Articles of Interest 5-3-2008

186 Days until Election Day

MORNING UPDATE:

LIVINGSTON COUNTY GOP LINCOLN DAY DINNER…another huge success. I joined Congressman Mike Rogers and a big crowd of excited and committed Republicans.  Congressman Rogers lead off the night…a great leader for Michigan and our country.

ELSENHEIMER FOR STATE REP....Kevin Elsenheimer agreed to withdraw from the race for the Court of Appeals at the request of the party to give us a better shot at holding this conservative seat.  He agreed to run for re-election and continue his service in the Michigan Legislature and help ensure the House Republicans come back as the Majority Caucus next year. 

We certainly understand how difficult of a decision this was for Kevin considering his family priorities and the level of support demonstrated by the over 10,000 signatures he turned in this week.  Thanks to Kevin for being an all around team player and helping the party.

U.P. TOUR DOES ESCANABA…The Political and Candidate & Party Assistance teams were on the road again yesterday on the UP "Unity Road Show" for our fourth and final stop in Escanaba .  We had a great group of local party people from Menominee, Delta, and Dickenson Counties including Arlene Bright chair for Menominee and one of the 1st district Congressional candidates, Linda Goldthorpe.  Thanks to you to all that attended and participated.

McCAIN IN MICHIGAN…Senator McCain will be in Michigan for a fundraiser and Town Hall meeting next week.  Details below…join us where you can.
McCain’s Town Hall flyer here:

http://migop.blogs.com/blog/2008/05/senator-mccain.html

HOUSE REPUBLICAN DINNER…Governor Pawlenty will be our featured guest on May 5th at the Rock Financial Center in Novi…more info below.

PETITION CIRCULATORS…time is running out.  If you have petitions for our federal candidates…please mail them in so they can track their progress.

LATEST TRACKING POLL…to early to mean much other than it’s a horse race!

Rasmussen Tracking
4/27 - 4/30 (1700 Likely Voters)

McCain 46%
Obama 43%

McCain 44%
Clinton 44%

MICHIGAN MATTERS…Carol Cain brings Brooks Patterson, Kwame Kilpatrick, Robert Ficano and Crouchman together for a great show.  "Michigan Matters" airs Saturday on CBS Detroit at 11 a.m. and is repeated on Sunday on CW 50 at 11:30.

HUGHES SULLIVAN SHOW…I’ve become a weekly guest on the Hughes Sullivan Show on WDTK-AM 1400, which is broadcast in metro Detroit every evening.  Good, conservative talk radio.  You can hear it online at http://wdtkam.townhall.com/ or my interviews every Monday and Friday night between 8:20-9:00pm.

FORWARD THESE EMAILS…yes, feel free to forward these emails to any of your friends or like-minded souls.  Our goal is to spread the message and give activists the tools they need to be better informed.  If anyone wants to sign up directly, just shoot me an email and we’ll add them to our email list.

THE REST OF THE STORY:

McCAIN IN MICHIGAN.

Next week Senator John McCain has two events for people to attend here in Michigan!

Tuesday night May 6, Senator John McCain will be attending a Fund Raising Reception hosted at the home of Peter and Danialle Karmanos with special guest Governor Mitt Romney.  The cost is $2,300 per person and you should contact Sarah Prues Hecker at 313-586-4314 or sarah@prueshecker.com for more information and to RSVP.  The event starts at 5:30 PM.

Wednesday morning Senator John McCain will also hold a Town Hall Meeting at Oakland University in the Shotwell-Gustafson Pavilion (adjacent to Meadow Brook Hall) at 280 South Adams Road in Rochester.  There is no cost to this event, no tickets are needed, and doors open at 8:00 AM.  You can RSVP at Michigan@JohnMcCain.com.

HOUSE REPUBLICAN DINNER DETAILS.

The MRP is doing all we can to assist the Michigan State House Republican Campaign Committee (HRCC) to add seats this November and reclaim the Majority lost in 2006. The HRCC will be holding its annual dinner on May 5th. Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty will deliver the keynote. This will be a great event. Location, time and cost details below.

Diamond Center
Rock Financial Showplace
46100 Grand River Avenue
Novi, MI 48374
To RSVP please call 517-371-1830 or mihrcc@gmail.com

5:00 – 6:00 PM ~ VIP Reception
$5,000/Couple

5:30 PM – 7:30 PM ~ Strolling Dinner
$1,000/Person
$5,000/Silver Sponsor*
$10,000/Gold Sponsor**
$20,000/Platinum Sponsor***

*Silver sponsors will receive 5 tickets to dinner, or 2 tickets to attend the VIP reception
**Gold sponsors will receive 10 tickets to dinner, including 2 tickets to attend the VIP reception
*** Platinum sponsors will receive 20 tickets to dinner, including 4 tickets to attend the VIP reception

Saul Anuzis

STATE STORIES

http://www.dailypressandargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080502/NEWS01/80502026/1002

Rogers

: We need

America

to believe in itself again

It was something the congressman didn’t want to hear or see after visiting students at

Okemos

High School

.  Students seemed dejected with the state of the country.“They honestly believed the world was going to combust in 26 minutes,” said U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Brighton. “I was shocked — shocked, and said ‘oh, wow,’ what work do we have to do.’” 

