From NBC's Mike Viqueira

Many of us view the goings on here in your US House with bemusement or even disdain. The rap is that the "people's House" occupies itself with naming post offices and passing "sense of Congress" resolutions that are sops to one special interest or another and have no real impact. Everything else -- the important stuff -- gets mired in partisanship.

But a resolution on the floor today demonstrates very clearly that Americans are not the only ones watching what goes on here, and that what our national legislature says and thinks has great influence abroad. Today, the House will likely call on the government of Japan to "apologize and accept historical responsibility" for comfort women -- the young Asian women who were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II. The resolution, though destined for obscurity on these shores, is threatening to cause a rift with one of America's closest allies.

The measure is sponsored by Bay Area Democrat Mike Honda, a Japanese American who spent his childhood in a WWII Japanese internment camp in Colorado. It has been the subject of a reportedly harsh letter from the Japanese embassy in Washington to Speaker Pelosi. Normally forthcoming congressional aides have been secretive about such run-of-the-mill matters as when the bill would hit the floor, announcing just yesterday that it be considered today. So great is the potential impact in Asia that it appears to have been held until the day after Japanese parliamentary elections.

Congressional staff refers to these resolutions as "postcards" that can generate three days of headlines in the country in question, while being completely ignored here. Another extremely controversial example is one dealing with the "Armenian Genocide" of almost 100 years ago, sponsored by California Democrat Adam Schiff, that awaits consideration.

From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Carly Zakin
*** How Things Change: A year ago, a handful of potential Democratic presidential candidates (Hillary Clinton, Evan Bayh, and Tom Vilsack) attended the centrist Democratic Leadership Council's annual meeting in Denver. But this time around, not a single one has traveled to Nashville to speak at this year's conference, which continues today. On the flip side, most of them will participate this weekend at the YearlyKos convention, sponsored by the liberal political blog DailyKos.

*** The Center Didn't Hold: While not a single Democratic hopeful will speak to the DLC, the famous spouse of the front-runner -- Bill Clinton -- addresses the group today this afternoon. It was Clinton, of course, who once chaired the DLC and embodied many of its principles during his presidency. But as Noam Schieber put it in a Saturday New York Times op-ed, the DLC appears to have outlived its usefulness. Once a needed counterweight to the liberal excesses of the '70s and '80s, the DLC found itself on the wrong side of the Iraq war (its founder and staff backed Joe Lieberman's independent bid last year). What's more, a March NBC/WSJ poll (for the first time ever in the survey) showed a majority of respondents want an activist government. Will pendulum keep leaning toward the left come November 2008? The Democratic candidates seem to be betting the White House on it. However, of the current '08 field, Hillary Clinton may very well be the DLC candidate.

Video: None of the candidates attending Dem. Leadership Council meeting

*** The 3-Million-Dollar Man? Per NBC's Joel Seidman, Fred Thompson's "testing the waters" committee must file with the IRS by tomorrow to reveal -- for the first time -- some of his fundraising efforts for "Friends of Fred Thompson, Inc.," the Nashville based "527" political organization he formed in early June. Though the filing will provide records for only one month of funds raised, plus a list of contributors, it will somewhat lift the veil of mystery of Thompson's fundraising abilities. Will the amount be able to stop the flow of bad news for Team Fred (which includes staff defections, questions about his abortion record, and attention to his wife's role in his campaign)? Maybe not. NBC's Kelly O'Donnell reported last week that the tally will be around $3 million.

*** So You Say You've Got Experience: Newsweek's Wolfe writes about last week's Clinton-Obama spat and delves into something we're surprised some of the foes of Clinton and Obama haven't brought up yet: Whether either one of them really has a lot of foreign policy experience. "Both Clinton and Obama have called on foreign-policy heavyweights to educate them on the issues and help shape their approach to world affairs. But neither candidate would bring much in the way of hands-on foreign-policy experience to the Oval Office. Their efforts to promote their credentials can seem strained."

*** Living History: On Sunday, the New York Times front-paged letters that Hillary Clinton exchanged with a friend while in college. These letters are both revealing -- and not -- at the same time. They are revealing in that she comes across as, get this, a typical college liberal of the time. In the article, the Clinton camp acts as if it doesn't care for this type of coverage. But one can argue that it helps continue to make her three dimensional, which only helps. The tidbit, though, that she asked for copies of these letters wasn't surprising. The Clintons never like to be surprised.

*** On The Trail: Giuliani stumps in New Hampshire; McCain hits fundraisers in Pittsburgh and DC; Obama holds a town hall in Cedar Rapids, IA before traveling to Dallas for a fundraiser; Richardson raises money in New Mexico; Tancredo campaigns in Iowa; and Fred Thompson has a closed-press fundraiser in DC.

Countdown to the Ames Straw Poll: 12 days
Countdown to MA-05 Special Election: 35 days
Countdown to LA GOV election: 82 days
Countdown to Election Day 2007: 99 days
Countdown to LA GOV run-off (if necessary): 110 days
Countdown to Iowa: 167 days
Countdown to Tsunami Tuesday: 189 days
Countdown to Election Day 2008: 463 days
Countdown to Inauguration Day 2009: 540 days

The Clinton-Obama spat continued over the weekend, NBC's Andrew Merten reports… On Saturday, while campaigning in Des Moines, Obama said: "It's time to turn the page on the Bush-Cheney diplomatic strategy that has isolated America from our allies and reduced our moral standing in the international community.  We need a president who'll have the strength and courage to go toe-to-toe with the leaders of rogue nations because that's what it takes to protect our security."

