From NBC's Carrie Dann
In his energy policy address today -- his third speech in advance of his official campaign kickoff later this week -- John McCain tried to balance his moderate stance on global warming with a solidly conservative plan to combat it with market-based incentives. Global warming "is a serious and urgent economic, environmental, and national security challenge," he warned, (although a large chunk of the GOP base might disagree). But he emphasized that, under his proposals, "the profit motive ... will unleash the market to move clean alternative fuels and advanced energy technologies from the margins into the mainstream."
 
McCain, still smarting from a tough week after his stint as a Beach Boys cover singer traced its way from YouTube to a stinging attack by MoveOn.org, received a more merciful treatment from reporters after his address. Journalists limited their efforts for more "Bomb, bomb Iran" reaction to a single question at the end of the presser -- inviting him instead to delve into the specifics of his cap-and-trade legislation and of McCain-Feingold, which comes before the Supreme Court this week. But when the inevitable question about last week's musical pseudo-gaffe was finally broached, McCain showed that he intends to stand by his joke as firmly as he stands by his unpopular strategy for Iraq. "When I'm in the company of my comrades and friends who have served in the military, I will always use humor, he said. "And for those who can't understand it or don't like it, my answer is 'lighten up and get a life.'"

From NBC's Mark Murray
On the eve of Thursday's Democratic presidential debate in South Carolina -- which will air on MSNBC and NBC affiliates throughout the state -- the League of Conservation Voters has begun running a TV ad in South Carolina and Washington, DC that features actor Robert Redford urging the candidates to make the issue of global warming a priority.

In the ad, Redford says: "In every generation, there are a few defining moments when we have a chance to chart a new course that will leave our children a better world… We need to challenge all of the presidential candidates to make solving global warming a top priority."

A League of Conservation spokesman tells First Read that the ad went up last night and will air for a week. The spokesman would not reveal the size of the ad buy, but said it is a "strong" cable buy in South Carolina," and a "nominal" cable buy in DC.

From NBC's Mark Murray
During his meeting this morning with General David Petraeus, President Bush took two questions from the press. The first was on whether he would compromise on any legislation that sets a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq. "I believe strongly that politicians in Washington shouldn't be telling generals how to do their job," Bush replied. "And I believe artificial timetables of withdrawal would be a mistake... I will, of course, be willing to work with the Congress, both Republicans and Democrats, on a way forward... But I also made it clear that no matter how tough it may look, that for the Congress to micromanage this process is a mistake."

And on Alberto Gonzales (and the criticism the attorney general has received over his Senate testimony last week) Bush said that Gonzales' performance "increased my confidence in his ability to do the job... [I]t was clear that the Attorney General broke no law, did no wrongdoing. And some senators didn't like his explanation, but he answered as honestly as he could. This is an honest, honorable man, in whom I have confidence."

From Chuck Todd and Mark Murray
*** McCain's Big Week: After Imus and Virginia Tech overshadowed his recent Iraq and economic speeches, respectively, McCain tries once again to claim the center stage. Today, he's giving an address on energy and national security in DC, and on Wednesday he begins his four-day official announcement tour (through New Hampshire, South Carolina, Iowa, Nevada, and Arizona). According to excerpts of today's speech, McCain will renew his call to combat global warming (which might not please some conservatives), but he'll do it by advocating market-based solutions (which will).

*** The Teflon Man? When Romney was "evolving" from a moderate to conservative, every move he made was chronicled and ridiculed (by McCain's folks?) to the point where the flip-flop label stuck to him. Giuliani's conservative evolution of late has been just as stark on some recent issues (guns, immigration, and partial-birth abortion), but his foes haven't attacked him directly yet. Did Romney actually provide Rudy cover?

*** The Hits Keep on Coming? After his $400 haircut received plenty of scrutiny -- including a column by Maureen Dowd -- the Washington Post writes about Edwards' ties to the New York-based hedge fund Fortress Investment Group. Has the "Two Americas" line lost some of its luster?

*** The Hits Keep on Coming, Part II? Edwards isn't the only one who has been receiving some tough coverage. The Chicago Sun-Times digs some more into Obama's ties to Tony Rezko. Also check out the LA Times' look at the loopholes in Obama's refusal to take money from lobbyists.

*** Two for the Price of One: Clinton hits a fundraiser tonight that features a guest appearance by -- guess who -- husband Bill in New York. Speaking of, her comment that Bill would be some sort of roaming ambassador in her Administration gets fresh play (including a critical Wall Street Journal editorial), even though it's not necessarily new. Bill Clinton's poll numbers seem higher than they've been in years, but are Americans ready for a sort-of third term?

