From NBC's Lauren Appelbaum
An organization trying to combat childhood obesity has created a television spoof of Sen. Larry Craig's men's room incident called "Dirty Little Secret." The ad targets U.S. senators drafting the Farm Bill, who support subsidies for high-fat foods such as bacon and burgers that make their way to school-lunch programs. 

The ad, created by the non-profit Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), features a man in a bathroom stall tapping his foot, signaling that he is ready to receive political contributions from the pork industry. "In turn, Congress buys up millions of dollars of these products and dumps them on our schools," the ad's announcer says. "Companies get rich. Kids get fat. Is your Senator on the gravy train? Find out at StopChildhoodObesityNow.org"
 
Per Jeanne Stuart McVey, the group's spokesperson, the ad will run on CNN Wednesday evening between 6pm and midnight in DC, Atlanta and Minneapolis. The ad is running in Atlanta to target Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), who, according to the organization, has received the most amount of money from agribusiness PACs between 2000 and 2006. McVey says the ad is running in Minneapolis because Larry Craig's hearing is in the city.
 
The initial ad buy is $10,000, but the organization plans to buy additional airtime in the coming weeks. "The Farm Bill is still being worked on in the Senate," McVey says, "so we still have time to influence the Farm Bill."

Here's the full transcript of the ad:
ANNCR: "It's their dirty little secret. Members of Congress taking PAC money from corporations producing bacon, burgers, and other fatty foods. In turn, Congress buys up millions of dollars of these products and dumps them on our schools. Companies get rich. Kids get fat. Is your Senator on the gravy train? Find out at StopChildhoodObesityNow.org."

From NBC's Pete Williams
Just in time for the coming election year, the US Supreme Court today agreed to consider whether states can require voters to show a photo ID at the polling place to case a vote.

Eleven states now require voters to show IDs. Georgia's law requires the ID to have a photo, and so does Indiana -- which is the state law the court today agreed to review. It's considered the nation's strictest.

Opponents of the law argue that it will reduce voter participation, because it makes it harder for older residents, the poor, racial minorities, and people with disabilities to muster the necessary documents that are required to get a driver's license or state-issued photo ID card. Advocates of the law say showing a photo ID is a small price to pay to reduce voter fraud. In upholding the law, a federal appeals court said photo IDs have become such a part of American life that using one for voting is only a minimal burden.

There's a partisan aspect to this argument that goes beyond constitutional rights. Advocates of voter ID requirements tend to be Republicans, and opponents are generally Democrats. The court will probably hear the case in December 2007 or January 2008.

From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Julia Steers
HANOVER, NH -- 
*** Hillary's final hurdle? So far this campaign season, Clinton has cleared -- at least right now -- three important hurdles: 1) the past Clinton baggage; 2) questions about her gender; and 3) her Iraq war vote. But her Democratic rivals now are focusing on what may be her final hurdle: electability. Yesterday, when he endorsed Obama, former Iowa Democratic Party chairman Gordon Fischer touched on this when he said that Obama had the best chance of winning the White House and helping downballot candidates. Also, in reference to President Bush's comment that Clinton will win the Democratic nomination, a Dodd spokeswoman said: "I can understand why the President would want Senator Clinton to be the nominee." Ouch. Of course, Democrats -- right now -- believe that Clinton is the most electable candidate. In this month's NBC/WSJ poll, 54% of Democratic voters said Clinton has the best chance of defeating the Republicans in 2008. But dig a bit deeper in the poll and you'll notice a ceiling for Clinton. For instance, when matched up against the least known major GOP candidate (Huckabee), Clinton nabs just 50%.

*** Bill's power: Just how powerful is Bill Clinton? It appears, according to the Politico, that he helped kill a GQ article by Atlantic Monthly writer Joshua Green that wasn't all that friendly to the Clinton campaign. Whether it's helping rack up congressional endorsements for his wife, preventing labor groups from endorsing other candidates, or even helping to kill negative stories, this is Bill's real power in this race: leverage.

*** Land to the rescue: A week after James Dobson criticized Thompson, Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention comes to Thompson's defense. Land tells CBN's Brody: "I've received phone calls and emails from Southern Baptists about Senator Thompson. They are all furious at Doctor Dobson. They just feel that first of all there was a mischaracterizing of his positions. Do I wish that he supported the marriage protection amendment? Of course I do. To say that he is for 50 different views of marriage in 50 different states is a gross mischaracterization of his position. Secondly, do I wish that he attended church every Sunday? As a Baptist pastor, of course I do. But does that make him a person of unbelief? That's harsh and unwarranted." Land's likely support for Thompson has been on display for months. Dobson may have a large audience, but Land (a Southerner) may be a more important ally in a GOP primary.

** Let the Borat jokes begin: The Giuliani campaign is raising money in Kazakhstan from Americans living there.

*** Trouble for the Dems? Before tomorrow's Democratic debate on MSNBC, moderated by NBC's Tim Russert, we're taking a look at some potential problems for Democrats in 2008, even though they're in better position than they've been in years. Yesterday, we looked at some cautionary data regarding independents (a must-win group for Democrats and a group that's BIG here in New Hampshire). Today, we examine some of the disenchantment with the Democratic-controlled Congress. Per this month's NBC/WSJ poll, only 23% approve of Congress' job. More importantly, the Democratic Party -- for the first time in nearly a year -- has a net-negative rating on the feeling thermometer (34% positive/38% negative). "Dissatisfaction with Congress has dragged down the image of the Democratic Party," pollster Neil Newhouse (R) told First Read. Of course, the GOP's rating is even worse (31% positive/47% negative). And, by a 47%-35% margin, voters say they prefer a Democratic-controlled Congress to a GOP-controlled one.

*** Meet the new boss, same as the old boss? Still, did voters expect more change from a Democratic Congress? Yes, it did pass a minimum-wage hike and has been a check on the White House. And, yes, Bush has thwarted much of what the Democrats have wanted to do. But the facts are this: Gridlock, party infighting, and the Iraq war all continue. The Democratic front-runners are promising change. But with Congress unable to deliver on change -- so far -- could such a message end up falling on deaf ears?

*** Another labor cattle call: It wasn't too long ago that a handful of labor unions -- including SEIU, the Carpenters, the Farm Workers, and the Teamsters -- broke away from the AFL-CIO and formed their own federation, Change To Win. The reason for the split: Those unions though the AFL was too focused on politics and not enough on organizing. Well, today Change to Win gets a dose of politics when Obama, Edwards, and Clinton (in that order) address the group in Chicago. This front-runner cattle call comes just a day after the United Auto Workers -- an AFL member -- went on strike against GM.

*** On the trail: Elsewhere, Biden is in Boston; Huckabee is in Arkansas, where he attends the commemoration ceremony of Central High's 50th anniversary of integration; McCain is in Texas, where (among other things) he participates in a roundtable discussion on Israel in Houston; Obama, after addressing Change to Win, campaigns in Portland, ME; and Romney raises money in California.

*** Another "Super Tuesday": For more on these things -- and much, much more -- tune into another round of MSNBC's all-day Super Tuesday political coverage.

