From NBC's Chuck Todd
According to a source who tracks TV ad buying, Obama campaign has bought two-minute blocks in every market in both Ohio and Texas on Monday. It's unclear what the content will be, but sounds like it will be some sort of closing message. As we find out more, we'll report more.

*** UPDATE *** Some more details... the ads are to begin running March 3rd, the day before the primaries, statewide in both Ohio and Texas. It will air on the local evening news at 5 pm, 6 pm and 10 pm or 11 pm on most stations. So far, the ads will not run in Vermont or Rhode Island. Stations have not yet received the ad, so content is not yet known.

From NBC's Lindsey Pritzlaff
The past year of campaigning has birthed grandiose political events. But this afternoon's press conference at the National Press Club was quite a different scene.

As the perennial presidential candidate Ralph Nader announced that former San Francisco Supervisor Matt Gonzalez would be his running mate, there was not a Nader supporter with a sign in sight. With no were cheers or applause, the room was so quiet you could hear the photographers' shutters click.

More than a dozen TV cameras rolled as Gonzalez said that he is not disillusioned and he "understands what stands before us," but he added that he has "never entered a political campaign without the idea that it could be won."

Nader said he hopes that his bid for the White House will change the current political discourse. "We're both honored to be running together and looking forward to addressing issues, conditions, and solutions ignored by the other major party candidates," Nader said to approximately 60 reporters in attendance.

From NBC's Robert Windrem
The world is indeed flat. 

Al Hesbah is one of al Qaeda's main cyber mouthpieces. It has been cited numerous times by name in official communiqués issued by bin Laden's terror network, been featured in propaganda films produced on behalf of mujahideen organizations, including al Qaeda.

Its message boards offer key insights into the mindset of al Qaeda supporters and its collective knowledge base.

So those who follow al Qaeda took notice this week when members of the mujahideen took notice of the image of Barack Obama dressed as a Somali elder on the Drudge Report. Evan Kohlmann of Global Terror Alert, and an NBC News terrorism analyst, was among those who watched as the Al Hesbah message board lit up. Al Qaeda sympathizers cited the image as evidence that American political leaders, particularly Hillary Clinton, want to portray Islam as a political negative.

"In this case," Kohlmann said, "it would appear that the publication of the Obama photo, along with the insinuation of an intended negative political impact from being classified as 'Muslim,' has only served to antagonize the ranks of those who admire and support al Qaeda."

This discussion has been viewed several hundred times on the Al-Hesbah network, Kohlmann adds, and it has been among the top 40 most popular discussions on Al-Hesbah the past three days. Most of the discussions are about events in the Islamic world, particularly the conflict between the West and Islamic militants.

The discussion began with a post from a user apparently from Lebanon or Palestinian territories. He cited a news article (and accompanying photo) with the title, "Hillary Clinton's campaign distributes photos of Obama in Kenyan dress and accuses him of being Muslim." The author then immediately comments afterwards, "May Allah's curse be on all of them."

Almost immediately, users, such as "Abu Omar" and "Abdullah," reply in unison, "May Allah kill them." Another echoes the author's sentiments that "Allah's curse" should be "on all of them." 

"Not only are they enraged by the implication that being Muslim is something to be ashamed of," Kohlmann added, "but moreover, they are nearly equally indignant about the much-rumored notion that Obama (who has repeatedly declared his faith in Christianity and his support for Israel) is somehow in league with them."

In fact, Kohlmann added, al-Qaeda supporters are so insistent about their hatred for Obama that they have gone as far as to portray him as an "Iranian agent" secretly sent to take over the United States and fight a war against Sunni Muslims. 

One user, with a login that suggests Saudi nationality, claimed in his response, "Obama is actually of Persian-Iranian origin. Many of the Persians emigrated to Kenya after the fall of the Persian empire... . We ask Allah to destroy Obama, Kerry, Clinton, America, its allies, and its slaves."
 
"As far as they are concerned," Kohlmann said, "there is basically no difference between Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, or even George Bush."

From NBC's Lauren Appelbaum and Mark Murray
The Clinton campaign is up with a new TV ad in Ohio, in which Gov. Ted Strickland -- Clinton's top surrogate in the Buckeye State -- vouches for the New York senator. "We need a president who first of all is going to be a fighter. That's the way I see Hillary Clinton," he says.

"Hillary's always been an advocate for the middle class. She's got great plans to create new jobs in every part of Ohio. I think she's a person of deep faith. I think she's a person who has devoted her life to caring about other people­ making sure that America works for everyone, not just the privileged few."

[YouTube:0_ciAfsPqn8]

From NBC's Mark Murray
Later this afternoon, the Clinton campaign will hold a conference call with reporters, during which it will announce having raised $35 million in the month of February, according to news reports. That amount is more than double what it raised in January -- and it comes after surge in online fundraising in the wake of Clinton announcing that she had to loan her campaign $5 million.