Rogers

stressed the importance of getting Americans to believe in

America

again, and how Democrats’ increased taxation and regulation are hindering the country’s progress during his keynote address at the Livingston County Republican Party’s annual Lincoln Day dinner Friday evening.  A key way to getting

America

to believe in itself again,

Rogers

noted, was to stop increasing taxes and over-regulating industries, both of which have stymied the country’s growth.  “The Democrats, instead of providing incentives and rewarding General Motors for producing a lithium-iron battery for cars instead say ... ‘we’re going to tell you how to build your car,’”

Rogers

offered as an example.  He also criticized Democrats for increasing taxes for businesses and those who are married, and for allowing emissions trading.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080503/POLITICS/805030326/1409/METRO

Mich.

prison costs could reach $500M

25% larger price tag in four years predicted if inmate population keeps increasing.

Gary Heinlein and Charlie Cain /

Detroit

News

Lansing

Bureau

Saturday, May 3, 2008

LANSING

--

Michigan

's $2 billion prison system will cost another $500 million in four years -- a 25 percent increase -- unless policymakers can reduce the number of lawbreakers who end up behind bars.   That's one conclusion from a new report on the state corrections system by the respected Citizens Research Council of Michigan, which projects the 50,200-inmate population will swell by 5,800 in that time.   The report was unveiled on Friday at a meeting of about 100 prison experts who sought answers to the question: Can we reduce prison spending and protect residents?   Matthew Johnson, a fellow at the council, said corrections officials have reduced the number of inmates entering prison, but once in, they stay about a year longer than the national average. In addition, costs for health care, utilities and wages "are growing at a faster rate than they have historically," he said.   Neither Johnson nor the rest of the participants endorsed a particular way of getting a handle on prison costs. They exchanged such ideas as diverting substance abusers and mentally ill offenders into non--prison programs, generally agreeing the state can't afford the kind of added spending the Citizens Research Council projects.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080503/NEWS06/805030320/1008

Tax incentives for filmmakers reel in 13 new movie projects

Perks to shoot in

Mich.

worth millions

BY

DAWSON

BELL

FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

May 3, 2008

LANSING

-- The first 13 deals have been signed under a new law offering lucrative incentives to filmmakers to bring their projects to

Michigan

, state officials said Friday.  But Michiganders will have to wait to find out what films and commercials their tax dollars are underwriting, as state officials cited tax law and a privacy disclosure provision in the law approved last month by Gov. Jennifer Granholm and the Legislature.  The incentives are considered the most generous in the nation.  Total

Michigan

production costs from the projects are estimated at more than $100 million, with state government rebating about $39 million if the work is completed, said Department of Treasury spokesman Terry Stanton. 

Stanton

said Friday afternoon that specific details about individual projects and financial agreements with the Michigan Film Office are not being released because they are considered taxpayer records.  Film Office Director Janet Lockwood said the signed agreements don't guarantee that each of the projects will be produced; several, she said, are "probably a little shaky."

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080502/NEWS06/805020326/1008

Dillon recall effort advances

Group opposing tax increases submits 15,498 petition signatures

BY

DAWSON

BELL

FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

May 2, 2008

LANSING -- Antitax activists targeting state House Speaker Andy Dillon submitted what they said were 15,498 recall petition signatures to the

Secretary

of State on Thursday, setting up what could become the first legislative recall election in Michigan since 1983.  Dillon,

D-Redford

Township

, wasted no time in denouncing the effort as a distraction from the state's serious problems -- one that he said has almost no backing from residents of his

Wayne

County

district.  He also said there was a "ridiculous amount" of evidence that many of the petition signatures were obtained illegally. He was joined at a Capitol news conference by about two dozen lawmakers, including a handful of Republicans, who defended Dillon and criticized recalls as an overly blunt instrument for settling political scores.  State elections officials will review the signatures over the next month. If they certify 8,724 as registered voters from Dillon's district, the recall election could be held simultaneously with the regularly scheduled Aug. 5 primary.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080502/POLITICS/805020386/1022/POLITICS

