From NBC's Mike Viqueira
The following is a fundraising appeal sent out today to Democratic supporters from Nancy Pelosi, wherein the speaker expresses concern about the tone of the Democratic presidential contest spilling over and harming House races.

Dear ,
Here's what you and I can't let happen. We can't allow the tension and pressures of a spirited Presidential contest to spill over and harm hard-working Democratic candidates running to strengthen our Democratic majority in the House.

I will do whatever it takes to protect our candidates and make sure their campaigns to drive change forward don't skip a beat. I need you to do the same. Please support our candidates now with a donation to the DCCC before the critical March 31st deadline hits by going to www.dccc.org/deadline.
Throughout the Presidential nominating process, I have been so proud to watch Democrats turn out in record numbers and demonstrate enormous grassroots energy. And soon we will have an exciting presidential nominee who will make our entire party proud.

She or he will lead our energized and united Democratic Party in the larger fight against John McCain, and his plan for 100 more years of war in Iraq. Now is the time to capitalize on the excitement that is sweeping the nation to ensure that our next President has a strong Democratic majority in the House to work with as we undo the damage from President Bush's failed economic policies.

Nancy Pelosi
Speaker of the House of Representatives

From NBC/NJ's Aswini Anburajan
Paul Tewes, Obama's state director in Iowa, will head to the Keystone State tomorrow to take over the campaign's GOTV operation.
 
"Now that the voter registraton deadline has passed, we have entered the GOTV phase of the campaign in Pennslyvania," Deputy Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer said. "Tewes has joined the Pennsylvania campaign on the ground here to lead this effort."
 
Pfeiffer added that Jim DeMay, who had been the state director up until this point will "continue to play an advisory role our campaign." DeMay was Gore's Pennsylvania state director in 2000.
 
Added Pfieffer, "While we remain the underodog, we are working as hard as we can to get as many votes as possible."
 
Tewes has a strong track record. Under his leadership, the Obama campaign conducted an extensive grassroots effort in Iowa that helped the campaign win by 8 points.

From NBC/NJ's Athena Jones
MISHAWAKA, Ind. -- Let the expectations game begin.

As Hillary Clinton kicked off a long day of campaigning in the Hoosier State Friday, her campaign painted the fight here as an uphill struggle.

State director Robby Mook cited a statewide Howey-Gauge poll, showing Clinton running behind Obama and said that was partly due to his being from a neighboring state. The most recent Howey-Gauge poll found, taken in mid-February, showed Obama leading by 15 points.

Still, Mook said the campaign was active in every congressional district and would be announcing new office openings in the coming days. Clinton is set to hold a press conference in Hammond, Ind., this afternoon to announce the endorsement of seven mayors from cities in the Western part of the state, bordering the Chicago media market, an area seen as favorable to Obama. None of the mayors are superdelegates.

Clinton, who trails Obama in pledged delegates, the popular vote and the number of states won, needs to do well in the remaining contests to bolster her argument that having won several of the biggest states and most recent states, she will be more electable. For at least the third time this week, the New York senator referred this morning to calls from some for her to drop out of the race, this time citing a poll by Rasmussen, an organization that does not use the preferred telephone interview survey method. 

"There are some people who are saying, you know, 'We really ought to end this primary. We just ought to shut it down,'" she said to shouts of "No" from the crowd. " 'There was a poll the other day that said 22 percent of Democrats wanted me to drop out and 22 percent wanted Sen. Obama to drop out and 62 percent said let people vote until we finally know what the outcome is."

(Note that 22 plus 22 plus 62 equals 106 percent.)

Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy, who supports Obama, said in an interview today with Vermont Public Radio that Clinton "ought to withdraw" because she could not win enough delegates to win the nomination.

The swing through Indiana is part of a six-day tour focusing on the economy. It is designed to show Clinton is best prepared to manage the economy and deal with an economic crisis.

She spoke about manufacturing jobs at Mishawaka High School, hailing Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh, a Clinton supporter, for the work he has done to help create jobs. She said she saw Indiana not as part of the Rust Belt but as a chance to build what she called a Manufacturing Belt and an Opportunity Belt. It was the kind of language she used while campaigning in economically depressed Ohio.

Clinton, who is campaigning today with "Rudy," actor Sean Astin (from movies like "The Goonies," "The Lord of the Rings" and "Rudy") also touched on her commitment to "fixing" NAFTA and to getting tough on China for manipulating its currency and for sending lead-based toys, contaminated pet food and other goods to America.

"We've got to stand up and say no more. We're not going to put up with that. We're going to stand up for American workers and American consumers," she said to loud cheers and applause from the crowd in the packed gym.

The former first lady also made a point of talking about what she described as the good times of the 1990s, when millions of jobs were created and more people were given a chance at a middle class lifestyle, she said.

"We had so many people who were enjoying the benefits of what turned out to be the greatest economic opportunity we've had in a very long time," she said. "We saw the typical American and Indiana family, seeing a gain of about $7,000 in income and, of course, there was a balanced budget and a surplus."

The senator spoke for about 35 minutes and took questions for another 15 minutes.

From NBC/NJ's Aswini Anburajan
PITTSBURGH -- Obama called Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey's endorsement one of the most meaningful endorsements he's received on the campaign trail.

"You know, I did not press him on this endorsement, you know there were some people that I was nagging all the time," Obama said of reaching out to Casey. "Bob I thought to myself, there's great reason for me to press him; I told him I'd love to have his support, but I understood that you know we're behind in the Pennsylvania polls. I just want to say it would have been easy for Bob just to stay out of it, just to stay neutral. I think everybody would have accepted that.

"But when he called me and said, 'I think this is the right thing to do,' it meant as much to me as any endorsement that I've received on the campaign trail," Obama added.

Casey introduced Obama and spoke to the potential of his leadership.

VIDEO: Watch Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey's remarks while endorsing Barack Obama.

"This campaign is a chance for America, a chance for America to chart a new course, to go down a different path," Casey said of his endorsement. "A path, first of all, of change, a path of a new kind of politics, a path -- and finally a path of hope and healing."

He also said that he had spoken to Hillary Clinton, who's been endorsed by Gov. Ed Rendell, of his decision. "I want everyone in this hall today to know something," Casey said. "I called Senator Clinton last night to tell her my decision and she was very gracious. And we know that she's a great senator; she's a great leader."
 
He stressed that all Democrats were focused on winning the election in 2008 and heaped praise on Obama, saying that the "good Lord had blessed him with many gifts," adding that Obama had "the kind of judgment that's steady in the eye of the storm."

