From NBC/NJ's Aswini Anburajan
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- Continuing to beat the drum on the need for a debate in Indiana, Sen. Hillary Clinton's Indiana state director, Robbie Mook told reporters on a conference call this afternoon that it was "more productive to discuss plans to create jobs openly and publicly rather than through people's mailboxes through false negative attacks."
 
Clinton's Indiana team accused the Obama campaign of distributing "negative attack mailers" that "distort" Clinton's record on jobs. By contrast, they argued, Clinton's upcoming three-day visit to the state will focus on "her positive vision for the country" with a "Standing Up for Jobs; Standing Up for You" theme.
 
"She will be visiting with Hoosiers where they live and where they work in more intimate settings, to continue listening to the daily struggles they are facing," Mook said.
 
Clinton will return to Northwest Indiana where a significant portion of the Democratic vote exists, but that poses a challenge for her because it's located in the Chicago media market. Mook told reporters voters in the area were working class and union members, and despite a familiarity with Obama, they would be open to Clinton's message.
 
"This campaign is about jobs, jobs, jobs," he said, repeating the line that has become the campaign's rallying cry across the state.
 
Clinton's visit, including those made by her husband and daughter, will mark the campaign's 70th stop in the state, with 39 cities visited, part of a strategy to have face-to-face interaction in as many communities as possible.
 
Over the weekend, Bill Clinton marked his 24th stop in Indiana, winding his way through small, rural towns in Northeastern Indiana, which were at times so remote that nary a ubiquitous Dairy Queen in sight. The former president told partially filled gymnasiums of older voters that it was individuals in communities like these that helped his wife stay in the race.

From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli
GRAHAM, NC -- While saying -- once again -- that she would not have attended a church led by Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Clinton said she regretted that Republicans have "politicized" the matter and criticized McCain for not acting more strongly to put a stop to ads by local Republicans that invoke Obama's former pastor.

"I believe that if Senator McCain was serious, he would do more than send a letter," Clinton told reporters this morning. "He is the putative nominee. I think he could very clearly tell the North Carolina party, tell the Mississippi party that he would not tolerate to those kinds of advertisements and I am waiting to see whether he does that."

Asked later whether new public comments from Wright, particularly those mocking Presidents Kennedy and Johnson, reflected on Obama, Clinton was terse, saying only: "You'll have to ask him that."

Clinton also was asked about reports that her husband has seized a larger role in the campaign. "I'm very proud to the role my husband is playing in the campaign," she said. "I think it's very helpful to have the only successful two-term Democratic president since Franklin Roosevelt campaign for me."

But she did not answer -- even in a follow up -- concerns that have been raised by some party leaders, most notably Rep. Jim Clyburn, that some of his public comments are having a detrimental role.

In addition, Clinton continued to say that the prolonged nomination contest is good for the party, and called on the Democratic Party to move quickly to resolve the status of delegates from Michigan and Florida. "I've thought this has been good for the Democratic Party, and I think that the excitement that we've seen in the states since the last couple of contests has been terrifically encouraging," she said. "We're gonna go through these next contests, we're gonna see where we end up. And we'll take stock of where we are after they finish. But I also believe we've gotta resolve Michigan and Florida."

The press avail came in the same fire station where Clinton earlier spoke about her plan for a gas-tax holiday to ease the impact of escalating gas prices. "Everything is headed in the wrong direction," she said, noting rising costs and declining incomes. "It feels like people are just, you know, running in place. And it's not just the morning commute. It is a toll that is basically put on each and every person who drives anywhere."

McCain has also proposed a gas tax holiday. But the Clinton campaign emphasizes that his plan is not funded, while hers would offset the loss of revenues by imposing a temporary windfall profits tax on oil companies. "While we are seeing these high gas prices, the oil companies are enjoying record profits," she said. "Last year Exxon Mobil had $40 billion in profits. So you paid through the roof and they made out like bandits."

From NBC's Pete Williams
In one of the most closely watched cases of the term, the US Supreme Court has upheld Indiana's requirement that voters show government-issued photo IDs at the polls. At least 17 other states were awaiting this decision before going ahead with similar laws of their own.

The vote was 6-3, with Justice John Paul Stevens joining the mostly conservative majority.

Democrats had attacked the law, saying it created a burden for poor, minority, and handicapped voters, who would have a harder time getting government-issued IDs. They accused Indiana officials of passing the law to suppress the minority vote.

From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro
*** You're so vain, you probably think this campaign is about you: After addressing the NAACP yesterday in Detroit, Jeremiah Wright travels to the heart of the media beast -- the National Press Club in DC -- where he has been speaking this morning. At this point, no matter one's political inexperience, Wright has to know he's not helping his friend; his decision to go public and defend his reputation at this point in the campaign is doing nothing to help Obama, if anything, it's leading some to believe he's actually trying to sabotage him. He's hurting him and hurting him very badly. Frankly, it's as selfish of a move as we've seen in some time. Imagine, for example, if Norman Hsu or Vicki Iseman were doing publicity tours right now. Maybe, if there's a silver lining for Obama, he's giving Obama a very easy chance to simply walk away. Remember, Obama didn't toss Wright under the bus, but Wright appears to be doing that to Obama's candidacy. Still, if Wright Vol. 1, "bitter," and Pennsylvania didn't move superdelegates, what will? Nevertheless, Obama seems to be starting off this week in about as bad of shape as we've seen in him in some time.

*** McCain on the offensive: One of the more interesting political developments over the past few days has been McCain's harsh tone toward Obama -- on Jeremiah Wright, Bill Ayers, and even Hamas (noting that the terrorist organization prefers Obama to win the presidency). A few things seem to be going on here. One, it looks like McCain is using this to define Obama on these matters. Two, the Arizona senator seems to be trying to draw a line in the sand now that he's going to be tough on Obama -- unlike how Obama's Democratic rivals treated him early on. (If they set the ground rules this far out, they can draw him into a fight early and potentially hurt him on his greatest strength: that he's above the fray.) And three, it seems McCain is trying to shore up his base and placate the GOP's amplifiers on these issues. (check out the 90%+ he's already getting from Republicans in nat'l polls; who woulda thunk he would have 90% of the GOP at all, let alone in late April). The downside to McCain's tough tone, of course, is that it's very un-McCain. This isn't the same guy we saw in 2000 or even in the GOP primaries until he began whacking Romney in Florida. Indeed, this tack can turn off folks (especially those coveted independents) as much as it might hurt Obama.

*** Obama's re-launch: One story the New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal all seem to agree on today: Obama's recasting his stump speech as he talks more about the economy. Obama is trying to address an economic weakness the same way a professional basketball player approaches his craft -- by working on the weak parts of your game. Yet expect the Clinton campaign to jump on something in particular that was in the New York Times, the implication that Obama's "bored" with the primary. We can almost hear the Clinton hit on this now: "So, apparently, my opponent is bored debating the issues with me; he's bored, folks." Now, the New York Times never quoted Obama as saying he was "bored";  it's a characterization based on interviews with aides. But the comment is one that can easily be used for some stump lines today. Yet let's take this "bored" sentiment a step further -- it's clearly a reflection of a candidate who seems to be struggling with what to say next and how to refine his pitch just enough to finish the job. The campaign seems to be shying away from the big rally approach. Here's our question: Why aren't they simply re-running their Iowa/New Hampshire strategy where he did a little of both, big rallies in small towns?

