Sens. Schumer, Clinton and Rep. Higgins introduced a resolution today to name a portion of highway near the Buffalo Bills' stadium after the late Tim Russert, NBC's Washington Bureau chief and moderator of Meet the Press.

Here's the release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                         June 18, 2008
SCHUMER, CLINTON, HIGGINS INTRODUCE RESOLUTION TO RENAME PORTION OF ROUTE 20A NEAR RALPH WILSON STADIUM AS 'TIMOTHY J. RUSSERT HIGHWAY'

Washington, DC – Senators Charles E. Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton along with Congressman Brian Higgins introduced a resolution today to rename a portion of U.S. Route 20a that runs near Ralph Wilson Stadium, home of the Buffalo Bills, after Tim Russert. The stretch of U.S. Route 20a located in Orchard Park, New York, that runs from Abbot Road to California Road, will be designated as the 'Timothy J. Russert Highway,' in honor of the NBC Washington Bureau Chief and moderator of Meet the Press who passed away last Friday. Russert, a native son of Buffalo, New York was an avid sports fan who was passionate about his hometown football team the Buffalo Bills.

VIDEO: Byron W. Brown, mayor of Buffalo, N.Y., discusses the impact Tim Russert had on his hometown.

"Though he redefined Washington for generations to come, Tim Russert was always—to his very core—Mr. Buffalo," said Schumer. "He was a shining example of the very best in Western New York—a down-to-earth, family man with rock solid values and an irreplaceable twinkle in his eye. He always cared about the Bills, and whenever I went on Meet The Press, we'd spend a few minutes before or after the show talking about the team. By naming this portion of Route 20a in his honor, we hope that Tim Russert will never be far from the home he loved so dearly.

"Tim Russert was loved and respected throughout the halls of Washington for his journalistic integrity and trademark tenacity – but during all of his years in D.C. he remained a true Buffalonian at heart," said Senator Clinton. "Some people may not have understood why he would sign off of a hard-hitting political talk show with a hearty 'Go Bills,' but if you knew Tim you knew it made perfect sense. I hope that by renaming this stretch of Route 20a near Ralph Wilson Stadium in Tim's honor, that it will in some way bring him closer to the city and team he loved so much."

"Whether it was talking about growing up in South Buffalo in his books or using the NBC bully pulpit to cheer on the Bills before a big game, to many, Buffalo helped define who Tim was.  Buffalo was always in Tim's heart and Tim will always live on in the hearts of Western New Yorkers.  It's only fitting that from now on, Bills fans driving down "Timothy J. Russert Highway" will always reminded of this hometown hero and personification of the 12th man."

"The proposal to rename the stretch of U.S. Route 20a that runs next to the stadium in honor of Tim Russert is a wonderful tribute to a great man. I want to thank Senator Clinton, Senator Schumer and Congressman Higgins for their efforts to make this happen.  I, like many others, was shocked when I heard the sad news of Tim's passing. We loved Tim and he loved Buffalo and the Bills," said Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson, Jr.

To view a copy of the resolution please follow this link.

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
The Obama campaign and the DNC struck back at Giuliani
for criticizing Obama for pointing out the handling of the 1993 World
Trade Center bombing trial as an example of how to deal with terrorists
in American courts.

In an e-mail, entitled, "Giuliani v Giuliani: 1993 World Trade Center
Bombing Case," the Obama campaign points out that in 1993, Giuliani
said at the time, per the New York Times,
March 5, 1994: "Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani declared that the verdict
'demonstrates that New Yorkers won't meet violence with violence, but
with a far greater weapon -- the law.'"

Also from that day's Times:
"Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani said he hoped that the verdicts would lessen
tensions rather than increase them. 'It should show that our legal
system is the most mature legal system in the history of the world,' he
said, 'that it works well, that that is the place to seek vindication
if you feel your rights have been violated.'"

The DNC takes its shot at Giuliani with an e-mail with a title,
parroting Joe Biden's Greatest Debate Hits: "Rudy, 'Noun, verb, 9/11'
Giuliani returns."

"Democrats are not going to be lectured to on security by the mayor who
failed to learn the lessons of the 1993 attacks, refused to prepare his
own city's first responders for the next attack, urged President Bush
to put his corrupt crony in charge of our homeland security, and was
too busy lobbying for his foreign clients to join the Iraq Study
Group," DNC spokeswoman Karen Finney said. "Rudy Giuliani, can echo the
McCain campaign's false and misleading attacks, but he can't change the
fact that John McCain is promising four more years of President Bush's
flawed and failed policies on everything from energy security and the
economy to the war in Iraq."

Within the DNC's research is a quote from Giuliani from CBS Evening News following the trial verdict. First Read was able to find more of the context from the transcript from March 5, 1994.

CBS's DAVID CULHANE: And for their own safety, the 12 jurors remained anonymous today. One juror did tell reporters it was the overwhelming detail of the five-month prosecution that persuaded them to convict. But at the Jersey City mosque where several of the defendants worshipped, friends described the case as a miscarriage of American justice. New York's mayor disagrees.

Mayor RUDOLPH GIULIANI (Republican, New York City): I think it shows you put terrorism on one side, you put our legal system on the other, and our legal system comes out ahead.

Earlier on the call hitting Obama, Giuliani said, "The real problem is [Obama] having said that in essence, the 1993 situation was really correctly handled by it's being a criminal prosecution, and these people were incapacitated. The reality is that I think most experts on terrorism who are non-partisan would tell you that that was a terrible mistake in not recognizing the full dimension of what we were involved with."

Giuliani likely would say that his comments came pre-9/11 and perhaps also reflected a limited pre-9/11 mentality. That said, he made the point about the pre-9/11 mentality on the call, but didn't say he necessarily subscribed to it also.

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
A day after the McCain campaign accused Obama
of having a Sept. 10 mentality, it kicked the day off hammering the
Illinois senator on the issue again. The campaign got the jump start on
the conference call circuit with an early morning (9 am ET) one with
former New York City Mayor and failed presidential candidate Rudy
Giuliani.

VIDEO: Newsweek's
Richard Wolfe discusses John McCain's comments which accuse Barack
Obama of being "a perfect manifestation of a September 10 mindset" and
of taking a "law enforcement approach" to terrorism.

Yesterday, Giuliani also put out a statement
attacking Obama on the issue and went on MSNBC's Morning Joe this
morning to echo the sentiments.

"There are very clear, dramatic,
important differences between McCain and Obama," Giuliani said,
describing those differences as "one wanting to be on offense, the
other wanting to be on defense."

Giuliani said he believed
Obama's inexperience was evident because he likened how the U.S. should
handle terrorists to how those accused in the 1993 World Trade Center
bombing were prosecuted.

"These are not isolated criminal acts,"
Giuliani said. "They are a loosely defined conspiracy and an act of
war. For Sen. Obama to suggest '93 is the best example of how to deal
with this is a good example of him wanting to go on defense."

He added, "The real problem with Sen. Obama's answer is he seems to think the 93 situation was correctly handled. It's the failure to recognize that you had to go further than." He said it was treated as  "a criminal act" when it should have been treated "as an act of war. We didn't recognize that even as late as the Cole. …It seems to me Sen. Obama is of that mindset."

