House GOP leader John Boehner is not happy with NRCC Chair Tom Cole and his staff. Apparently, Boehner wants Cole to fire his top two NRCC aides, and Cole is threatening to quit if forced to do that. Isn't this just simply a coach blaming the coordinator for having to play a tough road while also under-manned? Seems like frustrations are boiling over.

From NBC/NJ's Tricia Miller
At a middle school in Des Moines this afternoon, Edwards called for full funding of No Child Left Behind, universal preschool, better teacher training and mentoring, and more funding for struggling school districts. Edwards gave the speech on the same day he unveiled Iowa Education Professionals for Edwards, a group of 214 Iowa teachers who are supporting him.
 
"Education is an issue that's enormously personal for me," Edwards said. He recalled that his daughter Emma Claire went through third grade with a good teacher, who was forced to teach to the end-of-the-year test. He called for teachers to have more control of their classrooms and for increased pay, especially for those serving in low-income districts.

He proposed a national teaching university, more scholarships for high-achieving students who want to teach, and mentoring for young teachers.
 
For struggling schools, he proposed more funding and an "education SWAT team" that would provide support for a year at a time. In a "Great Schools Initiative," he said he planned to build 1,000 new schools over the course of four years.
 
The crowd of more than 325 was made up of teachers, parents and students, who were off for the afternoon for a school district-wide in-service. The ED in '08 campaign was also represented at the speech. Edwards expects to pay for the initiatives by closing off-shore tax havens and collecting unpaid taxes, according to Iowa spokeswoman Jenni Lee.

From NBC/NJ's Matthew Berger
Giuliani told the National Rifle Association much of what they wanted to hear Friday about his support for Second Amendment rights, but he left the conference with few converts. "I think he is sincere. I just don't know if he truly believes it down deep inside," said Thomas Crum, a retired trucking executive from Scottsdale, AZ. "I have a little difference with him just beginning to realize what his position really is."

Most members of the gun lobby who attended Friday's "A Celebration of American Values" conference said they were encouraged by Giuliani's appearance and what he said about support for gun rights. But most also said they were concerned about his track record supporting gun control as mayor of New York City, and favored other candidates in the Republican presidential primary.

Bob Bell, a salesman from Clarkesville, MD, said he respected Giuliani's leadership during the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, but preferred Thompson, a longtime supporter of Second Amendment rights. Bell said Giuliani's mayoral record -- including his advocacy for the assault weapons ban and lawsuits against gun manufacturers -- weighed heavy on him. "He was a mayor of New York City, and try and get a gun permit up there," he said.

To garner his support, Bell said, Giuliani would have needed to espouse the right to carry weapons and make a retraction for his earlier views.

Instead, Giuliani acknowledged disagreements with much of the crowd but stressed "there are a lot of things you and I have in common." His message focused largely on enforcing current gun laws and prosecuting crimes committed with a gun, rather than new gun ownership restrictions. "The bottom line is we need to step up enforcement of gun crimes and leave law-abiding citizens alone," Giuliani said to tepid applause.

Sitting next to Bell at lunch Friday, Joe Rogers was keeping a scorecard for each of the presidential candidates on the conference's brochure. While some speakers had check marks, Giuliani was the only one with a zero next to his name. The Wilmington, NC salesman said even Democratic presidential candidate Bill Richardson scored better during his taped remarks. "I don't think there's anything he could have said and been truthful about to win over the crowd," Rogers said of Giuliani. "To his credit, he spoke the truth."

Friday's speech to the NRA was considered an important bellwether for how the Republican front-runner would perform among some of the party's niche groups that have opposed positions Giuliani has taken in the past.
 
While the NRA has never endorsed in a Republican presidential primary, officials at the lobby have left that door open this year, and are planning more forums in early primary states. NRA Executive Vice President and CEO Wayne LaPierre said he liked what he heard from Giuliani. "He said a lot of things that if you're a law-abiding American firearm owner, you're nodding and you're saying 'I agree with that,'" he said.

Judy McQuitty, a bookkeeper from Virginia Beach, VA, said she felt Giuliani was one of the least effective speakers, which also featured McCain and Romney on video. "He spent more time campaigning than the others," McQuitty said of Giuliani. "I think all of them said the proper things to get the backing of the crowd. They all know where this crowd stands."

