At a New Hampshire town hall meeting back in January, before John McCain was the presumptive Republican nominee or even the Republican frontrunner, he made comments that are still making waves on the campaign trail. A Granite State voter started to say that President Bush said we could be in Iraq for 50 years when McCain interrupted. Democrats seemingly limitless ammunition in their quest to win over anti-war voter

“Maybe 100,” he said. “We’ve been in South Korea, we’ve been in Japan for 60 years. We’ve been in South Korea for 50 years or so. That’d be fine with me as long as Americans are not being injured or harmed or wounded or killed. Then it’s fine with me. I hope it would be fine with you if we maintain a presence in a very volatile part of the world where al Qaeda is training, recruiting, equipping, and motivating people every single day,” he continued.

This statement has been used ever since by Democrats in their quest to win over the anti-war vote that makes up much of the Democratic Party’s base.

Senator Obama consistently incorporates McCain’s “hundred year war” into his stump. Today in Lancaster, PA, he mentioned it twice. “You know, John McCain wants to continue a war in Iraq perhaps as long as 100 years,” he told voters at his town hall meeting. He reinforces this by telling voters that he was against the war in 2002 and will end the war in 2009.

For the past couple of days, the McCain camp has sent out releases claiming Obama is “being dishonest when he claims that John McCain has plans for 100 years of warfare in Iraq, it’s not true, and has been repeatedly reported as false. It’s easy to talk about taking on Washington, but when Senator Barack Obama consistently uses Washington’s oldest political tricks and distortions, i smacks of some hypocrisy,” a spokesman said.

Today at a press avail, Senator Obama was asked if he is being unfair, as suggested by the McCain campaign. “I don’t think it’s unfair at all. John McCain, I mean we can run the youtube spot, has said that we will stay there as long as it takes and if it takes another 100 years he’s up for that commitment, and that implies that there is some criteria by which we would understand how long it takes. John McCain has not been clear about what exactly would lead him to decide its time to pullout,” he said in Lititz, PA.

The reporter followed up that even Barack Obama has said he would keep a strike force in Iraq, and troops to guard the embassy and its diplomats. “That’s very different from saying that we’re gonna have a permanent occupation in Iraq,” Obama retorted. “And it’s certainly different from saying that we would have a high level of combat troops inside Iraq for a decade or two decades or as John McCain said, perhaps 100 years. I mean I’m just quoting back what he said, unless you tell me that that’s a misquote.”

When the reporter suggested perhaps McCain had meant he would leave troops in Iraq in the spirit of Germany and Japan, Obama replied, “We’ve been in South Korea for for 50 years and he’s used that as an example as George Bush has, and that is decades. We’re spending 10 billion dollars a month in Iraq right now. Which means that John McCain is willing to sign up for the prospect of spending as much as $150 billion or more each year for who knows how long. That is something that the US cant afford and I think that is going to be a debate we are going to have in the general election should I be the nominee.”

Don’t expect Obama to drop this line from his stump anytime soon.

She’s spent the last few days painting herself as the underdog in the race for the Democratic nomination, so it’s no surprise that Hillary Clinton would express her fondness for the little guy toppling the top dog — even if she was just talking about college basketball.

Walking to the back of the press plane to say goodbye to an NBC cameraman who’s taking a much-deserved break after traveling with the campaign so long that she affectionately refers to him as her “stalker,” Sen Clinton jokingly declined to say anything newsworthy because of the lateness of the hour — but she did talk a little hoops, describing her simple, if highly illogical, bracket strategy: “I used to have a rule that i would vote, when I was in the pools, only for small college teams, predominantly Catholic, North of the Mason-Dixon line.”

She says the tournament’s too complicated for her today, though she did display more than a passing knowledge of who’s playing. The two-point defeat of plucky underdog Davidson by powerhouse Kansas in the Elite Eight snuffed out her hope for one of those exciting upsets she says she’s so fond of; it remains to be seen if she can pull off one of her own.

When asked about Senator Patrick Leahy’s (D-VT) comments in an interview this week that Senator Clinton should drop out of the race, Senator Barack Obama admitted he hadn’t broached the subject with Leahy, who was an early Obama endorser. “My attitude is that Senator Clinton can run as long as she wants. Her name is on the ballot and she is a fierce and formidable competitor and she obviously believes that she would make the best nominee and the best president and I think that, you know, she should be able to compete and her supporters should be able to support her for as long as they are willing or able,” Obama told reporters at a media availability.

Just how long the primary campaign will continue has some Democrats, like Leahy, worried.  The concern is that as Obama and Clinton campaign against each other, the more likely it is the Democratic Party will fracture and Senator McCain will stand to benefit. Obama rejected that notion, saying he though those claims were “overstated.”

“I think the party is going to come together. You can’t tell me that some of my supporters are going to say, ‘well we’d rather have the guy who may want to stay in Iraq for a hundred years because we are mad that Senator Clinton ran a negative ad against Senator Obama.’ I think the converse is true as well,” he explained.

