Articles of Interest 2-29-08

250 Days until Election Day

MORNING UPDATE:

I had an opportunity to host the “Big Show” yesterday on Michigan’s Talk Radio statewide.  My special guests included Newt Gingrich, Attorney General Mike Cox, Dick DeVos, Grover Norquist – President of Americans for Tax Reform, Professor Raymond Tanter of UM and First Gentleman Dan Mulhern..

It was a lot of fun…a new challenge for me that team at the Big Show made go much easier than planned.  In talking about areas covered by their broadcast, I was able to slip in there the names of Joel Westrom from Marquette, Joan Jackson from Traverse City and Jack Hoogendyk from Kalamazoo 

Long time Ingham County GOP activist Murray Schoen passed away this week.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family.

In 2005, conservative columnist George Will said: "Without Bill Buckley, no National Review. Without National Review, no Goldwater nomination. Without the Goldwater nomination, no conservative takeover of the Republican Party. Without that, no Reagan. Without Reagan, no victory in the Cold War. Therefore, Bill Buckley won the Cold War."

Former U.S. Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro will appear with Weekly Standard Editor Bill Kristol for the annual dinner and breakfast for the Michigan Political Leadership Program  (MPLP), the nation’s leading training ground for political service and leadership.

MPLP’s 13th annual fundraising dinner is Thursday, March 6 at Laurel Manor in Livonia. It will be followed on Friday, March 7 by the 6th annual fundraising breakfast at Noto’s Old World Italian Dining in Grand Rapids. Dinner is set for 6 p.m. Breakfast begins at 7:30 a.m.

Tickets may be purchased online at http://www.ippsr.msu.edu/MPLP/fundraisers.htm, by emailing knuthb@msu.edu or by calling MPLP Program Administrator Barbara Knuth at 517-353-0891.

THE REST OF THE STORY:

No further commentary today.

Saul Anuzis

STATE STORIES

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080228/METRO/802280451

Kilpatrick says he won't resign

Thursday, February 28, 2008

David Josar / The

Detroit

News

DETROIT

-- Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick said Thursday afternoon he won't resign from office in the wake of the recent text message scandal. "This is what I was born to do," the mayor said after visiting a group of senior citizens during his first public appearance since the release of secret documents related to three police whistle-blower cases that cost $8.4 million. The mayor said he did nothing to mislead City Council or

Detroit

residents. "There was no cover-up," Kilpatrick said. Thursday afternoon, Detroit City Councilman Kwame Kenyatta introduced a resolution calling for Kilpatrick to resign.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080228/METRO/802280484

City Councilman Kenyatta introduces resolution seeking Kilpatrick's resignation

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Christine Macdonald / The

Detroit

News

                     

DETROIT

-- Detroit City Councilman Kwame Kenyatta introduced a resolution Thursday calling for Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick to resign. "The council can no longer drag its feet. I felt compelled to bring this to the table," he said. The resolution was passed out of committee unanimously, with council members Kenyatta, Martha Reeves and Brenda Jones all voting in favor of it.  The entire council is expected to vote on the measure Tuesday. If Kilpatrick refuses to resign, part of the resolution directs special counsel William Goodman to research how the City Council can remove Kilpatrick from office through the forfeiture provision of the city charter. Earlier Thursday, the mayor said he had no intention of resigning from office over the growing text message scandal.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080229/METRO/802290395

Council may ask mayor to quit

Committee passes resolution calling for Kilpatrick to voluntarily step down, but he says he won't resign.

Friday, February 29, 2008

David Josar, Christine MacDonald and Mike Wilkinson / The

Detroit

News

DETROIT

-- The City Council took its first step Thursday to call for Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's resignation in the interest of preserving the integrity of city government, while the mayor repeatedly said throughout the day that he had no intention of resigning.

"This is what I was born to do," the mayor said Thursday after visiting a group of senior citizens during his first public appearance since the release of secret documents related to three police whistle-blower cases that cost $8.4 million.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080228/METRO/802280391

Mayor ponders filing civil suit over text message leak

His attorney says only two people were supposed to get documents, not the media.