But others said they believed Giuliani has had a change of heart on gun control. "Things change, politicians have to change," said Vance Perry of Richmond, VA. "Politicians who don't change can't grow with the situation. 9/11 changed a lot of things, obviously it changed Rudy Giuliani."

From NBC's Mark Murray
Yesterday, Biden's campaign blasted Richardson for changing his position on troop withdrawal from Iraq. Then, just hours later at the AARP forum, Biden -- with a smile on his face, as always -- jabbed the New Mexico governor after Richardson talked about his experience dealing with health care.

"My good friend from New Mexico, God love him. His state's a couple million people," Biden said. "Give me a break. He can pull that together. Pull together 300 million people. That's like saying, you know, 'I played halfback when I was in high school; I can play in the pros' -- a different deal."

Well today, the Biden camp is once again going after Richardson -- this time charging that the New Mexico governor imposed an $8-a-day tax (which he later repealed) on nursing home beds to make up for a shortfall in Medicaid.

Why is Team Biden going after Richardson? A Biden aide tells First Read that Richardson has "gotten a free pass from the press. And we're not going to let that continue."

Richardson spokesman Tom Reynolds responds, "The campaign is heating up. Certain campaigns are trying to draw attention away from their low poll numbers with harsh attacks. We are going to continue to run a strong, optimistic campaign."

*** Update *** Reynolds adds this regarding the nursing home-bed tax: "The record clearly shows [Richardson] has expanded access to quality, affordable health care, among many other significant achievements that continue to improve the quality of live for New Mexicans. Instead of using Republican talking points that Sen. Biden ought to know are full of distortions, he should stay positive, and like us, offer solutions."

A source from a rival campaign also notes that the Biden campaign release today recycles a charge the New Mexico Republican Party has made in the past.

From NBC's Mark Murray and Lauren Appelbaum
Will this line work with Democratic primary voters? For the general election, sure. But primary voters?

Here is Richardson today addressing the NRA confab, via videotape (emphasis is ours): "As a governor, a westerner, a supporter of our individual freedoms, and a Democrat, I urge all NRA members to stay involved in the election of candidates of both political parties. In America, we have a long and honorable tradition of solving our problems in a bi-partisan manner. Your voice needs to be heard. When I'm president, it will be. Today, I am proud to join you in celebrating freedom. And I thank you for your support."

Richardson's support for gun rights isn't a surprise, however. As NBC's Chuck Todd has constantly said, Richardson is perhaps the NRA's favorite presidential candidate of this cycle -- from either party.

Richardson spokesman Tom Reynolds tells First Read that the governor's position on guns is a winner in the primaries. "In a state like Iowa, gun ownership and hunting is something that's an important value to caucus-goers," he says.

From NBC's Lauren Appelbaum
Fred Thompson, who hopes to have support from conservative groups like the NRA, enjoyed a warm reception. He called for the protection of all basic rights. "We are here today not just because we support the Second Amendment," Thompson said, "we are here today for our support of the rest of the Constitution." 

Asked about regulation at gun shows, Thompson responded, "Well, having just come from one --" referring to the gun show he visited in Florida last week. After some laughter, Thompson said the government should not restrict the rights of private citizens, in the home or at gun shows. 
 
At most of his campaign stops, Thompson tells people "basic rights come from God and not from government." For that line, he usually receives a fair response, but the NRA members reacted to it with much louder applause, providing the best reaction so far. 
 
Also, like he often does, Thompson praised his wife. But this time, he went farther and made a jab at the Clintons. "I think she'd make a much better First Lady than Bill Clinton."

From NBC's Lauren Appelbaum
While addressing the NRA, McCain delivered several applause lines by attacking supporters of gun control, specifically Democrats. He defended gun owners' rights and outlined three gun control "myths" opponents use to support gun control. On "the hunting myth," McCain also implicitly took a shot at his Republican opponent, Romney.  
 
"If you show your bona fides by hunting ducks or varmints or quail," McCain said, "it makes up for support for gun control. This myth overlooks a fundamental truth: the Second Amendment is not about hunting; it is about freedom."

And later he took his planned shot at Giuliani: "Some even call you 'extremists,'" McCain said. "My friends, gun owners are not extremists; you are the core of modern America." 
 