The Obama campaign has yet to announce the size of its February haul, but spokesman Bill Burton tells First Read: "We have raised considerably more."

Obama raised $36 million in January.

From NBC's Joel Seidman
Ted Olson, the former Solicitor General under Bush who is advising McCain's camp on whether the Arizona senator being born in the Panama Canal Zone qualifies him to be president, emails NBC News: "Although I am continuing to research the matter, there is little doubt in my mind that Senator McCain fully meets the Constitution's qualifications to be President of the United States. In my view, the plain meaning of 'natural born citizen' includes persons who become citizens of this nation 'naturally,' that is by virtue of their birth to parents who are citizens, particularly when the birth takes place on territory occupied and controlled by the United States, in Senator McCain's case, a U. S. military base in the Panama Canal Zone. Indeed, the very First Congress, containing many Members who were the actual Framers of the Constitution, explicitly declared that children of United States citizens, born outside the limits of the United States, were 'natural born' citizens. I am confident that the United States Supreme Court, should it ever address the issue, would agree."

*** UPDATE *** I sent Jill Pryor, an Atlanta attorney, who 20 years ago wrote in the Yale Law Journal about the "Natural Born Enigma" an e-mail about Olson's remarks, and she said, in part, "Eligibility for ... children born on American military bases ... is also uncertain."

Here's what she wrote in full: "While I agree with Mr. Olson's conclusion, what I said in my article 20 years ago remains true today: 'Whether a person born abroad of American parents  ... qualifies as natural born has never been resolved,' and that 'Eligibility for ... children born on American military bases ... is also uncertain.' Some have taken the view that 'natural born' means native born, that is, born in the United States, and there is no authority expressly to the contrary. The 'natural born' language in the naturalization statute passed by the first Congress, to which Mr. Olson refers, was deleted from a later version of the statute for unknown reasons. The early common law did not always provide that the children of citizens born abroad were citizens themselves, see for example dicta in Weedin v. Chin Bow, 274 U.S. 657, 663 (1927), and the automatic citizenship of persons born in United States territories or on military bases is of much more recent origin."

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
McCain leads both Obama and Clinton in potential general-election match ups with either candidate in the all-important swing state of Florida, according to a Mason-Dixon poll out today.

McCain leads Obama 47%-37% and Clinton 49%-40%. The Arizona senator leads the Democrats across the board. About 80% of Republicans are behind McCain. Only 66% of Democrats are behind Obama and 72% are backing Clinton in one-one-one match-ups with McCain. Currently, 17% of Democrats indicate that in a match up with Obama, they'd support McCain; 16% say so in a match up with Clinton. Seventeen percent of Dems also say they are undecided in a match up with Obama; 13% say so with regard to McCain-Clinton. Those numbers though could be a reflection of McCain being the presumptive nominee and Obama and Clinton still engaged in a fight for the nomination.

Floridian Democrats also weighed in on whether and/or how their delegation should be seated at the national convention -- 28% said the state party should hold another Democratic primary or caucus; 24% believe the delegation should be seated, according to the Jan. 29th primary; 15% say "the Florida Democratic Party knowingly violated the national party rules, so it should accept the penalty"; 13% favor a delegation that is split evenly between Clinton and Obama; and 20% say they aren't sure.

From NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner-Treworgy
This morning, McCain spoke at the James Baker Institute at Rice University and jumped back into his back-and-forth with Obama. After McCain criticized Obama for his statements at Tuesday's debate, Obama's comeback involved McCain's support for the war from the outset. And today McCain called that kind of thinking counterproductive to moving forward.

"So yesterday, Senator Obama said, 'Well we shouldn't have gone in in the first place, and if we hadn't gone in in the first place we wouldn't be facing this problem,'" the Arizona senator said. "Well, that's history. That's the past. That's talking about what happened before. What we should be talking about is what we're going to do now.

"And what we're going to do now is continue this strategy, which is succeeding in Iraq and we are carrying out the goals of the surge. The Iraqi military are taking over more and more responsibilities, the casualties are down, and we will be able to withdraw and come home. But we will come home with honor."

After leaving Rice, McCain traveled to an airport near Houston to receive the endorsement of former Secretary of State James Baker, and he succinctly reiterated his critiques of Obama's position.

"This is not about decisions that were made in the past," McCain said. "This is about decisions that a president will have to make about the future in Iraq."

Baker, also well-known for heading up the Iraq Study Group, voiced his agreement with McCain's view of the situation in Iraq.

"I think what Senator McCain's position is today is quite consistent with what we said in the Iraq Study Group Report," Baker said. "We negated the idea of setting a timetable, a withdrawal date...we also said and pointed out that we're going to have American forces in Iraq for a long time to come."

This last line may help sooth the ire of some independents who were upset by McCain's "100 years" in Iraq statement, and felt that more of the Iraq Study Group's recommendations should have been implemented.