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Paul Egan / The

Detroit

News

DETROIT

-- Wednesday's Michigan Supreme Court decision on secret settlement records related to city of

Detroit

police whistle-blower lawsuits, while assuring those records would be made public, likely does not end civil court proceedings related to the text message scandal. Lawyers for Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick have said they are exploring a possible civil lawsuit against whoever leaked to the media the text messages he exchanged with his former chief of staff, Christine Beatty. William Mitchell III, one of Kilpatrick's lawyers, has said the only people who were supposed to receive the text messages from SkyTel of Mississippi were Michael Stefani, a lawyer representing police officers in whistle-blower lawsuits against the city, and Wayne Circuit Judge Michael Callahan, who handled the cases. Callahan has denied ever seeing the records.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080228/OPINION01/802280323/1007/OPINION

Editorial: Mayor's deception damages relations with City Council

Thursday, February 28, 2008

The

Detroit

News Editorial

Documents and transcripts released Wednesday as a result of a Michigan Supreme Court order reveal a relentless campaign of deception on the part of Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick -- a plan that may well have been abetted, sadly, by the city's attorneys.

The state's highest court, in an order affirming a Michigan Court of Appeals ruling, upheld a decision by Wayne Circuit Judge Robert Colombo Jr. to release settlement documents related to a whistle-blower suit brought by

Detroit

police officers who contended they had been punished for investigating possible wrongdoing by the mayor and his associates. The jury agreed and awarded them more than $6 million. By the time the city settled with the officers, the amount had grown to $8.4 million.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080228/OPINION01/802280322/1007/OPINION

Did

Detroit

lawyers violate state rules?

Decisions by city's attorneys cast doubt on whether they acted ethically

Thursday, February 28, 2008

By Larry Dubin

The Michigan Supreme Court got it right. So did Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Robert Colombo Jr. as well as the Michigan Court of Appeals. The documents that the city of

Detroit

argued for concealment should indeed be publicly disclosed. The lawyers for the city of

Detroit

have been misguided in acting as though their only client in this case has been Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080228/NEWS04/80228049/1008/news06

Granholm calls for speedy resolution

By STEVE NEAVLING

February 28, 2008

Gov. Jennifer Granholm said today that local authorities need to act quickly to resolve the text-messaging scandal engulfing Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick before the state and city’s image is further damaged. Granholm declined to say whether she believed the mayor should resign, but noted that the scandal has invited potentially damaging national exposure.“None of this is good for the city or for the state,” she told reporters after a tour of the new environmentally friendly Macomb County Public Works Building in

Clinton

Township

this afternoon.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080228/NEWS06/80228077

Michigan

1 of only 4 states to spend more on prison than college

By DAVID EGGERT

February 28, 2008

LANSING

—

Michigan

is one of just four states to spend more money on prisons than higher education, according to a new report. The study, released Thursday, estimated that

Michigan

spent $1.19 on corrections for every $1 spent on public universities and community colleges last fiscal year. Only

Vermont

’s ratio was higher.

Michigan

was followed by

Oregon

and

Connecticut

.

Minnesota

had the lowest ratio, spending 17 cents on prisons for every $1 on higher education.

http://www.dowagiacnews.com/articles/2008/02/28/news/dnnews5.txt

GOP Chairman Anuzis offers condolences to Buckley family

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Dowagiac Daily News

LANSING

- Michigan Republican Chairman Saulius "Saul" Anuzis offered the following condolences upon the death of author and commentator William Buckley Jr., father of the modern conservative movement."God saw all that he had made, and it was very good," mankind is told at the end of the first chapter of the Book of Genesis. "There is no doubt in my mind that on a beautiful day in 1925, God went back to work and with His best effort made William F. Buckley Jr. Now, God welcomes His very good creation back after an incredible life in which Buckley helped to create the modern conservative movement.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080228/NEWS06/80228041/1008/news06

House urges schools to teach more accurate African history

Legislation aims to eliminate stereotypes, distortions

ASSOCIATED PRESS

February 28, 2008

LANSING — The Michigan House is encouraging schools to focus world history courses on at least one of 10 advanced African kingdoms, not just more the primitive Africans often highlighted in history books. Sponsors of bipartisan legislation passed unanimously Thursday say the history of sub-Sahara African has been grossly distorted for too long, helping to foster false stereotypes. The bills encourage, but don’t require, middle schools and high schools that teach world history to focus on the African kingdoms. Elementary schools that teach African history also are encouraged to focus on the kingdoms.