He will spend the next three days traveling with Obama through the state, an uncommon occurrence on the trail. Though Obama occasionally has surrogates with him, they rarely spend more than a day on the trail with him. He called Obama a "fighter," who started the race as an "underdog" -- something Pennsylvanians struggling with the economy understand well.

In a retooled and longer stump speech Obama spent a chunk of his time discussing the economy, emphasizing how the costs of the Iraq War have detracted from domestic priorities.

"If we can spend $10 billion a month rebuilding Baghdad, we can spend $10 billion rebuilding roads and bridges and schools right here in America," he shouted to wild applause.

He hit Clinton on her ties to special interests and repeated a version of a line he's given before, that the platform she's running on wasn't one that could beat McCain in a general election.

"Senator Clinton makes an argument about electability: 'Well I, you know, I'm the person to take on John McCain.'" Obama said of her argument. "Now, the polls don't show that, but the argument is that because she's been around in Washington longer that somehow that makes her better equipped, and I've gotta explain. Look, if the contest between McCain and the Democratic nominee is who's been there longer, John McCain wins! John McCain wins!"

The audience at the War Memorial Center was clearly on Obama's side, chanting "Yes We Can!" and Obama's name repeatedly before and after he spoke.

From NBC/NJ's Matthew Berger
ALLENTOWN, Pa. -- Chelsea Clinton was asked whether her mother would be a better president than her father, and she said yes.

Speaking at Lehigh Valley Hospital Friday, she laughed when a man in the front row asked her to choose between her parents.

"His question is, 'Do I think my mother will be a better president than my father,'" she said. "Well, again, I don't take anything for granted, but hopefully with Pennsylvania's help, she will be our next president, and yes, I do think she'll be a better president."

Clinton spoke for more than an hour at the hospital, taking mostly questions about healthcare issues.

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
Think this will make Jon Stewart?

Clinton supporter Joe Sestak was on with NBC's Andrea Mitchell during the 1 pm MSNBC hour, and slipped in one response. Mitchell asked him if he was concerned that if this fight goes to convention that it could tear apart the party.

Sestak replied that he's not, that he's confident that if Obama were to lose the nomination, he'd turn around and say, "Support her." And if Clinton were to lose the nomination, she would turn around and say, "Support me."

Whoops.

Shaking his head, Sestak quickly corrected: "Support him."

We know what he meant, but still funny.

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
Here's Obama's latest aworking-class appeal...

Here's the script:
OBAMA [with backdrop of factory]: I moved to chicago to help workers, whose lives were torn apart when steel plants like this one left town. For decades, politicians have talked about protecting jobs, but the power of Washington lobbyists stops anything from changing. I'm Barack Obama. I'm the only candidate who doesn't take their money, and they won't run my White HOuse.

We'll fix our trade laws [on screen: "Register to vote by April 7th], end tax breaks for companies who ship jobs overseas and give them to those who create jobs here in America [on screen: IN.BarackObama.com 866-675-2008]. That's why I approve this message.

*** UPDATE *** NBC/NJ's Carrie Dann adds that Obama is also up today with his first ad in North Carolina. *** UPDATE 2 *** Per NBC's Lauren Appelbaum,  The ad, "Enough," originally started airing in Iowa Dec. 21, and it was also used in in Maine, Maryland and Virginia. It is also focused on working class, economic issues.

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
Hillary Clinton has a fundraising message: Don't count me out. And she sets the bar for the upcoming primaries, that this isn't just about Pennsylvania.

Here's the email:

Have you noticed the pattern?

Every time our campaign demonstrates its strength and resilience, people start to suggest we should end our pursuit of the Democratic nomination.

Those anxious to force us to the sidelines aren't doing it because they think we're going to lose the upcoming primaries. The fact is, they're reading the same polls we are, and they know we are in a position to win.

In three days, we're facing a critical March filing deadline -- another chance to show the strength of our campaign. Let's take these three days to make something absolutely clear: we aren't going to simply step aside. You and I are going to keep fighting for what we believe in, and together, we're going to win.

Anything you can give now will make a difference. Even a contribution as little as $5 will have an impact.

Contribute $5 today to help us raise $3 million by the March filing deadline at midnight Monday.

Every time we are challenged to prove the strength and durability of our appeal to voters, we meet our goals. We did it in New Hampshire, we did it on February 5, and we did it again this month in Texas and Ohio.

With the March filing deadline, we have the chance to show our strength again. This is a crucial test as we approach the next big primary in Pennsylvania and the contests that follow.

Millions of voters are still waiting to have their say. Let's make sure they have a chance to be heard.

Contribute $5 today to help us raise $3 million by the March filing deadline at midnight Monday.

At times like this, with everything on the line, it means so much to me to know that I can rely on you to meet the challenges we face head-on.

Thank you for everything,
Hillary Rodham Clinton

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
High profile Obama backer, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), told Vermont Public Radio that he thinks Clinton should drop out and back Obama.

"There is no way that Senator Clinton is going to win enough
delegates to get the nomination," Leahy said. "She ought to withdraw and she ought to be backing Senator Obama. Now, obviously that's a decision that only she can make. Frankly I feel that she would have a tremendous career in the Senate."

VIDEO: http://msnbcmedia4.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Video/_NEW/x_dc_leahy_080328.300w.jpg">Sen. Patrick Leahy explains his view that the ongoing political tussling between Obama and Clinton may be helping McCain's candidacy.

Here's the full transcript:
(Host) Will a protracted battle between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination hurt the Party's chances of winning the November election?

Senator Patrick Leahy, who supports Obama, says the answer is yes, and he thinks Clinton should drop out of the race.

But Clinton's supporters in Vermont have a very different opinion.

VPR's Bob Kinzel reports:

(Kinzel) It's a question that's being raised in political discussions on the radio, on TV, in newspapers and in the blogs.

And the results of a new poll highlight the danger for the Democrats if their presidential primary contest gets any nastier.

According to a new Gallup poll, 28% of Hillary Clinton's supporters say
they'd vote for GOP candidate John McCain if Barack Obama wins the
Democratic nomination and 19% of Obama's supporters say they'd vote for
McCain if Clinton is the Party's nominee.

Senator Patrick Leahy, who's a super delegate supporting Obama, is clearly
worried about this situation:

(Leahy) "I am very concerned. John McCain, who has been making one gaffe
after another, is getting a free ride on it because Senator Obama and
Senator Clinton have to fight with each other. I think that her criticism
is hurting him more than anything John McCain has said. I think that's
unfortunate."

(Kinzel) Leahy says it's virtually impossible for Clinton to win more
elected delegates than Obama, and as a result, he thinks it's time for her
to accept defeat:

(Leahy) "There is no way that Senator Clinton is going to win enough
delegates to get the nomination. She ought to withdraw and she ought to be
backing Senator Obama. Now, obviously that's a decision that only she can
make. Frankly I feel that she would have a tremendous career in the Senate."

