From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
Richard Machaceck, an Iowa DNC member and superdelegate, has endorsed Obama, according to a report by the Des Moines Register, passed along by the Obama campaign. This is Obama's second superdelegate of the day.

"I think it needs to be over, and in good conscience, I can't fly in the face of my precinct, county and district," Machacek told The Des Moines Register. "The raw numbers coming out of the district conventions really sat me down hard."

This makes it 7-3 superdelegate pickups for Obama since the Pennsylvania primary.

SUPERDELEGATES: Clinton 265-244 (286 uncommitted)
PLEDGED: Obama 1,490-1,334

OVERALL: Obama 1,734-1,599

*** UPDATE *** By request, Joe, here are the pickups since the PA primary:
OBAMA (7): Brad Henry (OK GOV), Audra Ostergard (NE DNC), David Wu (OR Rep), Charlene Fernandez (AZ DNC), Jeff Bingaman (NM SEN), Ben Chandler (KY Rep), Richard Machacek (IA DNC). 

CLINTON (3): John Tanner (TN Rep), Kathy Sullivan (NH add on), Mike Easley (NC GOV).

From NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner-Treworgy
TAMPA, Fla. -- Despite receiving top billing during McCain's weeklong health-care tour, this morning's speech at the University of Southern Florida featured only an expansion of the healthcare proposal McCain has been advocating on the stump for months.

Even McCain's top policy advisor Doug Holtz-Eakin had little to preview during a sit down with reporters last night saying, "Remember, it is April, and the election's November, so not everything will happen tomorrow or this week."

When asked what was new, Holtz-Eakin said, "There's more examples on all fronts of what he thinks of as the personal responsibility and prevention issues, treatment of chronic diseases and insurance market issues."

The center of McCain's health-care proposal is the creation of a refundable health-care tax credit of $2,500 for individuals and $5,000 for families to go toward offsetting the cost of health insurance. The tax credit would be available to everyone, and partial funding would come from eliminating the tax credit currently given only to employees.

"You simply choose the insurance provider that suits you best," McCain said this morning. "By mail or online, you would then inform the government of your selection. And the money to help pay for your health care would be sent straight to that insurance provider."

Individuals would be free to remain covered under their employers' plan, and employers would continue to receive tax exemptions for insurance provided to employees. The McCain campaign asserts that providing an option other than employer-based health care "would help change the whole dynamic of the current system, putting individuals and families back in charge, and forcing companies to respond with better service at lower cost."

Additionally, McCain repeated his proposal for increased insurance portability and called for allowing individuals to purchase insurance across state lines. Pushing back against the notion that his plan would make it difficult for those with preexisting conditions to find an insurance provider on the open market, McCain said he would work with states to establish Guaranteed Access Plans -- even proposing a government-funded GAP.

"Federal assistance could be provided to a nonprofit GAP that operated under the direction of a board that included all stakeholders groups -- legislators, insurers, business and medical community representatives, and, most importantly, patients," McCain said. "The board would contract with insurers to cover patients who have been denied insurance and could join with other state plans to enlarge pools and lower overhead costs. There would be reasonable limits on premiums, and assistance would be available for Americans below a certain income level."

From NBC's Mike Viqueira
Do-nothing Congress? Well, not quite.

On this very day your US House will vote to express its "sense" that "there should be established a National Watermelon Month." Later this afternoon, the people's House will move to consider whether to similarly express themselves over "National Funeral Director and Mortician Recognition Day." And then, in a separate bill, it will weigh in on setting aside a day of recognition for this nation's letter carriers.

So when the president and Republicans say that this Congress isn't doing much this year, they may have ground to stand on. But that isn't necessarily at variance with what usually happens in an election year -- especially a presidential election cycle where, no matter what, there will be a new administration come January.

So far this year, the stimulus package has passed, and that's about it. It has been slow going, no question. Behind the scenes, the Democratic leaders are still wrestling with the question of how to handle the president's latest request for war funding, this time for $108 billion. They are looking at legislation to ease the housing crunch. The farm bill has been on the verge of closure for weeks, if not months. And Democrats are clamoring for a second stimulus package for the economy, this time focused on extending unemployment insurance, infrastructure spending, and other items that they failed to pass in the first version.

But none of this is going to be easy. And on the fundamental job of Congress -- to pass spending bills to keep the government functioning -- it is quite possible, if not likely, that Democrats will simply punt it all into next year, thereby giving the new president, who they obviously hope will be one of their own, a clean slate on which to enact new policies and priorities.

From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli
RALEIGH, NC -- North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley (D) made his endorsement official this morning, saying that Hillary Clinton "gets it" and is a fighter who he said "makes Rocky Balboa look like a pansy."

"There's a lot of 'yes we can' and 'yes we should' going around," he said, taking what seemed to be a subtle jab at Obama. "Hillary Clinton is ready to deliver. That's the difference."

Clinton said she was honored to have Easley's endorsement, calling it "politically very meaningful." But more than that, she said the example Easley had shown in his two terms as governor that he "gets it" as well, and in his administration has shown how state governments "truly are the labs of democracy."

And she quoted former Gov. Mario Cuomo's famous line, that you "campaign in poetry but you govern in prose."

"I think that's pretty descriptive," she said. "Because when the lights are gone, and the cameras are off, and the speeches are over, what you want is somebody who delivers results. And sometimes that's not very glamorous, and it takes a lot of work, and some false starts, and frustration. Bringing everybody together doesn't necessarily mean they will all agree. It takes a leadership to set a vision, to put forth the goals and the strategies. That's what Gov. Easley has done in North Carolina. That's what I will do as your president. And I am honored to have this endorsement today."

Earlier, Easley and Clinton had toured a biotech lab here on the campus of North Carolina State University. Clinton credited Easley's administration for policies that have put it third in the nation in the field.

"We don't need any more position papers; we don't need any more commissions. Work is being done in states, a state like North Carolina. We just need to bring it to scale for the United States, and I will do that as president."

From NBC's Mark Murray and Domenico Montanaro
NBC News has confirmed an AP report that Kentucky congressman Ben Chandler, a superdelegate, is endorsing Obama today in Louisville.

With Chandler's endorsement, that brings the superdelegate count to Clinton 265, Obama 243. Overall (including pledged and superdelegates), it's Obama 1,733, Clinton 1,599.

Chandler's endorsement also adds to Obama's lead over Clinton among elected superdelegates (congressman, governors, senators). Clinton leads Obama 3-2 in Kentucky superdelegates. Obama has both congressmen from the state -- Rep. John Yarmuth is the other.

AP: LOUISVILLE -- Democrat Barack Obama's campaign director in Kentucky says Congressman Ben Chandler will endorse Obama for their party's presidential nomination.

Carolyn Tandy told The Associated Press on Tuesday that Chandler will announce his support for Obama at a midday news conference in downtown Louisville. Chandler represents a central Kentucky district and carries one of the most famous names in Kentucky politics.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Our pledged delegate count inadvertently had 1,491 for Obama; it should be 1,490. We've adjusted the above count.]

From NBC/NJ's Athena Jones and NBC's Mark Murray
For the second time in the past four days, Obama played basketball in front of TV cameras -- this time with the big boys. Below is the pool report from the New York Times' Jeff Zeleny:

It was shortly after 7:00 am when Sen. Barack Obama arrived at the hallowed ground of college basketball, home of the University of North Carolina Tar Heels. Before heading to the court for a quick morning game, he took a tour of the team's facility. His guide? Coach Roy Williams.

Mr. Obama and Mr. Williams walked through the basement hallway of the UNC basketball center, passing black and white photographs from seasons gone by. The coach, dressed in a suit, and the senator, dressed in workout clothes, made small talk and smiled throughout the brief tour, which concluded in the locker room. "What a tradition," Mr. Obama said, his eyes gazing around the room, which was decorated by banners from previous Final Four appearances.

Joined by Wanda Williams, the coach's wife, the three stood on the plush blue carpet, where a school logo fills the center of the room. This is a zone of respect, where neither players nor coaches are allowed to walk across the logo. (Coach Williams explained the rules to the senator and a local Secret Service agent warned your pool to keep its distance from the mighty UNC.)

The senator made his way to the M.W. "Dyke" Peebles Jr. Practice Facility, where members of the UNC team were already warming up. One by one, the players approached and shook hands with Mr. Obama. From the moment they came into view, it was clear that today's game would be slightly more rigorous than the one he played last Friday night at a middle school in Kokomo, IN. "These guys are a lot better than me," Mr. Obama said, running down the full length of the court, trying to keep up with guys half his age, who less than a month ago were playing in the N.C.A.A. Final Four.

Tyler Hansbrough, the national player of the year for 2007-2008, was on hand in his signature blue jersey, No. 50. Mr. Obama drew the good fortune of being on his team. The senator played for several minutes, occasionally lagging behind the bunch. His best chance for a basket came shortly after he made a behind-the-back pass. As the ball was passed back to him, he fired up a jump shot, but it bounced from the backboard and around the rim.

"Thought I had that one," he said.

The coach, who was watching from a chair on the edge of the court, called a substitution. "Gonna take a break, get a tip from the coach in terms of what to do," Mr. Obama said. For about 10 minutes, he took a seat by the coach and his wife and watched the players continue their morning game.

"The smartest thing you did was backing out of the way of that rebound down there," Mr. Williams said.

"Did you see that?" Mr. Obama replied.

A few members of the pool ventured over to the side of the court.

"These guys are big and fast when you're out there," Mr. Obama said, slightly short of breath. "It's impressive."

"And I hope they get bigger and faster," the coach replied.

After a brief time out, Mr. Obama returned to the court and played for several more minutes. He took his shot at one more basket, but it fell short.

"You guys are leaving the next president of the United States wide open," Mr. Williams jokingly yelled. When the senator was fouled, one of the players apologized. Not to worry, Mr. Obama said. "The Secret Service won't do anything to you."

In addition to Tyler Hansbrough, whom Mr. Obama congratulated for his recent decision to play another year before entering the NBA draft, this is a roster of players who suited up today: Danny Green, Deon Thompson, Marc Campbell, Marcus Ginyard, Mike Copeland, Wes Miller, Ty Lawson, Will Graves, Alex Stepheson, Surry Wood, Patrick Moody, J.B. Tanner, Jack Wooten. (Wayne Ellington, Quentin Thomas and Bobby Frasor, were on hand, but did not play.)

The senator stayed on the court for a few minutes after your pool was escorted from the gym. While the pool was watching, the senator did not score any points, but campaign aides later reported that he sunk a 3-point-shot.

We'll wait for the highlight reel to confirm.

 From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro
*** Is today the day Wright goes away? Maybe -- at least in the context of the Obama-Clinton campaign. As we speculated yesterday, if there was a silver lining to Wright dominating the news, it was that voters were easily able to distinguish between the two men. Reviews of Wright's performance at the National Press Club were absolutely brutal. The New York Times' Alessandra Stanley wrote, "Wright revealed himself to be the compelling but slightly wacky uncle who unsettles strangers but really just craves attention… Wright doesn't hate America, he loves the sound of his own voice." If yesterday was the end of the Wright story, then the next week may actually be something the Obama camp looks forward to. Bob Herbert perhaps put Obama's last six weeks the best: "Obama seems more and more like someone buffeted by events, rather than in charge of them." And that's something that he has to change soon if he hopes to change the subject in time to put Clinton away on May 6. Also, Obama began a stronger pushback on Wright late last night, per NBC's Andrea Mitchell: "My opponents realize they don't have the better argument so what they're now saying is 'Well, I don't know about Obama. You know, we, we gotta, we gotta know more about him and you know, he doesn't wear a flag pin. His former pastor said something and he's, he's got uh, we don't know what his values are. We don't know if he's patriotic. He's got a funny name, you know, it sounds, sounds Muslim.' That, that's what's dominated. That is what has dominated political coverage over the last several weeks." 

*** The downballot effect: Republicans are certainly linking Obama to Democrats running in two upcoming special congressional elections. In Mississippi, Greg Davis (R) is running an ad using Jeremiah Wright against Travis Childers (D). And in Louisiana, Freedom's Watch is airing an ad whacking Don Cazayoux (D) by tying him to Obama's health-care agenda. As our friends at Hotline noted yesterday, these Democrats have been unable to easily swat away these attacks. "Both Dems have succeeded so far by avoiding the liberal tag, and in many cases, the Dem label. But in an interview on XM radio 4/26, Childers avoided discussing the WH race like the plague. In Cazayoux's response ad to GOP attacks, he also ignored the WH contest. Both answers seemed greatly lacking." But Democrats -- who are thrilled to be playing in these two contests, especially the one in Mississippi -- believe that attacks on Obama could help turn out the sizable African-American populations in both districts. Still, the GOP using Obama in downballot races presents this dilemma to Democrats: Until Obama (or Clinton) wraps up the nomination, it's hard for the DNC, DCCC, and DSCC to whack back at these kind of attacks on their downballot candidates. And this is why it seems Obama can't beat back these attacks; He's getting hit on three or four fronts, and there are no third-party groups who can help back him up because these groups aren't ready to pick between Clinton and Obama just yet.

VIDEO: NBC Political Director Chuck Todd talks about the aftermath of yesterday's Wright speech, the debate over a Summer gas-tax holiday, and the continued fight for superdelegates.

*** Pump it up: If it hadn't been for Wright's appearance yesterday, there would have been a substantive policy debate over an issue that would have received a ton of coverage. The issue? A gas-tax holiday. The matter actually has interesting alliances. McCain and Clinton favor a temporary halt to the 18.4-cent federal gas tax (although Clinton calls for a tax on oil company profits to pay for it), while Obama and the White House oppose it. A gas-tax holiday might be good politics -- pander bears anyone? -- but it's viewed by some as lousy policy. In fact, the New York Times confirms Obama's argument that such a holiday would save consumers no more than $30, about a half of tank of gas. But pander politics can trump intellectual arguments in the short term.

*** Electability watch: Lots of new information for superdelegates to weigh today: A new AP/Ipsos poll has Clinton doing MUCH better against McCain than Obama does; another poll has Obama beating McCain in Wisconsin, but Clinton losing to the Arizona Republican; elected superdelegates, per the Wall Street Journal, see Obama as being the better candidate for Dem downballot candidates; but NRCC chair Tom Cole adds his two cents: "I think [Obama's] the weaker candidate." What do all of these things tell us? Doesn't look like much has changed, at least for now.

*** McCain's house call: Last week it was poverty; this week it's health care. For a candidate who has been hit with being a one-trick pony (Iraq and national security), McCain is doing what he can to make sure folks realize he'll have a robust domestic agenda. Beginning yesterday, he has launched a week-long focus on health care this week. His plan, not surprisingly is reliant on the free market, which he hopes will drive down the cost of health care by slowly moving folks away from having to rely on employers for health care. The Washington Post identifies a $5,000 tax credit as the centerpiece of McCain's proposal, which would be used for individuals to search out the best insurance for their needs. McCain will also borrow a page from Mike Huckabee and talk about prevention and nutrition. McCain backs up his launch with a statewide TV buy in Iowa focused on health care. Meanwhile, the SEIU begins a $1 million TV ad campaign in Ohio hitting McCain for his lack of attention on rising health-care costs. The ad features Bush and McCain hugging and even shows Bush kissing McCain (a visual we bet we'll see again and again and again). There will be a similar ad set to run in DC and West Virginia, but the Ohio buy is a big one and dwarfs, for instance, any anti-McCain spot the DNC has aired to date.

*** Slow ride, take it Easley: In Raleigh, NC this morning, Clinton received one of her biggest endorsements in the last couple of months -- from North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley -- who comes from one of the upcoming pivotal states: North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley. Per NBC/NJ's Carrie Dann, Easley was long suspected of being in the Clinton camp, but many believed that he would stay neutral. One key to Clinton's past victories in Ohio and Pennsylvania were the huge endorsements from the governors in those states. Easley's endorsement comes just one week before the state's primary, so Clinton might not be able to tap into his political network/machine the way she did with Strickland's and Rendell's. But Easley's help, no matter how late, certainly doesn't hurt. That said, while Easley is retiring after this year, Obama has endorsements from North Carolina's two gubernatorial candidates. What does that tell us about the makeup of the primary electorate?

*** Crunching the numbers: While Clinton picked up a superdelegate with Easley's endorsement, Obama yesterday got his own from New Mexico Sen. Jeff Bingaman. Here are the counts: SUPERDELEGATES: Clinton 265-242 (288 uncommitted); PLEDGED: Obama 1,490-1,334; OVERALL: Obama 1,733-1,599.

*** On the trail: After her event in Raleigh, NC, Clinton makes six stops in the Hoosier State -- Indianapolis, Gary, Hobart, Evansville, Princeton, and South Bend; McCain, still in Florida, speaks at a cancer research center at the University of South Florida in Tampa and then raises money in Tampa and Bonita Springs; and Obama holds town halls in Winston-Salem and Hickory, NC. Also, Bill Clinton stumps for his wife in North Carolina.

Countdown to North Carolina, Indiana: 7 days
Countdown to West Virginia: 14 days
Countdown to Kentucky and Oregon: 21 days
Countdown to Election Day 2008: 189 days
Countdown to Inauguration Day 2009: 266 days
 
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The reviews of Wright's appearance at the National Press Club yesterday were mostly unkind. The Washington Post's Dana Milbank: "Wright, explaining this morning why he had waited so long before breaking his silence about his incendiary sermons, offered a paraphrase from Proverbs: 'It is better to be quiet and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.' Barack Obama's pastor would have been wise to continue to heed that wisdom. More: "Should it become necessary in the months from now to identify the moment that doomed Obama's presidential aspirations, attention is likely to focus on the hour between nine and ten this morning at the National Press Club. It was then that Wright, Obama's longtime pastor, reignited a controversy about race from which Obama had only recently recovered - and added lighter fuel."

The Washington Post's Eugene Robinson: "I'm sorry, but I've had it with Wright. I would never try to diminish the service he performed as pastor of his Chicago megachurch, and it's obvious that he's a man of great charisma and faith. But this media tour he's conducting is doing a disservice that goes beyond any impact it might have on Obama's presidential campaign. The problem is that Wright insists on being seen as something he's not: an archetypal representative of the African American church. In fact, he represents one twig of one branch of a very large tree."

Adds Bob Herbert: "The Rev. Jeremiah Wright went to Washington on Monday not to praise Barack Obama, but to bury him. Smiling, cracking corny jokes, mugging it up for the big-time news media — this reverend is never going away. He's found himself a national platform, and he's loving it."

The New York Times' Alessandra Stanley: "Now it turns out that Mr. Wright doesn't hate America, he loves the sound of his own voice. He is not out of touch with the American culture, he is the avatar of the American celebrity principle: he grabbed his 30-second spots of infamy and turned them into 15 minutes of fame."

