Is Hillary Running?

So far I have said no, because she has said no, many, many times. No, she is not running in 2016. Although the noise is deafening. The Clinton brand name is a strong one.

She is qualified. Super qualified. No doubt about it. She might be the most qualified person for the job by now.

This reminds me of 2003. Bill Clinton tried to move heaven and earth to try to get her to run. She absolutely refused. She is refusing now.

She is talented, she is qualified, she is prepared. And her elevation would be quite a statement against sexism and ageism. I never thought she was too old. Ronald Reagan was not too old, Joe Biden is not too old. Hillary is not too old. And she is a progressive dream. It will be like FDR's third term. It will be pretty much a no contest election.

But she is not running. That's what she has been saying.

She is the most popular politician in America. She has a mate who is quite a politician. I have been following this couple since 1991. I was in Nepal back then.

I think she will rest for a year. Then she will write a book. Year three she will go on a book tour. And then she might not be able to resist. If she runs no one stands a chance. Bobby will have to run for Governor of another state, since the poor guy is term limited! (Bobby Is Going To Run And Win In 2016)

2008 was personally hard for me. I was conflicted between the idea of the first black president and the first woman president.

If she runs, she will win. And she will do two terms. FDR did not do four terms.

Who do you think she will pick for running mate? How about a woman? I like the idea of two women running the show.

Hillary running and winning could be the best possible thing that could happen to Barack Obama's legacy. If she runs 2016 would be the most uncontested presidential campaign in history.

Did I mention? She has been an excellent Secretary of State.

She has been vetted many, many times over. She is post-sleaze. There is no mud anyone can throw on her. Everything has been tried.

As for agenda, this is my wish list.

1. Gigabit wireless broadband for every human being. 
2. Budget surpluses like Clinton 42. 
3. A female running mate. 
4. A female Secretary of State. (White men have been running the show for so long, having just one female in the Oval Office might not be enough.) 
5. Universal health care. 
6. Universal lifelong education. 
7. Universal credit access in all income brackets.
8. A trillion dollars into global microfinance. 

‘Rodham’ the movie: How to cast Hillary and Bill Clinton?
Why Hillary Clinton Would Be Strong in 2016 (It’s Not Her Favorability Ratings)

Mrs. Clinton might be the most polled about American in history, other than those who have actually become president. ..... The release of the Senate Whitewater committee’s report in June 1996, which largely lacked substantive proof of wrongdoing by Mr. or Mrs. Clinton, seemed to help relieve the strain on her popularity .... Perhaps Mrs. Clinton’s most impressive attribute is her ability to withstand criticism — and often emerge the stronger from it. If she runs for president again, she will surely receive plenty of it.

Newt Gingrich: If Hillary Clinton Runs In 2016, Republicans 'Incapable Of Competing' (VIDEO)

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton regularly brushes off the idea of a 2016 presidential bid. .... A recent Washington Post poll found that 57 percent of people would support Clinton as a 2016 presidential candidate.

Axelrod: Hillary Clinton 'First Among Equals' for 2016 Nomination

“I think the reality of a woman getting elected the president of the United States may be an even more powerful incentive in 2016.” .... how the Democratic establishment would treat 2016: If Clinton gets in, everyone else should get out. ..... The warning extends even to Vice President Joe Biden. Asked about Biden, Axelrod praised his tenure as Obama’s No. 2 and called him a “very formidable candidate.” But among all possible candidates, Axelrod called Clinton “first among equals.” .... "I think a lot of the race is going to center on whatever decision Secretary Clinton makes,” he said. .... It’s unusual that a sitting vice president is considered the second-choice successor to the president, but few believe Biden could defeat Clinton .... Democrats also have a strong desire to nominate a female candidate ..... Clinton’s effusively praised four-year stint as secretary of State and former President Clinton’s tireless campaigning this year on Obama’s behalf. ..... Of course, all of this depends on whether Hillary Clinton runs. And for the umpteenth time this week, the soon-to-be-jobless Clinton—looking forward to a break after stints as first lady, New York senator, and Cabinet secretary—sounded like anything but a candidate eager for another crack at the nation’s highest office. In an interview that aired on Wednesday on ABC, she admitted to Barbara Walters that she is exhausted. “To be honest, I am. When I do something I really want to do it, I want to do it to the best of my ability. That means I pretty much work all the time.” ..... She reiterated that she has no plans to run for office again.

Nancy Pelosi: Hillary Clinton should run in 2016
Are Republicans really 'incapable' of beating Hillary Clinton in 2016?

Clinton holds a 60 percent favorability rating – higher than former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (39 percent), Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida (33 percent), Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin (47 percent) and Vice President Joe Biden (46 percent) .... As Democratic strategist and Clintonite James Carville said on ABC’s "This Week" Sunday, “Every Democrat I know says, ‘God, I hope she runs. We don't need a primary. Let's just go to post with this thing.’ ” ..... Clinton's current popularity, as we've written before, is in part a reflection of the nonpartisan role she's taken as secretary of State, as well as the nostalgia surrounding her husband's now-well-in-the-past White House years. If she were to become an official candidate – coming under attack from rivals, subjected to much harsher scrutiny in the press – it probably wouldn't take long for much of that warmth to fade.