(Kinzel) Former Governor Madeleine Kunin is the co-chair of the Clinton
campaign in Vermont. She thinks Leahy is dead wrong on this issue:

(Kunin) "It is premature, to tell her to drop out now is just unfair
because it isn't over. Admittedly, it's tough for Senator Clinton to get a
majority of the delegates but it's not over till it's over. It seems a bit
patronizing to tell her 'Honey, you know you've got to drop out for the
good of the Party.' Sure it's not easy, but I think the process has to go
forward as it was designed to go."

(Kinzel) And Kunin thinks, in the end, the Democrats will unite behind one
of these candidates:

(Kunin) "I think both Democratic candidates Barack Obama and Hillary
Clinton know that what everybody wants in the Democratic party is a winner
and some of this is just inevitable. But I think they will unite and I'm
confident that judging by the turnout at every democratic primary which has
been unprecedented that Democrats will do very well in November."

(Kinzel) It's likely that roughly 800 super delegates will ultimately
decide this race. Vermont has 7 super delegates - five are supporting
Obama, one is backing Clinton and one person - former governor and now
D.N.C. chairman Howard Dean is neutral.

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
Clinton leads Obama 36-12 among the Jewish superdelegates, according to a survey by the Forward, a Jewish newspaper. Twenty-six Jewish supers are undecided.

Here's the Forward's list of who's fallen behind whom and who's undecided:

CLINTON
Patti Higgins (AK-Chairwoman of Alaska Democratic Party)
Rachel Binah (CA-DNC)
Maria Echeveste (CA-DNC)  
Diane Feinstein (CA)
Jane Harman (CA)
Brad Sherman (CA)
Rosalind Wyman (CA-DNC)
Ellen Camhi (CT-DNC)
Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (FL)
Debra DeLee (MA DNC chair)
Barney Frank (MA)
Steve Grossman (MA-DNC)
Diane Saxe (MA-Clinton)
Nancy Kopp (MD-DNC)
Carol Pensky (MD-DNC)
Sander Levin (MI)
Anita Freedman (NH-DNC)
June Fischer (NJ-DNC)
Shelley Berkley (NV)
Gary Ackerman (NY)
Eliot Engel (NY)
Emily Giske (NY-DNC)
Steve Israel (NY)
Nita Lowey (NY)
Jerrold Nadler (NY)
Chuck Schumer (NY-Sen)
Sheldon Silver (NY)
Anthony Weiner (NY)
Randi Weingarten (NY-DNC)
Robert Zimmerman (NY-DNC)
Marcel Groen (PA-DNC)
Gov. Ed Rendell (PA)
Allyson Schwartz (PA)
Mark Weiner (RI-DNC)
Eric Kleinfeld (DC-DNC)
Robert Bell (Democrats Abroad-DNC)

OBAMA
Eric Garcetti (CA)
Adam Schiff (CA)
Robert Wexler (FL)
Jan Schakowsky (IL)
John Yarmuth (KY)
Paul Hodes (NH)
Steve Rothman (NJ)
Steve Cohen (TN)
Russ Feingold (WI-Sen)
Paul Strauss (DC-DNC)
Allan Katz (FL-DNC)
Alan Solomont (MA-DNC)

UNDECIDED
Gabrielle Giffords (AZ)
Howard Berman (CA)
Barbara Boxer (CA)
Henry Waxman (CA)
Bob Filner (CA)
Susan Davis (CA)
Mitchell Ceasar (FL-DNC)
Diane Glasser (FL-DNC)
Ron Klein (FL)
Andrew Tobias (FL-DNC)
Rahm Emanuel (IL)
Carol Ronen (IL-DNC)
Ben Cardin (MD-Sen)
Susan Turbull (MD-DNC)
Carl Levin (MI-Sen)
Richard Wiener (MI-DNC)
Muriel Offerman (NC-DNC)
Frank Lautenberg (NJ-Sen)
Sam Lieberman (NV-DNC)
Irene Stein (NY-DNC)
Ron Wyden (OR-Sen)
Sophie Masloff (PA-DNC)
Bob Strauss (TX)
Herb Kohl (WI)
Alice Travis Germond (WV-DNC)
Larry Cohen (DC-DNC)

From MSNBC.com's Andy Merten
For Ralph Nader, there are two ways to win.            
 
"I'm interested in the issues," he told MSNBC.com in an interview this week. "There's two ways to succeed:  One way is to beat them by getting more votes, and we could turn this into a three-way race," he insisted, adding, "And the second is to have them take our issues and run with them."
 
But Nader, who announced his fifth presidential candidacy on Meet the Press last month, isn't holding his breath for McCain, Clinton or Obama to become mouth pieces for his pro-consumer, high corporate oversight presidential platform any time soon. Asked if Obama's message of change quelled his frustration with two-party domination, he said he doesn't see any real differences between the Illinois senator and his presidential opponents.

"I think he's a corporate Democrat," he said of Obama, likening him to Clinton and McCain. "As a senator, he has not championed the cause of consumers and workers against corporations.
 
"If people don't make demands on him or whoever else is running for the major party nominations, if they win, they won't have any mandate. And they'll go into a place called the White House, which is a very elaborate and nice corporate prison."

VIDEO: Ralph Nader speaks with MSNBC.com about his platform of consumer advocacy. 
 
But Nader doesn't seem delusional about his likelihood of winning the presidency later this year. After all, he garnered just 0.38% of the vote in 2004 after receiving  2.74% in 2000. (He is still seen by many Democrats as having cost Al Gore the election, particularly in Florida.) Instead, Nader likens his candidacy to political movements of the past that have spurred larger social change. 
 
"Don't vote for the Liberty Party's anti-slavery; it's never going to win. Don't vote for the Women's Right to Vote Party; it's never going to win," he said sarcastically. "Those great social justice issues would've been delayed and delayed if it wasn't for those small parties.
 
"So as a tug boat candidacy, we're going to push these parties, but we'd like to push it into a three-way race."

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
The University of Chicago released a statement clarifying Obama's status at the university. He is a senior lecturer and has cited that he is a constitutional law professor on the trail. That's something that has caused some criticism and allegations of exaggeration. It's something the Clinton campaign has pushed as well in conference calls with reporters in the past week.