He also expressed astonishment that Obama camp seemed to imply, he said, that even Osama bin Laden would get habeas corpus rights.

"That bin laden would be given habeas corpus rights is startling," Giuliani said, adding, "it shows where Democrats are going. There seems to be more concern about the rights of terrorists than American security."

McCain adviser Randy Randy Scheunemann said that McCain is for trials for suspects held at Guantanamo but not under the rules of federal courts. He and Giuliani warned that there would be risks of giving away sensitive intelligence, specifically how evidence was obtained, during defense discovery at trials.

Giuliani also replied to Obama foreign policy adviser Susan Rice saying on MSNBC's Morning Joe that this was a choice between a "stupid" foreign policy (Bush continued by McCain) and "smart" (Obama).

"I think that's language that probably shouldn't be applied to this debate," Giuliani said, adding, "Addressing the merits of it, criticizing the Bush administration in this area is probably an area of weakness for the Democrats …. This country has been kept safe over the last seven years. …

"If we move back to a defensive approach, like Sen. Obama wants, is at our peril. … Why do you want to go back to making the same mistakes of the 1990s?"

After pledging not to call Obama naive for his stance, Giuliani added this: "The words irresponsible and naïve were applied to Sen. Obama not by a Republican but by Hillary Clinton."

From NBC's Cheryl Gould
Obama and McCain just seated themselves next to each other at the private funeral for Tim Russert this morning.

From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro
*** Now here's the bounce: A few recent national polls -- which have shown Obama leading McCain by single digits after he essentially wrapped up the Democratic nomination -- have led some in the media to ask: Where's the bounce? Well, here it is… Obama is now leading in three of the biggest battleground states, according to a new Quinnipiac survey. In Florida, it's Obama 47%, McCain 43%. In Ohio, it's Obama 48%, McCain 42%. And in Pennsylvania, it's Obama 52%, McCain 40%. For the McCain camp, those PA numbers have to be particularly frustrating. And if Obama's getting a bounce like this in Florida now, imagine what happens after a few days of bad off-shore oil drilling press in the state for McCain.

VIDEO: NBC Deputy Political Director Mark Murray takes a look at polls in key swing states and discusses the importance of each to the candidates.

*** Let's do the time warp again: Anyone else think that yesterday's back-and-forth over prosecuting terrorist acts was like time traveling back to 2004? You had McCain's campaign accusing Obama of having a pre-9/11 mindset; John Kerry and former counter-terrorism official Richard Clarke firing back in an Obama conference call; and even Rudy Giuliani reprising his role from the 2004 convention. The only things that were missing were Zell Miller, Kerry's Band of Brothers, and those Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. (Scratch that -- Max Cleland has just sent out an email for the DSCC attacking "smears and insinuations.") Both sides have two great talking points that seem to resonate with voters. For Obama, it's "Why hasn't Osama been caught?" For McCain, it's "How many people thought we'd go this long with an attack on US soil. So the Bush Administration has been doing something right, right?" But giving voters a flashback to 2004 could be a risk for the McCain camp. Yes, Bush won re-election that year. But does it help McCain to mimic his playbook when, four years later, voters aren't all too pleased with the White House? That said, the McCain camp isn't letting go of the issue today, as it hosts a 9:00 am conference call on the subject with Giuliani.

*** Speaking of Bush and McCain…: If you're a candidate who's trying to distance yourself from your party's president on an issue like the environment -- even running a new TV ad criticizing him for not sounding the alarm on global warming -- how helpful is it when that president echoes your energy policy? Well, that's exactly what has happened with the news that Bush will call on Congress today to end the ban on off-shore drilling, an idea that McCain proposed in a big speech yesterday. Bush makes a statement on the subject at 10:35 am ET. It's striking that in the three months since locking up the GOP nomination, McCain hasn't moved to the center, but to the right on numerous issues (his address on judges and his judicial philosophy; his recent speech on taxes to the National Federation of Independent Business; and his off-shore drilling proposal from Houston, the heart of the American oil industry). Of course, McCain had to shore up his support among conservatives, a group that has often hasn't trusted him. But at what potential cost to his image from 2000?

VIDEO: The environment begins to take center stage in the 2008 election as Al Gore, who won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on climate change, endorsed Barack Obama. John McCain also called for an end to the 27-year-old ban on additional off-shore drilling. Newsweek's Jonathan Alter discusses.

*** Crist's switch: Of course, McCain's support for lifting the ban on off-shore drilling is a reversal from his stance in 2000. But the most stunning flip-flopper on this issue was Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R) -- one could get a case of veepstakes whiplash with how fast he seconded McCain's call to lift the ban. Some may view Crist as pandering transparently to be on the ticket; others may view it as a profile in courage to sacrifice some of his statewide good will to help the GOP; and still others might see this decision as the first crack in what has been a meteoric rise. Considering that tourism is the perceived bedrock of the Florida economy, one can envision attack ads now showing oil rigs and oil spills on the shores of Florida. These ads will either take place now or in 2010, when Crist runs for re-election. Here's what we don't understand about all this oil drilling talk: Isn't the real problem the lack of new oil refineries, not the oil itself?

*** Placating the donors: News is out that Obama and Clinton will meet at a joint fundraiser on June 26 in DC. The AP says it's an "effort to calm donors who remain frustrated with Obama's presidential campaign… Two people closely involved with Clinton's fundraising said the meeting had taken on added urgency after several of her money 'bundlers' complained that they felt their concerns weren't heard during meetings last week with Obama campaign officials in New York and Washington." It's interesting that top Clinton donors feel as if they haven't been treated well by Team Obama. What it shows, though, is that Obama's camp just hasn't been that reliant on big donors, and so this may not have been the priority it would have been for nominees who had raised money by more traditional means. Still, the fact that Clinton and Obama have to hold a meeting together with these donors indicates it was not an easy transition and there are a lot of donor egos that need to be dealt with.

*** Shades of another first lady? Michelle Obama co-hosts ABC's The View today. And pegged to that, be sure not to miss today's New York Times profile of Michelle Obama. It's striking to us how much she seems to resemble Hillary Clinton circa '92 -- in both the praise and criticism she's received.

*** Not Moving On: Yesterday, one of us was very critical of the new MoveOn/AFSCME ad that uses a mother and her new baby to criticize McCain on the war. Advocates of the ad pushed back on the criticism noting: 1) it tested very well, particularly with women; 2) if Obama isn't going to challenge McCain on Iraq, MoveOn will; and 3) the group has been against the war from the beginning, and feels it has earned the right to go after McCain on this issue. All of these points we get. Perhaps the most interesting thing is the fact that the group is upset that Obama is leaving McCain's new TV ad about the war unchallenged. How does the Obama camp feel about being second-guessed so publicly in strategy? And will Obama have to condemn the ad because he doesn't want indie groups messing with his strategy? *** CLARIFICATION *** We realize in this post that we suggested that MoveOn was "upset" with the Obama campaign and felt being "second-guessed." Those were our words, not MoveOn's -- and it never expressed those sentiments to us in our conversation. We regret the suggestion.

*** On the trail: McCain campaigns in the battleground of Missouri, holding an event at Missouri State University in Springfield. Obama is in DC, where he meets with his senior working group on national security.
 
