For the Good of the State: Articles of Interest 1-31-08

280 Days until Election Day

MORNING UPDATE:

There is “hope” in the air that Republicans and Democrats can work with the Governor to accomplish some of the items the Governor addressed in her State of the State. The devil will be in the details…but at least there is hope.

Will her rhetoric be matched by a bipartisan approach…or ultimately political wrangling?

Mayor Rudy Giuliani drops out of the presidential contest for the Republican nomination…basically making this a McCain vs. Romney race on Super Tuesday.

Last night was the last Republican Presidential debate which was held at the Reagan Library…a good exchange, interesting contrasts…Republicans are ready!!!

Senator John Edwards also called it quits.

THE REST OF THE STORY:

- A note from one of our readers: I read your articles everyday, I appreciate your views, and response to another useless speech by Jennifer "Tax"holm. Her admission that a "swede" was running Michigan, and her reference to a quote from a Canadian hockey player, Gretzky, along with her "crystal ball" forecasts, were way too much to take at dinner time! This should serve as a prime example of what will happen if Republicans don't get off their respective asses and get out to vote! You should be the catalyst to start a campaign to get Republicans out to vote! We sentenced ourselves to four more years of failure by not getting out to vote when "Tax"holm was re-elected. We cannot afford another pathetic showing at the polls!

Saul Anuzis

STATE STORIES

http://www.mlive.com/newsflash/michigan/index.ssf?/base/news-50/1201658422267570.xml&storylist=newsmichigan

Alternative energy key in Granholm's 6th State of

State

address

1/30/2008

by KATHY BARKS HOFFMAN

LANSING

Mich.

(AP) — Alternative energy was the keystone of Gov. Jennifer Granholm's sixth annual State of the State speech, as she envisioned a future where

Michigan

's lost manufacturing jobs are replaced by companies providing power from water, wind and wood. The Democratic governor made the pitch to lawmakers and the public Tuesday night.

Michigan

has the nation's highest unemployment rate and the third-highest foreclosure rate, and Granholm said she is determined to create more jobs.

http://blog.mlive.com/citpat/2008/01/vision_for_the_future.html

Vision for the future

by Kristin Longley

January 30, 2008

LANSING

— Area lawmakers are hoping

Jackson

County

can share a part of Gov. Jennifer Granholm's vision of an economic comeback for

Michigan

. In her sixth State of the State address Tuesday, Granholm outlined plans she said would create tens of thousands of jobs, replace failing schools and make

Michigan

an alternative-energy powerhouse — all without new taxes. She urged lawmakers to move past last year's partisan budget battles, saying "relentless focus" is needed to dig

Michigan

out of its protracted economic crisis as the global economy changes. "No state has borne the brunt of that change like

Michigan

," said Granholm, a Democrat. "Our commitment to diversifying our economy and to educating our citizens must be strong and unwavering because, my friends, there is no other course."

http://www.mlive.com/newsflash/michigan/index.ssf?/base/news-50/1201667068251700.xml&storylist=newsmichigan

Lawmakers receptive to Granholm's speech

1/30/2008

By DAVID EGGERT

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — With no tax increase on the table this year, state lawmakers were mostly optimistic about the agenda laid out by Gov. Jennifer Granholm in her State of the State speech — at least for now. Republicans even thanked the Democratic governor Tuesday — for copying from their playbook. Granholm pledged no tax or fee hikes and talked about streamlining government and giving a tax credit to businesses that hire people. The GOP likened her pitch for smaller, more intimate schools to charter schools traditionally favored by Republicans.

http://www.mlive.com/columns/bctimes/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1201709776126960.xml&coll=4

The state of our state requires uncommon cooperation

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Bay City

Times

Tuesday night, a flower of hope broke through the icy crust of bitter partisan politics that has frozen the state Capitol in

Lansing

for more than a year. Tentative at first, then building steam in her hour-long State of the State address, Gov. Jennifer Granholm strained to rally adversaries and allies toward a common goal.

Michigan

lawmakers must endeavor together to carry the great state of

Michigan

into a prosperous new era.

That one theme dominated Granholm's sixth annual address night before a joint session of the Michigan House and Senate. She acknowledged the anger of Michiganders - directed both at the failing economy and at Democratic and Republican party lawmakers for their partisan wars.

http://www.mlive.com/newsflash/michigan/index.ssf?/base/news-50/1201671531266670.xml&storylist=newsmichigan

Creative financing remains in governor's proposals

1/29/2008

by KATHY BARKS HOFFMAN

LANSING

Mich.