Here's the statement:
"The Law School has received many media requests about Barack Obama, especially about his status as "Senior Lecturer." From 1992 until his election to the U.S. Senate in 2004, Barack Obama served as a professor in the Law School. He was a Lecturer from 1992 to 1996. He was a Senior Lecturer from 1996 to 2004, during which time he taught three courses per year. Senior Lecturers are considered to be members of the Law School faculty and are regarded as professors, although not full-time or tenure-track. The title of Senior Lecturer is distinct from the title of Lecturer, which signifies adjunct status. Like Obama, each of the Law School's Senior Lecturers have high-demand careers in politics or public service, which prevent full-time teaching. Several times during his 12 years as a professor in the Law School, Obama was invited to join the faculty in a full-time tenure-track position, but he declined.

From Chuck Todd and Domenico Montanaro
*** Obama's Step Forward? Taking the week cumulatively, is there any other way to look at it other than a big step forward for Obama? Every piece of initial evidence from last week showing potential trouble for Obama faded, particularly on the polling front, whether nationally or in key states. Toss in the frustration the Clinton campaign is showing (why are they letting us see them sweat so much, particularly over Pelosi and Florida/Michigan?). And end it with serious flirtation with a potential running mate that could solve many of Obama's problems in fell swoop when it comes to Jewish voters and voters worried about his lack of executive experience (Michael Bloomberg), and it's been a very good week for Obama. That said, did Obama miss an opportunity this week? The media, once again, seems ready to write Clinton's campaign obit and had Obama unveiled, say, 20 to 25 superdelegate endorsements in a 24-to-48-hour period, that would have fed a Clinton obit wildfire. The fact that the Obama campaign hasn't done this means they either are being overly cautious or they just don't have as many superdelegate endorsements in their back pocket.

VIDEO: NBC Political Director Chuck Todd discusses Obama's endorsement by Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey. 
 
*** Being John McCain: One of the toughest things for a presidential candidate that is supposedly so well-known is having the discipline to re-introduce yourself to voters. McCain is doing that next week and begins, in fact, today with the unveiling of a new TV ad which emphasizes what folks probably know a little bit about, his heroism in Vietnam. The tag line in the ad -- "John McCain The American president Americans have been waiting for" -- makes it clear that the campaign plans to use the hero card a lot. And it's also a subtle reminder that if McCain is elected, he too could be a historic figure, which is something the campaign might be worried is getting lost in the Obama-Clinton euphoria in the media and the electorate. Elevating McCain on a pedestal and creating this sense of destiny appears to be part of what the campaign is hoping to create next week. More importantly, what the campaign needs to have happen following next week is a mini-surge in the polls. There's something about his small lead nationally that doesn't seem to be big enough right now. Once Democrats settle on a nominee, that candidate will see a poll surge of sorts, and McCain isn't going to want that surge to move his numbers from dead heat to 10 points down. Better that the surge goes from 10 points up to dead heat. So measure the success of next week by what kind of lead McCain starts building (if any) in the national polls.

[YouTube:j-QYIP7o2-A]
 
*** Veepstakes: Who knew Mitt Romney was going to work so hard to get on the ticket. It's one thing to endorse McCain, he HAD to do that. But helping him raise money in multiple states and doing a mini-fly around is clearly above and beyond. While on paper it seems unlikely that McCain-Romney is a winning ticket, think about where the battleground will be in a match up with Obama: it'll be in the Midwest and West, two places where Romney could help. Obama's electoral map is much more heavy on western states and will be much more precarious in the rust belt, particularly Michigan (a Romney home state). In addition, a surge in Mormon support in places like Colorado and Nevada could help a McCain-Romney ticket hold off a surprisingly popular Obama in those states. Many a state poll has shown that Obama, more so than Clinton, has a better shot at putting three of the four corner states in play (Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico). Toss in Montana, and it's clear that McCain may indeed need to find someone who can help him in his home region.
 
*** Back to MI/FL: Need more evidence this Democratic fight could be headed to Denver? Clinton yesterday was asked on FOX how she could get the Michigan/Florida delegates seated. "We can always go to the convention -- that's what credentials fights are for," she said, assertively. And check this, a new online petition urging Howard Dean to count the votes from Florida and Michigan, which was, per Hotline, "launched by HRC bundlers." Once again, this could be Clinton supporters who think they are helping but in fact are hurting. But because there is such a level of strategic distrust between the Clinton money folks and the team running the campaign, there's a lot of freelancing going on and as much as we may know it's not something the actual Clinton campaign is pushing, that isn't the perception being left to those undecided superdelegates.   
 
*** The delegate count: With Sen. Bob Casey's (D-PA) endorsement of Obama (and joining of his bus tour), Obama has now picked up three superdelegates since Wednesday (Don Williams of CT and Dan Lipinski of IL are the other two). By the way, Rahm "I'm staying neutral" Emanuel is now the ONLY remaining elected superdelegate from Illinois NOT to endorse. Here's the count: Obama leads among pledged delegates 1408-1251; Clinton leads now among superdelegates, 255-221. Added together, Obama's overall delegate lead is 123: 1629-1506. BTW, on the Casey front, it actually shouldn't be that surprising. Casey and Rendell are usually on opposite sides. What's ironic about the endorsement is that Casey actually needs to emulate the electoral victory of Rendell in that contentious Rendell-Casey '02 Dem GOV race more so than Casey, whose voters are probably leaning more Clinton. 
 
*** On the trail: Clinton makes four stops in Indiana with three town halls and one roundtable, all focused on the economy; McCain raises money in Las Vegas, then spends the weekend down in Phoenix; Obama appears on The View and campaigns in Pittsburgh and holds a town hall in Greensburg; and Bill Clinton is in North Carolina.
 
Greensburg; and Bill Clinton is in North Carolina.
Countdown to Pennsylvania: 25 days
Countdown to North Carolina, Indiana: 39 days
Countdown to Election Day 2008: 221 days
Countdown to Inauguration Day 2009: 298 days
 
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PENNSYLVANIA: 4/22 (158 delegates)
Obama has some catching up to do to match the Clinton campaign's advantage in organization and support in Pennsylvania. 
 
The Clinton office was confused by a volunteer's behavior and after an Internet search determined he was an Obama volunteer. "'I was just there to check things out,' said Sam Glenzer, who oddly used his real name when signing in at the Clinton campaign office. Glenzer said he had nothing nefarious in mind." 
 
NORTH CAROLINA: 5/6 (115 delegates)
NBC/NJ's Carrie Dann notes an incredibly busy schedule for Bill Clinton. Today, he does a whopping seven-stop campaign blitz through western North Carolina, starting in Greensboro and working his way to liberal enclave Asheville. Along the way he'll stop in a series of towns of 40,000 or less, including Hickory. ("There are Democrats in Hickory?" jokes a local operative.) The schedule looks a lot like Clinton's daily event roster in Texas -- rapid-fire stops geared less at media markets than at the sheer volume of potential hands for the former president to shake. Any surprise that the campaign here is masterminded by Ace Smith, the engineer of Clinton's Texas win?
 