*** Just A Matter of Time? Specter said on Sunday that Alberto Gonzales' refusal (so far) to step down is "bad for the Justice Department."

*** If It's Monday, It's...: NBC's Tim Russert moderates a forum at Boston College on faith and public policy featuring Catholic oh-eighters Brownback and Dodd. Meanwhile, the first full-fledged debate -- which airs on MSNBC and is moderated by NBC's Brian Williams -- takes place Thursday night.

*** On the Trail: The Edwardses, in Chapel Hill, participate in the "Ed Schultz Show" National Town Hall hosted by WCHL 1360 AM; Obama, in Chicago, gives the foreign-policy speech that got canceled after Virginia Tech; Richardson fundraises in Los Angeles; and Romney has a couple of events in Florida. Also, Edwards speaks tonight to the National Jewish Democratic Council, which will hear from nearly all the Democratic presidential candidates from today through Wednesday.

BIDEN: "Delaware senator and presidential candidate Joe Biden predicted Saturday that within six months, every one of his Democratic rivals would adopt his position on the war in Iraq," the Des Moines Register wrote over the weekend. "In front of more than 100 people, Biden spoke passionately about the need for a middle road between the plans proposed by his Republican and Democratic counterparts. 'It is the only rational way,' said Biden, who proposes a federal system dividing Iraq into separate states of Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds. 'No one can answer the question that comes next. After you surge, then what? After you cap, what then?'"

CLINTON: The Wall Street Journal's editorial page seizes on the AP report that has Clinton saying she will make her husband a roaming ambassador to the world. "While Hillary is clearly pushing the global ambassador idea as a discrete and limited job for her husband, anyone who believes that's all he'll be is delusional. Senator Clinton's election would usher in a third Clinton term and a co-presidency redux."

While she was in Iowa this weekend, one thing jumped out at us. "She also addressed the NAFTA agreement, saying President Bush has mishandled the economy, and that the nation needs a new approach to negotiating trade agreements, including the addition of labor and environmental standards." (Does this mean Clinton will be left of her husband on trade agreements?)

Interestingly, Clinton was the first Democratic contender to comment on New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch's (D) decision to sign a civil unions bill into law. "New Hampshire has a long history of protecting its citizens from discrimination," Clinton said in a prepared statement. "I would like to commend Governor Lynch and the New Hampshire Legislature for their commitment and support for the civil rights of gays and lesbians."

And don't miss Colbert King's Saturday Washington Post column lecturing her for raising money with Timbaland, while also denouncing Imus. On her Rutgers speech specifically, he wrote "Good for her, I say, except it must be asked why she was down in Florida making nice to -- and pocketing big bucks from -- a rapper whose obscenity-laced lyrics praise violence, perpetuate racist stereotypes and demean black women."

DODD: The Hartford Courant's Lightman peers into Dodd's FEC report, noting that he got about one-third of its first-quarter contributions from banking, financial services and securities interests -- interests that all have close ties to the Senate Banking Committee that he runs."

EDWARDS: The Washington Post digs into Edwards' connection to hedge funds. "Two years ago, … John Edwards … gave a speech decrying the 'two different economies in this country: one for wealthy insiders and then one for everybody else.' Four months later, he began working for the kind of firm that to many Wall Street critics embodies the economy of wealthy insiders -- a hedge fund."

Over the weekend, Edwards announced his opposition to another trade deal -- this one with South Korea. He announced his opposition at the Michigan Dem J-J dinner, a state that labor could help decide in the primary season. Edwards in his speech played to the audience: ""I believe in trade deals that make sense for American workers. But that does not include a trade deal with a country that refuses to open its market to American cars. We buy 100 times more cars from South Korea than they buy from us."

The $400 haircut legend isn't going to die. Maureen Dowd assured us of that with this lead over the weekend: "Whether or not the country is ready to elect a woman president or a black president, it's definitely not ready for a metrosexual in chief."

Edwards, however, is now trying to make light of the situation. This is what he said in Iowa over the weekend: "'Everybody's supposed to have a chance in the United States of America,' he said. 'Why do we think people want to come here? That's why they want to come here. They want to come here because people like me can come from nowhere, the son of a mill worker ... and now be running for the president of the United States and pay $400 for a haircut."