*** I challenge you to a duel: Clinton has not let a day go by without bringing up her debate challenge. What's been interesting is that Clinton keeps changing the offer; it started with simply accepting another media organized debate; then it shifted to Lincoln-Douglas-style debates (i.e. no moderator) and finally, yesterday, she offered to debate him on a flatbed truck. Maybe tomorrow she'll call for debates in the back of an astro-turf-lined El Camino. Still, the doggedness of the debate challenge may start to get under Obama's skin -- and given Wright's decision to not get out of the news -- maybe a debate will be what Obama wants in order to change the focus of the last week of this campaign.

*** Hillary Strangelove? Because of Jeremiah Wright remaining in the news, not that much attention has been paid to Clinton's recent comments regarding Iran and the Middle East. But Sunday's Boston Globe weighed in -- harshly. It dubbed her "Hillary Strangelove," because of her umbrella Iran-Mideast ally retaliation policy. And the paper called that "Rambo rhetoric" that "plays into the hands of Iranian hard-liners who want to plow ahead with efforts to attain a nuclear weapons capability." More: "[T]here are some red lines that should never be crossed," it said. "Clinton did so Tuesday morning, the day of the Pennsylvania primary, when she told ABC's 'Good Morning America' that, if she were president, she would 'totally obliterate' Iran if Iran attacked Israel. This foolish and dangerous threat was muted in domestic media coverage. But it reverberated in headlines around the world."

*** What say you, superdelegates? By the end of June, Howard Dean says (and said again on Meet the Press) he wants superdelegates to come out to say which Democratic candidate they are backing. Just asking… After 15 months, do they really need more than two more months? For those keeping score at home, Clinton and Obama each picked up a superdelegate over the weekend. Clinton got the backing of New Hampshire add-on Kathy Sullivan, the state's former party chair. Obama picked up Charlene Fernandez (AZ), who filled a vacancy. Here's where the counts stand: SUPERDELEGATES: Clinton 264-241 (290 still undecided); PLEDGED: Obama 1,491-1,334; OVERALL: Obama 1,732-1,598.

*** On the trail: Clinton spends her day in North Carolina, stumping in Graham, Salisbury, Concord, and finally with a rally in Charlotte; McCain is in Miami, where he holds a health-care roundtable; and Obama campaigns in North Carolina, hitting Wilmington, Wilson, and ending with a rally in Chapel Hill. Also, Bill and Chelsea Clinton are both in North Carolina.

Countdown to North Carolina, Indiana: 8 days
Countdown to West Virginia: 15 days
Countdown to Kentucky and Oregon: 22 days
Countdown to Election Day 2008: 190 days
Countdown to Inauguration Day 2009: 267 days
 
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INDIANA: Could Indiana go blue, really? A poll out this week showed Obama beating McCain and Clinton tied with him there. The Boston Globe looks at the possibility: "Long an afterthought in presidential politics, Indiana Democrats -- who haven't delivered their state in the general election since 1964, and haven't had a meaningful say in picking their party's nominee since 1968 - see the growing excitement over the contest between Clinton and Barack Obama as an opportunity to build up muscle in places where the party's national reach had atrophied."

NORTH CAROLINA: Some stats for you. First, this one from today's Raleigh News & Observer: "The popularity of early voting can be seen in the numbers. By Friday night, more than 121,500 people statewide had voted at one-stop locations, according to the State Board of Elections, and an additional 10,593 mailed ballots."

And next, check out these stats in Sunday's Los Angeles Times: "As a prelude to North Carolina's May 6 Democratic presidential primary, state voters recently were asked about prejudices. As related by the News & Observer in Raleigh, here's what the poll found: A whopping number -- 91% -- said race would not affect their political decisions, but 54% said they knew someone who would not cast a ballot for a black candidate. A candidate's gender, 79% said, would make no difference to them, but 63% said they knew someone who would not vote for a woman."

"The survey by Elon University also looked ahead to the fall election, which will feature Republican John McCain trying to become the oldest person elected to a first presidential term. No problem, 66% said; age would not be a factor in their vote. But 44% said they knew someone who would not support someone they viewed as 'too old.'" Nice to know there are so many open-minded folks in the Tar Heel State. Too bad about so many of their neighbors, though."

Just how badly does the presidential primary hurt the downballot primaries? "In some ways, next week's North Carolina primary is like rock star Bruce Springsteen showing up at a high school battle of the bands. In a very short time, the Democratic presidential duel between Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton has taken center stage. And the dozens of Tar Heel races -- from the statehouse to the courthouse -- have been reduced to a political sideshow struggling to draw voters' attention."

"The presidential candidates are drawing the huge crowds, dominating the TV ads, vacuuming up the news coverage and driving the voter turnout. State candidates, strategists and party leaders -- some of whom have been carefully planning their campaigns for years -- are scrambling to figure out how to maneuver in a changed political landscape."

Bloomberg's Al Hunt sums up what is probably the undeniable fallout of this campaign regardless of who ends up the Dem nominee: "Bill Clinton May Be Biggest Loser of Campaign." More: "Before this campaign, he was an international statesman extraordinaire and the guru for ambitious Democratic politicians. In recent months, he has devalued himself and his future by his conduct. Although he has a decent relationship with John McCain, given the continuing partisan resentment of Bill Clinton, he would remain largely in exile under a Republican president."

"If Hillary Clinton upsets the odds and wins the presidency, it's likely to prove an unhappy time for her husband. He would be scrutinized, politically and personally; political strains between the president and first spouse would emerge."

"A President Obama would drive him crazy. If not irrelevant, it would make Clinton a secondary figure within his own country and party. There is little that would make him more frustrated or angrier."

Speaking of Bill, the New Yorker's Lizza has an interesting piece about Bill vs. Barack. "Adjusting to the modern, gaffe-centric media environment has been wrenching. At most of his Pennsylvania stops, the national press was represented mainly by a pair of young TV-network 'embeds,' whom Clinton regards not as reporters but as media jackals who record his every utterance yet broadcast only his outbursts, a phenomenon that has helped transform him into a YouTube curiosity and diminished him -- perhaps permanently. 'It's like he's been plucked out of time and thrown into the middle of this entirely new kind of campaign,' the adviser told me. Jay Carson, a senior Clinton campaign official and Bill's former spokesman, said, "Because of the way he is covered, the only thing anyone ever sees is fifteen seconds that is deemed by the pundits to be off message."

About that $10 million in one day from 100,000 donors... Politico's Vogel throws some cold water on the figures: "It made no difference that the details didn't always add up -- wide variations in the numbers of new donors; a conflicting timeline of when the money was actually raised. It was the eye-popping $10 million figure -- the most ever claimed in a 24-hour period -- that dominated the news cycle."
 