The other myths, according to McCain, are "the big city myth," where cities do nothing about crime and simply call it "a gun problem," and the "bad gun" myth, where politicians say some guns are acceptable while others are not. McCain has a long history with the NRA, having gained the organization's support during his first run for Congress in 1982. He pledged his opposition to the anti-gun crowd that paints gun owners as a "fringe group."
 
McCain also alluded to images of 2004 Democratic nominee John Kerry, when he said Democrats simply "pose for cameras in camouflage."
 
"But that is all they are doing -- posing," McCain said. "Just because they don't talk about gun control doesn't mean they don't want gun control. Let's be clear. If Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama or John Edwards are elected president, they will go after the rights of law abiding gun owners -- just as Bill Clinton did when he was president."

From NBC's Mark Murray
As mentioned earlier today, during his NRA speech, Giuliani's cellphone rang and he answered it. It was wife Judy on the phone.

We mentioned we've seen this before. In fact, a rival campaign sends us a YouTube clip of today's phone call and one from June. 

From NBC's Andy Merten
Giuliani, who in the past has advocated gun control, was cordially received by the NRA today, centering his remarks on his now-familiar mantra -- borrowed from Ronald Reagan -- that "If you're my 80 percent friend, you're not my 20 percent enemy." He continued to channel from the former president, asserting that Reagan's "Peace through Strength" applies to law enforcement at home. "We need to step up enforcement against gun crimes and leave law-abiding citizens alone," he said, adding to heavy applause, "Time spent focusing on law-abiding, legal gun owners is time taken away from arresting and prosecuting the criminals who use guns."

The GOP presidential front-runner made a pointed effort to present himself as a honest leader who will be upfront about any disagreements he may have with a constituency. "I think there's a certain value in knowing what you agree with and what you disagree with someone about." He concluded his speech, "I would love to have your support in the future, but mostly, I would like us to respect each other."

Giuliani got his best reception when he digressed from the topic of gun control and revisited his recent feud with MoveOn. "We passed a line that we should not allow any American political organization to pass," he said, decrying the decision of 24 Democratic senators -- including Hillary Clinton -- to vote against yesterday's resolution to shame the anti-war group for its ad attacking General Petraeus.

The former New York mayor was also able to muster several chuckles from the audience when his cell phone rang mid-speech and he took a call from his wife. Whether this was scripted or not (the campaign later told NBC News that it was indeed Judith calling, but we've seen this happen several times in the past), the crowd seemed to enjoy the candid small talk and applauded when he concluded the conversation with a loving goodbye.

From NBC's Chuck Todd
GOP pollster Bill McInturff is leaving the McCain campaign. The separation is amicable, and the campaign will go without pollster for the time being. McInturff will return as the Republican half of the NBC/Wall Street Journal polling team, beginning with the next survey.

From NBC's Andy Merten and NBC/NJ's Matt Berger
RESTON, Va. -- While Giuliani will be addressing a potentially skeptical crowd later today at the National Rifle Association convention in DC, he started the morning off with a breakfast speech here to a business technology group, an audience with whom he is certainly more in his element. He lauded the use of information technology in the military and intelligence community, saying, "Government has to figure out how to respond to that" to decrease its size and become more effective, but warned, "Democrats will put a lid on that growth."

Regarding today's expected veto of S-CHIP, the States' Children Health Insurance Program, by President Bush, the former mayor said that he supports the president because some states would expand coverage to families making 400 percent above the poverty level. "We're going to take people off private insurance and put them on government insurance -- that's a disaster," he said.

Rudy received his loudest applause after saying that he hopes Congress will approve extending the moratorium on state and local taxation of Internet usage. He also was met with enthusiasm for his call for greater use of a "technology fence" to supplement cracking down on illegal immigration.

From NBC's Lauren Appelbaum

At the NRA conference, while GOP Sen. John Thune was speaking, a woman rushed into the ballroom holding a sign that said "honk for peace" on one side and showed a picture of dead children on the other side. She yelled "Don't Iraq Iran" and addressed the senator directly. "Please senator, don't Iraq Iran. Stop killing the children. You are all accomplices to war crimes. I will not stand any more bloodshed." A NRA member yelled at security, repeatedly saying "How the hell did she get in here? Get her out of here."