http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080228/NEWS01/802280411

Health care bills spark conflict between Blue Cross, rivals

February 28, 2008

By Tim Martin

A spate of recent Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan TV and radio ads tell listeners that legislation pending in the state Legislature will keep health insurance affordable and available when they need it most. The state's dominant health insurer is pushing for changes on how prices are set for people who have to buy their own insurance, called the individual market. But critics of the Detroit-based company say the changes Blue Cross is pushing for are a power and money grab by a nonprofit organization that already gets major state tax breaks in exchange for helping make health care more affordable and accessible. Rival insurers say the legislation could raise their costs for doing business and drive away some Blue Cross competition, which could leave customers with higher insurance bills.

http://www.mlive.com/news/citpat/index.ssf?/base/news-23/1198249506254230.xml&coll=3

House OKs SmartZone bill

Tuesday, February 28, 2008

By Kristin Longley

Jackson

County

had a clear message for lawmakers Wednesday: We're ready for a SmartZone. After community leaders testified in

Lansing

, the state House swiftly approved a bill that would allow up to three new SmartZones in

Michigan

, giving

Jackson

a chance to compete for the designation. Formally known as certified technology parks, SmartZones are areas where business and school taxes can be captured to help pay for infrastructure improvements.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080228/NEWS06/802280451/1008/news06

Voter preferences stay secret for now

Judge sets hearing on who can access info from primary

BY KATHY BARKS HOFFMAN

February 28, 2008

LANSING

-- A federal judge granted a request for a preliminary injunction Wednesday in a case challenging who gets access to voter information from

Michigan

's Jan. 15 presidential primary. The American Civil Liberties Union filed the lawsuit last month on behalf of the Green, Libertarian and Reform parties of

Michigan

,

Detroit

weekly newspaper the Metro Times and political consultant David Forsmark.

http://www.mlive.com/flintjournal/index.ssf/2008/02/businesses_bemoan_proposed_fli.html

Businesses bemoan proposed

Flint

tax hike for police

by Joe Lawlor

Thursday February 28, 2008

Flint, Michigan -- Local businesses will pay millions more in taxes if Mayor Don Williamson's proposed tax increase to fund police is passed. General Motors alone likely will have to pony up more than $1 million in additional tax. Its property tax increase alone would be about $500,000. Equipment inside the plants also would be taxed an additional 6.9 mills under the proposal. Williamson floated the tax increase in a surprise announcement during his State of the City address last week, pushing for the proposal to go on the August ballot. Williamson and tax advocates argue that the three-year tax would help fight crime by putting more officers on the streets.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080228/NATION/802280501/1361

Gerald Ford statue in Rotunda gets federal OK

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Associated Press

WASHINGTON

-- A statue of former President Ford is slated to be placed in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. Congressman Vernon Ehlers, a Republican from Ford's hometown of

Grand Rapids

,

Mich.

, said Thursday that a plan for the statue had been approved by the Joint Committee on the Library, which oversees the placement of the statues. Ehlers said it would help "commemorate the life and service" of Ford, who died in late 2006. The Gerald R. Ford Foundation will fund the statue's design, creation and transport. It's unclear when the statue will be unveiled in the Capitol

NATIONAL STORIES

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Vote2008/story?id=4359635&page=1

McCain: Obama Represents Politics of the Past

Republican Front-runner Hits Democrat for Focus on

Iraq

Invasion, "Protectionist" Views

By JAKE TAPPER and BRET HOVELL

Feb. 28, 2008

In his back-and-forth with Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., over Iraq, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., Thursday morning sought to portray the Democratic front-runner as representing the Iraq politics of the past by focusing on the decision to invade in 2003 rather than what to do now.  "That's history, that's the past," McCain told attendees at a town hall meeting at

Rice

University

. "That's talking about what happened before. What we should be talking about is what we're going to do now. And what we're going to do now is continue this strategy which is succeeding in

Iraq

and we are carrying out the goals of the surge, the Iraqi military are taking over more and more of the responsibilities."