More: FEC "reports cannot and will not prove the campaign's claim of raising $10 million in one day." And: "Unlike the Clinton campaign -- which also indicated it raised $4 million after both Super Tuesday and the March 4 primaries -- Obama and Paul on their websites displayed tickers of sorts keeping a running tally of contributions received in real time during their respective fundraising surges." Though, he points out those are unverifiable and had some "technical glitches."

The New York Times' Kristol, um, crystallizes the chatter we've heard from conservatives regarding the never-ending Clinton candidacy. "I do think I can speak for most of my fellow right-wingers when I say this: We once looked forward with unambivalent glee to the fall of the house of Clinton. Many of us still do. But we also see the liberal media failing to give Hillary Clinton the respect she deserves. So, since we conservatives believe in giving credit where credit is due, it falls to us to praise Hillary."

"The fact is Hillary Clinton has turned out to be an impressive candidate. She has consistently defeated Barack Obama when her back was to the wall -- first in New Hampshire, then in several big primaries on Super Tuesday, on March 4 in Ohio and Texas, and then last week in Pennsylvania, where she was outspent by almost 3 to 1, yet won handily. She is, of course, still behind in the race, and Obama will most likely be the nominee. His team has run the better campaign. In particular, it realized how important the caucus states could be: Obama's delegate lead depends on his caucus victories. But Hillary may well be the better candidate."

NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli asks: Lincoln and Douglas didn't debate in a flatbed truck, did they? But that's what Clinton proposed last night in her latest effort to pressure Obama into a fifth one-on-one meeting. On Saturday, Clinton proposed a moderator-free debate, mocking the complaints from her rival's supporters after the Philadelphia debate April 16. On Sunday, Obama told reporters that he didn't want to spend more time "in a studio," preferring more direct voter interaction.

But Clinton would not back down. "I think that this state deserves a debate," she told hundreds gathered on the Cape Fear River in North Carolina. "We could even do it on the back of a flat-bed truck. Doesn't have to be in some fancy studio somewhere." The debate challenge, Memoli adds, has become a regular part of Clinton's stump speech since her victory in Pennsylvania last Tuesday. Obama had accepted an invitation to debate in North Carolina, but the forum was later canceled by organizers.

McClatchy's David Lightman revisits the management question. "Despite Hillary Clinton's big win in Pennsylvania last week, the story of her campaign is often one of mismanagement and missed opportunities, and it raises questions about how she'd organize and run the White House. 'There's a certain style to the campaign, and it shows what we might expect in a Clinton presidency: a lot of viewpoints and a messiness,' said James McCann, a political science professor at Purdue University in Indiana."

Here are advanced experts of McCain's remarks on health care today. "As a nation, we do not uniformly deliver the best possible care. Shortfalls in patient safety and medical errors remain a dangerous reality, and too many Americans do not have health insurance. But most importantly, our health care is too expensive. We spend a staggering amount of money on health care -- over $2 trillion and almost twice as much as any other country per person. Within the decade total health care spending will more than double and consume nearly one out of every five dollars in America."

More: "We can build a health care system that is more responsive to our needs and is delivered to more people at lower cost. The 'solution,' my friends, isn't a one-size-fits-all-big government takeover of health care. It resides where every important social advance has always resided - with the American people themselves… The engine of our prosperity and progress has always been our freedom and the sense of responsibility for and control of our own destiny that freedom requires. The public's trust in government waxes and wanes. But we have always trusted in ourselves to meet any challenge that required only our ingenuity and industry to surmount. Any "solution" that robs us of that essential sense of ourselves is a cure far worse than the affliction it is meant to treat."

Over the weekend, the New York Times ran this story: "Given Senator John McCain's signature stance on campaign finance reform, it was not surprising that he backed legislation last year requiring presidential candidates to pay the actual cost of flying on corporate jets. The law, which requires campaigns to pay charter rates when using such jets rather than cheaper first-class fares, was intended to reduce the influence of lobbyists and create a level financial playing field. But over a seven-month period beginning last summer, Mr. McCain's cash-short campaign gave itself an advantage by using a corporate jet owned by a company headed by his wife, Cindy McCain, according to public records. For five of those months, the plane was used almost exclusively for campaign-related purposes, those records show."

"Mr. McCain's campaign paid a total of $241,149 for the use of that plane from last August through February, records show. That amount is approximately the cost of chartering a similar jet for a month or two, according to industry estimates. The senator was able to fly so inexpensively because the law specifically exempts aircraft owned by a candidate or his family or by a privately held company they control. The Federal Election Commission adopted rules in December to close the loophole -- rules that would have required substantial payments by candidates using family-owned planes -- but the agency soon lost the requisite number of commissioners needed to complete the rule making."

As first previewed yesterday on Meet the Press, the DNC has a new TV ad hitting McCain -- this time on his "100 years" comment. The ad will run for three weeks on CNN and MSNBC.

The New York Times' Krugman takes a rare break from hitting Obama to take a shot at McCain today on taxes.

McCain goes there on Jeremiah Wright… Per the New York Times, "McCain delved on Sunday into remarks made by Senator Barack Obama's former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., saying it was 'beyond belief' that Mr. Wright had likened the Romans at the time of Jesus' crucifixion to the Marines and had suggested that the United States was acting like Al Qaeda under a different color flag."

"Up to now, Mr. McCain had largely avoided talking about the incendiary views of Mr. Wright, saying he wanted to run a 'respectful' campaign. He has even called on the North Carolina Republican Party to pull an advertisement that focuses on Mr. Wright. But Mr. McCain took a different approach at a news conference here when he criticized Mr. Wright for, as the senator paraphrased him, 'comparing the United States Marine Corps with Roman legionnaires who were responsible for the death of our Savior, I mean being involved in that' and for 'saying that Al Qaeda and the American flag were the same flags.'"

More: "McCain said that he did not believe that Mr. Obama, Democrat of Illinois, shared those views and that he was still against the advertisement in North Carolina. But he suggested that Mr. Obama had made the subject fair play by declaring in an interview shown over the weekend on 'Fox News Sunday' that questions about Mr. Wright were 'a legitimate political issue.'" 

Conservative commentators, like Jennifer Rubin, seem to feel vindicated that Obama himself said on Fox News that he believed Wright was a fair issue.

The New York Times front-pages that Obama "is making subtle changes to his campaign style and message in an effort to strengthen his appeal to blue-collar voters and to avoid a defeat in Indiana that aides fear could give Democratic Party leaders further pause about his viability in a general election… Mr. Obama is seeking to absorb the lessons of his defeat in Pennsylvania. The changes reflect concern that he is being portrayed by Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton as distant and culturally out of touch with many working-class Democrats, a worry underlined by her lopsided victory among many of those voters in that state on Tuesday and last month in Ohio."