Thune, after the woman was forcefully removed, talked about rights and said basic rights included her right to speak her mind. Then he went on with his speech.

Later, another protest occurred when McCain was speaking. Two women walked right in, making peace signs with hands and yelling for the troops to come home. After they were removed, McCain said, "Well, my friends, we beat you yesterday, we beat you the day before, and we'll best you today." He received a standing ovation. Then he implored the Democrats to reject the MoveOn ad.

From NBC/National Journal's Athena Jones

Former President Bill Clinton was on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" last night to talk about his latest book on philanthropy. He touched on many of the same themes he often visits when discussing his wife's presidential run, saying that he thinks she's the best qualified candidate; that he'd campaign for her even if they weren't married; and that if she wins, he'll support her and do whatever she asks of him.

Stewart tried to make real news by asking the president about money in politics. In response, Clinton talked about the difficulty of raising money to run a campaign, especially for members of Congress, who he said are sleep-deprived partly as a result of all the fundraising they have to do to stay in office. Clinton said that there should be a way for them and their competitors to run for election without having to go out five nights a week to raise the money they need to advertise on television and answer the attacks of their challengers. He said if this could be done "America would work better."

From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro

*** Rudy, get your gun: We've said it before, and we'll say it again: Giuliani's speech today to the NRA -- and more importantly, how that speech is received -- is a big moment for the campaign. His record on guns is potentially more problematic with conservatives than his past statements on abortion or gay rights. Will the audience buy his argument that gun control should be left up to the states (which, by the way, is similar to what Howard Dean said on the issue in '04)? Rudy isn't the sole Republican presidential candidate who will be there. McCain, Thompson, Giuliani, Huckabee, and Gingrich (in that order) are addressing the NRA conference in DC today. Plus, Romney ("varmits"!), Richardson (a Democrat!), and Hunter will speak to the confab by videotape. In particular, Thompson has an opportunity to shine at the event, especially after getting dissed by James Dobson. Can he seize it?

*** Quick thoughts on last night's forum: Did Clinton really refer to the "first Clinton Administration"? We rewound the TiVo and sure enough, she did. Talk about growing confidence... Meanwhile, the budding Biden vs. Richardson rivalry (is it some weird Secretary of State primary?) could be fun. Biden's clearly now aiming for the most gettable candidate for him in Iowa. Edwards once again showed his hesitancy in being overly aggressive to an Iowa audience. When given the chance to hit Clinton over lobbyist influence for her health care plan, he didn't take the bait (and instead praised her plan). But he tried more subtle digs. Chris Dodd was downright fiery. He was not quite as tough on Clinton at the forum as he was in an AP interview earlier in the afternoon, but he did attempt to create contrast with her and all of his rivals. The best part of this forum: With only five people on stage, one could tell the candidates LOVED it. Don't be surprised if Kucinich and Gravel stop getting invited to more forums debates once the calendar turns to October.

*** Questions for Obama: The Democratic front-runner who didn't show at yesterday's AARP, Barack Obama, holds a "senior" town hall meeting in Ames, IA -- that, per the campaign, brings together senior citizens and high school seniors. But if Obama is talking to seniors in Iowa today, the question becomes: Why he didn't talk to them at last night's forum? It might have saved him from being dubbed the forum's "big loser" by chief Iowa pundit David Yepsen. The other question hovering over Obama's campaign is why he chose not to vote on yesterday's Senate GOP resolution denouncing MoveOn. Clinton voted no on it, but Obama didn't vote at all. Obama issued a statement saying that by not casting a vote, "I registered my protest against this empty politics." But that statement came two and a half hours after First Read asked for a response. It was a strong statement, but why not say it in a more public way (i.e. verbalize it)?

*** Playing the outsider card: Speaking of Obama, he's up with a new TV ad in Iowa on health care, which seems pegged to his senior town hall in the state. "Washington's talked about health-care reform and reformed nothing. I've got a plan to cut costs and cover everyone. But unless we stop the bickering and the lobbyists, we'll be in the same place 20 years from now," he says in it. "I'm Barack Obama, and I approve this message because to fix health care, we have to fix Washington." Doesn't that last line sound very familiar to the new ad Romney is running? "If we're going to change Washington, Republicans have to put our own house in order," the former Massachusetts governor says. "It's time for a change. And change begins with us." Change is all the rage, and candidates in both parties realize the most authentic change agent is eventually going to get rewarded.