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/02/mccains_financing_righteousnes.html

McCain in A Glass House

February 28, 2008

By George Will

WASHINGTON

- Certain kinds of conservatives, distrusting Richard Nixon's ideological elasticity, rejected him -- until 1973. Although it had become clear his administration was a crime wave, they embraced him because the media were his tormentors. Today such conservatives, whose political compasses are controlled, albeit negatively, by The New York Times, have embraced John McCain. He, although no stickler about social niceties (see below), should thank the Times, for two reasons.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2008/02/27/AR2008022703647.html?wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter&sid=ST2008022703886

Empty, Open Arms

John McCain Wants Conservatives by His Side. Fine, They Say, Just Move This Way.

By Kevin Merida

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Chris Pohl came to the recent Conservative Political Action Conference in

Washington

to peddle hats. As political gimmicks go, his was rather ingenious: a Russian ushanka, complete with fake-fur ear flaps, stamped with the red Communist hammer and sickle and adorned with interchangeable name tags -- Hillary '08 or Obama '08. Twenty-five bucks.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/28/us/politics/28mccain.html?_r=3&ei=5090&en=45d24e7c7a991183&ex=1361941200&oref=slogin&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

McCain’s

Canal Zone

Birth Prompts Queries About Whether That Rules Him Out

February 28, 2008

By CARL HULSE

WASHINGTON

— The question has nagged at the parents of Americans born outside the continental

United States

for generations: Dare their children aspire to grow up and become president? In the case of Senator John McCain of

Arizona

, the issue is becoming more than a matter of parental daydreaming. Mr. McCain’s likely nomination as the Republican candidate for president and the happenstance of his birth in the

Panama Canal Zone

in 1936 are reviving a musty debate that has surfaced periodically since the founders first set quill to parchment and declared that only a “natural-born citizen” can hold the nation’s highest office.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080228/POLITICS01/802280500/1361

McCain says citizenship issue put to rest long ago

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Libby Quaid / Associated Press

RICHARDSON

,

Texas

-- Republican presidential hopeful John McCain said Thursday the question of whether he can run for president, despite being born in the

Panama Canal Zone

, was put to rest 44 years ago in Barry Goldwater's run for the White House. McCain added that he doesn't know why his campaign sought legal analysis of whether his birth outside the continental

United States

might disqualify him from the presidency. The Constitution says only a "natural-born citizen" may serve as president.  McCain's campaign asked former Solicitor General Ted Olson for a legal interpretation of the issue.

McCain himself insists the issue was put to rest when his fellow Arizonan, Barry Goldwater, ran for president in 1964.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/02/experience_issue_wont_beat_oba.html

'Experience' Issue Won't Beat Obama -- McCain Needs 'Vision'

February 28, 2008

By Mort Kondracke

While some polls show that Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is running even with Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) in general election matchups, the Republican has to be considered the underdog -- and will need a compelling positive vision for

America

to catch up.

McCain needs to advance a reformist-conservative alternative to Obama's "Yes, We Can" appeal -- perhaps updating his 2000 Theodore Roosevelt image -- and focus on the economy and health care as well as national security. McCain said this week that if the Iraq War goes badly between now and November, "I lose," but it's not necessarily true that if

Iraq

goes well, he wins.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080228/NATION/362811697/1028/ELECTION

McCain woes keep Huckabee in race

By Stephen Dinan

February 28, 2008

Mike Huckabee said today he's staying in the Republican presidential race because Sen. John McCain might have run afoul of the Federal Election Commission and be unable to campaign for much of the rest of this year. "One reason I felt like it was necessary to stay in this race is it hasn't all been determined," Mr. Huckabee told reporters this morning. "Not only did we not have the delegates all in place for him, but there is a question whether his campaign is going to even be active from now until September."

http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=OGQxYzFjODY5Zjc4MTFhNmI3MjJjY2YyNDE0NTA4OTE

WFB: A Celebration

Remembering our friend and leader.

February 27, 2008

An NRO Symposium

Saddened by the news of our beloved William F. Buckley Jr.’s passing Wednesday morning, National Review Online turned to friends, colleagues, students, and admirers of WFB to help capture his impact on

America

.