Countdown to LA GOV election: 25 days
Countdown to Election Day 2007: 42 days
Countdown to LA GOV run-off (if necessary): 53 days
Countdown to Iowa: 111 days
Countdown to SC GOP primary: 116 days
Countdown to Tsunami Tuesday: 133 days
Countdown to Election Day 2008: 406 days
Countdown to Inauguration Day 2009: 483 days

The New York Times' David Brooks looks at the power of the netroots within the Democratic Party and concludes it may not be as powerful as they think. 

After an eight-hour meeting in Chicago yesterday, the executive board of the Service Employees International Union decided not to endorse a candidate in the Democratic primary for now. The executive board will revisit the issue of an endorsement on October 8, after the third quarter fund-raising totals are in. The delay in choosing a candidate to endorse gives Obama the opportunity to meet with and persuade SEIU leaders that he is the best contender, and the Chicago Sun-Times' Lynn Sweet reports that "there are elements within the leadership who want to stop Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, who is the front-runner…."

BIDEN: The candidate has an op-ed in the Columbia State today that outlines his partition plan for Iraq.

Yesterday, the campaign announced that Biden had picked up his ninth endorsement from an Iowa legislator: House Speaker Pro Tempore Polly Bukta (D-Clinton).

CLINTON: The Politico has this scoop: "Early this summer, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign for president learned that the men's magazine GQ was working on a story [by Atlantic Monthly writer Joshua Green] the campaign was sure to hate: an account of infighting in Hillaryland. So Clinton's aides pulled a page from the book of Hollywood publicists and offered GQ a stark choice: Kill the piece, or lose access to planned celebrity coverboy Bill Clinton." 
 

"Despite internal protests, GQ editor Jim Nelson met the Clinton campaign's demands, which had been delivered by Bill Clinton's spokesman, Jay Carson, several sources familiar with the conversations said. GQ writer George Saunders traveled with Clinton to Africa in July, and Clinton is slated to appear on the cover of GQ's December issue, in which it traditionally names a 'Man of the Year,' according magazine industry sources… The spiked GQ story also shows how the Clinton campaign has been able to use its access to the most important commodity in media - celebrity, and in fact two bona fide celebrities - to shape not just what gets written about the candidate, but also what doesn't."

The Atlantic has the script of the radio ad Clinton launched in South Carolina Monday, which targets black women -- many of whom recent polls show are undecided about who to support in the Jan. 20 primary. The ad says, in part: "Time and again, Hillary Clinton has stood up to President Bush…stood up FOR us. Hillary: And if you're stuck on a rooftop or stranded in the Superdome during a hurricane you're invisible to this president even when you're on CNN. Well, you are not invisible to me, and you should never be invisible to the president of the United States." 

Evan Bayh's "endorsement helps the Clinton campaign make the case that she is electable despite distaste for her among some moderate and conservative-leaning voters."

EDWARDS: The AP on Edwards' policy rollout yesterday on combating HIV/AIDS: "He called for spending $50 billion over five years on H.I.V./AIDS treatment and using World Health Organization, rather than Food and Drug Administration, standards to speed the availability of new AIDS drugs."

Elizabeth Edwards is proving -- once again -- that she'll be her husband's attack dog on Clinton. Per an interview with the N.Y. Daily News, "Hillary Clinton didn't just fail to get universal health care as First Lady, she and her husband, Bill, ditched it to stockpile political clout for other fights, Elizabeth Edwards told the Daily News. 'It failed when the Clinton administration pulled this, when they said, "We're not going to use any more political capital on this, on the fight for universal health care." And that's an important part that Sen. Clinton leaves out.'" More from Elizabeth Edwards: "'They lost the fight in 1993, pulled it out because they wanted to use their political capital to get NAFTA passed as opposed to universal health care in '94.'"

OBAMA: The Los Angeles Times looks at an interesting campaign tactic being employed by the Obama camp in Nevada: It is recruiting supporters from surrounding states to canvass Nevada. "So far, California groups have traveled from the Bay Area to Reno, and from Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego to Las Vegas. Arizona volunteers -- 21 last weekend -- also target the Las Vegas area; volunteers from Utah and Idaho focus on Elko and other rural areas in the vast northeast part of the state."

(The Obama campaign will hate this comparison, but this sounds awfully similar to what Dean's campaign did in Iowa -- and it was something that eventually turned off Iowans. Then again, Nevada is made up of outsiders, so maybe residents will be more open to outsiders coming into the state to talk up Obama.)

It looks like the entire Dem field is shifting its criticism of Clinton by downplaying her electability. Per NBC/NJ's Carrie Dann, former Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Gordon Fischer yesterday used the E-word when he endorsed Obama, saying that Obama has "best chance" of winning the White House and helping "down-ballot" candidates in the process. Fischer's focus on electability emphasizes a point that's echoed over and over again by experts here in Iowa: caucus voters are pragmatists. If they're going to invest the time in sifting through all the candidates, they're darn well going to caucus for a winner.

Fischer wouldn't say as much, but journalists questioned whether his "down-ballot" remark might be aimed at Hillary Clinton, who some Democrats fear will be a drag on the rest of the party if she's the eventual nominee. Obama and Edwards certainly aren't arguing with that assessment.  And yesterday, Dodd spokeswoman Colleen Flanagan said in a press release, "I can understand why the President would want Senator Clinton to be the nominee." 

The Boston Globe's Canellos calls the "political marriage" between Obama and Jesse Jackson "among the most freighted. The two men need each other's support, yet also need to keep their distance. Each serves as a standing critique of the other, yet they profess to share similar goals."

RICHARDSON: Keep an eye on the New Mexico governor at tomorrow night's debate. Based on this release, it looks like the governor is determined to prove that he's the only major candidate calling for an immediate withdrawal in Iraq. By lumping Edwards and Obama in with Clinton on Iraq, of course, probably ends up helping Clinton.

This is interesting. The NRA, which hasn't tried to play an influential role in presidential primaries in the past, is contemplating getting actively involved in this campaign. The Washington Times: "'Historically, we have not gotten involved in primaries. We traditionally wait until after the conventions,' said Chris Cox, head lobbyist for the NRA. 'That being said, given the candidates and the process and the front-loading of the primaries, it is a possibility that we could get involved in one of these presidential primaries.'"

The article adds that "Fred Thompson, who earned an 'A' rating from the NRA during his time in the Senate, was the group's favorite. Meanwhile, the GOP front-runner, Rudolph W. Giuliani, left members underwhelmed."

GIULIANI: Every GOP candidate tried to get in on the Ahmadinejad-Columbia University bashing yesterday, but it appears Giuliani got the most attention for his tough words, thanks to Hannity.

That said, Romney did put money behind his criticism with a radio ad criticizing the UN for inviting the Iranian leader to speak. The ad is running in Iowa, South Carolina and Florida.

The cell phone call heard 'round the campaign is getting Giuliani some not-so-flattering press. This column is just one example. The critiques range from odd to rude.

