Subject: Hillary For President News Briefing for Monday, September 24, 2007
From: "Bulletin News Network" <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked], [email-masked]
Date: 24 Sep 2007 06:27:58 -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: MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2007 6:30 AM EDT

TODAY'S TABLE OF CONTENTS

SEN. CLINTON'S CAMPAIGN:

+ Clinton Appears On All Five Sunday Talk Shows.

+ Clinton Calls For Expanded Public Financing Of Campaigns.

+ Clinton Criticizes MoveOn For Petraeus Ad.

+ Grisham Headlines Fundraiser For Clinton In Virginia.

+ Clinton Said To Be In Strong Position To Win Nomination.

+ Bayh To Endorse Clinton Today.

+ Hsu Draws Attention To Role Of Bundlers.

+ Obama Skipping More Senate Votes Than Clinton.

+ Bush Expects Clinton To Win Nomination.

+ Obama Making New York Push.

+ Florida Democrats Keep Early Primary Date.

Sen. Clinton's Campaign:

CLINTON APPEARS ON ALL FIVE SUNDAY TALK SHOWS. Sen. Hillary Clinton made the rounds on the Sunday talk shows, becoming one of the few guests to make all five shows in a single day. Clinton made some news on Iraq, saying she was not able to give a deadline for withdrawing all US troops, and on healthcare, saying her universal coverage plan would not include illegal immigrants. The appearances were seen as an effort by the Clinton campaign to consolidate her lead in the Democratic primary race. Clinton was on ABC's This Week (9/23, 10:02 a.m., Stephanopoulos), CBS's Face The Nation (9/23, 10:31 a.m., Schieffer), NBC's Meet The Press (9/23, 10:31 a.m., Russert), CNN's Late Edition (9/23, 12:02 p.m., Blitzer) and Fox News Sunday (9/23, 7:01 a.m., Wallace).

The AP (9/24, Yen) reports Clinton "on Sunday defended her plan for universal health care and insisted she won't repeat the mistakes that doomed her earlier effort to cover millions of people when she was first lady." Clinton "also pledged to vote against additional war funding unless most combat troops get to come home." In interviews on the Sunday talk shows, Clinton "sought to portray herself as a more humble, wiser leader who has learned from her mistakes and who would work to shed her image as a polarizing figure who would mire Washington in gridlock."

The CBS Evening News (9/23, story 3, 2:35, Chen, 7.66M) reported Clinton sounded "more than ever like a Democrat holding all the good cards." John Harris, Politico.com: "I think what it really underscores is that there is Hillary Clinton in the Democratic Party, and there's everybody else." Chen: "The latest CBS News- New York Times poll shows the New York senator with a commanding lead over Barack Obama and John Edwards, but she isn't just distancing herself from fellow Democrats. She's setting out a view of what her Clinton Administration would look like, with the former president cast as help mate." Republicans "seem to read the same handwriting on the wall. At this weekend's forum with Michigan voters, positioning themselves against just one opponent."

NBC Nightly News (9/23, story 3, 3:10, Yang, 9.87M) reported, "Hillary Clinton is consolidating her lead in the national polls. Some are beginning to say she's becoming the candidate to beat. But she is still dogged by questions about her early support for the war in Iraq." Clinton said she'll "vote against President Bush's expected request for nearly $200 billion more for military operations in Iraq and any other future funding to continue the war," but she "again refused to call her vote to give Mr. Bush the authority to go to war a mistake." To "listen to the leading Republican hopefuls, you would think she's already her party's nominee."

The Washington Post (9/24, A4, Kornblut, 723K) reports Clinton "demonstrated a particularly senatorial skill: the art of the filibuster." Asked by ABC's George Stephanopoulos "whether she would withdraw all U.S. troops from Iraq during a first term as president, Clinton (D-N.Y.) gave a simple answer: She did not know." But she "used more than 225 words to say so. 'You know, I'm not going to get into hypotheticals and make pledges, because I don't know what I'm going to inherit, George. I don't know and neither do any of us know what will be the situation in the region." The Post adds Clinton "did two hours of interviews by remote from a furnished barn in her back yard in Chappaqua, N.Y., part of an aggressive media blitz in the week after she offered up her plan for universal health-care coverage."