William J. Bennett

If “a man of parts” is a description of any man, it surely fit Bill. He could hold forth on such a broad range of issues. I still keep a foot in the university, the academy, and I can tell you — as almost any conservative professor can tell you — that when conservative professors had careers outside their classrooms (and it is a good idea for them to have those), they will rightly credit Bill for giving them that career. I can tick off name after name after name of scholars who were “made” by Bill publishing them, promoting them, and advising them.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/27/AR2008022703161.html

William F. Buckley Jr.

Conservatism loses its most eloquent voice.

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Washington

Post Editorial

READING SOME of the things written about William F. Buckley Jr., yesterday and over the past 30 years or so, one might get the idea that conservatism hardly existed in

America

in the immediate post-World War II era -- that liberalism, however defined, had driven all opposition from the field. This wasn't exactly the case. The halls of Congress did not lack for conservative voices:

Midwest

and Western Republicans who had never accepted the New Deal and all it represented, Southern Democrats fighting a long and ugly battle against racial progress and labor unions, demagogues looking for Reds under every bed.

http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_022708/content/01125106.guest.html

Remembrances of Mr. Buckley

February 27, 2008

By Rush Limbaugh

RUSH: William F. Buckley passed away either late last night or this morning at his home in his study in

Stamford

,

Connecticut

, a place that I have been privileged to visit countless times.  I've been reading some of the quickly produced obits and bios on Buckley on the wire services and I've had a chance to listen to some people on television who worked for him or knew him intimately talking about him, and I want to leave it to others to describe his history and his role in conservatism.  I think a lot of people are not aware of it.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080228.OBAPPRECIATION28/BDAStory/BDA/deaths

As long as he was alive, the liberals could never win

JOHN O'SULLIVAN

February 28, 2008

PRAGUE

-- Whenever Bill Buckley was profiled in the media, he was usually pinned firmly to words such as "impish" and "gadfly." It is easy to understand why. He was a wit - and a reckless wit at that. Asked what he would first do if elected mayor of

New York

in 1965, he replied: "Demand a recount." Bores cling to the consoling thought that such a sharp wit must also be frivolous and ineffectual, but Bill was one of the most effectual men of our time. He sailed several oceans. He played the harpsichord. He authored (annually on his Swiss vacation) a successful series of Cold War thrillers starring the American equivalent to James Bond. He wrote a play - ah, but he also saw it accepted and staged. He served as a

U.S.

diplomat at the United Nations.

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=25237

Bill Buckley: The Founder of the Movement

by Lee Edwards

Posted: 02/28/2008

Bill Buckley was the founder of the modern conservative movement. Others clearly made major contributions -- Russell Kirk, Milton Friedman, Barry Goldwater, Ronald Reagan of course -- but in the 1950s and 1960s Buckley by his words and his actions forced the reigning Liberal Establishment to acknowledge that a major new political force had emerged in

America

. I say “actions” because the founding of National Review in 1955, the creation of Young Americans for Freedom in 1960, the birth of the Conservative Party of New York in 1962, and his campaign for mayor of

New York City

in 1965 were all political acts -- with Bill Buckley the guiding force behind all of them.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/02/political_tectonics_in_texas_s.html

Political Tectonics in

Texas

Should Worry GOP

February 28, 2008

By Jonathan Gurwitz

Democrats across the country are looking to the March 4 primary with anticipation, wondering whether

Texas

will seal the deal for Barack Obama. Or will Hillary Clinton salvage her campaign in the Lone Star state and, as in

California

, will Hispanic voters give her a decisive victory? Texas Republicans watching the two Democrats crisscross the state anxiously ponder a different question: Will 2008 mark the beginning of the end of GOP supremacy? During a two-decade span that began in the early 1980s,

Texas

went from being a one-party state dominated by Democrats to a one-party state dominated by Republicans. No Democrat has won a statewide election since 1994.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/29/us/politics/29donate.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

Obama and Clinton Flush With Cash From February

By MICHAEL LUO and JEFF ZELENY

Published: February 29, 2008

Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton each had a record-breaking month of fund-raising in February, bringing in more than $80 million combined, but with Mr. Obama again far outraising Mrs. Clinton..Mr. Obama’s campaign did not release an official estimate of its February fund-raising on Thursday. But several major donors estimated it to be about $50 million, based on their calculations and knowledge of tallies during the month, when on many days the campaign took in as much as $2 million.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/29/us/politics/29oppo.html?ref=politics

For Obama, a Taste of the Real

Battle

Ahead

By ADAM NAGOURNEY

Published: February 29, 2008

WASHINGTON — When Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton goes after Senator Barack Obama these days, she presses him on the details of his health care plan, criticizes the wording of his campaign mailings and likens his promise of change to celestial choirs.