HUCKABEE: It seems a day hasn't gone by in the last two weeks when one of the major GOP candidates hasn't taken a shot at Clinton over the MoveOn ad. Yesterday, it was Huckabee in an interview with Washington Times. Specifically, Huckabee called out Clinton for not condemning George Soros by name for his support of MoveOn.

MCCAIN: The Des Moines Register's top story: "McCain covets Kerry-like revival." The paper lays out that in July 2003, Kerry had just 14% in the polls; in November, just 15% and then January, 38%. Rick Davis, McCain's campaign manager, said, "It is the Kerry model in a lot of ways." But the Register notes: "Of course, Kerry did not have to cut his Iowa staff the way McCain has, and Kerry did not have to contend with the fundraising headaches that have plagued McCain."

ROMNEY: The head of Romney's counterterrorism team is Cofer Black. Black is also the head of Blackwater USA. But Romney yesterday declined to comment on the allegations swirling around Blackwater's role in Iraq killings. Romney called the allegations "troubling" and "serious" but said, "I don't want to prejudge what will happen from the investigation, but if the investigations go through in a legitimate and appropriate way, then I would expect an appropriate response."

While campaigning and fundraising yesterday afternoon in California, Romney ratcheted up the Republican attacks of late on Clinton. But NBC's Lauren Appelbaum and Abby Livingston note that this time it was not for her health-care plan -- but rather for not coming down hard enough on Columbia University and the United Nations for the Ahmadinejad New York trip. "I understand that Hillary Clinton didn't have a particular problem with it," Romney said during a town hall in a Santa Clara restaurant. "She was asked what she would have done, and she didn't want to be critical of the president of Columbia University or I guess the Secretary General. I think it's time for us to stand up and be real honest about what we think about these folks. This is not a person who ought to be coming here. If he has any extra time to visit in New York, he ought to go visit the Holocaust Museum, not Columbia University."

To be fair, Clinton was not silent about the issue, like Romney tried to lead his audience to believe. "What I've said, if that I were the president of a university I would not have invited him," Clinton said when asked at a press conference yesterday. "But I did not express an opinion about the decision made by Columbia. Obviously, I was very much against his desire to go to Ground Zero. I thought that was absolutely out of bounds and unacceptable, and thankfully it was not permitted."

THOMPSON: Here's what Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention said to CBN's Brody: "I've received phone calls and emails from Southern Baptists about Senator Thompson. They are all furious at Doctor Dobson. They just feel that first of all there was a mischaracterizing of his positions. Do I wish that he supported the marriage protection amendment? Of course I do. To say that he is for 50 different views of marriage in 50 different states is a gross mischaracterization of his position. Secondly, do I wish that he attended church every Sunday? As a Baptist pastor, of course I do. But does that make him a person of unbelief? That's harsh and unwarranted."

On a related note, your First Read editors had the pleasure of listening Land's syndicated radio show a few weeks back (just before Thompson made it official), and we could tell Land was on the verge of supporting Thompson. He even told his listeners about a "born again" moment of sorts that Thompson had shared with friends (just after Thompson's daughter died) that indicated to Land that Thompson was the real deal to him.

Florida Republicans are using the feud between the Florida Democratic Party and the DNC as a recruiting tool. The GOP is set to send out a mailer this week warning targeted Florida Dems that because of political infighting their vote may not be counted. Included in the mailer: a form to change voter registration.

USA Today previews Bush's speech before the UN today. "The president who challenged the United Nations to take a hard line with Iraq will take a softer approach when he addresses Tuesday's annual meeting of the U.N. General Assembly. Important but relatively non-controversial issues such as illiteracy, poverty and African economic development will occupy much of President Bush's U.N. agenda, in contrast with previous years when terrorism or Iraq were the main topics."

More: "Bush will follow his address today by meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. It will be their first face-to-face encounter since a gunbattle this month that killed about a dozen Iraqis and prompted al-Maliki to criticize the role of U.S. private security contractors operating in Iraq outside his government's jurisdiction."

In an hourlong interview with the Boston Globe's editorial board, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wanted to make one thing clear: "We have to make it very clear to the American people that it was George Bush's war [but] it is now the Republicans in Congress's war." She expressed frustration that many view Democrats as having failed to end the war in Iraq after they were elected to majorities in the House and Senate in 2006, largely as a mandate to end the war. "The Republicans in the Senate have guarded the gate," Pelosi said, calling the Republicans' blocking of the Webb amendment a turning point.

The liberal blogs are going crazy (with love) over MSNBC's David Shuster interview with Tennessee Republican Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn, in which he asked her a simple question: Whether she knew the name of the last soldier from her district killed in Iraq. The YouTube of this interview is burning up the lefty blogosphere. Watch the video yourself, it appears Blackburn does her best to defend not knowing the soldier's name.

Over on Capitol Hill, NBC's Ken Strickland notes that as one Iraq debate is expected to draw to a close this week (with Democrats trying to change the war strategy and increase troop withdrawal) another war debate starts soon (how to pay for it). On Wednesday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Peter Pace will testify before a Senate committee on an additional war funding request for about $50 billion.

"Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) should not be allowed to withdraw his guilty plea to charges of disorderly conduct because he fully understood the legal process leading up to the deal, the Minnesota prosecutor who handled the case contended in legal documents filed today," the Washington Post writes. "In a 41-page motion that seeks to preserve Craig's guilty plea to misdemeanor disorderly conduct charges, prosecutor Christopher P. Renz charged that Craig was upset with the political results of his plea but has no legal grounds to overturn it."

More: "'The real basis for the defendant's motion -- displeasure with the outcome -- is not an appropriate basis for relief sought,' wrote Renz, who noted that he spoke with Craig three times over a six-week period before the plea. 'The court should also deny the defendant's motion as untimely because it was sought only as a political reaction.'"

NBC's Joel Seidman reports that another element of the mystery Craig is promised to be revealed today. According to Judy Smith -- the public relations guru to Craig's super-lawyer, Billy Martin -- we will know Tuesday whether Craig will fly back through the same Minneapolis airport where he was arrested and appear before a judge who he has asked to reverse his guilty plea.

The end of September this week means the end of the 2007 fiscal year, NBC's Strickland says. And since none of the annual government funding bills are finished, Congress is expected to pass a stopgap bill to avoid a government shutdown. In addition to providing money for all the government agencies to operate, it will also provide funding for the State Children's Health Insurance Program, or SCHIP. So even if the president follows through on his veto threat, the program will still be operational.

From NBC's Lauren Appelbaum and Elissa Davis
Citing Hillary Clinton's devotion to the middle class, Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) endorsed Hillary Clinton for president. "Hillary Clinton is a seasoned, experienced leader who will be ready to lead this country on Day One," Bayh said during a news conference with Clinton.
 
Bayh, who previously was in the running for the Democratic nomination, is from a Republican-leaning state. Clinton said his endorsement "underscores my commitment for running a national campaign." She compared her presidential run to her previous Senate races, where she campaigned all over the state, including "red New York."
 
"I believed that I was running to be the Senator for the entire state," Clinton said, "not a segment of the state, not a set of constituencies in the sate, but the entire state. I feel the very same way about my campaign for the presidency."