Asheville area superdelegate Carol Peterson will be in attendance at tomorrow's appearance by Bill Clinton. Peterson, a DNC member, has said she'll remain uncommitted through the primary. 
 
Hillary Clinton's visit to the state gets local coverage here, here, and here. 
 
Does Hillary Clinton know the difference between Eastern and Western Carolina BBQ? Enough that she knows it's one of the issues too controversial in the state to risk taking a side on. "I know a question not to answer," she laughed yesterday in response to the inquiry of which style she prefers. In the same interview with the Winston-Salem Journal, she denied that her husband's "other stuff" remark in Charlotte last week was "a negative comment about anyone." She also said that no one other than a president can claim experience with the kind of emergency invoked by her "3AM" ad, but that she's "been there for a lot of 3am phone calls with my husband." 
 
PUERTO RICO: 6/1 (55 delegates)
Since the island's primary could become important, it's worth noting that Obama's chief supporter in the territory, Gov. Anibal Acevedo Vila, was indicted "of soliciting thousands of dollars in improper contributions in exchange for favors and government contracts on the U.S. commonwealth island." Interestingly, Vila's chief lobbyist in DC is McCain strategist Charlie Black. Nothing like the small world of Washington.

In an extensive interview with the NYT, Clinton talks health care. She "said she would like to cap health insurance premiums at 5 percent to 10 percent of income. The average cost of a family policy bought by an individual in 2006 and 2007 was $5,799, or 10 percent of the median family income of $58,526, according to America's Health Insurance Plans, a trade group. Some policies cost up to $9,201, or 16 percent of median income."
 
More: "Mrs. Clinton also she said if she could not generate the money needed to pay for universal coverage through other means, she would not object to raising the excise tax on tobacco products, which Congress last increased in 1997 to 39 cents a pack.
 
"I'm a big believer in raising tobacco taxes," Mrs. Clinton said when asked whether an increase should be on the table. "You know, when we were working on the Children's Health Insurance Program, that's the funding stream that the Congress came up with, which was bipartisan, which worked out very well. At some point, there's going to be diminishing returns. But, sure, why not? I don't have any objection to that."
 
"As in her debates with Mr. Obama and other contenders, Mrs. Clinton displayed an easy command of health policy in the 45-minute interview, conducted in a basement meeting room in the Midtown Manhattan tower that houses her Senate office."
 
AP has a fact-check of sort that doesn't look good for Clinton when it comes to her role in the Northern Ireland peace process. "Clinton's longtime claims to have played a difference-making role in Northern Ireland attracted no criticism until the buildup to St. Patrick's Day this year. To some ears, her most recent comments have raised a false impression that she helped produce the landmark Good Friday peace accord of 1998. Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern came to Clinton's defense, meeting with the senator in Washington -- and making his first phone call to Obama.
 
"I think for anyone to try to question the Clintons' huge support (for Ireland) and start trying to nitpick and saying, 'But she wasn't sitting down at the negotiation table' -- sure, we know she wasn't sitting down at the negotiation table," Ahern said.
 
"After suffering criticism from rival Obama's campaign and Protestant politicians in Northern Ireland, Clinton this month backed off language that suggested she was ever involved in the 22 months of negotiations that preceded the Good Friday pact. But Clinton still suggests that she wielded a hidden hand over the diplomatic triumph.
 
"I wasn't sitting at the negotiating table, but the role I played was instrumental," she said in a March 13 interview with National Public Radio.
 
"Clinton's campaign has distributed statements backing up her claim from Nobel laureate John Hume, the Catholic intellectual heavyweight of the peace process, who credited her with making 'countless calls and contacts,' and leaders of Sinn Fein, the party that former President Clinton helped to bring in from the diplomatic cold caused by Irish Republican Army violence.
 
"In Northern Ireland, the endorsements from Hume, Sinn Fein and Ahern are broadly recognized as reflecting Irish Catholics' desire for maximum international sympathy, specifically from the U.S. The retired Hume, in particular, boosted his clout by carefully cultivating friendships with U.S. politicians, chiefly Democrats. For them, a President Hillary Clinton offers the best chance of a return to the pro-Irish policies of her husband, who broke with decades of State Department deference to Britain, an approach resumed under George W. Bush."
 
Peggy Noonan attempts to read the minds of the press corps that covers Clinton and comes to some interesting conclusions: "I think we've reached a signal point in the campaign. This is the point where, with Hillary Clinton, either you get it or you don't. There's no dodging now. You either understand the problem with her candidacy, or you don't. You either understand who she is, or not. And if you don't, after 16 years of watching Clintonian dramas, you probably never will. ... Many in the press get it, to their dismay, and it makes them uncomfortable, for it sours life to have a person whose character you feel you cannot admire play such a large daily role in your work. But I think it's fair to say of the establishment media at this point that it is well populated by people who feel such a lack of faith in Mrs. Clinton's words and ways that it amounts to an aversion. They are offended by how she and her staff operate. They try hard to be fair. They constantly have to police themselves.
 
"Not that her staff isn't policing them too. Mrs. Clinton's people are heavy-handed in that area, letting producers and correspondents know they're watching, weighing, may have to take this higher. There's too much of this in politics, but Hillary's campaign takes it to a new level."
 
What will the folks at the DNC think of the fact that Bill Clinton called McCain a moderate?
 
Per NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli: "Taking a broad view of presidential contest, Bill Clinton told audiences across central Pennsylvania today that all three remaining presidential candidates are "appealing in their own way." He argued again that John McCain represents a tough general election matchup for Democrats, at one point even praising the Republican nominee for being a "moderate."
 
"Most of us in this room presumably are Democrats," he said at a stop in Lewistown, his fourth of five during the day. "But I have to tell you, I think Senator McCain is a very admirable person. … And he -- in Republican circumstances, he qualifies as a moderate because he was against torture, for campaign finance reform, and didn't think global warming was a myth."
 
Per NBC/NJ's Matthew Berger, with the glow of a disco ball shining down on her, Chelsea Clinton took the stage at Woody's, a gay bar in Philadelphia, Friday evening and discussed everything from HIV/AIDS prevention to the highlights in her hair.
 
Clinton spoke as part of a National Stonewall Democrats forum for presidential candidates. She followed a conference call that featured Obama supporter Melissa Ethridge, who was largely ignored as the crowd chatted away.
 
At one point, when discussing prescription drug prices, a man yelled "F**k Bush," to which Chelsea replied, "We need to get him out. I'm not interested in that." The crowd erupted, and Clinton tugged at her hair, grinning. "That just came out, that part. But I was actually making a serious point."
 