In an interview with Mother Jones' Web site, Joe Trippi offers a hint at the person who may have been integral in recruiting him to join the campaign: Elizabeth Edwards.

GORE: By the way, we're not even going to include the link to the bogus London -- plugged by Drudge -- about Gore assembling a campaign team. It's just not true. As Gore confidante Mike Feldman told us, it's an article based in "pure fantasy."

OBAMA: His rivals have been trying to get the media to notice how Obama's ban on taking lobbyist money has some loopholes. The Los Angeles Times gets into the weeds and chronicles the donations Obama received INDIRECTLY from lobbyists. Obama's "policy of shunning money from lobbyists registered to do business on Capitol Hill does not extend to lawyers whose partners lobby there. Nor does the ban apply to corporations that have major lobbying operations in Washington. And the prohibition does not extend to lobbyists who ply their trade in such state capitals as Springfield, Ill.; Tallahassee, Fla.; and Sacramento, though some deal with national clients and issues."

More: "'Clearly, the distinction is not that significant,' said Stephen Weissman of the Campaign Finance Institute, a nonpartisan think tank that focuses on campaign issues. 'He gets an asterisk that says he is trying to be different,' Weissman said. 'But overall, the same wealthy interests are funding his campaign as are funding other candidates, whether or not they are lobbyists.'"

More bad press? The Chicago Sun-Times: "Barack Obama and his slumlord patron."

The Sun-Times also runs a Q&A that it did with the Obama campaign on this story.

Obama campaigned in Iowa City yesterday. "Midway through the speech, Obama said he would institute universal health care, make higher education a reality for low-income students, and raise both the federal minimum wage and teacher salaries. But he didn't elaborate how the United States would pay for the proposals."

You know a profile is thorough when there are three bylines at the top. Here's the Chicago Tribune's take on Michelle Obama. Here's a taste of the profile: "The daughter of a tight-knit nuclear family, she's an anchor for a spouse who grew up all over the world and barely knew his father. Her background, deeply rooted in a working-class South Side neighborhood, lends credibility to her husband, who has consistently battled questions from some African-Americans about whether the son of an African father and a white American mother is authentically black."

 

GIULIANI: The Sunday New York Times front-paged Giuliani's changing tone on immigration -- from defender of illegal immigrants to someone who now stresses that he will crack down on illegal immigration. Still, on the policy, Giuliani supports comprehensive immigration reform.

The Los Angeles Times examines Giuliani's early success at wooing Christian conservatives (which is something we've seen in polling for months).

His campaign, moreover, has an unofficial effort underway to get U.S. citizens living in Israel to support his presidential bid.

HUCKABEE: In a twist on a straw poll, Spartanburg County Republicans were asked to rate the various candidates on specific issues following presentations from most of the candidates in person (or a surrogate). And the candidate who came out on top? Huckabee. "Delegates gave each candidate up to five points, five being the best, for their skill in addressing each of those topics. Huckabee won 3,522 points, substantially more than second-place finisher Rudy Giuliani, the former New York mayor, who scored 3,161."

MCCAIN: Per excerpts of his speech on energy today, the Arizona senator will say: "The world is already feeling the powerful effects of global warming, and far more dire consequences are predicted if we let the growing deluge of greenhouse gas emissions continue, and wreak havoc with God's creation… The problem isn't a Hollywood invention nor is doing something about it a vanity of Cassandra like hysterics.  It is a serious and urgent economic, environmental and national security challenge.  National security depends on energy security, which we cannot achieve if we remain dependent on imported oil from Middle Eastern governments."

More: "I have proposed a bipartisan plan to address the problem of climate change and stimulate the development and use of advanced technologies. It is a market-based approach that would set reasonable caps on carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions, and provide industries with tradable credits."

Also, in the wake of his "Bomb, bomb, bomb Iran" joke, don't miss line by McCain: "As we sacrifice blood and treasure, some of our gas dollars flow to the fanatics who build the bombs, hatch the plots, and carry out attacks on our soldiers and citizens. Iran made over $45 billion from oil sales in 2005, and it is the number one state sponsor of terrorism."

Meanwhile, the current issue of the Weekly Standard has a good rundown of why a group like National Right to Life is so anti-McCain, despite the fact that McCain has the best abortion record of all the top Republican contenders. Two words: McCain-Feingold.

ROMNEY: It's been one year since he signed a universal health-care coverage plan for Massachusetts. The Boston Globe assesses where things stand after a year and the challenges that lie ahead. "Massachusetts has made a strong start toward ensuring that all state residents have health insurance, but it faces major obstacles as it seeks to achieve the full promise of landmark legislation signed into law a year ago, according to more than a dozen analysts, policy makers, and advocates."

