The Hillary Endgame

(Newser) - Hillary Clinton poked a little fun at her own image as a problem-solver tonight on the Colbert Report , the AP reports. While taping, Colbert complained about a litany of tech problems and cried out, "Are you telling me there is no one in this theater who can fix the mess we're in?" In walks Clinton. "I can," she said, making quick work of the glitches. "I just love solving problems. Call me anytime. Call me at 3am." More »

(Newser) - George Stephanopolous has drawn fire for posing too many "gotcha" questions at last night's Democratic presidential debate on ABC, but the pundit is sticking to his guns. Stephanopolous says he didn't focus on electability over policy issues by accident. "It's not only, who will be the best president, but who has the best chance of winning," he told Talking Points Memo. More »

(Newser) - John McCain has been quietly winning back Republicans unhappy with the Bush era—and can even claim the support of many moderate Democrats. A new poll shows 20% of the electorate remains undecided, but McCain is now virtually tied with either Democrat—a far better result than the 13-point lead enjoyed last November by unnamed Democrat over unnamed Republican, the AP reports. More »

(Newser) - The pundit class agrees for once: No one (at least in the Democratic Party) benefited from last night’s angry debate. But the left and the right disagree on who’s at fault: The first half was “garbage time,” Jonathan Cohn writes in the New Republic , with the moderators creating “a long infomercial about Obama’s electability issues.” Cohn is shocked that ABC’s finest hit so many nonsense issues—the Weathermen, the lapel pin, Bittergate—and Clinton didn’t hold up well either. More »

(Newser) - The Philadelphia Daily News endorsed Barack Obama today, calling the Democratic choice one “between the past and the future” and saying the campaign season has been a great indication of eventual governing style. Obama's performance proves his administration will be “well-managed, inclusive … freer of the corrupting influence of big-money donors and corporate interests.” The paper says Obama’s vision is “badly” needed. More »

(Newser) - While the Democratic candidates were grinding away at each other last night, some other normally stiff shirts were loosening up at the Radio and Television Correspondents annual dinner in DC. The high points: Dressed in hunting hat and shades (no naked lady), Dick Cheney spoofed Barack Obama’s blue-collar gaffe (“Obviously you’re not the kind to look down on a bitter man who clings to his guns”) and Hillary Clinton’s whiskey shot (“Looked like she replaced Mark Penn with Johnnie Walker.’) More »

(Newser) - Hillary Clinton has criticized Barack Obama for talking down to low-income voters, but the Huffington Post digs up a quote from 1995 that appears to offer a different stance. Strategizing on how to win back working-class voters in the South, she told her husband: "Screw 'em. You don't owe them a thing, Bill. They're doing nothing for you; you don't have to do anything for them." More »

(Newser) - No winner emerged in last night's Democratic presidential debate, but for one columnist the loser was clear: ABC News. Over the course of a commercial-crammed broadcast, moderators Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopolous dwelled on petty half-controversies to incite Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama to get nasty, writes Tom Shales of the Washington Post . More »