'I am... not only healthy, but have incredible stamina and energy:' Yoga enthusiast Hillary Clinton says she's not too old to run for president in 2016

While she maintains publicly that she has little interest in running for president in 2016, Hillary Clinton doesn't want anyone to think she is too old for the job ... At the same time, Clinton acknowledged that she's exhausted and just wants to 'kick back.' ..... 'Being on planes.. as much as I am, takes something out of anybody, doesn't matter how old you are, or how often you've done it,' she said. Clinton added that she swims and does yoga regularly to keep herself fit and replenish her energy. ..... The soon-to-be former secretary of state said that while 'all doors are open' in terms of her future plans, she has little interest in anything beyond rest and repose for at least the first couple months after her resignation becomes effective. ..... 'I've said I really don't believe that's something I will do again,' she said. ..... Clinton's version of kicking back means reading, writing and resting after traveling and working nonstop for the last couple years. .... she has traveled close to one million miles across 112 countries. ..... 'I go into places where people are lying to me, where people are arguing terrible things to their own people,' she said. 'You know you have to keep finding ways to connect with these people, try to move them somehow toward better behavior. It takes a lot of thought but you have to be rooted yourself to have any chance of doing it.' ..... Walters asked Clinton about her laid-back hair style, which is a topic of much consternation among celebrity bloggers .... 'I do not travel with any hairdresser, or anybody, to help me do that, and I'm not very competent myself. I've been admitting that for years, which should be obvious to everyone.

Hillary set to 'buy a Hamptons house where she and Bill can plot her plans for 2016' and Newt Gingrich even admits that the Republicans have no one that could beat her

The compliment is particularly surprising considering that Gingrich and Bill Clinton famously sparred when they were rivals in the 1990s, and Gingrich was the one to push for the investigation of the then-President's affair with intern Monica Lewinsky. ..... A home befitting two of the country's biggest political heavyweights would easily run in the multi-million dollar range, any the couple are known to enjoy the benefits of a lifestyle that allows private jet use. .... As recently as September 30 of this year, Hillary still has $73,000 remaining of her campaign debt...... She reportedly thinks that one of her biggest mistakes in her last presidential bid was announcing too early, so if she goes for it again, she likely won't say so publicly until mid-2015 .... Speaking engagements and a new book about her time as Secretary of State are two other options for the ways to fill the time- and her bank accounts- but the frankness of those potential opportunities will be limited if she does eventually decide to run for president again.

Hillary Clinton Talks About Her Future, Politics and Hair
Barbara Walters to Hillary Clinton: Are you too old to be president?
Hillary Clinton: At 69, will Hillary Clinton be too old to run for president in 2016?

Certainly not too old--John McCain was 72 when he ran in 2008, and Ronald Reagan was 73 when he ran for his second term in '84. That said, Secretary Clinton has been very clear that she's not planning to run in 2016.

Hillary Clinton For President: Why This Would Be the Best and Worst Choice For Democrats in 2016
How Old Will Hillary Clinton Be in 2016?

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Bill Clinton

I want to know what this guy eats. He makes vegetarianism look appealing.

The Honey Badger

The Madonna Of Global Politics
Hillary's Bobby Kennedy Comment: Bitter Heart, Bad Taste

Now, at age 64, Clinton continues to get heat for being, gasp, a 64-year-old political leader instead of Megan Fox. ..... And in June, author Ed Klein took to the airwaves to dismiss Clinton's chances of running for the White House in 2016 by saying, "She’ll be 69 years old. And as you know — and I don't want to sound anti-feminist here — but she’s not looking good these days. She's looking overweight, and she’s looking very tired." Because you can't run a country if you're not under 35 and skinny. Also, if you have a vagina. .... (One gets the sense that Angela Merkel isn't exactly losing sleep over whether or not you want to bone her, either.) ..... And there is something really, really fantastic about a first lady, United States senator, and secretary of state who has just had it with your stupid questions about what she's wearing, world. Last spring, she told CNN, "I feel so relieved to be at the stage I'm at in my life right now. Because, you know, if I want to wear my glasses, I'm wearing my glasses. If I want to wear my hair back, I'm pulling my hair back. You know, at some point it's just not something that deserves a lot of time and attention." ..... Priorities! Other than the size of her butt! What a radical idea. And it's why, though she may or may not ever get to be president, Hillary Clinton totally rules.

Salon: Hillary Clinton does not have time for your games

Bill Clinton In His Element

Source: CNN

Clinton 08 Is Getting Desperate

• Michigan and Florida don't count.
  
• Obama has won many more states, more votes, more delegates. He almost took Brooklyn.
  
• It has now become technically, mathematically, impossible for Hillary to win enough delegates to secure the nomination. She can not get a 30% margin in OH, TX, PA, which is what she needs. (OH, TX, PA: Treat Them Well)
  
• Obama has more money, and can raise much more, faster.
  
• March 4 will be tougher on her than it ought to have been. She is hastening her demise through the tactics of desperation. Her supporters have started to desert. The negative tone will make things worse for her. (If Hillary Goes Negative, She Finishes Third In Iowa)
• Worst case scenario: she might not even be running mate if she goes too negative now. (Running Mate) There are women governors in Kansas and Washington waiting in the wings. (Barackface: A Ying Yang Scenario, Barackface: A Woman For Running Mate, Perhaps A Governor)
• I think Barack will take Texas. (Hillary's Rudy Strategy: She Will Lose March) Then it is over. If she delivers a good concession speech, she could be running mate. (A Vote For Barack Is Not A Vote Against Hillary)
• The convention will be no firewall. The superdelegates are not going to disrespect the people.
  