We're just shocked, shocked that a campaign is accused of helping to pay for entry fees to a presidential straw poll in South Carolina. So reports Salon of a Romney staffer. The trick is not to get caught, right?

F. THOMPSON: New York magazine's Heilemann lumps Al Gore with Fred Thompson to do a "shadow candidates" story, but realize that Thompson's explorations are real. By the way, be sure to skim the story long enough to find the "skirt-chasing" reference.

T. THOMPSON: A week after going negative on FRED Thompson, George Will used his weekend column to talk up TOMMY Thompson's chances.

The New York Times writes about the flood of debates that all the presidential candidates are being invited to. The result has been public — and not-so-public — maneuvering by candidates from both parties as they try to limit the number of debates without making it look as if they might be trying to limit the number of debates. The sprint begins with a Democratic debate this Thursday in South Carolina and a Republican debate a week later in California.

Want more debates? Yahoo!, The Huffington Post, and Slate are announcing today the formation of a partnership to host two online debates moderated by Charlie Rose. The Democratic debate will include introductory remarks by DNC Chair Howard Dean. Few details were released about the GOP debate. Will Yahoo! and Rose be enough to attract the GOP candidates, as the two other sponsors are known for their left-of-center audiences and points of view? (In the Times story above, McCain spokesperson Brian Jones is quoted as saying McCain's camp has already said no to the HuffPo debate.)

The Nevada GOP voted over the weekend to join the state Democratic Party in hosting a caucus on Jan. 19, which right now is set for the Saturday after Iowa and before New Hampshire. However, many New Hampshire primary watchers are expecting Secretary of State Bill Gardner to leap frog Nevada -- possibly for the Tuesday before -- triggering the Iowa caucuses to move up a week as well (from Jan. 14 to Jan. 7). When Nevada was hosting only a Democratic caucus, there was reason to believe some in the media would skip Nevada. Now, with both parties holding an event in the state, the media may now take Nevada's caucuses more seriously.

Speaking of New Hampshire, government leaders decided to drop the "primary" from their tourism pitches, because they worried it would put focus on the money the state makes from having the first primary -- and therefore encourage other states to challenge New Hampshire's status.

The New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has a column in the current issue of Newsweek boasting about his leadership on the gun issue. And the Bloomberg-for-prez rumors got some fresh fire stoking. Apparently someone in his world is looking into ballot access issues.

Reid gives a speech on Iraq at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Per NBC's Ken Strickland, he will defend Democrats' efforts to send Bush a war-funding bill that sets a timetable for troop withdrawal. He'll also use strong language to renew his attack on the White House war strategy. "No more will Congress turn a blind eye to the Bush Administration's incompetence and dishonesty," Reid will say, according to excerpts released by his office. 

While Democrats are still crafting the final language for their withdrawal plan, he'll call it "fair and reasonable... If the president disagrees, let him come to us with an alternative. Instead of sending us back to square one with a veto, some tough talk and nothing more, let him come to the table in the spirit of bipartisanship." In addition, Reid will criticize the president's assessment that "progress" is being made in Iraq, as Bush asserted in a speech on Friday. "He said that while there were still horrific attacks in Baghdad, 'The direction of the fight is beginning to shift.'...  The White House transcript says the President made those remarks in the State of Michigan. I believe he made them in the state of denial."

Bush will respond with his own statement on Iraq at 9:50 am ET. A senior Administration official tells NBC's John Yang that the statement is a continuation of the White House's push on the war supplemental. Nothing new is expected.

Arlen Specter, the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee "said Sunday that Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales's failure to step down was 'no doubt, bad for the Justice Department,'" the New York Times writes. Mr. Specter's comments … reflected a growing lack of support for Mr. Gonzales among key Republicans on Capitol Hill as he faces accusations that the dismissals of eight United States attorneys were politically motivated."

The Sunday Washington Post said that the new legal and ethics issues hovering over GOP Reps. John Doolittle and Rick Renzi could potentially complicate "GOP efforts to retake Congress next year... [They] were only the most recent in a series of developments that have kept the focus on the old ethical and legal clouds that helped chase the Republican Party from power on Capitol Hill."

The Sacramento Bee takes a look at the case developing against Doolittle, noting the similarities between his case and the one that ended up putting Bob Ney behind bars.