(AP) — In past years, tight budgets have forced Gov. Jennifer Granholm to turn to tax or fee increases, the federal government or the private sector to pay for some of her new initiatives. This year, the state will be able to save money by refinancing some of its debt at lower interest rates, giving her a $550 million pool to tap for new business tax incentives, tourism promotion, construction projects and roads.

All of those are one-time investments that the state won't be able to afford once the money from refinancing the bonds is gone. But Granholm's advisers say the governor is using the money for job-creating proposals such as larger tax credits for cutting-edge businesses that employ more people in

Michigan

, not just to plug budget holes as in the past.

http://macombdaily.com/stories/013008/loc_n3001.shtml

Governor preaches jobs

Granholm says

Michigan

could thrive with 'our wind, our water, our woods'

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Chad

Selweski

Gov. Jennifer Granholm, echoing her Democratic predecessor of the 1980s, Jim Blanchard, delivered one overriding message on Tuesday: Jobs, jobs, jobs. tIn her sixth annual State of the State Address, Granholm offered several initiatives to put

Michigan

's "economic hurricane" in the past, and she offered a vision of the state as a worldwide leader in alternative energy companies. "The world is changing at a rate unimaginable just a decade ago. No state has borne the brunt of that change like

Michigan

," said Granholm. She added: "Our top priority must be jobs. Good-paying jobs. A job for every

Michigan

worker."

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080130/NEWS01/80130060&theme=KILPATRICK012008

Mayor Kilpatrick to

Detroit

citizens: 'I would never quit on you, ever'

January 30, 2008

By BILL McGRAW

Addressing the text-message scandal for the first time tonight as he held hands with wife Carlita, Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick apologized repeatedly to residents, supporters, opponents, his wife and sons for what he called “the embarrassment and disappointment” of the past few days. But he said emphatically he will not resign. “I would never quit on you, ever,” Kilpatrick said in a televised speech. “We’ve got a lot of work to do. And with your help, I am going to continue to lead this city in getting the work done.” Appearing subdued and at times somber in a dramatic moment of recent city history, the mayor said, “To all of you who have believed in what we have been doing in this city since 2002, to all of you who have believed in me and my leadership, to all of you who have stuck with me through difficult times, to all of you who have prayed for me, I’m sorry.”

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080130/NEWS01/80130067

This is about business, nothing personal

January 30, 2008

By STEPHEN HENDERSON

It's business, Mr. Mayor. Not personal. The scandal that's engulfing Kwame Kilpatrick's administration, the one he caused with his own behavior, is not fundamentally about his marriage, his family, or his feelings about this great city. Frankly, I don't much care about the mayor's private life, nor should anyone else. But I do care about the horrible judgment he showed by comingling his personal issues with official business. This is about sex with an employee. About the ruined careers of two police officers. About lies told under oath, in a courtroom. And about $9 million in public money that was spent to settle a suit inspired by his personal behavior.

http://www.mlive.com/newsflash/index.ssf?/base/news-50/1201745774277450.xml&storylist=newsmichigan

Text of remarks by Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, his wife

1/30/2008

The Associated Press

KWAME KILPATRICK:

Good evening,

Detroit

. I want to start tonight by saying to the citizens of this great city, I'm sorry. To all of you who have believed in what we've been doing here since 2002, to all of you who have believed in me and my leadership, to all of you who have stuck with me through very difficult times, to all of you who've prayed for me, I'm sorry.

For the embarrassment and disappointment the events of the past few days have caused you; for what you, as my supporters, many of you, have had to hear as you traveled around the city to beauty shops and barber shops; for what you had to hear when you were in church this past city from people who know that you have supported me; to those of you who have not always been Kwame Kilpatrick supporters but who lift up our city, who live in our city, who support this town in various ways, I truly apologize to each and every one of you individually and to the whole city.

http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080130/NEWS01/801300407

Senate plans to tackle driver's license loophole

January 30, 2008

By Tim Martin

State lawmakers on Thursday are expected to begin fixing what some consider unintended consequences of

Michigan

's reinterpreted driver's license laws. People who are here legally but not permanent residents - including employees from other countries temporarily working for

Michigan

companies - haven't been able to get new state driver's licenses since last week. That's due to rules implemented by Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land requiring more documentation to get driver's licenses for first-time applicants. Her decision was based on a recent opinion from Attorney General Mike Cox, which said only permanent

