unfavorable opinion of her in the poll, versus 45% who have a favorable view. By comparison, Obama has a 52%-27% fav/unfav rating.

In the GOP field, Giuliani is at 35%, McCain at 22%, Fred Thompson at 10%, and Romney at 9%. Moreover, the poll finds that just 36% approve of Bush's job; only 25% approve of Alberto Gonzales' job; and just 26% believe the troop surge in Iraq is making the situation there better.

From NBC's Mark Murray
We've now received word that Obama's foreign policy speech today in Chicago has also been canceled, which means that there's not a single political event -- to the best of our knowledge -- going on today in the wake of the Virginia Tech tragedy.

***Update*** Obama's speech is rescheduled for April 23.

From Chuck Todd and Mark Murray
*** Politics Postponed: What was supposed to be an eventful day in politics -- especially Alberto Gonzales' testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee -- takes a back seat to the tragic shootings at Virginia Tech. Gonzales' hearing has been postponed until Thursday, while Giuliani canceled today's speech at Pat Robertson's Regent University in Virginia Beach, VA (which his campaign is working to reschedule). Romney and McCain also scratched their events today.

*** Bush to Blacksburg: NBC's Kelly O'Donnell reports that, according to advisers, President Bush is heading to Virginia Tech to attend and speak at the convocation there. The First Lady will also attend.

*** Blast from the Past: The Don Imus controversy sparked the beginning of a conversation about race in America. Will yesterday's shootings do the same for guns? Other than Mitt Romney's recent "I've been a hunter pretty much all my life" remark, the issue has been largely absent from the presidential campaign trail, especially on the Democratic side. The Columbine tragedy actually occurred at the same point in the 2000 race -- April 20, 1999 -- but guns never turned into a top-shelf issue, although some Democrats believe that Gore's pro-gun control stance in that campaign hurt him among rural and Southern voters. As the Politico's Simon writes today: "Had Gore won his home state of Tennessee, Clinton's home state of Arkansas or the Democratic state of West Virginia, he would not have needed to win Florida in order to gain the presidency. But he lost them all. And guns had a lot to do with it."

*** What Not To Say: Lost in the coverage of yesterday's shootings was Tommy Thompson's joke to a Jewish group that went wrong. "I'm in the private sector and for the first time in my life I'm earning money,'' he said. "You know that's sort of part of the Jewish tradition and I do not find anything wrong with that.'' Thompson later apologized.

*** On the Trail: With all of the cancellations today, the only notable political event is Obama's foreign policy speech in Chicago.

Most of the presidential candidates issued press releases or spoke on camera about yesterday's tragedy:
BIDEN: "There are few comforting words in such senseless times as these. Our humble thoughts and prayers go out to the victims' families and loved ones. We will grieve as a nation together with all those affected by this terrible tragedy." 

CLINTON: "This tragedy is still unfolding and I hope as a nation we can come together and keep in our thoughts all those affected as we learn more about the events which took place this morning."

DODD: "My prayers are with the families who lost loved ones.  My thoughts are also with the innocent victims who were injured, and I pray that they stage full and speedy recoveries. I am deeply saddened by this unnecessary loss of life, but I believe our nation will find the strength to support those touched by this tragedy."

EDWARDS: "For those of you who haven't heard, it appears more than 20 who have died in the shooting. More who have been injured from these preliminary reports, from the little information we have so far. Our prayers go out to these young people, it appears to be mostly students and their families. God bless them, and it's a terrible tragedy in America."

GIULIANI: "On this day of national tragedy, when we lost some of our finest to a senseless act, we stand together as a country to mourn those who lost their lives."

MCCAIN: "This inconceivable tragedy was a horrific act of cruelty that took the lives of so many innocent young people, cutting their lives short and inflicting tremendous pain on all of those who loved them. Cindy and I extend our deepest sympathies and prayers to the students, faculty, friends and family of the Virginia Tech community."

OBAMA: It's heart breaking… Our first concern has to be with the parents right now who probably still don't know whether their own sons and daughters are okay. These were future leaders, our most precious resource. To see them struck down at the prime of life like this is a tragedy, and I think we have to do some soul searching to find out are there ways we can prevent these things from happening again."

ROMNEY: "The entire nation grieves for the victims of this terrible tragedy that took place today on the campus of Virginia Tech. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families and the entire Virginia Tech community. Our full support is behind the law enforcement officials who are involved with stabilizing the situation and conducting an investigation."

Yesterday's tragedy spurred inevitable stories about gun positions and the presidential race.  Here's the New York Sun's version on the Democrats.

The Los Angeles Times notes the silence about gun control legislation from the two Democratic congressional leaders: Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi.

McCain: ""I do believe in the constitutional right that everyone has, in the Second Amendment to the Constitution, to carry a weapon," he said. "Obviously we have to keep guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens."