LORETTO, KY – Kentucky loves its horses and its college basketball – and judging by the number of distilleries we drove through on the way to Hillary Clinton’s first campaign event on a four-day tour of the state, it loves its bourbon.

Senator Clinton toured the oldest such distillery in Loretto today, where Makers Mark Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey is produced. She even got to dip a bottle into the company’s trademark red wax to seal it tight – though she admitted she got a little sloppy.

“I think they’re going to give me the bottle because it dripped some,” she told the crowd gathered for a picnic outside. “So I think that I get to take that one home, which is not a hardship, you’ve got to admit.”

“There’s some benefits to running for president, every so often,” she joked.

In the spirit of the place, she even worked some boozy references into her energy plan. “Think of what you could do if we got back to just putting alcohol into the gas tank,” she said. “The model T Ford got better gas mileage than the SUV does today, and it ran on ethanol. You know what it ran on, it ran on moonshine.”

As the crowd whooped and applauded, Clinton continued “it had more power and went further and had more kick than what we see in our cars today. It may be back to the future. I think Kentucky can play a leading role in that, getting us organized for those biofuel futures.”

LORETTO, KY – After seemingly sleepwalking through campaign stops in South Dakota and Oregon, Hillary Clinton got fired up after a visit to a Kentucky distillery – telling voters here that she’s not ready to quit on them.

“You’ve seen all those folks on TV. They keep telling me to quit,” she said. “Maybe I was just raised with the kind of values you were raised. You don’t quit on people, and you don’t quit until you finish what you started, and you don’t quit on America.”

Those TV pundits say Clinton faces an impossible deficit in the delegate count, even if the DNC decides to seat all the delegates from Michigan and Florida – and especially if superdelegates keep flocking to Obama. But the New York Senator continues to make a case that looks past the primary.

“I’m running for president because I believe I would be the best president and I’m the stronger candidate to defeat John McCain in the Fall,” she said. “Right now, I am leading in the popular vote. More Americans have voted for me. Right now, if you add up the states that I have won, it totals 300 electoral votes. You have to have 270 electoral votes to win.”

(more…)

LORETTO, KY — Hillary Clinton told a crowd assembled for a picnic at the Makers Mark bourbon facility that her thoughts and prayers are with Senator Ted Kennedy — hospitalized today after suffering a seizure at his home in Massachusetts.

“We had word this morning that my good friend and a great champion of working people, Senator Ted Kennedy, was rushed to the hospital with symptoms of a stroke,” she said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family, because he has been a champion for health care. Nobody has fought harder to make sure everybody got good health care. And I know that we all join together in wishing him well.”

Clinton pivoted from Kennedy’s hospitalization to the need to implement her universal health care plan. “What Senator Kennedy believes and what I believe and what many others believe is that every American should be entitled to the same health care as your member of congress is entitled to,” she said.

NEW YORK—

Two ads were released today featuring Senator John McCain, but the candidate approved only one. The ad, “Leading” will air in Iowa and aims to play on the still-ongoing battle for the Democratic nomination:

“While Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama argue and fight with each other, John McCain leads.”

The commercial says that the presumptive Republican nominee will “fight against wasteful government spending,” advocates a gas tax holiday, and explains how he wants his health care plan to provide tax credits.

Click here to watch the ad:

The other ad is sponsored by MoveOn.org and is a scathing attack on McCain’s senior advisor, Charlie Black. Black has come under fire during the campaign for his lobbyist history, but today McCain was adamant that Black and campaign manager Rick Davis are no longer practicing lobbyists.

This week the McCain campaign instituted a new vetting procedure to find out if any employees have lobbyist histories, particularly if they have lobbied for any foreign governments. In recent days, three McCain advisors have left the campaign because of embarrassing revelations of work outside the campaign. Newsweek revealed that two aides had lobbied for the military junta in Myanmar in 2002 and just yesterday another staffer left because he was also working for a 527 group opposing the Democratic candidates.

The ad reveals Black’s lobbyist history and calls for him to resign. The commercial says Black “made millions lobbying for the world’s worst tyrants” and names some of them including Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines, Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire, and Jonas Savimbi of Angola—over very graphic images.  The ad was sent to Move On members and concludes with asking members to, “Call John McCain and tell him to fire Charlie Black,” and includes the phone number for McCain headquarters.

Click here to watch the ad:

JUNCTION CITY, Ore — Hillary Clinton says she’s going forward with her long-shot bid for the Democratic nomination until everyone has a chance to vote — and today claimed the lead in at least one measure of presidential preference.