Then former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, who has endorsed Clinton after ending his own presidential bid, quickly fired back.  In a conference call with reporters, he challenged Obama to clarify his position, saying, "It appears that the day before the Charleston debate, Senator Obama is reported [per the Miami Herald] to have suggested that he would be glad to meet with Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, but only with certain preconditions being met, which is precisely what Senator Clinton said." Vilsack continued: "We just would simply like the good senator to clarify his position. Which is it?  Preconditions or not?" 

The Obama campaign then issued this statement: "The politics of hope requires us to shake up the establishment status quo that has to change.  Obama has been crystal clear in saying that he be the most aggressive in fundamentally changing our nation's foreign policy.  This is a substantive debate during which she called Obama irresponsible and naive.  Obama has been entirely consistent -- he never said he would invite dictators over for a cup of coffee and he said he wouldn't let these dictators use him as a propaganda tool.  What he did say was that he would be willing to meet with them."

While we wonder if there's anything left to say about last week's clash, the one thing we've learned is that Obama seems to have acquired a new confidence. Here he is in Iowa on Saturday: "I was called irresponsible and naive because I believe that there is nobody we can't talk to," said Obama, drawing loud cheers. "We've got nothing to fear as long as know who we are and what we stand for and our values."

The Des Moines Register's Yepsen declares Edwards the winner of the Clinton-Obama dispute.

CLINTON:

On this same day that Bill Clinton is the lone candidate or candidate spouse to address the DLC convention, the Los Angeles Times examines Hillary Clinton's relationship with Indian-American businesses, some of which are seen by labor unions as threats to labor because of outsourcing. "'People do want to see from her some recognition that the outsourcing of these service jobs isn't a good thing for the U.S. economy,' said Thea M. Lee, policy director of the AFL-CIO. 'It's a little bit of an open question where Sen. Clinton's going to end up on outsourcing.'"

On Sunday, the LA Times had a piece that's going to make the Clinton folks upset. Arguing that the Bush Administration is one of the most secretive in history, the piece contends that if either Clinton or Giuliani is elected, their past suggests they'll follow suit. "Clinton was widely criticized for secrecy when she led her husband's effort to design a new healthcare system. A task force she headed ran afoul of federal law when it tried to hold closed meetings… Giuliani resisted outside efforts to evaluate municipal programs and review city records when he was mayor.  As he was leaving office in 2001, he had thousands of mayoral records hauled to a private warehouse — a move that gave rise to a city law barring such action."

On Sunday, the New York Times examined letters that she exchanged with a friend from 1965-1969. "Ms. Rodham's 30 dispatches are by turns angst-ridden and prosaic, glib and brooding, anguished and ebullient — a rare unfiltered look into the head and heart of a future first lady and senator and would-be president. Their private expressiveness stands in sharp contrast to the ever-disciplined political persona she presents to the public now."

On Saturday, NBC's Merten says Clinton was heckled by a lone critic at the College Democrats of America Convention in Columbia, SC. As she was going through the global warming section of her stump speech, a woman carrying a large sign approached the stage. The sign read on one side: "She doesn't care, all she wants is the power." And on the other: "Hillary Clinton is a cold, calculating, power hungry woman." The protestor was quickly booed and swarmed with Hillary campaign signs, before being forcibly removed from the ballroom while screaming "She's a liar, she's a liar!" Clinton remained relatively unphased and joked after the crowd calmed, saying, "That's one of the things I love about politics -- you never know what the day will bring."

EDWARDS:

The Washington Post profiles Edwards' chief campaign adviser: his wife. Whatever you think of Edwards as a first- or second-tier candidate, realize that he still gets first-tier type crowds in places outside of Iowa.

The Columbia State analyzes the "positive" Edwards' chances in his birth state of South Carolina. The paper writes, "Edwards was in his element" during a recent stop.

OBAMA: The New York Times continues its occasional bio series on Obama, and it writes about his years in the Illinois state legislature. "Obama did not bring revolution to Springfield in his eight years in the Senate, the longest chapter in his short public life. But he turned out to be practical and shrewd, a politician capable of playing hardball to win election (he squeezed every opponent out of his first race), a legislator with a sharp eye for an opportunity, a strategist willing to compromise to accomplish things." The Washington Post, in its analysis of a "new era" of black politicians makes a fascinating point in its lead to the piece: New Hampshire voters got a big dose of Obama's message via TV ads Deval Patrick ran on Boston TV during the '06 Mass. GOV race. "In winning election as the first African American governor in Massachusetts, Patrick showed the appeal that a candidate with his background and message has for white New England liberals -- a potentially good omen for Obama in the New Hampshire primary."