Countdown to Dem convention: 68 days
Countdown to GOP convention: 75 days
Countdown to Election Day 2008: 139 days
Countdown to Inauguration Day 2009: 216 days
 
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"Seeing an opening on the terrorism issue, John McCain's campaign is bashing Barack Obama for suggesting, after last week's US Supreme Court ruling giving Guantánamo Bay detainees the right to challenge their detentions in federal court, that terrorism suspects should be prosecuted in civilian courts as criminals."

VIDEO: Responding to charges by the McCain campaign that he is in a "September 10th mindset," Sen. Barack Obama says that Republicans' "failed strategies" account for bin Laden's avoiding capture.

"A defiant Barack Obama said Tuesday he would take no lectures from Republicans on which candidate would keep the U.S. safer, a sharp rebuke to John McCain's aides who said the Democrat had a naive, Sept. 10 mind-set toward terrorism," the AP writes. "'These are the same guys who helped to engineer the distraction of the war in Iraq at a time when we could have pinned down the people who actually committed 9/11,' the presumed nominee told reporters aboard his campaign plane. 'This is the same kind of fear-mongering that got us into Iraq ... and it's exactly that failed foreign policy I want to reverse.'"

The Washington Post: "The exchange marked the general election's first real engagement over the campaign against terrorism and demonstrated that both sides are confident that they have a winning message on the issue… The debate over whether to treat terrorism primarily as a law enforcement issue or as a military issue goes back years. Some experts argue that it is inadequate to pursue and prosecute suicidal Islamic extremists as if they were typical criminals; other experts say that doing so is precisely what is needed to puncture the aura of 'holy warriors' that the terrorists feed on and to deglamorize them in the eyes of other Muslims."

The New York Times: "It was the most heated back-and-forth yet in a debate that began last week when the Supreme Court ruled that the detainees at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, have the right to challenge their detention in federal court. Mr. Obama praised the court's decision as a return to the rule of law, while Mr. McCain excoriated it, saying that it could make the nation less safe, although the Republican candidate's comments were a reminder of the complexities of his own past positioning on Guantánamo detainees."

One day after McCain proposed lifting the federal ban on off-shore oil-drilling, President Bush will call on Congress to lift the ban as well, the New York Times writes. "Even before the disclosure of Mr. Bush's decision, the drilling issue caused a heated back-and-forth on the campaign trail on Tuesday, as Mr. McCain sought to straddle the divide between environmentalists and the energy industry, while facing accusations from his Democratic opponent, Senator Barack Obama, that he had flip-flopped and capitulated to the oil industry."

VIDEO: As gasoline and other fuel prices continue to rise, Barack Obama and John McCain are sparring over energy plans, including proposals for offshore drilling. NBC's David Gregory reports.

"In laying out his energy policy, the presumptive Republican nominee sought to woo voters angry over $4-a-gallon gas and to carve out his independence from President Bush," the Boston Globe writes. "But by saying he would lift the federal ban on offshore drilling, he dismayed many environmental groups, which had praised him as an ally on global warming and had said either he or Democrat Barack Obama could provide the presidential leadership needed for real progress. And McCain provided an opening for Democrats, who accused him of flip-flopping on the offshore drilling issue and kowtowing to Big Oil - the same moneyed interests critics say have controlled US energy policy under Bush.

Here's a point-by-point comparison of the two candidates' positions on energy.

The New York Daily News: "Cindy McCain cooks up more controversy." "Cindy McCain's been caught with her hand in the cookie jar again. McCain's recipe for oatmeal-butterscotch cookies, published on the Family Circle Web site earlier in the month, appears to be an almost exact replica of a Hershey's recipe. (See below for both recipes.) This is not the first time John McCain's wife has been caught up in a cooking controversy." 

Per the campaign pool report, check this quote from John McCain at a Texas fundraiser last night: "We've got to start putting the country first," McCain began. "And Ronald Reagan knew how to reach across the aisle. President Bush, when he was governor of this great state, also did a great job at that. By the way, I think the president might deserve a little credit for the fact that there's not been another attack on the United States of America since 9/11."

Now, did you read that quote very carefully? McCain seems to imply that Bush did a good job of reaching across the aisle as Texas governor, but not as president. And what did McCain mean by, "We've got to start putting the country first"? McCain is getting more comfortable distancing himself from Bush even in Bush's backyard. Now will McCain start saying this in speeches where criticizing the president on bipartisanship would make bigger headlines.

Here's a quote from McCain at another fundraiser in swanky River Oaks, a ritzy section of Houston: "Thank you for welcoming us in the modest middle-income tract home," McCain said sarcastically. "Thank you Tilman, you know these public housing projects are quite much more successful, section eight, than a lot of us give them credit for. And you know one of the differences between me and Senator Obama – Senator Obama wants every American to have a home. I want every American to have a home like this one."

The New York Times has a column by David Leonhardt, who has lots of questions about McCain's economic agenda.

The New York Times gets the first look at the Michelle Obama political makeover. From an interview, Michelle Obama addresses the rumor of the videotape that probably was discovered on the virtual grassy knoll. 'You are amazed sometimes at how deep the lies can be,' she says in an interview.  Referring to a character in a 1970s sitcom, she adds: 'I mean, "whitey"? That's something that George Jefferson would say. Anyone who says that doesn't know me. They don't know the life I've lived. They don't know anything about me.'"

VIDEO: Courtney Hazlett reports on the unusual step of celebrity weekly Us magazine going political with a Barack and Michelle Obama cover.

So how did it get to this? "Barack Obama often blurs identity lines; much of his candidacy has seemed almost post-racial. Mrs. Obama's identity is less mutable. She is a descendant of slaves and a product of Chicago's historically black South Side. She burns hot where he banks cool, and that too can make her an inviting proxy for attack." More: "The caricatures of Mrs. Obama as the Angry Black Woman confound her, friends say. Her own family crosses racial boundaries — her mother-in-law and a sister-in-law are white — and she has spent much of her adult life trying to address racial resentment."

"In her freshman year at Princeton, a white roommate's mother agitated for her daughter to swap rooms. Mrs. Obama was among a handful of blacks at a prestigious Chicago law firm. As a hospital executive, she navigated the often tense line between a predominantly white-run institution and a suspicious black community. But the 44-year-old woman known even to friends as The Taskmaster sometimes speaks with a passion unusual for a potential first lady. She tells voters that 'Barack will never allow you to go back to your lives as usual — uninvolved, uninformed."

And then there is the college senior thesis, which has made the rounds on the blogs. "In her senior thesis, she asked: Does immersion in an elite white institution draw blacks away from their community? She surveyed black Princeton alumni, finding their ties weakened after graduation. 'The path I have chosen to follow by attending Princeton,' Mrs. Obama wrote in the introduction, 'will likely lead to my further integration and/or assimilation into a white cultural and social structure that will only allow me to remain on the periphery of society, never becoming a full participant.' Mitchell Duneier, a sociology professor at Princeton who reviews undergraduate theses, noted that Mrs. Obama rejected some of her own theories. 'Her senior thesis is being misread as if it is a polemical essay about her alienation,' Professor Duneier said."

