From NBC's Mark Murray
As we mentioned earlier, tonight, the Edwards campaign is buying two minutes of airtime on MSNBC to respond to Bush's speech on Iraq.

Here are some excerpts from Edwards's ad:

"Unfortunately, the president is pressing on with the only strategy he's ever had - more time, more troops, and more war."

"In January, after years of evidence that military actions cannot force a political solution, the president announced a military surge to force a political solution. In May, he vetoed a plan to end the war, demanded more time to show the surge could work, and Congress gave it to him. Now, after General Petraeus reports the surge has produced no progress toward a political solution, what does the president want? More time for the surge to work, when all of us know it won't."

"But Congress must answer to the American people. Tell Congress you know the truth -- they have the power to end this war and you expect them to use it. When the president asks for more money and more time, Congress needs to tell him he only gets one choice: a firm timeline for withdrawal."

From NBC's Mark Murray
In a video on his Web site, former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner (D) announces he's running for retiring GOP Sen. John Warner's Senate seat. "I've decided the way I  can contribute most to getting our country back on the right track is to serve in the United States Senate," he says. "So after this November's legislative elections, I will announce a formal candidacy for the Senate, and I'm going to work like heck to for the next 14 months to get Virginians to hire me."

Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee chairman Chuck Schumer released this statement on Warner's candidacy, which gives Democrats an excellent chance of picking up this seat: "I have come to know Mark in the last six months and have seen he is an outstanding American leader who will run a great campaign and be a tremendous asset to his state and his country. We're excited about his campaign and even more excited about him joining us in the Senate."

The National Republican Senatorial Committee, however, released its own statement that unveils a Web site highlighting Warner's tax increase in Virginia. "Make no mistake about it, Mark Warner is a politician who can't be trusted to keep his promises to voters," NRSC communications director Rebecca Fisher said. "And his prime example is raising Virginians' taxes by $1.38 billion."

*** Bush as Lloyd Carr? Heading into his 9:00 pm ET address tonight, President Bush has seen his Iraq numbers improve in the latest NBC/WSJ poll. But such improvement is akin to Michigan beating Notre Dame this weekend in college football: It's a win, but it won't change the fans' minds that the season is lost, and they want to fire the man in charge, no matter what. Just 30% approve of Bush's handling on Iraq, which is up eight points since July. In addition, 37% think victory there is still possible, up five points. Per NBC/WSJ pollsters Peter Hart (D) and Neil Newhouse (R), the improvement comes primarily from Republicans, which might be enough to keep his party's lawmakers behind him. However, American public opinion -- like Michigan fans this year -- has already moved on.

*** The Dems' Response: Using Bush's speech as a backdrop, all of the top Democratic candidates are trying to use this week as a chance to distinguish themselves on Iraq. Obama did it yesterday with a speech in Clinton, IA (no accident); Clinton sent a letter to Bush criticizing him for supporting a plan that will have as many troops in Iraq next year as there were last year. And Edwards has bought time on MSNBC tonight to respond to Bush's speech. So far, it appears Obama's gotten the best media bump out of his efforts this week, but let's see what Edwards and Clinton have up their sleeves for tonight and tomorrow.

*** Potential Trouble for the Dems? Looking at the horserace numbers in the NBC/WSJ poll, Democrats have to wish the general election was being held today. The overall political environment is in their favor; they lead in a generic presidential contest by double digits (49%-36%); and their presidential front-runners have solid leads over their GOP counterparts in individual match-ups. But with more than 400 days until Election Day, are things beginning to narrow somewhat? While Democrats have a 13-point lead in the generic ballot, that's down from 18 points in April. What's more, their lead among independents on this question is now eight points -- down from 21 points in April. And then there's the Democratic leader, Hillary Clinton, who scores incredibly well on the feeling thermometer with Democrats (72%-13%), but not so well with independents (39%-42%) and Republicans (13%-79%). "It appears their leading candidate doesn't appeal to non-Democratic voters," Newhouse tells First Read. 

*** A Tale of Two GOP Electorates: While Clinton has a commanding lead over Obama and Edwards in the Democratic contest (44%-23%-16%), that's no longer true for Giuliani -- who has seen his lead over Fred Thompson shrink from 13 points in July to six points in this latest survey. Dem pollster Hart sees a "tale of two electorates" when looking at Rudy vs. Fred: Giuliani does well with GOP voters who live on the coasts, happen to be younger and are non-conservatives, while Thompson does well with those from the South and Midwest, those who are older, and those who identify themselves as conservatives. The good news for Thompson: The subgroups that favor him tend to be the Republicans who vote in primaries. By the way, how should the Romney campaign feel that Thompson did in one week what Romney's been trying to do for six months: unite rank-and-file GOP primary voters?

*** Fred Compared to Britney? Speaking of Fred… Besides his standing in the polls, he's had a few bumps and bruises after jumping into the GOP nomination race. His launch TV ad? Not great. His launch video? Not bad. His launch speech? Eh. His revolving communications staff? Definitely not a good way to start. All of this has led some to believe that there could be an opening for someone else -- like Newt Gingrich. The former Speaker informed the Union Leader's John DiStaso that he'll reassess his chances at the October; if he can secure $30 million in commitments and if the field is still floundering (shot at Fred?), then he'll get in. Gingrich seemed leaning toward supporting Thompson, so what happened? One GOP strategist told First Read that Thompson's early gaffes increase the chances of Gingrich jumping in. "Fred Thompson is the Britney Spears of the Republican Party -- a little overweight, a little tired." Sadly for Thompson, it wasn't the only Britney comparison; see today's Gail Collins. George Will and Robert Novak have also panned Thompson's first week. In: Waiting for Gingrich? Out: Waiting for Thompson?

*** On the Trail: Biden stumps in Iowa; Dodd appears on Air America Radio at 12:30pm ET; Huckabee hosts a conference call with bloggers and reporters; McCain, on Day Three of his "No Surrender" tour, campaigns in New Hampshire; Obama holds three town halls in Iowa; Richardson also hits the Hawkeye State; and Thompson makes his first campaign swing through Florida. Also, Madeleine Albright (campaigning for Clinton) and Elizabeth Edwards are both in Iowa.

