Subject: Hillary For President News Briefing for Friday, February 01, 2008
From: "Bulletin News Network" <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked], [email-masked]
Date: 1 Feb 2008 06:42:04 -0500

HILLARY FOR PRESIDENT NEWS BRIEFING (Executive Version)
Full version is attached and available online at http://www.bulletinnews.com/clinton

TO: CLINTON CAMPAIGN

DATE: FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2008 6:30 AM EST

TODAY'S TABLE OF CONTENTS

SEN. CLINTON'S CAMPAIGN:

+ Clinton, Obama Reach Out To Edwards Supporters In Polite Debate.

+ Super Tuesday Primaries Unlikely To Settle Democratic Nomination.

+ Clinton To Advertise In Several Big Super Tuesday States.

+ Clinton, Obama Battle For Golden State's Latino Votes.

+ Bill Clinton Takes More Subdued Role In Campaign.

+ Clinton Campaign Co-Chair Took Checks From Rezko.

+ National Archives Opposes Judicial Watch Lawsuit Over Clinton Papers.

+ Obama Campaign Raised Record $32 Million In January.

Sen. Clinton's Campaign:

CLINTON, OBAMA REACH OUT TO EDWARDS SUPPORTERS IN POLITE DEBATE. In their first one-on-one debate last night at the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles, Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton sought to limit their differences to policy questions, engaging in what media reports called "cordial," "congenial," or "civil" banter. The rivals marked the absence of recently departed contender John Edwards by making a play to his supporters.

The AP (2/1, Raum, Pickler) reports Obama and Clinton "kicked off their final debate before Super Tuesday contests on a cordial note, and reached out to backers of former rival John Edwards in their scrappy chase for delegates." Facing "only each other in a debate for the first time, both candidates acknowledged policy differences but also sought to ratchet back what had become increasingly personal attacks." Obama said, "I was friends with Hillary Clinton before we started this campaign. I will be friends with Hillary Clinton after this campaign is over." The AP adds the two "walked briskly together onto the stage of the Kodak Theater, home of the Academy Awards, with Clinton walking in front of Obama and both waving to the audience. There was no attempt to shake hands, avoiding an uncomfortable moment."

The Wall Street Journal (2/1, A4, Chozick, Cooper, 2.06M) reports "several weeks of political jabs largely took hiatus" on Thursday night when Clinton and Obama "set aside differences and threw darts at the Republicans in their first one-on-one debate." The two "sparred sporadically but did not appear to spark any controversy that would dramatically change the race as it heads into a critical stage." Instead of politics, "the debate leaned heavily on policy -- especially in areas such as health-care reform, where the two candidates continue to insist there are differences in their proposals but the public -- and even pundits -- often have trouble seeing them."

The Politico (2/1, Smith) reports that the debate "did little to change a race in which each campaign argues that it has an advantage: Clinton's aides pointing to polls showing she has been leading since the race began, Obama's backers claiming that the momentum is on his side after a week of huge crowds around the country and a month of raising more than $1 million a day." Clinton and Obama "associated themselves repeatedly and obsequiously to" Edwards, "whose endorsement both are seeking, and they shifted toward the assumption that Sen. John McCain will be the Republican nominee for president. 'Somewhere along the line, the Straight Talk Express lost some wheels,' said Obama, referring to McCain's new loyalty to Republican fiscal doctrine."

The Los Angeles Times (2/1, A1, Martelle, 881K) reports in a front page story that Clinton "sought tonight to derail some of the momentum behind rival Sen. Barack Obama in their final debate heading into the coast-to-coast balloting Tuesday that could determine the Democratic presidential nomination." The "two main surviving Democratic contenders struck a congenial tone as they drew distinctions not only between themselves but against whoever emerges as the Republican presidential nominee." Both said they "would fund their proposals by rolling back the Bush administration tax cuts and, in Obama's case, through focusing on preventive care and, in Clinton's case, by finding efficiencies in the delivery of the care itself."

ABC's Nightline (1/31, 11:25 p.m., Moran) reported, "Both candidates came in with a clear plan. Be nice. No nasty swipes or bitter arguments tonight."

SUPER TUESDAY PRIMARIES UNLIKELY TO SETTLE DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION. The Wall Street Journal (1/31, Kronholz, 2.06M) reports that if the Super Tuesday primaries don't determine the Democratic nominee, it "isn't likely to be settled on the floor of this summer's convention, political experts say. But that doesn't mean that a nomination brokered by party leaders is impossible -- or that things won't get even nastier." Norm Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute said, "We don't know what will happen if we end up with two candidates going into the Democratic National Convention with 40% of the delegates each." The Journal ads that at "that point, the loyalty of the candidates' pledged delegates, the intentions of hundreds of currently unpledged 'superdelegates,' the negotiating skill of party leaders and the outcome of a dispute over whether to seat delegates from Florida and Michigan each could prove decisive." The "possibility of a protracted fight and some sort of brokered settlement seems to be growing, taking the party into uncharted territory."