The Washington Post has this interesting nugget: "Obama aides said Wright had rebuffed their recent offers of public relations assistance. They stressed that they had no warning about a media blitz that included an appearance with Bill Moyers on PBS on Friday night, a nationally televised speech to the NAACP in Detroit on Sunday evening and yesterday's appearance at the National Press Club."

Obama was asked if he felt betrayed by Wright, who played a significant role in Obama's spiritual life for 20 years, performed his wedding and inspired the title of Obama's most recent book, 'The Audacity of Hope.' 'I just want to emphasize that this is my former pastor,' Obama said. 'Any of the statements that he's made both to trigger this controversy and that he's made over the last several days are not statements that I've heard him make previously. They don't represent my views. And they don't represent what this campaign's about.'"

"Obama did not mention Wright at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington, where he spoke and took questions for about 80 minutes. In response to a question about his faith Obama spoke at length, but did not use it as an opening to say yet more about Wright. No one in the enthusiastic 5,000-person crowd asked him about the controversy, nor did anyone tonight among 1,900 people packed into a high school gym in Wilson."

"Ron Walters, a University of Maryland political scientist and the former campaign manager for Jesse Jackson in 1988, said Wright is clearly attempting to address the 'gross unfairness' in the way his remarks have been characterized. While Wright is understandably defending himself, Walters said, 'it doesn't bode well for tamping down the story' that Obama probably wishes would disappear," the Boston Globe writes. "'This [controversy] is unlikely to go away any time soon,' he said. And it will make it more difficult for Obama to wrest away disaffected white working-class voters from Hillary Clinton, Obama's Democratic rival. Clinton carried that constituency by wide margins over Obama in winning primaries in Pennsylvania and Ohio -- wins that kept her candidacy alive and prevented Obama from wrapping up the nomination."

The New York Post blares "Pastor Disaster" on its cover over a photo of Wright at the National Press Club, his hands cupped outward. Wright had some words for Obama, saying if he's elected he'd be going after him.

And… Sharpton is blasting Obama. "Obama made a call for nonviolence in the aftermath of the Sean Bell verdict -- infuriating the Rev. Al Sharpton, who accused the presidential candidate of trying to 'grandstand in front of white people,' sources told The Post.

The New York Times front-pages, "Clinton lined up with Senator John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, in endorsing a plan to suspend the federal excise tax on gasoline, 18.4 cents a gallon, for the summer travel season. But Senator Barack Obama, Mrs. Clinton's Democratic rival, spoke out firmly against the proposal, saying it would save consumers little and do nothing to curtail oil consumption and imports."

"While Mr. Obama's view is shared by environmentalists and many independent energy analysts, his position allowed Mrs. Clinton to draw a contrast with her opponent in appealing to the hard-hit middle-class families and older Americans who have proven to be the bedrock of her support. She has accused Mr. Obama of being out of touch with ordinary Americans who are struggling to meet their mortgages and gas up their cars and trucks."

The Washington Post's fact-checker weighs in on the matter. "The advocates of a 'gas tax holiday' are exaggerating the benefits to consumers from their proposal. If the Illinois experience is a guide, there is likely to be some reduction in the price of gas, but it would fall well short of the size of the tax reduction. In order to pay for the tax cut, the government would have to cut back on highway construction and maintenance or find some other way of plugging the shortfall in revenues to the Highway Trust Fund."

Meanwhile, NBC's John Yang reports that President Bush will hold a news conference today in the Rose Garden at 10:30 am. He will deliver an opening statement (approximately eight minutes long) regarding Americans' understandable anxiety about issues affecting their pocketbooks. He will also call upon Congress to send him sensible and effective bills that will help Americans weather this difficult period and keep our country moving forward.

INDIANA: The Indy Star looks at how white women could be the key to any Clinton victory in the state.

NORTH CAROLINA: Gov. Mike Easley is a nice get for Clinton. But "Easley does not have the sort of political machine that Gov. Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania used to help deliver votes for Clinton in that state. But Easley is popular with rural, white, blue-collar Democrats, the sort of voters that Clinton has successfully targeted in wins in Pennsylvania and Ohio."

The Clintons have been quietly courting Easley, who is also a Democratic superdelegate, for months. Former President Clinton has had numerous telephone conversations with Easley."

Politico adds: "Easley is a meaningful ally in the culture war she's waging against Senator Barack Obama, as she seeks to cast him as a hopelessly unelectable liberal elitist and to persuade the Democratic Party leaders who will decide the nomination -- the 'superdelegates' -- to choose her instead.

The New York Times writes about the still-silent Edwards family in the primary. Of course, the piece also simply assumes if either Edwards endorses it will be for Clinton.

Clinton trotted out her "Day One" talking points in North Carolina and compared the decision for president to the decision they would make if hiring a surgeon to perform an operation -- you hire someone ready to perform the operation on Day 1.

The Wall Street Journal's Seib wonders if it's time for another race speech, this one by Clinton. "[I]t is Sen. Clinton who now has the greater ability to ease racial tensions within her party. Arguably, she also has the greater need to do so, for her long-term standing. Simply stated, her camp is the one now being accused of, or at least implicated in, using the race card. The most recent assertions came in the form of comments last week by Rep. James Clyburn, a black Democrat from South Carolina, who accused Sen. Clinton and, more pointedly, former President Clinton, of damaging the Democratic Party by using race to political advantage."

Is what Rev. Wright is doing to Obama similar to what Bill Clinton is doing to Hillary? The New York Times: "The question of what exactly Mr. Clinton's 'role' is in his wife's campaign has been a much-pondered mystery. As has been the case throughout his public life, Mr. Clinton's motives, agenda and apparent mistakes have been the source of great speculation outside the Clinton world and hand wringing within it. Inside the Clinton campaign, the general view is that Mr. Clinton's more provocative statements are not calculated as Mr. Clyburn and others have suggested… What is clear, among insiders, is that Mr. Clinton is playing a big — and some say expanding — role within the operation, one that might be sacrificing part of the accumulated prestige of his long public career for the cause of returning his wife (and himself) to the White House."

"In the early stages of Mrs. Clinton's campaign, Mr. Clinton often felt left out, according to friends. But after a series of staff changes, he has become a more visible and influential presence, associates said, and an advocate of aggressively confronting Mr. Obama. He is especially close to Cheryl Mills, a former aide to him in the White House who has taken on an increasingly influential position in Mrs. Clinton's campaign headquarters and provides him with a much more direct line into daily campaign deliberations and strategy decisions. Likewise, Mr. Clinton has settled into something of a "bad cop" role for Mrs. Clinton's campaign. It is not unlike that of a presidential running mate in a general election, the chief surrogate more safely positioned to attack the opposition while the candidate travels a higher road."

