Subject: Hillary For President News Briefing for Tuesday, November 27, 2007
From: "Bulletin News Network" <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked], [email-masked]
Date: 27 Nov 2007 06:31:47 -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: TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2007 6:30 AM EST

TODAY'S TABLE OF CONTENTS

SEN. CLINTON'S CAMPAIGN:

+ Early State PAC Contributions Latest Front In Clinton, Obama Row.

+ Clinton Said To Lack Executive Experience.

+ Clinton Says Her "Aggressive Tone" Stems From Rivals' Attacks.

+ Clinton Raps Obama Over Healthcare Plan.

+ Edwards Turns Up Heat On Clinton.

+ Clinton Unveiling Plan To Combat AIDS.

+ Letters Show Clinton's Row With Mitford Over Arkansas Prisons.

+ Wife Of New Hampshire Governor Backs Clinton.

+ DeGette Endorses Clinton.

+ Pastors Expected To Endorse Clinton During South Carolina Visit Today.

+ 2000 Clinton, Giuliani Senate Contest Examined.

+ Oprah Winfrey To Step Up Involvement In Obama's Campaign.

Sen. Clinton's Campaign:

EARLY STATE PAC CONTRIBUTIONS LATEST FRONT IN CLINTON, OBAMA ROW. CNN (11/26, Kornreich) reported on its politics blog that Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama's campaigns are sparring over reports that Obama's Hopefund PAC has concentrated its contributions to fellow Democrats on the early primary states. The Clinton campaign characterizes this practice as "surprising" and "inconsistent with the prevailing election laws." Moreover, "Clinton's campaign said 68 percent of the donations...were given to officials in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. But Obama spokesman Bill Burton said the majority of the funds were given to candidates outside the early primary states, and to Democrats nationwide facing tough re-election fights."

FOX News (11/26) reported on its website that "Clinton's campaign said Obama's use of the fund appears to be inconsistent with his views on campaign finance. Obama has been critical of lobbyist influence on the election process, and has said he would not take special interest group donations. ... Clinton's camp also said that Obama should disclose who is behind the distribution decisions at the PAC, and whether there is any overlap between presidential campaign and PAC personnel, or contacts between the two organizations. Obama's campaign responded later Monday to Clinton's attack, calling it a 'false attempt to misrepresent' him."

In a 'First Read' report on the website of MSNBC (11/26), NBC/NJ's Aswini Anburajan and NBC's Mark Murray also write about this "latest spat between Clinton and Obama," noting yesterday's Washington Post article about Hopefund. "The Clinton campaign pounced on the article and called foul. 'It is our understanding that a candidates' campaign is barred from using the candidate's leadership PAC to benefit his or her campaign, which is why we shut down HillPAC when Senator Clinton announced her run for the White House,' Phil Singer a spokesman for the Clinton campaign said. Singer also singled out Obama's calls for campaign finance reform, sending reporters six questions that the Senator should answer on why his campaign is engaging in a practice 'that appears to be inconsistent with prevailing election laws.'"

Long Island Newsday (11/27, Thrush, 402K) reports, "Unlike Clinton, who has placed few restriction on donations, former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards and Obama have both eschewed contributions from PACs and federal lobbyists during the presidential primary campaign. Both accept contributions from state lobbyists."

The Chicago Sun-Times (11/27, Sweet) reports, "Obama attorney Bob Bauer said, 'The law on this is quite clear and it has been clear for years: The contributions made by this committee are entirely lawful. Any suggestion to the contrary is not merely novel -- it is wrong.'"

The Washington Post (11/27, A6, Mosk, 723K) also reports on Clinton's criticism of Obama's PAC's contributions in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, noting that "The Obama campaign's campaign finance lawyer, Bob Bauer, also declared that 'these donations did not in any way violate the law.'"