From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli
CANTON, OH -- Michelle Obama often refers to what she calls the "fear bomb" that was used against her husband in his Senate race, as rivals questioned whether someone with his name could be elected.

Today she acknowledged that it is happening again in his presidential race, and said it's an example of why America can't wait for a leader like him to be elected.

"They threw in the obvious, ultimate fear bomb," Obama said of her husband's 2004 Senate race. "We're even hearing [that] now. … 'When all else fails, be afraid of his name, and what that could stand for, because it's different.'" She said rivals use innuendo to play on fears. "Just as they're saying it now," she said.

But, she told about 200 supporters this morning at a restored theater in Canton, Obama won despite that "climate of negativity and doubt" in 2004, and even after standing up against the Iraq war. "We learned, number one, that when power is threatened by real change they will say anything to stop it," she said. "But we also learned that the American people can handle the truth."

What America needs, she added, is a "fundamentally different kind of leadership," one that challenges people to be different, and better to one another. And that, she said to critics who say it is not his time, cannot wait. "Barack Obama will be the kind of leader we need right now, not in four years or eight years or 12 years," she said. "We can't wait to get this right. We need it to happen today."

Mrs. Obama said her husband's effort to bring people together is grounded in the lessons he learned growing up. "You don't rip your opponents apart, because you never know when you're going to have to sit right down next to them and figure something out," she said. "That's how he was raised. Imagine a president of the United States who is trying to bring those values to the Oval Office."

From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro
*** Here comes the general? The day after Tuesday's final debate before the March 4 contests, a funny thing happened: The post-debate spat was between Obama and McCain, not Obama and Clinton. If you think about it, it's an extraordinary development. Although Clinton is still leading on Ohio (yet that contest is narrowing every single day) and is about tied in Texas (yet Obama has the Mo here, too), everyone seems to be slowly moving on to the general election; political inertia is taking over. Of course, Clinton hopes that wins in Ohio and Texas will stop that storyline -- and they very well might. Does anyone else have a feeling that one more game-changer is coming from the Clinton campaign, that they must have one more thing up their sleeve? They must, right? Maybe it's Edwards (this poverty tour seems like a big clue). Maybe it's one more televised town hall (although its one in Texas is bizarrely being broadcast on a sports channel). Something, right?

*** Too late? Overshadowed by the McCain-vs.-Obama storyline, Clinton and her campaign spent the day blasting Obama over a point she raised at the debate: that Obama hasn't held any hearings at the subcommittee he chairs. "My opponent likes to talk about what he will do, but there was a perfect example last night about the difference between talk and action," she said yesterday, per NBC/NJ's Athena Jones. "He was given the responsibility of chairing what's called a subcommittee in the Congress responsible for the European countries and our alliance with them and as part of that responsibility was NATO… [W]hat you learned last night is he's never held a substantive hearing or meeting to look at what is going on in NATO, to take a hard look at what's happening in Europe and in fact the reason he hasn't as he said is because he got the assignment when he started running for president. Well, I don't think that's an adequate excuse." For Clinton, this is a good line of attack. But is it too late? Shouldn't she have been making this point several weeks ago? The talk-vs.-action hit needs seasoning; it takes weeks for a storyline like this to take hold. By the way, it's worth noting that the RNC used this very line of attack on Obama yesterday as well…

*** The delegate count: The NBC News Hard Count is Obama 1,192, Clinton 1,036. Obama picked up two more superdelegates last night and this morning bringing the superdelegate total to Clinton 254, Obama 203. (Since Feb. 5, Obama has picked up 33; Clinton has lost a net of six.) That's a grand total of Obama 1,395, Clinton 1,290. So when you include superdelegates into the mix, Obama has a 105-delegate lead.

*** Natural-born citizen? The New York Times today has a piece that hadn't crossed our mind: Because McCain was born in the Panama Canal Zone, does that disqualify him for being president? It doesn't look like it, but constitutional scholars say it's an interesting case. "'There are powerful arguments that Senator McCain or anyone else in this position is constitutionally qualified, but there is certainly no precedent,' said Sarah H. Duggin, an associate professor of law at Catholic University who has studied the issue extensively. 'It is not a slam-dunk situation.'" And it looks like the McCain campaign isn't taking any chances by making sure Ted Olson puts together a legal opinion. Speaking of legalities, though, this matching fund and ballot qualification issue is perhaps a bigger headache than questions about his citizenship. 

*** The moment we've all been waiting for: At noon today, from the National Press Club in DC, Ralph Nader will announce his veep pick. Question: After today, will Nader -- making yet another White House bid -- be able to draw TV cameras and reporters to any other event? 

*** On the trail: Clinton holds a town hall at a child development center in Hanging Rock, OH before holding two events in Houston; Huckabee is in Texas; as is McCain, who makes seven stops in the state, including two fundraisers; Obama, in Texas, stumps in Austin, Beaumont, and Fort Worth; and Bill Clinton campaigns in Rhode Island and Dayton, OH.