The Clintons and Bayhs have a long history together, dating back almost 20 years to when Bill Clinton and Evan Bayh served as governors of Arkansas and Indiana. Now Hillary Clinton and Bayh both serve on the Senate Arms Services Committee and have traveled to Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan together.

The question that remains is, does Bayh have vice presidential aspirations? When a reporter asked Clinton and Bayh if the Indiana senator would be a good VP candidate, Bayh appeared as eager as the reporters to hear Clinton's answer. He nervously said to the reporters, "thank you all for coming," and then allowed Clinton to respond.
 
"It goes without saying that his record of public service is extraordinary," Clinton replied, "and I have the highest personal and professional regard for him."
 
On Ahmadinejad: After the endorsement, both Clinton and Bayh took reporters' questions. Responding to one on Ahmadinejad speaking at Columbia University, Clinton repeated much of what she said on the Sunday shows. "What I've said if that I were the president of a university I would not have invited him," Clinton said on the university's decision. "But I did not express an opinion about the decision made by Columbia."
 
She called for a "vigorous diplomatic effort" on the local and embassy level but maintained her stance of not talking to the leader of Iran without precondition. "We need a much more vigorous and robust and deep engagement but that does not mean that the President of the United States should take part in such preliminary talks."
 
On Florida: Clinton said she would get into hypotheticals but promised to "wage a very vigorous" campaign in the state. "I intend to abide by the pledge that I signed, but I also intend to win Florida in November of 2008," Clinton said. "And I'm confident that I will be able to do that.
 
On Bush's prognostication that she will be the Democratic nominee: After some laughter, Clinton told a reporter who asked her for her reaction, "I'm just proud to have Evan Bayh's endorsement."

From NBC's Abby Livingston
Edwards spent an hour today discussing his health-care plan at a forum hosted by Families USA and the Kaiser Family Foundation in downtown Washington, DC. After the forum, he was asked about Iranian President Ahmadinejad's appearance at Columbia University.  "I think denying him the ability to go to Ground Zero is clearly the right decision," Edwards said. "I personally find the things that he speaks about extraordinarily objectionable. And he is, he denies the Holocaust, he talks about wiping Israel off the face of the planet, he diatribes against America and what America represents. I find all those things abhorrent. I think this is for Columbia to decide whether they want a man like this to be able to speak at their university."
 
He described the differences between his plan and Hillary Clinton's as, "They're in the weeds," but emphasized yet again that he came out with his plan seven months ago. Edwards also focused on reducing costs, wanting to enable the government to negotiate for prescription drugs with the pharmaceutical companies, allowing the purchase of drugs from Canada and ending drug company television advertising within constitutional legal limits. Another cost-saving measure he proposed affects those within his own previous profession: trial lawyers. Edwards suggested that those lawyers who bring to court frivolous lawsuits should be forced to bear the legal costs of such a case, rather than the patient.

From NBC's Tom Lea
The prosecutor in the Larry Craig case filed a "memorandum" to the court which states:

"The essence of the defendant's motion is that the Court should allow him to withdraw his plea because he was under the strain of a newspaper investigation and purportedly relied on the arresting officer's statements relating to a potential outcome.  There is nothing about the circumstances of the Defendant's plea that comes close to surpassing the high bar of 'manifest justice' that must be reached for the Defendant to be granted the rare relief of plea withdrawal. The Defendant's plea to the elements of the crime of disorderly conduct is sufficient. In addition, denial of the Defendant's motion prevents further politicking and game playing om the part of the Defendant in relation to his plea.

"The Defendant unequivocally pled guilty to the crime of disorderly conduct.  The Court should deny the Defendant's motion and uphold the plea that the Defendant made to this Court."

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
Candidates reacted today to the United Auto Workers strike at General Motors plants:

BIDEN: "I fully support the UAW's right to strike. American automakers have made promises to their hard-working employees and must do their best to uphold those commitments. Both sides in these talks are stuck between a rock and a hard place, and I urge them to return to the table and find a resolution as quickly as possible. Today's events remind us that American automakers need help with health care costs. To keep health care affordable I believe we have to help employers or union-run health plans with catastrophic costs to keep health care affordable for workers, retirees, and their families."

CLINTON: "There is a role for presidential leadership," she said, adding that union leaders had sought a meeting with Bush but "they were rebuffed repeatedly. Finally there was a meeting that occurred with no follow-up."

OBAMA: "The demands the union is fighting for -- job security, the health benefits they were promised -- are things that all workers should expect and that UAW members deserve. General Motors owes it to the UAW to come back to the bargaining table so that union members can go back to work."

DODD: "The United Auto Workers is taking a brave step forward on behalf of all union members today by standing up for their very basic rights to organize and fight for quality and secure health care for their members. I have long supported the right to collectively bargain, the need for safe workplaces, fair wages, and secure retirements for our nation's workers. I find it terribly discouraging that such a prominent company as General Motors does not appear to share these beliefs, and is putting other priorities ahead of the health and well-being of its workers. Working people in this country are the key to a strong, vibrant and expanding middle class -- no company should stand in the way of that. I hope that the strong action taken by the UAW demonstrates to GM that its unwillingness to negotiate is simply unacceptable."

*** UPDATE *** RICHARDSON: "I am disappointed that it has come to this. But how can we ask American workers to secure our nation's economic future if we do not allow them to secure theirs? Things have to change. For too long, workers have held up their end of the bargain while employers and the government have failed to do the same. A fair day's work deserves a fair day's pay, decent benefits, and reasonable job security. I hope that this strike will come to a quick resolution that is fair for both sides. As a nation, we have to do better by working families. I have the experience to bring people together and produce real change in this country. As President, I will nominate a union member as my Secretary of Labor and will stand with working Americans."

*** UPDATE 2 *** EDWARDS: "I offer my strong support to the striking auto workers and look forward to a fair and speedy settlement that will improve the lives of these hard-working UAW members. And I call on General Motors to do what is right and realize that it has a responsibility to negotiate fairly and move quickly to settle a contract that respects the health, safety and economic security of the auto workers and their families. I also salute the courage of the auto workers to go on strike. Their fight for fair wages, safe workplaces, affordable health care and a secure retirement helps raise standards for workers all across America.

From NBC's Erin McPike and Domenico Montanaro
On the heels of headlines blaring Romney's revamped stump speech as a means to distance himself from the unpopular President Bush, Romney issued a statement this afternoon praising Bush for talking tough on the budget.

"I applaud the president for his message of budget restraint," the statement begins. But then it goes on: "Change in Washington begins with Republicans standing up for fiscal discipline."

Republican candidates are clearly walking a fine line on the issue of President Bush. With his approval ratings low and widespread disapproval of the war in Iraq, is President Bush a help or a hindrance to Republican candidates?

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
The 100,000-member Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers (BAC) endorsed Clinton today, the campaign announced.

"Hillary Clinton has the strength and experience to deliver the change America needs," said BAC President John J. Flynn in a statement released by the campaign. "After years of an administration that has turned its back on working families, we need a President whose priorities are our priorities. …she's worked hard for BAC members and we intend to work hard for her election."