More: "In interviews with several associates and aides, Mr. Obama was described as bored with the campaign against Mrs. Clinton and eager to move into the general election against Senator John McCain of Arizona, the presumptive Republican nominee. So the Obama campaign is undertaking modifications in his approach intended to inject an air of freshness into his style. In strategy sessions last week, advisers concluded that Mr. Obama, of Illinois, needed to do a better job reminding voters of his biography, including his modest upbringing by a single mother and one of his first jobs as a community organizer helping displaced steel mill workers. He also has to sharpen his economic message, they said, to improve his appeal and connection with voters in hope of capitalizing on the sensibilities that served him well in Midwestern states." 

The Washington Post adds, "[I]n a noteworthy shift, the Illinois senator is trying to reach working-class and middle-class voters by arguing more explicitly that the reform ideas driving his campaign can address the economic troubles that threaten their way of life. Supplanting lobbyist influence with citizen activism, uniting the country beyond petty partisan gamesmanship and bringing more candor to government, he argues, are not just abstract goals, but concrete steps that can level the playing field and lead to a more equitable distribution of the nation's wealth… Obama hopes the message, still being refined, will bring a victory in the May 6 primary here and help him close out the battle for the Democratic nomination against New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. But interviews here suggested it is not an easy sell. Obama's faith in the power of numbers has taken hold with young and engaged voters, but it is harder to convince Americans who have grown dissociated from their government that they have a role to play beyond going to the polls every few years." 

WSJ runs a similar story. "Barack Obama recast his call for change by speaking more directly to voters' economic concerns as polls show him in a dead heat with Hillary Clinton in Indiana. The shift comes amid signs that Sen. Obama's lofty appeals for hope and change may not be resonating with financially insecure voters, and may even be driving them away."

The Washington Post looks at the debate Wright has sparked inside many black churches. "Wright's appearance today at the National Press Club will begin the annual Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference. The conference, named for the noted religious scholar, will bring black religious leaders from across the country to Howard University. And at the center of the discussions will be the powerful and provocative tenets of liberation theology."

"Beyond the political debate over how Wright's words have affected Obama's campaign, the spotlight on Wright's sermons has sparked a lively discussion over the theology among the Washington area's large and diverse African American church communities. Some question whether black liberation theology's focus on race and oppression is relevant anymore, whether clinging to a philosophy forged in the civil rights era means holding on to past hurts. Others think it is needed now more than ever in the face of continuing discrimination, chronic unemployment and high incarceration rates among blacks." 

The AP wraps some of Wright's comments to the NAACP: "'I'm not here for political reasons,' Wright said. 'I'm not a politician. I know that fact will surprise many of you because many in the corporate-owned media made it seem like I am running for the Oval Office. I am not running for the Oval Office. I've been running for Jesus a long, long time, and I'm not tired yet. I am not one of the most divisive' black spiritual leaders, Wright said. 'I'm one of the most descriptive.'"

The L.A. Times un-earths a donor that got a favor from Obama, via state grant, while Obama was in the state senate. This is one of those "he's just another politician" stories, but it certainly seems to hurt Obama since it runs counter to his own claims.

Former San Jose Mercury News political reporter Phil Trounstine offers up his analysis of the Clinton-Obama electability argument and sides with Obama. "If Obama wins the nomination -- which is the only outcome for the Democrats that will not leave their party in shreds -- McCain and his allies will not just throw the kitchen sink at him, they'll throw every sink they can find from the bathroom, the laundry room and the garage -- just as they would at Clinton (from Whitewater and the Rose Law Firm to Travelgate and Bosnian sniper fire). But unless he is so crippled by Clinton before he has a chance to face McCain head-on  -- and there's a real question about the Clintons intentions here -- there is no sound basis on which to base the argument that he would be a less effective standard-bearer for the Democrats than would the much-despised former first lady."

Obama's "bitter" comments have made their way into a House ad for a Mississippi special election.  The ad was produced by the NRCC, by the way.

A staggering stat courtesy of today's Washington Post: 1 million new voters have registered for the last seven primaries. "The past seven states to hold primaries registered more than 1 million new Democratic voters; Republican numbers mainly ebbed or stagnated. North Carolina and Indiana, which will hold their presidential primaries on May 6, are reporting a swell of new Democrats that triples the surge in registrations before the 2004 primary."

USA Today takes a closer look at the coalitions each candidate has built in general election matchups. "Republicans lined up more solidly behind McCain than Democrats did behind Obama. Nine of 10 Republicans backed the Arizona senator, compared with eight of 10 Democrats who supported the Illinois senator. Each got equal support, 8%, from members of the other party.

Human Rights Campaign president Joe Solmonese and Democratic strategist Paul Begala hold a media conference call at 10:00 am ET to announce the launch of the HRC's unprecedented nationwide campaign to mobilize voters for the 2008 election and discuss the state of the national electorate in terms of electing pro-civil rights leaders.

From NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner-Treworgy
McCain spoke with reporters in Miami Sunday afternoon at a press conference that had been hastily arranged late Friday night. The ostensible purpose of the event was to allow the presumptive GOP nominee to continue criticizing Obama for not supporting his gas tax holiday proposal.

But what was seemingly meant as another chapter in an ongoing series of criticism quickly moved toward the issue of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and the North Carorlina Republican Party's continued commitment to airing an ad referencing Wright's comments in connection with Obama. Over the course of an 18-minute press conference McCain used Obama's name an average of once per minute -- many times in response to direct questions but almost every time in a disparaging context.

The highlights include a reference to additional comments by Wright -- that McCain claimed he had just seen yesterday -- in which the pastor compared "the United States Marine Corps with Roman Legionnaires who were responsible for the death of our Savior," according to McCain.

He also referenced a comment made by Obama this morning on Fox News Sunday in which McCain relayed that his Democratic opponent said that Wright's comments are "legitimate political issue."

"I have said that I will not…have any comment on it and that's because I thought and I believe that Sen. Obama does not share those views" expressed by Wright, McCain said. "But Sen. Obama himself says it's a legitimate political issue, so I would imagine that many other people will share that view, and it'll be in the arena."

On whether he has the ability to stop the NC GOP from running an ad with clips of Wright, McCain once again said that he had done all he can do, although he did admit that he has not personally tried to contact the state party and he does not plan on punishing the party if they go through with plans to place the ad on TV.

The Obama campaign responded in writing this way: "By sinking to a level that he specifically said he'd avoid, John McCain has broken his word to the American people and rendered hollow his promise of a respectful campaign. With each passing day, John McCain acts more and more like someone who's spent twenty-six years learning the divisive, distracting tactics of Washington.  That's not the change that the American people are looking for."

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
This weekend,  Clinton and Obama each picked up a superdelegate. Clinton got the backing of New Hampshire add-on Kathy Sullivan, the state's former party chair. Obama picked up Charlene Fernandez (AZ), who filled a vacancy.

SUPERDELEGATES: Clinton 264-241 (290 still undecided)
PLEDGED: Obama 1,491-1,334

OVERALL: Obama 1,732-1,598

From NBC/NJ's Athena Jones
INDIANOPLIS, Ind. -- Obama told reporters Sunday that Indiana was important, but declined to call it a "tie-breaker" as he had before.