Michigan

residents are eligible for driver's licenses.

http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080130/NEWS01/801300385

Cox sues to stop state political payroll deduction plan

January 30, 2008

Lansing

State

Journal

Attorney General Mike Cox wants a court to stop the state of

Michigan

from allowing state employees to have political donations deducted from their paychecks. Cox's office filed the payroll deduction lawsuit today in

Ingham

County

. The Michigan Civil Service Commission decided last month that state workers should be able to raise money for union-backed candidates and issues through payroll deduction. The agency's decision came despite Cox's warning that it didn't have the authority to allow such a program.

http://www.mininggazette.com/stories/articles.asp?articleID=10439

Legislators: U.P. can help state meet goals

January 30, 2008

By DAN SCHNEIDER

HOUGHTON —

Michigan

’s

Upper Peninsula

can play a role in the goals set out in Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s state of the state address delivered Tuesday night, according to legislators. State Rep. Mike Lahti, D-Hancock, said the address set a positive tone following a 2007 rife with partisan budget quarrels. “It was a favorable impression,”

Lahti

said. “I was expecting more of a subdued speech but it was a good one. It was positive, it really was a blueprint for

Michigan

’s recovery.” Job creation and education reform were threads woven throughout the speech.

Lahti

said these two goals work together, and institutions in the U.P. can be part of it. “I think it’s going to be in utilization of our universities for job growth,” he said.

http://www.mlive.com/flintjournal/index.ssf/2008/01/will_gms_greatness_be_restored.html

Will GM's greatness be restored?

by Ron Fonger

Wednesday January 30, 2008

MUNDY

TOWNSHIP

-- Bob Lutz wasn't offering any promises about future General Motors work or jobs in

Flint

on Tuesday. But GM's vice chairman of global product development, delivered a very upbeat message about the company's future, and suggested this area will benefit as the company thrives. "As our sales increase and as we become a sought after automobile company as opposed to one where the customer takes it because of the incentive ... that rising tide is going to lift all boats," Lutz told The Flint Journal in a 25-minute interview.

NATIONAL STORIES

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hk1jcRquYep7v7OeWiBKfBlfbCEgD8UGJ7G80

McCain, Romney in Debate Spotlight

January 30, 2008

By LIZ SIDOTI

SIMI VALLEY

Calif.

(AP) — Republican Mitt Romney said John McCain used dirty tricks by suggesting shortly before the

Florida

primary that the former

Massachusetts

governor wanted a deadline for withdrawing

U.S.

troops from

Iraq

, as the two men squared off in a spirited debate Wednesday night. Coming 24 hours after McCain defeated him in the

Florida

election, Romney vented his frustrations over the

Arizona

senator's claims. "I have never, ever supported a specific timetable" for withdrawing troops, Romney said. McCain's accusation on the eve of Tuesday's presidential primary, he said, "sort of falls into the dirty tricks that I think Ronald Reagan would have found reprehensible." The debate was held in the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif. McCain stuck to his guns, saying, "of course he said he wanted a timetable" for a withdrawal.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/01/30/debate.main/index.html

McCain, Romney spar before Super Tuesday

January 30, 2008

CNN

SIMI VALLEY, California (CNN) -- The Republican White House hopefuls tried to present themselves as the most conservative candidate in the final showdown before the Super Tuesday contests. Arizona Sen. John McCain and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney dominated most of the debate, while former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Texas Rep. Ron Paul fought to get their voices heard. When asked if Americans are better off than they were eight years ago, Romney said

Washington

has not dealt with the country's problems. "We have people who feel there needs to be a change in

Washington

, and that's what I represent," he said, kicking off the Republican debate.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080130/ELECTION/10595439/1001

Romney says McCain not in GOP mainstream

By Liz Sidoti

January 30, 2008

SIMI VALLEY

Calif.