Obama conducted an email interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network's chief political reporter, David Brody. Despite it being an email interview, the answers to Brody's questions were interesting, particularly on key religious issues. This excerpt, in particular, could have legs: "Whatever we once were, we're no longer just a Christian nation; we are also a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, a Buddhist nation, a Hindu nation, and a nation of non-believers. We should acknowledge this and realize that when we're formulating policies from the state house to the Senate floor to the White House, we've got to work to translate our reasoning into values that are accessible to every one of our citizens, not just members of our own faith community."

Looking at his "300,000 Facebook friends and the purported crush of the hit Internet performer 'Obama Girl,'" the Chicago Tribune sees Obama as "'more visibly succeeding'" in courting young voters than his opponents.

Sometimes Obama can come across as someone who isn't exactly a man of the people. Check out this little tidbit from the Saturday New York Times of Obama speaking to a crowd in Iowa. "'Anybody gone into Whole Foods lately and see what they charge for arugula?' the senator said. 'I mean, they're charging a lot of money for this stuff.'" Notes the Times' Zeleny: "The state of Iowa, for all of its vast food production, does not have a Whole Foods, a leading natural and organic foods market. The closest? Omaha, Minneapolis or Kansas City." No one challenged Obama on this point, he simply moved on.

RICHARDSON: He said he'd reveal his presidential cabinet before Election Day, and it would "look like America," the Manchester Union Leader said on Sunday.

The New York Times writes about anti-abortion conservatives who are a bit worried about the GOP presidential field.

Conservative bloggers have drawn up a petition urging the GOP presidential candidates not to shun the Republican CNN/YouTube debate, which is set for next month. The petition says, "Attend the YouTube debate, and you may get a tough question or two. Don't attend, and millions of Americans will wonder if you were too afraid to answer questions from the Internet, just as Democrats were afraid to go on Fox News. None of you could have gotten to where you are now without showing real political courage. Is that really how you'd like to be known?"

But the Washington Post reports that Romney might be willing to participate in the YouTube debate, if the date is moved.

More potential YouTube debate questions are being posed at Giuliani than any other candidate already, the New York Post reported on Sunday.

GIULIANI: The Washington Times writes that Giuliani will follow in the footsteps of Fred Thompson and Mitt Romney in courting Margaret Thatcher when he travels to London in September. Giuliani is "perhaps best placed to capitalize on nostalgia in America for Mrs. Thatcher and her close friendship with Ronald Reagan, who is still lauded for winning the Cold War and restoring hope and confidence in the country," because of his post-9/11 leadership.

The New York Post notes that one of Giuliani's chief fundraisers runs a hedge fund whom some believe preys "on the debt woes of impoverished Third World countries."

MCCAIN:

Another profile of what's wrong with McCain -- this one from the Washington Post. But check out this line about the "war on terror." McCain, asked what's changed for him since '00: "I think the aspect of the presidential campaign that's changed fundamentally is 9/11," he says. "I do believe the struggle against radical Islamic extremism does overlay the whole campaign. You notice I try and avoid the 'War on Terror' phrase. I just don't like that phrase. I think the dimensions are too complex. I think it's best described as radical Islamic extremism and I think that overlay has fundamentally changed the dynamics of the campaign."

The Arizona senator did the Q&A with the New York Times Magazine's Deborah Solomon. Some of the highlights: He said he wouldn't borrow money from his wife to help finance his campaign; his wife made him sign a prenuptial agreement when they married in 1980; he still supports the surge ("You got to do what's right"); and he's not quitting the presidential race ("We're staying in. I've had a lot tougher days than these").

There was also this exchange at the top: Solomon: Now that your presidential campaign is falling apart and approaching bankruptcy, the consensus is that you're finished. But some of us have faith in your ability to reinvent yourself.
McCain: Well, thank you. I appreciate that.
Solomon: Especially since the other Republican candidates don't exactly stand out.
McCain: Don't put words in my mouth, darling. Listen, I'm sure that in the fall, when people are focused, I'll out-campaign them. I can do the town-hall meetings, the kind of campaign that wins elections.

PAUL: The Union Leader profiles a Ron Paul campaign volunteer.

ROMNEY: The New York Times does a CW-setting piece on Romney and the Ames Straw Poll. "Although some top Romney advisers said that matching Mr. Bush's 7,418 vote total in the straw poll in 1999 was a goal, Gentry Collins, the campaign's Iowa director, said it would be 'extraordinarily difficult' to attain. Mr. Romney has built leads in some polls in Iowa and New Hampshire, but in most national polls he continues to trail Mr. Giuliani, Mr. Thompson and even Mr. McCain, whose campaign has been struggling."

The candidate will be sitting down for the full hour later this week with WHO-TV's Dave Price and other reporters for the Iowa-based WHO show "The Insiders"

F. THOMPSON: Over the weekend, the New York Times looked back at Thompson's tough week. "A week of personnel turnover that extended from his campaign-manager-in-waiting down to volunteers raised questions about whether the Thompson camp is prepared to jump fully into the race for the Republican presidential nomination, a race in which his rivals have had months to establish their campaign organizations, raise money and hone strategy. It also ignited speculation in Republican circles about who is really in charge, and in particular about the extent of the role being played by Mr. Thompson's wife, Jeri Kehn Thompson, a former political operative." 

Bob Dole believes that the fall of his candidate (John McCain) benefits Thompson. Dole believes many of McCain's supporters will end up with Thompson, which is counter to the CW that says McCain's supporters are just as likely to end up with Giuliani as they are with Thompson.