Per the AP, here's the breakdown of the labor endorsements this cycle:
CLINTON: United Transportation Union (Aug. 2007); International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (Aug. 2007); Transportation Communication Union (Sept. 2007); National Association of Letter Carriers (Sept. 2007); International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers (Sept. 2007)

EDWARDS: United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners. (Aug. 2007); United Steelworkers of America (Sept. 2007); United Mine Workers of America (Sept. 2007); Transport Workers Union (Sept. 2007)

DODD: International Association of Fire Fighters (Aug. 2007)

OBAMA: Correction Officers' Benevolent Association (Sept. 2007)

From NBC/NJ's Matthew Berger
Giuliani spoke to a receptive audience in Portland, Maine, today at the National Troopers Coalition meeting. After his speech, he told Portland NBC affiliate WCSH that it was an "outrage" for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to speak at Columbia University. "His government is helping the people to kill American troops right now, today," Giuliani said.

He also got a few laughs when he said he would not answer an audience member's ringing cell phone. "I got in trouble for that a couple of days ago," he said. Afterward, Giuliani attended a fundraiser in Portland before heading back to New York for several others.

From NBC/NJ's Erin McPike
MACKINAC ISLAND, Mich. -- While national GOP primary polls show what could become a protracted fight between Giuliani and Thompson, this weekend's Republican Leadership Conference in Michigan revealed that right now the battle there might boil down to Romney and McCain.

Unlike his top three rivals who spoke before him, cameras didn't swarm McCain when he made his way to the podium in the sprawling dining room of Mackinac's Grand Hotel to speak before the dinner crowd. He may have been last in the order of the presidential contenders on the docket with his Saturday night pitch, but attendees gave him the warmest reception and buzzed about it afterward.

Michigan GOP Chairman Saul Anuzis said to reporters on Sunday morning, "I think John McCain gave the best speech I've ever seen him give. I told him that. It was from the heart, it was well-delivered." Anuzis implied that McCain needed this kind of boost by indicating that there was some "anguish" among McCain supporters in the state leading up to the weekend's event due to last week's resignation by McCain's former state chairman, Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox.

Despite Romney's fierce opposition last week to invitations extended to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to come before the U.N. General Assembly and also speak to students at Columbia University, it was McCain who got the most mileage out of the flap when he broached the issue. Romney's speech only brushed on terrorism and didn't get into specifics like McCain did on the Ahmadinejad visit. McCain's comment that "I certainly think that a man who is threatening… and killing American troops should not be given an invitation to speak at an American university" earned him one of the few standing ovations awarded at the gathering.

Romney, meanwhile, paraded into the venue on Saturday morning, entering as "Michigan's favorite son." Anuzis offered: "I think he gave a good speech. It wasn't the best speech I've ever heard, but he didn't screw anything up either. But the enthusiasm was there from his supporters."

And Anuzis pointed out that Romney was the only candidate to really work the dining room before taking the stage." You could see people noticing that, and I think that was a really good strategy," he said. "He was the only one who did it, which I was, to be honest with, surprised."

Differences in techniques over the weekend aside, both Romney and McCain curry favor with the state Republican Party because both campaigns have had staff there for more than a year and have energized voters there. That has helped to build the party and raise into the millions for it.

For McCain it wasn't just a strong performance or the recent presence of staffers there that helped propel him to second place in the Hotline's straw poll there this weekend. His primary victory over George W. Bush in February 2000 has left him with a solid footing there nearly eight years later. Romney's strength in the state, meanwhile, stems from his roots. He and wife Ann grew up there together, and his father, George, was governor in the Sixties.

Both campaigns bussed in a healthy dose of college students and came up with a 1-2 finish in the poll. Romney won a 39-percent plurality from the nearly 1,000 votes, and McCain garnered close to 27 percent. Ron Paul and Giuliani came in third and fourth, respectively, with about 11 percent each; Thompson managed just seven percent for a fifth-place finish. Anuzis explained that the composition probably reflects where the activists in the state fall with respect to the candidates, but not necessarily where the voters are.

Charges flew at certain times about the infusion of volunteers registered on behalf of certain campaigns, but Anuzis waved that off. "Everybody was bringing people up," he said, whether they were volunteers or College Republicans, and California Rep. Duncan Hunter was no exception. 

"This is not an easy place to bring people in and leave," Anuzis advised. "It's a very expensive process in that a lot of people have to stay here the whole time."

Due to the new ethics package, the cost to fly in privately would near $20,000 per candidate, likely causing second-tier candidates like Sam Brownback and Mike Huckabee to skip the confab in favor of other events, which may have been mildly injurious to them in the straw poll.

McCain was believed to have flown in on a commercial airline, and he arrived on Friday evening. He didn't hop aboard a horse-drawn carriage to return to the mainland until Sunday morning, giving him the entire weekend to rub elbows with highly tuned-in Michigan Republicans. Rivals Giuliani, Thompson and Romney just swooped in for a partial day to give their speeches and attend events centered around them.

From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli
KEENE, N.H. -- Tancredo, who skipped the NRA Convention in Washington on Friday, put his Second Amendment credentials on display here Sunday, serving as the Celebrity Guest Shooter at a fundraiser for local Republicans. "As opposed to other people who have made the statement, I have actually hunted all my life," Tancredo said.

The Colorado congressman played the mark, meaning anyone who hit more targets than him in the three-phase competition was entered into a raffle for prizes, which included frozen turkeys. Tancredo, who did not use any of his own guns, joked after that he shot just poorly enough to ensure that everyone finished better than him. "It's just what you have to do, right?" he asked.

"I think he did pretty well," said Juliana Bergeron, chair of the Cheshire County GOP. "Everybody says it's different if you're not shooting with your own guns."

Actually, there was some confusion over the rules. The second phase of the competition called for shooting a moving deer target. Tancredo connected four out of six times, but not in the right spot. "I hit it in the gut a couple times, so they won't count it," he said, after learning he should have aimed for the lungs.

The Cheshire County GOP invited all the candidates to join them at the local Fish and Game Club, but Tancredo was the only one to take them up on the offer (if you don't count Daniel Gilbert, who insisted he's a candidate as well). Most of the other GOP campaigns were represented on this crystal clear early fall day, however, either with signs or surrogates sporting candidate flair. Even Giuliani, whose gun control efforts as mayor have some sportsmen wary, had representatives on hand. "I don't see him going after the guns," said Ron Vars, chair of New Hampshire Sportsmen for Rudy. "If I thought that, I wouldn't be involved."

Several of the attendees acknowledged that there is still dissatisfaction with the current Republican field. "I think the field needs to narrow down," Bergeron said. "There are so many issues [aside from Iraq and immigration] that we need to hear about as well." Jim Coburn, a Mike Huckabee backer and the GOP's gubernatorial candidate last year, said the field doesn't "resonate with a lot of voters. "The average voter hasn't even heard of most of the candidates yet, other than Rudy perhaps," Coburn said.

Jim Kenney, a state senator running for governor in 2008, called Mitt Romney, John McCain and Rudy Giuliani the early frontrunners, and that Fred Thompson "comes in a little handicapped." "That doesn't mean he can't catch up," he said. He added that Huckabee "has really impressed" Republicans, and that Ron Paul "has a very strong following" here.