Countdown to LA GOV election: 37 days
Countdown to Election Day 2007: 54 days
Countdown to LA GOV run-off (if necessary): 65 days
Countdown to Iowa: 123 days
Countdown to SC GOP primary: 128 days
Countdown to Tsunami Tuesday: 145 days
Countdown to Election Day 2008: 418 days
Countdown to Inauguration Day 2009: 495 days

Also in the new NBC/WSJ poll, 33% says the surge is helping the situation in Iraq, 15% say it's hurting the situation, and 48% say it's not making a difference either way. Moreover, only 35% think that removing Saddam Hussein from power was worth the US casualties and cost of the war. Bush's overall approval rating stands at 33%, a two-point increase from July.

The Wall Street Journal, NBC's polling partner, writes that the new survey "shows an uptick in support for the president's handling of the war. However modest, the gains come as welcome news for the White House as it seeks to hold enough Republican Congressional support to sustain Mr. Bush's Iraq policy through the end of his term. Mr. Bush has been buffeted by high-profile Republican dissent from such party stalwarts as Sens. Richard Lugar of Indiana and Pete Domenici of New Mexico. But majority Democrats haven't yet come close to amassing the two thirds votes needed in the House and Senate to override a presidential veto of a measure that would force an accelerated withdrawal beyond the gradual drawdown of the 30,000 'surge' troops that Mr. Bush is expected to announce tonight."

Here is MSNBC.com's take on the poll.

The New York Times writes that Bush's "critics say he is trying to have it both ways. He is, they say, taking credit for a drawdown that has been envisioned since he first announced the current buildup on Jan. 10 — a withdrawal that had to be carried out unless he was willing to take the politically unpalatable step of extending soldiers' tours further."

Meanwhile, the Washington Post front-pages, "Democratic leaders in Congress have decided to shift course and pursue modest bipartisan measures to alter U.S. military strategy in Iraq, hoping to use incremental changes instead of aggressive legislation to break the grip Republicans have held over the direction of war policy."

"Standing against them will be President Bush, who intends to use a prime-time address tonight to try to ease concerns that his Iraq strategy will lead to an open-ended military commitment. Both efforts share a single target: a handful of Republican moderates in the Senate whose votes the Democrats need to overcome the threat of a GOP filibuster. Should enough Republican moderates sign on to a compromise measure, Democrats could finally pass legislation aimed at changing direction of the war."

The Politico's Martin takes a look the GOP candidates' campaign teams in Florida.

GINGRICH: Just when you thought the field was set, up pops Newt Gingrich. He tells Mr. "Granite Status" himself, the Union Leader's John DiStaso, that he'll give the GOP field until the end of October to impress him and then he'll ponder jumping in.

Also, don't miss this quote from former Iowa GOP chair Steve Grubbs, who says he believes Gingrich is going to get in. Does he know something? Gingrich's fingers doing the dialing to unattached campaign staffers like Grubbs?

GIULIANI: NBC's Chuck Todd makes a case that Giuliani's road to the GOP nomination may have fewer potholes than Clinton's. Giuliani's biggest asset: He's set himself up to survive early losses in Iowa and New Hampshire better than Clinton -- thanks mostly to the safety nets of Florida and Michigan. It's a luxury Clinton doesn't have since she signed the four-state pledge.

The Los Angeles Times examines Giuliani's record on education as New York mayor. "New York City schools went through eight years of political chaos during Giuliani's terms, which ended in 2002. His bare-knuckle tactics contributed to the departure of three chancellors, according to interviews with former school administrators, Board of Education members, teachers, parents, union officials and outside experts."

More: "He left behind an expired union contract, an army of angry teachers and a school system that by his own admission was still delivering inferior educations to hundreds of thousands of students. How Giuliani handled education provides a window into his potential political skills as a U.S. president, especially in terms of the way he managed people and his refusal to compromise on issues big and small."

The Washington Times notes that Giuliani's views on immigration reform put him at odds with one of his chief surrogates, New York Rep. Peter King.

HUCKABEE: The former governor made the rounds yesterday in Orange County, trying to woo members of its always-influential Lincoln GOP club.

MCCAIN: Per NBC/NJ's Carrie Dann, who was with McCain yesterday in Iowa: Wrapping up the Iowa launch to the new bus tour yesterday, McCain visited a Des Moines VFW hall and a Waterloo American Legion chapter to push his support of the Iraq war. He is hitting the road with a singular message: "Let us win." "I believe that we should not choose to lose in Iraq," McCain said in Des Moines, prompting applause and shouts of "Amen" from the audience of about a hundred mostly elderly veterans. "We've got a new general and a new strategy in Iraq, and it's working," he told a larger crowd in Waterloo.
 
The senator, Dann reports, was also rewarded with applause for his fierce defense of Gen. David Petraeus in the wake of anti-war group MoveOn.org's full-page attack ad in the New York Times earlier this week.  At both Iowa events yesterday, he held up an oversized poster of MoveOn's "General Betray Us" graphic, slamming it as "one of the worst things I've seen in my life."  He also had tough words for opponent Hillary Clinton, who -- like all of her Democratic colleagues -- has stayed mum about the ad. 

But one of yesterday's warmest audiences responses was not for McCain, but for one of the veterans who rode along with the senator today to speak at his event in Waterloo. Iraq veteran CJ Robison, who walks with a cane after being injured in an IED attack, offered a passionate plea for attention to veterans' issues. "I really didn't care that much about politics 'til today, when I was on the bus with that guy [McCain], who was talking about stuff I pay attention to," she said. "We're asking you to take care of us when we come home." As she limped back to her place on the stage, the hall was on its feet -- the only standing ovation of the day.

The New York Times on McCain's Iowa stop: "In a trip here just last month, Mr. McCain was asked by local reporters at nearly every stop of the way if he was dropping out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination. No one asked if he was dropping out this week. And the McCain campaign, buoyed by good reviews Mr. McCain received last week at a debate in New Hampshire and by the prospect of his taking on a high-profile role in the Senate debate over Iraq, is very much hoping that it is beginning a comeback."

But WHO-TV's Dave Price was not as impressed. "It's a good thing it wasn't hot outside. John McCain's 'No surrender' bus pulled in at 1:21pm by my watch. His event at the AmVets 2 Post in Des Moines was supposed to start at noon. McCain blamed the bus driver's wrong turns for the delay. In fact, I counted at least four apologies from him by the end of his appearance. I don't recall rival, Rudy Giuliani, ever saying he was sorry for making people wait at least an hour for what I think was his first visit to Des Moines as an official candidate for prez… McCain's money problems have been well documented over this campaign. We stumbled upon some help for him. A Vietnam War veteran, Lee Booton of Ankeny, manned the barbecue outside AmVets Post 2. Lee told me the vets got together to donate their time and 260 pounds of chicken, 5 gallons of cole slaw, 8 gallons of potato salad and 4 gallons of beans. He said they did it all for less than $200 and fed nearly 250 people."

