DNC Convention = War

Barack Obama increased his lead over Hillary Clinton in a national poll, but the newest Rev. Wright flap and his loss in Pennsylvania appears to have raised doubts about him in voters' minds, the New York Times reports. Democrats favor him over Clinton 46% to 38% in a Times /CBS poll, up from a 3-point lead last month, but fewer people expect him to be the nominee—51%, down from 69%. More »

Republican strategists are tuning out Hillary Clinton as they ramp up their attacks on Barack Obama, writes Jonathan Martin in Politico. The national party is increasingly focusing its ads and money on Obama, and John McCain's camp also puts a definite emphasis on him. A new daily email to reporters about McCain's schedule features an "Audacity Watch" but has yet to mention Clinton. More »

In her first interview with longtime critic Bill O’Reilly, Hillary Clinton called Jeremiah Wright's comments “offensive,” “outrageous,” “off base” and “far out," ABC News reports. She also got a dig in at Barack Obama by saying she's glad he "finally" clarified his views on Wright, the New York Times notes. Fox News offered a peek before the interview airs tonight on the O'Reilly Factor . More »

Most of the 80 unpledged Dem superdelegates in Congress have privately chosen a candidate, and one of Barack Obama’s key Senate surrogates claims most have swung his way, Politico reports. It’s “a matter of timing,” Missouri's Claire McCaskill said. “They would like someone else to act for them before they talk about it in the cold light of day.” More »

Hillary Clinton is strongly urging her supporters to back Barack Obama if he wins the Democratic nomination. Polls have demonstrated that many Clinton and Obama supporters have become so firmly entrenched that they'd prefer to vote for John McCain over a Democratic rival. That would be "the height of political foolishness," said Clinton, who vowed to continue to work hard for the Democratic cause regardless of who becomes the nominee. More »

Hillary Clinton will sit down for the first time with Bill O’Reilly tomorrow, the Los Angeles Times reports. After months of a virtual Democratic boycott of Fox News, and days after Barack Obama sat down with Chris Wallace, the former first lady will face the network’s most famous anchor in an interview to air tomorrow and Thursday on The O’Reilly Factor . More »

Six of 10 pundits Salon asked what Barack Obama should do about the Jeremiah Wright problem say the candidate must get rid of the reverend. Andrew Sullivan calls Wright’s latest remarks “bitter and racist” and “a provocation"; he must be "clearly and irrevocably disowned." Martin Kaplan calls Wright “part of the negative politics that our country needs to transcend.” More »

Hillary Clinton can't be sorry to have Jeremiah Wright back in the news. So it’s interesting that the pastor’s defiant speech and press conference yesterday was scheduled and organized by Barbara Reynolds, an ordained minister, ex- USA Today editor, and ardent Clinton supporter. Reynolds wrote on her blog that by voting for Clinton she was “saying thank you” for her husband's administration. More »

Quick, before the public completely loses interest: Let’s leave aside “guns, bitterness, race, religion, geriatric radicals and other trivia,” and turn to real presidential political issues, Los Angeles Times editors write. They pose some questions that most need answering: For John McCain: You voted against giving workers extended time to file discrimination lawsuits. How will your alternative—education for victims—end biased practices? More »

Barack Obama’s massive donor and networking list—stuffed with data on 2 million people—will make him a major power broker even if his campaign falters, Bloomberg reports. Unlike past hopefuls, Obama has inspired donors to reveal addresses, phone numbers, and even views on specific issues. "It's gigantic," a database company CEO said of the list. More »

Jeremiah Wright’s return to the limelight looks bad for Barack Obama at first blush, but in fact it may be helping the hopeful: Wright is distancing himself from Obama (and mocking his role as a “spiritual advisor”) as he redirects attention to the black church, Christopher Beam writes on Slate. More »

North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley will back Hillary Clinton before next week's key primary, sources tell CNN. The move may give her a boost in a state where she last lagged Barack Obama by double digits. As a superdelegate, Easely also adds one to Clinton's delegate tally—but Obama added one today too with the endorsement of New Mexico Sen. Jeff Bingaman. More »

With the North Carolina primary 1 week away, speculation surrounds John and Elizabeth Edwards, the New York Times reports. The ex-senator may endorse a candidate before the vote, may wait to see how his home state votes—or may sit out the race entirely. What's more, the couple may split along gender lines. More »

With an assist from a pesky, unforgiving press, Bill Clinton has turned into a faux pas machine—making him seem more a liability than an asset for his wife. But the former president is in truth the most convincing person on the campaign trail, and is animated by a deep-seated anger at Barack Obama’s attacks on the Clinton legacy, Ryan Lizza writes in the New Yorker . More »

Democrats are attracting new voters in record numbers, even as the GOP's ranks dip or remain flat. In the seven states that most recently held primaries, more than 1 million new voters registered as Democrats; North Carolina and Indiana have seen triple the Democratic enrollment they did before the 2004 primaries. The Washington Post pays a call on some North Carolina newbies. More »

Hillary Clinton opened a commanding lead in a heads-up race against John McCain in the latest AP-Ipsos poll, leading the GOP’s presumptive nominee 50%-41%. Barack Obama, meanwhile, edged McCain just 46%-44%, a statistical tie. Today's numbers are a gift for Clinton, forwarding her argument that she would be more electable than Obama come November. More »

Moving to beef up his appeal to blue-collar voters in Indiana, Barack Obama is changing the tone of his campaign there, trading big rallies for more intimate town-hall sessions; the weekend included stops at a Methodist church and a basketball court, the New York Times reports. “I’ve got to be more present,” Obama said on Fox News. “I’ve got to be knocking on more doors.” More »

Barack Obama likes to joke that since his campaign started, "babies have been born and are now walking and talking," but he's hardly exaggerating. The last 15 months have seen staffers from both his and Hillary Clinton's camps get married, become parents, and grow increasingly exhausted as the campaign grinds on. The Washington Post takes a closer look at campaign fatigue. More »

Hillary Clinton is riding high from her Keystone State win. After lagging in Gallup polls much of this month, she tied Barack Obama in the latest tracking poll at 47%. She also leads John McCain by 3 points, while Obama is even with the GOP nominee at 45%. The two Democratic hopefuls had been roughly tied with McCain since Gallup started polling election preferences last month. More »

Hillary Clinton wants one last debate before the Indiana and North Carolina primaries next month, and she’s ready to do it Lincoln-Douglas style. “After the last debate, Sen. Obama’s supporters complained a little about the tough questions,” Clinton told a crowd in South Bend today. “I’m offering Senator Obama a chance to debate me, one-on-one, no moderators.” More »