Countdown to Ohio and Texas: 5 days
Countdown to Election Day 2008: 250 days
Countdown to Inauguration Day 2009: 327 days

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The Dem front-runner and the presumptive GOP nominee sparred over Iraq yesterday. The Washington Post front-pages, "For McCain, the decision to pick a fight with Obama helps keep the presumptive GOP nominee from being overshadowed by the battle between Obama and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) for the Democratic presidential nomination. It also gives him a chance to undermine confidence in Obama's foreign policy experience before the Democrat can turn full attention to the general election. But even as he focuses on a potentially decisive showdown with Clinton in four contests next Tuesday, Obama has made it clear he won't ignore the attacks from McCain. Generating headlines about an Obama-McCain showdown could also benefit Obama by creating the sense among Democratic primary voters that he is on the verge of becoming their party's nominee and also that he can hold his own against the Republicans."

The New York Times: "In the exchange of charges between Mr. Obama and Mr. McCain, both essentially ignored Mr. Obama's Democratic rival, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, who was campaigning in Ohio on economic and trade issues."

The Boston Globe: "The rapid-fire, long-distance exchange underscored that the two consider each other likely general election rivals, even though the Democratic contest remains unresolved."

The Wall Street Journal: "The disputes between the two men touch a variety of issues. On campaign finance, Mr. McCain slammed Mr. Obama for hedging on his pledge to accept public financing in the general election. 'He committed to public financing. It is not more complicated than that,' Mr. McCain said last week. 'I'll keep my word. I want him to keep his.'"

Another March 4 line in the sand -- this time by Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell: "Rendell, who is backing Clinton, said the New York senator would win his state's April 22 primary, the next major contest on the calendar after March 4, if she were to beat Obama in Texas and Ohio on Tuesday. Without those victories, he said, the campaign will not get to Pennsylvania."

"Rendell accepted the conclusion of former president Bill Clinton, who said recently that his wife must win both states to keep her candidacy viable. 'I'm assuming the only way to proceed on is, as President Clinton says' to carry both big states, Rendell said in an interview. 'I'm not close enough to the campaign, I don't know their monetary situation, I don't know any of that. But from a vantage point of a supporter who's not in the inner circle of the campaign, I think that would make sense.'"

More: "Clinton advisers anticipate that she will come under immediate pressure from prominent supporters to consider leaving the race if she loses on Tuesday. That pressure probably would be conveyed privately at first, but quickly become public if she fails to heed the message. A split decision Tuesday would be likely to lead to similar pressure, her advisers said. Only by gaining ground against Obama in the delegate fight would she find the justification to keep going. Aides described Clinton as realistic about her precarious standing."

OHIO: "Residents tick off company after company that has shed jobs, moved overseas, or shut down altogether. Clinton is banking on these disaffected voters to stand with her in Tuesday's Ohio primary, one she must win to remain competitive with Senator Barack Obama in the Democratic nomination race. She spent yesterday promising to be their advocate in the White House."

TEXAS: "[A] large percentage of Democrats in Clinton's targeted areas have cast early ballots, especially the heavily Hispanic areas along the Rio Grande in South Texas -- indicating her strategy of wooing early voters also may be bearing fruit." More: "The latest early voting numbers suggest Obama is seeing great success in the big cities in Texas, which have large but limited delegate totals. Clinton's strategy is to accrue smaller delegate numbers over broader areas of the state, with the hope of topping Obama overall."

The New York Sun reports on a new pro-Clinton 527 that plans to focus on the issues of race and gender.

CLINTON: So is Clinton about to get Edwards' support this week? She's doing a poverty tour. "Today, in the town of Hanging Rock, in the state's southeast, Sen. Clinton will for the first time devote an entire campaign event to poverty."

The Times looks at the increased role Harold Ickes is taking on the campaign. "Ickes's battles have often been as much inside the campaign as outside it. He and Mr. Penn have a long history of enmity — they did not talk when both worked for Mr. Clinton when he was in the White House. In a campaign that often exhibits a decidedly corporate and somewhat antiseptic air — personified by Mr. Penn — Mr. Ickes is intense, emotional and, his friends say, idealistic. He barely tries to hide his view of Mr. Penn. 'Many pollsters, many pundits — including our chief strategists, dare I say — didn't think we were going to win New Hampshire,' he said pointedly at his breakfast with journalists."

The New York Times' Gail Collins writes, "If Hillary Clinton were a state, she'd be Ohio. This is a no-frills kind of place, suspicious of glamour. Barack Obama's promise to make politics cool again doesn't necessarily resonate here. Eight presidents came from Ohio, and the coolest was William McKinley."

Bloomberg's Margaret Carlson says of Clinton: "She was wrong about getting the first question being unfair and the pillow being funny. It's life that's often unfair and sometimes funny. She's had Bill using up all the oxygen in the room for most of her adult life and now comes Obama, if anything a smarter, better, scandal-free version of her husband. That's not fair. If women in Ohio and Texas see it that way, maybe she still has a chance."

