During the course of the hour and 45-minute CNN debate between Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, the RNC communications department was busy sending out emails to reporters on the issues discussed and the candidates’ statements, as they usually do.

Danny Diaz, one of the staffers at the RNC, sent out a total of 13 emails during the debate tonight - 12 of which focused on Mr. Obama. Diaz questioned Obama’s stance on Cuba, immigration, economic policies, foreign policy, and troop funding. He also sent out a couple of emails with the subject: “Another Lifted Line by Obama?”

When asked if this means the RNC has determined Obama the frontrunner, Diaz responded, “What we do is a reflection of political reality.”

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Oshkosh, WI – In his latest shot at the Democratic frontrunner, Sen. John McCain called on his rival to live up to his pledge to take public financing during the general election.

“”It was very clear to me that Senator (Barack) Obama had agreed to having public financing of the general election campaign, if I did the same thing,” McCain said a press conference at a Wisconsin aviation museum Friday. “I am going to keep that commitment…I expect Senator Obama to keep his word to the American people as well.”

McCain is calling on Obama to make good on the commitment the IL Senator made in February 2007 –to take the $85 million lump sum in government cash for the general campaign if his Republican rival did the same. At the time, McCain was the only GOPer who took the Illinois Senator up on the agreement.

Obama spokesperson Bill Burton told the New York Times Friday that the campaign will “address that issue in the general election, when we’re the nominee,” adding, “we’re just not entertaining hypotheticals right now.”

The McCain campaign sees the public financing pledge as a rich political issue to hammer Obama on, but there is also an underlying strategic interest—putting JSM on equal $$ playing field with BHO in the fall. Obama has shown incredible fundraising prowess during the primary season–e.g. he took in $32 million in January to McCain’s $12 million.

**UPDATE**

Per FNC Obama embed Bonney Kapp, the Democratic senator was asked about public financing at an availability in Milwaukee this morning.  Obama is still speaking in very general terms: “If I am the nominee I will make sure our people talk to John McCain’s people to find out if we are willing to abide by the same rules and regulations with respect to the general election going forward. It would be presumptuous of me to start saying now that I am locking in to something when I don’t even know if the other side will agree to it. And I’m not the nominee yet. We’re trying to get through this process. As soon as we do I assure you my folks and John McCain’s folks will sit down and see if we can arrive at a common set of ground rules.”

Fighting the notion that Barack Obama is the true agent of change in this race, Hillary Clinton has long argued that she’s the only candidate with the strength and experience to bring true change. She shifted the angle of attack on that argument in Texas today, saying change is inevitable — but only she can make sure it takes makes a positive difference for Americans.

“I am offering not only 35 years of experience making change on behalf of people, but more than that a sense of how we together can solve our problems to make progress,” she said. “Change is going to happen anyway. Change happens whether we like it or not. The question is not whether we will have change, the question is whether we will have progress that makes a difference in people’s lives.”

As part of that argument, Sen Clinton echoed a line that played a prominent role in another Democratic presidential contender’s campaign. “Our best days as a nation are ahead of us if we do our part,” she said.  “This does not happen by wishing for it. It doesn’t even happen by hoping for it. people live in hope. We have hope. What we need is help. And help is on the way.”

“Help is on the way” first popped up in John Kerry’s speech to the Democratic national convention in 2004; his running mate John Edwards had pushed for “Hope is on the way” instead — a line that Hillary would probably shy away from, for obvious reasons.

David Wilhelm, Bill Clinton’s ‘92 campaign manager came out in support of Barack Obama today on a conference call with reporters - a big symbolic get for the Obama campaign. Obama senior advisor David Axelrod told reporters, “I think there are a lot of people who were for Bill Clinton who are for Barack Obama today, so he represents a whole group of people who are coming our way.”

On the call, Wilhelm explained why he is backing the newcomer Obama over his old boss’ wife. “He has momentum, perhaps undeniable momentum among Democratic primary voters,” he explained. “We should embrace the candidate who owns change, who owns optimism, who owns the future, who owns idealism, who knows that change is is competitive advantage and is prepared to drive that message of discipline and enthusiasm at every opportunity,” he said.