ABC World News (1/31, story 2, 2:25, Stephanopoulos, 8.78M) reported, "If Barack Obama upsets Hillary Clinton in California, that is going to be the story of the night. Also, Massachusetts, Hillary Clinton's had a big lead there all year long. But Barack Obama has the Kennedy endorsement, the Kerry endorsement, Governor Duval Patrick. And right in the middle of the country, Missouri, that's a bell weather state."

NBC Nightly News (1/31, story 9, 2:10, Yang, 9.87M) reported, "The Democrat needs 2,025. Barack Obama is ahead. But those numbers will change in a big way next Tuesday, Super Tuesday, a virtual national primary. It's the mother load of delegates with about 40% of all of them in each party up for grabs." Tad Devine, Democratic strategist: "There is an opportunity to come out on the 6th of February with a large delegate advantage." Under "some Democratic state rules, the candidates that do poorly statewide and still pick up delegates by doing well in individual Congressional districts. It happened in Nevada where Hillary Clinton won more votes, but Barack Obama won more delegates."

The CBS Evening News (1/31, lead story, 2:15, Couric, 7.66M) reported, "We're just five days away now from the Super Tuesday showdown between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. What happens that day will go a long way towards deciding which one of them will be the Democratic nominee for President. Clinton is leading in the two biggest delegate prizes of the night California and New York. Obama is ahead in his home state of Illinois and in Georgia. In all the other Super Tuesday states, it's either too close or there is not enough data to say who is leading."

Clinton, Obama Target Each Others' Turf. The Christian Science Monitor (2/1, Sabar, 58K) reports, "New York was once seen as impenetrable. Clinton was reelected in 2006 with more than two-thirds of the vote. Her campaign boasts at least 20,000 volunteers and 35 offices statewide and is backed by much of the political establishment, including Gov. Eliot Spitzer and Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. But Obama has made splashy visits to Manhattan and Brooklyn and has built an energetic grass-roots network in New York City. ... Illinois is Obama country, and he is leading by nearly 30 percentage points in the polls. But Clinton also has roots there; she was born and raised in the Chicago suburbs." Clinton's camp "claims a database of more than 5,000 Illinois volunteers and is focusing particular attention on voters downstate, where Obama didn't perform as well in his 2004 election. Campaign ads in St. Louis reach many Illinois voters, and on Wednesday the campaign dispatched Bill Clinton to an event in downstate Edwardsville, Ill."

CLINTON TO ADVERTISE IN SEVERAL BIG SUPER TUESDAY STATES. The Wall Street Journal (2/1, A4, Rutkoff, 2.06M) reports, "In the face of Mr. Obama's broad-brush approach, the Clinton campaign responded Wednesday with a targeted ad buy in the biggest Super Tuesday states, including New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts and California. The Clinton campaign yesterday also announced a 90-minute 'town hall'-style live event that will be broadcast nationally on the Hallmark Channel on Monday evening. The Clinton campaign also released two new economic-themed ads Wednesday. In one, dubbed 'Freefall,' a skydiver plummets through the air before his parachute opens, as an announcer tells voters that Mrs. Clinton can 'fix the economy and protect our future.'"

CLINTON, OBAMA BATTLE FOR GOLDEN STATE'S LATINO VOTES. The San Francisco Chronicle (1/31, Hendricks, 395K) reported on its website, "Statewide public opinion polls over the past couple of weeks have given" Hillary Clinton "a 2-to-1 or 3-to-1 edge over" Barack Obama "among Latino Democrats and a double-digit lead in the state overall. But the most recent polling shows the race might be tightening. Analysts say Clinton leads among Latinos because she has tremendous name recognition, she secured early endorsements from key California Latino leaders, including Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and State Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez. And many Latinos liked Bill Clinton's presidency. But Obama has lined up some influential endorsements of his own and appears to be attracting the interest of some Latino voters because of his willingness to allow driver's licenses for illegal immigrants."

The Los Angeles Times (2/1, La Ganga, 881K) reports Obama "told a Los Angeles audience Thursday that he helped Mexican Americans as well as blacks and whites during his days as a community organizer, and that the nation must continue working to bridge its ongoing 'black-brown divide.'" In his speech, he said, "I'm reminded of the Latino brothers and sisters that I worked alongside on the streets of Chicago over two decades ago." Obama faces "questions about his ability to draw Latino voters. ... At the technical college" in Los Angeles, "Obama said the nation's ills affected Latinos and African Americans equally and could only be solved by working together. From higher dropout rates to a greater incidence of diabetes and infant mortality, Obama said, the two groups suffer more than any others in the country."

BILL CLINTON TAKES MORE SUBDUED ROLE IN CAMPAIGN. The New York Times (2/1, Seelye, Hernandez, 1.18M) reports the "new Bill Clinton, playing to crowds in New Mexico, New Jersey and Ohio, is earnest and on script, telling crowds to vote for his wife, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, in the 22 Democratic presidential nominating contests Tuesday." There is "no criticism of her rival, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois. And no extemporaneous interviews with the news media." But even "as the campaign reins in Mr. Clinton, his statements from last week in the heat of the South Carolina primary are reverberating among some Democratic voters." In the process, "Mr. Clinton also raised the specter of a co-presidency and the possibility that if Mrs. Clinton could not control him on the campaign trail, she could not control him back in the White House."