Some interesting advice... "Senator Claire McCaskill, Democrat of Missouri, a close ally of the Obama campaign, says Mrs. Obama must stop sounding like a lawyer trying to win an argument. The trick, she said, is "not pushing so hard to persuade people that Barack is the right one.' 'All she has to do is be likable,' Mrs. McCaskill said."

"All she has to do is be likable." That about sums it up for Michelle Obama.

CBN's David Brody has a sitdown with Obama in which he expresses disappointment that McCain hasn't spoken out enough on the attacks against Michelle.

The Boston Globe says Obama "has scheduled the inaugural meeting Wednesday of what he's calling his Senior Working Group on National Security. "It includes former members of Congress and high-ranking Clinton administration officials. Among them are three who advised Hillary Rodham Clinton and had served in her husband's Cabinet -- former Secretaries of State Madeleine Albright and Warren Christopher and former Defense Secretary William Perry. Obama also was meeting Wednesday with nearly 40 retired admirals and generals to discuss the state of the military and the challenges in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere."

"Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton plan to meet with some of her top contributors next week in an effort to calm donors who remain frustrated with Obama's presidential campaign," the AP writes. "The meeting is set for June 26 at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, several top Clinton fundraisers said Tuesday. The former first lady will introduce Obama to her financial backers."

In a profile of Caroline Kennedy, the Washington Post's Romano reports that the Obama campaign will replace Jim Johnson on the veep vetting team sometime this week. "Democratic Party sources say that while Kennedy's magical name might have brought her to the table, she is a lawyer and successful author -- and wouldn't sign on to something as window dressing. Her role in this intense search, which is only just beginning, Axelrod and others say, will be to bring a broader perspective to a process that often turns into a demeaning beauty pageant for professional politicians. The campaign will name someone to replace Johnson this week, says a source close to the campaign."

Ex-DNC press secretary Terry Michael wonders why Claire McCaskill isn't getting more veepstakes love.

Here's Gov. Charlie Crist's (R-FL) take on drilling for the local folks: "We're a tourist state. We have to protect the beauty of Florida but we also need to have the opportunity for people to drive here. We have to be sympathetic to the pocketbooks of the people of Florida, and what they're paying at the pump for gas."

Top Democratic strategists don't expect Al Gore to campaign vigorously for Obama.

From NBC's Ken Strickland
The unity tour continued today on Capitol Hill with Obama's chief strategist addressing Senate Democrats today. "We want to work closely with them," David Axelrod said after addressing the caucus in its weekly Tuesday luncheon. "Every single person in there has a wealth of knowledge about their states and about the issues facing this country." 

VIDEO: Newsweek's Richard Wolfe talks about which party- Democratic or Republican- is in better shape from a unity standpoint.

Axelrod came at the invitation of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who said many of the key organizers of the campaign are "are always under the radar screen" and felt it was important for members to know who he is.

Axelrod said the campaign wants "to work in partnership" with Congress. "We don't consider ourselves the repository of all wisdom," he said. "Every single person there has something to contribute and some good ideas. And we want to hear what they are."

Did he field any questions on possible veep candidates? "No one asked about it."  Will the campaign replace Jim Johnson, the lead veep vetter who was chased out by his controversial Countrywide mortgage dealings? "That's not clear...We'll see what we need to do."

What was clear is that Team Obama is continuing its effort to bring the party together after a grueling primary election. "He was extremely positive about Sen. Clinton," Reid told reporters. "And it's very obvious from all the polls that the people are moving very quickly to Obama."

From NBC/NJ's Athena Jones
Here's what Obama said about the ex-Clinton campaign manager who is now joining his campaign -- as the running mate's chief of staff:

"Patti Solis Doyle I think is a terrific experienced campaign hand. She's from Chicago. Her brother and I organized on the southeast side of Chicago when I first moved to Chicago as a community organizer, so I've known the family for a very long time. I think that she will bring not only a set of skills that we're gonna need as we put our ticket together but shes going to be a terrific adviser and offer insight and judgment that will help us."

From NBC/NJ's Athena Jones
ON PLANE EN ROUTE FROM DETROIT TO WASHINGTON -- During a brief press conference aboard his plane, Obama hit McCain on his stance on habeas corpus rights for Guantanamo Bay detainees and on off-shore drilling.

VIDEO: Sen. John McCain criticizes the Supreme Court's ruling that prisoners at Guantanamo Bay have a constitutional right to appeal their detention in civilian federal courts, calling it "one of the worst decisions in the history of this country."

He said GOP criticism of his position on allowing GITMO detainees a day in court was just a disingenuous way of using fear tactics to try to win an election. "The question is whether or not, as the Supreme Court said, people who are being held have a chance to at least suggest, that hey you've got the wrong guy, or I shouldn't be here. It's not a question about whether or not they're free," he said "The simple point that I was making, which I will continue to make throughout this campaign is that we can abide by due process and abide by basic concepts of rule of law and still crack down on terrorists."

Obama added, "None of the folks that were speaking for McCain today have given us one bit of information that would suggest that as a consequence of the court's ruling, terrorists will be able to attack America more effectively. They haven't indicated one realistic scenario in which we would be less safe as a consequence of us simply allowing these individuals to be heard one time to find out whether they should be held or not, and so this is the same kind of fear mongering that got us into Iraq, that has caused us to be hugely distracted from the war we do have to fight against terrorism and it's exactly that failed foreign policy that I want to reverse."

He said those criticizing him were ignoring the degree to which GITMO had damaged America's reputation around the world. He said allowing due process of the detainees would send a message to the world that the United States was prepared to abide by the rule of law and could help the county be more effective in the pursuit of terrorists. He argued Republicans were trying to reuse an old playbook.

"What they are trying to do is what they've done every election cycle which is to use terrorism as a club to make the American people afraid -- to win elections -- that's what they're trying to do," he said. "They are not serious about this. Because if they wanted to have a serious conversation about it then they would know, for example, that the issue of habeas corpus is not designed to free prisoners. What it's designed to do is make sure that prisoners who are being held have at least one shot to say, 'I'm being held wrongly.'"

On off-shore drilling
The Illinois senator suggested McCain's support for lifting the ban on off-shore oil drilling showed he was a flip-flopper who had resorted to taking the "politically expedient" position.
 
"This is yet another reversal by John McCain in terms of his earlier positions, and I think We could set up an interesting debate between John McCain 2000 and John McCain 2008," Obama said. "The biggest problem with John McCain's position is that it seems like a classic Washington political solution, which is to go out there and make a statement without any clear evidence that this would result in strengthening the US economy or providing relief to consumers."

He went on to cite estimates that off-shore drilling would not significantly affect world oil prices, and that the benefits from such drilling would not materialize for at least five years. Obama talked instead about reducing oil consumption through the development of hybrid cars and other technologies, before taking another dig at McCain.

"I think this is an example of where John McCain has taken the politically expedient way out. He had it right the first time just, as he had it right with the Bush tax cuts the first time. And you know, I think he continues to find himself pushed further and further to the right in ways that in my mind don't show a lot of leadership."

While noting it was a rare occurrence, Obama said he agreed with George Bush that oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve should not be released to try to bring down oil crisis, arguing the reserve should be used only in the case of a severe crisis.

From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli
WHAT THEY'RE UP TO:
Rudy Giuliani showed up in a McCain press release on Obama/terrorism. Joe Biden did the same on the Dem side. And John Kerry joined the Obama conference call.
 