ROMNEY: Romney said Obama "disqualified" himself from being considered a serious presidential candidate by calling for a complete troop withdrawal. He also called the attack Web site on Fred Thompson, run by an associate of one of his advisers, "juvenile." http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2007/09/romney_riffs_on.html

THOMPSON: Per NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner-Treworgy, Thompson today brings his presidential campaign to the Sunshine State, on his first trip through Florida as an official candidate. He begins with a campaign stop in Jacksonville then travels south to The Villages, before finishing up the day in Celebration. The native southerner hopes to parlay the warm response he received in South Carolina into an even warmer response in Florida, as he tests out his campaign strategy of focusing on success in the southern primaries.

Three big name columnists weigh in on Thompson today, and none are impressed. George Will was the toughest: "Fred Thompson's plunge into the presidential pool -- more belly-flop than swan dive -- was the strangest product launch since that of New Coke in 1985. Then, the question was: Is this product necessary? A similar question stumped Thompson the day he plunged."

(Of course, remember that Will introduced Giuliani at the CPAC conference.)

Bob Novak: "Thompson's late start in itself is not a fatal flaw. Still, it had been conceded in party circles that when he finally became a candidate, his beginning better be memorable. It was not. While Thompson voiced obligatory conservative slogans in New Hampshire, Iowa and South Carolina, he was not the white knight that worried Republican loyalists desperately desire. His debut might have been more blood-stirring had his gatekeepers not turned away talented helpers."

The New York Times' Gail Collins: "He's here. He's tanned. He's ready. He looks like he needs a nap. When it comes to overhyped underperformers, Fred Thompson's entry into the presidential race was right up there with Britney Spears at the MTV awards."

BIDEN: NBC/NJ's Carrie Dann reports that Biden today will pick up the endorsement of Iowa House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy. Per the campaign, McCarthy's support for Biden is based on the senator's foreign policy background and his plan for a measured withdrawal from Iraq.  McCarthy's nod will be Biden's eighth endorsement out of the state legislature in Iowa.

CLINTON: The new Los Angles Times/Bloomberg polls in the early states finds voters who are the most anti-war are siding with Clinton. "Many of those voters who want an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops support her candidacy and consider her best able to end the war, as do many who back a more gradual drawdown… The findings help explain why the New York senator has built a strong lead over Democratic rivals who have made their opposition to the war the centerpiece of their campaigns -- and who have laid out more-detailed plans for quicker troop reductions."

Clinton made her first public comments about Hsu since the campaign decided to return nearly a $1 million in contributions Hsu raised. "'I believe that the vast majority of those 200-plus donors are perfectly capable of making up their own minds about what they will or won't do going forward,' Clinton said in a conference call with reporters -- her first public comments on the fallout of Hsu's arrest and her decision to return the $850,000 he collected for her presidential bid.

The Clinton campaign has told First Read that they will NOT "re-solicit" the Hsu donors. But as Clinton said, if these folks make up their own mind and decide to donate, that's up to the donors. In fact, here is the New York Daily News: "Clinton opened the door yesterday to letting the donors rounded up by Hsu write new checks -- if they swear the money is their own and didn't come from her disgraced 'HillRaiser.'"

And as if the Hsu story wasn't weird enough, now we learn he attempted suicide on that Amtrak train. The suicide notes hit mailboxes this week.

Giuliani's former mayoral campaign manager and deputy mayor during his first term is supporting Clinton for president. "I'm not voting for Rudy. I'm supporting Hillary Clinton. I'm an 'ambassador' for Hillary," Fran Reiter told the New York Post. She "complained [Giuliani] has fundamentally shifted his positions on key social issues like abortion and gun control and called his health-care plan 'appalling.'" The Giuliani camp responded: "We'll trade Fran Reiter for Louis Freeh any time."

DODD: On his Web site yesterday, Dodd jumped on Petraeus' assessment of whether the US is safer with fighting in Iraq. "It's a tragedy that the question of whether or not our strategy of escalating the presence of US forces in Iraq's civil war will make us safer was not asked before we put it into action," Dodd's statement said. "As a result we've seen the bloodiest summer since we've been in Iraq and no noticeable political progress."

EDWARDS: To rebut Bush's Iraq speech tonight, "Edwards has bought two minutes of air time on MSNBC," the AP reports. "The ad was taped at Edwards' home in Chapel Hill, N.C., in the style of an Oval Office address, with him sitting at a desk and speaking straight to the camera, with American flag in the background." In the ad, Edwards says: "Tell Congress you know the truth. They have the power to end this war and you expect them to use it. When the president asks for more money and more time, Congress needs to tell him he only gets one choice -- a firm timeline for withdrawal." The ad likely will cost between $100,000 and $150,000.

OBAMA: The New York Times calls Obama's Iraq speech yesterday his "most extensive plan yet for winding down the war in Iraq, proposing to withdraw all combat brigades by the end of next year while leaving behind an unspecified smaller force to strike at terrorists, train Iraqi soldiers and protect American interests… Mr. Obama delivered his remarks in an address at Ashford University in Clinton, Iowa. While he did not directly mention Mrs. Clinton by name, the words in his speech and the name of the city in which he chose to give his speech made his point clear."

Newsweek also sees Obama's Iraq speech as a "fresh" attempt to contrast himself with Clinton. "Obama's aides believe her vote for the war offers a possible chink in the formidable Clinton armor. They eagerly point out that she failed to read the full and classified National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq. Unlike the public version of that report, the full NIE included multiple caveats and disclaimers that cast doubt on key assertions by the White House.

On his Iraq speech, the Des Moines Register highlights Obama's proposed "$2 billion a year in aid to Iraqi refugees and welcoming at least 7,000 Iraqi refugees into the United States as part of his strategy to bring peace and end the war."

NBC/NJ's Aswini Anburajan interviews Zbigniew Brzezinski, who introduced Obama in Iowa yesterday. When asked why a freshman senator from Illinois who has had no real foreign policy experience could be qualified to take on the challenges of a new world order, Brzezinski said that Obama grasps the history of this moment. "The real test for qualifications is not some extensive record of travel or bureaucratic service, it's the ability to understand what is the nature of the historical movement," he said. "Why was Truman qualified? He was a haberdasher.  Look at some recent leaders. Look at President Clinton what were his qualifications?"