Meanwhile, Republicans are fighting back. A couple of Hill veterans -- one of whom gets the internet about as well as any operative -- are starting their own watchdog news site that will exclusively cover the new Democratic majority in what is likely to be in an unflattering light.

From NBC's Carrie Dann, Lauren Appelbaum, and Eman Varoqua
In her remarks at Rutgers University today, Hillary Clinton heaped praise upon the members of its women's basketball team for their bravery and poise in the midst of Don Imus's insensitive comments about them. But she chose not to mention Imus' even once during her speech.

"I'm happy she didn't say his name," said Patrice Morris, 28, a Ph.D. student at Rutgers and native of Jamaica. "Everyone already knows and now she put the focus on the players who stood up for themselves instead."

The tone of Clinton's speech was respectful, but not always somber. One moment of levity came when, sounding more like a befuddled parent than an impeccably disciplined candidate, she tried to expound on how the war on intolerance can be waged through social networking websites."How can we use ... Myface? What's it called?" she asked. When the mashup of "MySpace" and "Facebook" drew a giggle from the audience, Clinton could only laughingly add, "My daughter's going to kill me."

Later in the day, Clinton addressed Al Sharpton's National Action Network -- and once again talked about the Rutgers women's basketball team. She said, "We need to stand with them, and be clear that as women, we will no longer put up with the degradation and demeaning treatment that too often has visited upon our girls and women." After some applause, Clinton went on, "So yes, I am proud to be a woman and I hope that by my running, other young girls and women can think about how they can keep going, what barriers they break through, what their possibilities are for the lives they want to lead."

From NBC's Ken Strickland
Without acknowledging his comments yesterday when he said the "war is lost," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said President Bush and his allies "attacked those of us with courage to ask the tough questions and tell the truth about Iraq." He described their criticism of him and other Democrats as "an effort to shift attention from this Administration's failed policies" in Iraq. 

In a remarks on the Senate floor after Bush's speech today, Reid did not repeat the "war is lost" comments. Instead, he said that "the longer we continue down the president's path the further we will be from responsibly ending this war." He repeated the sentiment two additional times in the speech and added, "but there is still a chance to change course and we must change course."

Reid also refuted the GOP claims following Reid's controversial remarks yesterday that Democrats don't support the troops and want to cut funding for them. "We take a back seat to no one in supporting our troops," Reid said. "And we will never abandon our troops in a time of war."

Reid also said: "The White House spin machine is working overtime in an effort defend its failed policies… I believe supporting our troops means giving them the funding they need and a strategy they deserve... It means stopping the partisan attacks and it means spending time working together in a bipartisan basis to develop an effective strategy to successfully end this war."

From NBC's Mark Murray
Liberal MoveOn says that it will go up with a TV ad in Iowa and New Hampshire next week that takes John McCain to task for the "Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran" comment he jokingly made earlier this week. The ad -- which comes at a buy of $100,000 and is already posted on YouTube -- goes: "America has lived through six years of a reckless foreign policy. We're stuck in Iraq. More than 3,000 Americans are dead. And thousands more wounded. Now comes John McCain with his answer to what we should do about Iran." The ad then plays McCain's "Bomb, bomb" comment, and it concludes: "John McCain? We can't afford another reckless president."

The McCain campaign quickly responded to the ad: "It comes as no surprise that America's most liberal interest group would attack John McCain's belief that we cannot allow Iran to destroy Israel," said spokesman Matt David. "After all, MoveOn.org posted ads comparing President Bush to Hitler during the last presidential election."

From Chuck Todd and Mark Murray
*** Bedtime for Gonzo? Panned by GOP senators and lampooned on the Daily Show, Alberto Gonzales certainly didn't have a good day before the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday. Perhaps the most damning line came from Sen. Lindsey Graham (R): "You said something that struck me, that sometimes it just came down to these were not the right people at the right time. If I applied that standard to you, what would you say?"

*** Lone Star Falling: Speaking of Gonzales' tough day, has/did anyone from Bush's Texas gang had/have a good second term? There's Harriet Miers and Scott McClellan. Karen Hughes, in her new post, hardly seems to be winning over the hearts and minds of the Muslim world. And Karl Rove, especially after the Social Security push and then the midterms, appears to have lost his mojo. Did these folks stay in Washington too long?

*** Tough Being the Front-runner? McCain's "Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran" rendition of the Beach Boys song gets tons of play. Eight years ago, when he was first running for the presidency, many would have described it as another example of how funny the off-the-cuff McCain can be. But are some in the media applying a different standard to McCain now that he's a front-runner and not an insurgent?
 