*** Iowa is just around the corner: For what seems like an eternity, we've been talking about how early this presidential race has started. Well, if you haven't noticed -- whether you're a candidate, voter, or journalist covering the contest -- it's not so early anymore. The Iowa caucuses are just slightly more than three months away. Those caucuses, of course, signal only the beginning to a campaign season that will end about 14 months from today.

*** On the trail: Elsewhere today, Biden and Dodd campaign in Iowa; Edwards also is in the state, where he delivers a policy address on education; Giuliani has already spoken to the Northern Virginia Technology Council; Kucinich talks to a union in Dayton, OH; and Romney is in Illinois. Also, the Biennial Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference begins today, and it will hear from the GOP candidates today and over the weekend.

Countdown to LA GOV election: 29 days
Countdown to Election Day 2007: 46 days
Countdown to LA GOV run-off (if necessary): 57 days
Countdown to Iowa: 115 days
Countdown to SC GOP primary: 120 days
Countdown to Tsunami Tuesday: 137 days
Countdown to Election Day 2008: 410 days
Countdown to Inauguration Day 2009: 487 days

The New York Times covers the passage of yesterday's Senate nonbinding resolution denouncing MoveOn. "Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Senator Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut, both Democratic candidates for president, voted against the resolution, which passed 72 to 25. But curiously absent from the vote was Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, also a Democratic candidate for president, who had canceled a campaign appearance in South Carolina so he could be in Washington for votes."

VIDEO: NBC's Political Director Chuck Todd offers his first read on the politics of the "Petraeus-Betray us" ad

The Washington Post tries to put the controversy surrounding MoveOn into perspective. "Yesterday, an organization so small its 17 employees don't even have a central office, found itself under attack by not only President Bush, who said the ad was 'disgusting,' but also by the Democratic-controlled Senate, which passed a resolution 72 to 25 expressing its own outrage. Many Democrats blamed the group for giving moderate Republicans a ready excuse for staying with Bush and for giving Bush and his supporters a way to divert attention away from the war."

More: "In an e-mail to its members last night, the group acknowledged that the content of the ad might have angered its allies but argued that a larger issue is at stake. 'Maybe you liked our General Petraeus ad. Maybe you thought the language went too far,' they wrote. 'But make no mistake: this is much bigger than one ad.'"

And interestingly, "in a conference call with MoveOn members last night, Pariser acknowledged that some of the group's members did not like the ad. But, he said, 'MoveOn is going to be as strong as ever.' He added, 'We definitely will be putting pressure on Democrats, and especially those who voted against us, in the near future, and we are currently working on the best way to do that.'"

The AP: "Senate Democrats defiantly charged ahead yesterday with legislation ordering troops home from Iraq, still lacking the votes to win but armed with the mantra that Republicans, along with President Bush, now own the war."

The Los Angeles Times notes how Senate Democrats have been stymied on Iraq.

The Democratic candidates -- minus Obama, in particular -- debated in Iowa at an AARP-sponsored forum. Much of the discussion focused on health care. Biden said, "It's not the plan, it's the man or woman pushing it." Richardson said there doesn't need to be a new tax to pay for universal health care. Edwards took issue. "It is time to tell people the truth," he said. "And we cannot have universal health care for free." Biden took the sharpest attack of the night, criticizing Richardson's experience as governor of New Mexico. "That's like saying, 'I played halfback when I was in high school; I can play in the pros,' " Biden said. Dodd was critical of the Bush administration on social security: "It took the accumulation of 42 presidents to acquire the debt that one president has in just six years; it's a stunning statistic."

The Daily Iowan: "Though the other candidates at the forum all had negative things to say about the Bush administration, they were more willing than Rodham Clinton to criticize their fellow Democrats."

As he has in recent debates, Biden may have been the most compelling candidate to watch at the forum. His rant against Richardson and then, even, Clinton was perhaps one of the livelier moments. "'I love Hillary Clinton. I'm getting beat up for saying some nice things about her,' he said. But 'let's be frank about this. What's changed to make you think Hillary is going to be able to put together the 15 percent of Republicans' who will be needed to enact any overhaul of the health care system?"