(AP) — Mitt Romney said Wednesday that John McCain is out of the conservative mainstream, as the rivals for the Republican presidential nomination vied for votes in next week's multistate primary. Romney, a former

Massachusetts

governor, said McCain twice voted against President Bush's tax cuts an pushed campaign finance reforms that restricted fundraising and spending. The Republican establishment embraced the tax cuts and opposed the new campaign law

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/?hpid=topnews

McCain, Romney Clash in Personal Terms

January 30, 2008

By Chris Cillizza

John McCain and Mitt Romney disagreed at every turn during Wednesday night's Republican presidential debate, clashing again and again in increasingly contentious and personal terms. John McCain and Mitt Romney exchanged rhetorical punches during Wednesday night's debate at the Reagan library in

California

. (Reuters)The most heated rhetoric of the debate came in a discussion over the correct course of action in

Iraq

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8UGKIQO0&show_article=1

Romney Accuses McCain of 'Dirty Tricks'

Jan 30 11:04 PM US/Eastern

By LIZ SIDOTI

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. (AP) - Republican Mitt Romney accused John McCain of using dirty tricks by suggesting the former Massachusetts governor wanted a deadline for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq, in a spirited debate Wednesday night that underscored the intensity of their presidential rivalry. Coming 24 hours after McCain defeated him in

Florida

, Romney vented his frustrations over the

Arizona

senator's claims from last weekend. "I have never, ever supported a specific timetable" for withdrawing troops, Romney said. McCain's accusation on the eve of Tuesday's primary, he said, "sort of falls into the dirty tricks that I think Ronald Reagan would have found reprehensible."

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0108/8203.html

New Orleans

, Edwards calls it quits

By: Mike Allen and Ben Smith

January 30, 2008

Sen. John Edwards ended his quest for the Democratic presidential nomination Wednesday in

New Orleans

- the same city where he began his campaign 14 months ago and where Edwards' signature issue of poverty is a stark part of everyday life. Edwards said it was time for him to step aside "so that history can blaze its path" in a Democratic campaign now left to Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama.

http://hughhewitt.townhall.com/blog/g/3d1bfa64-54e5-46e5-a726-46775fc121ec

Super Tuesday Math: Far, Far From Over

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

by: Hugh Hewitt

CNN puts McCain with 97 delegates and Romney at 74.

Let's look at the worst case for Romney on Super Tuesday.

Next Tuesday the winner-take-all states that lean McCain are

New York

(101),

Missouri

(58),

Arizona

(53),

New Jersey

(52)

Connecticut

(30), and

Delaware

(18) for a total of 312 delegates. (Even though

Missouri

, another winner-take-all leans Huck right now, lets give its 58 delegates to McCain.)

Romney is favored in winner-take-all

Utah

(36) and

Montana

(25), for a total of 51 delegates.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080131/pl_nm/usa_politics_schwarzenegger_dc_2

Gov. Schwarzenegger to endorse McCain

January 30, 2008

By Dan Whitcomb

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will endorse Sen. John McCain for president, the Los Angeles Times reported on Wednesday, citing sources close to both men. Schwarzenegger, a Republican who has largely stayed out of the presidential race, made the decision to endorse McCain after former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani dropped out of the contest, the Times reported in a story on its Web site. Aides to Schwarzenegger, who told Reuters earlier on Wednesday the governor had no immediate plans to make an endorsement, could not immediately be reached for comment on the Times report.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/01/30/america/campaign.php

The 2008 presidential campaign now comes in pairs

By Brian Knowlton

January 30, 2008

WASHINGTON

: Senator John McCain, flush from a crucial

Florida

victory, is up. Rudolph Giuliani, once the national front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, is headed out. So, on the Democratic side, is John Edwards, who placed a distant third in

Florida

after his fiery, populist campaign never gained traction. Suddenly, the fluid and unpredictable competition for the presidency has gained clarity, with large fields on both sides pared to just two dominant candidates each.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/01/30/antibush-moderates-crown_n_83968.html

Anti-Bush Moderates Crown McCain GOP Frontrunner

January 30, 2008

By Thomas B. Edsall

As John McCain took a big step toward winning the nomination in

Florida

, the Republican Party looks increasingly likely to pass the torch to a candidate powered by decidedly un-Republican constituencies: anti-Bush voters, the non-religious, supporters of abortion rights, and social-cultural moderates. The network exit polls showed patterns of support for and opposition to McCain that are highly worrisome for the conservative and religious wings of the party - patterns that are likely to serve as an incentive to runner-up Mitt Romney to continue the battle. Despite losing the primary to McCain, 31% to 36%, Romney will try to claim, as he has already done, that he is the more legitimately conservative candidate.