Jupiter And Obama (February 2007)

In The News

Do-or-die Hillary turns bully as Obama Times Online an air of desperation in Hillary Clinton’s camp. ..... Obama, 46, is being tarred as a cultish, messianic figure who talks big but cannot deliver. ..... white women, blue collar workers and Hispanics – her core supporters – have begun to peel away. ...... Privately, her mood has darkened after losing eight primaries and caucuses in a row. The reali-sation that without a series of huge victories in the remaining contests it is impossible for Clinton to win enough “pledged” delegates to clinch the nomination has sent her staff into shock. ...... Tempers have been running high within the Clinton camp. ..... Insiders say the atmosphere is dark, even though the fight is not over yet. ..... there have been too many chiefs and not enough Indians ....... friends of Bill or “white boys”, as Penn and Terry McAu-liffe, the campaign chairman, are known, have long viewed “Hillaryland” – the closed circle of female friends – with suspicion. ....... “There was a feeling that nobody was in charge,” said one observer. “She would try to play honest broker and go to Hillary with, ‘Mark says this, Mandy says that, Howard [Wolfson, her communications chief] says this’ when what they needed was a general.” ....... she did not have the nerve to tell her the campaign was haemorrhaging cash at an alarming rate, a troubling sign of the fear and apprehension that Clinton inspires among staff. ....... staff blew through a mind-boggling $130m and still ended up out-organised by Obama ...... Obama ahead by 47% to 43% ....... Bill Clinton is also campaigning with begging bowl in hand for funds. ...... Daughter Chelsea, 27, has gone from silent campaign accessory to full-throttle surrogate, holding rallies of her own on college campuses. Only now is Clinton’s campaign beginning to invest in states that have yet to vote, after assuming that Obama would at this stage be out of the race. ......... Clinton’s camp has been circulating stories criticising the “cult” of Obama in the hope of portraying “Obamania” as a mass delusion ........ “Media figures call Obama supporters’ behaviour ‘creepy’, compare them to Hare Krishna and Charles Manson followers”. ....... The campaign entered a nasty phase last week with the determination of Clinton’s team to revive delegates from the “ghost” primaries of Michigan and Florida, by legal action if necessary. ..... Even some Clinton supporters are aghast at the prospect that she might try to “steal” the election in this way. ..... her last stand at the Alamo. Her Texas firewall may already be crumbling: one poll on Friday put Obama ahead by 48% to 42% ...... Many Democrats predict a bloody civil war should Obama be defeated by the white men in suits who have run the party for decades. ...... Party leaders are watching her performance with apprehension, wondering if she really is willing to tear the Democrats apart in order to capture every last vote. Nancy Pelosi said: “It would be a problem for the party if the verdict would be something different than the public has decided.” ....... Obama’s ability to outmanoeuvre Clinton is showing in the battle for superdelegates. ...... Obama was already planning for the long game.
Clinton Campaign Gearing Up For Convention Showdown CBS News behind the scenes, the Hillary Clinton campaign is gearing up for what could be a nasty fight over the nomination at the Democratic National Convention in August. ...... "The Clinton campaign should focus on winning pledged delegates as a result of elections, not these say or do anything to win tactics that could undermine Democrats’ ability to win the general election.”
Clinton Aide Wants Mich., Fla. Delegates The Associated Press
Op-Ed Columnist The Grand Old White Party Confronts Obama New York Times Regardless of party, it’s hara-kiri for a politician to step into the shadow of even a mediocre speech by Barack Obama. ...... Letterman memorably pegged its lineup of presidential contenders last spring as “guys waiting to tee off at a restricted country club.” ...... McCain jokingly invoked the Obama slogan “I am fired up and ready to go” ...... the G.O.P. looks more like a nostalgic relic than a national political party in contemporary America. A cultural sea change has passed it by. ...... What was only months ago an exotic political experiment is now almost ho-hum. ...... vestiges of the Southern strategy persist in some Republican quarters. ..... Jerry Falwell, once an ardent segregationist, and Pat Robertson, a longtime defender of South African apartheid ....... nativist overkill on illegal immigration. ...... a 2000 Republican National Convention that had more African-Americans onstage than on the floor ....... the so-called millennial generation (dating from 1982) is the largest in American history, boomers included, and that roughly 40 percent of it is African-American, Latino, Asian or racially mixed ....... In the vast arena of the Internet he has been shrunk to Grumpy Old White Guy, the G.O.P. brand incarnate. ....... if she tosses her party into civil war by grabbing ghost delegates from Michigan and Florida. ..... the Republican Party will face Mr. Obama with a candidate who reeks even more of the past and less of change than Mrs. Clinton does. ...... “I am tired of fighting the Vietnam war. I have drifted toward Obama.” ..... it is Mr. Allen who is the foreigner in 21st century America, Mr. Allen who is in the minority in the real world of Virginia. A national rout in 2008 just may be that Republican Party’s last stand.

Obama's Momentum vs. the Clintons' Moxy Forbes, USA Barack Obama leading Hillary Clinton 49% to 37% among likely Democratic primary voters. ..... on February 14 the United Food and Commercial Workers, one of the largest unions in the country, endorsed Barack Obama. The backing of both unions will strengthen Obama’s support in the Hispanic community.

Which Clinton Is Running For President?

It is like Bill Clinton were running for a third term. He is all over the place. He has managed to distort so much about Obama. Suddenly he will have you believe Obama actually voted for the Iraq War.

Obama needs to assemble a rapid response team or he stands to lose, something called a War Room is needed.

I wonder if Clinton 2008 were to win, which Clinton will be sworn in? Which Clinton will walk with the suitcase with which a nuclear strike can be launched?

Bill Clinton has already said he will travel the country as First Lad to sell policy.

Which Clinton will go attend the G8 summits? Which Clinton will go address the UN?

And if Bill Clinton will continue to overshadow Hillary like this all the way, and if Hillary were to be president, will that really count as the first woman who got elected president? I doubt that.

The world will still have to wait for a woman who got elected on her own.

Which Clinton will the CIA brief? Or will the Clintons divide the portfolio? You go to the G8 summit, I go address the UN, next year you can go to the G8 summit.

Would it not be better than to just go ahead and give him some kind of a cabinet position? Or make him ambassador of some far away country?

This is getting confusing. Would it not have been better to just go ahead and amend the constitution so Bill Clinton could legitimately run for a third term?

With Bill Clinton the 1990s slash and burn politics are back.

If Clinton 08 were to get the White House, which Clinton will deliver the State of the Union, I wonder.

What if Hillary is technically speaking the president, but Bill Clinton is the one who generates scandal after scandal? God forbid we have to go through another impeachment, impeachment of the First Lad. Is there such a thing?

Bill Clinton's Swift Tongue

Obama ‘Stunned’ by Clinton ‘Swift Boat’ Claim NewsMax.com Bill Clinton’s assertion that his wife Hillary faced a Republican-style “swift boat” attack during and after the recent Democratic debate has drawn fire from Democratic rival Barack Obama. ...... discussed attempts by the debate moderators and Hillary’s rivals to get her to explain her stance on giving driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants. ..... He likened attacks on Hillary to a “scandalous” 2004 ad by John Kerry’s fellow swift boat Vietnam veterans, which questioned Kerry’s military valor. ...... “Why am I saying this? Because I had the feeling that at the end of that last debate we were about to get into cutesy land again.” ........ “I was pretty stunned by that statement.” .. “How you would then draw an analogy to distorting somebody’s military record is a reach.” .. Even the Hillary Clinton campaign sought to distance Hillary from her husband’s comments. A senior adviser to the campaign said the remarks were considered counterproductive ....... by taking on Bill Clinton, Obama was going after one of Hillary’s key campaign assets

The swift boat ads can be compared to when Max Cleland got labeled a traitor. That is a valid comparison. John Kerry served honorably in Vietnam. You don't put out an ad questioning his patriotism. Max Cleland lost limbs in Vietnam. The guy probably is very patriotic. But the Republicans managed to turn the tables on both of them. Draft dodging duo Bush and Cheney were patriotic, but Kerry, well, he was another story.

But how do you go from there to Hillary Clinton being asked as to where she stands on the issuance of drivers' licenses to illegal immigrants. How is that swift? How is that boat? How is that veteran? How is that an ad?

Bill Clinton is a great guy. He was a great president. He remains a progressive idol. He has a sharp mind. He loves his wife. But this is stretching it even by Bill Clinton's standards.

"Sometimes I hear some of these candidates talking, it's like they make me feel like a mummy. I'm only 61. I don't think I've got a leg in the grave yet."
- Bill Clinton

This is classic Bill Clinton. The only thing any Dem running for president makes Bill Clinton feel is like wanting to hit the campaign trail. Noone makes him fee like a mummy. But he is like, what the heck, so what do I have to say to get these seniors in Iowa to vote for my wife?