As a former campaign manager, Wihelm said he especially appreciates organization - and the Obama campaign clearly impressed him. “It has been a masterful campaign - he has out-worked, out-organized and out-rasied his opponents every step of the way. As a former campaign manager, I know organizational excellence when I see it. And the Obama campaign, win or lose, will serve as a model for future generations to come.” He added, “The Obama campaign has overcome truly daunting organizational odds, not to mention the aura of inevitability and that should provide Democrats with confidence.”

Aside from the symbolic value of his support, Wilhelm will also provide tangible tactical help. He explained that the campaign has not been shy about asking for advice - and help with the race for superdelegate support. Wilhelm, also an Ohio superdelegate himself, decided in part to announce his support now “to begin the process that, I think it’s inevitable, of evening up the superdelegate count,” in other words, help spark some kind of domino effect.

Acknowledging the potential superdelegate pitfall for Obama - one where he might win a majority of pledged delegate support, but lose the superdelegate vote, Wilhelm stated, “If superdelegates overrule the choice of Democratic primary voters, that would be a very difficult and divisive scenario for the party. I think it’s unlikely scenario at the end of the day. I think it’s one we should work hard to avoid.”

Which is why Wilhelm will be working the phones to start convincing other superdelegates to support Obama.

Political endorsements, for all their promise of acquiring additional financial support, have long been seen as meaningless in swaying voters. Yet in this tight two-way Democratic presidential race between senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, there is one endorsement that may well determine the outcome of the race—that of former presidential candidate John Edwards.

Both Clinton and Obama all too clearly understand the impact his support will carry, and, of course, have courted him for several weeks. Obama reportedly expressed interest in Edwards’ endorsement before he even dropped from the race. Clinton said on Saturday that she intends to ask Edwards “to be a part of anything I do at the White House,” and praised his universal health care plan and commitment to fighting poverty.

Sources within the Edwards campaign have described the former North Carolina senator as “very torn” over whom to endorse, adding that he has been in talks with Clinton and Obama “for weeks”—a revelation that has surprised many, especially those who believed an Obama backing was inevitable. On the campaign trail and in debates, Edwards often criticized Clinton by labeling her “an agent of the status quo,” while aligning himself with Obama for advocating change.

Whoever ends up winning Edwards’ support will stand to gain both delegates and supporters, and the stakes are high in a race in which the three biggest primaries still lie ahead—Ohio, Pennsylvnia, and Texas. Though it is not clear whom he will choose, Edwards’ indecisiveness—assuming it is genuine—indicates he is not completely convinced yet that either candidate is best suited to take the White House. He will likely evaluate their candidacies based on the issues he devoted himself to—fighting poverty, offering universal health care, and standing up to big businesses and their powerful lobbies.

Whom do YOU think he will endorse? I welcome your comments.

As he campaigns around the country promoting his wife’s social and economic policies, Bill Clinton never fails to add another dimension to his wife’s drawing power: she is electable among Republicans. In recent days, the former President has touted her ability to work effectively with GOP leaders to pass bipartisan legislation—a capacity that contradicts voters’ perception of Hillary as a polarizing figure. To illustrate his point, Clinton has continually made reference to John McCain whom Hillary worked with to pass bipartisan legislation to combat global warming.

Clinton has also talked up his wife’s electability among even the most “crusty Republicans”—particularly in New York state, where she won 60 percent of the vote in 40 of the state’s Republican counties during her senate reelection campaign in 2006. Clinton described the vast land mass of New York as mostly “rural, agricultural, and Republican.” In drawing attention to his wife’s legislative achievements and popularity among New York’s Republicans, Clinton’s strategy appears to be aimed at projecting her as a unifying leader who will reach out to all people regardless of their party affiliation.