T. THOMPSON: Correct us if we're wrong, but isn't Tommy Thompson changing his own expectations again? Now he says he has to finish first or second in order to stay in the race.

You've heard of follow the money? How about follow the schedule to find out which state is really having the most influence on the process. Hands down it's Iowa. Check out this tally of candidate visits in the state the Iowa Democratic Party has been keeping for the last four weeks:

--The week of July 1 = 74
--The week of July 9 = 85
--The week of July 16 = 49
--The week of July 23 = 83

If a candidate made four stops in one day in Iowa, that counted as "4" in this tally. Still, it shows how busy things are in Iowa.

At Camp David later this morning, President Bush holds a joint press availability with new British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Yesterday, the Los Angeles Times wrote that the Democratic presidential candidates talk about getting out of Iraq, but not much on Al Qaeda and terrorism. On the flip side, Republicans talk about the threat of Islamic terrorism, but not so much on Iraq. "The problem each party faces, polls show, is that most Americans want answers to both questions, not just one or the other."

VIDEO: President Bush and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown meet face-to-face for the first time since Brown succeeded Tony Blair last month.

On Sunday, the Washington Post front-paged: "A surgeon general's report in 2006 that called on Americans to help tackle global health problems has been kept from the public by a Bush political appointee without any background or expertise in medicine or public health, chiefly because the report did not promote the administration's policy accomplishments, according to current and former public health officials."

It's no longer a drip-drip with Alberto Gonzales. It's a geyser. 

In fact, the Washington Post front-pages Gonzales' record with the truth. "The accusation that Gonzales has been deceptive in his public remarks has erupted this summer into a full-blown political crisis for the Bush administration, as the beleaguered attorney general struggles repeatedly to explain to Congress the removal of a batch of U.S. attorneys, the wiretapping program and other actions…  [C]ontroversy over Gonzales's candor about George W. Bush's conduct or policies has actually dogged him for more than a decade, since he worked for Bush in Texas."

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
Clinton is not the only one trying to capitalize on the controversy. The Obama campaign has bought flashy Web banner ads in Iowa and New Hampshire with the message:

--One candidate had the judgment to oppose the war from the start.
--One candidate knows it's irresponsible to send troops to war without a plan to bring them home.
--One candidate believes it's naïve to believe we can resolve conflicts without talking to our adversaries.
--Ready for a new direction?"

From NBC's Lauren Appelbaum
At the National Urban League conference this morning, four Democratic presidential hopefuls -- Kucinich, Edwards, Clinton, and Obama -- discussed their agendas to help poor urban African Americans rise out of poverty. But they also took advantage of the stage to offer both indirect and direct jabs at their opponents.
 
Clinton and Obama were each asked what, if elected, they would do to help the urban plight, and both responded they would make a change at the attorney general level. "Number one, let's appoint an attorney general who believes in the civil rights laws," Clinton said. "In addition to actually enforcing the laws we have on the books, let's make sure if there are holes that need to be plugged and gaps we have to fill, we do that." Later, Obama said, "I will have a Justice Department that actually promotes justices, and an attorney general who cares about civil rights." 
 

Hillary's Southern And Obama's Black
It appeared that Clinton's parodied southern accent resurfaced while she was talking about her belief for a "new and different conversation" about the 1.4 million African American men ages 16-24 in prison who are considered to be a "threat, headache, or a lost cause."
 

Unlike his previous addresses to primarily African-American audiences, Obama today overtly appealed to the black vote. "The day I'm inaugurated, the country looks at itself differently, and don't underestimate that power, don't underestimate that transformation," Obama said in response to a question on racial polarization. "When the state of Black America comes out, I want it to say the state of Black America is strong. In order for that to happen, we've got to to form that base. If you don't think I'm the best candidate to do that, I will just ask you one question. Who's got capacity to put Mississippi in play, which is 40% African American?"
 

Polite Jabs
While talking about home buying and loans, Kucinich paused and said "these hedgefunds, what are they about" -- making a possible joke at Edwards' expense. At the conclusion of his speech, he promised he has the experience to start on day one -- something Clinton often says. "As president, I'll have a full legislative agenda ready. I'll be ready the first day to go to work."
 
Obama also took a gentle swipe at Clinton, stating he "is not going to have a conversation" about the need to transform the country. Later on, he said, "All of us, from what I can tell, agree with the need to expand early childhood education, all of us are talking about universal healthcare, although some of us more specifically than others" -- obviously referring to the fact that Clinton has yet to announce a comprehensive health-care plan.

And Edwards repeated his mantra that the system is rigged, stating "big interests" such as insurance and drug companies control what happens in Washington -- and then offered what appeared to be a shot at Clinton and her husband's presidency. "Do we believe these people who have power today, that they are going to give it away voluntarily? Man, I am here to tell you, they will never give it away voluntarily," Edwards said. "We cannot negotiate, politick, triangulate. None of that's going to work with these people. The only way you can take their power away from them is to actually take them on."

From NBC's Mark Murray
If you or an ally is the recipient of a political attack, what do you do? First you respond to it -- and then you raise money off it. We saw this when the Edwards campaign issued fundraising solicitations during the tiff with Ann Coulter. And now the Clinton campaign is trying to raise money after its recent spat with Obama.