*** Bad Boys, Bad Boys, Whatcha Gonna Do… : In the last 48 hours, the FBI has raided the homes/offices of two Republican congressmen -- on two different coasts. Does it seem like 2005-2006 all over again for the GOP?

*** Hitting the Airwaves: On Monday, Richardson will begin running a pair of TV ads in Iowa and New Hampshire (at a buy of about $100,000), making him the first of the Democrats to go up on the air. Romney was the first to go up on the GOP side. And much like Romney, Richardson is trying to boost his name ID as he competes among better-known candidates for his party's nomination. Richardson also seems trying to avoid being drowned out when the better-funded candidates begin airing their own ads.

*** You Go, Girl: After being postponed due to the flooding in the Northeast, Clinton finally speaks at Rutgers, where we're sure she works in a line or two about Imus' recent controversial comments about the women's basketball team. But as with Gonzales' testimony, did the floods (and later Virginia Tech shootings) knock this speech out of the spotlight it once would have commanded? Afterwards, Clinton heads to Al Sharpton's National Action Network convention, which will also hear from Mike Gravel. 

*** On the Trail: Biden is in Iowa; Brownback keynotes the New Jersey Right to Life dinner; Dodd is in New Hampshire; Edwards takes his rural-recovery campaign to Iowa; Giuliani gives a speech at Texas A&M University; Huckabee stops in South Carolina; McCain has a finance event in Arizona; Obama campaigns in New Hampshire and Boston; Richardson visits Iowa; and Romney stumps in Iowa and Indiana.

 

As we mentioned earlier, Alberto Gonzales didn't win rave reviews for his testimony yesterday. The Washington Post: "[He] appeared frustrated, weary and at times combative during a five-hour Senate panel hearing that was widely considered crucial to his bid to hold on to his job. He sought to present a careful defense of the firings, apologizing for the way they were handled but defending them as the "right decision."

The analysis from the New York Times: "Not a single Republican, with the possible exception of Senator Orrin G. Hatch of Utah, came to Mr. Gonzales's defense — not even his old Texas friend Senator John Cornyn."

The Wall Street Journal: "[I]t was Republican senators who asked questions that went to the heart of earlier misleading and incomplete answers from Mr. Gonzales and others at the Justice Department in explaining how the attorneys were fired. It was Republicans who returned repeatedly to questions about how Mr. Gonzales could stand by the firings, yet not explain why each one was carried out."
 
The headline from the San Francisco Chronicle: "Gonzales fails to dispel calls for resignation." More from the paper: More: "Despite weeks of preparation for what was widely viewed as his last chance to save himself, Gonzales left senators from both parties saying that any of the eight fired attorneys could have done a better job testifying."

Bloomberg: "'Bottom line, it may not have been a knockout punch, but he took 20 steps backward,' [Democratic Sen. Chuck] Schumer said. 'If the attorney general would look into his heart' he would 'submit his resignation.'"

USA Today says the name of another Administration official hovered over Gonzales' testimony: Karl Rove. "The name of President Bush's longtime political guru surfaced repeatedly from Senate Democrats seeking to tie him to the dismissals of eight U.S. attorneys."

NBC's Ken Strickland says Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid gave the White House and their GOP allies fresh ammunition to criticize his position on the war when Reid said at a press conference Thursday "this war is lost and that the surge is not accomplishing anything, as indicated by the extreme violence in Iraq yesterday." 

Senate Republican leaders pounced.  "I can't begin to imagine how our troops in the field, who are risking their lives every day, are going to react ... and hear that [Reid] has declared the war is lost," said Republican Leader Mitch McConnell.  Democrats "are no longer willing to stand behind them," added John Cornyn.

Reid's office says the leader does feels that the "war is lost" if the Administration continues its failed strategy.  Jim Manley, Reid's spokesperson, acknowledged his boss could have been "more clearer" in his morning remarks and pointed to Reid's comments on the Senate floor later that further amplified his thinking.  "As long as we follow the president's path in Iraq, the war is lost.  But there's still a chance to change course, and we must change course."

Of course, the ghost of Vietnam reared its ugly head yesterday and partisans on both sides even started to slip into the predictable "who lost Vietnam" talking points. Said Bush: "I want to remind you that after Vietnam, after we left, millions of people lost their life," Bush said here when an audience member asked about comparisons between Vietnam and Iraq. "The Khmer Rouge, for example, in Cambodia. And my concern is there would be a parallel… The same thing would happen. There would be the slaughter of a lot of innocent life. The difference, of course, is that this time around, the enemy wouldn't just be content to stay in the Middle East; they'd follow us here."