“I’m ahead in the popular vote,” she said at an economic roundtable, after resident Sandy Mehlbrech urged her to stay in the race. “I’ve got about 50,000 more votes, which is really exciting because that’s important.”

While Senator Clinton does indeed lead in the popular vote if every state is counted, most tallies leave off Florida and Michigan, since the candidates were forbidden from campaigning there and their delegates were stripped by the DNC. Obama’s name wasn’t on the ballot in Michigan, further complicating Clinton’s claim.

While she’s an underdog in Oregon, where residents mail in their presidential ballots, Sen Clinton said she had reason to be optimistic. “I heard, I don’t know if this is the latest news, but that most ballots are still out. People are trying to make up their minds,” she said. “Obviously I hope to persuade those of you who haven’t sent in your ballots in Oregon to consider supporting me.”

The rest of the event focused on economic issues, particularly the effect high gas prices arw having on working folks in the state. Sen Clinton placed the blame on President Bush. “As we’re sitting here in this lovely home, President Bush is over in Saudi Arabia having tea with the Saudi leaders, trying to persuade them to either increase supply or lower price. That’s his energy policy,” she said. “I don’t think it’s good energy policy to depend on the kindness of the Saudis and the other OPEC nations, and basically have tea with them while businesses and individuals try to figure out how to afford nearly $4 a gallon gas and $5 a gallon diesel.”

“The Saudis may decide we need to do something to help out President Bush, but that’s just a short term fix that is not going to have any long term consequences. We just have to take a different apprach if we’re going to get serious.”

BATH, SD — Hillary Clinton focused on agriculture at a farm in one of the final two primary states, blasting John McCain for supporting the president’s Farm Bill veto threat.

But she didn’t have much to say about the man she’s battling for the right to run against McCain in November - or the criticism President Bush seemed to be leveling at her Democratic primary opponent.

In Israel, Bush ridiculed those who would negotate with “terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along.” Calling the idea a “foolish delusion,” Bush compared such talk to the appeasement of the Nazis in 1939.

While the White House denies that the comments were aimed at Sen Obama, they’ve been widely interpreted as attacking his stated philosophy of meeting with foreign enemies of the United States, such as Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez and Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Democrats from Howard Dean to Joseph Biden have lashed out at Bush’s critique.

A Clinton spokesperson said it was unlikely that the New York Senator would do the same at this event, but promised a statement that would come down hard the president. The promised statement has yet to be released. In fact, Sen Clinton herself has criticized Obama for the same position — calling a promise of presidential meetings with dictators and despots without preconditions the height of naivite.

On the farm, Clinton tore into McCain for siding with Bush on vetoing the Farm Bill, saying “they’re like two sides of the same coin, and it doesn’t amount to much change.” And while she leveled some gentle criticism at Obama on health care and his “persuade Washington to come together” approach to ending special interest influence in government, she left his name out when criticisng opponents of her gas tax holiday, instead getting a bit defensive over opposition to the idea. “If you don’t have an answer to the problem, then keep your peace,” she said. “Otherwise, come up with your own answer.”

In general, the attacks on McCain are growing in frequency, while the attacks on Obama are delivered with less and less intensity. With even a 41 point win in West Virginia failing to change the game - and the Edwards endorsement of Obama stealing much of her thunder - even the Clinton campaign seems to have transitioned to a general election mode — but one in which her primary opponent is the Democratic nominee.

CHARLESTON, WV — No suspense in West Virginia tonight. As soon as the polls closed here at 7:30pm, the Fox News Decision Team was able to project Hillary Clinton the winner here, based on exit polls and early returns that show her with a wide lead over Barack Obama

The crowd gathered for Clinton’s victory party inside the Civic Center chanted “It’s Not Over!” as cable hosts announced the results on big screen TVs. Unfortunately for them, pundits and analysts disagree with their assessment — even with Clinton’s big win here.

The New York Senator is expected to meet with about 50 members of her national finance team in Washington tomorrow, as well as superdelegates both committed and uncommitted. Part of her argument: the working class voters that led her to victory in West Virginia are the same ones Democrats need in the Fall — and the same ones that have said they’ll vote for McCain over Obama.

Read the Clinton campaign’s memo on why WV matters after the jump.

(more…)

North Bend, WA–

Senator John McCain continued his “green” tour of the Northwest today with a stop in North Bend, Washington. He was clear that he wants to be seen as a progressive when it comes to curbing climate change, “I will be a President of the United States for the environment. I have a long record of advocacy for our environment and I’m proud of that.”