TIME's Halperin and Carney look at Clinton's chances, "The question of who emerges from the primary season as the party nominee is not usually a subjective one. There is a process, however convoluted, through which candidates amass delegates; after the last state has voted and the numbers have been tallied, the one with the most delegates wins. This year is different. The two massively popular candidates have both earned large numbers of delegates, resulting in a situation in which neither can realistically obtain the required number of elected delegates that will put the candidate over the top.
 
"Given this unusual turn of events, the Clinton campaign has seized the chance to promote an argument ground not in numbers but in sentiment: it is asking superdelegates to make a subjective decision about which candidate is best positioned to win the White House in November. The first exhibit of its case is demographic. "I've obviously done very well with women, who are a majority of the electorate," Clinton explained to TIME. "I've done very well with Hispanics. I've done well with older voters. We have to anchor our electoral map in the states that [Democrats] must win, and I think I'm in a good position to do that."
 
"There's a flip side to this as well--the argument that Obama is dangerously weak among key Democratic and swing constituencies. The Clinton campaign has been raising questions about Obama's ability to win white blue-collar voters in states like Ohio and Pennsylvania and Hispanics in places like New Mexico and Colorado--all swing states that will most likely decide the election."
 
The New York tabs are starting to circle Clinton. The New York Post dubs her "Has-been Hill." But, as we've noted before, if Hillary were to win North Carolina, things would change big time.

The campaign unveiled its first TV ad of the general election, which will run, for now, only in New Mexico (5 EVs). This is a state that was carried by Gore in '00 but flipped to Bush in '04. This appears to be a preview of what next week's biography tour will be focused on; getting to know McCain.
 
Full script of the ad, titled: "624787," his Navy serial number:
MCCAIN: Keep that faith. Keep your courage. Stick together. Stay strong. Do not yield. Stand up. We're Americans. And we'll never surrender. ANNCR: What must a president believe about us? About America? That she is worth protecting? That liberty is priceless?  Our people, honorable? Our future, prosperous, remarkable and free? And, what must we believe about that president? What does he think? Where has he been? Has he walked the walk?
 
INTERVIEWER: What is your rank? JOHN MCCAIN: Lt. Commander in the Navy. INTERVIEWER: And your official number? JOHN MCCAIN: 624787 ANNCR: John McCain The American president Americans have been waiting for.
  
Politico's Ben Smith points out, "The narrator is Powers Boothe, best known for his work in 'Deadwood' and 'Red Dawn.'"
 
USA Today previews the bio tour McCain is embarking on. He will be "visiting schools and military installations "that have played a significant role in shaping who I am today," as McCain put it in a fundraising letter. Senior campaign adviser Charles Black said, "We do not take it for granted that people know his background." The goal is to fix McCain's image in the voters' minds before the Democrats do it for him -- provided he has the money." Stops include Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Va.; the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.; military bases in Florida and Mississippi; and his political base in Arizona. The son and grandson of admirals, McCain is also expected to discuss his service during the Vietnam War.
 
The campaign got a taste of what life could be like if the economy is the No. 1 issue and the Democrats relentlessly attack him on the issue.
 
"In an economic speech on Tuesday, McCain (Ariz.) said he supports government assistance for Americans facing home foreclosure because of the turmoil in financial markets. But he declined to embrace the kind of government intervention for individuals and institutions favored by Clinton and Obama, arguing that 'it is not the duty of government to bail out and reward those who act irresponsibly, whether they are big banks or small borrowers.'
 
"Obama (Ill.) and Clinton (N.Y.) have pounced on that quote in an effort to paint McCain as indifferent to the problems of ordinary Americans. Speaking in New York yesterday, Obama characterized McCain's views as amounting to 'little more than watching this crisis happen.' Clinton, appearing in Raleigh, N.C., said McCain prefers to ignore the crisis or simply blame families for their problems.
 
" 'Sometimes the phone rings at 3 a.m. in the White House and it's an economic crisis,' Clinton said, alluding to an ad she ran against Obama weeks ago. 'And we need a president who is ready and willing and able to answer that call.' McCain's plan, she said, does virtually nothing to ease the credit or housing crisis. 'It seems like if the phone were ringing, he would just let it ring and ring and ring,' she said."
 
In case you hadn't noticed, NYT's David Brooks is back to being a BIG fan of McCain. "McCain opened his speech with a description of his father leaving home on the day of Pearl Harbor, and then being gone for much of the next four years. He harkened back repeatedly to the accomplishments of the Truman administration.
 
"In so doing, he signaled that the foreign policy debate of the coming months will be very different from the one of the past six years. Anybody who thinks McCain is merely continuing the Bush agenda is not paying attention"

A big superdelegate get for Obama, Bob Casey Jr., the frosh senator (and one-time RIVAL of Clinton's chief Pa. supporter, Ed Rendell). Casey who hails from the ultimate working class Dem stronghold of Scranton will campaign extensively for Obama during the candidate's bus tour of the state. Interestingly, Obama, while getting the support of Casey, needs to borrow from the Rendell '02 Dem GOV primary playbook, in order to win the primary, a race that Casey lost.
 
According to the Philly Inq: "The endorsement comes as something of a surprise. Casey, a deliberative and cautious politician, had been adamant about remaining neutral until after the April 22 primary.
 
"Casey was partially influenced by the enthusiasm of his four daughters for Obama. He is expected to help Obama make inroads with white working-class voters who are supportive on gun rights and abortion like the junior senator." 
 
By the way, isn't this what Casey's fellow Dem frosh Claire McCaskill said when she endorsed?
 
The Washington Post takes a closer look at the Obama online fundraising machine. "Obama's unprecedented online fundraising success is often depicted as a spontaneous reaction to a charismatic candidate, particularly by young, Internet-savvy supporters. But it is the result of an elaborate marketing effort that has left Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, his rival for the Democratic nomination, and Sen. John McCain, the presumed Republican nominee, struggling to catch up.
Obama aides say their goal has been to "build an online relationship" with supporters who will not only give money but also knock on doors and help register voters for the candidate. To do so, they have spent heavily on Internet ads -- $2.6 million in February alone, more than 10 times as much as Clinton and more than 20 times as much as McCain."
 
The NYT covers Obama's econ speech from NYC yesterday and notes, "The speeches of the Democratic candidates for the presidential nomination served as a reminder of the thin wall that separates their policy views. (Mrs. Clinton gave a speech this week in Philadelphia on the housing crisis.) Both candidates have talked about spending billions to help homeowners at risk of foreclosure, and are moving so closely in step that their subordinates have shouted about stolen ideas.
 