Also drawing on history when speaking in Ohio yesterday, Bush "said he would not buckle to polls … and conveyed his belief that he would be vindicated by history. 'Let me put it to you this way,' Mr. Bush said. 'When it's all said and done, when Laura and I head back home — which at this moment will be Crawford, Tex. — I will get there and look in the mirror, and I will say, "I came with a set of principles and I didn't try to change my principles to make me popular."'"

The New York Times: "The confrontation between the Democratic majority and Republicans in Congress and in the administration unfolded as the House conducted another debate on Thursday evening on a timetable for withdrawing troops from Iraq. As House leaders appointed negotiators to work with the Senate to reconcile their two Iraq spending bills, Republicans demanded another vote on a simple question: Should major combat missions end by Sept. 1, 2008? The procedural motion passed largely along party lines on a vote of 215 to 199.The vote was intended to highlight fissures inside the Democratic caucus."

Meanwhile, it seems that a third GOP senator, Maine's Olympia Snowe, is open to supporting an Iraq withdrawal bill that has a set of benchmarks. She joins Chuck Hagel and Gordon Smith, who have sided with the Democrats on many of these Iraq bills. Said Senate Minority Whip Trent Lott of the defection: "It doesn't matter…. We've got plenty of votes," said Lott, whose 49-member caucus could sustain more than a dozen defections and still prevent Democrats from overriding a veto.

CLINTON: With the New York senator slated to speak before Al Sharpton's confab today, husband Bill did the honors yesterday. He "gave a wide-ranging talk on topics from the genocide in Darfur to his efforts to reduce the calorie content of soft drinks. He spoke of a booming global economy that has enriched many but has remained unattainable for most… A highly popular figure among black voters, President Clinton offered an added boost to his wife, who was scheduled to address the group Friday. Sen. Barack Obama, who hopes to be the first black president, was set to speak Saturday."

Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton has picked up the support of St. Louis mayor Francis Slay, the first prominent Missouri Democrat to endorse a candidate.

DODD: He's spending his Earth Day weekend in New Hampshire; his visit started last night as he touted his energy proposal, the AP says. "Dodd earlier Thursday unveiled an environmental policy that calls for a steep increase of auto fuel economy standards to 50 miles per gallon by 2017 and a mandate for the government to use clean-energy vehicles and green technology in all its offices. Dodd's proposal sets a goal of reducing 80 percent of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050."

OBAMA: He heads to Boston today, where 5,000 are expected to show up at an event that -- like others around the country for Obama -- was planned mostly by college students.

Obama also is celebrating Earth Day in New Hampshire this weekend.

RICHARDSON: During his own speech to Sharpton's group, Richardson said he'd make Africa a major foreign policy priority.

GIULIANI: In his latest National Journal column, NBC political analyst Charlie Cook wonders if he's underestimated Giuliani's chances. "I have long joked that I would win the Tour de France -- without benefit of steroids -- before the former New York City mayor would win the Republican nomination. Putting aside your mental image of a portly Charlie Cook in black spandex, am I wrong?" He concludes, "Don't get me wrong, I still think that Giuliani can't get nominated. I'm no longer certain of it, though. And I'm thinking of getting into better shape -- I hear the Tour de France is a pretty long race."

MCCAIN: He was in Nevada last night, and the state's leading political guru, Jon Ralston, provided us with a transcript of McCain's press avail:
McCain on his "bomb, bomb, bomb Iran" takeoff of a Beach Boys song: "Please … I was talking with some of my old veterans friends and my response is, lighten up and get a life"
Reporter: Was it insensitive?
McCain: Insensitive to what? The Iranians? (laughs)
McCain: "My response is, lighten up and get a life.  I will continue to joke with my veteran friends at the VFW posts around America."
McCain, responding to Senate Maj. Leader Harry Reid's the "war is lost" comment: "My response is that having just come from Iraq that's not the view of the men and women who are putting their lives on the line as we speak … and I'm frankly taken aback at such a statement while we have young men and women in harm's way trying to win a conflict that will have a profound impact not only today but on future generations of Americans if we lose this war. Senator Reid should understand that Presidents don't lose wars, and political parties don't lose wars; nations lose wars.