Bid to recall House Speaker Andy Dillon takes historic step

Charlie Cain and Gary Heinlein /

Detroit

News

Lansing

Bureau

Friday, May 2, 2008

LANSING

-- Lengthy challenges, court battles, and a campaign that will suck up hundreds of thousands of dollars are expected in the coming months now that recall backers have turned in signatures to oust House Speaker Andy Dillon -- one of the most powerful people in state government -- because he pushed through $1.4 billion in tax increases last year. No House speaker has ever faced a recall in

Michigan

. And only two lawmakers have been recalled in the state's history.   "Raising taxes in the middle of a recession ... turns out to be a pretty unpopular idea," Leon Drolet, head of the Michigan Taxpayer Alliance, told reporters Thursday as he and several others turned in three boxes filled with what he said were 16,000 recall signatures.   Drolet said his group confirmed in spot checks that at least 11,300 of them were valid -- more than enough to satisfy the legal requirement of 8,724 valid signatures to force a recall vote on Aug. 5.

Dillon, a Redford Township Democrat who has led the House for 16 months, said the recall supporters violated numerous state laws in their campaign.   "It's a sad day in the state of

Michigan

," Dillon told reporters. "It's just not a productive way for us to spend our time."

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080503/METRO01/805030313/1409/METRO

Worthy appeals ruling in Kilpatrick case

Bid renewed to bar 36th District judges in mayor's prosecution, arguing he holds sway over court.

Doug Guthrie / The

Detroit

News

Saturday, May 3, 2008

DETROIT

-- Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy renewed efforts Friday to disqualify all judges in the 36th District Court from presiding over criminal charges against Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and his former chief of staff, Christine Beatty.   In an appeal filed with Chief Wayne County Circuit Judge William J. Giovan, Worthy said not all 31 judges on the bench are biased toward Kilpatrick, but the mayor holds considerable sway over the court.   A key witness in the perjury, obstruction of justice and misconduct in office case is Judge Ruth Carter, who worked for Kilpatrick as the city's corporation counsel. Worthy's brief claimed Carter gave Kilpatrick and Beatty a "plausible reason" to fire Detroit Deputy Police Chief Gary Brown.   Carter also coordinated witnesses for state Attorney General Mike Cox's investigation of rumors of improprieties at an alleged party at the mayor's

Manoogian

Mansion

that Brown was investigating. His dismissal in 2003 set in motion a series of events that led to charges against Beatty and Kilpatrick, who denied an affair during a civil trial brought by Brown last year. Text messages have since emerged contradicting that testimony and their claims that Brown wasn't fired.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080502/NEWS01/805020368

Mayor's camp: Offer a desperate ploy

Worthy bluffing about witnesses, attorneys say

BY JIM SCHAEFER and JOE SWICKARD

FREE PRESS STAFF WRITERS

May 2, 2008

Prosecutor Kym Worthy's offer to meet with Christine Beatty and public assurances that witnesses are lined up to prove the authenticity of the mayor's text messages are ploys to save a thin case, defense lawyers said Thursday.  "This was a plea; this was a cry for help by the prosecutor," lawyer Jim Parkman, part of the mayor's legal team, said at a news conference.  The push back by the defense lawyers showed that, outwardly at least, they would not be intimidated by the prosecutor's confident remarks in Thursday's Free Press about the felony cases against Kilpatrick and former top aide Beatty.  At one point, Parkman brushed aside Worthy's invitation to Beatty to meet for a possible plea deal. Smiling and saying his team's focus is strictly on the mayor's defense, Parkman said of Beatty, "I don't care what she's going to do."  Beatty's lawyer, meanwhile, did not sound like he or Beatty was prepared to accept Worthy's invitation anytime soon.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080503/NEWS01/805030380

Worthy appeals decision on judges

BY SUZETTE HACKNEY

FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

May 3, 2008

The

Wayne

County

prosecutor appealed Friday a decision to allow 36th District Court judges to preside over the criminal case against Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and his former chief of staff, Christine Beatty.  Prosecutor Kym Worthy filed the appeal in Wayne County Circuit Court, asking Chief Judge William Giovan to recuse the 36th District bench from involvement in the case, and order the state court administrator to appoint a visiting judge.  Worthy requested an expedited hearing on or before Friday.  Last week, 36th District Chief Judge Marylin Atkins refused to disqualify Judge Ronald Giles or any judges from the mayor's perjury and misconduct case. A preliminary exam is scheduled for June 9 in Giles' courtroom.  Prosecutors have expressed concern because Giles donated $300 to Kilpatrick's campaign; Giles' wife, Detroit Public Schools' board vice president Joyce Hayes-Giles, and Kilpatrick share the same political associates, and the mayor has been a guest at Giles' home.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080503/NEWS01/805030310/1003

Mayor pushes tunnel sale

Money from

Detroit

's half would shore up budget and avoid service cuts, aide says

BY ZACHARY GORCHOW and NAOMI PATTON

FREE PRESS STAFF WRITERS

May 3, 2008

Drastic cuts in city services as a result of layoffs would result if the Detroit City Council fails to quickly approve a proposed deal to sell the city's half of the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel, a top aide to Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick said Friday.  Deputy Mayor Anthony Adams told the council that the mayor opposes selling bonds to patch the $65-million hole in the 2007-08 fiscal year budget as an alternative to the tunnel deal.

New details also were revealed that show Kilpatrick's tunnel proposal has changed considerably since he proposed a year ago leasing the tunnel to Windsor for 75 years as a way of keeping Detroit's budget balanced without raising taxes or cutting services. Now, the mayor proposes to sell the city's half of the tunnel to an authority appointed by the mayor and council.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080503/METRO/805030328/1409/METRO

Executive vote divides Macomb

Jim Lynch / The

Detroit

News

Saturday, May 3, 2008

MOUNT

CLEMENS

-- The road to a

Macomb

County

executive could begin in earnest at the ballot box Tuesday as residents get the chance to drastically overhaul their government.   Voters will be asked to create an elected charter committee that, if approved, could slash the number of seats on the 26-member county board and consolidate power in the hands of an elected executive.   Proponents of a county executive began pushing the idea in the 1980s, but Tuesday's vote represents the closest they have come in years. Many current commissioners ran on the promise of creating the post, and it has become the central political issue of the past two years, despite deficit budgets, increasing homelessness and rising unemployment.   Supporters say an executive is the best way

Macomb

, the state's third largest county with nearly 900,000 residents, can address its issues and describe it as a move that will put the county on par with its neighbors in

Oakland

and

Wayne

.   "This vote will begin a process that will position

Macomb

County

to have an effective government that can compete for jobs and state resources," said Commissioner Paul Gieleghem,

D-Clinton

Township

. "Voters can elect someone they can hold accountable."

NATIONAL STORIES

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/05/mccains_reform_prescription.html

McCain's Reform Prescription

By Rich Lowry

May 03, 2008

If there's just one candidate of change this fall, John McCain will be the Horatio Seymour or James Cox of 2008 - a presidential also-ran all but forgotten to history.  The only way McCain can hold the White House for the Republicans is if he trumps his opponent on values and national security and sells the public on a domestic reform agenda that keeps Democrats from sole ownership of the theme of change. Otherwise, Barack Obama will out-inspire him, or Hillary Clinton out-policy him, in a classic out-with-the-old election.   McCain would seem a natural candidate of reform, given how often he's used the word during the past decade.  With his hair-trigger sense of honor, McCain's reformism has been driven by what offends him - large, unregulated campaign contributions and wasteful earmarks. But with the cost of health care rising and the value of homes falling, the public is going to look at McCain's politics of honor and wonder: What's in it for them?

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D90DO3400&show_article=1&catnum=3

GOP uses Obama to boost Republican candidates 

May 2 05:00 PM

US

/Eastern

By JIM KUHNHENN

Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - Turns out

Louisiana

and

Mississippi

weren't quite finished with the Democratic presidential campaign.    Sen. Barack Obama won each state's primary earlier this year. But these days his face still appears in television ads in both states, this time from Republicans trying to turn him into a liability for Democrats in two looming special elections for long-held Republican seats.   Democratic victories would be a serious setback for Republicans. But it also would go a long way to reassure nervous Democrats, particularly undecided superdelegates, that Obama would not present a hardship to House or Senate candidates running in tough races.   Democratic losses would give Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton new ammunition to build her case for her presidential candidacy by questioning the sturdiness of Obama's coattails.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/04/02/america/NA-POL-US-Republican-Voting.php

Republicans try to regain control of primary calendar for 2012

April 2, 2008

WASHINGTON

: The Republican Party is trying to avoid a repeat in 2012 of this year's candidate-selection voting fiasco by allowing small states to hold nominating contests before big states.  That would preserve the traditional roles of

Iowa

and

New Hampshire

, two small states that for generations have been the the earliest voting states in both parties' the nominating processes.  A Republican rules committee voted for the new formula on Wednesday, an effort for the party regain control of the presidential primary calendar. It can turn to such side projects since the party's nominee for the November election, Sen. John McCain, already is a virtual certainty.  Both the Republicans and the Democrats lost control of their primary calendars this year, with states violating party rules by holding early votes. The Republicans penalized five states by stripping them of half their delegates to the national convention.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/05/obama_intent_on_running_out_th.html

