<><>DEMOCRATS<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

THE FIELD

Clinton Backers Launch Ads As Obama Gets Union Support

By Brody Mullins, T.W. Farnam and John Emshwiller
Wall Street Journal
February 21, 2008

WASHINGTON -- A group of Hillary Clinton backers are starting an ambitious independent effort to help the New York senator win the Democratic presidential nomination…

Stakes Are Raised In Last Two Democratic Debates
If Obama Stumbles, Clinton Has a Chance To Reverse Momentum

By June Kronholz and Elizabeth Holmes
Wall Street Journal
February 21, 2008

Can Sen. Hillary Clinton come back in a presidential campaign she once dominated? Will Sen. Barack Obama let her? And could two more debates make a difference?

Obama and Clinton Spending Furiously

By Michael Luo
New York Times
February 21, 2008

Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton both spent at the furious clip of nearly a million dollars a day in January as they battled to win the initial contests for the Democratic nomination, according to filings on Wednesday with the Federal Election Commission…

Primer for Viewing the Democratic Presidential Debate

By Katharine Q. Seelye
New York Times
February 21, 2008

Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton have not met face to face in a debate since their love-fest in Hollywood on Jan. 31. Given the recent unpleasantness between the two, and Mrs. Clinton's 10-state losing streak, it seems a safe bet that when they meet Thursday night in Austin, Tex., at a debate sponsored by CNN, the tone just might not be so jolly…

Clinton Says Obama Isn't Ready
She Sharpens Attacks As Crucial Tests Loom

By Anne E. Kornblut and Shailagh Murray
Washington Post
February 21, 2008

NEW YORK, Feb. 20 -- Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton launched a tough new offensive against Sen. Barack Obama on Wednesday, asserting flatly that her rival for the Democratic presidential nomination is not prepared to serve as commander in chief…

Clinton or Obama? Gender less important to young voters.
As Obama gains, he whittles Clinton's lead among baby-boomer women.

By alexandra Marks
Christian Science Monitor
February 21, 2008

Cory Atkins isn't swayed by Obama-mania. The Massachusetts state lawmaker is a loyal supporter of Hillary Rodham Clinton because "she's been through all of the fights I've been through as a woman."

CLINTON

Clinton Aides Split on How to Take On Obama

By Adam Nagourney
New York Times
February 21, 2008

Hillary Rodham Clinton has been repeatedly stymied by the challenge of how to discredit her popular opponent without hurting herself…

Californians looking to aid Clinton
An independent group has been organized with the hope of raising millions to assist Clinton's presidential campaign.

By Dan Morain
Los Angeles Times
February 20, 2008

Frustrated by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's flagging presidential campaign, prominent California Democratic operatives, including a former Clinton White House aide, are organizing an independent campaign aimed at raising millions of dollars to help boost her chances…

OBAMA

Race Matters Less in Politics in Deep South

By Adam Nossiter
New York Times
February 21, 2008

The election of black candidates in overwhelmingly white districts in the Deep South suggests that black politicians can transcend both history and partisanship…

More from Michelle Obama on 'Pride'

By Sarah Wheaton
New York Times
February 20, 2008

Michelle Obama sought today to clarify her "pride" in her country after two days of criticism, most notably from her potential Republican counterpart…

Obama Responds to Rivals

By Jeff Zeleny
New York Times
February 20, 2008

It was 33 minutes into a campaign speech here, before nearly 17,000 people at the Reunion Arena, before he mentioned the names of Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and John McCain…

Obama, Drawing Criticism on Two Fronts, Fires Back

By Jeff Zeleny
New York Times
February 21, 2008

While in Texas, Barack Obama vigorously challenged Hillary Rodham Clinton and defended against accusations by John McCain…

Teamsters Endorse Obama, Offering a Blue-Collar Lift

By Steven Greenhouse
New York Times
February 21, 2008

The endorsement gave Barack Obama new momentum among a group where he is eager to shore up support: blue-collar men…

2 Superdelegates Declare for Obama in New Jersey

By David Kocieniewski
New York Times
February 21, 2008

Senator Barack Obama won the backing of two additional superdelegates from New Jersey, including one who had declared for Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton…

<><>REPUBLICANS<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

McCAIN

For McCain, a Risky Confidence on Ethics

By Jim Rutenberg, Marilyn W. Thompson, David D. Kirkpatrick and Stephen Labaton
New York Times
February 21, 2008

John McCain's relationship with a female lobbyist underscores a paradox: Even as he embraces high ethical standards, his confidence in his own integrity sometimes seems to blind him to potential conflicts of interest…

McCain's Campaign Cash Totals

By Michael Luo
New York Times
February 20, 2008

His latest filing shows that he'd collected more in a month, with his New Hampshire win as a springboard, than in nearly every other quarter before…

<><>RACE TO THE WHITE HOUSE<><><><><><><><><><><>

Clinton, McCain Push Experience Button

By Laura Meckler and Jackie Calmes
Wall Street Journal
February 21, 2008

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Barack Obama is facing attacks on two fronts on one of the toughest issues facing his campaign: whether he has the experience necessary to be the nation's commander in chief…

Decoding Candidates on Trade

By David Wessel
Wall Street Journal
February 21, 2008

The virtues of international trade and the pressures globalization is putting on American workers are becoming more prominent issues in the presidential campaign, even though the candidates most hostile to trade got trounced…

McCain blasts Obama as 'naive'

By Johanna Neuman,, Maria L. LaGanga and Nicholas Riccardi
Los Angeles Times
February 21, 2008

He faults the Illinois senator for his comments on Pakistan and public financing. Obama's camp says his positions are being distorted…

<><>OTHER NEWS<><><><><>><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Castro's exit may spur U.S. policy rethink
US-Cuba relations are unlikely to thaw anytime soon, but change may be only a matter of time.

By Peter Grier
Christian Science Monitor
February 21, 2008

In the short run, Fidel Castro's apparent retreat from power is unlikely to have much effect on the long-frozen relationship between Cuba and its Yankee neighbor to the north. That is something on which a wide range of US officials and experts agree…