Subject: Hillary For President News Briefing for Friday, May 23, 2008
From: "Bulletin News Network" <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked], [email-masked], [email-masked]
Date: 23 May 2008 06:30:27 -0400

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, MAY 23, 2008 6:30 AM EDT

TODAY'S TABLE OF CONTENTS

SEN. CLINTON'S CAMPAIGN:

+ Clinton Campaign Continues Pressing For Michigan, Florida Delegates.

+ Bill Clinton "Musing" About Wife Joining Obama As Running Mate.

+ Clinton Says She Won't Need Miracle To Win Nomination.

+ Clinton Marginalized Among Democratic Establishment By Obama's Success.

+ Obama Seeks To Reassure Jewish Voters On Israel.

+ Obama To Address Cuban American National Foundation.

+ Obama To Deliver Wesleyan Commencement In Kennedy's Stead.

Sen. Clinton's Campaign:

CLINTON CAMPAIGN CONTINUES PRESSING FOR MICHIGAN, FLORIDA DELEGATES. The Detroit Free Press (5/22, Spangler, 348K) reported on its website that in a conference call to reporters yesterday, senior Clinton advisers Howard Wolfson and Harold Ickes "made very clear [Clinton's] path to the Democratic nomination. Have Michigan and Florida's lost delegations seated in full, stretch the number needed for the nomination to 2,210 (from the 2,026 it is now without those states) and fight for the remaining pledged delegates and uncommitted super delegates." The Free Press continues to suggest that this is a "tall order" given the limited remaining primaries and Sen. Barack Obama's momentum, but calls this Clinton's "only hope."

Clinton Compares Excluded States To Electoral Irregularities In Zimbabwe. Fox Special Report (5/22, 6:30 p.m.) reported, "Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, is comparing the uncounted primary votes in Florida and Michigan to the deadly electoral conflict in Zimbabwe. Clinton told a crowd in Sunrise, Florida, Wednesday, People go through the motions of and election to have it discarded and disregarded. We're seeing that right now in Zimbabwe. Tragically, an election was held and the president lost. They refused to abide by the will of the people. So we can never take for granted our precious right to vote. Dozens have died in the aftermath of elections in Zimbabwe where President Robert Mugabe lost. But the government says the margin of defeat was close enough to force a runoff. Senator Clinton also compared the Florida and Michigan situation to the struggles for civil rights and voting rights, and warned that disenfranchised Democrats might vote for John McCain in the fall."

Wolfson Recants Saying "Uncommitted" Michigan Voters Should Count For Obama. The Hill (5/23, Youngman) reports that Wolfson claimed yesterday to have "misspoke" when he said this month "the campaign was open to conceding Michigan voters who voted 'uncommitted' to Sen. Barack Obama." The Hill ads that Ickes also said that such votes should not automatically count for Obama, noting that "Wolfson at first said it should be assumed that most uncommitted voters would vote for Obama."

The Detroit News (5/23, Trowbridge, 186K) adds that the Clinton camp "kept up its tough talk on behalf of Michigan and Florida," noting that Ickes "told reporters that the campaign will seek full seating of delegations from Michigan and Florida at a key rules committee meeting of the national party May 31 in Washington. Ickes also said the campaign opposes awarding Michigan's 55 uncommitted delegates to Obama. Most proposals to end the dispute would give Obama the uncommitted delegates -- even though he voluntarily took his name off the Jan. 15 ballot."

Paterson Says Clinton Should Give Up Effort To Seat Florida, Michigan. The AP (5/23, Gormley) reports New York Gov. David Paterson, "a superdelegate who supports Hillary Rodham Clinton, said she's showing 'a little desperation' and should give up her effort to count votes from renegade primaries in Michigan and Florida." Paterson said Thursday "that Clinton shouldn't derail the process by which the national Democratic Party stripped Michigan and Florida of their national convention delegates because they moved their primaries up to January in violation of party rules." On WAMC-FM, Paterson said, "I would say at this point we're starting to see a little desperation on the part of a woman I still support and will support until she makes a different determination."