One other thing we learn in the piece: Bill and Ted Kennedy haven't spoken since Kennedy endorsed Obama.

The Washington Post's Shear previews McCain's health care speech today. "In Sen. John McCain's perfect health care world, individuals would each seek the ideal health insurance policy in a competitive marketplace that would drive down premiums even as prevention and healthier living reduces the cost of care. That's the vision McCain will outline Tuesday morning as he launches a week-long discussion of health care and his efforts to improve quality and increase access. The vision is not new -- he's been talking about it for months -- but aides promised a few more details as McCain seeks an alternative to the plans being offered by Democrats."

"The centerpiece of McCain's plan remains a $5,000 tax credit that individuals could use to search out the best insurance for their needs. McCain economic adviser Doug Holtz-Eakin told reporters in a briefing Monday evening that the tax credit would allow some people to leave their employer-sponsored plan and do better on their own."

USA Today has more: "McCain's plan aims at eliminating 'the bias toward employer-sponsored health insurance' by offering tax credits for individual plans, according to his campaign website. The credits would be $2,500 for individuals and $5,000 for families. Those amounts would be subtracted from the final tax bill. Families, the campaign says, should be able to buy nationwide policies that can move from state to state."

"The Bush administration has proposed health care tax deductions of $7,500 for individuals and $15,000 for families. Such write-offs have limited value because average family health care plans cost about $12,000 a year, says Ken Thorpe, a health policy professor at Emory University in Atlanta. Also, many insurers won't accept individuals with pre-existing medical problems, he says.

McCain's campaign unveils a 60-second health-care ad that begins airing today in Iowa only.

McCain's got a major joint fundraiser with the RNC planned for next week with a $4 million goal.

The New York Times' Rutenberg looks at the DNC attack ad on McCain.

The RNC, though, is demanding that the cable news channels yank the ad.

Who needs Harold Ickes and his database when you are the Obama campaign… Bloomberg News notes the list the campaign is building. "Even if the Democratic presidential candidate doesn't succeed in his White House bid, this data will make Obama a power broker in the party for years to come. For the interest groups or Democratic candidates he chooses to sell it to, it would provide a gold mine of information and access to potential donors. Almost 2 million people have entered personal information on Obama pages on social-networking Web sites such as Facebook, MySpace and his campaign's mybarackobama.com, offering home addresses, phone numbers, their views on specific issues and the names of friends. The data have allowed Obama, 46, to raise more than $200 million, fill sports arenas with supporters across the nation and motivate millions more with custom-tailored messages."

There are a lot of folks waiting for Obama's Sister Souljah moment to be on the issue of affirmative action. Hasn't happened yet but... 

Clinton has gotten a bump in the polls since Pennsylvania. In the latest AP/Ipsos poll, she leads McCain, 50%-41% (Obama leads him 46%-44%).

Here's yet another Wisconsin poll that shows Obama besting McCain -- but McCain beating Clinton.

The Wall Street Journal's Calmes looks at Obama's potential trump card: elected superdelegates who view Clinton's negatives as too high to have at the top of the ticket.

While there's still more GOPers who think Clinton and not Obama is the easier downballot target, NRCC's Cole has been the consistent dissenter on this issue and is betting that Obama and not Clinton will be the bigger drag. Politico: "Republican-leaning districts could be particularly fertile ground for Obama-focused attacks, GOP officials say. 'I think he's the weaker candidate, and I've thought that for over a year now,' NRCC Chairman Tom Cole (Okla.) said at a briefing on Monday. 'He's very inexperienced. He is by any definition liberal and to the left of Hillary Clinton, and he will give us plenty of ideological divisions to work with.'"

"Besides the two special congressional elections in Mississippi and Louisiana next month, Republicans believe they can also exploit Obama's vulnerabilities in House battlegrounds where he has struggled to win over key demographic groups. Those areas include three culturally conservative seats in Pennsylvania, where Obama lost badly in last week's primary, and three Cuban-American districts in Florida that Democrats are seriously contesting for the first time."

And in our veepstakes watch… Haley Barbour says he's too conservative to be McCain's running mate. "Barbour also urged Mr. McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, not to name his pick for vice president until after the Democrats' convention, when he can draw the sharpest distinction between the parties. Mr. McCain will depend on 'persuasion' to snare independents and disgruntled Democrats on Nov. 4, unlike George W. Bush in the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections when victory depended on maximizing the turnout of each party's hard-core partisans, said Mr. Barbour, a former Republican National Committee chairman."

From NBC/NJ's Aswini Anburajan
INDIANAPOLIS, IN -- Obama said he was disappointed today in the new Supreme Court decision that has upheld Indiana's voter ID law, calling it "wrong," and emphasizing that the law could suppress turnout among minorities and poorer voters.

"I am disappointed by today's Supreme Court decision upholding Indiana's photo identification law -- one of the most restrictive in the nation," Obama said in a written statement.

He referenced his decision to file an amicus brief when Indiana's voter ID law was first challenged, saying he did it because he believed that "it places an unfair burden on Indiana residents who are poor, elderly, disabled, or members of minority groups."

Obama pledged to ensure that all voters have "unfettered access to the polls" on May 6th, and added that he was "encouraged that the Court has not complete closed the door to future challenges to state voter ID laws that create discriminatory barriers to the right to vote."

In a 6-3 decision today, the Supreme Court said that Indiana's requirement that voters show a form of identification at the polls is not unconstitutional. Opponents of the law argued that the law placed a burden on the right to vote and would depress turnout among  poor, elderly, minority and disabled voters at the polls.

Clinton's Indiana state director, Robbie Mook, when asked about the law, avoided any comment on the decision, only saying: "Our top priority is that every vote will be cast and counted." He added that the campaign would act according to the law and was encouraging its supporters to vote absentee and vote early.

From NBC's John Yang
Appearing on NBC's "Meet the Press" this past Sunday, Democratic Party chairman Howard Dean told Tim Russert that he hoped his party's nomination fight would "be over by the end of the month of June." That would require most of the 288 uncommitted superdelegates to declare their support for either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama.