In a email solicitation, Clinton campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle writes, "Last week, one of the leading Republican candidates equated Hillary with Karl Marx. Yesterday, one of the leading Democratic candidates called her 'Bush-Cheney lite.' Can you imagine?? Hillary like George Bush??!! Or Dick Cheney!! Well, I guess this is what Hillary gets for being the strongest, most qualified, the most substantive, the most experienced, the most ready to be president. That's what Hillary has gotten all her career for being willing to fight for change." (No mention that Clinton struck Obama first, when she told an Iowa newspaper on Tuesday that Obama was "irresponsible" and "naive" for stating that he would meet with rogue world leaders without precondition.)

More from the email: "[Y]ou are Hillary's family; you are Hillary's friends. You are her strength. Almost one million of you -- and she's counting on you to stand with her. You've been there, in the trenches with her, day after day, week after week, year after year. Now there's only one thing I'm going to ask you to do: CONTRIBUTE. Send Hillary $5, 10, 15. Anything you can afford. Every dollar helps Hillary fight back."

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro

The Clinton campaign is circulating a fund-raising e-mail, using the flap over the senator's "cleavage" as the peg. "Now, I've seen some off-topic press coverage," writes Senior Advisor Ann Lewis, referring to the Washington Post article and ensuing coverage of the topic, "but talking about body parts? That is grossly inappropriate." She goes on to call the coverage "insulting" and urges supporters to "Take a stand against this kind of coarseness and pettiness." She then takes a veiled shot at Edwards, saying, "Hillary's jacket was the subject of some discussion among the candidates -- because it was coral. Debates should be serious business. We are, after all, picking the next commander in chief."

Now, give us "your support -- in whatever amount, large or small."

From NBC's Chuck Todd and Mark Murray

Illinois GOP Rep. Ray LaHood -- one of best talkers among House Republicans -- won't seek another term. "The decision comes just more than a month after the long-time Republican representative said he would seek an eighth term in Congress and was not going to apply for the Bradley University presidential post. He said in July he would make an official re-election announcement when he begins circulating petitions for candidacy in August." It will be a challenge for Democrats to make a play for this open seat next year. In 2004, Bush beat Kerry in this Peoria-based district, 58%-42%. But if Obama's on the ticket and with the right candidate, Democrats could have a shot.

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
Image-maker Fred Davis, who created the McCain campaign's logo and redesigned the new Straight Talk Express bus, told the Washington Post.com today that "sadly" he is leaving. Two others left earlier in the week. That means Of McCain's ad people, just Mark McKinnon is left.

From NBC's Mark Murray
A new Florida polls shows Clinton with a double-digit lead over her closest Democratic competitor, while Giuliani and Fred Thompson are running neck and neck in the state's GOP contest. According to the survey, which was conducted by Mason-Dixon, Clinton leads among likely Democratic primary voters at 31% -- followed by Obama at 17%, and Edwards at 12%. No other Democratic hopeful registers at more than 4%.

Meanwhile, in the GOP race, Giuliani is the choice of 21% of likely Republican primary voters. Thompson comes in second at 18%, McCain's at 11%, and Romney is at 7%. The margin of error in both polls is plus-minus 5%.

Strikingly, 34% of Florida GOP primary voters say they're undecided (which easily tops Giuliani's 21%), while 30% of Democratic voters say the same thing.

From NBC's Courtney Kube
Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England just provided an extremely unusual -- and totally dumbfounding -- moment at the retirement ceremony for vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Admiral Ed Giambastiani.

As England was speaking about Giambastiani, a man in a red shirt walked up to the deputy secretary and put a parrot -- yes, a parrot -- on England's shoulder. England said he wanted his remarks to be very personal and that was why "Sweetie Pie" was on his shoulder. But England did not explain the joke for the rest of us. The parrot stayed on England's shoulder for the remainder of his brief remarks. 

England then brought out a digital recorder that had recorded a message to Giambastiani and his wife on ... in morse code. He played the recording and translated the farewell message for those of us whose morse code is a little rusty.

Gates joked about the moment when he stepped to the podium right after England, saying, "I can't possibly top that. I have no animals."

Video: Defense official delivers speech with parrot

From NBC's Andrea Mitchell

John Edwards took a shot at Clinton and Obama's dispute -- telling the National Urban League convention in St Louis: "If you're looking, if you're looking for what's wrong in Washington, why the system is broken, why the system doesn't work, one perfect example is what's been happening over the last four days. We've had two good people, Democratic candidates for president, who've spent their time attacking each other, instead of attacking the problems that this country's faced.

"I got your attention with that one, didn't I?"

He delivered a populist-themed speech, opening his remarks by saying that America is broken -- and he still believes we have two Americas. "I'm here to tell you the system is rigged," Edwards said. "It is rigged; it is broken, and not working for most people in this country."

He went on to attack "big interests" -- insurance companies, big drug companies, big banks, and lobbyists.

"Do we believe these people who have the power today are going to give away power voluntarily?" Edwards said. "We cannot negotiate, triangulate" (note an implicit shot at Clinton) "the only way we're going to get them to give up power is to take them on, take them on then we can beat them."