"I think that Indiana is a very important state," he said during a roughly five-minute impromptu press conference outside a restaurant he visited after attending church. "So is North Carolina. We don't take that for granted, so I'm going to be going down there on Monday and Tuesday, but there's no doubt that Indiana is a state where it's close; it's tied statistically in the polls. We feel very strongly that our message of bringing about change in Washington is something that will resonate with the people here in Indiana."

Since his nearly double-digit loss to Clinton in Pennsylvania Tuesday, Obama has faced more questions from reporters and pundits about why he can't seem to "close the deal" with voters. Many see wins here in the Hoosier State and in North Carolina on May 6 as key to helping him do that. Polls show a tight race in the former and Obama leading in the latter.

The Illinois senator said he didn't believe the Midwestern values that Indiana, his home state of Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri and other states represented were "reflected in the debates in Washington" and talked about the need to end political bickering.

He said a win was a win in Indiana and defined a win as 50 plus 1.

Obama declined to answer questions about the Rev. Jeremiah Wright or what it would mean to lose Indiana. When asked to respond to Clinton's latest challenge to a Lincoln-Douglas style debate without a moderator, he repeated his earlier statement that he would not debate before May 6, because he wanted to focus on meeting as many voters as possible in the nine days remaining. He kept open the possibility of considering "something" after those contests, but did not answer directly whether he thought that particular style of debate would be a good idea.

From NBC/NJ's Athena Jones
In an interview on Fox News Sunday, Obama acknowledged he may have some work to do to attract blue-collar voters.

"They are less familiar with me than they are with her," he told Chris Wallace. "So we probably have to work a little bit harder. I've got to be more present. I've got to be knocking on more doors. I've got to be hitting more events. We've got to work harder, because although it's flipped a little bit, we've always been the underdog in this race."

Obama expressed confidence that his race would not keep him from being elected in the general election, despite exit polls in Pennsylvania that showed votes divided along racial lines. He also argued he was putting unexpected states in play.

"If you look at the general-election polls, we are doing better against John McCain than Sen. Clinton is," he said. "And we are putting states in play like Colorado and Virginia that have not been in play for a very long time. Here in Indiana, we just-- you just saw polling by the Indianapolis Star showing me beating John McCain."

He called his association with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright a "legitimate political issue" but argued, as he has in the past, that the use of 30-second sound bites had simplified and caricatured his former pastor and said he felt that had been "done in a fairly deliberate way," calling it "unfortunate."

"I also know that I go to church not to worship the pastor, to worship God," he added. "And that ministry, the church family that's been built there, does outstanding work, has been I think applauded for its outreach to the poor."

He also discussed his association with 1960s radical William Ayers and issues like charter schools, merit pay for teachers, tort reform and Iraq. The senator said he would not debate Clinton again before the May 6th contests. The interview was taped Saturday, before news that Clinton had challenged Obama to a 90-minute, moderator-free, Lincoln-Douglas-style debate. After the news, Obama's campaign maintained that there had been plenty of debates and that after May 6, they would consider more.

From NBC/NJ's Athena Jones
ANDERSON, IN -- As Obama campaigned in Indiana this weekend, he talked about his attempts to avoid the kind of divisive politics that he says have shaped this country over the last 20 years. It's a central part of his "new politics" argument

"If you watched the last few weeks of this campaign, you would think that all politics is about is negative ads and bickering and arguing and gaffes and sideline issues," he complained. "There's no discussion, serious discussion about how we're actually gonna bring back jobs to Anderson. That's not what's been debated. That's not what's being discussed, but that's the politics that we've become used to over the last 20 years. I'm tired of that politics 'cause it doesn't solve problems."

Obama went on to talk about his work across the aisle in the Illinois state house and the US Senate, saying he had tried to resist the old politics. "So one of the things that we've gotta do is bring this country together and stop being distracted by, you know, back-and-forth, tit-and-tat (sic) bickering," he said. "I have been trying to resist this in this campaign and I will continue to resist it when I'm president of the United States of America."
 
The Clinton campaign has stepped up its criticism of Obama, arguing he had made a conscious decision to go negative in the final days in Pennsylvania, risking his brand as a positive politician who offered a politics of hope.

But Obama sought to portray himself as someone who chooses his battles wisely. "During this campaign, I've been taking some hits, and you know people it's interesting, when I don't always hit back then folks go: 'What's the matter with you? How come, you know maybe he's not mean enough, maybe he's not tough enough,'" he began, before going on to explain his view that truly tough people are not always looking to start a fight.

"I'm not interested in fighting people just for the sake of scoring political points or getting on the cable news shows. If I'm gonna fight something, it's going to be fighting over the American people and what they need," he said.

Still, Obama didn't pull his punches during the town hall, painting Clinton, as he often does, as a product of that same Washington politics and drawing laughter when he mentioned her explanation for having voted for a 2001 bankruptcy bill he said favored banks: that she hoped it didn't pass.

He also hit McCain for his gas tax holiday proposal, calling it a "scheme."

"If somebody comes to you and says, 'well, you know what, I'm gonna just, I'm gonna lower gas prices -- we'll have a holiday on the federal tax on gas,' this is one of John McCain's latest schemes. You know, it'll save you about $25. Except that's the federal highway fund that we use to build our roads and our bridges," he said. "You remember that bridge in Minneapolis? We're already short on money in terms of investing. And for what, for $25? So what I've said is look -- we'll go after the oil companies for their windfall profits so that we can get some of that money to provide people who are really having trouble heating their homes, getting to work."

Later he said he wasn't interested in playing the game of politics better but in putting an end to the game playing. Obama also sought to explain why he entered politics, which he said was because of working people and their concerns. He spoke about being raised by a single mother and the hardships his grandparents faced during the Great Depression.

In the weeks leading up to the Pennsylvania primary, Obama had to confront critics who sought to paint him as elitist and out of touch, with the help of a gaffe he made about people in small towns being bitter and clinging to guns and religion as a result of economic hardship. He said Friday in Indianapolis that he would have to remind people that he did not come from privilege.

"I think one of the things that we're gonna have to do during the next several weeks is just remind people of where I come from, because it's true that both the Republicans and my opponent to some degree have been trying to paint me as, you know, this elitist, out of touch," he told reporters assembled at a gas station.

As does his rival, Obama often talks about how the party will be unified even after this protracted primary race and did so again at both stops Saturday. In Anderson, even made a joke about the length of the race.

"A lot of people are worried about how long this campaign has lasted, you know, because, you know, children have been born and are now walking and talking since we started running," he said.

From NBC/NJ's Athena Jones
KOKOMO, IN -- Obama has been known to shoot a few hoops from time to time, but Friday night in central Indiana was the first opportunity the traveling press has had to bear witness to his skills as a baller.

Obama played in a 3-on-3 basketball game after a town hall here. The other participants were Marion High School junior Blake Hancock and Indiana University-Kokomo freshman Kory McKay, both supporters who collected voter registration forms from new voters to qualify for the "3-on-3 "Challenge for Change."