Obama Intent on Running Out the Clock

By Carl Leubsdorf

May 02, 2008

Barack Obama looks like the quarterback of a football team intent on running out the clock to preserve its lead in a championship game.  By spurning future debates, he seeks to prevent giving rival Hillary Clinton a way to change the course of the game. He is playing it safe to avoid a mistake that could erase the small but firm margin he built through the first three quarters.  As football fans can attest, that's often risky strategy. It has left him on the defensive, trying to contain the recurring flap over the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and fend off rivals' attempts to make political hay over high gasoline prices.   It also makes Mr. Obama look as if he's trying to avoid an opponent's tough criticism. But he agreed to a one-hour interview Sunday on NBC's Meet the Press that should enable him to answer those questions without giving Mrs. Clinton a chance to benefit.

http://www.reason.com/news/show/126287.html

Hillary Rising

Clinton

finally catches a few breaks in

Carolina

Jeff Taylor | May 2, 2008

One month ago Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) faced an uphill climb in

North Carolina

. A few days from Tuesday's primary,

Clinton

has clearly closed in on Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and there are now whispers of a

Clinton

win among her state-wide supporters.  The

Clinton

campaign continues to set the bar low, intending to spin even a close loss to Obama as proof that superdelegates cannot trust the party's nomination to such a weak candidate. However, keep in mind how

Clinton

managed to make up ground in a state where some polls had her trailing by as much as 20 points. The

Clinton

campaign has largely lucked into its recent momentum. 

Clinton

must first thank the state's Republican Party. It's decision to put the most strident anti-Obama ad, one with a heavy dose of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, into the mix two weeks ahead of the primary has rebounded to

Clinton

's advantage. The ad was ostensibly directed at the two Democratic contenders for the governor's race, both of whom have endorsed Obama.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D90DTVPG5&show_article=1&catnum=3

Clinton seeks gas tax vote, Obama calls it 'shell' game 

By DAVID ESPO

May 2 11:42 PM

US

/Eastern

MUNSTER, Ind. (AP) - Hillary Rodham Clinton called for a vote Friday in the Democratic- controlled Congress on a summertime suspension of the federal gasoline tax, a plan that Barack Obama dismissed as a political stunt that would cost thousands of construction jobs.   "It's a Shell game. Literally," Obama said to laughter from his campaign audience, adding it would mean little for hard-pressed consumers.

The Democratic presidential rivals highlighted their differences in ads and speeches across

North Carolina

and

Indiana

, two states with primaries Tuesday.   Polls point toward a particularly close finish in

Indiana

, which is next door to Obama's home state of

Illinois

. Surveys show him with a dwindling advantage in

North Carolina

, and

Clinton

decided to spend all of Friday and Saturday in the state before returning to

Indiana

for a final push. Both candidates addressed the North Carolina Democratic Party's Jefferson-Jackson dinner Friday night.   "

North Carolina

is going to help elect the next president,"

Clinton

called out to a raucous crowd. About an hour later, Obama told the thousands in attendance, "It starts right here, on Tuesday, right here in

North Carolina

!"

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0508/10052.html

Dems cover all bases in N.C.

By BEN SMITH

5/3/08 6:24 AM EST 

North Carolina

is a state of political extremes, one that was represented simultaneously by the arch-conservative Jesse Helms and the progressive standard-bearer John Edwards.   So it would make sense that as two high-octane presidential campaigns sweep through the state, each is basing its central strategy on courting the polar political opposites within the state’s Democratic base. For Barack Obama, it’s students, well-educated voters in the state’s Research Triangle and the African-Americans expected to make up a third of the primary electorate; for Hillary Clinton, it’s the older women and rural voters who have become her base.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/05/02/ST2008050203875.html?hpid=topnews

In D.C. Area, a Superdelegate Tug of War

Obama's Primary Wins,

Clinton

's Ties Intensify Pressure for Support

By Tim Craig, John Wagner and Nikita Stewart

Washington

Post Staff Writers

Saturday, May 3, 2008; Page A01

Maryland Democratic Party Vice Chairman Lauren Glover is fielding calls from Sen. Barack Obama. Jim Leaman, executive director of the Virginia AFL-CIO, is being inundated with personal letters and e-mails from supporters of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. And D.C. Council member Harry Thomas Jr. just wants to be left alone.   Pressure is mounting on the 67 Democratic superdelegates from the District,

Maryland

and

Virginia

to choose between Obama and Clinton in the most heated presidential nomination fight in a generation.   With neither Clinton nor Obama likely to win enough pledged delegates to secure the nomination, the 793 superdelegates nationwide will have the final say on who will face Sen. John McCain of

Arizona

, the presumptive GOP nominee.