So how does that sound to Leila Medley, the political director for the Missouri National Education Association and one of the superdelegates we profiled for "NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams"?

"He hasn't communicated with me," she says of Dean. "So, for now, I'm still doing my thing -- which is being uncommitted to the convention."

After the bruising Pennsylvania primary campaign, Medley, originally a John Edwards supporter, says the race is "more unpredictable now than a month ago." While still leading in pledged delegates, votes and states won, Obama is "sort of losing ground, it seems to me. He hasn't been able to close the deal."

The pressure from the campaigns and other rank-and-file Democrats has eased up a bit, Medley reports. She still gets letters and e-mails daily, but it's nothing like it once was. Nonetheless, it is wearying. "It seems like it ought to be over," she says with a sigh.

And she's been getting calls on behalf of Clinton from a fellow Missourian -- former House Democratic leader Richard Gephardt. Medley twice went to Iowa in support of Gephardt's presidential campaigns.

"Fortunately, I've been out of the office when he's called," she says.

And she hasn't called back.

From NBC's Mark Murray
As we mentioned earlier, Hillary Clinton is calling for a holiday on the 18.4-cent gasoline tax, and she says she'd make up the funding from that (which funds transportation infrastructure) by taxing oil company's "windfall" profits.

But it's worth pointing out that Clinton OPPOSED efforts to cut or repeal gas taxes during her 2000 Senate contest against Rick Lazio. It's also worth pointing out -- as the RNC has for last several days -- that Obama supported a holiday on Illinois' state gas tax when he was in the IL Senate (although as PoliFact later noted that Obama voted against legislation making the reduction permanent).

Here's what Clinton said at her October 8, 2000 debate with Lazio: "[O]ne of my fundamental disagreements during this campaign with my opponent was when he called for the repeal of the gas tax. Now, the gas tax is one of those few taxes that New York actually gets more money from Washington than we send. And we are totally reliant on it to do things like finishing I-86 in the Southern Tier, or the fast- ferry harbor works up in Rochester, as well as the work we need to do here in the city. So you can count on me to support infrastructure."

And here's a June 28, 2000 Newsday clip: "Campaigning in the Hudson Valley, Lazio continued a two-day assault on Clinton's support of maintaining the 18-cent federal gas tax and then used tough rhetoric to declare that 'trust' and 'character' were campaign issues during an evening fundraiser in Manhattan that raised more that $1 million. Clinton, meanwhile, lashed out at Lazio's plan to repeal 4.3 cents of the gas tax, calling it 'a bad deal for New York and a potential bonanza for the oil companies.'"

"During a visit to a shopping mall in the Buffalo suburbs, Clinton said that 'the gas tax is one of the few exceptions where we actually get more money back than we send to Washington.'"

(Hat tip to Political Base.)

*** UPDATE *** Clinton spokesman Phil Singer tells First Read that Clinton's opposition to gas-tax reductions/repeals in 2000 was due to the fact that they would take money out of the Highway Trust Fund. Her current proposal -- as mentioned above -- makes up for any money lost by taxing oil company windfall profits.

From NBC/NJ's Athena Jones
WILMINGTON, NC -- In a hastily arranged press conference next to the whirring engine of his 757 Monday afternoon, Obama spoke about his controversial former pastor the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

Wright is back in the news today after delivering a fierce defense of himself and the ideas he has put forth in which he argued that mainstream America did not understand the black church.

Obama did not address the content of Wright's remarks to the National Press Club in Washington today, instead restating his view that he found some of the pastor's remarks offensive but saying the man whose church he has attended for 20 years had a right to speak his own mind.

"He does not speak for me. He does not speak for the campaign, and so, he may make statements in the future that don't reflect my values or concerns," the senator told reporters who strained to hear him on the loud tarmac. At one point, he had to pause as a helicopter flew by.

Obama said he would remain focused on the issues voters were asking him about, like how to deal with lost jobs and high gas prices. He said voters had not mentioned Wright to him. He argued, as he did earlier today, that his rivals were trying to distract the American people and make this election about him.

"Obviously, what people like John McCain are now doing is, not being on the strong side of the issues, have decided they're gonna try to make this campaign about me," he said.

He said voters could separate him from his associates.

"I think people will understand that I am not perfect," he said, "and that, you know, there are gonna be … folks in my past like Rev. Wright that may cause them some concern, but that ultimately … my 20 years of service and the values that I've written about and spoken about and promoted are their values and what they're concerned about and that's what this camp has been about and what its going to continue to be about."

Obama also reacted to a Supreme Court ruling today that would allow states to require voters show a valid photo ID at the polls, arguing that it discourages turnout and that there was no evidence of voter fraud to justify requiring such measures.

"There are a lot of seniors who don't have photo IDs," he said. "There are a lot of low-income people that don't have photo IDs. The fact that they may cost money means that some people will choose not get them and are less likely to vote. I disagree with the decision, but we're going to do everything that we can in our campaign, and I trust that not only the Democratic Party but fair-minded Republicans are gonna do whatever they can at the state levels to make sure that people are able to exercise the franchise."

From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli, NBC's Mark Murray and Domenico Montanaro
Mike Easley, two-term North Carolina governor in his final year, will endorse Hillary Clinton at a rally in Raleigh tomorrow, according to sources in the governor's office and sources close to the Clinton campaign.

Easley is a superdelegate, bringing Clinton's superdelegate lead to 265-242 (288 supers are uncommitted).

PLEDGED: Obama 1,491-1,334
OVERALL: Obama 1,733-1,599

*** UPDATE *** NBC/NJ's Carrie Dann adds the following for context on Easley's endorsement:

Gov. Easley will be the second NC superdelegate to go for Clinton. Easley was long suspected of being in the Clinton camp, but many believed he would stay neutral, as -- like many of the state's public officials -- he might risk alienating the state's large black population.

Suspicions of his allegiance were all but confirmed earlier this month when Easley publicly criticized Barack Obama for declining CBS's invitation to debate in North Carolina.

Local experts often draw parallels between Easley's early career, which began with a failed run at federal office and a stint as attorney general, and President Bill Clinton's. Easley was heavily recruited as a candidate for the U.S. Senate, and it's widely believed that he could have been a formidable challenger to Elizabeth Dole. But Easley declined to run, famously saying that he wouldn't like a job that entailed "sitting in meetings" all day.

Although he enjoys fairly strong support in the state, Easley tends not to be described as a hard worker. Some politicos in the state quipped that he would stay on the sidelines because following through with an endorsement would be too much work for the laid-back legislator.