The Des Moines Register's Yepsen calls Obama the big loser of the forum for not showing up. "Obama also faces real questions about his experience and whether he's got enough to be a good president. He missed a chance to ease those fears by showing competency on two complicated issues important to most Americans, not just seniors. With him not on the field, the rest of the candidates had a better chance to shine and all did well."

When Steve and Jane Wagoner arrived at the Divided We Fail forum in Davenport last night, they were undecided, but by the time it was over they declared themselves Hillary Clinton fans, NBC/National Journal's Tricia Miller reports. Jane named Edwards as her second choice. "He's got some really interesting things to say, but she's more presidential," she said. Steve, meanwhile, said his second choice would be Joe Biden, but insisted that he could be happy with any of the candidates onstage.

Bloomberg News looks at how gun owners aren't ready to believe that either Giuliani or Romney has become pro-gun. But the two most pro-gun top tier candidates -- McCain and Thompson -- supported McCain-Feingold, something the NRA in particular has railed against.

GINGRICH: In a roundtable with reporters yesterday, Gingrich outlined his beefs with a number of things, including the political system, Washington Republicans, the elite left, and other traditional Gingrich targets. He also singled out praise (as he's done before) for the new French leader Nicolas Sarkozy. As for a timeline on running for president, he's allowing a political aide take the month of October to see if he can secure financial commitments of $30 million. If he does, then expect Gingrich to get in. He even has a couple of announcement dates circled on the calendar: Nov 6 or Nov 13. The 6th is one year out from the general, and the 13th would be the 28th anniversary of Reagan's announcement in '79.

GIULIANI: Speaking to reporters in Reston, VA yesterday, Giuliani said he would emphasize where he and NRA agree in his speech today to the organization, per NBC/NJ's Matt Berger notes. "As I've said many, many times, my 80% friend is not my 20% enemy," Giuliani said. "There probably is not a group in America that I can go before where there aren't some disagreements with that group."
 
NBC's Lauren Appelbaum adds Giuliani would not say whether his views on guns had changed. "I am just saying my view right now is what's needed for this country right now," he said, "[which] is focusing on those people who use guns and use them illegally."

Indeed, per the Giuliani campaign, the candidate today will emphasize his New York record of getting guns out of criminals' hands. "Mayor Giuliani successfully worked to get guns out of the hands of criminals in order to transform a city out of control," spokeswoman Maria Comella said in a statement released yesterday. "By being tough on crime and enforcing the laws on the books, New York City's murder rate was cut by 66 percent. The bottom line: the best way to deal with gun-related crime is to prosecute the criminals and enforce the laws already on the books."

The New York Times writes about the final months of Giuliani's term as mayor -- 9/11 and afterwards. The portrait is both positive and negative. The compassionate side of Giuliani is on display in this piece, but so is the ambitious side (to the point of power hungry?) More details are revealed at Giuliani's attempts to get his term extended, which is not the high point of the piece for Giuliani.

Giuliani backed Rep. Peter King (R-NY) over his "too many mosques" comment after King said his quote was taken out of context. "What I have always said, or for the last four or five years, is that we have too many mosques in this country that don't cooperate with law enforcement," King told the New York Daily News. "Unfortunately, Politico was incapable of making this distinction." Giuliani: "'I knew exactly what he meant,' which is that violence is preached in mosques, he said. 'I know that from my own investigations of Islamic terrorism.'"

HUCKABEE: He won a South Carolina straw poll attended by about 600 conservatives. He and Hunter were the only candidates to show up in person. Thompson, McCain, and Paul telephoned into the event. Romney sent a video message. "The only candidate without a presence at the meeting was … Giuliani… The crowd booed his absence."

MCCAIN: The Arizona senator is going to take a rare veiled swipe at Giuliani during his speech to the NRA. He'll criticize the lawsuit Giuliani and other mayors pushed against gun manufacturers.

McCain criticized Columbia University for extending an invitation to Ahmedinejad speak at its World Leaders Forum: "A man who is directing the maiming and killing of Americans troops should not be given an invitation to speak at an American university."

THOMPSON: The Boston Globe's Kranish looks at the "dueling perceptions" of the Thompson campaign. "Two weeks after he entered the race, Thompson's candidacy is as much of an enigma as it was during his summerlong 'testing the waters' phase. He has not fizzled or run away with the lead, yet there is evidence that either possibility could happen."