Analyst Stu Rothenberg doesn't believe McCain or Clinton has answered the Roger Mudd question. "But why are Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) running for president? I'm not sure, except that McCain seemed to be next in line for the GOP nomination and Clinton is, well, Clinton."

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg hosted a group of the city's most prominent donors and asked them to hold out on giving presidential candidates money until "they side with the city on a checklist of issues, such as Wall Street regulations, homeland security money and funding for ailing ground zero workers." Bloomberg denied interest in running himself. And lest you think Bloomberg is trying to woo donors for himself, remember that he's never raised outside money for his two bids for mayor. He's always self-funded. By the way, this event also featured a panel discussion between Harold Ford Jr. and Newt Gingrich.

For the second time this week, a House Republican has garnered a headline that has the words "FBI" and "raid." Arizona GOP Rep. Rick Renzi saw his family business raided by the FBI yesterday. "In October, Justice Department officials confirmed that Renzi was the subject of an inquiry into a 2005 land swap that would benefit a business associate, according to The Associated Press."

Renzi represents a fairly competitive seat. He also made the decision to temporarily step down from his post on the House Intelligence Committee.

The other GOP member to be the subject of an FBI raid this week, California's John Doolittle, said he's temporarily stepping down from his position on the House Appropriations Committee.

From NBC's Mark Murray
Deputy White House press secretary Dana Perino has issued this statement relaying the White House's support of Alberto Gonzales. "President Bush was pleased with the Attorney General's testimony today. After hours of testimony in which he answered all of the Senators' questions and provided thousands of pages of documents, he again showed that nothing improper occurred. He admitted the matter could have been handled much better, and he apologized for the disruption to the lives of the U.S. Attorneys involved, as well as for the lack of clarity in his initial responses." 

More: "The Attorney General has the full confidence of the President, and he appreciates the work he is doing at the Department of Justice to help keep our citizens safe from terrorists, our children safe from predators, our government safe from corruption, and our streets free from gang violence."

From NBC's Chuck Todd and Mark Murray
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson will be the first Democratic presidential candidate to air a TV ad, albeit at a relatively small buy. Two ads will begin running on Monday -- a 60-second one that describes his record and a 30-second that tells viewers why he's running and what he'll do about Iraq. The ads, at about a $100,000 buy, will run on broadcast TV in Sioux City, Mason City, Des Moines, and Cedar Rapids-Waterloo; and on cable in the Omaha and Quad Cities markets. The ad will also air on WMUR in New Hampshire. 

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney was the first on the Republican side to go up with TV ads. And like Romney, Richardson faces the challenge of voters getting to know him as he competes against better-known candidates for his party's presidential nomination.

From NBC's Joel Seidman
Oklahoma GOP Sen. Tom Coburn has asked for Alberto Gonzales to resign. At today's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Coburn said the firing of US attorneys "was handled incompetently," adding: "The best way to put this behind us is your resignation."

Coburn told Gonzales, "You set the standard, leadership management skills." And he said the Justice Department needs a clean slate.

From NBC's Mark Murray
Will this end up influencing the Democratic and Republican nomination contests in New Hampshire? The AP reports that New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch (D) will sign legislation establishing civil unions in his state. "New Hampshire thus will become the fourth state to adopt civil unions and the first to do so without first having a court fight over denying gays the right to marry."

Lynch tells the AP that he doubts his signature will won't likely impact the New Hampshire primary. But, at the very least, it seems it will become a topic of discussion for all the candidates.

From NBC's Lauren Appelbaum
Speaking today in Oklahoma City at the annual remembrance ceremony of the 1995 bombing there, Giuliani talked about the resolve of the American people -- as well as September 11 and God. "What [the terrorists] are using against us is fear," he said to the bombing's survivors and the victims' families. "What they believe is that we're weak. We'll win this victory over terrorism if we prove to them they're wrong, that we're strong and resilient people. We mourn and hurt and we'll never forget but we don't live under fear."

Addressing the "why" surrounding the events of Oklahoma City, 9/11, and Virginia Tech, Giuliani referred to God. "The only place and the only way we're going to get an understanding from this is understanding that we get from God." He continued, "[Terrorists] don't understand America, they don't understand freedom, they don't understand where it comes from. It doesn't come from us. It comes from God."

Giuliani pledged to use the lessons learned from these three events for the future. "We owe to those we lost at Virginia Tech, those that we lost here and on September 11th, that we will do everything we can to prevent a future act. Maybe we can't achieve that 100% but we must try."