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSN3016894920080131

McCain strikes upbeat note to rally Republicans

Wed Jan 30, 2008

By Tim Gaynor

MIAMI (Reuters) - Republican front-runner John McCain, invigorated by victory in Florida, is planning to directly challenge rival Mitt Romney for support among conservative voters, trying to convince them of his economic credentials and electability, strategists said. The

Arizona

senator, whose victory over Romney in

Florida

on Tuesday cemented his front-runner status in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, has had difficulty winning the support of the party's conservative base.

http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=ODg3ZmJjYmUwYTA3OGYzOGJhODMxYjYzZjljNWFlYzg=

How McCain Carried

Florida

He didn't appeal only to

Miami

moderates.

January 30, 2008

By Peter Schweizer

When you look at the electoral map of

Florida

, something very interesting emerges. As expected, John McCain did well in southeast

Florida

, which is more heavily populated by moderate Republicans. But he also did well in the

Tampa

Bay

area, north central

Florida

, and

Pensacola

. How did he do so well in so many places? First, the endorsements of Governor Charlie Crist and Senator Mel Martinez were clearly important. They are well known and respected Republicans who are generally popular with

Florida

conservatives — and who seem to have helped nudge those sitting on the fence between McCain and Romney. McCain won by a sizeable margin in the Tampa-St. Petersburg area—Crist’s power base. And

Martinez

seems to have helped secure a big McCain win in

Orlando

—his backyard—as well as among

Florida

’s Cuban and Latino communities.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080130/ELECTION/406013242/1001

Giuliani exits, endorses McCain

By Liz Sidoti and Devlin Barrett

January 30, 2008

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. (AP) — Rudy Giuliani, who sought to make the leap from New York mayor to the White House, bowed out of the Republican presidential contest Wednesday and endorsed front-runner and longtime friend John McCain. "John McCain is the most qualified candidate to be the next commander in chief of the

United States

," Giuliani said. "He's an American hero

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2008/01/rudy_and_mccain.html

With Giuliani Aboard, Is Straight Talk Express Moving at Warp Speed?

January 30, 2008

By Chris Cillizza

It's a testament to how fast-moving this election cycle has become that even before former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is scheduled to end his campaign and endorse Sen. John McCain (R) later today, the development already feels like old news.

Will Giuliani's endorsement help lure other GOP establishment types to get on board the Straight Talk Express? (Getty Images File Photo)But it would be a mistake to gloss over the Giuliani endorsement without weighing the impact it will have on the race. And since we don't like to make mistakes here at The Fix, we've spent the last few hours talking to party operatives in an attempt to understand what Giuliani's support for McCain means and what it doesn't.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/01/antibush_moderates_crown_mccai.html

Anti-Bush Moderates Crown McCain GOP Frontrunner

January 30, 2008

By Thomas Edsall

As John McCain took a big step toward winning the nomination in

Florida

http://www.nypost.com/php/pfriendly/print.php?url=http://www.nypost.com/seven/01302008/postopinion/opedcolumnists/winning_despite_the_base_632957.htm

Winning Despite The Base

By RYAN SAGER

January 30, 2008

THEY don't like him. They re ally don't like him. But he's going to be their nominee.

John McCain has won yet another primary without carrying either self-identified conservatives or Republicans - at least according to the

Florida

exit polls, which show McCain losing self-identified Republicans by 31 percent to 33 percent for Mitt Romney. More, Romney scored a stunning 37 percent of self-described conservatives to McCain's 27 percent. But a win is a win - and there's little that can stop the Straight Talk Express now.

http://www.miamiherald.com/political-currents/story/399021.html

Hispanics were key to McCain's victory

Support from Hispanics and a last-minute boost from a key endorsement helped John McCain to victory, while Hillary Clinton cruised to a win on the strength of her name and her experience.

Wed, Jan. 30, 2008

BY MARC CAPUTO

John McCain won

Florida

's Republican primary with the help of the state's wildly popular governor, his own war-hero biography and some crafty campaigning.

Hillary Clinton won the Democrats' vote on the strength of her experience, her race and a campaign that oddly wasn't a campaign at all. The strange race for the presidency -- some late Republican mudslinging, no slinging of anything by Democrats -- has exited the biggest swing state for now, giving the nation a glimpse of the issues and ideas on the minds of voters of all stripes heading into Super Tuesday. In

Florida

, both candidates can thank one group above all others for their win: Hispanics.

http://townhall.com/columnists/TerenceJeffrey/2008/01/30/mccains_no_threat_to_the_left

McCain's No Threat to the Left

By Terence Jeffrey

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

While the liberal establishment may be conflicted over whether it wants Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama as the Democratic presidential nominee, there's no doubt which Republican it favors. John McCain is the liberal elite's go-to guy in the GOP. They believe he'll be there for them when they need him. That was the essential message of last week's New York Times editorial endorsing McCain for the Republican nomination.