ON THE RECORD:
Is Obama breaking his supposed ban on talking about the VP selection process? He was asked by an 8-year-old Scholastic News reporter about picking Al Gore, and answered. 
 
The New York Times has his comments: "I have just started looking through possible candidates. I haven't made any decisions. I'm getting some recommendations... Obviously Al Gore is a great public servant. He was a great vice president. He may not want to be vice president again, since he's already done that for eight years. But certainly he's somebody that I'll be getting advice from as we go forward and hopefully he'll help me when I'm president." 
 
Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan (D) tells WisPolitics.com that he doesn't expect to be asked to be his party's running mate, and that he's not pursuing the job. He cites the impact it'd have on his family. "I'm 38 years old. I don't see that phone call coming," Ryan said. 
 
BUZZ-METER:
There's a new Web site touting Virginia Rep. Eric Cantor (R) for veep. "Eric is a genuine conservative who is known and trusted by conservative voters, but speaks in that rare way among moderates and independents that those voters are also comfortable with him," said Beau Phillips, one of the site's minders. Cantor is the only Jewish Republican in the House. 
 
The New York Times noted in its profile of Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) that his name has been mentioned in VP speculation, though Defense Secretary is more likely.  

CHATTERING CLASS:
Conservative writer Ramesh Ponnuru argues that McCain should not ask a potential veep to get on the same page across the board on policy, as Lieberman was required to do in '00.

Steve Kornacki calls Sam Nunn the "Cheney option." "From a political standpoint, he may be exactly what Mr. Obama needs in a running mate: a seasoned, impeccably qualified and wholly reassuring figure... That Mr. Nunn is from a Southern state doesn't hurt, and that some on the left have begun carping about his conservative record on social issues like gay rights is actually a political plus." 
 
E-VEEP:
Bobby Jindal sent his listserve an e-mail touting the passage of his sixth tax cut since taking office in January. The repeal of the so-called Stelly Tax "marks the biggest single income tax repeal in the history of our state," Jindal says.

From NBC's Mark Murray
In addition to the earlier back-and-forth over Obama's remarks yesterday on prosecuting terrorism, former presidential Rudy Giuliani -- remember him? -- has now weighed in.

"Throughout this campaign, I have been very concerned that the Democrats want to take a step back to the failed policies that treated terrorism solely as a law enforcement matter rather than a clear and present danger," Giuliani said in a statement released by the McCain campaign. "Barack Obama appears to believe that terrorists should be treated like criminals -- a belief that underscores his fundamental lack of judgment regarding our national security. In a post-9/11 world, we need to remain on offense against the terrorist threat which seeks to destroy our very way of life. We need a leader like John McCain who has the experience and judgment necessary to protect the American people."

As Politico's Ben Smith notes, both John Kerry and former counter-terrorism official Richard Clarke fired back in defense of Obama. Said Kerry: "[McCain] has fully embraced, willfully, openly, fully embraced the failed tragic policy of the Bush Administration over the last 7 and a half years, and he's really defending a policy that's indefensible.

Said Clarke: "I'd like them to show where in the record Sen. Obama has ever said he is in favor of a pure law enforcement approach."

Here are the Obama remarks from yesterday that Giuliani and the McCain campaign are pouncing on: "And it is my firm belief that we can track terrorists, we can crack down on threats against the United States, but we can do so within the constraints of our Constitution. And there has been no evidence on their part that we can't. And, you know, let's take the example of Guantanamo. What we know is that, in previous terrorist attacks -- for example, the first attack against the World Trade Center, we were able to arrest those responsible, put them on trial. They are currently in U.S. prisons, incapacitated."
 
"And the fact that the Administration has not tried to do that has created a situation where not only have we never actually put many of these folks on trial, but we have destroyed our credibility when it comes to rule of law all around the world, and given a huge boost to terrorist recruitment in countries that say, 'Look, this is how the United States treats Muslims.'"

From NBC/NJ's Athena Jones
TAYLOR, Mich. -- McCain is "out of touch" with people who struggle to pay for college, Obama told a small group of students during a town hall at a community college outside Detroit Tuesday.

Obama argued the Arizona senator cared more about helping big business than helping students pay for higher education.

VIDEO: The cost of attending college rose six percent in 2007, at a rate that surpassed rising food, medical and housing costs, according to NBC in March.

"I do not accept an America where you can't achieve your potential because you can't afford it; where two million qualified students will pass up college this decade because they can't afford it," he said. "Now, this isn't an issue that you hear Sen. McCain talk about that much, because when it comes to education, Sen. McCain, I believe, is out of touch with the situation of many hard-working Americans.

"It's not just that he doesn't have a real plan to make college affordable; it's that he's voted time and time again to stop us from making college affordable. A couple of years ago, he even voted against funding for students, so he could protect billions of dollars in corporate tax loopholes. Well, that's not the kind of change that people of Michigan are looking for. That's not the kind of change that will strengthen our middle class or make America more competitive."

He went on to lay out his plans to offer a $4,000 tax credit to help students pay for college in return for public service and to require the federal government to provide all federal student loans. 

Painting a rival as "out of touch" with the concerns or beliefs of ordinary Americans is a common tactic. Obama has pointed to McCain's tax proposals, which will benefit wealthy Americans most, as an example of his not understanding the needs of middle-class Americans, while McCain and the Republican Party have sought to portray the Illinois senator as a liberal elitist who doesn't relate to everyday Americans, because of his stance on issues like gun control, the rights of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay and his opposition to a gas-tax holiday.

Obama spent about 30 minutes talking with students about the challenges they are facing in paying their tuition. Before the town hall, the senator met with Marilyn Pace, a student, and Marcus McGrew, a financial counselor at the school. According to a "pool" reporter, Pace said high gas prices had made paying for school more difficult and later began to cry. Obama counseled her, saying, "You're gonna be fine."

(A pool reporter is a rotating reporter who is allowed into various events on the trail and then shares notes with the rest of the press corps.)

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
In advance of McCain's energy speech in Houston, the Obama camp attacked the presumptive Republican nominee by saying he's "flip flopped" on drilling off shore and that his energy policy "does not represent the change we need."

VIDEO: MSNBC analyst Chuck Todd weighs in on the effects of our oil crisis on the upcoming election. He wonders if anybody can win a coastal state while trying to lift the ban on offshore drilling.

The Obama campaign rolled out two more former Clinton supporters, former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack and Florida Sen. Bill Nelson, to make the points.

McCain has "flip-flopped on drilling off the coast," Nelson said. "He used to be against it; he's for it now… drilling off shore does not lower oil prices."

McCain is proposing a "gloss over" as a way of "pandering" and what the country needs is a long-term strategy, Vilsack said. "We need to move away from oil, not more oil," Vilsack said.

Nelson added that the U.S. only has 3% of the world's oil and uses 25% of the world's oil. "It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know" that "you can't drill your way out of this problem," he said.

"America has never needed an energy policy more than it needs one today," Vilsack said, citing high gas prices, the loss of manufacturing jobs and a "shrinking middle class."

Nelson claimed that "speculators" are the biggest problem and should be the biggest target in order to lower prices. He added, "This is the Richard Pombo plan being pulled up the shelf for his speech today. That was soundly defeated back then."

