The St. Petersburg Times Truth-O-Meter

A scorecard separating fact from fiction

They said:			Truth-O-Meter says:
	Democrat Hillary Clinton: "Could I just point out that . . . I seem to get the first question all the time?"		Sure, but is that a bad thing?
	Democrat Hillary Clinton: "I want to freeze interest rates for five years."		Clinton at times forgets major caveats
	Democrat Barack Obama: "We send a billion dollars to foreign countries every day because of our addiction to foreign oil."		Yes, a costly addiction
	Democrat Barack Obama: He's been endorsed by "every major newspaper here in the state of Texas."		They like him in Texas
	Democrat Barack Obama: "As has been noted by many observers, including Bill Clinton's former secretary of labor, my plan does more than anybody to reduce costs."		Experts rate Dem plans about the same

Begrudging His Bedazzling

By Maureen Dowd, winner of the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for distinguished commentary, became a columnist on The New York Times Op-Ed page in 1995.

Hillary Clinton can’t turn on her own charm and wit because she can’t get beyond what she sees as the deep injustice of Barack Obama not waiting his turn.

CLEVELAND

A huge Ellen suddenly materialized behind Hillary on a giant screen, interrupting her speech Monday night at a fund-raiser at George Washington University in Washington.

What better way for a desperate Hillary to try and stop her rival from running off with all her women supporters than to have a cozy satellite chat with a famous daytime talk-show host who isn’t supporting Obama?

“Will you put a ban on glitter?” Ellen demanded.

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Kennedys Rally Obama Troops

As the Texas primary looms, Ethel Kennedy, widow of Robert F. Kennedy, and her son Max Kennedy urged volunteers Wednesday at Obama's Houston campaign office near downtown not to waver in the effort to win votes for their candidate. Ethel, 79, looked tanned and fit, and said Obama is a compassionate candidate who cares about people left in the shadows of society. Her son, his shirt sleeves rolled up like a veteran campaigner, revved up the group of about 50 campaign workers by telling them a story of how his ancestors helped win votes in Boston decades ago. Seeing a Kennedy close up left a few people weak-kneed. They scrambled to shake their hands and hug them. Caroline Kennedy, JFK's daughter, and Sen. Ted Kennedy, JFK's, also support Obama.

McCain on a Lone Star swing that includes town hall meeting at Rice

With his presidential nomination largely in the bag, McCain seems to have left the Straight Talk Express bus in the garage for now and instead is jetting around the Lone Star State, largely to replenish his campaign war chest.

He has scheduled a series of fund-raisers beginning tonight at the River Oaks home of Meg Goodman, in which the entry fee is $2,300 for individual and $4,600 for a couple. He also hopes to rake in the big bucks tommorrow at events in Fort Worth and Dallas and on Friday in Austin.

But McCain will take some time tomorrow morning, Feb. 28, to hold a more substantive event at Rice University, where he has scheduled a town hall meeting at 8:45 am at Baker Hall.

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Mega-Church Pastor in Texas Backs McCain

By Elisabeth Bumiller

SAN ANTONIO — Senator John McCain got support on Wednesday from an important corner of evangelical Texas when the pastor of a San Antonio mega-church, Rev. John C. Hagee, endorsed Mr. McCain for president. Mr. Hagee, who argues that the United States must join Israel in a preemptive, biblically prophesized military strike against Iran that will lead to the second coming of Christ, praised Mr. McCain for his pro-Israel views.

“John McCain has publicly stated his support of the state of Israel, pledging that his administration will not permit Iran to have nuclear weapons to fulfill the evil dreams of President Ahmadinejad to wipe Israel off the map,'’ Mr. Hagee said at a news conference at the Omni
Hotel in San Antonio.
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TEAM CLINTON, THE DAY AFTER THE DEBATE

Posted: Wednesday, February 27, 2008 2:58 PM by Mark Murray

After all of the various questions and candidate disagreements from last night's debate -- over NAFTA, health care, Iraq, Russia, Farrakhan -- the Clinton camp has seized on something the New York senator herself brought up: the lack of hearings at the subcommittee Obama took over in 2007.

"Last night, we saw a glimpse of the real Barack Obama – the Barack Obama who became chair of a national security subcommittee, put it on his resume, but did not hold a single oversight hearing because he was too busy running for president; the Barack Obama who spends his time talking about change you can believe in instead of change you actually can count on. Given the opportunity to take the reins of leadership and shape two critical areas of U.S. foreign policy -- Afghanistan and our alliances in Europe -- Senator Obama has done next to nothing."

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McCain, Obama in heated exchange over Iraq

Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama engaged in a pointed exchange over al Qaeda in Iraq today. Obama had said in a debate Tuesday that he'd strike al Qaeda if it established a base in Iraq. McCain responded that al Qaeda already is in Iraq, and Obama countered that al Qaeda came to Iraq only after the U.S. invaded. Click on headline for the rest of story.

Road to the White House - Total Delegates

CNN Politics

Road to the White House

Delegate Definitions TOTAL DELEGATES Democrats » Republicans » 1,319 Obama 1,250 Clinton 918 McCain 217 Huckabee 1,158 Pledged: 1,016 Pledged: 870 Pledged: 214 Pledged: 161 Superdels: 234 Superdels: 48 Unpl. RNC: 3 Unpl. RNC: Needed to Win: 2,025 Needed to Win: 1,191

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Clinton offers regrets for husband's remarks

CNN

February 24, 2008

Posted: 02:45 PM ET

Clinton spoke to the annual State of the Black Union forum Saturday .

NEW ORLEANS (CNN) — In remarks to the annual State of the Black Union forum Saturday, Sen. Hillary Clinton strongly defended her husband's record on civil rights, and offered regrets some of the former president's comments earlier this campaign season appeared to have offended many African-Americans.

Clinton was asked about remarks her husband made while on the trail for his wife in South Carolina last month, including his reference to Jesse Jackson having won primaries in the state during the 1980s. Critics complained about the remarks, seeing it as a suggestion that Obama's success in that state would largely be based on his race.

In her answer, Clinton said many of the attendees to the forum know her husband personally and "know his heart."

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Texas Women, With a Strong Legacy, Size Up the Democratic Field

New York Times

By RALPH BLUMENTHAL

Published: February 24, 2008

Michael Stravato for The New York Times

State Representative Ana E. Hernandez, 29, is the youngest woman in the Texas House. She cast her vote for Barack Obama.

HOUSTON — She served as first lady through her husband’s two terms, suffered the indignities of his impeachment and then made history running for his office on her own.

No, not her. It was Miriam Amanda Wallace Ferguson, known as “Ma,” the first woman elected governor of Texas, back in 1924.

So you’ll pardon the women of Texas (and Ma Ferguson was known for her generous pardons) if they don’t go all wobbly over the idea of the first female president.

Texas is no stranger to powerful women, which is why it was scarcely accidental that in Thursday night’s debate, both Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama bowed to such trailblazers as former Representative Barbara Jordan and former Gov. Ann Richards.

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New York Times Reporter’s Notebook

On Center Stage, a Candidate Letting His Confidence Show

By MICHAEL POWELL

With polls showing him pulling closer in Ohio and Texas, Senator Barack Obama is like a gambler convinced his every dice roll will come up double sixes.

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