RICHARDSON: The Politico discovered a major donor with ties to Saddam Hussein in Bill Richardson's FEC report. "Richardson and a host of congressional candidates from both parties accepted cash from Oscar S. Wyatt Jr. and his wife, Lynn, since the federal government accused the Texas oilman of paying millions of dollars in kickbacks to Saddam Hussein."

This is a pretty interesting finding in the latest NBC/WSJ poll: 57% say the early start to the presidential campaign has had a negative effect (because candidates will raise and spend too much money and voters will lose interest in the campaign), compared with 36% who think it has been positive (because it gives voters more time to learn about the candidates and their issues).

Don't miss the new Time first families poll. Apparently, the Clintons and Romneys are big fans of Grey's Anatomy; the McCains watch 24; the Obamas can't avoid SpongeBob Square Pants; Elizabeth Edwards is tired of chicken caesar salad; and Cindy McCain doesn't like doughnuts. Also, which couple prefers college basketball, which spouse has the "best laugh," and which candidate fancies himself a "BBQ master?"

NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli spent some time with the most important person in the presidential race right now: New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner, who has yet to set the date for his state's primary. Gardner says he's "waiting for the dust to settle" after Michigan's primary move before deciding when the New Hampshire primary will be held. He declined to otherwise say how soon a decision would be made. "I intend to do it as I've done it before," he said. "I've never had to change it once I've set it."

During an interview that began in his state House office and ended with a tour of New Hampshire's House chamber, the state's top elections officer discussed the state's unique political culture and explained why the Granite State has earned its first-in-the-nation voting rights. "There's a reason it's here… The shortest distance between a government and its citizen exists in this state."

The AP takes a look at Nevada's status in the primary calendar. By the way, some of us here at First Read have been skeptics about the state's influence. But if New Hampshire moves to the 8th and Iowa to the 5th, suddenly Nevada becomes a heckuva lot more intriguing if it stays the 19th.

In the latest NBC/WSJ poll, only 23% approve of Congress' job. In addition, 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," says pollster Neil Newhouse (R). However, 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.

A potential pick up for Democrats in Virginia? The Washington Post: "Former Virginia governor Mark R. Warner will announce today that he is running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Republican John W. Warner, setting the stage for one of the most competitive races in the country next year, according to sources familiar with his decision. Warner … will make his announcement in an e-mail to supporters Thursday but won't formally begin his campaign until after the state legislative races in November, according to the sources, who spoke directly with Warner.

From NBC/NJ's Aswini Anburajan
Zbigniew Brzezinski doesn't believe in speaking down to his audience. 
 
The former national security advisor to Jimmy Carter introduced Obama at Ashford University in Iowa today, after decrying what he called the Bush administration's colonialist policies in a postcolonial world, adding the Administration had "used mendacity" to justify the war and that "it has discredited America as a whole."
 
For Brzezinski, 79, support for Obama means support for a radical change in direction of American foreign policy. But some argue Brzezisnski's support could hurt Obama, particularly with Jewish voters. The Politico today wrote Brzezinski came under fire this summer for an essay he wrote in the journal Foreign Policy, "defending a controversial new book about the power of the 'Israel Lobby' in American politics."

"The fact of the matter is that I'm part of the only administration that brought about peace between Israel and its neighbors," Brzezinski said in an interview with NBC News/National Journal in Iowa on the day Obama delivered his Iraq policy speech, which he said he did not have a direct hand in. "And so I'm proud of my record in the Middle East."

Talking of his support for Obama, Brzezinski evoked the mantle of former presidents Woodrow Wilson, Harry Truman and John F. Kennedy Jr. "What makes Obama attractive to me," he said, "is that he understands that we live in a very different world where we have to relate to a variety of cultures and peoples."  
Brzezinski says that willingness to understand the subtext of culture allows for a more informed foreign policy that can create a comprehensive strategy in Iraq that is inclusive rather than delineating the region into those who are allies of the United States and those who are against it.

Obama's emphasis on speaking to foreign leaders could be echoes of Brzezinski viewpoints. Brzezinski emphasized the need to engage Iraq's neighbors, including Iran, to help stabilize Iraq. He dismissed the notion that leaving Iraq could leave it open to civil war and a wider sectarian conflict that could engulf the region, a fear that U.S. Amb. to Iraq Ryan Crocker alluded to in his testimony before the Senate yesterday.
 
"The administration is really putting American in the position of being a prisoner of uncertainty," he said. "We know the engagement is costly to us. We don't know what the consequences of disengagement will be, but the administration always says it will be the worst possible."
 
Brzezinski said Iran would be a partner in helping the situation in Iraq rather than the foe that the Bush administration claims it to be because it could face instability within its own borders if Iraq were to "blow up."

"If you look at the math," he said, "the overlap between Iran and Iraq, Iran has an enormous stake in Iraq not blowing up because it itself could blow up," he said.

From NBC's Andy Merten and NBC/NJ's Aswini Anburajan
Obama laid out his four-point strategy for Iraq today before a packed crowd at Ashton University in Clinton, Iowa. It is comprised of: 1) Commencing in an immediate withdrawal of one or two brigades (3,500 or 7,000 troops) a month; 2) a pressing effort for political stability, with aid from a United Nations constitutional convention; 3) increased regional diplomacy, especially with leaders of Syria and Iran; and 4) humanitarian intervention and financial aid to help stem the effects of current and future sectarian violence.
 
Although the Obama plan calls for a remaining residual military presence to protect American diplomatic and military personnel and continue hunting al-Qaeda, the Illinois senator did not, in his speech or in an extended overview of his plan, reveal exactly how many troops would remain. In addition, the Edwards campaign, speaking with reporters on a conference call on Monday, called for a residual force but denied to give exact numbers.

Obama was introduced by an Iraq vet, who served in Fallujah, and spoke against backdrop of American Flags with a small sign on the podium that read, "Turning the Page in Iraq." The crowd was made up of college students and senior citizens, some from Illinois.

Obama's speech also included a few lightly veiled political digs at Clinton, invoking the term "conventional thinking" several times. In an unmistakable shot at Clinton, he said: "Despite -- or perhaps because of how much experience they had in Washington -- too many politicians feared looking weak and failed to ask hard questions. Too many took the President as his word instead of reading the intelligence for themselves."

He also joked about the namesake of the city in which he was speaking, saying, "It was a happy accident, but we do hope that the headline after we leave is 'Clinton endorses Obama.'"