The Los Angeles Times (9/24, Puzzanghera, 881K) reports Clinton defended "her new healthcare proposal" and vowed "to oppose any Iraq war funding unless it is tied to starting a U.S. troop withdrawal." On Fox News Sunday, Clinton said, "I will not vote for any funding that does not move us toward beginning to withdraw our troops, that does not have pressure on the Iraqi government to make the tough political decisions that they have, that does not recognize that there is a diplomatic endeavor that has to be undertaken." The Times adds Clinton "did not criticize her opponents for the party nomination." Clinton "dismissed criticism from Republican presidential candidate Rudolph W. Giuliani that her healthcare plan amounted to 'socialized medicine.'"

CLINTON CALLS FOR EXPANDED PUBLIC FINANCING OF CAMPAIGNS. USA Today (9/24, Schouten, 2.28M) reports Hillary Clinton "said Sunday that taxpayer funding of presidential campaigns represents candidates' best means of avoiding fundraising scandals, such as the one surrounding onetime fugitive Norman Hsu." On ABC's This Week, Clinton said, "The only answer to this entire set of circumstances is public financing. The cost of campaigns ... and all the things that people have to do in a modern campaign are just out of control." USA adds Clinton, "who has pledged to return $850,000 raised by Hsu, said her campaign was among about two dozen that failed to detect a 15-year-old outstanding arrest warrant against Hsu."

CLINTON CRITICIZES MOVEON FOR PETRAEUS AD. Sen. Clinton, during her appearance on Fox News Sunday (9/23, Wallace), was asked if President Bush "has a point" when he claims Democrats "are more afraid of irritating the left wing and MoveOn than you are about insulting the American military." Sen. Clinton responded, "No, he doesn't. But I think it's clear I don't condone attacks on anyone who has served our country with distinction and with honor, and I have been very vocal in my support of and admiration for General Petraeus. I did vote for a resolution that made it clear I do not condone and do condemn attacks on any American, impugning their patriotism. ... But you know, this is not a debate about an ad. This is a debate about how we end the war in Iraq. That's the debate that I want to be participating in, and I think a lot of people on the other side don't want us to have that debate."

On CNN's Late Edition (9/23, Blitzer), Sen. Clinton added that she "thought it was pretty sorry when [President Bush's] campaign attacked Senator Kerry's record of service, and I thought it was pretty sorry when the Republicans attacked Senator Cleland. I don't condone attacks by anyone on the patriotism and service of our military. I am an admirer of General Petraeus, as I've said on numerous occasions. I don't condone it, and I joined in voting for a resolution that condemned such attacks."

The New York Sun (9/24, Berman) reports that Clinton, speaking "in a series of television interviews...sought repeatedly to turn attention away from" the MoveOn ad, noting "her vote in favor of a broad Senate resolution on Thursday that denounced the attack on General Petraeus along with criticism by Republican-aligned groups of the military service of two Democratic lawmakers, Senator Kerry of Massachusetts and a former Georgia senator, Max Cleland."

GRISHAM HEADLINES FUNDRAISER FOR CLINTON IN VIRGINIA. The Charlottesville Daily Progress (9/24, Gibson) reported Hillary Clinton "told a Charlottesville audience of more than 1,000 on Sunday that America needs a president who will get troops out of Iraq and restore the world's respect for America and its leadership." Clinton said "one of her first actions before taking office would be to assemble 'distinguished Americans of both parties' to visit world leaders and make clear 'a very simple message - the era of cowboy diplomacy is over.'" Author John Grisham, who hosted the fundraiser, said "in an interview after the event that it raised $200,000 for Clinton's presidential campaign and that his role as host was 'beyond an endorsement.'"

The Richmond Times-Dispatch (9/24, Gibson) reports Clinton "told an audience of more than 1,000 yesterday that America needs a president who will get troops out of Iraq and restore the world's respect. The New York senator said one of her first actions before taking office would be to assemble 'distinguished Americans of both parties' to visit world leaders and make clear 'a very simple message -- the era of cowboy diplomacy is over.'"

Clinton Says SCHIP Veto Will Help Democrats Compete In GOP Territory. The AP (9/23, Lewis) reports Clinton said yesterday at the event that her campaign "will not concede traditional Republican strongholds like Virginia in her presidential campaign, and President Bush's ebbing popularity gives Democrats more reason than ever to feel that way. During a fundraiser with author John Grisham, Clinton said Bush's promise last week to veto a bipartisan health insurance program for children of low income and working class families is part of 'a dangerous experiment in extremism' by the White House that will help Democrats." The AP adds, "'If the president wants to veto it, there could not be a clearer example in the difference in values' between Bush and the mainstream of the country, she said."