CLINTON SAID TO LACK EXECUTIVE EXPERIENCE. The Los Angeles Times (11/27, A1, Braun, 881K) reports that as First Lady, Sen. Hillary Clinton's "all-access pass into the West Wing gave her an intimate education in presidential decision-making that none of her opponents can claim." However, Clinton "has never exercised ultimate executive authority. Unlike some of her campaign rivals, she has no experience in managing massive state budgets or city bureaucracies, a critique pointedly raised by former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani." The Times notes that her healthcare initiative "started out as Clinton's most ambitious experiment in policymaking and ended up as her greatest management failure, trailing criticism that her performance was flawed by hubris, inflexibility and a penchant for secrecy and political combat. On the campaign trail, Clinton has offered her assurances that the scars left from her healthcare experience came with lessons learned. ... But her gates-drawn stance raised concerns that shadow her presidential bid today -- that she reacts with a siege mentality under pressure, retreating behind a restrictive wall of presidential and attorney privilege."

Obama Questions Clinton's Executive Experience. Speaking on ABC's Nightline (11/26, 11:37 p.m.), Sen. Barack Obama said, "Sen. Clinton is claiming, basically, the entire eight years of the Clinton presidency as her own, except for the stuff that didn't work out." The piece continues to show Obama stumping in Iowa, noting his challenge in addressing the conservative people there, pitching his "sell" of unity.

NBC Nightly News (11/26, story 4, 3:50, Williams, 9.87M) reported, "Attack politics has escalated on the Democratic side as well. Today Barack Obama again waded into this feud with Hillary Clinton about who has got the most experience, saying just because President Clinton consulted his wife doesn't make her the most qualified for the White House."

On ABC World News (11/26, story 4, 0:50, Gibson, 8.78M), Obama said, "Senator Clinton is claiming basically the entire eight years of the Clinton presidency as her own, except for the stuff that didn't work out. In which case she says she has nothing to do with it."

The New York Daily News (11/27, McAuliff, 729K) reports, "Lashing out in a 'Nightline' interview, Obama said being a President's spouse doesn't count for much, and if Clinton is going to count it, she should own up to the unsavory parts of Bill's White House. 'The fact of the matter is that Sen. Clinton is claiming basically the entire eight years of the Clinton presidency as her own, except for the stuff that didn't work out,' Obama said, before equating Clinton's First Lady years to his own wife's experience. 'There is no doubt that Bill Clinton had faith in [Hillary] and consulted with her on issues, in the same way that I would consult with Michelle, if there were issues,' he said. 'I don't think Michelle would claim that she is the best qualified person to be a United States Senator by virtue of me talking to her.'"

Obama Rejects Clinton's Claims Of Foreign Policy Experience. The Chicago Tribune (11/27, Dorning, 607K) reported on its website that Sen. Barack Obama, responding in Littleton, New Hampshire, to Sen. Hillary Clinton's claims that "her trips abroad as first lady" are "evidence of her foreign policy qualifications," said, "If she wants to tout her experience of having visited countries, that's fine. I don't think that Madeleine Albright would think Hillary Clinton was the face of foreign policy during the Clinton administration. But maybe she'll disagree with that." The Tribune notes that Albright has endorsed Clinton.

CLINTON SAYS HER "AGGRESSIVE TONE" STEMS FROM RIVALS' ATTACKS. The CBS Evening News (11/26, lead story, 4:20, Couric, 7.66M) broadcast an interview with Sen. Hillary Clinton, where, asked about "the new, more aggressive tone of her campaign," Clinton replied, "Well, it's time. I have absorbed a lot of attacks for several months now. My opponents have basically had a free reign. I've tried to bring Democrats together, talk about where we are different from Republicans. The Republicans have attacked me as well, which I think is also a badge of honor. But after you've been attacked as often as I have from several of my opponents, you can't just absorb it; you have to respond. And, you know, obviously I wish that we were running a campaign, where, for example, my health care plan would be compared with my opponents' plan. All of us except Senator Obama have universal health care." Clinton discounted the impact of Oprah Winfrey's campaigning for Obama and said that she has not considered the possibility that she won't win the Democratic nomination.

CLINTON RAPS OBAMA OVER HEALTHCARE PLAN. The Des Moines Register (11/27, Beaumont, 158K) reports that Sen. Hillary Clinton "said Monday that Barack Obama had been evasive about whether his health care proposal would cover all uninsured Americans. ... 'It is important for a Democrat to have the strength and political courage to put forth a plan that will cover everyone, and all of us have, except for Senator Obama,' Clinton said in a Des Moines Register telephone interview that was offered by her campaign. 'He is the only Democrat who doesn't cover everyone, and for a lot of Democrats, that's a very important piece of information as they make up their minds about who to caucus for,' she said." Clinton has accused Obama "of claiming to have a universal health care proposal when his plan would in fact leave 15 million uninsured. At issue is Obama's resistance to calling for a mandate that all Americans buy health insurance if they can afford it." Clinton, John Edwards "and all other Democratic candidates who have proposed health care plans call for such a mandate."