From NBC/NJ's Matthew Berger
Giuliani today blasted MoveOn.org and others for questioning Gen. Petraeus' report, and he specifically went after Clinton -- part of his strategy to appeal to primary voters as a 50-state general election candidate.

He singled out the New York senator, saying he didn't understand her assertion that accepting the general's report meant suspending disbelief. "I don't even know what it means," Giuliani said of her comments, after tasting ice cream at a candy shop outside Pittsburgh. "It sounds like we shouldn't believe him. I don't believe she has any right to question his integrity."

Giuliani said he did believe Petraeus, but even if he didn't, he believed the general was due more respect. However, h said he did not watch the hearings yesterday because of the 9/11 commemorations.

Giuliani also attacked Obama's remarks today on Iraq, questioning the policy of a timetable for ending a war. "When in the history of war had an army ever given its enemy a timetable of retreat?"

From NBC's Mike Viqueira
The political dissonance surrounding the Petraeus-Crocker testimony was on display this afternoon during simultaneous press conferences by Democratic and Republican leaders.

Hours after landing in Baghdad, House Republican leader John Boehner and fellow travelers convened an intercontinental conference call with homebound American reporters. At literally the same moment, Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid and colleagues came before cameras in the U.S. Capitol. Their interpretations of the situation in Iraq were wildly divergent, and though unaware of what the other was saying, they took turns contradicting each other in real time.

- Reid: "Every objective assessment says that the surge has failed to get political reconciliation....it is neither a drawdown nor a change in mission."
- Rep. Peter King: "The consensus" from the American military and diplomatic sources they have met with in the last hours is that "Petraeus is on target."
- Sen. Jack Reed: "The surge has not succeeded."
- Boehner: "What we have seen in Anbar is beginning to spread to other provinces close to Baghdad."
- Reid: "Of course it can be changed there (Anbar). But it's like a big balloon. Squeeze it one place and it comes out someplace else...the situation on the ground has not changed in Iraq."
- Peter King: "Political progress is being made from the ground up."
- Reid: Saying that the mission is "almost there...is just a little bit short of ridiculous."
- Boehner: What Petraeus has told us is "reasonable, responsible, and achievable"...Democrats have "invested all their political capital in failure in Iraq...I think they have no place to go."
- Sen. Carl Levin: The stated purpose of the surge was to give the Iraqi political process "breathing room." But, interpreting the testimony, "Petraeus says that it has not been accomplished."

From NBC's Lauren Appelbaum and NBC/NJ's Athena Jones
After the National Association of Letter Carriers endorsed Clinton, she took the opportunity to blast President Bush on the Iraq troop withdrawal he plans to announce Thursday night. She said it was "simply too little, too late" and said the reduction was going to happen anyhow.
 
"Taking credit for this troop reduction is like taking credit for the sun coming up in the morning," Clinton told an audience of about 50 letter carriers. "We don't need another mission accomplished moment."
 
Gen. Petraeus has proposed a decrease of 30,000 troops by August of next year. In an address to the nation on Thursday evening, Bush is expected to announce he is accepting that recommendation. Clinton sent a letter to Bush today urging him to withdraw more troops, rather than simply returning troop levels in August 2008 to what they were in August 2006. 
 
"As Commander-in-Chief you have the authority and ability to greatly accelerate the redeployment of U.S. forces from Iraq, and to bring so many more troops home so much faster," Clinton said in the letter. "I strongly urge you to choose this course of action."
 
In recent speeches, the senator has repeatedly called for bringing troops home and for America to stop refereeing Iraq's civil war, but she has not said specifically how many troops she would bring home and when.
 
Clinton also criticized the Bush administration for not being supportive enough of the middle class, specifically unions, social security and the children's health insurance program. "As far as they're concerned in this administration, you're on your own," Clinton said. "And if you take the first letters of You're On Your Own, it spells Yo-Yo, which pretty much describes what's going on in America right now."
 
The letter carriers received Clinton well, with rousing applause and hoots as she entered. At the end, they gave her their "letter-carrier cheer" with three cheers of "hip-hip hooray."
 
"You are everywhere in America and because of that America is stronger," Clinton said, praising the group. "You see beyond all of the rhetoric what's actually going on in our country."

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
The Club for Growth is no fan of Huckabee. The conservative group's latest attack on the former Arkansas governor comes in the form of an anti-Huckabee Web site, TaxHikeMike. The site contains videos of Huckabee statements, which the group claims as "Evidence." It also says he's "getting cozy with labor unions" and cites speaking at the National Education Association and receiving the endorsement of the International Association of Machinists.

"He even received the latter's endorsement!" the site exclaims. The machinists union also endorsed Clinton, but it said it endorsed Huckabee because he "was the only Republican candidate with the guts to meet with our members and the only one willing to figure out where and how we might work together."

The Club for Growth's President Pat Toomey said in a statement: "Mike Huckabee claims to be an economic conservative, but it is clear from his tax-and-spend record as governor of Arkansas and his embrace of left-wing populism on the campaign trail that he is as much an economic conservative as Hillary Clinton is a capitalist."

The Club for Growth also ran an attack ad in Iowa against Huckabee in the week leading up to the Ames straw poll. Huckabee, who calls the group "The Club for Greed," seemed to shrug off the group's attacks with his second-place finish at the straw poll despite his limited resources.

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
Romney is up running his "Energy" ad in Florida with a "significant buy" on broadcast and cable, according to his campaign. The ad is running in Jacksonville, Ft. Myers, Orlando, Tampa and West Palm Beach, according to GOP sources.

Romney was up in Florida in February with a limited buy with their introductory ad, but this is their first significant move into the state where Giuliani leads in the polls. The buy also coincides with Fred Thompson's first campaign appearances in the state beginning tomorrow in Jacksonville.

**** UPDATE **** From NBC's Chuck Todd... The buy is from the 12th to the 18th and is approximately $400,000 for the week.

From NBC's Joel Seidman
Former congressional aide Neil Volz, who pleaded guilty to conspiring with convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff to bribe members of congress, was sentenced today to two years probation, 100 hours of community service and fined $2000.

Volz, 36, a former chief of staff to former Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH), was spared jail time, according to prosecutors, because his cooperation with the Justice Department's investigation was instrumental in their conviction of Ney.

"I am ashamed for what I have done," said a tearful Volz addressing the court just before hearing his sentence from U.S. District Judge Ellen Huvelle. "I broke the law by putting my interests ahead of the public … I know the difference between right and wrong, and what I did was wrong."