As for Tancredo, he admits it's a tough road ahead. "My message sort of resonates. But I don't have $100 million in the bank or $350 million in my own personal bank account, so I have to do it the old fashioned way." Best known for his immigration position, he also made a pitch on second amendment grounds today. "It's sort of clichéd to say it but it's true, that all of our other rights are dependent on that one being intact," he said.

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
Romney is up with a new 60-second radio ad touting his refusal, as governor, of a state police escort for former Iranian President Mohammed Khatami when he was invited to Harvard to speak in 2006.

The ad begins airing today as part of the campaign's rotation in Iowa and South Carolina, and then Florida later in the week.

Here's the script of the ad:
ANNCR: On the eve of the fifth anniversary of 9/11, Harvard University invited Iranian President Mohammed Khatami to Boston, the same Mohammed Khatami who has supported the terrorist group Hezbollah advocates destruction of Israel and stood by while Jews and Christians were persecuted. The Iranian wanted VIP treatment at tax payer expense. But Governor Mitt Romney said no. Governor Romney called the invitation a disgrace and refused to grant Khatami a police escort. Now another Iranian president is visiting America coming to New York and Governor Mitt Romney is leading the opposition.

ROMNEY: We should be tightening our sanctions against Iran not welcoming him to the world stage, and I've called on the Secretary General of the United Nations to withdraw that invitation. What we should be doing is indicting Ahmadinejad under the genocide convention.

ANNCR: As governor, Mitt Romney did what was right not what was politically correct. As president, he will do the same. Mitt Romney.

ROMNEY: I'm Mitt Romney, and I approve this message.

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
The former head of the Iowa Democratic Party, Gordon Fischer, endorsed Obama today on a conference call with reporters. Fischer said his reasons for supporting Obama is because of his electability, ability to be a change agent and policies.

"I am desperate to win the White House," Fischer said. "I think Senator Obama has the best chance of all the Democrats. It's not enough to just get Democrats out. You have to bring along Indendents and Republicans, and he's in the best position to bring along independents and some Republicans."

On electability, he said Obama would be help "down ballot candidates." When asked if that was a shot at Clinton, he said he likes Clinton and thinks she's electable, just not as electable as Obama. As a change agent, he said Obama brings "freshness" and a "new perspective" to the race. On his policies, Fischer, who said he and his wife Monica made the decision over the weekend, said he's been "impressed" with Obama's "bold ideas," particularly his recent middle-class tax cut proposal.

"I will be in touch with Iowa Democrats. Frankly I know a lot of them from my time as party chair," Fischer said. "And I will be making my pitch for Obama. And I'm hoping to get a lot of folks to sign supporter cards and get them to caucus for Obama."

*** UPDATE *** Per NBC/NJ's Carrie Dann
Fischer criticzed Obama in June of this year, when Obama skipped a Hall of Fame banquet in Cedar Rapids that was attended by competitors Clinton, Biden, Edwards, Dodd, and Richardson.  "It's a terrible mistake," Fischer said at the time. "It may not matter in the long run, but it's a mistake."

It's notable because Obama is catching a lot of heat now in the state because of decisions like this: The decision to skip AARP and the upcoming Johnston County dems BBQ in October have a lot of people here feeling slighted.

*** UPDATE 2 *** From NBC/NJ's Aswini Anburajan
The endorsement underscores the significance of Iowa in the campaign's primary strategy, which it sees as critical to building the momentum necessary for wins in the other early primary states. "This is a sequential process that starts in Iowa," David Plouffe, Obama's campaign manager, said. "Iowa could propel somebody with a lot of velocity into the rest of the calendar."

Fisher was courted by all of the major Democratic campaigns because of his knowledge of Iowa politics and deep roots within the Democratic community.

On electability: As an example of Obama's crossover appeal, he cited a poll from the University of Iowa, that said Obama had finished third among Republicans as a general election candidate that they could vote for.

On his down-ballot appeal: "We need a candidate who has coattails," Fisher said of Obama's candidacy. "We'll have the best chance to pick up congressional seats and legislative seats."

Fisher said that he was not part of the campaign's decisions to miss the AARP debate in Iowa and other significant events, but he had no doubts about Obama's commitment to the state.

From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro
*** The Clear Front-Runner: An important threshold has finally been crossed for Clinton: Even her opponents have joined the media in acknowledging that there is just one front-runner in the Democratic race. Considering where she started six months ago, it's a remarkable feat. She's done it without winning a single caucus or primary. Only Gore in '99 and Mondale in '83 were in this strong of a position in the last five contested Democratic contests. The question now is if and when Clinton has her next scare. The first one was during the first three months of the campaign, when Obama topped her in fundraising. If there is a downside to Clinton solidifying her front-runner status, it raises her expectations in Iowa and New Hampshire. Of course, Clinton supporters would argue she ALWAYS had high expectations she had to meet in those states.

VIDEO: NBC's Political Director Chuck Todd offers his firstread on Hillary Clinton's front-runner status plus some thoughts on the Michigan GOP straw poll.

*** Romney's Challenge: You get the impression that both Obama (in the Dem field) and Romney (in the GOP one) have sort of stalled. They've both met expectations but haven't exceeded them -- and politics is often about exceeding expectations. For Romney in particular, he has to find a way to make the contests in Iowa and New Hampshire (which he's leading) count. Will his strategy of portraying himself as the conservative change candidate pay off?

*** Trouble For The Dems? Before the first GOP presidential debate last spring, which was moderated by MSNBC's Chris Matthews, First Read took a look at some of the problems afflicting today's GOP (like Iraq, diversity, and competence in government). Pegged to Wednesday's Democratic debate, moderated by NBC's Tim Russert, we turn our attention this week to some of the Democrats' potential problems heading into 2008. Today's installment: independent voters. Polls typically show that about 30%-35% of Americans identify themselves as conservatives, versus about 20%-25% of Americans who identify themselves as liberals. That means that Democrats, to win a national election, have to do well with independent voters. It didn't happen in 2004, when John Kerry -- per the exit polls -- narrowly won the independent vote, 49%-48%.

*** Independents Day: Last year, by comparison, House Democratic candidates creamed Republicans with independent voters, 57%-39%, which helped them regain control of Congress. Will Democrats keep that up in 2008? Maybe, maybe not. In the April NBC/WSJ poll, Democrats held a 21-point advantage with independents in a generic presidential ballot question. But in this month's poll, that lead shrunk to eight points. What's more, the Democratic front-runner -- Hillary Clinton -- had a 39%-42% fav/unfav rating with independents in the most recent NBC/WSJ survey. Compare that with Giuliani's 39%-34% fav/unfav. And we have yet to delve into the latest fall phenomenon: Democratic voter disenchantment with the new Democratic Congress (which we'll discuss more later this week).