More: "Some of the initial reviews of Thompson's entry have been harsh. The Des Moines Register called his Iowa kickoff 'underwhelming,' and the influential conservative columnist George Will called his campaign entry a 'belly flop.' But Time magazine said Thompson had been 'mugged' by insiders who don't understand his appeal."

Bottom line: Thompson's been doing well with actual voters (see various polls) but doing terribly with the conservative elite (see Dobson, Will et al).

BIDEN: Before Biden's back-and-forths last night with Richardson at last night's AARP forum, the Delaware senator's campaign took issue with Richardson's recent statement that he's the only Democratic candidate with a concrete plan to end the war -- and pointed out that Richardson had not always been in favor of pulling out all US forces from Iraq. "Governor Richardson is right that he represents both experience and change -- he has a lot of experience changing his mind on matters both large and small," Biden campaign manager Luis Navarro said in a statement.

CLINTON: "Norman Hsu, the Democratic fund-raiser with a habit of fleeing the law, confessed to F.B.I. agents last week that he had swindled investors in what the government describes as a multimillion-dollar Ponzi scheme, and acknowledged pressuring at least some of them to contribute to political campaigns, prosecutors said in a criminal complaint unsealed yesterday," the New York Times writes. "The complaint does not contend that Mr. Hsu confessed either to so vast a swindle or to reimbursing the donors. Nor does it specify which candidates received the illegal or coerced contributions, or who made them. But the authorities confirmed that one of the candidates was Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, Democrat of New York, whose presidential campaign has already said that it intends to return $850,000 to more than 200 people whose donations were bundled by Mr. Hsu."

Nevertheless, the RNC informed First Read this morning that Hsu is still listed as a "Hillraiser" on Clinton's Web site.

How about this New York Daily News headline: "Hillary Clinton: I'm not a lesbian"? In an interview with The Advocate, she responded to an editor's question of whether or not she is a lesbian. "People say a lot of things about me, so I really don't pay any attention to it," she said. "It's not true, but it is something that I have no control over. People will say what they want to say."

DODD: Before last night's forum, Dodd made some critical comments about Clinton's health-care plan, "saying she had mismanaged her effort to reshape the health care system as first lady, resulting in a major policy debacle… 'It should be far more than just a parable of personal growth and maturation. This was about an issue that was critically important to the county,' Dodd said in an interview with The Associated Press. 'It was a major effort that failed. There were a lot of reasons that it failed, not the least of which it was mismanaged terribly at the time.'"

OBAMA: The Obamas appear to be taking a bit more control of their campaign. Longtime friend, Valerie Jarrett, "the finance chair of Obama's 2004 Senate bid, will advise Obama on campaign strategy and possibly travel with him, campaign manager David Plouffe said in an interview Thursday. Plouffe said Jarrett's new role does not indicate a shake-up and instead was part of 'all hands on deck time' as the Illinois senator comes into the final stretch. Pete Rouse, the chief of staff of Obama's Senate office, also has been spending more time advising at the Chicago campaign headquarters."

There are have been whispers among some Obama folks -- read: people who can't be described as "close" advisers, but aren't simply "supporters" -- for weeks that the candidate hasn't been happy with the apparent stalling of his spring momentum. Will Jarrett start playing the role of bad cop with the other chief Obama advisers? This isn't a shakeup like Team Edwards went through earlier this year (remember Joe Trippi wasn't on board at the start of the year). But make no mistake, this is an attempt by Obama to send a mild jolt to his campaign team. 

The Chicago Tribune: "'We are widening the circle and bringing all hands on deck as we come into the final months,' one Obama aide said."

During a speech yesterday in Atlanta -- with an introduction from singer Usher -- Obama tied his position on the Jena Six controversy to the Scooter Libby commutation, NBC's Abby Livingston notes. "People are coming out in part because they just, they want to move on from what they have seen over the last several years. And that's before you even start talking about Scooter. You remember Scooter Libby? My colleague Dick Durbin pointed out that 'Even Paris Hilton got some jail time, but not Scooter Libby.' And on this day when we are outraged over the disparities of treatment in the criminal justice system, at a time when in Jena we are puzzled by how it is that a schoolyard fight gets charged with attempted murder, we wonder how it is that Scooter Libby doesn't get any jail time. And you've got young men in a fight, getting charged with attempted murder."