Hancock, who wore a T-shirt with "Blake the Great" on the back, invited two friends to join the game. Also on the court were WNBA Indiana Fever's Alison Bales -- the tallest player on the court -- and the Fever's Tamika Catchings, an Olympic gold medalist, who refereed. 

Obama came out on the floor to cheers of "Yes we can." He wore long navy sweats, white tennis shoes, and a gray USMC (US Marine Corp) t-shirt, a gift from an agent.
 
During the roughly 25-minute match on half the court, Obama played well, blocking a few shots and sinking four of his own -- including the winning shot from three-point range. At one point, he drove to basket for lay-up, missed, rebounded his own shot, tried again, and scored.

He had a few turnovers and managed several assists, many of them to Bales, who hit quite a few shots herself.

From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli and Athena Jones
SOUTH BEND, IN -- Clinton yesterday threw a curveball in her latest pitch to get Obama to debate her before the May 6 primary here, calling for a Lincoln-Douglas style meeting that would have the two go head-to-head without a moderator.

Standing on a platform above home plate at South Bend's minor league ballpark, Clinton noted that Obama partisans "complained a little bit about the tough questions" during the April 16 debate in Philadelphia, and also "complained about the moderators." She also alleged that the Obama camp had "turned down every debate that has been offered."

"I'm offering Sen. Obama a chance to debate me one-on-one, no moderators," she said. "Just the two of us, going for 90 minutes, asking an answering questions."

She said such a meeting would be a throwback to the debates of Lincoln and Douglas in neighboring Illinois 150 years ago, when the two met seven times. She also said Indiana deserved such a forum, having "wandered in the wilderness of American politics for 40 years," the last time the state mattered in presidential primary politics. "Who knows we might even carry Indiana in the fall if we start with a good debate right here," she added.

"We've had four debates between Sen. Obama and myself -- that's all we've had since this whole campaign has gone on," she said. "I think that would be good for the Democratic Party, it would be great for democracy, and it would be great for Indiana."

Just before Clinton made that challenge, however, Obama told Fox News Sunday that he would not take part in any further debates before two-state showdown in North Carolina and Indiana on May 6.

In addition, Obama chief strategist David Axelrod gave NBC/NJ this response to Clinton's challenge. "I think if Lincoln-Douglas had debated 21 times, I don't think there would be much appetite for another Lincoln-Douglas debate."

Clinton was joined on the resplendent afternoon yesterday by Sen. Evan Bayh and former Indiana Gov. Joe Kernan, who handed her a South Bend Silver Hawks jersey and a baseball bat manufactured in nearby Valparaiso. Clinton, brandishing the bat in her left hand, later labored to work some baseball lingo into her opening remarks.

"We're gonna hit some of those balls out of this stadium and out of our country stadium because we're gonna go to bat and fix America together," she said. "We're gonna go fight for America, we're gonna round the bases, we're gonna score a lot of runs, and we're gonna feel really good about the home team, namely the American team -- the team we're all a part of."

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
The Democratic National Committee's Rules and Bylaws Committee will take up the issue of Florida and Michigan again on May 31st, likely its last opportunity to come up with a solution before jurisdiction moves to the Credentials Committee. (That would officially happen June 29th.)

The RBC has two challenges before it from supporters of seating voting delegations from Michigan (Ferguson) and Florida (Ausman). Those challenges generally dispute that the committee had the authority, in part, to strip those states of their delegates.

Members of the RBC could potentially come to the meeting with an agreed-upon solution that would quash the issue. But if that doesn't happen -- something that has seemed a near impossibility so far -- the committee would take up the complaints and possibly vote on them. If those challenges are voted down, then any further appeals would have to be made to that Credentials Committee.

From NBC's Mark Murray
In recent days, McCain has taken some critical -- and, some might argue, personal -- shots at Obama. On Sunday, McCain questioned the tenuous association Obama has with the former '60s radical William Ayers. Yesterday, he delivered a jab at Obama's association with Jeremiah Wright. (Responding to questions about the endorsement he received from the controversial pastor John Hagee, the Arizona senator said, "I didn't attend Pastor Hagee's church for 20 years.")

And today, on a call with conservative bloggers, McCain said this: "I think it's very clear who Hamas wants to be the next president of the United States. So apparently has Danny Ortega and several others. I think that people should understand that I will be Hamas's worst nightmare... If Senator Obama is favored by Hamas I think people can make judgments accordingly."

McCain was referring to a the favorable comment a Hamas adviser recently made of Obama. But Obama has criticized the terrorist group and has said he would not meet with them.

Obama spokesman Hari Sevugan responded to McCain's comment on Obama and Hamas. "We want to take Senator McCain at his word that he wants to run a respectful campaign, but [it] is becoming increasingly difficult when he continually tries to use the politics of association and makes claims he knows not to be true to advance his campaign. This type of politics of division and distraction, not only lead to a campaign not worthy of the American people, but also has failed to help our families for too long."

Sevugan also points to this Obama camp statement that was made after the Hamas adviser made his remarks -- a statement the McCain campaign should have known of. "Senator Obama has repeatedly rejected and denounced the actions of Hamas, a terrorist organization responsible for the deaths of many innocents, that is dedicated to Israel's destruction.  As president, Obama will work with Israel to isolate terrorist groups like Hamas, target their resources, and support Israel's right and capability to defend itself from any attack."

*** UPDATE *** McCain spokesman Brian Rogers defends McCain's statement earlier today with this statement. "This is a legitimate issue for the American people to think about. The reason for Hamas' praise of Senator Obama's foreign policy is his commitment to meet unconditionally with Iran -- a nation whose president denies the Holocaust, threatens to wipe Israel off the map, funds terrorists and sends weapons to Iraq to kill American soldiers. Senator Obama's positions present a radical departure from the longstanding bipartisan consensus for isolating rogue regimes like Iran and North Korea.

"It is not only responsible to raise these critical issues in this election, but it would be the height of irresponsibility not to have this discussion with the American people."

From NBC/NJ's Athena Jones and Mike Memoli
INDIANAPOLIS -- In a press conference today, Obama linked his rivals' Washington experience to the failure to deal effectively with high energy prices -- which sparked a quick response from those rivals.

"The candidates with the Washington experience -- my opponents -- are good people. They mean well," Obama said. "But they've been in Washington for a long time, and even with all that experience they talk about, nothing has happened. This country didn't raise fuel efficiency standards for over 30 years. So what have we got for all that experience? Gas that's approaching $4 a gallon, because you can fight all you want inside Washington, but until you change the way it works, you won't be able to make the changes Americans need."

Clinton said Obama's attack rings hollow because of his vote in 2005 on the Bush Administration's energy bill. "Earlier today, my opponent attacked me on energy issues," she said from the floor of Indiana University's basketball court. "But he voted, which I think is always the way to figure out where somebody truly stands... When sit came time to stand up against the oil companies, to stand against Dick Cheney's energy bill, my opponent voted for it, and I voted against it. And that bill had billions of dollars in giveaways to the oil companies. It was the best bill that the energy companies could buy."

And McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds also jumped into the fray. "Barack Obama rolled out the cameras, and then said nothing about his new opposition to immediate price relief for hardworking Americans who are seeing record prices at the pump.  Barack Obama can't deliver for working people if he supports higher gas taxes when the price of fuel is at a record high, and is likely to get higher by summertime." 

During his roughly 30-minute avail, Obama discussed his opposition to a gas tax freeze. "I don't think it's the best approach for us to take right now," he said. "You don't know that the oil companies are going to pass on the savings to the consumers or whether they're just gonna, you're just gonna see a increase in prices, by the same amount that the gas tax goes down. And it would deplete the highway trust fund that we need for rebuilding our roads and our bridges. And I don't want someone to be able to save essentially $25 bucks -- that's what the savings would yield the average driver -- and now they're potentially driving over an unsafe bridge. I think it's a better option for us to use the mechanism I've talked about, providing a middle-class tax cut would give people relief not only for rising tax prices, but also home heating prices, and rising grocery prices and at the same time go after a windfall profit tax that would be used to provide relief to low income folks."

And he defended his voted for what Clinton terms the "Dick Cheney" energy bill, saying: "I voted for an energy bill that was far from perfect because it was the largest investment in renewable energy in history, and I fought to eliminate the tax giveaways to oil companies that were slipped into that bill."

From NBC's Chuck Todd
One of the things that both Dem campaigns are always nervous about is defectors. In particular, Clinton is more vulnerable to this problem since she's the candidate that is trailing. Well, NBC News has learned that a major fundraiser for Hillary Clinton, former Amb. to Chile Gabriel Guerra-Mondragon is leaving the campaign to join up Barack Obama's campaign. Officially dubbed a "Hillraiser," Guerra-Mondragon raised nearly $500,000 for Clinton's campaign, according to some estimates. He has been informing people inside Clintonworld this week in what's been described as some tough conversations. A formal announcement of a role for Guerra-Mondragon on Obama's national finance committee will be made next week.  Guerra-Mondragon was appointed Amb. to Chile by Pres. Clinton in '94 and served until '98.

Among the reasons for Guerra-Mondragon to defect, according to one informed source, was he was uneasy with the tone of the Clinton campaign and was beginning to worry about what this would mean for the general election.

It's unclear if this defection will lead to others; the Clinton camp has been particularly effective at getting folks to keep their powder dry. For Obama, this comes at a time when his campaign is trying to re-convince insiders that the math indicates he has the nomination virtually wrapped up. In addition, Guerra-Mondragon's defection could serve as a tipping point with some key Hispanic Democratic leaders that Obama is ready to start making a bigger effort to court Hispanics.  

From NBC's Abby Livingston and NBC/NJ's Athena Jones
At his media avail in Indiana, NBC's Lee Cowan asked Obama about Rev. Wright's statement that the Illinois senator acted as a politician in giving his speech on Wright and race in Philadelphia back in March.

Here's Obama's response: "Well, look, I have commented extensively, most prominently in that speech in Pennsylvania on my profound disagreements with some of Rev. Wright's comments. And you know, I understand that he might not agree with me on my assessment of his comments. That's to be expected."

"So you know, he is obviously free to ... express his opinions on these issues. You know, I've expressed mine very clearly. I think that what he said in several instances were objectionable. And I understand why the American people took offense. And you know, as I indicated before, I took offense."

From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli
JACKSONVILLE, NC -- Clinton continued pressing Obama for a debate here this morning, saying that each state has a unique set of issues that deserve discussion.

Clinton, joined outside a fire house near Camp Lejune by retired military leaders, told several hundred supporters that she was happy the campaign has continued in North Carolina, because there is "no better place to be in the springtime." She made a pitch for her campaign's interactive "NC Ask Me" feature, in which people can submit questions online and get an answer -- some of which have been used in television ads.

"It has been great, and we've gotten over 14,000 questions," she said. "We have answered every one of those questions. But the only question I can't answer is why Sen. Obama won't debate me in North Carolina. And I'd sure like to give an answer."

She said that each upcoming state deserves their own debate, because "the issues in Pennsylvania are not the same as the issues in North Carolina," and "the issues in North Carolina aren't the same as the issues in Indiana."

"There's all kinds of issues that we should be debating about right here in North Carolina," she said. "So again I offer that I'll go anywhere at any time. And we'll have that debate as long as Sen. Obama would agree to actually meet me. I think that would be good for the voters and it would be good for this important campaign."

Today, Clinton also encouraged supporters to vote early, immediately after the event even at the fire station just feet from where she stood. "It's an opportunity for those who have busy lives like most of us these days to actually go in and vote," she said.

She again promised an active campaign in the Tar Heel State, and even asked for the crowd's help in keeping an eye on her husband's eating habits.

"My husband loves North Carolina, and he loves barbecue," she said. "And he's been eating a lot of it across the state."

The former president has held 25 events on five separate trips to the state already, the most recent of which occurred on Wednesday. Someone in the audience urged Clinton to send her husband to the beach for a more nutritious meal.

"Okay, send him to the beach, you'll serve him fish. That's a deal," she said.

From NBC/NJ's Carrie Dann
For those who are counting, the Obama campaign announced 12 new field offices today in North Carolina, bringing its total to 33. The Clinton campaign has 18 in the state.

From NBC/NJ's Carrie Dann
Thought the NC governor's race couldn't get any uglier? Think again!

Richard Moore, one of the candidates in the NC gubernatorial race, who is targeted by the GOP's controversial "Extreme" ad, is up with a new commercial attacking his opponent, Bev Perdue, for her vote against a hate crimes bill. The 30-second spot slams Perdue for voting against a bill that included a provision for tougher investigation of the KKK.

As with most political ads, there's more to the story -- Perdue has a respectable civil rights record and has always polled well among black voters in the state. The Perdue camp furiously compared Moore's attack to the legendarily dirty ad wars waged by Sen. Jesse Helms.

Perdue is accusing Moore of "race-baiting." And now, the Republican group that's threatening to run the Jeremiah Wright ad is throwing in their two cents, too, citing the "racially-tinged" Democratic back-and-forth as a sign of hypocrisy.

"We have stood firmly against the injection of race into this discussion and have reiterated again and again our focus on the issue of judgment," says NC GOP chairwoman Linda Daves in a statement criticizing her Democratic counterpart. "Clean up your own house before you tell us how to run ours."

*** UPDATE *** Here's a fact check on the ad from the Raleigh News & Observer. It says the ad is accurate, that she voted against the bill, and was only one of two Democrats to do so. But her campaign said she "did not recall the vote" and "given the context of other votes she cast, it must be a 'misvote.' She would have been voting against her party leadership, which would have been unusual for a freshman. Legislators who push the wrong button when voting can, and often do, ask to have their vote corrected afterward." Also, they add, that "other votes at the same time better reflect her record on civil rights, such as voting in favor of making Martin Luther King Day a paid state holiday." 

[EDITOR'S NOTE: An earlier version of this post incorrectly noted that a still of Obama was used in the beginning of the ad.]