He also hit on other Edwards' themes: health care, tax loopholes for big corporations and outsourcing.

Clinton and Obama speak next. Kucinich kicked off the conference. No Republicans will be appearing before the civil rights group, though Huckabee and Hunter initially accepted, then backed out.

From NBC's Mike Viqueira
The word spreading all over Capitol Hill today is that longtime Fox senior congressional producer Jim Mills is leaving his booth on the House side to join the Fred Thompson quasi-campaign as spokesman. NBC has confirmed that Mills will join Thompson's organization effective August 20.

Lot's of "OMG" and even "OMFG" being traded on the e-mail this morning among staffers and press because Mills is something close to a legend on the House side. Known for his pugnacious (yet jocular) style, everyone from Speaker Pelosi to the cashiers down in the basement have gotten a kick out of "Millsy" at one time or another, and in one form or another.

Full disclosure: Over the years, Mills and I have been fierce competitors and close friends. I have known him to be a creative and perceptive individual who never played favorites. Most everyone comes away from an encounter with him with a smile on their face, with some notable exceptions among members -- both Rs and Ds -- who trip his BS alarm.

See ya around, Millsy.

From NBC's Andrew Merten
Even before the opening credits of the new "Simpsons" movie, the writers take a jab at the earlier-than-normal coverage of the next presidential election. The movie begins with an episode of "Itchy and Scratchy" that tells of the cartoon mouse's heroism, making him Hillary Clinton's running partner -- and she's the at the bottom of the ticket.

Other political plots include Al Gore's crusade against global warming, NSA spying, and Arnold Schwarzenegger as president.

From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Carly Zakin
*** The Shot Heard 'Round The Political World: This week's spat between Clinton and Obama appears to be over. And a month from now, we'll all have forgotten it. But it did expose -- in public for the first time -- the different attacks the campaigns will use against each other. For Clinton, it was painting Obama as inexperienced ("naïve" and "irresponsible") and as a hypocrite when he punches back ("Whatever happened to the politics of hope?"). For Obama, it was turning Clinton into the status-quo candidate (calling her "Bush-Cheney lite"). Who won? Not to cop out, but it seems both campaigns think they've done good things this week. If anything, the skirmish was analogous to a battle, where one army (Clinton's) senses a vulnerability and charges, then the other army (Obama's) beats it back. And the battle line remains the same as it was before the whole thing started. Although we have to note that Obama seemed to have a bounce in his step in New Hampshire yesterday -- like a boxer who takes a punch and realizes, hey, wow, I CAN take a punch.

*** Abandon Ship, Abandon Ship: Fred Thompson is lucky that most political reporters this week have been focused on the Clinton-Obama spat. Because the last 24 hours in his non-campaign have been chaotic, to say the least. There was a point yesterday when it seemed Thompson was losing a staffer an hour. Apparently, every single staffer that decided to leave called a reporter or a blogger to give their version of "Jeri Thompson is micro-managing things too much." Lots of eye-rolling among those following this story. Perhaps the good news for Thompson is expectations for his actual candidacy are starting to drop -- like a rock among some.

*** So Who's The Front-Runner? As NBC's David Gregory pointed out on TODAY, the front-runners might not be the candidates who are leading in the national polls. In fact, a new KCCI/Research 2000 polls shows Edwards and Romney ahead in Iowa.

Video: New Iowa poll shows Dem and GOP shake-ups

*** Back On The Hot Seat: Congressional Democrats are not giving up on their campaign to oust Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. And the White House should be aware that every time Gonzales appears on the Hill to defend himself, more Republicans seem comfortable criticizing him as well. Gonzales has already defied political death before, so who knows. But when the head of the FBI is disputing your accounts, that can't be a good thing.

*** Another Day, Another Forum: This morning, Clinton, Edwards, Kucinich, and Obama speak (individually) to the National Urban League's conference in St. Louis. All the GOP presidential candidates were invited, but none of them will make an appearance, although Huckabee attended a private reception there last night. After the conference, Clinton participates in an economic policy town hall at West Virginia State University and then speaks at the National Beauty Culturists' League Convention in Virginia; Edwards speaks at the College Democrats of America Conference at the University of South Carolina; and Obama hosts a "rural issues forum" in Iowa.

*** On The Trail: Elsewhere, Brownback is in Iowa; Dodd also stumps in the Hawkeye State, where he meets bicycling registrants at the Ride Across Iowa (note: he's not riding 12 miles like Edwards did yesterday); Giuliani travels to Dallas; Huckabee speaks in Philadelphia; McCain raises money in New York City and then attends a minor league baseball game in Greenville, SC; Richardson is in New Hampshire, and Romney campaigns in Iowa. The candidates' wives are busy as well: Elizabeth Edwards makes three stops in New Hampshire, while Jackie Dodd and Mary Brownback are in Iowa.

