Hsu Surrenders; Campaigns Lick Wounds and Revisit Vetting

Four cases, six defendants, $1.1M in contributions

(NEWSER) - A number of Hillary Clinton’s top fundraisers are now caught up in criminal cases, including Galen Capital Group Chairman William P. Danielczyk Jr., who was indicted last week. There are now four major federal cases involving six defendants who raised a total of more than $1.1 million for Clinton’s 2006 Senate campaign and 2008 White House campaign, the Washington Post reports. Danielczyk is accused of skirting campaign finance limits by illegally reimbursing almost $190,000 in donations he'd nominally solicited from others. More»

Tea Party could wreak havoc on the perfect conservative's chances

(NEWSER) - Mitt Romney has done everything right in his quest for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination. His speech at the Values Voters summit this weekend was a perfect expression of his socially and fiscally conservative views; but he garnered a measly 13% in a straw poll, finishing behind Mikes Pence and Huckabee. At what should by all rights be his moment, Romney's cautious conservatism is being swept away as the Tea Party turns the tide, writes Ron Elving for NPR . More»

(NEWSER) - Norman Hsu is a man of many hats, but the Hillary Clinton fundraiser extraordinaire, Ponzi schemer, and onetime fugitive has been sentenced to wear them in prison for the next 24 years. While significantly less than the 30 years prosecutors had asked for, Hsu’s lawyer tells the Wall Street Journal that his client plans an appeal. Though Hsu has admitted guilt, he says the prosecution inflated the size of his Ponzi scheme, which is taken into consideration when sentencing. More»

(NEWSER) - Sarah Palin's resignation speech on Sunday showed how far she's fallen, writes Maureen Dowd: "Once a blazingly confident media darling," the now-former Alaska governor has become a ranting, whiny "Nixon with hair extensions." It's a marked contrast from Hillary Clinton, who on the same day gave an hourlong interview to Meet the Press. Her trajectory has been just the opposite—once "paranoid and press-loathing," the secretary of State is now radiating self-assurance. More»

But 'doubts very much' it will happen, says she's focused on State

(NEWSER) - Hillary Clinton had a hard time today saying she wouldn’t run for president again, the AP reports. Asked by Thai television whether again toss her hat in the ring, the secretary of State said it was “not at all on my radar screen.” Had she given up her presidential dreams? “I don’t know, but I doubt very much that anything like that will ever be part of my life.” More»