But if Mr. Obama becomes the Democratic presidential nominee, he is sure to face an onslaught from Republicans and their allies that will be very different in tone and intensity from what he has faced so far.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/02/the_somali_dress_is_just_the_b.html

The Somali Dress is Just the Beginning

February 28, 2008

By Peter Brown

If Barack Obama wins the Democratic presidential nomination, the flap over the picture in which he is dressed as a Somali elder is very likely to be just the first of a number of disputes about what constitutes a legitimate tactic in this new political era. In fact, it would be surprising if the whole question of what should and should not be out of bounds in the campaign does not become a more frequent feature in the general election fight against Republican John McCain. Not because McCain has a history of using campaign tactics that might offend the typical voter; in fact, his reputation is that he is cleaner than the average politician.

http://time-blog.com/real_clear_politics/2008/02/hillarys_failed_frame.html

Hillary's Failed Frame

by TOM BEVAN 

February 28, 2008

The cornerstone of Hillary Clinton's strategy over the course of the campaign has been to contrast her greatest perceived strength - experience - with the relatively thin resume of Senator Obama. Yet despite being on her fourth or fifth iteration of this message, she's clearly failed to make the case with Democratic primary voters that her experience makes her a significantly better choice than Obama. So why has she failed? It's not because Democrats don't value experience. Indeed most polls suggest Democrats consider experience nearly as important as their desire for change, and

Clinton

has maintained large advantages over Obama on the question of experience throughout the primary season.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/02/hillarys_closeup.html

Hillary's Close-Up

February 28, 2008

By Daniel Henninger

Has anyone else out there begun to find that it is easier to make sense of the struggle between Hillary and Barack if one thinks in terms of film tragedies? Several have been unspooling in my mind these days: "All About Eve," "Sunset Boulevard," "A Star Is Born," even "Bonnie and Clyde," if one assumes the Clintons are going to either pull off this heist or go down in a blaze of bullets. Hillary's star is being eclipsed. Why?

A year ago, Hillary Clinton assumed the effort would bring her the prize. Instead, it has brought her to the precipice. What happened? What was supposed to be triumph has turned to tragedy. Who rewrote the plot?

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/02/clinton-playing.html

Clinton

: Playing Field for Her as Candidate Not Even Because of Her Gender

February 28, 2008

By Jake Tapper

In an interview with ABC News' Cynthia McFadden to air on this evening's "Nightline," Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., says it's tougher for her to run as a woman than it is for her male opponent. Asked why she thinks so many women may be feeling sorry for her,

Clinton

said, "I think a lot of women project their own feelings and their lives onto me, and they see how hard this is.  It's hard.  It's hard being a woman out there.  It is obviously challenging with some of the things that are said that are not even personal to me so much as they are about women.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/28/opinion/28collins.html?ref=opinion

Hillary, Buckeye Girl

By GAIL COLLINS

Published: February 28, 2008

Hillary Clinton were a state, she’d be

Ohio

.  This is a no-frills kind of place, suspicious of glamour. Barack Obama’s promise to make politics cool again doesn’t necessarily resonate here. Eight presidents came from

Ohio

, and the coolest was William McKinley. When I grew up in

Cincinnati

, we always rooted for the players who worked really, really hard, not the ones who were so talented they made everything look easy. If Hillary were a baseball player, she’d be Pete Rose. Minus, of course, the unfortunate gambling issues and the tendency to scratch inappropriate places while standing in the infield.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120416026976098291.html?mod=special_page_campaign2008_leftbox

Suddenly, a

Split

in Big Votes Would Do

Anything Less in

Texas

,

Ohio

Would Put Pressure On

Clinton

to Clear Out

By JACKIE CALMES

February 28, 2008

CLEVELAND

-- After Tuesday's debate here between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, local congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones joined other