Countdown to the Ames Straw Poll: 15 days
Countdown to MA-05 Special Election: 38 days
Countdown to LA GOV election: 85 days
Countdown to Election Day 2007: 102 days
Countdown to LA GOV run-off (if necessary): 113 days
Countdown to Iowa: 170 days
Countdown to Tsunami Tuesday: 192 days
Countdown to Election Day 2008: 466 days
Countdown to Inauguration Day 2009: 543 days

The Washington Post's Balz and Kornblut write about yesterday's escalation by both camps and note: "The tussle could be a turning point in the Democratic race, which has seen little direct engagement between the top two candidates until now, and highlights how the competition between them has been framed: Clinton's experience vs. Obama's freshness. For Obama, it also marked a plunge into charge-countercharge politics after a promise to run 'a different kind of campaign.'"

A couple of fallout questions: Will Obama pay a price with supporters (especially independents) for practicing politics as usual, and will Clinton see her unfavorables go up among Democrats for hitting the popular guy?

The Politico's Smith says, "At the core of the exchange, each campaign saw an opportunity. Clinton saw a chance to feed doubts about her main challenger's readiness to stand on the world stage. Obama, after a moment of doubt, took the offensive to paint himself as the true apostle of the kind of dramatic change that Americans – and particularly Democrats – say they want."

The New York Times' lead: "Senator Barack Obama continued to press his case against Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton yesterday, calling her 'Bush-Cheney lite,' which prompted her to fire back — on camera — that the escalating dispute with Mr. Obama was 'getting kind of silly.'"

The Washington Times' headline: "Obama likens Hillary to Bush."

The New York Daily News says Obama and Clinton "ripped each other as the bigger foreign policy dunce," noting there are reasons for both sides to engage -- with "Clinton needing to shake an unexpectedly strong threat from Obama and Obama needing to show he can take a punch -- and hit back."

As we asked yesterday, is Mitt Romney doing Clinton any favors by siding with her on this question of when do meet with certain world dictators/rogues?  Romney compared Obama to Neville Chamberlain yesterday.

And Dodd's campaign released a statement from the candidate saying that neither Clinton nor Obama is right. "Diplomacy is essential both to repair our nation's fractured world relationships and move forward with a more global perspective to our foreign policy. However, there are some leaders -- like Iran's Ahmadinejad, who denies the Holocaust ever took place -- which cannot and should not be diplomatically rewarded with visits from the American president," Dodd said. "Unfortunately, this false debate, which has now lingered for days, has become just another personal argument among politicians and that's lamentable given the stakes in this election.

BIDEN:

Here's an interesting shot Joe Biden's New Hampshire chair took at Obama yesterday. There's a charge buried in here, but it's implied not direct. We'll let you, the readers, connect the dots. State Rep. Jim Ryan issued a statement following Paul Hodes' endorsement of Obama: "I am deeply disappointed by the comments of Senator Obama this morning. It does not say a lot for Obama's opinion of New Hampshire officials if he thinks that our endorsements can be bought and sold for 'favors.' We take pride in New Hampshire of the fact that we look beyond the hype and the money and really focus on where all the candidates stand on the issues. Our last two Democratic presidents started off low in the polls, however they won in New Hampshire based on the merits of their ideas."

CLINTON:

She'll be in Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket at the end of August for at least three fund-raisers. "Tickets for the August 25 party go for $2,300 for the whole affair, or $1,000 to attend the reception but skip the 'town hall conversation,'" the Boston's Globe says. 
 
An ex-National Education Association president endorsed Clinton.

DODD: "Dodd promises universal coverage by the end of his first term, partly through the creation of a new entity called Universal HealthMart, modeled after the Federal Employees Health Benefits Plan."

The Hartford Courant says Dodd's plan "faces at least three big hurdles: getting noticed, getting approved and getting funded."

EDWARDS: NBC's Kevin Corke previews Edwards' address to the National Urban League today. Per Corke, he will focus on familiar themes from his recent "Road to One America" tour -- notably, detailing his plan for universal health care. The campaign says 20% of African Americans don't have health care, and Edwards will call for broader research and more training to increase diversity in the medical profession. He will also talk up his "College for Everyone" program, which promises to pay for the first year of public-college tuition, books, and fees for students willing to work part-time and stay out of trouble. And he will look to pick up points by reminding the audience of his commitment to fighting poverty, decrying racial disparities in the criminal justice system, and calling for more fair housing enforcement and affordable housing for families.

Here's the Los Angeles Times' lead on Edwards tax speech yesterday, in which he called for tax increases for some wealthier Americans. "Tax hikes, once anathema to Democrats trying to shed their image as tax-and-spend liberals, are back… Edwards' plan, which dovetails with the populist tone of his campaign, would reverse the Bush-era trend toward taxing investment income more lightly than wages… Edwards' proposal may be a crowd-pleaser for Democratic primary voters who object to Bush's big tax cuts. But it may be a politically risky position for anyone heading into a general election contest against Republicans, who portray Democrats as incorrigible tax raisers."

The paper also notes that the Edwards tax plan was the most detailed of any candidate running.

Here's the plan in a nutshell, courtesy of the New York Times: "The Edwards campaign said his plan would raise the tax rate on capital gains, which are profits from investments, to 28 percent from the current 15 percent for taxpayers with incomes over $250,000. It would remain at 15 percent for those who earn less than $250,000… Mr. Edwards said the revenue gained from these tax increases would pay for a variety of tax cuts aimed at middle- and lower-income people, including exempting the first $250 of investment income from capital gains taxes, expanding the earned-income and child and dependent care tax credits, setting up special tax-free savings accounts."