Pombo lost his reelection bid to Jerry McNerney in 2006. Defenders of Wildlife called Pombo "the biggest anti-environmental extremist in the House of Representatives."

*** UPDATE *** McCain camp had this response: "Just as he demonstrated with the 'Surge' strategy in Iraq, Barack Obama is now faced with the challenge of skyrocketing gas prices, but is once again driven by partisan ideology, ignoring facts on the ground and failing to take principled action for the American people.  Hardworking people are struggling with record high fuel prices, but Barack Obama has opposed gas taxes relief, refused to allow individual states to increase energy exploration and threatened important trade agreements that provide more affordable forms of energy."

From NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner-Treworgy
SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- According to the McCain campaign's top foreign policy advisor, Obama equals Clinton -- at least when it comes to fighting terrorism.

On a conference call with reporters that took place this morning, Randy Scheunemann accused the presumptive Democratic nominee of offering a renewal of what he called the failed law enforcement method of anti-terrorism offered by the Clinton administration in the 1990's.

"Sen. Obama is a perfect manifestation of a Sept. 10th mindset," Scheunemann said, going on to say that Obama's anti-terrorism plans -- and his approval of the recent Supreme Court decision to offer Habeas Corpus rights to prisoners at Guantanamo -- was a "policy of delusion."

VIDEO: Responding to charges by the McCain campaign that he is in a "September 10th mindset," Sen. Barack Obama says that Republicans' "failed strategies" account for bin Laden's avoiding capture.

In a question posed toward the end of the call by Stephen Hayes of the Weekly Standard, the McCain campaign might have found a new talking point with which to emphasize the possible effect of the Gitmo decision. Hayes' asked if -- in the campaign's interpretation -- the Court's decision would mean that if Osama bin Laden was captured and imprisoned at Guantanamo, he too would be entitled to Habeas Corpus rights.

The McCain campaign's answer was yes.

"If Sen. Obama did receive that 3 a.m. phone call," Scheunemann said of the call so often mentioned throughout the Democratic primaries, "I guess his response would be to call the lawyers in the justice department."

*** UPDATE *** NBC's Caroline Gransee adds, The McCain campaign used the conference call today to respond to Obama's recent comments he made on terrorism and to attempt to make Obama look weak on terrorism. The McCain campaign argued that Obama's plan to "treat terrorists as nothing more than common criminals demonstrates a stunning and alarming misunderstanding of the threat we face from radical Islamic extremism."

By continuing this law enforcement approach that Obama advocates for is "very, very dangerous" and is representing the "mindset of 9/10," claimed the campaign. Adding to the campaign's argument, this "change" that Obama wants to implement would only "take us back to the failed policies of the past and every American should find this mindset troubling."

The campaign also said that the Obama camp would say that McCain is practicing the "politics of fear," but the McCain camp pushed back by arguing that Obama is practicing the politics of "delusion."

From NBC's Mark Murray
MoveOn (which endorsed Obama during the primary season) and the labor union AFSCME (which backed Clinton) have teamed up for a new provocative, hard-hitting TV ad on McCain that revisits the Arizona senator's "100 years" remark regarding Iraq.

[YouTube:NzB4T5I4eAI]

It features a mother and her baby, Alex. "Hi, John McCain, this is Alex, he's my first," she says. "So far, his talents include trying any new food and chasing after our dog. That, and making my heart pound every time I look at him. So, John McCain, when you said you would stay in Iraq for 100 years, were you counting on Alex? Because if you were, you can't have him."

Per a release, the groups are spending $540,000 on this ad, and it will run in the battlegrounds of Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin, as well as on national cable.

*** UPDATE *** RNC spokesman Alex Conant emails First Read this response to the ad: "MoveOn.org was wrong to smear General Petraeus, just like Barack Obama was wrong to not go to Iraq to meet with him. America cannot afford a Commander-in-Chief who listens to partisan groups like MoveOn.org instead of our commanders. Bringing peace and security to Iraq will require a Commander in Chief who won't allow partisanship to cloud his judgment."

*** UPDATE II *** NBC's Katie Mulhall has more: MoveOn and AFSCME held a conference call this morning with MoveOn executive director Eli Pariser, AFSCME's Paul Booth, and Democratic pollster Anna Greenberg discussing the ad. Greenberg has worked with MoveOn since 2004 to Web-test its ads, and according to her, this was the group's top-testing ad to date. Five hundred likely voters were asked whether they agreed with the ad, and they were asked their impressions of McCain on a number of attributes before and after viewing the ad. There was significant movement, she said, on two key issues -- willingness to go to war and "being part of the mess in Washington." After viewing the ad, voters were 13 points more likely to describe McCain as "part of the mess."

As mentioned above, AFSCME had endorsed Clinton in the Democratic primary, but Booth signaled his group's willingness to work on Obama's behalf, saying that the members understand the general election presents "a very clear choice" and that "if he puts his shoulder to the wheel, we'll be there." Pariser added that while the two groups supported different candidates in the primary, they both "represent the same type of people" who want to end the war and improve our economy.  

From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro
*** The Gore-acle finally speaketh: For months, the question wasn't if Al Gore was going to endorse Obama, but when. And would he do it at a time that was pivotal in the primary? Well, he chose not to poke the Clintons in the eye, waiting until last night to finally endorse Obama. But why was the event in Michigan? It presents risks and rewards for the Obama campaign. On the plus side, it's obvious that Michigan has become a HUGE priority for Team Obama. After all, it has now unveiled two of its biggest endorsements in the state -- Edwards (on May 14) and Gore (last night). And those kind of big rallies enable a campaign to build up its field program. And where is Obama today? For a second day in a row, he's in Michigan…On the other hand, Gore's stances on auto emissions are NOT popular with the auto industry. Having Gore endorse Obama in Michigan, of all places, might have been a risk for the campaign. But it was a risk it thought was worth taking.

VIDEO: NBC Deputy Political Director Mark Murray gives his first read on the political headlines of the day and takes a look back at a 2005 prediction by Tim Russert, saying that this year's electoral map may take on a different look.

*** Off-shore gambling? One day after Mr. Environment endorsed Obama in Michigan, McCain today gives a speech in Houston in which he will call for lifting the moratorium on off-shore drilling. It's a move that's already generating plenty of criticism from environmental groups and Democrats, and it provides opponents with another example of McCain pursuing policies similar to Bush's -- in this case, increased oil production (although McCain opposes drilling in ANWR). But McCain's call for lifting the ban could also be seen as a pragmatic, short-term solution to high energy costs that could play well in places like Michigan, even if it's loathed on the coasts. In fact, McCain may be gambling three things about Florida with this decision to back a lifting in the ban on offshore oil drilling: 1) the price of gas is high enough that voters are going to be more open to finding new energy sources; 2) his lead is big enough in Florida than he can afford to alienate some voters on this specific issue; and 3) forcing Obama to defend not drilling for oil on the coasts of Florida and California might give McCain a way to make Obama not look like he's trying to find a solutions to the nation's energy needs. One other thing to keep in mind: No Republicans in Florida have gotten elected statewide without endorsing the moratorium on off-shore oil drilling, so McCain's decision is going to get its share of criticism even from VP wannabe Charlie Crist. And if Crist tries to rationalize the McCain decision then we'll really find out just how much he wants on the ticket.