The Politico picks up on the debate answer Clinton gave about her records. "The White House said Wednesday that the Clinton family is holding up the release of schedules from the first lady years of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.). She said in Tuesday's debate that she wants them out 'as quick as possible.' Her campaign says it may take two more weeks for Bruce Lindsey, chief executive officer of the William J. Clinton Foundation, to decide what to put out and then to request release of the papers from the White House."

"A Clinton aide said Lindsey 'is reviewing as expeditiously as possible.' But the aide pointed out that the Clintons have 45 days for review after a Jan. 31 decision by the National Archives approving more than 11,000 pages of documents for release."

The AP: "A day after lecturing her presidential rival for not rejecting a controversial minister's support, Hillary Rodham Clinton declined Wednesday to reject one of her Texas backers who commented on Barack Obama's race. During a series of satellite television interviews, Clinton was questioned by Dallas station KTVT about comments by Adelfa Callejo, a local activist who supports Clinton candidacy. The interviewer quoted Callejo as saying "Obama's problem is he happens to be black" and asked Clinton to respond. "Well obviously I want all of us judged on our merits," Clinton said. "I believe strongly that the fact we have an African American and a woman running for the Democratic nomination is historical and I'm very, very proud of that."

Per NBC/NJ's Athena Jones, A local reporter asked Hillary Clinton about comments made by Adelfa Callejo, whom the reporter described as one of the more prominent members of the Hispanic community in North Texas, and a "big supporter" of Clinton. Clinton agreed when she was prompted, "You know her well."

The reporter of Callejo to Clinton: "She recently told us that African-Americans never help Hispanics when they gain power and influence and that she would never vote for Sen. Obama, and now quoting here she said 'Obama's problem is that he happens to be black.' How do you react to those comments?"

Clinton: "Well obviously I want us judged on our merits. I believe strongly that the fact that we have an African American and a woman running for the Democratic nomination is historical and I'm very very proud of that. I want people thought to look beyond, look beyond race and gender, look at our records, look what we stand for, look what we've done and I think that's what most voters are looking for."

Then the reporter asked (paraphrase), Is this something you reject and denounce?

Clinton: "People have every reason to express their opinions. I just don't agree with that. I think that we should be looking at the individuals who are running."

Reporter: Do you still want her support, though?

Clinton laughed and said, "You know This is a free country. People get to express their opinions. A lot of folks have said really unpleasant things about me over the course of this campaign. You can' take any of that as anything other than an individual opinion. I would urge all of my supporters and Sen. Obama's supporters to stay focused on the two of us. Don't vote on race don't vote on gender, vote on the qualifications each of us present for the presidency."

Reporter: But you criticized Obama for not rejecting the support form Farrakhan.

"I don't see any comparison at all with what you're referring to and I don't know the facts of what you're telling me over the TV. So I'm just going to repeat that I want people to judge us on the merits."

OBAMA: Civil rights icon and Georgia Rep. John Lewis switched his superdelegate endorsement from Clinton to Obama. The Boston Globe: "Lewis came under intense pressure to get behind Obama after his constituents supported the Illinois senator roughly 3-to-1 in Georgia's Feb. 5 primary, and about 90 percent of black voters statewide voted for Obama, according to exit polls."
 
More: "His change of heart follows a similar move by Rep. David Scott, a black Democrat who represents a neighboring district. It also comes a week after the Rev. Markel Hutchins, a young Atlanta minister, announced he would challenge Lewis in the Democratic congressional primary this summer."

Obama taped an interview to air today with Ellen DeGeneres yesterday from Duncanville High School in Texas, per NBC/NJ's Aswini Anburajan. He talked about dancing, quitting smoking and what his first day in office would be like if he were to be elected.

Channeling First Read, the Los Angeles Times looks at the "I'm sorry" phenomenon regarding Obama. "As the possibility grows that voters may bestow the nation's highest public office on an African American, serial public apologies -- largely by Democrats -- show just how sensitive race remains. What is less clear is how race could help or hinder Obama, who has struggled to keep it in the background."

The Washington Post looks at Obama's attempt to reassure Jewish Democrats about his views on Israel.

In case you wanted to follow along, the Chicago Sun-Times appears to be doing daily updates previewing the Rezko trial, which starts soon.

MCCAIN: The campaign isn't taking chances on the issue of whether McCain was born in the U.S. Under the Constitution, a president must be natural-born. The New York Times: "Mr. McCain was born on a military installation in the Canal Zone, where his mother and father, a Navy officer, were stationed. His campaign advisers say they are comfortable that Mr. McCain meets the requirement and note that the question was researched for his first presidential bid in 1999 and reviewed again this time around."

"But given mounting interest, the campaign recently asked Theodore B. Olson, a former solicitor general now advising Mr. McCain, to prepare a detailed legal analysis. 'I don't have much doubt about it,' said Mr. Olson, who added, though, that he still needed to finish his research.'"