The New York Daily News (5/23, Lovett, Saltonstall, 729K) reports that Paterson, "a top Hillary Clinton supporter, sailed wildly off-message Thursday - suggesting her push to count Florida and Michigan were a mark of 'desperation.' 'I would say at this point we're starting to see a little desperation on the part of a woman I still support and will support until she makes a different determination,' Paterson said when asked about Clinton during an interview on WAMC-FM radio. 'Candidates have to be cautious in their zeal to win, that they don't trample on the process.'"

Florida Democrat Files Lawsuit Against DNC Over Convention Delegates. McClatchy (5/23, Klas, Gilpatrick) reports Florida's "history of discrimination against African Americans should force the national Democratic Party to count all of the state's delegates at its national convention, a federal lawsuit filed Thursday claims." The suit, "filed by state Senate Democratic Leader Steve Geller and two other Democrats, claims that the federal Voting Rights Act prohibits the national party from stripping the state of its convention delegates."

BILL CLINTON "MUSING" ABOUT WIFE JOINING OBAMA AS RUNNING MATE. The New York Times (5/22, Healy, Zeleny, 1.18M) reports while Hillary Clinton "and her advisers insist that she is determined to win the Democratic nomination, former President Bill Clinton, for one, has begun privately contemplating a different outcome for her: As Senator Barack Obama's running mate." The "reports about Mr. Clinton's musings, which come from friends, surface as the Obama camp has quietly begun the process of choosing a running mate." Friends "of the former president say his musings have been more casual: He believes that an Obama-Clinton ticket could help unify the party, and he thinks she has earned a meeting with Mr. Obama to discuss the possibility." Clinton "believes that his wife's victories in major primary battles, like Ohio and Pennsylvania, and the 16 million votes cast for her candidacy make her the proper choice for Mr. Obama."

In a story headlined "GROUNDSWELL OF CALLS FOR O-HILL UNION," the New York Post (5/23, Haberman, 648K) reports that California Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D), "a Clinton booster, told The Post, 'I am one that believes that if it works out that Senator Obama is the nominee, the strongest ticket would be Senator Clinton as vice president. No question in my mind.' 'Because the constituencies in the votes are different,' she added. 'The weight of the states he carried versus the states she carried. It's different. And, therefore, if you combine them both, you've got the best electoral path.'" And Delaware Sen. Tom Carper (D), "a vice chair of the Democratic Leadership Council, said, 'I'll encourage [Obama] to ask, and if he does, for her to say yes.'"

The New York Daily News (5/23, Bazinet, 729K) reports that Bill Clinton "has told friends his wife deserves to be the vice presidential pick, Time magazine reported. Not so fast, said a longtime Clinton adviser - Bubba's priority remains trying to persuade superdelegates to back his wife for the top job. 'He wants her to be the presidential nominee. After that, he wants the best deal she can get from Obama,' the source said."

Johnson Overseeing Obama's VP Selection Process. The AP (5/23, Pickler) reports McCain has "a head start in the 'veepstakes,' with Obama still fighting off never-say-die Hillary Rodham Clinton." Former Fannie Mae CEO Jim Johnson "is overseeing the early vetting for Obama, Democratic officials say, and that allows for a quick start. Johnson won't be starting from scratch, since he did the same job for Democratic nominees John Kerry in 2004 and Walter Mondale in 1984." Potential Obama VP picks listed in the story include Clinton, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards.

The CBS Evening News (5/22, story 4, 0:10, Couric, 7.66M) reported, "Sources tell CBS News Barack Obama has set up a search committee, headed up by Washington insider Jim Johnson, who did the same job for John Kerry and Walter Mondale."

USA Today (5/23, 4A, Lawrence, 2.28M) reports a "sure sign that the primary season is winding down came Thursday with reports that Barack Obama, the Democrats' leading presidential contender, is starting to look for a running mate." Obama's search was "reported by The Atlantic Monthly and confirmed by the Associated Press through Democratic officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because the campaign does not want to discuss the process." In addition to John Edwards, potential Obama running mates mentioned in the story include Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, Florida Sen. Bill Nelson, Virginia Sen. Jim Webb, former Georgia senator Sam Nunn, Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, and Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano.