That said, Senator Obama said he hopes the nominee will be selected prior to the Democrat’s August convention. “When we’ve completed all the contests that are remaining, some time in early June, that at that point there are no more contests and I think it is important to pivot as quickly as possible, for the superdelegates or others to make a decision as quickly as possible so that we can settle on a nominee and give that nominee some time before the convention to select a vice president or presidential nominee to start thinking about how the convention should be conducted,” he said.

A brokered convention is something Obama hopes to avoid. “At that point, there won’t be really anything, any further information to be had. We will have had contests in all fifty states plus several terroritories. We will have tallied up the pledge delegate vote. We will have tallied up the popular vote, we will have tallied up how many states that were won by who. And then at that point, I think people should have more than enough information to make a decision.”

Senator Barack Obama references Abraham Lincoln at the beginning of every stump speech. He reminds voters that he announced his candidacy for president last year on the steps of the old state capitol in Sprinfield, Illinois, “the building where Abraham Lincoln served before he went to Washington.” Last week in Eugene, Oregon, Obama declared, “Lincoln’s the man! Let’s give it up for Abraham Lincoln,” soliciting a cheer from the college crowd who came to Obama’s rally.

On the trail, he’s also declared the Lincoln, who served just two years in the U.S. Congress before assuming the presidency, one of his favorite presidents. Just today, he gave a speech at a Pittsburgh memorial, with Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address etched in the wall above the podium.

But today Barack Obama announced that as president, he would “seriously consider” eliminating the penny, the coin that bears the likeness of our 16th president, from circulation. He fielded the question from a Pennsylvanian, who asked the senator if he would consider getting rid of the coin since it costs more money to manufacture than it’s actually worth. “We have been trying to eliminate the penny for quite some time. For some reason, it always come back,” he joked. “I’ve got to find out what it is about, who’s lobbying to keep the penny.”

Someone in the crowd suggested it was Illinois, the Land of Lincoln. “No! Come on! You’re blaming us?” he said with a grin. “I will seriously consider eliminating the penny - as long as we can find Lincoln another place to land. Because Lincoln’s a pretty important guy,” he concluded.

Republican National Committee officials are fuming over Howard Dean’s attack on Sen. McCain as a “blatant opportunist” in a statement issued by the Democratic National Committee Chairman Friday morning.

Responding to news of McCain’s scheduled biography tour to highlight his service record next week, Dean said, “Americans want a real leader who offers real solutions, not a blatant opportunist who doesn’t understand the economy and is promising to keep our troops in Iraq for 100 years.”

“I think it’s an assault on Senator McCain’s character,” said RNC spokesman Alex Conant. “It certainly goes beyond the pale of what we expect– even from Chairman Dean.”

The Dean statement read in full: “The American people have been waiting for a president who understands the challenges they face, not another out of touch Bush Republican who promises four more years of the same failed leadership. John McCain can try to reintroduce himself to the country, but he can’t change the fact that he cast aside his principles to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with President Bush for the last seven years. While we honor McCain’s military service, the fact is Americans want a real leader who offers real solutions, not a blatant opportunist who doesn’t understand the economy and is promising to keep our troops in Iraq for 100 years.”

RNC Deputy Chairman Frank Donatelli responded this afternoon with a statement of his own. “Howard Dean owes John McCain an immediate apology and both Senators Clinton and Obama should unequivocally denounce this disgraceful attack,” Donatelli said.

Conant said the RNC intends to keep the dialogue “respectful,” referring to a memo put out by McCain Campaign Manager Rick Davis earlier this month calling on Republicans to keep the campaign “focused on the issues.”

Denver, CO — John McCain commented–ever so briefly–on the Jeremiah Wright/Barack Obama controversy at a Thursday media availability.

Asked whether a candidate should be held accountable for the views of his pastor, McCain would say only that “knowing Senator Obama..he does not share the extreme views..that I saw on television.”

McCain was on a week-long trip abroad while the Wright debate was broiling and had yet to comment on the issue since returning to the states. While some Republican officials have expressed privately that Obama’s association with the controversial pastor could pay some political dividends in the fall, McCain campaign officials say they intend to keep the upcoming general election debate centered around policy rather than personal issues.

Two polls out this week by Pew and the Wall Street Journal both show that the Wright controversy has done little damage to Obama’s support.

As Barack Obama put it today, this primary season is “like a good movie that lasted about a half and hour too long.” When addressing a crowd in Pittsburgh today, Obama joked, “I think there are some people who felt like God, when will this be over?” He later qualified this by adding, “It’s been hard and tough because both Clinton and I understand what is at stake, how important this race is, how important the next presidency will be to the American people and to families right here in Pennsylvania.”

But there are many within the Democratic Party who agree that the longer the race to determine the Democratic nominee goes on, the more it could fracture the Party and, come November, hurt the eventual nominee. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), who was an early Obama supporter, today told Vermont Public Radio, “There is no way that Senator Clinton is going to win enough delegates to get the nomination…She ought to withdraw and she ought to be backing Senator Obama. Now, obviously that’s a decision that only she can make. Frankly, I feel that she would have a tremendous career in the Senate.”