The Boston Globe: "The story of how the "Keating Five" senators allegedly pressured regulators to lay off a failing Arizona S&L became a major scandal, and marked a turning point in McCain's life -- the near-death of his political career followed by his eventual rebirth as a crusader for campaign finance reform."

"The events of 1987, when McCain met with regulators, and 1991, when the Senate Ethics Committee concluded that he used 'poor judgment' in the matter, are only dimly remembered by many. But McCain's emergence as the likely GOP nominee, combined with the rising volume of anti- lobbying rhetoric in the presidential campaign, has brought renewed attention to the Keating Five case, prompting questions about what McCain learned from it, what he's accepted was wrong, and whether he now is stepping back from some of his own scrutiny of his past errors."

George Will doesn't have kind things to say about McCain: "Although his campaign is run by lobbyists; and although his dealings with lobbyists have generated what he, when judging the behavior of others, calls corrupt appearances; and although he has profited from his manipulation of the taxpayer-funding system that is celebrated by reformers -- still, he probably is innocent of insincerity. Such is his towering moral vanity, he seems sincerely to consider it theoretically impossible for him to commit the offenses of appearances that he incessantly ascribes to others.

Such certitude is, however, not merely an unattractive trait. It is disturbing righteousness in someone grasping for presidential powers."

"McCain won the endorsement of Texas evangelical leader John Hagee on Wednesday, which could boost his standing among religious conservatives who have been reluctant to embrace the likely nominee. Hagee, who heads a 19,000-member church in San Antonio, is best known for his outspoken support of Israel and writings on the Middle East, where he envisions a blood-soaked clash between East and West leading to the return of Jesus Christ."

In a New York Times op-ed, Michael Bloomberg said he wouldn't run for president. "I believe that an independent approach to these issues is essential to governing our nation — and that an independent can win the presidency. I listened carefully to those who encouraged me to run, but I am not — and will not be — a candidate for president. I have watched this campaign unfold, and I am hopeful that the current campaigns can rise to the challenge by offering truly independent leadership. The most productive role that I can serve is to push them forward, by using the means at my disposal to promote a real and honest debate."

With Bloomberg officially declaring himself not running for president, the New York Daily News wonders if we could see an Obama-Bloomberg ticket.

From NBC/NJ's Carrie Dann and NBC's Domenico Montanaro
HOUSTON, Texas -- At two campaign stops today, Bill Clinton alluded to an Obama ad, "Moment," which the former president characterizes as an all-out assault on the 1990s and, by extension, his presidency. 

The ad originally aired in Iowa, ran in Texas and Vermont before the March 4th primaries, and the Obama campaign says is no longer running in Texas.

"There's a one-minute ad on in Texas telling you how terrible things were in the 90s," Bill Clinton said earlier today. "Well, I think we did pretty well in the 1990s. …If you believe things were bad in the 90s, just as bad as in this decade, and you believe everybody should be eliminated from being considered for president if they did anything good, I think you should vote for him."

But the ad hardly goes that far. The following is the only reference to the 1990s, and it's nothing new.

"I don't want to spend the next year, or the next four years, re-fighting the same fights we had in the 1990s," the Illinois senator says in the 60-second spot, cut from his Jefferson-Jackson Dinner speech last November.  

The former president objects. "There aren't many facts in there," he said at his last of four events in Houston this afternoon.

"Because what fights should we not have made?" he challenged, going on to enumerate struggles over the budget, education and labor unions that he chalks up as successes for Democrats in the last decade.

"Look, no one wants to go back to the past," he said. "But you have to understand the past in order to avoid repeating its mistakes."

John Harwood of CNBC and the New York Times interviews Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, Clinton's chief surrogate in the Buckeye State. They talk about last night's debate, McCain's prospects in Ohio, and whether or not Strickland is interested in being someone's running mate.

From NBC's Libby Leist
French Ambassador to the U.S., Pierre Vimont, has assumed a new and unexpected role since taking over as Ambassador in Washington last summer: political reporter.

The French are captivated by the race for the White House this year, and he is the one officials in Paris are going to first.

Forget Iraq, Afghanistan and Iran. It is all Obama vs. Clinton.

"On a personal basis, we're being asked nearly every day by our people in Paris, 'What's going on?' Even to the point that it's becoming difficult to talk to them on the phone about [anything else]... ," Vimont told a small group of reporters today. 'Tell us about the primaries!' they will say."

"They want forecast and predictions," he added.

So Vimont decided he needed to see first hand how the campaigns for U.S. President were going. He traveled to Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina last month to observe rallies for Clinton, Obama and McCain. And he even asked for a seat to watch the South Carolina Democratic debate between Obama and Clinton -- one of the most contentious this campaign season.

"It's amazing," Vimont said, "I've never seen any primary process in the U.S. being followed in such a way by the French."

Why does he think there is so much attention being paid to this primary season?