EDWARDS TURNS UP HEAT ON CLINTON. The CBS Evening News (11/26, story 4, 2:15, Couric, 7.66M) reported, "Democrat John Edwards is determined not to come in third in a two- person race. Does that mean no more Mr. Nice Guy?" CBS (Reid) added, "If you think of John Edwards as a sunny candidate with a positive tone, things have changed. Listen to him on the campaign trail now, where he sounds like a man looking for a fight." Edwards: "Hell, yes, I'm confrontational. And I'm not ashamed of it. We need a fighter in the White House." Reid: "In the Democratic debates, no one punches harder, especially when the target is front-runner Hillary Clinton, who accuses Edwards of throwing mud." Democratic strategist Steve McMahon "says that with Clinton and Barack Obama running so strong, Edwards has no choice but to turn up the heat." McMahon: "The only way he's going to get any attention is if he pushes himself into the focus, into the frame. And that's what he's trying to do. Call it confrontational. I call it effective campaigning."

CLINTON UNVEILING PLAN TO COMBAT AIDS. The New York Times (11/27, Healy, Altman, 1.18M) reports Sen. Hillary Clinton "will propose steps today to strengthen the government's strategy to battle H.I.V. and AIDS in the United States and the rest of the world." The Times notes that Sen. Barack Obama and John Edwards "have already released plans of their own. Taking Mrs. Clinton's into account, the three approaches are similar in terms of spending, goals and differences with President Bush's AIDS policy." Clinton "proposed spending at least $50 billion cumulatively on global initiatives to combat H.I.V. and AIDS by 2013; the Bush administration has budgeted $30 billion for that period. She would also double money for H.I.V./AIDS research at the National Institutes of Health to $5.2 billion annually." The Times adds that Clinton "thinks that the federal strategy for fighting H.I.V. and AIDS is diffuse and uncoordinated, campaign advisers said."

LETTERS SHOW CLINTON'S ROW WITH MITFORD OVER ARKANSAS PRISONS. The New York Sun (11/27, Gerstein) runs a 3,400-word article about the "complicated relationship between Mrs. Clinton and radical activists who were often frustrated by the failure of Mrs. Clinton and her husband to side with them" as illustrated by correspondence from noted left-wing social critic Jessica Mitford about her efforts to persuade the Clintons to champion the cause of James Dean Walker, a convicted murderer who had escaped from prison in Arkansas and was, in 1980, fighting extradition from California arguing that "inmates in Arkansas were subjected to inhumane conditions and that guards were corrupt and abusive." The Sun uses epistolary excerpts from Mitford and from Sen. Clinton to illustrate how their impasse over the Arkansas prison system and Walker's allegations about it strained their relationship.

WIFE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE GOVERNOR BACKS CLINTON. The AP (11/27) reports, "Dr. Susan Lynch, a pediatrician who is married to" New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch (D), on Monday endorsed Sen. Hillary Clinton. Dr. Lynch, "a childhood obesity activist, said Clinton's commitment to fighting for children and families help make her the best choice for Democrats and the country. She will be a national co-chairwoman of Clinton's presidential campaign." Gov. Lynch, meanwhile, "hasn't endorsed anyone. 'Governor Lynch will remain neutral and will continue to focus on being a good host to the primary,' spokesman Colin Manning said."

The New Hampshire Union Leader (11/27, Fahey) reports that Dr, Lynch, speaking to "about 100 invited guests of the Clinton campaign" in Concord, NH, said, "I do not give my endorsement lightly. I truly believe Hillary Clinton is the right person to lead our country." Dr. Lynch "said Clinton has the right plan on expanding health insurance to all citizens, and the experience to get it through Congress. She praised Clinton for her work on the S-Chip children's health insurance program, improving Tri-Care medical benefits for those in the National Guard and Reserves, testing of children's prescription drugs, and foster care and adoption programs. The endorsement was a win for the Clinton campaign, which already had signed another gubernatorial family. Dover attorney William Shaheen, husband of former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen, serves as a national co-chair for Clinton campaign."