"Both warned of a national credit crisis and advanced proposals to amend bankruptcy laws to aid those facing housing foreclosure. Each endorsed Democratic legislation -- sponsored by Senator Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut and Representative Barney Frank of Massachusetts -- to create a housing security program in the Federal Housing Administration that would provide incentives to refinance mortgages carrying onerously high interest rates.
 
"They are very close; they are pointing to very similar proposals," said John Irons, research and policy director for the Economic Policy Institute, a labor-oriented research center. "There are minor differences, but when you compare their proposals with McCain, that's night and day. The Democrats are more like noon and 12:30."
 
The RNC pounced on the portion of Obama's CNBC interview with Maria Bartiromo where he talked cap gains. "Obama yesterday said he'd raise the capital-gains tax as president -- but softened his estimate on how much it would go up. I haven't given a firm number," Obama told CNBC's Maria Bartiromo, speaking of how much the levy would rise over the current rate of 15 percent. He "guessed" it would be "significantly lower than" the 28 percent it was under President Bill Clinton.
 
"Last year, when Obama proposed up to $85 billion annually in middle-class tax relief, he suggested paying for it in part by hiking the capital-gains tax to as much as 28 percent. Yesterday, he said, "We can't go back to some of the, you know, confiscatory rates that existed in the past that distorted sound economics.
 
"I think that we can have a capital-gains rate that is higher than 15 percent," he added, but noted people like investor Warren Buffett have said if the tax is "within that range" of 20 to 25 percent, it won't "distort . . . economic decision making." 
 
L.A. Times coverage of the Obama-CNBC interview also focused on the tax front. "Obama went after the "We're not paying enough taxes to the government" vote today during a television interview in New York.
 
"First, he said the Bush tax cuts ought to die. He likes that top marginal rate of 39%. Although the non-partisan National Journal recently declared him the most liberal of the 100 senators, Obama denied being a "wild-eyed liberal," which wasn't what the Journal called him, but it sounds good on TV where everything moves by so quickly.
 
"Maria Bartiromo on CNBC's 'Closing Bell' asked, 'Who should pay more and who should pay less?' Predictably, the politician chose to talk about who would benefit from his higher tax plan, not who would get socked the hardest. But from his answers it sounds like the 'wealthy' in his mind are those making more than $75,000.
 
"I would not increase taxes for middle class Americans and in fact I want to....  provide a tax cut for people who are making $75,000 a year or less,'' he said. "For those folks, I want an offset on the payroll tax that would be worth as much as $1,000 for a family.
 
"Senior citizens who are bringing in less than $50,000 a year in income, I don't want them to have to pay income tax on their Social Security. And as part of my overall approach to housing, I actually want to provide an additional 10 percent mortgage deduction, a credit, mortgage interest credit, for those who currently don't itemize."

BLOOMBERG: Don't believe the NYC mayor and ex-CEO is interested in being Obama's second banana? Then take a look at THIS newsy NYT lead. "It was only hours after Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg finally made it clear that he was not running for president that his chief political guru, Kevin Sheekey, suggested that he would be the perfect running mate for Senator Barack Obama.
 
"In presenting Mr. Obama, Mr. Bloomberg pointedly noted that he had not endorsed a candidate, saying that now was the time for people to listen to the candidates' ideas. Referring to the "private breakfast" the two men shared at a Midtown coffee shop in November with a throng of news media pressed against the window, Mr. Bloomberg joked that it was his pleasure to introduce him, "and not just because he picked up the check."
 
"Mr. Obama had kind words for Mr. Bloomberg as well, saying that he had 'demonstrated extraordinary leadership.' He joked: 'The reason I bought breakfast is because I expected payback. I'm no dummy. The mayor was a cheap date that morning. There are some good steakhouses in this city.'"
 
ROMNEY: It is remarkable how much Mitt Romney is helping McCain. If you didn't believe it before, then believe it now, this guy wants the second slot... badly.
 
"Relaxed and tan after a little time off the campaign trail, Romney said McCain, whose credentials he once questioned, was ready to face the challenges of a fragile economy and the threat of violent jihadists. The former Massachusetts governor recently told Fox News that he would be honored to be McCain's vice president. On Thursday, he said McCain was 'without question the right person to be the next president of the United States.'
 
"He pledged to do whatever was necessary to convince the American people 'just how important it is to have a man of integrity, experience and capacity, who's been tested time and again, to lead our great nation.'
 
"McCain's advisors have cautioned that joint appearances with prominent vice presidential contenders should not be interpreted as auditions. For his part, the candidate would not comment on whether he was considering Romney or Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. -- but he lavished praise on both."

So Iraq will trump the economy in congressional races? "More than three dozen Democratic congressional candidates banded together yesterday to promise that, if elected, they will push for legislation calling for an immediate drawdown of troops in Iraq that would leave only a security force in place to guard the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad," the Washington Post writes.
 
More: "Rejecting their party leaders' assertions that economic troubles have become the top issue on voters' minds, leaders of the coalition of 38 House and four Senate candidates pledged to make immediate withdrawal from Iraq the centerpiece of their campaigns. 'The people inside the Beltway don't seem to get how big an issue this is,' said Darcy Burner, a repeat candidate who narrowly lost to Rep. Dave Reichert (R-Wash.) in 2006."
 
The group's 36-page plan does not set a specific deadline for when all combat troops must be out of Iraq. "Begin it now, do it as safely as you can and get everyone out," Burner said. "

Here's First Read's writeup.

Former NBC News Political Director Elizabeth Wilner becomes the second senior hire for the new Peter G. Peterson Foundation, whose mission is to focus public attention on, and promote solutions to the key sustainability challenges that threaten America's future: entitlement, health care, and deficit spending.  Wilner will serve as Director of Public Affairs. The new Foundation's CEO is former US Comptroller General David Walker, whom David Broder recently called "perhaps the most outspoken official in Washington warning of the fiscal train wreck that awaits this country unless it mends its ways."  Broder wrote, "No task is more important to our future." 

From NBC's Kristin Wilson
To a crowd of enthusiastic college students at Dickenson College in Carlisle, Pa., including more than a handful of Obama supporters in T-shirts and waving signs, Bill Clinton told the crowd why his wife would make the best president.

And, in a move that's becoming more and more common, he favorably aligned his wife with the presumptive Republican nominee, John McCain.

"We now have a bipartisan majority in the U.S. Senate, bipartisan, to do something about global warming and do more buildings like this," Clinton said, "because she and John McCain took reluctant Republicans all over the world and showed them how the planet was changing. She will work with anybody, go anywhere, do anything to move America forward."