*** The Born-Again Fiscal Conservative: In what's appearing to be a budget showdown between the White House and Congress, President Bush makes a statement on the budget this morning, in which he's expected to accuse the Democrats of fiscal irresponsibility. Is the pot calling the kettle black here? Over the weekend, the Heritage Foundation's Brian Reidl told the New York Times that the federal government has grown at a rate of 7% a year under Bush; under Clinton, it was 3.5% a year. While the Iraq war has been a big chunk of that increase, Reidl added that nonmilitary discretionary spending has grown faster under Bush than Clinton. So why is Bush going after Democrats here? Is it because he's itching for a fight? 

*** On The Trail: Clinton is in DC and she picks up an endorsement from Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh; Edwards is also in DC, where he unveils his strategy to combat HIV/AIDS; Giuliani travels to Maine, where he speaks to the National Troopers Coalition; Kucinich appears on Leno; McCain is in Chicago and Milwaukee; Obama is in New York and Chicago; and Romney heads to Santa Clara, CA, where he holds an "Ask Mitt Anything" town hall.

Countdown to LA GOV election: 26 days
Countdown to Election Day 2007: 43 days
Countdown to LA GOV run-off (if necessary): 54 days
Countdown to Iowa: 112 days
Countdown to SC GOP primary: 117 days
Countdown to Tsunami Tuesday: 134 days
Countdown to Election Day 2008: 407 days
Countdown to Inauguration Day 2009: 484 days

NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner-Treworgy reports… Attendees of the Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, MI over the weekend were billing Fred Thompson's much anticipated speech on Saturday as an important first impression. But from the outset, Thompson was suffering from an organizational disadvantage caused mostly by the absence of a fulltime Michigan staff, which caused the campaign to have virtually no physical presence on the island, including relatively few Thompson '08 signs and only a handful of volunteers.

This stacked up poorly with Romney's better-organized operation. The Romney camp provided buses, hotel accommodations and ferry tickets for well over 60 members of College Republican groups from nearby schools to travel to the remote conference on Mackinac Island. In many cases, the campaign also paid to credential its volunteers, ensuring that a significant number of supporters were a eligible to stand outside the conference's events, passing out stickers and encouraging people to vote for Mitt in the weekend's straw poll.

By the way, Romney won the straw poll with 39%; McCain was second with 27%; and Paul and Giuliani finishing a distant 3rd and 4th (they barely broke 10%).

NBC/NJ's Erin McPike also covered the event and found that McCain did himself some good. Michigan GOP Chairman Saul Anuzis said to reporters on Sunday morning, "I think John McCain gave the best speech I've ever seen him give. I told him that. It was from the heart, it was well-delivered." Anuzis implied that McCain needed this kind of boost by indicating that there was some "anguish" among McCain supporters in the state leading up to the weekend's event due to last week's resignation by McCain's former state chairman, Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox.

Despite Romney's fierce opposition last week to invitations extended to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to come before the U.N. General Assembly and also speak to students at Columbia University, it was McCain who got the most mileage out of the flap when he broached the issue. Romney's speech only brushed on terrorism and didn't get into specifics like McCain did on the Ahmadinejad visit. McCain's comment that "I certainly think that a man who is threatening … and killing American troops should not be given an invitation to speak at an American university" earned him one of the few standing ovations awarded at the gathering.

CLINTON: The New York senator hit all the Sunday morning shows yesterday, including NBC's Meet the Press. The Washington Post says that she "demonstrated a particularly senatorial skill: the art of the filibuster… Above all, though, in a morning of appearances that yielded virtually no news, Clinton illustrated her ability to talk. And talk. And talk." 

The New York Daily News called it "TV's Tour de Hillary." On Meet the Press, Clinton touted her ability to withstand Republicans' "withering attacks." "I think I've proven that I not only can survive them but surpass them," she said. 
 

The Sunday New York Times had a CW-setting piece about Clinton's place in the campaign. "She has been challenged for fund-raising supremacy and news media attention by Senator Barack Obama of Illinois. Former Senator John Edwards of North Carolina beat her to the punch in introducing big policy proposals. But nothing that her main rivals have done has so far has derailed Mrs. Clinton, leading them to begin rolling out aggressive new strategies aimed primarily at her, including courting black voters in South Carolina and stepping up attacks."

In particular, here are two key quotes from Clinton foes… David Axelrod with Obama: "The question is ultimately, Is she credible -- whether people buy her as an agent of change in Washington. If they do, she'll do well." Joe Trippi with Edwards: "You used to be able to say the front-runners -- her and Obama -- but I don't think that's the case anymore. It's pretty clear that she has sort of pulled away."

Also: "The three leading contenders have also adopted decidedly different views of how the race will play out. Mrs. Clinton's advisers argued that it would probably end on Feb. 5 when about 20 states vote. Though only 50 percent of the delegates will be selected by that day, the Clinton advisers suggested that one candidate would be so far ahead that there would be huge pressure on the other Democrats to rally around the leader.

Mr. Obama has begun preparing for a much more protracted campaign, arguing that it will be in effect a hunt for delegates that could last well into the spring. To that end, he is competing in some unlikely places — New York, for example, where he is holding a rally in Washington Square Park on Thursday — because under Democratic rules, delegates are allocated to candidates based on the percentage of votes they win."

How confident is Clinton? She's missing far fewer Senate votes than Obama.

Speaking of being the front-runner, Clinton can now dangle the VP slot as a way to win more endorsements. Add Evan Bayh -- who is endorsing Clinton today -- to the short list.

The Sunday Washington Post looked at the influence of Clinton's mother on the candidate. "14 years after Hillary Clinton entered the White House with her husband and became known worldwide, the woman she identified as her most enduring influence remains a mystery. Clinton, who famously kept her own daughter, Chelsea, out of the public eye, is even more protective of her mother. No interviews with her or photographs -- and no interviews with Clinton on the subject."

John Grisham headlined a fundraiser with Clinton in Charlottesville, VA on Sunday. The Charlottesville Daily Progress reports the event drew 1,000 people and raised $200,000.

DODD: The Connecticut senator gets the front-page treatment in the New York Times, which notes that his presidential bid is "is the most public chapter in his career-long quest for his father's redemption." Dodd's father was censured by the Senate in 1967 for diverting campaign funds for his personal use.

EDWARDS: Today, at Kaiser Family Foundation's Health Care Forum, Edwards will unveil a new strategy to combat AIDS/HIV. As his campaign likes to point out, Edwards was the first presidential candidate to roll out a health-care plan. Today, his campaign notes, he builds on that plan with specific proposals to combat HIV/AIDS at home and around the world. "The loss from HIV/AIDS is almost beyond understanding," Edwards is expected to say today. "This is a fight for people's lives. We have a moral imperative to do much more, and do it much better."

OBAMA: The campaign holds a conference call with reporters at 10:00 am ET to make an Iowa-related announcement.

Doesn't Obama ask for coverage like this when he rails against Clinton's ties to lobbyists? The Boston Globe takes a look at Obama's ties to Illinois lobbyists.

The campaign plans to hold a major campaign event on Thursday in New York City, flexing its muscle a bit on Clinton's turf. Also of note: There's a "Barack on Broadway" fundraiser set for tonight in New York.