Clinton

is ahead in commitments from area superdelegates, but several said they are undecided and others said they are considering switching.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/02/AR2008050203920.html?hpid=topnews

Democrats Step Up Debate on Gas Tax

By Dan Balz and Peter Slevin

Washington

Post Staff Writers

Saturday, May 3, 2008; Page A06

RALEIGH, N.C., May 2 -- Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama escalated their debate Friday over rolling back gasoline taxes, with Obama criticizing her plan to suspend the tax this summer as a costly "political stunt" and with Clinton casting the issue as a choice between standing with consumers or the oil industry.  

Clinton

, sounding a populist tone throughout the day, leveled a sharp blast at energy traders, OPEC nations and the energy industry. She called for a federal investigation of possible market manipulation and urged a much tougher stance toward the energy-producing nations, including possible action before the World Trade Organization.   With both candidates vowing to help turn around the economy, the debate over the gas tax has emerged as one of the most substantive domestic disagreements between Clinton and Obama in their long battle for the Democratic nomination. Although the prospects of congressional action appear minimal, the two have approached their debate confident that it can help them in the short term.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/05/tall_tales_about_tuskegee.html

Tall Tales About

Tuskegee

By Jonah Goldberg

May 02, 2008

‘Based on this

Tuskegee

experiment ... I believe our government is capable of doing anything.” So said the Rev. Jeremiah Wright when asked if he stood by his claim that “the government lied about inventing the HIV virus as a means of genocide against people of color.”  The infamous

Tuskegee

experiment is the Medusa’s head of black left-wing paranoia. Whenever someone laments the fact that anywhere from 10 percent to 33 percent of African Americans believe the

U.S.

government invented AIDS to kill blacks, someone will say, “That’s not so crazy when you consider what happened at

Tuskegee

.”  But it is crazy. And it’s dishonest.  Wright says the

U.S.

government “purposely infected African-American men with syphilis.” This is a lie, and no knowledgeable historian says otherwise. And yet, this untruth pops up routinely. In March, CNN commentator Roland Martin defended Wright, saying, “That actually did, indeed, happen.” On Fox News, the allegation has gone unchallenged on Hannity & Colmes and The O’Reilly Factor. Obery Hendricks, a prominent author and visiting scholar at

Princeton

University

, told O’Reilly “I do know that the government injected syphilis into black men at the Tuskegee Institute. Now we know that the government is capable of doing those things.”

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/02/clinton-im-an-economic-engine/

Clinton

: I’m an Economic Engine!

By Mark Leibovich

May 2, 2008,  5:48 pm

Presidential candidates get hundreds, maybe thousands of requests for their autograph in a given day on the stump. Inevitably, they are asked to sign items bearing their names or likeness. Yet none more so than Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, who has inspired all manner of posters, night gowns, T-shirts, bibs and whatnot over the years.  “I feel that I am a one-woman economic-development operation,” Mrs. Clinton marveled in a brief interview after a 20-minute flesh-pressing session that followed a rally Thursday night in

Terre Haute

,

Ind.

  As with any rope line, Mrs. Clinton was called on to sign mostly pro-Hillary merchandise. But some would have to go into the category of plain weird.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080503/NATION/142808445/1001

Obama,

Clinton

spar over gas costs

By Christina Bellantoni

May 3, 2008

RALEIGH, N.C. — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama spent yesterday engaging in terse exchanges about gas prices before changing tone and giving uplifting speeches last night at a dinner for Democrats in one of the two states voting in presidential primaries next week.  Mrs. Clinton, who all day had hammered Mr. Obama for not supporting her plan to suspend the gas tax for the summer, offered him nothing but praise as she called for total party unity come November.  "If Senator Obama is the nominee, you'd better believe I'll work my heart out for him," she said, to raucous cheers from the thousands in attendance at the North Carolina Democratic Party dinner.  The former first lady added that if she wins the nomination, "I know Senator Obama would do the very same for me," inspiring cheers, though fewer of them.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/05/wright_controversy_affects_the.html

Wright Controversy Affects the Polls

By Michael Barone

May 03, 2008

Is the bottom falling out for Barack Obama? It's too early to say that, but there are some disturbing signs. On the positive side, superdelegates still are breaking his way. Rep. Baron Hill, whose southern

Indiana

district almost certainly will vote for Hillary Clinton, came out for Obama. So did fellow Hoosier Joe Andrew, who previously endorsed