In The News

Bill Clinton and Obama Agree: GOP Will Make Immigration an Issue Washington Post, United States "My estimation is that the Republicans will run on two issues, and two issues only," he said. "Terrorism and immigration. That is going to be their campaign." ..... in a way that shows the United States can be a "nation of laws and a nation of immigrants at the same time." ...... The former president is known to believe that of all the issues likely to be at the forefront of the 2008 campaign, immigration holds the greatest potential peril for the Democrats. ...... "It is a difficult, complicated and important issue," he said. "What I thought was not good was waiting until the very end [of the debate], when we were in the part where everybody was supposed to answer the question in 30 seconds, and then asking all the candidates to hold their hands up. Because I thought it made all the Democrats vulnerable to a Swift Boat kind of ad in the general election." ........ Clinton said he has a hard and fast rule. "I don't criticize the other Democrats. I can disagree with them on the issues, but I want to keep our party together. I want us to win in November. And the thing I didn't like about the way that Mr. Russert [NBC's Tim Russert] asked the question was it was like setting them all up to be cartoonized. That's what I mean." ...... The Democratic position takes time to explain and includes plenty of qualifiers to soften the message that they favor providing a path to legal status for the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants now in the country.
Bill Clinton Says His Wife Took the Rap on Health Care New York Times
Bill Clinton Casts Glow Over Wife's Presidential Campaign FOX News No town is too small or off the beaten track for the former president in a state with a tightening race. ...... locals appear happy to have him. Curiosity-seekers ..... Clinton kept them applauding as he pinch-hit for his absent wife ...... "She's tough, she's smart, and she's disciplined, and she definitely can win." ..... only 27 percent of respondents thought a Hillary Clinton presidency would be an extension of her husband's two terms. Sixty-seven percent said it would be different. ....... only 34 percent of respondents believe Hillary Clinton is honest ...... Nov. 4 and 7 shows Hillary Clinton maintaining a strong lead nationally, even though she's slipping. It showed her with 41 percent support over Obama's 22 percent. A similar Rasmussen poll taken in mid-October showed her with 49 percent, and Obama with 22 percent. ....... "Part of it's generational," Obama told FOX News Wednesday. "Senator Clinton and others have been fighting some of the same fights since the '60s." ....... "Hillary and I, maybe we're just artifacts," he said. "Sometimes I hear some of these candidates talking, it's like they make me feel like a mummy. I'm only 61. I don't think I've got a leg in the grave yet." ........... "You know, I was over at the paper and my husband called. I told him I'd lost my voice, and he said, 'I lost my voice in New Hampshire. It's a good omen!' That is my husband, he always sees the bright side of everything," she said.
Ohio Governor Endorses Clinton New York Times, United States I am doing this out of a deeply felt conviction that Senator Clinton has the skills, the experience, the strength, and the courage to be a great president ...... a week-long news cycle that has been largely tough for Mrs. Clinton ...... warning her rivals not to engage in “Swift Boat” style attacks ..... He obviously counsels and advises me every single day ..... she could be heard coughing hard at one point on the phone call today.
Clinton: Bill advises me whenever he can DesMoinesRegister.com “I’m thrilled to have his support and look forward to being able to call on him in every capacity I can imagine.” .... “9,000 active Democrats being whipped up to get ready for the caucuses on Jan. 3.” .... Strickland said “these are very serious times for our nation,” and Clinton has the best understanding of the problems and is the best prepared to lead.
Poll Suggests Clinton Is Vulnerable Wall Street Journal reservations about Sen. Clinton's truthfulness and ideology, even as Americans applaud her experience and leadership qualities. .... She is in a virtual dead heat with leading Republican candidate Rudy Giuliani when the two are matched up. ..... "This is an exceptionally close election" less than a year before Election Day. ...... the former New York City mayor slammed Mrs. Clinton for displaying "the worst of the Clinton years" by equivocating in the debate on driver's licenses for illegal immigrants. "If you think a question about driver's licenses is a tough question, a gotcha question, you're not ready for [Iranian leader Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad," Mr. Giuliani told a New Hampshire town hall meeting a few days ago. ........... noting that in the case of Social Security her demurrals are designed to avoid "a Republican trap."
The Clinton Conundrum: Bill's Defense Undermines Hillary's Candidacy FOX News His stout defense of his wife saps her credibility and raises doubts about her potential strength as a president. With his every speech and utterance, the question grows: Can she stand up for herself or does she need to hide behind her husband? ..... The stereotype of the strong man standing up for his besieged wife is deeply ingrained in our psyche. But even as it feeds admiration for his chivalry, it also undermines her reputation for strength and independence. ....... a global matrix of terrorists ..... Bill Clinton is way too far out there for Hillary’s good. He needs to take the same kind of slow boat to China that he sent her on during his White House years ........ she is ducking issues and dancing around making commitments. ....... a sense that she may be too weak to be president. After all, the men who run Al Qaeda, Iran, Russia and China have a tendency to pile on also. ....... A strong wife implies a weak husband and vice versa. ..... The fact that Bill has been president just makes his intervention the more obvious and politically costly. .... Bill needs to go home and get a life.
If it is the economy, GOP may be in trouble Los Angeles Times