*** But still playing up those environmental credentials: To make sure that voters don't see McCain's call for lifting the off-shore drilling ban as another way in which the Arizona senator seems similar to Bush, McCain is unveiling a new TV ad that will run in battleground states and on national cable. It goes: "John McCain stood up to the president and sounded the alarm on global warming -- five years ago. Today, he has a realistic plan that will curb greenhouse gas emissions. A plan that will help grow our economy and protect our environment." 

VIDEO: Former Clinton campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle will join the Obama campaign as chief of staff to his future vice president choice. A Race for the White House panel discusses.

*** Title obsessions: We're amused by all the chatter, either pro or con, regarding Team Obama's appointment of ex-Clinton manager Patti Solis Doyle as the chief of staff for the eventual VP nominee. First, it's not uncommon for a nominee to control the staffing of a running mate -- you don't want a competing group of folks staffing a VP candidate who ends up more loyal to the veep than to the nominee. Two, they had to put her somewhere. A chief of staff on a campaign sometimes isn't as powerful as a chief of staff for elected officials in office. This isn't to assume PSD is being given an inflated title with no power; it's just a reminder that it could be that. Bottom line: Too much is being made out of this decision. It signals nothing other than getting the chattering class to attempt to read in between the lines on something that is just not there. A blind man could see that.

*** When CW is wrong: There was a growing consensus during the Democratic primary season that Obama was going to struggle with Latino voters -- due to the exit polls, his race, and McCain's immigration stance. In fact, in that now-famous conference call in which Hillary Clinton indicated that she would be open to serving as Obama's running mate, that response was spurred by concern by New York Rep. Nydia Velasquez (D) that Obama was going to have trouble with Latinos. But it looks like that CW -- at least right now -- was wrong. In addition to our recent NBC/WSJ poll, which showed Hispanics breaking for Obama 62%-28%, a new survey of 800 Latino voters from 21 states finds that 60% of them plan to vote for Obama versus 23% for McCain. That is down considerably from the 40%-plus Bush received in 2004. It's no longer fair to say that Obama has a problem with Latino voters; McCain does. This was a case of conventional wisdom that was never based on fact, just semi-informed speculation based on primary exit polling and bad stereotypes of Latinos.

*** On the trail: McCain is in Texas, raising money in San Antonio and giving a speech and hitting another fundraiser in Houston. Obama spends another day in Michigan -- this time meeting with students at Wayne County Community College in Taylor.

*** Bill Clinton watch: The former president, in New York City, gives a speech tonight for the Radio City Music Hall Speakers Series. Per a spokesman, Clinton will talk about how corporate philanthropy and individual action can help find solutions to global challenges.  
 
Countdown to Dem convention: 69 days
Countdown to GOP convention: 76 days
Countdown to Election Day 2008: 140 days
Countdown to Inauguration Day 2009: 217 days
 
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A new Washington Post/ABC poll shows Obama up four points over McCain (49%-45%) among registered voters. "But Obama still has some work to do to unite the Democratic Party. Almost nine in 10 Republicans now support McCain, while not quite eight in 10 Democrats said they support Obama. Nearly a quarter of those who said they favored Clinton over Obama for the nomination currently prefer McCain for the general election, virtually unchanged from polls taken before Clinton suspended her campaign."

VIDEO: Newsweek's Richard Wolfe talks about which party- Democratic or Republican- is in better shape from the unity standpoint.

More: "McCain will be running into stiff headwinds over the next five months. Bush's approval rating hit another low in Post-ABC polling and now is 29 percent, with 68 percent saying they disapprove of the job he is doing -- 54 percent strongly. Among the dwindling number who approve of the way Bush is handling his job, 80 percent back McCain. Among the much higher number who disapprove, 26 percent support McCain. In general, 57 percent said McCain would continue to lead the country as Bush has and 38 percent said he would chart a new course." 

A Cook Political Report/RT Strategies poll (conducted June 12-15, 2008 of 880 registered voters) also has Obama up by four points, 44%-40%.

And a national poll of Latino voters shows Obama leading McCain by the normal Dem v. GOP margin the parties got used to in the '90s. "The survey of 800 Latino voters in 21 states found that 60 percent planned to vote for Obama, compared to 23 percent for McCain, with 16 percent undecided. The poll, Latino Decisions, is a joint effort between Pacific Market Research and University of Washington political scientists Matt Barreto and Gary Segura. Barreto has previously overseen polls on Washington's gubernatorial race and state issues."

The AP's Alan Fram asks: "If Barack Obama's got so many issues going for him in the presidential election, from the economy to war fatigue to a national hunger for change, how come John McCain is so close to him as their race begins in earnest? Early polls suggest the contest is so competitive at this point largely because of how people view the personal qualities of Obama, the Democrat, and McCain, the Republican." Some of the factors: race, leadership and experience, ideology, likeability, political branding, the issues, President Bush, change, electricity.

So how much like Bush is McCain? The New York Times attempts to answer that question today. "A look at Mr. McCain's 25-year record in the House and Senate, his 2008 campaign positions and his major speeches over the last three months indicates that on big-ticket issues - the economy, support for continuing the Iraq war, health care - his stances are indeed similar to Mr. Bush's brand of conservatism. Mr. McCain's positions are nearly identical to the president's on abortion and the types of judges he says he would appoint to the courts."

VIDEO: Sen. John McCain shows similarities to President Bush once again, this time on wiretapping. Author John Dean discusses.

More: "The disparities between the two are murkier on other issues. On immigration, Mr. McCain started out with Mr. Bush - at odds with the Republican mainstream - by favoring a path to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants, then backed off and emphasized the border-security-first approach favored by a majority of his party. When it comes to dealing with terrorism suspects, Mr. McCain has supported imposing tighter rules than favored by the administration on the use of harsh interrogation techniques, but has consistently been with the president on limiting the legal rights of Guantánamo detainees… Mr. McCain has reversed himself on some issues - most notably, embracing the Bush tax cuts now after deriding them initially as fiscally risky and excessively skewed to the wealthy - and continues to adjust his positions on others. On Monday, he said he continued to oppose opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling, leaving him at odds with the White House and most of his party, but said he favored giving states more flexibility to decide whether to explore for oil off their coasts."

Here are excerpts of the energy speech McCain will deliver in Houston today, in which he calls for lifting the ban on off-shore drilling. "Quite rightly, I believe, we confer a special status on some areas of our country that are best left undisturbed. When America set aside the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, we called it a 'refuge' for a reason.  But the stakes are high for our citizens and for our economy. And with gasoline running at more than four bucks a gallon, many do not have the luxury of waiting on the far-off plans of futurists and politicians. We have proven oil reserves of at least 21 billion barrels in the United States. But a broad federal moratorium stands in the way of energy exploration and production. And I believe it is time for the federal government to lift these restrictions and to put our own reserves to use." 
 
"We can do this in ways that are consistent with sensible standards of environmental protection. And in states that choose to permit exploration, there must be an appropriate sharing of benefits between federal and state governments. But as a matter of fairness to the American people, and a matter of duty for our government, we must deal with the here and now, and assure affordable fuel for America by increasing domestic production."