Clinton

and who was named Democratic national chairman by Bill Clinton in the 1990s. (James Carville may have another name for him.) Obama is still well ahead among delegates chosen in primaries and caucuses, and he is not very far behind in superdelegates, either.  But what about the voters? Here there are some ominous signs. The latest Fox News poll, conducted after the Rev. Jeremiah Wright's appearance at the National Press Club, showed Obama's favorable/unfavorables at 63 to 27 percent among Democrats, compared to Hillary Clinton's 73 to 22 percent. Suddenly she's not the only one with high negatives. And 36 percent of Democrats say they would be disinclined to vote for Obama because of his longtime relationship with his former pastor. There's more bad news in The Pew Research Center poll of Democrats. Obama's national lead among Democrats is down from 49 to 39 percent to a statistically insignificant 47 to 45 percent.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/03/us/politics/03campaign.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&ref=politics&adxnnlx=1209819675-TwJMCA5tIUSwNFDeRwE0OQ

Suddenly,

North Carolina

Is Facing Tighter Race

By JEFF ZELENY and JODI KANTOR

Published: May 3, 2008

RALEIGH, N.C. — Just days before the North Carolina primary, the Democratic presidential contest in this state is suddenly alive with a fresh air of competition, as Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton seeks to capitalize on a controversy that polls suggest has whittled away some of Senator Barack Obama’s support among white voters.  Not long ago, Mr. Obama was perceived to hold such an advantage that some Democrats here wondered whether Mrs. Clinton would bother to compete vigorously. But the candidates intensified their efforts in the final weekend — both appeared here on Friday evening — and Mr. Obama was eyeing a return on the eve of the election.  “This primary election on Tuesday is a game changer,” Mrs. Clinton told a crowd in

Kinston

. “This is going to make a huge difference in what happens going forward. The entire country — probably even a lot of the world — is looking to see what

North Carolina

decides.”

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/02/clinton-touts-support-from-former-dnc-chiefs/

Clinton

Touts Support from Former D.N.C. Chiefs

By Patrick Healy

May 2, 2008,  2:40 pm

HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. –- One day after a former Democratic National Committee chairman switched his endorsement from Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton to Senator Barack Obama, the Clinton campaign sought to reclaim ground Friday afternoon by releasing a letter from seven former D.N.C. chairs –- and the family of an eighth -– making the case for Mrs. Clinton’s candidacy to Democratic Party leaders.

The switch in allegiances by Joe Andrews, who led the D.N.C. under former President Bill Clinton and is an Indiana super-delegate, came as a most unpleasant surprise to the Clinton camp, which had been enjoying a week of good news cycles and on-message campaign events by Mrs. Clinton.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D90DQ5CO0&show_article=1&catnum=3

Early

Indiana

turnout heavy in strong Obama counties 

May 2 07:21 PM

US

/Eastern

By RICK CALLAHAN

Associated Press Writer

INDIANAPOLIS

(AP) - Early voting in

Indiana

could offer some encouragement to presidential hopeful Barack Obama, who needs a victory in its upcoming primary after a tough few weeks on the campaign trail.   Obama victories in the

Indiana

and

North Carolina

primaries on May 6 could help him regain momentum in his nomination fight against Hillary Rodham Clinton. Obama has been on the defensive because of comments by his former pastor, Jeremiah Wright, and his own comments about people in small towns growing bitter.   About 20 percent of the 127,000-plus absentee ballots received as of early Friday were cast in three Indiana counties—Marion, Monroe and Lake—that political observers believe Obama is strongly favored to win.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D90DP66G0&show_article=1&catnum=3

Clinton

wins

Pa.

primary by a 12-delegate margin 

May 2 06:14 PM

US

/Eastern

By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER

Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton improved on her win in

Pennsylvania

's Democratic primary Friday, picking up two more delegates 10 days after voters went to the polls.   The new delegates increased her margin of victory to 12 delegates, giving

Clinton

a total of 85 delegates in the primary, according to an analysis of election results by The Associated Press. Sen. Barack Obama won 73 delegates.   The final two delegates could not be awarded before Friday because there were incomplete results in two congressional districts. The Pennsylvania Department of State released results for all congressional districts Friday, with 100 percent of the precincts reporting. The results, however, are still unofficial.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0508/10047.html

O, No: Winfrey a no-show

By CARRIE BUDOFF BROWN & JEFFREY RESSNER

5/2/08 6:38 PM EST 

When Barack Obama needed Oprah Winfrey’s help, she delivered. When he needed an infusion of campaign cash, she threw a star-studded fundraiser last summer at her

California

estate. When he needed a big-name draw in the early-primary states, she addressed massive crowds in

Iowa

,

New Hampshire

and

South Carolina

.   And when Obama was looking for a late boost in a critical Super Tuesday state, Winfrey was once again there for him, giving up her Sunday afternoon for a

Los Angeles

rally.   But as Obama faces his most crucial primary day in months and struggles to move past the Rev. Jeremiah Wright controversy, Winfrey is far from the campaign trail, appearing more focused on sweeps — not election — season.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0508/10031.html