He was recently on the hotseat for violations of public records transparency by his press office, which reportedly requested that some e-mail traffic in and out of the governor's office be deleted. The man Easley appointed to oversee the resulting campaign for reform offered the capital press corps a good laugh when he was quoted as admitting that he didn't know how to "cut on a computer."

From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli
SALISBURY, NC -- Hillary Clinton used her latest proposal on oil prices to portray herself as the fighter in the race, telling a few hundred people at the local train station here that she'd be their champion in the White House.
 
This morning, Clinton unveiled a plan to tax oil company "windfall" profits to pay for a gas tax holiday, which she said would provide needed relief for working-class Americans, who have seen energy costs take up greater percentage of their incomes. Here, she also discussed plans to create new jobs in a push to move toward energy independence, while outlining tough tactics she'd employ against oil producing countries to keep oil prices in line.
 
"Now, none of this is easy to do, but I don't think we have a choice," she said. "We can continue to be at the mercy of the … oil countries, which will mean that our standard of living will continue to decline. We will not recognize America. We will not recognize the American middle class. So we can either say, 'OK, fine we'll just kind of go along and, you know, elect somebody who's nice or elect somebody who's gonna continue the Bush policies. Or we can elect somebody who's gonna fight for you. That is the choice in this election."
 
Amid cheers, she made clear which candidate is that fighter. 
 
"Now, I know there are some people who say, 'Oh my goodness, she is tough. Well, if you'd had my life you'd be tough, too."
 
She urged those in the crowd to vote early, before Friday's deadline. And in closing, added one last dig at her Democratic opponent.
 
"I wish it were true that you could go to Washington and say, 'I want everybody to come together and just agree with me, and then let's just make these changes, because we all know we're supposed to do it," she said. "I wish it were that simple. Because, boy, we sure could make change in a hurry."
 
Three times during Clinton's speech, trains passed by, some faster than others. The first time, as Clinton discussed oil, she waved at a caravan of tankers passing by. When another train came a-chugging, she interjected some of her views on rail travel.
 
"I love trains," she said. "Someday I would hope we'd have passenger trains again that would be going through Salisbury. I think that would make a lot of sense; it would save us a lot in energy bills and, as our country ages, which we are, which is a good problem, it'll give more people mobility than they might have otherwise. But that's for another day."

From NBC/NJ's Athena Jones
WILMINGTON, NC -- Obama spent much of his speech at a town hall here on the Carolina coast focusing on economic issues, but he used his first few minutes to urge supporters to hit the polls early -- as early as today, in fact.

"You don't have to wait until Election Day to vote. You can vote right after you leave this rally. You don't even have to be registered yet. You can go and register and vote all in one stop and you can do that before Saturday," he said, going on to give the number for his hotlines and his Web site address for people who want information on where to go.

Polls show the Illinois senator leading Clinton in the Tar Heel State, but exit polling data from the contests he lost in Pennsylvania and Ohio also show he has had problems making inroads with blue-collar voters and those without college degrees, voters who are more concerned about the kind of kitchen-table issues his rival has made a point of emphasizing.

Over the weekend in Indiana, Obama talked extensively about gas prices, lost jobs, health care, and paying for college. Today in North Carolina, before a crowd the campaign estimated at 5,000, he spoke about Americans who were working harder and harder to get by, who were struggling to pay for food and college. He said many people felt like the American dream was slipping away, echoing the kinds of lines Clinton often uses on the stump. He also said that when he talks about the need to change the way politics is done in Washington, he is "being very specific." It's another favorite line of his rival's -- one she uses to paint him as more rhetoric than action, a criticism he has increasingly sought to address in his stump speech.

In a bid to connect with voters, Obama talked about his work as a community organizer and ended his remarks with a slice out of his life story, focusing on being raised by a single mother and about his grandfather who was from a small town in Kansas ""right smack dab in the middle of the Midwest."

Obama hit back at McCain for criticizing him for opposing a gas-tax holiday the Arizona senator has proposed. "He had the gall yesterday to tell me that obviously because I didn't agree with his plan I must not be sympathetic to poor people," Obama said. "That's what he said. This is at the same time that he is proposing hundreds of billion of dollars of more tax breaks for corporate interests, to the wealthiest Americans. And he doesn't explain how it is that we are going to replace the Highway Trust Fund. That's where your gasoline tax goes to rebuild roads and bridges and put people to back to work right here in North Carolina. So but, you see, here's the thing: That's typical of how Washington works."

The McCain camp was quick to respond. "It's clear Barack Obama's not strong enough to provide immediate relief at the pump, and it shows he doesn't understand our economy or have the ability to deliver for hardworking Americans," spokesman Tucker Bounds said in an email. "Sen. Obama's arguments against John McCain's gas-tax holiday are complete fiction, and the reality is that he used to support a gas-tax holiday before he was running for president." 
 
Negativity in the campaign
Obama said his opponents were trying to raise questions about him and about his values, even though he had spoken often about his views and had written two books. Obama also addressed the negative tone the race had taken in recent weeks, acknowledging the negativity was at odds with the positive message his campaign was supposed to be about -- point the Clinton campaign has been making off and on for weeks.

"Sometimes we get sucked into this whole negative thing," he told the crowd. "You know people throw elbows at you, you start feeling like 'Oh, I gotta throw an elbow back.' So I noticed over the last several weeks, I told this to my team, you know, we -- we -- we're starting to sound like other folks, starting to run the same negative stuff. You know, And -- and -- and it shows, you know, that none of us are immune from this kind of politics. But the problem is that it doesn't help you."

Obama promised to focus on voters for the next nine days and the months between now and November and even over the next nine years, to laughter and applause.

An 82-year-old woman in the audience seemed to agree, eliciting thunderous applause during the Q&A portion of the event, when she urged Obama not to attack his rival. "Don't hit on Hillary, (it) brings us all down. Let her do that stuff. Leave her alone. You don't need to do that. You are higher than that. Bring us up higher than that," she said.

The senator spoke for about 38 minutes and then spent about 45 minutes taking questions on topics ranging from foreign policy to how to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina to his faith and his patriotism. He entered the stadium to loud cheering and chants of 'Yes we can', but no music, a bid to tone down the "rock star" feel of his events in order to make it easier for him to connect with voters.