Obama later elaborated, "It's not to excuse that young men are in a fight or that they assaulted another young man. We understand that violence is not the answer to any problem. What people are asking for is simply that the system of justice is fair. That it's even handed. That it applies to everybody equally. "

Still, the absence of Barack Obama was noted at the rally for six black students convicted in Jena, LA yesterday.  Jesse Jackson said that Obama and the other Democratic candidates had lost the opportunity to win black votes at Jena, while many black protestors also said that being there would have helped Obama capture the black vote.

NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli reports that former JFK adviser Ted Sorensen hit the campaign trail for the first time as a surrogate for Obama, telling New Hampshire voters yesterday that the Illinois senator represents the Democrats' best chance to change Washington. Speaking to a group of mostly senior citizens at a Concord retirement community, Sorensen said that the United States is in greater danger now than it was during the Cold War, and that "the 2008 election is the single most important vote you will ever cast." Any of the Democrats would "be a vast improvement over what we have now," he said, but that Obama was uniquely positioned to reverse the damage he said President Bush had done to the country's reputation abroad. "If Obama becomes president of the United States, the rest of the world will know that we have changed," Sorensen said.

The New York Times: "President Bush … threatened on Thursday to veto a bill expanding a popular children's health insurance program, calling it 'a step toward federalization of health care.' The program expires Sept. 30, and Congress is on the verge of renewing it by providing coverage to an additional 4 million children over the 6.6 million already enrolled — at an additional cost of $35 billion over five years. Mr. Bush says the bill would expand a program aimed at helping the poor beyond its original intent."

More: "The veto threat is just one of nearly a dozen the White House has issued recently aimed at a variety of bills including measures on education spending and financing for medical research. With the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, Mr. Bush and Congressional Democrats are headed for a showdown over spending similar to the one that preceded the government shutdown of 1995."

The second GOP House retirement this week: Illinois Rep. Jerry Weller is calling it quits. He was within a few weeks of becoming "embattled," thanks to some controversies involving Latin American land holdings. The district itself is Republican leaning but just competitive enough that Democrats will likely target it.

And the FBI has been recording Alaska GOP Sen. Ted Stevens' phone calls. Stevens is up for re-election in 2008. Has he accumulated so much baggage that he can't win, even in Alaska? It's starting to look that way.

From NBC/NJ's Carrie Dann
DAVENPORT, IA -- Back in the spin room, Sen. Chris Dodd continued his harsh words for Hillary Clinton's "scars" line about the lessons she learned from the health care policy collapse of 1993. "[If] we're talking about leadership that can get a job done, and what you point to is a point in time when policy failed, and leadership failed, it's a little difficult for me to accept that's the kind of experience you want to highlight."  He went on to say that Clinton isn't the only one who suffered scars from the nineties implosion.  "It's also the scars that millions of Americans have paid because fifteen years ago we didn't get the job done because of mismanagement."

And, speaking for Joe Biden, state senator Joe Seng (D-Davenport) said there's a method to the senator's jokes about the rumors that he's running for Secretary of State.  "I think he had a reason for that, and I think he's exploited it," he said of Biden's laughing mention of the media speculation about the job he's "really" angling for. "He's the only candidate who's been suggested as Secretary of State, and for good reason."

That's it from Davenport.  Goodnight!

 

From NBC/NJ's Carrie Dann
DAVENPORT, IA -- That's it for the forum.  I'm off to the Spin Room.  Stay tuned for what the campaigns have to say about their guy (or woman's) performance tonight!

From NBC/NJ's Carrie Dann
DAVENPORT, IA -- Here's the first mention of the absent Obama. Woodruff asked Richardson and Edwards about Obama's plan to slash taxes on the poor and middle class.  Both used the question to detail their own plans to strengthen the middle class, but neither took the bait to talk about the no-show rival.

From NBC/National Journal's Tricia Miller
DAVENPORT, IA -- Edwards knows his audience.  The audience was pleased with his loud support for labor unions.  (Labor powerhouse SEIU is part of the Divided We Fail coalition that organized tonight's forum.  There are likely a lot of members in tonight's audience. And they haven't endorsed yet.)