"I suppose that that's because of the excitement created by those Democratic candidates," he said. "First woman to be President, the first African-American. So those are very spectacular figures, and that's very interesting"

European diplomats admit privately that no matter who the winner -- Obama, Clinton or McCain -- there is a real excitement in Europe to work with a new administration after eight rocky years with the Bush White House.

Vimont will not be making predictions or choosing favorites in 2008. He'll instead report what he sees, as any good political reporter would do.

From NBC's Ron Allen and NBC/NJ's Athena Jones
In a press conference aboard the flight from Cleveland to Columbus, Clinton wanted to talk about the campaign's upcoming economic summit meeting in Zanesville -- which will focus "not only on problems, but solutions" in Ohio where the economy is "unbelievably important."

"Inflation is up, prices of everything are going up," she said. "We are sliding into a recession." When asked what's the major difference between herself and Obama on the economy, Clinton replied with "experience," "specifics..." And she then outlined her plan for a moratorium on foreclosures and a freeze on subprime adjustable mortgages.

Regarding last night's debate, Clinton said she "drew some good contrasts" with Obama. "I was really pleased by it. I thought that once again we drew some good contrasts and obviously I was pleased to talk about issues that I, you know, care a lot about and know something about and thought that that came across."

She disagreed with the prize fight analogy about knockout punches -- and whether any were landed -- saying it was a "debate" not a fight. I think that a lot of people who watched it would come away and feel very positive and comfortable about what I said and what I presented as my credentials and my positions on these issues and I think there were some real contrasts that were drawn."

On the perception that the race could soon be over, Clinton noted that many people have yet to vote, and those folks are focusing on the big questions of who's the better commander-in-chief and who would best handle the economy.

From NBC's Mark Murray
After all of the various questions and candidate disagreements from last night's debate -- over NAFTA, health care, Iraq, Russia, Farrakhan -- the Clinton camp has seized on something the New York senator herself brought up: the lack of hearings at the subcommittee Obama took over in 2007.

"Last night, we saw a glimpse of the real Barack Obama – the Barack Obama who became chair of a national security subcommittee, put it on his resume, but did not hold a single oversight hearing because he was too busy running for president; the Barack Obama who spends his time talking about change you can believe in instead of change you actually can count on. Given the opportunity to take the reins of leadership and shape two critical areas of U.S. foreign policy -- Afghanistan and our alliances in Europe -- Senator Obama has done next to nothing."

Here is how Obama responded last night: "I became chairman of this committee at the beginning of this campaign, at the beginning of 2007. So, it is true that we haven't had oversight hearings on Afghanistan. I have been very clear in talking to the American people about what I would do with respect to Afghanistan. I think we have to have more troops there to bolster the NATO effort."

Below is the entire Clinton memo...

To: Interested Parties
From: The Clinton Campaign
RE: Talk v. Action
Date: February 27, 2007

Barack Obama has presented himself as a unique political figure who says what he means and does what he says.

Last night, we saw a glimpse of the real Barack Obama – the Barack Obama who became chair of a national security subcommittee, put it on his resume, but did not hold a single oversight hearing because he was too busy running for President; the Barack Obama who spends his time talking about change you can believe in instead of change you actually can count on.

Given the opportunity to take the reins of leadership and shape two critical areas of U.S. foreign policy -- Afghanistan and our alliances in Europe -- Senator Obama has done next to nothing.

As chairman of a key Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee, Senator Obama had an opportunity to assert his leadership and set an agenda for America to help address the war in Afghanistan and strengthen some of our most important alliances.

But by his own admission, he was too busy running for President to conduct a single substantive hearing of the committee he chairs. So he would rather talk about what he would do rather than do it through the responsibility he had.

Hillary Clinton doesn't just WANT the job of President. She wants TO DO the job or President.
 
How can we tell what Barack Obama would be like as president if he did not carry out his responsibility here?

In an on camera interview with NBC's Andrea Mitchell, Rep. John Lewis -- one of the most influential African-American members in Congress -- has said he will support Obama as a superdelegate. Congressman Lewis had endorsed Clinton last year, but says that Obama's candidacy is a "movement and something in American politics that cannot be ignored."

Lewis has said his decision to change from Clinton to Obama was harder then his march across the bridge in Selma 43 years ago when he was beaten and bloodied by Alabama State Troopers. Lewis tells NBC's Andrea Mitchell he has put a call into Senator Clinton but has not yet informed her of his decision and has not yet told Senator Obama.

Adding one to Obama's superdelegate total, and subtracting one from Clinton, the superdelegate count is now Clinton 255 and Obama 201.

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro

AP: "William F. Buckley Jr., the erudite Ivy Leaguer and conservative herald who showered huge and scornful words on liberalism as he observed, abetted and cheered on the right's post-World War II rise from the fringes to the White House, died Wednesday. He was 82."