Many in the media have been intrigued by the ideological makeovers of Clinton, Romney, and Giuliani. But there has been little attention to Edwards 'makeover. Here's a Concord Monitor header that does a good job of quickly noting how much the candidate has changed from his '04 campaign: "Edwards: Moderate no more." Subhead: "Candidate redefines himself on the left"

OBAMA: "Obama said he was proud to have Hodes' endorsement," the Boston Globe notes, "but conceded he would not have near the number of endorsements that other candidates, like Hillary Clinton will have. "'We haven't been in Washington all that long and we haven't traded that many favors,' Obama said."

 
 
Obama brought College Democrats to their feet at their convention in South Carolina. "Obama drew his strongest reaction when he mentioned the need for health care for college students and a means to pay for college tuition," the Columbia State reports. Students described the presidential hopeful as "amazing," "inspirational" and "makes me proud." Another student, though, handed out opposition literature and said Obama's "not ready for prime time." 
 

RICHARDSON: There was a contentious moment at one of Richardson's Iowa stops yesterday, when he was challenged on his Iraq withdrawal plan by a police officer from Des Moines.

The New York Daily News says it looks like there's but a "snowman's chance" of a CNN/YouTube Republican debate. Giuliani said "scheduling issues" would likely keep him away; McCain called questions from a snowman "frankly inappropriate"; and Romney said "the presidency ought to be held at a higher level than having to answer questions from a snowman." The New York Post says Giuliani's camp is concerned about the proximity of the Sept. 17th date to the close of the third quarter -- Sept. 30th. 

GIULIANI: The Atlantic's Marc Ambinder also notes that Giuliani might skip the YouTube debate. While in Texas yesterday, Giuliani said the red state could be competitive in a general election, notes NBC's Shawna Thomas. "Texas will be a battleground," he said, insisting that Republicans couldn't take the state for granted.  

MCCAIN:

McCain's stop yesterday in New Hampshire focused on immigration, but it was not his choosing. Also, speaking to reporters in Boston yesterday, McCain talked about Monday's CNN/YouTube debate, NBC's Andrew Merten reports. "I only saw some excerpts. I just don't think that questions from snowmen are appropriate in presidential campaigns," McCain said, referring to a YouTube video in which a snowman asked the candidates about their views on global warming. "But I think that this is serious: We're in a war," he concluded.
 
He also answered questions about the shaky state of his campaign -- but only for a few minutes.  After repeating several times that he's not nervous and has seen an "enthusiastic turnout" while campaigning in New Hampshire, he refused to answer any more "process" questions about fundraising or organization, and insisted that the group of reporters go back to asking questions about the issues.

ROMNEY: Tom Edsall, now writing for the Huffington Post, has an interesting examination of Romney's FEC reports. He combs through payments to certain folks that Edsall believes is an indication Romney's trying to buy grassroots support. Per the AP, "Romney said Thursday he'll probably deliver a speech explaining the role his Mormon faith plays in his political life, but he argued he's made strong gains among evangelicals despite questions about his religion. 'I have thought about that,' Romney said in an interview with The Associated Press. 'I haven't made a final decision, but it's probably more likely than not.'"

F. THOMPSON:

Without telling its readers, the Washington Post seems to be making this its unofficial Thompson biography week. Today, John Solomon examines the commentaries Thompson writes online and delivers on the radio and notes the sharp turn to the right he's taken over the last year. Thompson was on Hannity last night, but wasn't asked about the chaotic staff day.

Per the New York Times, "Bush administration officials are voicing increasing anger at what they say has been Saudi Arabia's counterproductive role in the Iraq war. They say that beyond regarding Mr. Maliki as an Iranian agent, the Saudis have offered financial support to Sunni groups in Iraq. Of an estimated 60 to 80 foreign fighters who enter Iraq each month, American military and intelligence officials say that nearly half are coming from Saudi Arabia and that the Saudis have not done enough to stem the flow."

NBC Des Moines affiliate WHO-TV took six undecided voters -- two Democrats, two Republicans, and two Independents -- from different Iowa cities and allowed them to grade the Dem and GOP presidential candidates' responses to this question: "What do you think will happen when U.S. troops are withdrawn from Iraq, and what is your strategy to deal with what happens afterward?" The grades weren't too kind.

A new Research 2000 poll conducted for KCCI in Iowa shows Edwards still leading with 27%, followed by Clinton at 22% and Obama at 16%. Also breaking double-digits, Bill Richardson at 11%. In May, Research 2000 had Clinton in the lead with 28%, followed by Edwards at 26% and Obama at 22%, with Richardson at 7%. So only Edwards and Richardson saw their numbers go up (though Edwards' inch up was statistically insignificant). Of significance, both Clinton and Obama went down.

On the GOP side, Romney has a double-digit lead. He sits at 25%, with Thompson at 14%, Giuliani at 13%, and McCain at 10%. This is a BIG change since May, when McCain, Giuliani, and Romney were all bunched up top at 18%, 17%, and 16%, respectively. Also of note in the poll, a majority of all Iowans favor impeachment proceedings against Cheney, including 63% of self-described independents.

USA Today's Jill Lawrence has a fun piece about the candidates' abilities to use humor on the campaign trail.