Clinton

supporters in the "spin room" to tell the media why her candidate won the skirmish -- and ultimately would win the war for the Democratic presidential nomination. One of the first questions: What would she do if Sen. Clinton ends her campaign?

http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080228/COMMENTARY05/332932894/1028/ELECTION

Hillary down to the wire

By Donald Lambro

February 28, 2008

Hillary Clinton's mercurial campaign is reaping the law of diminishing returns. With each change in strategy, mood and tactics, she falls further behind her arch-nemesis Barack Obama. Nothing seems to work for the

New York

senator who has tried four voice tone changes and multiple personalities in an attempt to pierce Mr. Obama's cool, unflappable, self-confident demeanor. Whether it's the experience strategy that proclaimed she was "ready to lead on Day One," her attacks on his superior oratorical skills, the humbling admission she was proud to be in a race with Mr. Obama, or the angry, over-the-top "shame on you, Barack Obama" for identifying her with the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that she praised in her book — nothing works. Her polling numbers keep drifting lower and Mr. Obama's keep rising. The tightly disciplined Mr. Obama keeps his message focused on "change," while Hillary keeps changing her message.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0208/8754.html

Bush attacks Obama foreign policy plan

By: Mike Allen

Feb 28, 2008

President Bush attacked a key foreign policy stance of Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), contending heatedly at a news conference Thursday morning that talking to dictators without preconditions can be dangerous and counterproductive. Obama’s argument that the president “should never fear to negotiate” with America’s enemies — including Cuba's new leader, Raul Castro — is one of his clearest differences with his rival for the presidential nomination, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.).

http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080228/NATION/903864450/1001

Bush slams rogue-nation talks

By Jon Ward

February 28, 2008

WASHINGTON — President Bush has refused, except on a few occasions, to talk about the 2008 presidential race, but today he unloaded his most forceful criticism to date of Barack Obama for his promise to meet unconditionally with leaders who are hostile to the U.S. Mr. Bush, in his first White House press conference of 2008, described in detail why he thinks the idea of meeting personally with leaders of rogue nations such as Iran, North Korea, Venezuela and Cuba is a bad idea.

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1717934,00.html

Geldof and Bush: Diary From the Road

Thursday, Feb. 28, 2008

By BOB GELDOF 

I gave the president my book. He raised an eyebrow. "Who wrote this for ya, Geldof?" he said without looking up from the cover. Very dry. "Who will you get to read it for you, Mr. President?" I replied. No response. The Most Powerful Man in the World studied the front cover. Geldof in

Africa

— " 'The international best seller.' You write that bit yourself?" "That's right. It's called marketing. Something you obviously have no clue about or else I wouldn't have to be here telling people your

Africa

story."

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20080228/D8V3GT1O2.html

Bush: US Is Not Headed Into Recession

Feb 28, 2008

By TERENCE HUNT

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush said Thursday the country is not recession-bound and, despite expressing concern about slowing economic growth, rejected for now any additional stimulus efforts. "We acted robustly," he said."We'll see the effects of this pro-growth package," Bush told reporters at a White House news conference, acknowledging that some lawmakers already are talking about a second stimulus package. "Why don't we let stimulus package 1, which seemed like a good idea at the time, have a chance to kick in?"

http://www.georgetownvoice.com/2008-02-28/news/howard-dean-talks-politics-in-icc

Howard Dean talks politics in ICC

by John Cooke

February 28, 2008

Howard Dean showed up to talk about Black History Month but the focus quickly changed to politics Tuesday night in ICC Auditorium. The Chairman of the Democratic National Committee and former Governor of Vermont contrasted the two parties’ presidential candidates, saying that with a woman and an African-American as the two front-runners, the Democratic field “looks like America,” while the all-white male Republican field “looks like the 1950s and talks like the 1850s.”

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=25234

Econ 101: The Great Depression

02/28/2008

by Gary Wolfram

Some in the media try claim that we are in the beginnings of a recession in an attempt to make the case for larger government intervention in the economy. It is instructive to consider an era when there was a truly severe economic downturn, the Great Depression, in order to give some perspective to our current situation and whether government action is likely to help or hinder things.

                                                                                     

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/02/28/europe/EU-GEN-Britain-Prince-Harry.php