"With a record of working across the aisle to develop sound bipartisan legislation, he would offer a choice to a broader range of Americans than the rest of the Republican field," said the Times. "We have shuddered at McCain's occasional, tactical pander to the right because he has demonstrated that he has the character to stand on principle."

http://pewresearch.org/pubs/704/election-year-economic-ratings-lowest-since-92

Election-Year Economic Ratings Lowest Since '92

An Even More Partisan Agenda Greets Bush's

Final

State

of the

Union

January 24, 2008

Pew

Research

Center

With the economy slowing and the stock market reeling, there is greater agreement among Republicans and Democrats that strengthening the nation's economy should be a top priority for the president and Congress in the coming year. By contrast, partisan differences over the importance of other domestic issues -- such as dealing with global warming, helping the poor and providing health insurance to the uninsured -- have all increased substantially over the past year

http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1708536,00.html

Romney Not Ready to Commit to Big TV Buys

Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2008

By AP/DAVID ESPO

(

WASHINGTON

) — In a major boost for John McCain, Republican presidential rival Mitt Romney signaled Wednesday he's not ready to commit to a costly campaign in the states holding primaries and caucuses next week. Several officials said that on the heels of a defeat in Tuesday's

Florida

primary, Romney's campaign was not attempting to purchase television advertising time in any of the states on the Super Tuesday calendar.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0108/8211.html

Edwards exits the race: What went wrong

By: Ben Smith

Jan 30, 2008

John Edwards proved a powerful advocate for a strain of economic populism whose resurgent power he sensed before his rivals, and whose policy framework he helped establish. But Edwards’ decision to leave the race Wednesday was a mark of the fact that despite a pitch-perfect political performance, and despite a declaration that he was engaged in the “cause of my life,” he never quite sold himself to voters.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20080130/D8UGGRN00.html

Obama Calls

Clinton

Divisive Figure

January 30, 2008

By NEDRA PICKLER and MIKE GLOVER

DENVER (AP) - Democratic Sen. Barack Obama said Wednesday a Hillary Rodham Clinton presidency would be a step back to the past, turning her husband's image of a bridge to the future against her. The former first lady decried the tenor of his comments in an interview with The Associated Press. "I know it is tempting - after another presidency by a man named George Bush - to simply turn back the clock, and to build a bridge back to the 20th century," the

Illinois

senator said in

Denver

. "... It's not enough to say you'll be ready from Day One - you have to be right from Day One," he added in unmistakable criticisms of Clinton, who often claims she's better prepared to govern, and her husband, who pledged during his own presidency to build a bridge to the 21st century. Within hours, Hillary Clinton pushed back in an interview with the AP - and got in her own dig.

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2008/01/30/2008-01-30_hil_needs_a_magic_moment.html

Hil needs a magic moment

Wednesday, January 30th 2008

By Michael Goodwin

Let us pause to offer a moment of sympathy for the baffled Hillary Clinton. After all, she is fighting a man who captures lightning in a bottle. How do you beat that?As Super Tuesday approaches, that is the

Clinton

dilemma. Barack Obama has stirred the imagination and produced throngs of new voters she never saw coming. He has inspired not only a new generation, but an old one, too. Pooh Bahs Ted Kennedy and John Kerry have signaled that the establishment doesn't want to get left off the Obama bandwagon.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-pachon30jan30,0,1382040.story

Why

Clinton

can count on Latinos

More than a decade of name recognition and ties to prominent Latino politicians give her an edge over Obama.

By Harry P. Pachon and Rodolfo O. de la Garza

January 30, 2008

Hillary Clinton is doing extraordinarily well among Latino voters, compared with rivals Barack Obama and John Edwards. According to a Times/CNN/Politico poll Tuesday, she's running 2 to 1 ahead of Obama among California Latinos. In the

Nevada

caucuses, exit polls indicated that she received roughly two out of three Latino votes. Nationally, polls show only a slightly lower level of support. These findings are particularly significant because Latino voters in the general election are projected to total over 9 million, most concentrated in states rich in electoral college votes, such as California and New York, or in key "swing" states, such as New Mexico and New Jersey, in which past voting patterns show that it only takes a small percentage of the Latino vote to push a candidate's totals up or down.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120164702395826651.html?mod=special_page_campaign2008_leftbox