DNC coffers dry amid flood of Dem cash

By DAVID PAUL KUHN

5/2/08 4:33 AM EST 

In an election year marked by jaw-dropping Democratic fundraising, one key political player isn’t so flush: The Democratic National Committee.   Despite record hauls by Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton, the DNC has raised less than half the amount taken in by the Republican National Committee.   According to the latest Federal Election Commission reports filed through the end of March, the RNC had $31 million in cash on hand, while the DNC had only $5.3 million. The RNC has raised $36.5 million this year, while the DNC has raised $17.7 million.   The story was equally grim in 2007, when the RNC raised a total of $83 million to the DNC’s $50 million.   “The general election has started; we should be raising $15 million a month,” said one senior DNC official who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The committee is raising less than $6 million each month.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0508/10043.html

Obama can't bluff past Wright issue

By ROGER SIMON

5/2/08 3:56 PM EST 

It is not surprising that so many politicians have such a low opinion of the media; we make it so easy for them to do so.   Take Barack Obama’s handling of the Jeremiah Wright episode. So far, Obama has gotten through this mess not by frankly facing up to what he knew about Wright’s past statements and what he did about them, but by bluffing his way through.   Take Obama’s recent interview on “Today.” In it, Obama explained why he did not speak out sooner to denounce Wright.   “When the first snippets came out, I thought it was important to give him the benefit of the doubt,” Obama said of Wright, “because if I had wanted to be politically expedient, I would have distanced myself and denounced him right away, right? That would have been the easy thing to do.”   Huh? Let’s take a look at that:  “When the first snippets came out, I thought it was important to give him the benefit of the doubt.”  

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=080502220636.lh0xwa85&show_article=1&catnum=3

Gates says putting US troops in Afghan south worth considering 

May 2 06:07 PM

US

/Eastern

 

US Defense

Secretary

Robert Gates said Friday it was worth considering whether to put US forces in charge of NATO's counter-insurgency efforts in southern

Afghanistan

.   Such a move would mark the return of the

US

military to an area that has seen a Taliban resurgence since American troops were replaced less than two years ago by a NATO-led force consisting of Canadian, British and other European troops.   "We're basically just trying to see how do we best provide for unity of command, how do you have the most effective operations possible in Afghanistan," Gates told reporters here.   "But we won't do anything without prior consultations and agreement with our allies." Asked whether putting southern

Afghanistan

under US forces had merit, Gates said: "I certainly think it is worth taking a look at."   The

United States

currently has about 34,000 troops in

Afghanistan

, 16,000 of them under the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in eastern

Afghanistan

.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=080502174658.zw83rsc7&show_article=1&catnum=3

Bush: Jobless data shows

US

economy not 'robust' enough 

May 2 01:48 PM

US

/Eastern

 

US President George W. Bush said Friday that new jobless claims show that the

US

economy is not as "robust" as it should be but expressed confidence that it will eventually recover.   "That's a sign that this economy is not as robust as any of us would like it," Bush said in a speech to a friendly audience at a high-technology firm in

Saint Louis

.   The president, who gets poor marks from the

US

public for his handling of the economy, also mentioned first-quarter US gross domestic product growth, which limped along at a 0.6 percent annual pace.   "That's not good enough for

America

. It's positive growth, but we can do better than that," he said, highlighting cooperation with the US Congress to pass a stimulus package anchored on tax "rebate" checks.   "The good news is, is that we anticipated this. You know, last fall we started to get indications that the economy was going to, you know, slow down," he said. "Believe it or not, you can actually work with Congress sometimes."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/02/AR2008050202501.html

For Bush in Last Year, It's the Principle

As Influence Wanes, He Stays Resolute

By Dan Eggen

Washington

Post Staff Writer

Saturday, May 3, 2008; Page A01

After

U.S.

gasoline prices surged to a record high this week, President Bush strode into the Rose Garden to unveil his plans for coping with skyrocketing energy costs: drill for oil in

Alaska

, add

U.S.

refineries and build more nuclear plants.  Even the White House conceded that the ideas did not have a chance. Democrats howled, Republicans shrugged and

Washington

moved on.   Ignoring the conventions of a lame-duck presidency, Bush is forging ahead with proposals that appear to have little chance of passage during his last nine months, relying on sharp rhetoric and strong-arm tactics in an attempt to influence the Democratic Congress. His plan for housing reform has languished since August, his push for a free trade pact with

Colombia

has been crushed, his climate-warming initiative has been largely ignored and he has yet to persuade the House to pass terrorist-surveillance legislation he deems vital to protecting the country.