Suzanne Goldenberg asks whether women will vote for Hillary Clinton Guardian Unlimited, UK The most talked-about news story that day was a fashion item in the Washington Post deconstructing Clinton's neckline. Did the sliver of flesh above her V-neck top really constitute cleavage ...... I feel that a woman can represent my interests better - no matter how liberal or progressive a man is ...... Among Latina women in Los Angeles, she ranked ahead of Mother Teresa. African-American women in Philadelphia put her just behind Oprah Winfrey .... her Georgetown mansion ...... the contacts book of that natural-born schmoozer, Bill Clinton ....... a vote for Clinton was a vote for the status quo. ...... It is just 29 years since the first woman was elected to the Senate in her own right, rather than appointed to replace an inconveniently deceased husband or father. ........ the United States ranks 67th - between Zimbabwe and Turkmenistan - in terms of the representation of women. That translates into 16% of the seats in Congress: 71 women members in the 435-seat House of Representatives, and 16 in the 100-seat Senate. ......... "What if she is supposed to push the button to fire the missiles and she can't because she has just done her nails?" ...... "My campaign was almost entirely inspired by my then 10-year-old niece, who was looking at her social studies books and saying: 'But Auntie Carol, all the presidents are boys.'" ....... The words that came to mind when people thought of Hillary Clinton were: Bill, husband, intelligence and strength, but also phoney, sneaky, way too feminist, backstabber and she-devil. ......... The harshest critics are often other women. ...... Ferraro had encountered outrage among some women that she had dared to play in a male arena. ....... When Clinton was endorsed by the National Organisation for Women, a Christian women's group known as the Concerned Women of America put out a sour statement asserting: "Hillary needs a reality check if she thinks that a majority of women voters embrace radical feminism." ....... we talk about Hillary Clinton. Because she is the first, she has tested many of the issues that are really not about her, but about the deeply cultural issues that have kept women out of leadership ............ Only 55% of those polled say the country is ready, and among women the figure is just 51%. ....... Women, Schroeder says, don't have a "uniform" for politics, unlike men with their "red tie, white shirt, blue jacket". ....... Perching on a stool during a debate might allow male candidates to look casual and relaxed, she says; for women, it is a nightmare of worrying whether their slip is showing. ....... Clinton's favourite outdoor pursuit is walking, and when she wants to de-stress she cleans out her closets - neither of which are particularly photogenic. ........ In the 1964 film Kisses for My President, the improbably elected female leader of the free world resigns when she gets pregnant. Her husband rejoices that while it took the votes of millions of women to put the president in office, it took only one man to get her out.
Gender Card: Hillary Shuffles the Deck The Nation., NY a chorus line of media pundits denounced her for having hurt the cause of feminism by acting like the injured girl and dealing the "gender card." ........ I mean, this is the NFL. This is not Wellesley versus Smith in field hockey ...... a morality play in which men are the rescuers and women the victims in need of rescuing ....... "Every suburban mother's greatest fear" was now not a black man's mug shot but a Muslim terrorist's, and every suburban mother was recast as a Security Mom (a mythical creature, as it happened, but that's another story). ...... Both George W. Bush and John Kerry worked hard to position themselves as the King of the Wild Frontier. (Both granted long interviews to hunting and fishing magazines; both bragged about their gun collections; Bush whacked at sagebrush and tree stumps; Kerry stalked wild animals and waved their bloody pelts at journalists.) ........ "Ashley's Story" was critical to the election results. Political analysts scored it "the most effective ad" of the political season ....... when the Kerry's strategists raced to air the ads, they discovered they'd been trumped: The Bush campaign had bought up the commercial time in the big swing states. ......... as much to do with gender as security ...... So far, the only person who has a lock on rescuing women is the one female candidate. ...... By hugging girls while trying to gut equal-opportunity programs, the White House was working hard to institute its own cult of victimhood. ....... at the core of all American political rescue fantasies is a young woman in need.
Buffeted by critics, Clinton hits rough patch Reuters Buffeted by attacks from her rivals and accused of political double-talk, Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton has hit a rough patch on the road to her party's nomination. ........ A big lead in New Hampshire has weakened a bit. ...... A win in Iowa can generate momentum for the next state contest in New Hampshire, and beyond. ....... On the stump, Clinton tries to remain above the fray.
Credit crunch has only just begun: James Saft
Obama Notes 'Reversal' for Clinton on Energy Washington Post her sketchy record on ethanol would catch up with her in Iowa. ........ her previous opposition to ethanol incentives ...... The state produces and consumes it in enormous quantities. Obama's home state of Illinois is another industry leader, and the senator has been a consistent booster. ...... 13 votes cast by Clinton from 2002 to 2006 that could be construed as anti-ethanol ....... Clinton's energy plan aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent from 1990 levels by 2050, and to cut foreign oil imports by two-thirds from 2030 projected levels, more than 10 million barrels per day. ..... Clinton proposed increasing the national goal for biofuel use to 60 billion gallons by 2030, with almost half of that coming from advanced biofuels like cellulosic ethanol, which is more effective at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and can be produced from products other than corn, including straw and woodchips. One state investing heavily in commercial cellulosic ethanol development: New York.
Clinton the target for Democrats in Iowa AFP the rockiest week of her 2008 campaign. ..... In 2003, the dinner was seen as the moment when Senator John Kerry breathed new life into his campaign