Volz admitted to accepting meals and tickets to sporting events from Abramoff, when he worked for Ney. And Volz, also admitted that when he left congress to work for Abramoff's lobbying firm, he gave Ney and his staff many things of value. In return, Ney advocated for Abramoff's clients.

Prosecutor Kendall Day said that the government could not have prosecuted Ney without the assistance and cooperation of Volz. "The government has clearly viewed you as the key to their case against Congressman Ney," Judge Huvelle said.

Ney is currently serving a 30-month prison sentence. Ney, in pleading guilty to conspiracy and making false statements, acknowledged taking trips, tickets, meals and campaign donations from Abramoff in return for official actions on behalf of his clients.

Prosecutors said Volz provided them information about trips paid by Abramoff that Ney went on to Scotland, New Orleans and Lake George, N.Y. Volz was also the government's star witness in the trial of former Government Accounting Office official David Safavian, who also went on the golf junket to Scotland with Ney and Abramoff.

Safavian, 39, was convicted and sentenced to 18-months in prison for lying about his dealings with Abramoff. He remains free on bond pending appeal of his conviction, and his prison sentence was stayed until that appeal. Volz's lawyer, Timothy Broas, said Volz provided photographs and bar receipts from the Scotland trip. Volz also provided investigators information about another ex-chief of staff to Ney, William Heaton, who also pleaded guilty in the scandal.

Abramoff is currently serving a five-and-a-half-year sentence for his conviction in the Florida-based SunCruz Casinos gambling boat fraud case. Abramoff has yet to be sentenced in the Washington lobbying scandal.

From NBC/NJ's Athena Jones
Clinton picked up the endorsement of the 300,000-member National Association of Letter Carriers in Washington today.

"In the primary elections next year, you can count on letter carriers to deliver for Senator Clinton, and I am confident that in the years to come, President Hillary Clinton will deliver for every citizen throughout America," NALC President William Young said in a statement. Young said Clinton was the best prepared to fight for universal health insurance and to strengthen Social Security. "Hillary Clinton has the strength and experience to deliver the change we need. She's ready to lead this country from her first day in the White House." 

The NALC, affiliated with the AFL-CIO, represents city letter carriers employed by the U.S. Postal Service in all 50 states and U.S. jurisdictions.

Other recent endorsements: Earilier this month, Sen. Clinton picked up the endorsement of the Transportation Communications Union, which has 65,000 active and retired members, mostly employed in the railroad industry. Last month, the campaign announced the endorsement of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, which represents over 700,000 active and retired members in airline, aerospace, manufacturing, railroad, woodworking and shipbuilding industries. The United Transportation Union also endorsed the senator last month. The UTU represents 125,000 active and retired members in the railroad, bus and public transit sectors across America.

From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro
 *** Obama On Iraq: A day after getting a handful of minutes to speak, er, question Petraeus -- and after talking with NBC's David Gregory on TODAY earlier this morning -- Obama gives a speech today on Iraq from Iowa. In it, per the campaign, he will outline his plan for ending the war in Iraq, which includes pulling out combat troops at a pace of one or two brigades every month, to be completed by the end of next year. Yesterday, while talking at, er, grilling Petraeus and Crocker, Obama said: "I have to say, and this hasn't been commented on, I think that we should not have had this discussion on 9/11 or 9/10 or 9/12. Because I think it perpetuates this notion that somehow the original decision to go into Iraq was directly related to the attacks on 9/11." Yet as a rival campaign points out to First Read, if that's true, why is he giving an Iraq speech today on September 12? Still, this is Obama's next best chance to emphasize what the campaign believes is a real difference between him and Clinton on the top issue in the primary.

*** The Hsu Keeps Dropping: When the Clinton campaign announced on Monday night that it was returning the $850,000 Norman Hsu had raised, it appeared that the story was over, right? Well, not quite… The New York Times reports today that the Clinton campaign, per an adviser, will try to get most of the money back -- if it came from the donors' own bank accounts, and not from Hsu or another source. So is it really returning the money when the campaign seeks to get it back? Also, the Politico notes that bulldog Rep. Henry Waxman "has promised to ask the National Archives for documents relating to President Bill Clinton's Office of Political Affairs… [That] could mean fresh scrutiny and publicity for long-forgotten meetings and presentations during the Clinton administration" -- which could be another headache for the Clinton campaign.

*** A Lot Of Finger-Pointing Going On: One can only imagine the finger-pointing going on inside the Clinton fundraising machine. It's never been a happy team of folks as there was some infighting over control and strategy early on. Nothing has been easy on the Clinton fundraising front. While they've raised impressive money, they've only found themselves "keeping up" with Obama, which of course is not how it was supposed to be.  And now with the Hsu fiasco, don't be surprised if some who felt as if they weren't being listened to will push to get their way.  With just 18 days to go before the end of the third fundraising quarter, this controversy couldn't be coming at a worse time. 

*** One New Yorker Up, The Other One Flat-lining: Despite the Hsu story, Clinton keeps soaring in the polls. A brand-new Washington Post/ABC poll has her maintaining her double-digit national lead over Obama, while Bloomberg/LA Times shows her leading in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina. On the GOP side, meanwhile, the Post/ABC poll finds Giuliani out in front -- but losing ground to Thompson. Moreover, the Bloomberg/LA Times survey shows him trailing Romney in Iowa and New Hampshire, and Thompson in South Carolina (although he's just a few points behind, within the margin of error in NH and SC). But Giuliani flat-lining in the national polls probably says more about Thompson. Despite Beltway insiders nitpicking every little detail about Thompson's announcement tour (the staff departures, his different statements on Osama bin Laden, saying that he often doesn't attend church), Thompson has gotten a nice bounce since officially jumping into the race. Of course, Thompson got a similar bounce in June, dragging Giuliani down a bit and then Giuliani floated back up. Will this bounce stick? And what does it mean for Romney, who may have more at risk with the rise of Thompson? Maybe that explains the phonyfred.com Web site?

*** Get Ready For Another Poll: Is Clinton the overwhelming national front-runner? Is Thompson truly catching up to Giuliani? How do Americans view the surge? And do voters view this VERY early presidential contest as a positive or a negative? For answers, watch NBC Nightly News beginning at 6:30 pm ET -- or click on to MSNBC.com at the same time -- for the results of the latest NBC/Wall Street Journal poll.