Clinton's Role In Kazakh Uranium Deal Noted. NBC Nightly News (1/31, story 3, 2:50, Mitchell, 9.87M) reported Hillary Clinton "says if she became president he would be her goodwill ambassador. He says he would still raise money for his foundation. But while he is circling the globe doing good works and raising billions for his foundation, some of his connections could create ethical and diplomatic conflicts for his wife. Like Kazakhstan, in December 2005, Bill Clinton went there with Canadian tycoon Frank Giustra on his private jet. They say to inspect AIDS projects." Frank Giustra: "We spent many hours flying around the world, many long flights and it gave us an opportunity to chat on a variety of topics." Mitchell: "But while there as first reported by 'Newsweek' and 'The New York Times,' Clinton praised the country's widely criticized dictator, Nursultan Nazarbayev. Only days later, Clinton's friend won three uranium deals with Nazarbayev's state-run mines worth tens of millions of dollars. Months later, Giustra donated $31 million to Clinton's foundation. Since then he has pledged $100 million more. Critics say praise from Bill Clinton is invaluable to a strong man, like Nazarbayev."

CLINTON CAMPAIGN CO-CHAIR TOOK CHECKS FROM REZKO. The AP (2/1, Blood) reports from Los Angeles that Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, "a national co-chair of Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign, banked at least $1,500 in political donations from an indicted Chicago businessman whose past connections to Barack Obama have been used by Clinton to criticize her rival's judgment and ethics. City records show Antoin Rezko, chairman of Rezmar Corp. of Chicago, contributed $1,000 to Villaraigosa's mayoral campaign in May 2001. Those records show Rezko also donated $500 to another Villaraigosa political committee in March 2003. Villaraigosa's office did not respond" to requests for comment. The AP adds, "The donations could prove to be a political embarrassment for Clinton."

NATIONAL ARCHIVES OPPOSES JUDICIAL WATCH LAWSUIT OVER CLINTON PAPERS. The AP (2/1, DeMillo) reports, "The National Archives wants a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit seeking quick access to records about a health care task force Hillary Rodham Clinton headed as first lady, or delay the release for about a year. Judicial Watch, a conservative public interest group, has complained in a lawsuit that the National Archives isn't moving fast enough on its April 2006 request to see the documents. The archives says Judicial Watch is trying to jump ahead of those who made earlier requests" under the FOIA and argued in federal court, "At an estimated three million pages, the size and scope of Judicial Watch's present FOIA request makes it the largest FOIA request that the Clinton presidential library has received to date." Sen. Hillary Clinton "has faced criticism from her rivals about the number of documents from her husband's administration that have not been made public."

OBAMA CAMPAIGN RAISED RECORD $32 MILLION IN JANUARY. The Los Angeles Times (1/31, Morain, Muskal, 881K) reports Barack Obama's campaign "reported this morning that in January it had raised $32 million that can be used for the primary battle against New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. That one-month take was more than Obama raised in any three-month period in 2007, campaign aides said this morning."

ABC World News (1/31, lead story, 3:00, Gibson, 8.78M) reported, "Today, the Obama campaign said it had raised $32 million in January alone, more than $1 million a day. And many of those donations came right after he lost in New Hampshire. The Clinton campaign would only say they have raised at least $10 million this month." The CBS Evening News (1/31, lead story, 2:15, Reynolds, 7.66M) reported, "Barack Obama had some good news beyond the sunny Southern California weather today. His campaign announced it has raised $32 million in January alone. That matches the best three-month showing he's ever had. He signed up 170,000 new donors as well, and it looks like he will need every one of them."

Obama Spending $10 Million On Ad "Blitz" In February 5 States. The Washington Post (2/1, A8, Kurtz, 723K) reports while Obama "plans to spend more than $10 million on a blitz that will run through Tuesday, the two leading Republican presidential candidates are spending far less on the air wars. Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, who delayed airing any Super Tuesday commercials, plans to spend $2 million to $3 million in the remaining five days and has released only one ad in California. His chief rival, Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), plans a modest buy on national cable networks." Obama is "on the air in all but three of the Feb. 5 states -- he is bypassing his home state of Illinois -- and is to begin advertising today in Maryland, Virginia and the District, which vote Feb. 12."

Copyright 2008 by the Bulletin News Network, Inc. Reproduction without permission prohibited. Editorial content is drawn from thousands of newspapers, national magazines, national and local television programs, and radio broadcasts. The Hillary For President News Briefing is published five days a week by BulletinNews, which creates custom news briefings for government and corporate leaders. We can be found on the Web at BulletinNews.com, [email-masked], or called at (703) 749-0040.