DEGETTE ENDORSES CLINTON. The AP (11/27, Merritt) reports that CO6 Rep. Diana DeGette (D) "endorsed Hillary Clinton's presidential bid on Monday and said she will be a campaign adviser on stem-cell research policy. Clinton's campaign said DeGette will co-chair Clinton's Health Care Policy Task Force. DeGette has been leading proponent of federal financing for embryonic stem-cell research in hopes of curing such diseases as cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer's. DeGette's endorsement makes her the first Democrat in Colorado's congressional delegation to formally endorse a presidential candidate."

PASTORS EXPECTED TO ENDORSE CLINTON DURING SOUTH CAROLINA VISIT TODAY. The Spartanburg Herald-Journal (11/27, Spencer) reports that Sen. Hillary Clinton is slated to announce the endorsement of a group of pastors in Spartanburg, SC on Tuesday. The Herald-Journal relates, "Sources close to both the Clinton and Obama campaigns have said as many as 40 Upstate pastors will give a collective endorsement to Clinton today. Zac Wright, a Clinton campaign spokesman, would neither confirm nor deny that's what will happen."

2000 CLINTON, GIULIANI SENATE CONTEST EXAMINED. In a lengthy article at Salon.com (11/27), Rob Polner discusses the 2000 New York U.S. Senate race that was to pit Hillary Clinton against Rudy Giuliani. Polner relates, "The traditional narrative of the 2000 Senate race, the first time Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani faced each other in an election, is that Giuliani was forced to drop out of the race in May because of the sudden emergence of personal issues. Between prostate cancer and an impending divorce from his second wife, the erstwhile front-runner was, allegedly, no longer a viable candidate. ... But in reality, prior to either revelation, Rudy Giuliani was already losing. Hillary Clinton's relentless ground game had slowly eaten away at his lead, but Rudy had done the bulk of the damage himself. In early 2000, polls showed Rudy beating Hillary. Then Hillary began her long march through the snow, and Rudy reminded New York voters again and again what an abrasive figure he could be. The more he made Clinton appear to be a victim, and himself a bully, the better Clinton fared. Eight years later, the early polling on a potential Rudy-Hillary match-up looks oddly familiar. Would a presidential race between Hillary and Rudy also be a rerun?"

OPRAH WINFREY TO STEP UP INVOLVEMENT IN OBAMA'S CAMPAIGN. The Chicago Tribune (11/27, McCormick, Dorning, 607K) reports as Oprah Winfrey "travels with Sen. Barack Obama to Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, the two are hoping the one-woman media conglomerate's star power is so strong that she can do what other big-name endorsers rarely have, namely to actually win him votes." The announcement Monday that Winfrey will "boost her involvement in the Illinois Democrat's presidential bid re-ignited a longstanding debate over the value of such campaign endorsements." While most political observers are skeptical of the value of celebrity endorsements, "Winfrey, who jealously guards her brand identity, might be the exception. She helped raise $3 million for Obama in September and her campaign appearances are certain to attract huge turnouts and media coverage." Obama, "on the campaign trail in New Hampshire," said that "he does not expect Winfrey's endorsement to translate into automatic support the way her book club recommendations have generated instant sales for authors."

The Washington Post (11/27, A1, Kornblut, 723K) reports in a front page story that Bill Clinton and Oprah Winfrey "are set to square off, in Iowa, campaigning for their favorite candidates." The "looming showdown between Clinton (who arrives here on Tuesday to campaign for his wife, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton) and Winfrey (who appears in two weeks to campaign for Sen. Barack Obama), besides marking a rare collision of talent and fame on the campaign trail, is a sign of just how competitive the Jan. 3 Iowa caucus has become, especially when it comes to attracting women voters."

An article in the New York Daily News (11/27, Saul, 729K) calls Winfrey "the undisputed queen of daytime television" and "the billionaire empress of a media empire built on the devotion of women of all social and racial backgrounds," asking whether she can parlay this prominence into political influence by "helping vault Barack Obama into the White House." "Her power is almost unprecedented. Her show, now in its third decade, has helped shape the national debate on a huge range of issues." The Daily News continues to suggest that Winfrey's endorsement may be more important than those of other celebrities.

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.