CLINTON SAYS SHE WON'T NEED MIRACLE TO WIN NOMINATION. Under the headline "Down-To-Earth Perspective," the Boston Globe (5/23, Rhee, 373K) reports that Sen. Hillary Clinton told Spanish-language network Telemundo yesterday that "she doesn't need divine intervention to pull out the Democratic nomination. But she does need to nearly sweep the remaining undeclared superdelegates, and to get the Democratic National Committee to rule her way. 'I do believe in miracles, but it would not take a miracle. It's such a close race,' Clinton said." The Globe adds, "She is trying to convince superdelegates that she would be more electable in November than Barack Obama."

CLINTON MARGINALIZED AMONG DEMOCRATIC ESTABLISHMENT BY OBAMA'S SUCCESS. The AP (5/23, Barrett) reports in an analysis story that after "more than a decade as the ultimate Democratic Party insider, Hillary Rodham Clinton finds herself in a strange place: on the outside looking in, beseeching party leaders to help keep her White House bid alive." In campaign appearances "through south Florida, Clinton called out her own party's leadership, urging them to restore national convention delegates to Florida and Michigan." But in "years past, the Clintons didn't have to ask the DNC for anything; they just told the committee what to do. Her husband, after all, was the president. She worked in the White House. Her current campaign chairman, Terry McAuliffe, is an old Clinton friend and fundraiser who once ran the DNC." With "every step Obama takes closer to the nomination, Clinton fades a little farther from the spotlight."

OBAMA SEEKS TO REASSURE JEWISH VOTERS ON ISRAEL. The Miami Herald (5/23, Reinhard, 253K) reports, "Reaching out to a group whose support will be crucial to a victory in November, Barack Obama ventured into Florida's Jewish community for the first time Thursday, fielding questions for an hour at a Conservative synagogue to deflect Republican attacks on his support of Israel." On top of "the GOP blitz, Obama has been hammered by Internet-fueled smears linking him to Islamic terrorists. Jewish voters favored rival Hillary Clinton 2-1 in the Jan. 29 primary and could represent as much as 10 percent of the electorate in November."

The AP (5/23, Wills) reports Obama "on Thursday promised 'an unshakable commitment to Israel's security' as he sought to reassure doubtful Jewish voters. He also said he hopes to help improve relations between American blacks and Jews." In a "passionate appearance at a synagogue, Obama courted Jewish voters by reaffirming his opposition to negotiating with the militant Palestinian group Hamas and said talks with Iranian leaders could help strengthen Israeli security." Some Jews "fear Obama's willingness to speak with Middle Eastern nations that oppose Israel, while others wonder whether he is a closet Muslim."

NBC Nightly News (5/22, story 7, 3:00, O'Donnell, 9.87M) reported Obama "tried to ease Jewish voters' concerns saying he would not negotiate with the anti-Israel terror group, Hamas." Obama: "We should only sit down with Hamas if they renounce terror and recognize Israel's right to exist."

OBAMA TO ADDRESS CUBAN AMERICAN NATIONAL FOUNDATION. The AP (5/23) reports, "The Cuban American National Foundation, once the foremost voice representing the Cuban exile cause in Washington, is hosting a speech Friday by" Sen. Barack Obama "in a bold move to recapture the group's prominence. Its founder, Jorge Mas Canosa, long served as a symbol of stalwart anti-Castro sentiment. But since his 1997 death, the group has receded into the cacophony of Cuban-American voices. The decision to host Obama is a daring move in a community generally more supportive of" Sens. John McCain "and even" Sen. Hillary Clinton. The foundation's president and co-founder, Francisco Hernandez, "said the next president will have a unique opportunity -- now that Raul Castro has replaced his brother Fidel as Cuban president -- to promote change on the communist nation and is calling on the government to allow private organizations to send money directly to dissidents on the island. ... Obama's speech comes more than a quarter century after Hernandez and Mas Canosa founded the group with encouragement from the Reagan administration."

OBAMA TO DELIVER WESLEYAN COMMENCEMENT IN KENNEDY'S STEAD. The AP (5/23) reports, "Barack Obama has agreed to deliver the commencement address at Wesleyan University in place of Sen. Edward Kennedy, who pulled out Thursday after finding out he had brain cancer." The AP notes that Kennedy's granddaughter Caroline Raclin is scheduled to graduate, but that Kennedy "decided against making the trip after suffering a seizure last Saturday and undergoing a brain biopsy on Monday."

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