Why you should care about Google Android ZDNet UK will be location-based and identity-based ...... Android devices with touchscreens. Since the iPhone, everything has to have a touchscreen ..... There are projections of billions of dollars of advertising revenue from the mobile internet. ........ In exchange for giving up their walled gardens, the operators get the promise of a cheaper handset platform, and one which will develop faster and have more applications — if the Android ecosystem works as planned. ...... Android is already doing far better than any previous Linux phone effort. ...... Android is already doing far better than any previous Linux phone effort. ....... the Open Handset Alliance, a group of 34 hardware and software companies plus wireless carriers committed to creating open standards for mobile devices. ....... Google says that three billion people have mobile phones, compared with the billion on the internet — but the majority of those phones are low-end feature phones that won't be able to benefit from Android. Most of the users are on pre-pay rather than a contract, so they won't be able to benefit from the high-value, identity-related services that might be offered on top of Android.
Ballmer: Google Only Ahead Of Microsoft In Search eWeek

Obama tries to convert promise to support in Iowa Reuters draws big crowds and raises big money ....... a race he entered earlier this year in a blaze of excitement, publicity and record-setting fund raising. ...... "Senator Obama is the only candidate who can bring the sort of change we need. He seems very genuine to me" ...... With less than two months left until the Iowa contest, Obama is spending more time in the state and building a vast grass-roots organization featuring more than 30 field offices that has impressed local Democrats. ....... "We recognize the importance of Iowa -- we're going to be spending the bulk of our time here and in New Hampshire in the last two months," said campaign spokesman Robert Gibbs. New Hampshire is expected to hold the second state contest. ....... one Obama backer said he had the ability to talk directly about issues. ..... "When you ask a question he actually answers it"
Obama takes on Clinton x2 Baltimore Sun ALBIA, Iowa -- At times Thursday, it was as if Sen. Barack Obama was running against two Clintons. ....... "If part of your basis for experience is the work you did on health care, then presumably, when it didn't work that's part of experience as well," he said. .... "My understanding is that President Clinton is not on the ballot."
With Obama In Iowa: "How Are You Going To Beat Hillary?" CBS News A new Zogby Poll out today shows the race in Iowa is tightening. Three percentage points now separate Hillary the Leader from Barack the Challenger. Some suspect that's why Bill Clinton is campaigning in western Iowa today. ........ "Every family has a black sheep," he says to gales of laughter. ...... "Longevity," he shouts, "says nothing about your judgment or your character." He says he will end the war in Iraq during his presidency. "It will be the first thing that I do," he said. ....... A woman asks him, "How are you going to beat Hillary?" ..... He tells another voter he's against Michael Mukasey as attorney general. Torture is torture, says Obama. He can't support someone who is ambivalent or ambiguous about it. ..... he says it is not practical to send 12 million people back home. ...... He handles each topic with relative ease, conveying confidence. His audience listens closely, and unlike many political rallies I've attended, in this one nobody leaves early.
Rumble Is On For Obama CBS News a tougher, more competitive tone in the debates and on the stump ...... “I think there was a period of time when things were static and people liked what they were hearing from me, but they didn't have a sense that there were significant differences between me and Sen. Clinton.” ........ At stop after stop, Obama tries to draw even sharper distinctions with Clinton on Iraq, on Iran, on immigration and on who could better unite the country. Voters are taking notice. “He's sharpening himself and honing himself and I think that's more effective than being Mr. Nice Guy,” said Iowa caucus voter Nancy Nieland. ...... Obama says playing it safe is for others - Clinton for example. “I don’t fault her for that. That is how people have been taught politics in Washington. That’s conventional wisdom, right?” Obama said. “You make yourself a small target by avoiding being definitive about anything.” Democrats have tried that before, he says - and lost.
Firing It Up On the Stump Washington Post the "wine and cheese as opposed to the beer and pretzels crowd" ....... He's a late bloomer. "What I do believe, and this was true of my U.S. Senate race, as we get along in the campaign, my stump speeches get more effective and I become a sharper campaigner," Obama said. ...... he is more jazz than pop. "I tend not to write out my stump speeches," Obama said. "Often times I'm sort of developing them on the stump, figuring out what feels right, what suits my voice. Listening to people's stories - that then informs how I'm talking." ........ his speeches could veer into wonkish territory. ...... He polished up the closing portion, a riff on a early morning visit to Greenwood, S.C. ...... "But here's the thing, Ottumwa," Obama told a crowd in eastern Iowa yesterday. "After about a minute or two, I'm feeling kind of fired up. I'm feeling like I'm ready to go." The audience laughed. "It goes to show you how one voice can change the mood of the room," Obama continues. "And if a voice can change a room it can change a city. And if it can change a city it can change a state. If it can change a state it can change a country, and if it can change a country it can change the world. Your voice can change the world. So I want to know - are you fired up? Ready to go?" The chant filled the school gymnasium as Obama walked off stage.
Now Obama & Clinton are talkin' about her generation USA Today
Obama Focuses on Pensions, Retirement The Associated Press
Obama Ad Targets Blue Collar Workers The Associated Press
Obama vows to ensure 'secure and dignified' retirement Boston Globe
Bill Clinton Says His Wife Took the Rap on Health Care New York Times
Bill Clinton Casts Glow Over Wife's Presidential Campaign FOX News
Clinton: Blame Me for Health Failure The Associated Press
In Surveys, Clinton, Giuliani Gain Edge on Primary Rivals Wall Street Journal
Giuliani, Clinton Lead Presidential Race The Associated Press
Clinton vs. Giuliani: Two Sinister Pols Could Face Off Bay Area Indymedia
Clinton Gets an Instant Chance to Wield a New Weapon New York Times
Tips from the Clinton campaign San Diego Union Tribune Hillary Clinton's detractors accuse her of being a lot of things: too liberal, too divisive and, now, a lousy tipper. ..... National Public Radio aired an interview with Anita Esterday, an Iowa waitress who served Clinton a sandwich during a drop-by at the Maid-Rite restaurant in Toledo, Iowa, last month. ...... Esterday posed for photos with Clinton and told her how difficult it is being a single mother working two jobs to make ends meet. Clinton may have been a sympathetic listener, but not sympathetic enough to leave a gratuity, the waitress told NPR. "I mean, nobody got left a tip that day," Esterday said. "I don't think she understood what I was saying."

Kerik’s Corruption Case Dogs Giuliani New York Times
McCain offers Ridge in contrast to Kerik Boston Globe
US Senate Confirms Michael Mukasey as Attorney General Voice of America
Body of journalist recovered in Nepal Hindu
Pakistan's Bhutto Under House Arrest, 5000 Supporters Rounded Up ABC News
Two Gangster Films Shed Light on 70s Drug World in New York Voice of America
Congress Turns Back Bush’s Veto in a Test of Power New York Times