Neither Senator Obama nor his campaign has suggested that Senator Clinton should drop out of the race, but they are quick to point out that the pledged delegate math doesn’t add up to a Clinton nomination. But it will likely not add up for Obama either as neither candidate is likely to amass the needed 2,024 to win the nomination.

Which brings us to the now infamous superdelegates - the former presidents, governors, senators, congressmen, and other political types who may very well end up holding the fate of the Democratic nominee in their hands should both candidates fall short of that magic number. As it stands now, Clinton still leads Obama in the superdelegate count (250 - 216), but Obama has been closing ground quickly since February 5th, picking up 66 to Clinton’s one. And each superdelegate get is crucial.

Today, Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) became the latest superdelegate to pledge support for Barack Obama. The junior PA senator heaped praise onto Obama for his intellect and his judgment, and told reporters he hoped the Party picks a nominee by late May or early June. “If you get too far into the summer, I think positions begin to harden and I think that we lose time to not just unite and bring people together, but also we’re giving the Republican nominee more time to make the case against our nominees without having enough rebuttal because they’re going to, their nominee will come at us very hard and I think we hope that we can resolve this,” Casey said.

But, Casey also noted he wasn’t sure who the nominee would be, even if he “hopes” it’s Obama.  “[Senator Clinton's] a great Senator, she’s a great leader. And one thing we all agree on, all of us as Democrats across this commonwealth and across this country – we agree on so much, and one thing we agree on is in 2008, we’re going to elect a Democrat to the presidency of the United States.”

And with that observation, the crowd cheered and Obama nodded in agreement.

Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean is calling on Democrats to donate cash in order to ensure Sen. John McCain “doesn’t get a free ride,” in an email sent out to supporters Friday.

As the two Democrats continue to battle for the nomination, Dean tells supporters that they “can’t be complacent,” warning that “every day that goes by where we don’t answer John McCain’s attacks means another opportunity missed, and it erases the work we’ve done so far.” At the start of the month, the DNC trailed their Republican counterparts by more than $20 million in cash on hand.

“We can’t allow John McCain to crisscross the country, fooling the American people with his ‘more of the same’ agenda,” Dean wrote in the email.

Full email…

(more…)

Senator Clinton took her Solutions for the American Economy road show to Mishawaka High School near South Bend, IN, appearing with actor Sean Astin — and like his underdog-turned-hero character in the football movie Rudy (set at nearby Notre Dame), HRC cast herself as the hard working, hard fighting underdog in the race.

“I want the people of Indiana to know, I want every Hoosier to know I’m going to fight for you, for your future, for your jobs,” she said. “You know, there are some people who are saying, you know, we really ought to end this primary, we just ought to shut it down.” The crowd took exception to that idea.

“There was a poll the other day that said 22% of Democrats wanted me to drop out, and 22% wanted Senator Obama to drop out. and 62% said let people vote until we finally know what the outcome is,” she said. “One thing you know about me, when I tell you I’ll fight for you, I’ll get up every day and that’s exactly what I will do.”

While she argues that the voters want the race to continue, the chorus of those calling for her exit is growing. Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy, an Obama supporter, said today Senator Clinton should bow out of the nomination fight. But Hillary says today’s naysayers are the same people who said she couldn’t win an election in New York — where she was reelected last year by overwhelming margins.

“What you have to decide are these just words? Or am I somebody you can count on to deliver?” she asked. “That is what I’ve done in New York, where when I started running, everybody said — the same people who say it about to me today — I could never win. I’d never get Independents or Republicans to vote for me. Well, I just got reelected with 67% of the vote from across the state of New York. and why? Because I believe actions speak louder than words.”

But in the end, with her odds still long, she’s forced to hope that the voters come through for her in states like Indiana. “President Bush will leave next January, and what all of you are trying to decide is who comes next,” she said. As the crowd shouted “you!” Hillary said “I hope so. But that’s going to be up to all of you and millions of Americans.”

As he prepares to launch a “Service to America” biography tour next week, Sen. John McCain launched his first TV ad of the general election Friday, seeking to highlight his patriotism and career of military service.

Titled, “624787,” his military serial number, the 60-second ad will be airing in his neighboring state of New Mexico–a battleground state that Democrats took in 2000 and President Bush reclaimed by a slim margin in 2004.

“Keep that faith. Keep your courage. Stick together. Stay strong. Do not yield. Stand up. We’re Americans. And we’ll never surrender,” McCain says at the top of the spot. A narrator takes over and asks rhetorical questions about McCain’s devotion to protecting the nation and it’s liberties before declaring, “John McCain, the American president Americans have been waiting for.”  The ad includes footage of McCain as a POW in Vietnam being questioned by interrogators.

During McCain’s bio tour next week, he is set to campaign in key cities and places that intend to showcase his service to the country:

–Meridian, MS–naval air station where he served as a flight instructor
–Annapolis, MD–where he attended the Naval Academy
–Pensacola, FL–where he had flight training
–Jacksonville, FL–where he came after his release as a POW from Vietnam
–Prescott, AZ–where his AZ Senate predecessor and 1964 GOP nominee Barry Goldwater launched his general election campaign.

SCRIPT FOR THE MCCAIN AD AFTER JUMP…

(more…)