CLINTON SAID TO BE IN STRONG POSITION TO WIN NOMINATION. The New York Times (9/24, Nagourney, Zeleny, 1.18M) reports Hillary Clinton "has consolidated her early lead in the Democratic presidential contest, showing steady strength as the candidates head toward the first voting early next year." Clinton "has been challenged for fund-raising supremacy and news media attention by Senator Barack Obama of Illinois. Former Senator John Edwards of North Carolina beat her to the punch in introducing big policy proposals. But nothing that her main rivals have done has so far has derailed Mrs. Clinton, leading them to begin rolling out aggressive new strategies aimed primarily at her, including courting black voters in South Carolina and stepping up attacks." Obama advisor David Axelrod said, "I think they've run a great campaign. She's been a very disciplined candidate. They've been deft in trying to get ahead of this tidal wave of people out there who really want change. They are doing the best they can with it." Axelrod added, "The question is ultimately, Is she credible - whether people buy her as an agent of change in Washington. If they do, she'll do well."

BAYH TO ENDORSE CLINTON TODAY. The AP (9/23) reports Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh (D), who flirted with a presidential bid of his own, "will endorse Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential bid on Monday, sources close to both lawmakers say. A colleague of Clinton's on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Bayh actively pursued a possible presidential bid until late last year, when he dropped out of the race amid evidence that Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois were building formidable campaign organizations." The AP adds, "Bayh, a former governor of a Republican-leaning state, is in his second term in the Senate. A centrist who won re-election with 62 percent of the vote in 2004, he is likely to be considered for the Democratic ticket in 2008."

The Politico (9/24, Allen, Zenilman) reports Bayh is "a moderate Democrat whose blessing could help Clinton pick up votes in Republican states." Bayh, "who had already been oft-discussed as a promising potential vice presidential pick for Clinton, had held back on endorsing her in part because of doubts about her popularity in Indiana, Democratic sources said. His endorsement could help undermine the argument of her rivals for the Democratic nomination that she would not be electable in a national contest."

The Indianapolis Star (9/24, Groppe, 270K) adds, "Bayh spokesman Jonathan Swain said he could not confirm that Bayh will be making an announcement today. Joe Hogsett, head of Clinton's Indiana campaign and a former top aide to Bayh, said any endorsement should not be seen as a sign that Bayh is seeking the vice presidential nod."

HSU DRAWS ATTENTION TO ROLE OF BUNDLERS. USA Today (9/24, Schouten, 2.28M) reports that "bundlers" such as Alan Solomont and Mel Sembler "are playing an increasingly important role in the 2008 race. Several White House contenders have declined public money and rely on their major fundraisers to help pay for a race that is on track to shatter spending records. The role of bundlers, though, remains largely hidden from public view - except when scandal erupts, as it did in the case of Norman Hsu, a major fundraiser for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton. Hsu, a onetime fugitive in connection with a 1992 guilty plea for theft, was charged Thursday with fraud and illegally making campaign contributions in the names of others." USA Today adds, "For now, the Clinton campaign has been forced to talk about fundraising, even as others say little."

OBAMA SKIPPING MORE SENATE VOTES THAN CLINTON. The Long Island Newsday (9/24, Thrush, 402K) reports Barack Obama "won't win any Senate attendance awards during the 2008 presidential campaign - he has racked up three times as many missed votes as challenger Hillary Clinton since January, according to roll call records." Obama has "missed 23.7 percent of his votes, according to vote-tracking databases. The issues he did not cast ballots on ranged from the symbolic to the significant, and included measures on abortion, homeland security, bridge safety, foreign aid, the alternative minimum tax and a failed no-confidence vote on Attorney General Alberto Gonzales in June." Newsday adds, "In contrast, Clinton has missed 8.3 percent of her votes - 28 since January, according to the Senate's voting tracker and the Washington Post's roll call database. She missed several key votes on abortion this month, in addition to earlier measures on bridge safety, immigration and offshore gas exploration"

BUSH EXPECTS CLINTON TO WIN NOMINATION. Picking up on stories out yesterday, the New York Post (9/24, Hurt, 648K) reports President George Bush "has joined a growing list of top Republicans predicting that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton will defeat Barack Obama and other Democrats to win her party's nominee for next year's election. 'She's got a national presence, and this is becoming a national primary,' Bush told Bill Sammon for Sammon's book 'Evangelical President,' out today. 'And, therefore, the person with the national presence, who has got the ability to raise enough money to sustain an effort in a multiplicity of sites, has got a good chance to be nominated,' Bush said in excerpts obtained by the Drudge Report." The Post adds, "Bush also predicted that whoever the GOP is 'can beat her, but it's going to be a tough race.'"