From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro
*** Wright reappears…: Obama had himself a bad day yesterday, and he wasn't even on the campaign trail. Thanks to the advanced excerpts of a Rev. Jeremiah Wright interview on PBS (which airs tonight at 9:00 pm ET), as well as Wright's dismissal of Obama's criticism of him as just politics, this wasn't something the Obama campaign could have been pleased with. That said, if the Moyers interview -- which will likely only be watched by Obama's PBS-watching base, but will also be picked up by others -- ends up humanizing Wright, it could be helpful in the long term. But short term, his appearance wasn't helpful in a week the Clinton campaign is ramping up its argument that Obama isn't electable.

VIDEO: NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports Sen. Barack Obama's former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, says controversial statements from his sermons were taken out of context.

*** … And so does Bill: But will Bill Clinton -- and the comments he made earlier this week about Obama playing the race card -- overshadow Wright today? It might happen, thanks to these comments by Rep. Jim Clyburn, the highest-ranking African American in Congress. "In an interview with The New York Times late Thursday, Mr. Clyburn said Mr. Clinton's conduct in this campaign had caused what might be an irreparable breach between Mr. Clinton and an African-American constituency that once revered him. 'When he was going through his impeachment problems, it was the black community that bellied up to the bar,' Mr. Clyburn said. 'I think black folks feel strongly that that this is a strange way for President Clinton to show his appreciation.'" More: "Clyburn added that there appeared to be an almost 'unanimous' view among African-Americans that Mr. and Mrs. Clinton were 'committed to doing everything they possibly can to damage Obama to a point that he could never win.'" Clyburn's the first major Dem leader to give voice to the speculation that Clinton is staying in to prepare for 2012. By the way, Clyburn is still officially uncommitted but given the opinions he's expressing, is he really? 

*** The CW is now set: Two new Indiana polls are out that show the race there to be as close as we have expected it to be. Per a South Bend Tribune/Research 2000 poll (conducted April 21 to April 24), it's Obama 48%, Clinton 47%. And an Indy Star/WTHR poll -- conducted (April 20 to April 23) by Ann Selzer, who famously got Iowa right -- has it Obama 41%, Clinton 38%. The biggest surprise in the Selzer survey is Obama's strength against McCain -- he leads him in Indi-freaking-ana! Clinton's basically even with McCain. Is the GOP brand in THAT bad of shape in reliably red Indiana? According to these and other polls, this race doesn't look like Ohio or Pennsylvania at all, where Clinton had significant leads two weeks out. Rather, it looks like a jump ball. Meanwhile, the Washington Post cements the CW about North Carolina: To change the race, Clinton needs to upset Obama here, or get awfully close to it. "North Carolina, with its large African American population, has long been seen as a firewall for Obama after contests in Ohio, Pennsylvania and elsewhere that favored Clinton. A win here and in Indiana, which also votes May 6, could cement his status as the front-runner."

VIDEO: Chuck Todd talks about the potential for a general election fight in Indiana and Majority Leader Harry Reid's assertion that he may call on superdelegates to pledge their support, soon.

*** Track the ad spending: What's going on with Clinton's money? According to various sources, here's what we know right now regarding TV ad buys: Obama is up in Indiana, North Carolina, Oregon, and now Kentucky. Clinton is on par with Obama in Indiana and has a little less money on the air than Obama in the Tar Heel State. This will be a good way to find out just how much of Clinton's initial $10 million windfall is useful in the primary. Currently she's not up in any states beyond IN and NC, but $10 million is more than enough for those two states. So watch the buys closely in these two states plus Kentucky, West Virginia, and Oregon to see how deep the Clinton campaign's resources are.

*** Jumping ship? This piece by Tom Edsall in the Huffington Post is bound to be a topic of discussion today: "In a blink of an eye, the media has jumped ship from the Obama campaign and become a crucial Clinton ally, pressing just the message -- that Obama is a likely loser in the general election -- that Hillary and her allies have been promoting for the past six weeks… For Hillary, the shift is a potential lifesaver as she struggles to keep her head above water; without it, she would, metaphorically, drown." The media's constant refrain, Edsall's piece points out, is that exit polls show Obama faring poorly with working-class voters, and that could doom him in the fall. But as one of us wrote yesterday, has this exit-poll analysis gone a little too far? After all, when McCain was losing evangelicals, weekly church-goers, and Republicans without college degrees -- even after the he became the presumptive GOP nominee -- no one was declaring that he'd have a huge problem with these folks in the fall. Can exit polls in a primary race tell us as much about the general election as the chattering class is claiming when you're dealing with different candidates and different voters? 

*** What are the supers thinking? While the focus after Pennsylvania is all on Obama, Elizabeth Drew has a piece in the Politico reminding us all the flaws that Hillary would bring to the table in a general election -- flaws that the superdelegates aren't forgetting. Clinton, she writes, still hasn't answered the question marks over her head: Can she be a helpful leader of the Democratic Party? Can she have a better track record at building the party than her husband did? Right now, she doesn't have to answer those questions because she's the challenger; it's Obama's burden. But the undecided superdelegates are remembering the original reasons they didn't rush to her side in the first place. Ultimately, if she's to convince the supers to deny Obama the nomination, she needs to answer the concerns Dems originally had with her. 

*** What will it take? Yesterday, Obama picked up Oregon Rep. David Wu, and has rolled out three superdelegates to Clinton's one despite Clinton's Pennsylvania primary victory. Clinton very nearly reached that 10-point mark in Pennsylvania, and superdelegates don't yet appear to be moved. Clinton leads in the superdelegate count 263-240, the closest the count has been. Obama leads overall: 1,731-1,597. In the pledged count, Obama is up 1,491-1,334. There are 292 superdelegates still to be had (229 of those are named; there are 63 vacancies/add-ons).

*** GOP targets Obama: The LA Times runs a piece on the GOP ramping up its attacks -- on TV and radio -- against Obama. Once again, the CW has been overturned: A year ago, the assumption was the Democratic nominee was going to have the time and resources to define the GOP nominee. Well, it appears the Republican Party is getting the head start on defining Obama, thanks to the protracted race. In fact, it couldn't have worked out better -- as Clinton's attacks on Obama are helping to reinforce the GOP attacks. The Republican Party can afford to ignore Clinton for now because 1) they don't believe she'll be the nominee and 2) they've spent 16 years defining her to swing voters.

*** On the trail: Clinton begins her day in Jacksonville, NC and then heads to Indiana, where she stumps in Bloomington, Gary, and East Chicago; McCain is in Little Rock, AR, where he visits and holds a media avail at Arkansas Baptist College and then goes to Oklahoma City; and Obama, in Indiana, holds a rally in Bloomington (about an hour before Clinton's event there) and a town hall in Kokomo. Also, Bill Clinton is in Oregon, and Chelsea Clinton and Michelle Obama are in Indiana. 

Countdown to North Carolina, Indiana: 11 days
Countdown to West Virginia: 18 days
Countdown to Kentucky and Oregon: 25 days
Countdown to Election Day 2008: 193 days
Countdown to Inauguration Day 2009: 270 days
 
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