Carter Stays Neutral in Race, But Praises Obama's Oratory

By DOUGLAS A. BLACKMON

January 30, 2008

PLAINS, Ga. -- Former President Jimmy Carter lavished praise on Illinois Sen. Barack Obama during an interview at his home on Monday, though he won't formally endorse any candidate in the race for the Democratic nomination. "Obama's campaign has been extraordinary and titillating for me and my family," Mr. Carter said. The 83-year-old former president, who left the White House in 1981, compared Mr. Obama's speeches to those of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and said he believed the candidate could carry some southern states if he becomes the Democratic nominee.

http://www.nypost.com/php/pfriendly/print.php?url=http://www.nypost.com/seven/01302008/postopinion/editorials/post_endorses_barack_obama_813218.htm

Post Endorses Barack Obama

January 30, 2008

New York

Post Editorial

Democrats in 22 states across

America

go to the polls next Tuesday to pick between two presidential prospects: Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. We urge them to choose Obama - an untried candidate, to be sure, but preferable to the junior senator from

New York

. Obama represents a fresh start. His opponent, and her husband, stand for déjà vu all over again - a return to the opportunistic, scandal-scarred, morally muddled years of the almost infinitely self-indulgent

Clinton

co-presidency.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080130/BIZ/801300471

Fed makes half-point rate cut

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Associated Press

WASHINGTON

-- The Federal Reserve has reduced a key interest rate for the second time in just over a week, cutting its federal funds rate by a half point to 3 percent. It signaled that further rate cuts were possible. The Fed action pushed the funds rate to 3 percent. It followed a three-fourths of a percentage point cut on Jan. 22, a day after financial markets around the world had plummeted on fears that the

U.S.

economy was heading into a recession. That decrease had been the biggest one-day move in more than two decades.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/30/AR2008013003651.html?hpid=topnews

Showdown Nears on Stimulus Bill

Senate Panel's Version More Generous Than Bush-House Plan

By Jonathan Weisman

Thursday, January 31, 2008

With bipartisan support, the Senate Finance Committee yesterday approved a $157 billion economic stimulus plan that rivals the measure fashioned by President Bush and House leaders, setting up a Senate showdown today that could determine who will receive rebates from the federal government and how quickly the checks will arrive.

The Bush administration and House leaders had hoped the Senate would simply accept the stimulus plan approved by the House on Tuesday, ensuring final passage this week and the mailing of the first checks by May. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) will try today to block the Senate from adopting the Finance Committee plan and force the passage of the House bill instead.

http://www.forbes.com/columnists/forbes/2008/0211/019.html

It's the Dollar, Stupid (and Taxes, Too)

By Steve Forbes

January 30, 2008

Uh-oh.

Washington

wants a stimulus package to rejuvenate our slowing economy. Usually such programs are full of nice-sounding but wasteful spending initiatives, as well as tax breaks that have a weak, one-shot impact on the economy. President Bush should therefore offer a deal: strong, pro-growth measures as the price for signing off on the usual unproductive stuff. But the White House has panicked and will go for things that won't solve the problems plaguing us. The President should recover his nerve and verve. Otherwise, he will blast away a positive economic legacy.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/949628.html

Ahmadinejad tells West: Accept

Israel

's 'imminent collapse'

January 30, 2008

By DPA and Haaretz Services

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called on the West Wednesday to acknowledge

Israel

's "imminent collapse." Speaking to a crowd on a visit to the southern

port

Bushehr

, where

Iran

's first light-water nuclear power plant is being built by

Russia

, Ahmadinejad further incited his listeners to "stop supporting the Zionists, as [their] regime reached its final stage." "Accept that the life of Zionists will sooner or later come to an end," the Iranian president said in a televised speech.

http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSL3011403920080130?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews&rpc=22&sp=true

Opponents accuse Kremlin of election "farce"

Wed Jan 30, 2008

By Conor Sweeney

MOSCOW

(Reuters) - Opponents of Russian President Vladimir Putin's chosen successor Dmitry Medvedev said on Tuesday his refusal to hold television debates ahead of a March 2 election showed the ballot was a farce.

Europe

's leading election watchdog said it would not be able to monitor the presidential poll properly because the Kremlin had imposed serious restrictions on observer numbers and length of stay. No decision had been made yet on the mission, it said.