The Columbia State's Lee Bandy on Obama's chances in South Carolina: "In South Carolina, Obama has put together a high-tech and grass-roots get-out-the-vote campaign unmatched by anything seen in the state before. Obama is organized in all 46 counties. Much goes on outside of the public eye or, as campaign organizers are fond of saying, below the radar."

In addition, Sunday's Columbia State says it "stands by its reporting as accurate" that Jesse Jackson said Obama was "acting like he's white" because of a tepid response to the "Jena Six" case. The paper wraps what its coverage with what it calls "The Jesse Jackson fallout."

Chicago Sun-Times' Sweet examines the most recent memo from manager David Plouffe, and notes how he attempts to raise the expectations bar in Iowa for Clinton. Also, don't miss Sweet's reporting on the SEIU endorsement. Apparently, Edwards won a plurality in the straw poll.

Meanwhile, NBC/National Journal's Carrie Dann tells us to mark our calendars on Oct. 2 for Obama to commemorate his own five-year anniversary of his giving his first anti-Iraq war speech.

Dann also watches local Iowa TV so you don't have to. On Friday's edition of Iowa Press (Midwestern cousin of MTP -- a TV bible for newbie Iowa politicos and reporters), it was clear that the CW among the long-time gurus is that Hillary Clinton is in a solid place here in the state. The Register's Yepsen said that Edwards is "kind of flat," and we already know how he feels about Barack Obama from his "big loser" column last week. The AP's Mike Glover also made the somewhat brutal assessment that  "there is a tradition among Democrats that they shoot their wounded," meaning that Edwards might suffer from a damaged-goods syndrome left over from 2004. Yepsen sees a lean towards Clinton now, but he acknowledged on the show that it looks like the race "could break late."

The Des Moines Register recruited 10 likely GOP caucus-goers and finds the race to be very fluid. "The perfect president would be someone with the intellectual capacity of Newt Gingrich, the leadership of Rudy Giuliani, the communication skills of Fred Thompson, and the toughness of John McCain, said John Schaffner, 63, of Altoona… Of the 10 members of the GOP group, seven said they feel they have made progress personally and financially in the last four years. Three said they stayed the same. None felt worse off. ... Whom do they favor? One member of the interview group was firmly behind McCain; one was for Tom Tancredo; and one was for Ron Paul. Two were leaning toward Giuliani but also found Mitt Romney intriguing."

Speaking of fluid, the New York Times on Sunday noted the same thing in its own CW-setting piece. Still, read between the lines and one gets the sense that the BIG showdown for the top three (Rudy, Thompson and Romney) will be in South Carolina. All have something to prove in that early state.

GIULIANI: The Washington Post fact-checks Giuliani's pre-9/11 record on terrorism and finds his rhetoric of today doesn't match that record. In fact, Giuliani's described as someone whom President Bush might have criticized. "For most of Giuliani's career as a Department of Justice official, prosecutor and New York's chief executive, terrorism was a narrow aspect of his broader crime-fighting agenda, which was dominated by drug dealers, white-collar criminals and the Mafia. Giuliani expressed confidence that Islamic extremism could be contained through vigorous investigation by law enforcement agencies and  prosecution in the court system -- the same approach he now condemns."

There really is a "Swift Boat" campaign planned against Giuliani. The group, 9/11 Parents and Families of Firefighters and WTC Victims, claims faulty radios and a lack of communication between firefighters and police officers prevented responders from escaping from the buildings when they were about to fall. It also charges that Giuliani's statements about air quality at the site allowed workers there to get sick." They are holding a fundraiser today.

Giuliani's newfound NRA buddies will be glad to know that he's opposing a key measure that's being back by Rudy's NYC successor Mike Bloomberg.

ROMNEY: The Wall Street Journal looks at Romney's identity crisis of sorts. "Mitt Romney: Opportunistic flip-flopper? Or the rare Republican who "gets it" at a time when his party is losing favor with the general public? In the battle to define his presidential candidacy, the former Massachusetts governor is trying to swat away charges that he has changed positions on hot-button issues such as abortion, immigration, gun ownership and gay rights to appeal to his party's conservative base."

"Yet, even as he tries to distance himself from his moderate record, Mr. Romney also embraces it to reach voters in the middle -- both Republicans uncomfortable with the direction of the party and independent voters he would need in a general election. The result is that Mr. Romney's stump speech can sound at times part Rush Limbaugh, part Bill Clinton, braiding red-meat conservative lines with feel-your-pain prescriptions for health care and retirement security."

THOMPSON: For this third quarter, no two fundraising reports will be more closely scrutinized than John Edwards on the Democratic side (can he keep pace with Clinton and Obama?) and Fred Thompson on the GOP side. This piece notes Thompson's best fundraising state outside of Tennessee is Texas.

NBC's Joel Seidman reports that Thompson's campaign is pushing for a red-state strategy in the coming months, zeroing in on the former senator's strengths in the South.  According to communications director Todd Harris, Thompson plans to use his strong showings in both South Carolina and Florida to get him in position for additional delegates in predominantly GOP states.

The St. Pete Times echoes the line the Thompson camp has been feeding us Beltway folks -- that outside of DC, Thompson's doing pretty well.
 

The Weekly Standard looks at the "hostility" toward Thompson from the conservative Beltway media. "What explains this hostility? One factor is almost certainly Thompson's decision to work around--not through--the mainstream media in Washington. He first hinted at his candidacy in an interview with the Fox News Channel. He spent time with reporters from THE WEEKLY STANDARD and National Review. He posted commentaries on conservative blogs and brief video editorials on his own website. Nothing generates hostility from reporters so much as ignoring or dismissing them. Just ask Dick Cheney."

"But some of the criticisms are valid, and they do not come only from the national media. Lee Bandy, the influential columnist at the State in Columbia, South Carolina, wrote that Thompson's debut 'wasn't very impressive' and that his upcoming debate performances could reveal that he is 'not ready for prime time.'"

It's official -- sort of: Florida Democrats will not be represented at the DNC convention next year, unless the eventual Democratic nominee intervenes. The Florida Democratic Party plans to insist on holding its primary on Jan. 29, forcing the DNC to punish the state officially.

Looking ahead to the general election, Newsweek takes a look at the truce that Democrats are trying to seek with evangelical Christians.

The AP's Nancy Benac on which party's leading on ideas: "The Democrats who are running for president are flush with policy proposals, position papers and fact sheets. The leading Republican contenders, not so much."

And so the conservative media is right? The New York Times admits to giving MoveOn a discount for the group's ad attacking General Petraeus. They claim it's a mistake... That'll be believed at Newsbusters and Rush.

Yesterday, MoveOn executive director Eli Pariser released this statement regarding the ad rate: "Now that the Times has revealed this mistake for the first time, and while we believe that the $142,083 figure is above the market rate paid by most organization, out of an abundance of caution we have decided to pay that rate for this ad. We will therefore wire the $77,083 difference to the Times tomorrow (Monday, September 24, 2007). We call on Mayor Giuliani, who received exactly the same ad deal for the same price, to pay the corrected fee also." What say you, Giuliani campaign?