Bloomberg describes him as "the syndicated columnist and intellectual whose studied mannerisms, verbal flourishes and polemics energized the American conservative movement for a half-century...."

NYT said he "marshaled polysyllabic exuberance, famously arched eyebrows and a refined, perspicacious mind to elevate conservatism to the center of American political discourse... .

"Mr Buckley, 82, suffered from diabetes and emphysema, his son Christopher said, although the exact cause of death was not immediately known. He was found at his desk in the study of his home, his son said. 'He might have been working on a column,' Mr. Buckley said."

NBC/NJ's Matthew Berger adds in Huckabee's response on Buckley's death: "Janet and I were sad to hear the news of William F. Buckley's passing. As one of the founders of the modern conservative movement, William Buckley helped turn the intellectual and political tide, shifting America from liberalism to conservatism. Our country, and our world, are better for his 82 years on this earth.

"Bill Buckley was also one of a kind-a scholar, an activist, a wit, a harpsichord player.  As a young man, he wrote God and Man at Yale, an enduring critique of secular liberalism. In 1955, his National Review burst into prominence, influencing many millions of young conservatives, including one youngster from a little town in Arkansas. To this day, his magazine stands as one of the most important voices of conservative opinion. In addition, he produced a seemingly endless quantity of books, novels, articles, columns, and TV shows.    

"So all conservatives owe Bill Buckley a great debt. Today, while our
thoughts and prayers are with the Buckley family, we conservatives continue to draw inspiration from his life and work. But there is more to be done. It is up to us to carry on, fulfilling his enormous legacy."

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
With the pick up of Sen. Byron L. Dorgan (D-ND) today, Obama has now reached 200 superdelegates. He has cut what was once a 90-delegate advantage for Clinton to what is now 56 since Super Tuesday, Feb. 5th. Since Feb. 5, Obama has gained 30 publicly declared superdelegates, and Clinton has lost a net of four.

Clinton maintains a 256-200 advantage in our overall superdelegate count.

NBC/NJ's Aswini Anburajan adds...
Dorgan (D-ND) endorsed Obama in a conference call with reporters, and stressed Obama's support for free trade. He also praised his call, though, to renegotiate agreements like NAFTA to include labor and environmental protections.
 
Dorgan also repeated the call of many other Red State Dems, who argued that Obama can help down-ballot candidates and appeals to independents and Republicans. 
 
This is Obama's second senatorial endorsement in as many days. Yesterday, he received the endorsement of Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd, the first former presidential candidate to endorse Obama.

From Mark Hudspeth and Aswini Anburajan
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Has the general election already started?  
 

Obama, with the backdrop of a roaring crowd of thousands behind him at Ohio State University lit into McCain's comments earlier today that he didn't know that "al Qaeda IS in Iraq."
 
Obama referenced last night's debate in Cleveland and explained Russert's hypothetical question on whether he would send troops back into Iraq to strike al Qaeda. 
 
"I said, well I would always reserve the right to go in and strike against al Qaeda if they were in Iraq," Obama said. "So, you know, this is how politics works. McCain thought that he could make a clever point by saying, 'Well, let me give you some news Barack, al Qaeda IS in Iraq,' like I wasn't reading the papers. Like I didn't know what was going on." 
 
Obama went on to lay the blame for terrorist activity in Iraq on McCain's shoulders. "But I have some news for John McCain," Obama said, "and that was that there's no such thing as al Qaeda in Iraq until George Bush and John McCain decided to invade Iraq!"
 
He added: "I've gone some news for John McCain: He took us into a war, along with George Bush, that should have never been authorized and never been waged. They took their eye off the people who were responsible for 9/11, and that would be al Qaeda in Afghanistan that is stronger now than anytime since 2001." 
 
"I've been paying attention John McCain! That's the news," Obama roared into the mic so loudly that he was barely intelligible. The crowd of college students screamed encouragingly.
 
"So John McCain may like to say he wants to follow Osama bin Laden to the gates of Hell," Obama said, "but so far all he's done is follow George Bush into a misguided war in Iraq that's cost us thousands of lives and billions of dollars."
 
Obama went on to promise to end the war in Iraq and take on al Qaeda in Afghanistan, repeating, "That's the news John McCain!" over and over again. And repeating a refrain that has come to be his signature line of attack against the 71-year-old senator, Obama told the crowd that McCain represents "the politics of yesterday," while he promised that he represents "the party of tomorrow."

From NBC/NJ's Carrie Dann
HOUSTON, Texas -- At a just-concluded event, Bill Clinton accused Barack Obama of "running for president since he got in the Senate."

The line was thrown into a standard spiel about Obama's argument re: avoiding the "fights" of the 90s.

A Bill Clinton fundraising email just hit inboxes, and it reads: "So let's show the Obama campaign that they can't win this race just by throwing more money at it. "

This on a day when he's slamming Obama's new one-minute ad buy in Texas. The commercial, says Clinton, paints a falsely somber picture of "how terrible things were in the 90s."