From NBC's Mark Murray
The Republican National Committee held a conference call with reporters this afternoon, announcing that it is asking TV cable networks not to run a "maliciously false" and "misleading" TV ad by the Democratic National Committee whacking McCain on the Iraq war.

The ad -- which the DNC said it will air on MSNBC and CNN -- hits McCain for his past statement that he would be fine with US soldiers remaining in Iraq for "maybe 100" years. McCain did say that, but as the RNC and other fact-checkers have pointed out, it was in the context of talking about a peace-keeping force in Iraq after the violence there had ended.

The RNC also charged that the DNC and the Obama and Clinton were coordinating with each other (by sharing similar pollsters and polling firms and having meetings), and that made this new TV ad illegal.

DNC spokeswoman Stacie Paxton tells First Read that: "1) we used McCain's own words and 2) there has been no coordination. These are just baseless claims -- we obviously struck a nerve." The DNC will elaborate on those arguments in its own conference call later this afternoon.

*** UPDATE *** In the DNC's subsequent conference call, chairman Howard Dean shot back, "I understand that we have struck a nerve with the RNC with this ad." After reading back McCain 100-year quote, Dean added that the ad makes two arguments: "One, we don't think Americans want us to be in Iraq under any circumstance... We don't want to be there for 100 years, whether there is a war there or not. Two, anyone who thinks we're going to be occupying Iraq for 100 years and doesn't think there will consequences ... doesn't understand what is going on Iraq."

"He is completely out of touch with where the American people are on the war," Dean said, later saying: "There is nothing false about this at all... [These are] John McCain's own words... You are going to see a lot of this kind of stuff."

Also on the DNC call, general counsel Joe Sandler said the RNC's claim of coordination between the DNC and the Democratic presidential campaigns is "completely baseless." And he noted that there was no indication from MSNBC and CNN that they would NOT air the ad.

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
Obama just picked up the support of Sen. Jeff Bingaman (NM), the campaign announced. Bingaman chairs the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Obama leads among senators 15-12 among senators, not including those from Michigan and Florida. But factoring in even the support Clinton has from Sens. Debbie Stabenow (MI) and Bill Nelson (FL) -- Carl Levin (MI) is uncommitted -- Bingaman gave Obama the lead, 15-14. Obama has now picked up five superdelegates to Clinton's two since her nearly double-digit win in Pennsylvania. 

SUPERDELEGATES: Clinton 264-242 (289 uncommitted)
PLEDGED: Obama 1,491-1,334
 
OVERALL: Obama 1,733-1,598

From NBC's Cherelle Kantey and Abby Livingston
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The man who has been at the center of a political controversy for the past six weeks -- Jeremiah Wright -- spoke today in DC and was unrepentant in his remarks.

His speech here at the packed National Press Club, which kicked off a two-day symposium on the African American religious experience, provided mostly context and a history of the black church. He also offered a vigorous defense of himself and said attacks on him were, in fact, attacks on the black church, an institution he said is misunderstood by many whites.

"Maybe now, as that dialogue begins, the religious tradition that has kept hope alive for a people struggling to survive in countless hopeless situations, maybe that religious tradition will be understood, celebrated and even embraced," Wright said. With an audience that included those from his alma mater, Howard University, there was mostly agreement.

The tone turned more combative during the question-and-answer session. Wright didn't miss a chance to throw digs at the press corps seated and standing before him and even above him in the balcony of the press club. Outside the press club, a smattering of protestors both in support and against Wright exchanged taunts.

Wright did not mention "Obama" until almost 30 minutes into his opening remarks, but he did not shy away from bringing Obama into his comments during the Q&A. Wright's appearance brought him back to center stage in this presidential race despite Obama's efforts to explain his former pastor's experience in a widely lauded speech on race in America.

"We both know that if Sen. Obama did not say what he said, he would never get elected," Wright said. "Politicians say what they say and do what they do based on electability, based on sound bites based on polls…. Preachers say what they say because they are pastors. They have to have to have a different person to whom they are accountable. As I said, whether he gets elected or not, I'm still going to have to be answerable to God Nov. 5th and Jan. 21st…. I do what pastors do; he does what politicians do."

Instead of directly responding to whether his controversial remarks have hurt Obama's candidacy, Wright instead said criticisms of him are, "not an attack on Jeremiah Wright; it is an attack on the black church." He added, "It has nothing to do with Sen. Obama; it is an attack on the black church launched by people who know nothing about the African-American religious tradition."

Wright went on to defend against the accusation that he is unpatriotic, mostly because of the looped excerpted sermon given the weekend after Sept. 11, in which he criticized the U.S.'s role in foreign affairs.

"You cannot do terrorism on other people and expect it never to come unto you," Wright said. "I served six years in the military. Does that make me patriotic? How many years did Cheney serve?"

Wright also jokingly said he's open to being vice president. "Whether he [Obama] gets elected or not, I'm still going to have to be answerable to God," Wright said. "I do what pastors do. He does what politicians do. I am not running for office. I am hoping to be vice president."

From NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner-Treworgy
The Center for American progress held a conference call responding to McCain's health-care roundtable this morning and the impending rollout of his health-care proposal tomorrow. On the call, Elizabeth Edwards responded to the public back-and-forth between her and McCain on whether McCain's plan would cover people like them -- cancer survivors -- and whether McCain's Naval health-care coverage has put him out of touch with the trials of the open healthcare market.

On ABC's "This Week" last Sunday McCain said he would establish a "special Medicaid trust fund set up to help take care for those people who are -- have preexisting conditions." He then referenced that five chronic diseases account for more than 70 percent of the health-care costs in America, but it was unclear if the special "trust fund" McCain referred to would be intended to address those costs.

If so, Edwards said on the center's call this afternoon that the costs associated with such a program would be "enormous."

"If he's talking about expanding Medicaid to cover chronic conditions…he is talking about the most radical expansion of government health care that has been proposed -- that I know of," Edwards said.

She added that if McCain was not planning on expanding Medicaid, then such a fund would demand drastic cuts in the services provided to current Medicaid recipients, and if he was planning on neither of these options then "he's just blowing smoke."

On the senator's receipt of Naval healthcare for nearly his entire life, Edwards said McCain "has never been out in the market he's talking about," adding, "There are a lot of Americans who are out in the market…and what they're finding out is that health insurance is unaffordable."
 
McCain's plan involves, as he often says, letting "families make the decisions" on health care, which means he favors an open-market solution intended to allow competition to drive prices down.