*** The Monster Mash: The eight Democratic presidential candidates participate today in the Yahoo!/Huffington Post/Slate Mashup, an online forum moderated by PBS's Charlie Rose. There will be additional questions from online readers and viewers. But candidates will not interact

*** On The Trail: Elsewhere today, Dodd appears on Countdown with Keith Olbermann; Giuliani campaigns in Akron, OH; Huckabee raises money in Beverly Hills; McCain, in Iowa, continues on his "No Surrender" tour; Paul campaigns in Southern California; Richardson fundraises in Texas; and Romney is also in Texas, where he speaks to the Midland County Republican Women's Club and then raises money in Dallas and Houston. Also, Elizabeth Edwards appears on Rachel Ray.

Countdown to LA GOV election: 38 days
Countdown to Election Day 2007: 55 days
Countdown to LA GOV run-off (if necessary): 66 days
Countdown to Iowa: 124 days
Countdown to SC GOP primary: 129 days
Countdown to Tsunami Tuesday: 146 days
Countdown to Election Day 2008: 419 days
Countdown to Inauguration Day 2009: 496 days

Per NBC/NJ's Aswini Anburajan, Obama in his speech today will lay out a detailed withdrawal plan from Iraq, and map out what American foreign policy would look like under an Obama presidency. Obama spokeswoman Jen Psaki says, "Obama will outline what this war has cost us as a nation and lay out his plan for ending the war -- with new policy proposals on troop withdrawals, diplomacy within Iraq and offer aggressive action to deal with Iraq's humanitarian crisis: and talk about what American can accomplish in the world once we end the war."

According to excerpts the campaign has released, Obama will say: "There is something unreal about the debate that's taking place in Washington… The bar for success is so low that it is almost buried in the sand. The American people have had enough of the shifting spin. We've had enough of extended deadlines for benchmarks that go unmet. We've had enough of mounting costs in Iraq and missed opportunities around the world. We've had enough of a war that should never have been authorized and should never have been waged."

More: "I opposed this war from the beginning. I opposed the war in 2002. I opposed it in 2003. I opposed it in 2004. I opposed it in 2005. I opposed it in 2006. I introduced a plan in January to remove all of our combat brigades by next March. And I am here to say that we have to begin to end this war now."

The AP notes that Obama will be introduced by Zbigniew Brzezinski, Carter's national security advisor. Brzezinski has endorsed Obama, but this is his first appearance with the campaign.

President Bush will give a primetime address on Thursday on endorsing Petraeus' recommendations. The Washington Post: "White House aides said they are working on a 20-minute prime-time speech that Bush will give tomorrow night, in which he will endorse the main elements of the strategy outlined by Petraeus and Crocker on Capitol Hill this week. They said the president plans to emphasize that he is in a position to order troop cuts only because of the success achieved on the ground in Iraq, and that he is not being swayed by political opposition. Aides said that he plans to outline once again what he sees as the dire consequences of failure in Iraq and that he will make the troop cuts conditional on continued military gains."

The New York Times says that Petraeus and Crocker  "conceded Tuesday that the Bush administration's overall strategy in Iraq would remain largely unchanged after the temporary increase in American forces is over next summer, and made clear their view that the United States would need a major troop presence in Iraq for years to come… The clashes over war strategy were more intense and emotional than had unfolded during the previous day in the House, reflecting the powerful passions and ambitions of a Senate that includes five presidential aspirants." 

Speaking of, here's a look at what presidential candidates said during the hearings, per the Boston Globe's front-page story…
BIDEN: "The American people will not support an indefinite role whose sole remaining purpose is to prevent the situation in Iraq from becoming even worse." The Globe also writes that Biden "seemed less interested in data than anecdote."
CLINTON: "The reports you provided to us require the willing suspension of disbelief." She called Petraeus and Crocker "the de facto spokesmen of what many of us consider to be a failed policy."
EDWARDS (in a statement): "It's time for Congress to act. They must stand firm and tell President Bush with one voice: No timetable, no funding. No excuses."
MCCAIN: "I believe we cannot choose to lose in Iraq."
OBAMA: "You said in this testimony that it's political, the reason for the success in Anbar [province], not because of an increase in troop strength."

The Washington Post's Dana Milbank yesterday spied an Obama campaign memo, which read: "As you get ready for press around your speech on Iraq, we wanted to make sure you have on one piece of paper the principle [sic] differences between your speech on Iraq and the most comprehensive on Iraq given by Senator Clinton." Milbank writes, "It isn't entirely surprising that he would be preparing some political barbs for the Democratic front-runner… Still, Obama's juxtaposition -- contemplating the nakedly political as he prepared to question the top U.S. general in Iraq and the U.S. ambassador to Iraq -- was stark." More: Biden "displayed his disdain for the more popular Obama by conspicuously reading a newspaper while the Illinois senator questioned the witnesses."

The Hartford Courant covered Dodd's questions to Petraeus yesterday. "Dodd seemed incredulous [of the assertion that the surge is working]. 'I don't seem to get any indication, don't get a feeling here that there's any real opportunity or optimism, that this is going to get better,' the senator said."

CLINTON: The New York Times reports that the Clinton campaign is returning the $850,000 Norman Hsu raised, "viewing the money as tainted. Yet the campaign is also risking another public relations mess by saying that it would take back the money if it clearly came from the donor's bank account, not from Mr. Hsu or another source. The risk is that Mrs. Clinton will appear to want more cash no matter whether it was once colored by a disgraced donor."

"The campaign will try to get most of the donors to give the money back right after the refunds, said a senior Democratic strategist who advises Mrs. Clinton's campaign. 'That's the plan,' the strategist said."

The New York Daily News reveals that "FBI agents are collecting e-mail evidence in the widening [Hsu] scandal."

The Washington Post delves into the Clinton campaign's claims that its background check on Norman Hsu didn't turn up any problems. "Though a commonly used public record search shows that Hsu had multiple business lawsuits filed against him dating to 1985, filed for bankruptcy in 1990, and was a defendant in two 1991 California court matters listed as possible criminal cases, the campaign said its computer checks used insufficient search terms that did not include the two middle names Hsu used in the California case. 'In all of these searches, the campaign used the name Norman Hsu, which, like the search results of other committees and campaigns, did not turn up disqualifying information,' Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson explained."

More: "Clinton campaign chairman Terence R. McAuliffe -- famous for his careful, methodical courting of big donors and fundraisers -- said in an interview yesterday that he does not know where Hsu came from. 'I don't know how he became involved in the Clinton campaign,' McAuliffe said. 'I've never asked the man for a check.'" Interestingly, the article notes that Bill Clinton's foundation returned Hsu's money before the Clinton campaign did.