More Bill: "I'm always a little apprehensive when I get up to speak," he said. "I think, you know, people are gonna be kinda looking at me saying, 'I better discount about half of what he says. I mean, they're married, he's gotta say that or he can't go home tonight.'
 
After looking off stage, shrugging and raising his eyebrows, he concluded, "And you know, there could be some truth to that."

From NBC's Chuck Todd
The Obama campaign's hopes of winning the 6/1 Puerto Rico primary might have been dealt a serious blow with this news, as reported by the New York Times: "Aníbal S. Acevedo Vilá, the governor of Puerto Rico,
has been charged with 19 criminal counts related to the financing of
three political campaigns from 1999 to 2004, including conspiracy to
violate federal campaign laws, wire fraud and illegally using campaign
funds for his personal use, according to a federal indictment unsealed
on Thursday."

Obama was endorsed by Acevedo Vila last month.

From NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner-Treworgy
McCain and Romney talked to reporters on the plane en route Denver, where McCain will be attending a fundraiser tonight. They took questions on their relationship, the Democrats' protracted fight and, of course, the veepstakes.

On the GOP nomination process
McCain: In all due respect and I think Governor Romney would agree with me is that our problem is we've accelerated the process to compressed it so much so that I'm not sure voters have as much opportunity to scrutinize the candidates. I've often said that it's interesting that Dwight David Eisenhower announced that he was running for president in 1952 in June of 1952. Look how we have accelerated -- I don't know, Mitt just went through the process.

Romney: The process was very good to you. I don't think I'd be terribly critical of it. And actually I feel that it was pretty good to me to too. I made a lot of progress and was pretty pleased I made the progress I did, but I'm sure that -- you're absolutely right senator, we all question a process that begins so early and I think in some respects detracts from the work of the president as he's carrying out his elected duties when you have a campaign going two full years before the election.

Romney: I think you'll find that the Republican Party -- like any great family -- comes together, will be strongly united behind our nominee, and I think that kind of unity is going to be one of the reasons he'll be successful in November.

Q: Does the Dems protracted primary benefit McCain?
Romney: I personally feel that in the final analysis, all of the to and fro of a campaign is brushed aside in the mind of the voters as they think about what is going to be best for their future, how will their families be raised, will there be peace on the planet, will we have a clean environment. These are the issues that will be the deciding factors in people's minds, and in the interim there's all the give and take of the politics of the day, but that really, I think, increasingly vanishes as people look at the differences in perspectives and policies of those running for president.

On contentious past between Romney and McCain
Q: Have you two apologized to each other?
McCain: Look, we had spirited discussions, but I believe it was always very respectful, and I think that's the campaign that we ran. I think it's the campaign that Governor Romney ran, and frankly I think it's the commitment that both of us made in the way we would conduct the general election campaign. Americans want respectful campaigns. I believe we were respectful. Of course we had differences, that's why – that's normal. But I continue to respect and appreciate Governor Romney's commitment to run. There's a lot of other things he could have done with his life after the success that he's enjoyed.

On VP stakes
Romney: Senator McCain has defined his process. There are probably 20 and maybe even more, you've probably got a full list, I can think of probably 20 names of people who I think could be excellent vice presidential nominees from our party and that's a process the senator will carry out. I'm not going to engage in sort of speculation on that.

Q: Do you feel the need to address the history between you too when you try to get your supporters to rally around McCain?
Romney: I think it's pretty straight forward, and I've spoken. I've had personal calls with over a hundred of my financial supporters and talked to them about my support of Senator McCain and my hope that they'll support his campaign financially, and the reason for that support is quite obvious. We agree on the overwhelming majority of issues that America faces, and we come together as a party to unite behind the person who will lead America at a critical time, and I don't get any argument with that. People understand that.

From NBC's Libby Leist
Soon after word leaked that Secretary Rice spoke in a closed session to Grover Norquist's Amercians for Tax Reform yesterday morning in Washington, the blogosphere began to speculate that Rice must be floating the idea of running on a ticket with John McCain

But, Rice's spokesman laughed it off today insisting that her talk to Norquist's group was all about U.S. foreign policy and Rice herself dismissed the idea last month when asked at a press conference if she would consider running as Vice President (see below)

All signs out of the State Department are that Rice's immediate plan is to head back to California, teach at Stanford and write a book.

Feb. 22, 2008:
Q There have been several articles written about "Condoleezza Rice for vice president." And some have called this a Republican dream team with you on the ticket. If asked, would you be willing to consider accepting that?

RICE: I've said all along what I'm going to do. You can all come and visit me in California. (Chuckles.)

Q So -- so no? Not this time?

RICE: I have always said that the one thing that I have not seen myself doing is running for elected office in the United States. I have -- for elected office, because I didn't even run for high school president. You know, it's sort of not in my genes.
But look, there will be very good people running for the American people to make their choices. I will be making my choice as a voter, and that's going to be fun after a campaign in 2000 in which I was extremely involved, after the reelected in 2004, where I was national security adviser and so not involved as directly, but obviously with an interest in how it came out. And I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing as secretary of State to see if we can use the last few months, as the president has put it, to sprint to the finish, because there's a lot of work to do.
This has been a really monumental period in American foreign policy. As a student of foreign policy, I don't know that I've seen many that have been more consequential. And I'm looking forward to ending this period with the United States having faced a lot of the challenges that came out of not just September 11th but the rapid changes going on around the world. And I'll be paying attention to that.

From NBC/NJ's Matthew Berger
BENSALEM, Pa. -- Chelsea Clinton mistakenly said President Bush had not toured the Middle East as president before arriving there earlier this year.

Speaking at a retirement community outside of Philadelphia, the former first daughter suggested Bush had not been as engaged in the Middle East as previous Commanders-In-Chief, comparing his work to President Clinton's in Northern Ireland.

"President Bush was in the Middle East last month, and its great that he was there, but that was his first trip there as president," she said at the Wood River Village Assisted Living Center. "He'd visited our men in northern Iraq before but he'd never been to Israel; he'd never been to Jordan, he'd never been to Saudi Arabia or Egypt; he just hadn't been."

Bush in fact traveled to Egypt, Jordan and Qatar in 2003, and was in Jordan again in 2006. His trip in January 2008 was his first to Israel.

She spoke for more than an hour at the retirement home, addressing a wide range of issues, including healthcare, immigration and stem cell research.

Chelsea Clinton is making her first independent appearances since being asked earlier this week about the Monica Lewinsky scandal at a college town hall meeting. She will attend several events in the Philadelphia area Thursday and will speak in Allentown and Bethlehem on Friday.

*** UPDATE *** She just made the same comments about President Bush's Middle East travel while speaking at West Chester University.