McCain also goes after Obama in his speech, bringing up the Jimmy Carter comparison and hitting him for not supporting a gas-tax holiday. "So what does Sen. Obama support in energy policy? Well, for starters he supported the energy bill of 2005 -- a grab bag of corporate favors that I opposed. And now he supports new taxes on energy producers. He wants a windfall profits tax on oil, to go along with the new taxes he also plans for coal and natural gas. If the plan sounds familiar, it's because that was President Jimmy Carter's big idea too -- and a lot of good it did us. Now as then, all a windfall profits tax will accomplish is to increase our dependence on foreign oil, and hinder exactly the kind of domestic exploration and production we need…"
 
"Oddly enough, though, Senator Obama doesn't want to lower the gas taxes paid by consumers, which would be the most direct and obvious way to give Americans a break at the gas station. Even in tough times for our economy, when folks are struggling to pay for gas and groceries, tax relief just isn't change he can believe in."  

DNC spokeswoman Karen Finney pre-buts McCain's speech with this statement: "The John McCain who talks on the campaign trail about promoting energy independence sounds nothing like the John McCain who has repeatedly voted against responsible efforts to promote renewable energy and is caving in to the oil and gas industry on off-shore drilling… As this campaign goes on, the voters will clearly see that a vote for Sen. McCain is a vote for four more years of the same failed Bush policies that have cost American jobs, driven energy prices through the roof, and given huge handouts to his friends in the oil and gas industry." 

The Washington Post on McCain and off-shore drilling: "The move is aimed at easing voter anger over rising energy prices by freeing states to open vast stretches of the country's coastline to oil exploration. In a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, nearly 80 percent said soaring prices at the pump are causing them financial hardship, the highest in surveys this decade… The senator's push to end the ban is sure to annoy two key Republican allies -- California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Florida Gov. Charlie Crist -- both of whom oppose drilling off their states' coastlines."

Al Gore, NBC/NJ's Athena Jones reports, endorsed Obama at a rally in a packed arena last night, saying it was time for the party to unite behind the Illinois senator and touching on his own experience as a presidential candidate to illustrate the idea that "elections matter."

VIDEO: NBC's Lee Cowan reports on former Vice President Al Gore's endorsement of Senator Barack Obama for president.  The two have been talking for many months.

"In looking back over last eight years, I can tell you we have already learned one important fact since the year 2000. Take it from me elections matter," he said. "If you think the next appointments to our Supreme Court are important, you know that elections matter. If live in city of New Orleans, you know that elections matter. If you or a member of your family are serving in active military, the National Guard or reserves, you know that elections matter. If you're a wounded veteran, you know that elections matter." He also said elections mattered to those facing economic hardship and those who care about food safety and even the nation's pets, who've been fed tainted pet food from China.

"It is the second time that Obama has rolled out a major endorsement in Michigan, a state he did not campaign in during the primary because its election violated the party rules," the Boston Globe writes. "Last month, he appeared with 2004 vice presidential nominee John Edwards in Grand Rapids, as party leaders united behind Obama as their nominee."

The Washington Post adds, "The theme of Monday night's speeches was Democratic Party unity, with Obama, Gore and Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm all vowing to bring the party back together after a hard-fought primary. But the crowd was not ready to come along. It loudly booed Granholm after she mentioned Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.), drawing a rebuke from Obama when he took the stage. 'I want everybody here to be absolutely clear,' he said. 'Senator Clinton is one of the finest public servants we have in American life today. . . . She is worthy of our respect. She is worthy of our honor.'" 

The New York Post writes up Patti Solis Doyle joining the Obama campaign. "Clinton insiders were surprised by the move, with many casting it as telegraphing that the New York senator won't be put on the ticket. Solis Doyle 'is the reason we lost,' said one Clinton insider, noting the campaign's profligate spending and other problems in the lead-up to the Iowa caucuses, where the one-time front-runner came in third. Clinton spokesman Mo Elleithee tried to quell the outrage, saying, 'Patti will be an asset and good addition to the Obama campaign.'"

Obama said he wouldn't wait until the sixth year of his presidency to sit down and meet with the auto industry. It turns out his criticism of Bush was off by three years; Bush sat down with the Detroit auto heads in 2003.

The New York Daily News frames Obama saying he'd go to Iraq as him, answering "Mac-call to visit Baghdad."

In a meeting with the Lynchburg News Advance, Tim Kaine "once again declined to say whether he would refuse an offer" to be veep, saying only that he  doesn't expect Obama to choose him." But "more interestingly," he said he's made tentative plans if Jim Webb is picked. "Kaine would have to appoint a Democrat to serve for one year in Webb's Senate seat and then stand for election in November 2009, the governor said. And, although he doesn't know whom he would appoint, Kaine is taking himself out of the Senate picture." 

VIDEO: NBC Political Director Chuck Todd serves up his thoughts on the current veepstakes. He sheds light on the strategy that goes into selecting a vice president, saying that the focus should be on winning four or five swing states.

Kaine also got asked about the possibility during a local stop at Boy's State: "I've always felt like it's nice to be mentioned, but not likely to happen," he said. "I don't spend a lot of time worrying about it.  I do know this, I've got a good job as governor, and the place I can be most helpful to Senator Obama is right here in Virginia."

The Hill interviewed Tim Pawlenty, who emphasized conservative parts of his record "and defended other, less conservative aspects." "If you look at my record as a whole, it's clearly conservative," Pawlenty said. "This idea that it's moderate is, I don't think, a very full look at it."   

Kalee Kreider, an Al Gore spokesperson, said he's ruled out being VP, but will campaign for Obama.

Salon's Madden writes that Chuck Hagel may be "a long shot for the job," with interest in him "less a question of electoral math than of political metaphysics. Running with a Republican would reinforce the message that Obama is serious about changing the way things are done in Washington." But "unless a Republican running mate would virtually guarantee Obama a win in November, it's probably not worth the risk of angering Democrats to pick one."

CALIFORNIA: Last night, the state started marrying gay couples. The Los Angeles Times notes that many couples are being encouraged by gay-rights activists to hold low-key ceremonies; don't give the other side visual images to mock them.

From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli and NBC's Domenico Montanaro
Here's something we didn't initially think of… The Washington Post's Anne Kornblut's take on Solis Doyle being named to chief of staff for a potential VP nominee:

But Solis Doyle -- who after her firing midway through the primaries is no longer on speaking terms with much of the Clinton inner circle, including the senator herself -- has been tapped to serve as chief of staff to the future vice presidential running mate. Not exactly a signal that Obama is considering Hillary Clinton for the job. At least that's how Clinton loyalists see it.

" 'It's a slap in the face,' Susie Tompkins Buell, a prominent Clinton backer, said in an interview. 'Why would they put somebody that was so clearly ineffective in such a position? It's a message. We get it.' She said it was a 'calculated decision' by the Obama team to 'send a message that she [Clinton] is not being considered for the ticket.'

"Other Clinton insiders also seethed. 'Who can blame Obama for rewarding Patti? He would never be the nominee without her,' one person who has worked for both Clintons and remains close to them said. The sentiment reflected what another person in the immediate Clinton orbit described as 'shock' that Obama would send such a strong signal that he is not considering Clinton as his runningmate so soon."