The New York Daily News (9/24, Hutchinson, 729K) reports, "Taking a stab at political prognostication, President Bush says in a new book that Sen. Hillary Clinton will score her party's nomination but won't win the White House. In 'The Evangelical President,' due to be released tomorrow, Bush says the former First Lady's name recognition and fund-raising skills are a formidable combo for upstart Sen. Barack Obama to overcome."

The Long Island Newsday (9/24, Thrush, 402K) reports that despite Clinton's many appearances Sunday, "Bush upstaged her by telling a conservative author Clinton is a shoo-in for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination. 'I think our candidate can beat her, but it's going to be a tough race,' Bush told Bill Sammon, author of the 'Evangelical President,' to be released today. Sammon also quoted an unnamed White House official claiming Sen. Barack Obama's 'laziness' will seal his defeat, according to excerpts posted on various Web sites."

OBAMA MAKING NEW YORK PUSH. The New York Sun (9/24, Rauh) reports Barack Obama "is swooping onto Mrs. Clinton's turf to raise money, announce a new endorsement, and, on Thursday, address supporters at a rally in Washington Square Park that could be the largest public event he's held in the city. It's all part of a big New York push that appears to be designed to tap the city's deep pockets, raise the candidate's profile, and show he isn't going to back away from the city even though Mrs. Clinton maintains a deep lead here in the polls." Tonight, Obama "is attending a 'Barack on Broadway' fund-raiser at the New Amsterdam Theater on 42nd Street, hosted by the president of Disney Theatrical Productions, Thomas Schumacher, the president of the Broadway theater company Jujamcyn, Rocco Landesman, and Broadway musical producers Scott Sanders, Roger Berlind, and Margo Lions." This morning, he is scheduled to reveal a "key endorsement" at the Omni Berkshire Place Hotel.

FLORIDA DEMOCRATS KEEP EARLY PRIMARY DATE. In a move that is likely to increase the acrimony between the state party and the national party, the Florida Democratic Party yesterday announced plans to keep their primary on January 29, in violation of DNC rules. The move sets up the state Democrats for possible sanctions by the national party. The AP (9/24, Madkour) reports the state Democrats "formally announced on Sunday their plans to move ahead with a Jan. 29 primary, despite the national leadership's threatened sanctions." The DNC "has said it will strip the Sunshine State of its 210 nominating convention delegates if it doesn't abide by the party-set calendar, which forbids most states from holding primary contests before Feb. 5. The exceptions are Iowa on Jan. 14, Nevada on Jan. 19, New Hampshire on Jan. 22 and South Carolina on Jan. 29." The AP adds, "Florida's Democratic leaders say they want their key swing state to play a bigger role in choosing the party's nominee. 'The 4 million Florida Democrats will be enfranchised,' Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz said at a news conference announcing the decision. 'We will make sure Florida Democrats have a voice and that voice will be heard.'" The New York Times (9/24, A12, Goodnough, 1.18M) runs a similar story.

Both the CBS Evening News (9/23, story 2, 0:30, Mitchell, 7.66M) and NBC Nightly News (9/23, story 4, 0:35, Holt, 9.87M) briefly reported on Florida's decision, with NBC saying, "When the Democrats get to their convention there could be a conspicuous lack of votes from the Florida delegation." However, on NPR's All Things Considered (9/23), NPR Washington editor Ron Elving said, "I cannot imagine that the Democrats want to go to Denver and say, all right those 210 seats that the Florida Democrats are supposed to occupy here at our convention are going to go empty. They're not going to do that. The candidate who has the votes, who is going to be the nominee, is going to suggest, perhaps we forgive and forget, at least for now, because after all there are 27 electoral votes in Florida."

Copyright 2007 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.