Georgia's president moves up elections Los Angeles Times
Musharraf Says He’ll Give Up Army Post and Hold Elections New York Times He made clear that he was counting on a newly formed Supreme Court, filled with appointees loyal to him, to confirm his re-election as president. ....... “There were a lot of arrests all over Punjab, including of women,” said Qasim Zia, a party leader in Lahore. “Police broke down doors to get into the houses.” ....... an unknown number of lawyers -- 1,000 or more, according to some estimates -- have been arrested. ....... a judge in Lahore, Irfan Qadir, who granted bail to 54 human rights advocates arrested Sunday, was removed from the bench and relegated to a desk job as a way of punishment ........ The leader of the lawyers’ movement, Aitzaz Ahsan, a Cambridge University attorney, was allowed his first visitor Wednesday ...... Under the measure, journalists whose reports bring “ridicule or disrepute” on General Musharraf and other officials could face up to three years in prison. ....... The president appeared to have a plan in mind for the future that would preserve his position as president without any interference from an independent judiciary
Nepal's peace process Economist two local Maoist officials had shot Mr Sah dead, on the orders of their local superior but outside party policy ....... The Terai, the southern plain, is now the most violent part of Nepal. Perpetrators include the Maoists, a string of new militant and criminal groups, and the army and police. There are now more than 20 Terai factions, mostly claiming to espouse the rights of the marginalised southern peoples known as Madhesis. The daily litany of violence recalls the war years. In recent days a youth was burnt to death, a local politician had his throat slit and a bomb in the town of Birgunj killed one person. ......... the minorities' sense of continued discrimination; the politicians' obsession with short-term political gain ...... As the Maoists struggle to overcome internal divisions between hardliners and pragmatists, their Young Communist League has revived their old system of parallel government and rough justice. ....... The army's hardliners, however, resent any hint of UN involvement.
In First Bush Veto Override, Senate Enacts Water Bill New York Times
Pro-Kurdish party calls for autonomy in SE Turkey Reuters Nearly 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict since the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) guerrillas took up arms to fight for a Kurdish homeland in southeastern Turkey. ........ "A democratic and federal system is the most suitable solution (to Turkey's Kurdish problem)," Aysel Tugluk, an influential Democratic Society Party (DTP) lawmaker, told a party convention in Ankara. ....... "Everyone knows very well that the solution to the Kurdish problem lies in democratic moves rather than (military) operations," Tugluk said.
Britney Spears must provide drug lab with 1 good phone number KESQ
Obama Ad Targets Blue Collar Workers FOX News
Obama Focuses on Pensions, Retirement The Associated Press
Obama vows to ensure 'secure and dignified' retirement Boston Globe
Obama plane lands in wrong Iowa city Reuters From the air, one Iowa city can look a lot like another. Or so it seems. .... Bill Clinton was legendary for running on his own clock ...... The pilot landed Obama’s campaign plane in Des Moines instead of Cedar Rapids, forcing a quick take-off again to fly the 127 miles to Cedar Rapids and making his rally more than an hour late. ...... “What can I tell you?” Obama asked Kay Henderson of Radio Iowa on Wednesday. “Apparently our pilot’s been logging in a lot of miles.”
Obama campaign plane off-course by 150 miles Baltimore Sun
Right State, Wrong Town for Obama New York Times
Obama: Here's $1000 Chicago Sun-Times
Obama targets economic fears Boston Globe
Obama proposes tax-and-benefit program aimed at women, working ... Kansas City Star
Giuliani, Clinton Lead Presidential Race The Associated Press
Poll: Clinton lagging in quest for male voters USA Today
OPINION: Look For Organized Effort to Gang Up on Clinton ABC News
Clinton 'victim' defense apparently backfires Newsday
Clinton Says Debate Made Dems Vulnerable The Associated Press Former President Clinton said Wednesday that all the Democratic presidential candidates could be open to a "swift boat kind of ad" if they try to give quick responses to complicated issues like driver's licenses for illegal immigrants. ...... "I thought it made all the Democrats vulnerable to a swift-boat-kind of ad in the general election," Clinton told reporters after a rally at a South Side ballroom with several hundred of his wife's supporters. The event was closed to the media. "When you have complicated issues, you don't want to turn them into two-dimensional cartoons," he said.
Oh-eight (D): It's a bird, it's a plane... MSNBC
China to Olympic athletes: Bring Bibles if you want USA Today
Bush-Sarkozy: A Love Supreme? TIME
In a Surprise, Pat Robertson Backs Giuliani New York Times
Google Android Just a Press Release, Says Ballmer PC World
Petrol pump Google maps to help lost US drivers ABC Online more reliable than asking a stranger. ..... The new pumps will start coming into service next month.
WiMAX to Hold a $36.4 Billion Market Ad-Hoc-News
Despite $380 million loss, Ford is optimistic International Herald Tribune
Beckham star attraction for 48172 soccer fans in Vancouver Canada.com
SOCCER: BECKHAM OVERSOLD, PELE CONTENDS Globe and Mail
Beckham says he respects Pele but MLS knew what they were getting The Canadian Press
Bill Gates voted most influential IT personality of past 25 years TG Daily
Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Michael Dell Top List of IT Influencers InformationWeek
Yellowstone Is Rising on Swollen "Supervolcano" National Geographic Its central region, called the Yellowstone caldera, has been moving upward since mid-2004 at a rate of up to three inches (seven centimeters) a year—more than three times faster than has ever been measured. ..... an infusion of magma about 6 miles (10 kilometers) underground ...... Yellowstone is situated on a giant, geologically active feature known as a supervolcano. ...... "It's hundreds of times bigger than Mount St. Helens" ...... Much of the park sits in a caldera, or crater, some 40 miles (70 kilometers) across, which formed when the cone of the massive volcano collapsed in a titanic eruption 640,000 years ago. ....... three similarly large blasts in the past two million years, with 30 smaller eruptions since the caldera formed. ....... "Since … about 14,000 years ago, the Yellowstone caldera has inflated and deflated about six to eight times without a volcanic eruption" ...... the volcano is produced by a "hot spot" in the Earth's mantle, a plume of hot rock rising from hundreds of miles below.
Singer-actress Jennifer Lopez confirms pregnancy Reuters
Rosie's Loose Lips Sink MSNBC Ship E! Online
MSNBC and O’Donnell Can’t Make a Deal New York Times Under the heading “the show that never was,” she wrote, “we were close to a deal/almost done.” She added: “well what can u do/2day there is no deal/poof/my career as a pundit is over/ b4 it began.”