The presumptive Republican nominee stressed many of the points in his speech on global warming yesterday, such as the importance of cap and trade, the reduction of greenhouse gases, and the link between stalling climate change and protecting America’s national security.

McCain made a clean break with President Bush on the issue of the environment. He was not shy in describing his conflicts with the administration on this issue:

“The President and I have disagreed on this issue for many years. It isn’t a recent disagreement. Beginning in 2002 or 2003 I held hearings as chairman of the commerce committee and I took great exception to the testimony by administration officials on this issue,” He told reporters, “So there’s a long-standing, significant, deep, and strong differences on this issue between myself and the administration. . .”

The Arizona senator said he would be a better protector for the environment than either of his Democratic rivals because his proposal is “doable” and he has been involved in the issue for many years, “They have never, to my knowledge, been involved in legislation, or hearings, nor engagement on this issue. I have a long history,” McCain said, “I traveled around the world and seen the impacts of climate change on the world. I’ve held hearings beginning back after the 2000 presidential campaign.”

The Obama campaign was quick to respond hitting McCain with his own words, “While Barack Obama has brought Republicans and Democrats together around plans to raise our fuel standards and invest in renewable energy, John McCain’s ‘long history’ involves opposing countless measures to invest in renewable fuels and alternative energy technology.”

(more…)

Portland, OR–

Aiming to portray himself as the “greenest” Republican candidate for president in decades, Senator John McCain spoke today on climate change. He made the case that global warming is fact and without the limiting of greenhouse gases using free-market principals it will not just be the environment that will find itself in peril:

“Our economy depends upon clean and affordable alternatives to fossil fuels, and so, in many ways, does our security. A large share of the world’s oil reserves is controlled by foreign powers that do not have our interests at heart. And as our reliance on oil passes away, their power will vanish with it.”

McCain stressed that only the free-market system can help slow climate change, namely using a cap-and trade system:

“And we must do this in a way that gives American businesses new incentives and new rewards to seek, instead of just giving them new taxes to pay and new orders to follow,” McCain said, “The most direct way to achieve this is through a system that sets clear limits on all greenhouse gases, while also allowing the sale of rights to excess emissions. And this is the proposal I will submit to the Congress if I am elected president — a cap-and-trade system to change the dynamic of our energy economy.”

Cap and trade gives companies emission targets or caps and if they produce less emissions then they can trade the surplus. McCain set goals for emissions to be reduced by 60 percent below 1990 levels by 2050, “We will cap emissions according to specific goals, measuring progress by reference to past carbon emissions. By the year 2012, we will seek a return to 2005 levels of emission, by 2020, a return to 1990 levels, and so on until we have achieved at least a reduction of sixty percent below 1990 levels by the year 2050.”

In contrast, McCain’s Democratic rival, Senator Barack Obama has pledged to cut emission rates by 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.

The presumptive Republican nominee gave a swipe at President Bush for not doing enough to maintain the negotiations that lead to the failure of the Kyoto Protocols:

“I will not shirk the mantle of leadership that the United States bears. I will not permit eight long years to pass without serious action on serious challenges,” McCain continued, “I will not accept the same dead-end of failed diplomacy that claimed Kyoto. The United States will lead and will lead with a different approach — an approach that speaks to the interests and obligations of every nation.”

(more…)

LOGAN, WV — Even the most ardent supporters of Hillary Clinton’s long-shot bid for the nomination now recognize the kind of results she needs from here on out if she’s to have a chance. Introducing the NY Senator at a rally in West Virginia’s coal country, State Senate Majority Leader Harry Truman Chafin told the crowd “you think it’s loud in here, wait until we win by 80-20.”

Chafin said Hillary supporters in West Virginia need to send a message to the national media — which has all but written Clinton off. “We’ve got to give her a vote tomorrow of 80-20 or 90-10,” he said, raising the bar even higher. “This is a national election. We will be responsible for making the national media understand that you will be President of the United States.”

Clinton wouldn’t go that far herself, but said tomorrow’s primary will be “a crucial turning point” in the battle for the nomination. “West Virginia has a record of picking presidents. West Virginia made it possible for President Kennedy to become the President of the United States. West Virginia in the general election votes for the winner,” she said. “I think it’s real important for people to pay attention to what West Virginians do.”

Clinton campaign spokesman Mo Elleithee smiled when asked about Chafin’s comments, saying “we appreciate his exuberance, but we expect it will be a closer race than that.”