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Fox has confirmed that Senator Clinton loaned herself $5 million from her personal fortune to offset being massively outraised (and outspent in most states) by her rival Barack Obama. Campaign chairman Terry McAuliffe — himself a prodigious fundraiser — has said the Clinton camp raised $13.5m in January, compared with a whopping $32m for Obama.

In a statement, Clinton communications director Howard Wolfson says “Late last month Senator Clinton loaned her campaign $5 million. The loan illustrates Sen. Clinton’s commitment to this effort and to ensuring that our campaign has the resources it needs to compete and win across this nation. We have had one of our best fundraising efforts ever on the web today and our Super Tuesday victories will only help in bringing more support for her candidacy.”

Obama survived the lean summer months of lackluster poll numbers with big fundraising windfalls from donors; with the delegate count next to even and a big fundraising edge forcing Clinton to scramble to kick in her own cash, it’s hard to buy the Obama spin that she’s still the frontrunner.

UPDATE: Clinton herself just told reporters that she did in fact loan the campaign $5m from her own money. “We had a great month in January,” she said, “but my opponent was able to raise more money, and we intended to be competitive, and we were, and I think the results last night proved the wisdom of my investment.”

UPDATE 2: Major Garrett confirms that top staffers including campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle are going without pay to save the campaign money. There may be some relief on the horizon: spokesman Phil Singer emailed out a press report claiming that the campaign has raised more than $3 million online in the 24 hours since Feb 5; of course, Obama’s campaign raised $5m online in the same span.

It must be a bizarre thing to give a victory speech when you’ve lost more states than you’ve won (at least so far, though the big enchilada of California is still out there). But that’s what Hillary Clinton just did in New York — where she did bring home a solid victory.

She spent much of the time giving her stump speech, talking about the America she sees — one with health care for all and no war in Iraq. But she also talked about fighting to keep the Republicans out of the White House, saying “I won’t let anyone swift boat this country’s future.”

And she congratulated Barack Obama for his victories, saying she looks forward to continuing the campaign and the debate over how to fix the country’s problems.

It was a subdued speech, different than her tone in previous victory speeches in NH and NV — perhaps because she’s had a cough and voice problems for the last several days, which her advisers chalk up to non-stop campaigning.

Catch the highlights here:

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Major Garrett walks us through Hillary’s Post-Primary Party — and says there’s a lot you can learn about a campaign from its Rally Room.

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Clinton communications director Howard Wolfson just announced that the campaign has accepted a Fox News invitation for a one-on-one debate with Barack Obama in Washington DC on February 11 — the day before the so-called Potomac Primary featuring DC, Virginia, and Maryland. The debate would also air locally on the DC Fox affiliate WTTG.

Clinton also accepted invitations for debates from ABC, where the two candidates would appear on This Week on Sunday; from CNN in Ohio on Feb 27th, and from MSNBC in Texas on the 28th. Both states hold important primaries on March 4th — a date the Clinton campaign anticipates could decide the close delegate race.

Wolfson said the party has been clamoring for more head-to-head debates between the two candidates left standing; “voters ought to have the opportunity to see these two candidates compete against each other in a one-on-one setting.”

And he disputed one reporter’s observation that the candidate calling for debates is usually the candidate who’s in trouble — saying that usually happens with a candidate with low name recognition, a problem Sen Clinton obviously doesn’t have.

Senior strategist and Clinton pollster Mark Penn said the ball’s in Obama’s court on the debates. “Up down or sideways, we’ve been willing participants in debates,” he said. “It’s up to the Obama campaign as to whether they will be as the race has narrowed to a choice between Sen Obama and Hilary Clinton.”

Liberal activists in moveon.org and the blogosphere, as well as former candidate John Edwards, scuttled a Democratic debate on Fox earlier this year. Asked by one of those liberal bloggers, Jane Hamsher of FireDogLake, whether accepting the FNC invitation would “legitimize” Fox News, Wolfson pointed out that both Sen Obama and Sen Clinton have appeared multiple times on Fox — and that the offer to rebroadcast the debate to reach more local voters sweetened the deal.