Another potential problem for the Clinton campaign? The Politico writes that Rep. Henry Waxman, who is investigating the political influence on some of the Bush White House decisions, is allowing his GOP committee members' curiosity about how much the Clinton White House played politics by asking to examine a slew of Clinton-era materials. "In a letter this week, Waxman suggested Republicans satisfy their curiosity by reexamining what he estimates are more than 2 million pages of documents about the Clinton White House and the Democratic National Committee that House investigators amassed in the 1990s.

"The extraordinary search was prompted by revelations that Bush aides have conducted political briefings for GOP appointees at federal agencies before big elections. Democrats have complained that the sessions could violate the Hatch Act, which is designed to insulate federal employees from political pressure."

OBAMA: Per NBC's Lauren Appelbaum, the Obama campaign sent two text messages to supporters yesterday. One of them, received at 3:30 pm ET, said: "Please REPLY to this message with your five-digit ZIP code to receive local Obama campaign news and periodic updates. Thanks for your help. Scott at Obama HQ." The next, at 8:40 pm ET, said: "Barack is giving a major Iraq policy speech tomorrow.  He will also be live on the Today Show tomorrow morning at 7:00am. Visit BarackObama.com for more info."

Obama's never been a favorite of the Jewish political community and now he may give those folks more reason to shy away from him with the high profile he's giving Zbigniew Brzezinksi.

GIULIANI: NBC's Lauren Appelbaum notes that Giuliani yesterday spoke at the 9/11 memorial ceremony for just one minute. And half of the time, he quoted Holocaust survivor Elie Weisel.

NBC/NJ campaign reporter Matthew Berger adds the Giuliani campaign yesterday took down its Web site in memory of the 9/11 attacks. The blue page that remained read, "September 11, 2001: We will not forget," and it included a quote from Giuliani's address to the United Nations in Oct. 2001. "This massive attack was intended to break our spirit. It has not done that. It has made us stronger, more determined and more resolved." The only active link was for the National Sept. 11 Memorial and Museum Web site. Campaign officials said it was not a day for politics.

HUCKABEE: The one-time middle-of-the-pack Mike Huckabee is getting more and more top tier- like coverage. The AP's Ron Fournier looks at Huckabee's toughness, noting that behind his nice guy exterior is someone with a lot of political skills.

MCCAIN: Politico's Roger Simon looks at how McCain has a lot riding on Petraeus.

THOMPSON: The candidate's swing through South Carolina is getting much better coverage than what he got in Iowa and New Hampshire.

The New York Times and the Boston Globe cover the back-and-forth between the Thompson and Romney camps over that anti-Thompson Web site.

Thompson's campaign apparently misspelled the name of the South Carolina governor in a press release. The AP story was clipped in the Columbia State with the headline: "Thompson campaign gets a 'D' in spelling SC governor's name."

Bloomberg/L.A. Times is out with polls in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, and the surveys conclude that Giuliani's support is soft in the early states (he trails in all three, Romney leads in Iowa and New Hampshire, and Thompson leads in South Carolina). Meanwhile, on the Democratic side, the polls show Clinton leading in all three. Look for the Edwards folks to dispute the Iowa results, in particular, very strongly. But this isn't the first round of polls in these early states that have shown Clinton strengthening. It's easy to dismiss one poll, much harder to dismiss a trend.

Meanwhile, a new Washington Post/ABC national poll shows Giuliani's national lead shrinking a bit, while Clinton maintains her double-digit lead over Obama. 

The New York Times' Nagourney makes the case for why Iowa and New Hampshire voters are much more sophisticated on the issues than your average voter.

The New York Times says the White House "is closing in on a nominee to replace Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales, with former Solicitor General Theodore B. Olson considered one of the leading candidates, administration and Congressional officials said Tuesday. Reports of Mr. Olson's candidacy suggested that President Bush, in choosing the third attorney general of his presidency, might defy calls from Democrats and choose another Republican who is considered a staunch partisan to lead the Justice Department. Mr. Gonzales is departing after being repeatedly accused of allowing political loyalties to blind him to independently enforcing the law."

Larry's Craig will have his case heard on September 26 to withdraw his guilty plea after a sex sting in a Minneapolis airport bathroom. "A spokesman for Craig said the Idaho Republican is unlikely to try to finish his third term unless a court moves quickly to overturn his conviction," per the AP.

From NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner-Treworgy
On a day when most presidential candidates resisted the urge to play campaign politics, Fred Thompson's campaign lashed out against Mitt Romney, in reaction to a Washington Post article that found links between an anti-Thompson Web site and a Romney political consultant. According to the story, the site PhoneyFred.org -- which was taken down soon after the Post called the Romney campaign inquiring about its origins -- referred to Thompson as "Fancy Fred, Five O'clock Fred, Flip-Flop Fred, McCain Fred, Moron Fred, Playboy Fred, Pro-Choice Fred, Son-of-a-Fred and Trial Lawyer Fred."

The Post also described a picture of Thompson in a frilly outfit featured on the site's front page as "more befitting a Gilbert and Sullivan production than a presidential candidate."

There was nothing on the Web site to indicate who created it, but the Post found links between the site and "Under the Power Lines," a site belonging to Romney's lead consultant in South Carolina, Warren J. Tompkins. During the 2000 presidential elections, Tompkins served as Bush's chief strategist in South Carolina, and he's widely rumored to have been the mastermind behind a series of attacks on John McCain following the Arizona senator's victory in the New Hampshire primary.

On Tuesday, Romney's camp distanced itself from the site. Per Reuters, Romney spokesman Kevin Madden said that after finding out about the Web site, it determined "it was created by an individual who parked the site temporarily on the company server space of a firm whose financial partner is a consultant to the campaign, Mr. Tompkins."

But Thompson's spokesman Todd Harris issued a rebuttal, criticizing "an increasingly desperate Mitt Romney" for working hard to divide the country and "practicing the lowest kind of politics."

"Today's half-baked cover-up attempt by the Romney campaign does not even pass the laugh test," Harris' statement continued. "There is no room in our party of this kind of smut. As the top executive of his own campaign, Gov. Romney should take full responsibility for this type of high-tech gutter politics and issue an immediate apology. In addition, Gov. Romney should exercise some of his much-touted executive acumen, take control of his flailing campaign, and immediately terminate anyone and everyone related to this outrage.

"This latest episode only serves to prove what many voters are already figuring out: Mitt Romney will do anything, say anything, smear any opponent and flip flop on any position in order to win."