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

THE FIELD

In Democratic Families, Politics Makes for Estranged Bedfellows

By Jodi Kantor
New York Times
February 4, 2008

Political dynasties and ordinary people alike have found their houses divided between support for Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama…

Obama, Cultivating California Spirit, Eases Clinton’s Grip on State

By John Harwood
New York Times
February 4, 2008

Barack Obama has been making inroads in California, but Hillary Rodham Clinton is drawing on old allies to help withstand his momentum...

Obama, Clinton play their parts to perfection

By Charles McNulty
Los Angeles Times
February 2, 2008

Civility replaces conflict and drama in the Democratic presidential candidate debate in Hollywood…

Clinton campaigns in California; Obama hits New Mexico

By Maria L. La Ganga and Peter Nicholas
Los Angeles Times
February 2, 2008

Both court Latino voters. Blaming Bush for the bad economic news, they keep the focus on pocketbook issues…

Poll: Obama wipes out Clinton's lead

By Jill Lawrence
USA Today
February 4, 2008

WASHINGTON — The Democratic presidential race has become a cliffhanger as a new USA TODAY/Gallup Poll on Sunday showed Barack Obama wiping out Hillary Rodham Clinton's double-digit national lead just before coast-to-coast contests on Tuesday…

CLINTON

‘One Down,’ One to Go

By Patrick Healy
New York Times
February 3, 2008

Hillary Rodham Clinton was cheering along with a roomful of Giants fans on Sunday night as Eli Manning & Co. made their final drive to win Super Bowl XLII…

Support for Clinton, Driven by Respect

By Timothy Williams
New York Times
February 4, 2008

Robin Chappelle, the New York State political director of the Clinton campaign is poised, focused and rarely off message despite this being her first major campaign…

Bill Clinton's Legacy
How Former President Is Viewed Could Affect Vote

By Peter Baker
Washington Post
February 3, 2008

NORMAN, Okla. -- It fell to Mike Turpen, a former Oklahoma attorney general, to warm up the crowd, and he did so with gusto. "Bill Clinton!" he shouted to several thousand people gathered in the McCasland Field House at the University of Oklahoma. "He gave us eight years of peace and prosperity! Do you remember?"

Latino vote critical for Clinton on Super Tuesday

By Ben Arnoldy
Christian Science Monitor
February 3, 2008

With stepped up campaigning, Obama seeks to make inroads into Clinton's Hispanic support…

Clinton contrite in church visits

By Scott Martelle and Mark Z. Barabak
Los Angeles Times
February 3, 2008

The ex-president speaks to African American congregations in L.A. Maria Shriver endorses Obama at a UCLA rally…

Clinton finds that live TV doesn't wait

By Scott Martelle
Los Angeles Times
February 3, 2008

She and 3 other presidential hopefuls join a youth-oriented candidate forum -- but the hosts have to wait 15 minutes for her…

Clinton touts battle scars as a plus

By Kathy Kiely
USA Today
February 4, 2008

MINNEAPOLIS — Hillary Rodham Clinton is trying to make controversy and criticism her friends as she sprints across the country, on a presidential campaign she now admits will go on longer than she envisioned…

OBAMA

Obama Campaigns for Delegates In Smaller States
Strategy Could Be Risky For National Contest; 13,000 Rally in Boise

By Christopher Cooper
Wall Street Journal
February 4, 2008

The campaign crazy quilt that makes up presidential candidate Barack Obama's 10-day sprint leading up to tomorrow's Super Tuesday contest includes some of the tiniest states at stake in the election. It is something the senator from Illinois acknowledges from time to time…

Maria Shriver Backs Obama

By Adam Nagourney
New York Times
February 3, 2008

Maria Shriver is the latest Kennedy family member to support Barack Obama…

Nuclear Leaks and Response Tested Obama in Senate

By Mike Mcintire
New York Times
February 3, 2008

An Illinois controversy pitting two important constituencies against each other put Barack Obama’s legislative skills to the test…

Inspired by Obama, Filmmaker Takes on Politics

By Diane Cardwell
New York Times
February 4, 2008

From a storefront nestled between a Popeye’s and a nightclub in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Jordan Thomas, a political novice, has created Brooklyn for Barack, a critical force to Senator Obama’s New York state campaign…

Obama works to claim Latino vote

By Tom Hamburger and Peter Wallsten
Los Angeles Times
February 2, 2008

Strategists hope communities neglected by other campaigns will deliver him delegates on Super Tuesday. But it's a tough fight: Many Latinos have longtime connections to Clinton…

Obama donor's trial delayed a week

Los Angeles Times
February 2, 2008

The judge allows Rezko's attorneys more time to prepare. The senator's campaign has given the businessman's contributions to charities…

Obama shooting for every delegate he can get

By Martha T. Moore
USA Today
February 4, 2008

CHICAGO — In the run-up to the biggest primary day of the presidential race, Sen. Barack Obama is campaigning on a large scale…

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

THE FIELD

Contenders Highlight GOP's Ideological Struggle

By Juliet Eilperin and Michael D. Shear
Washington Post
February 3, 2008

CHICAGO -- In the final days before Tuesday's coast-to-coast presidential voting, the two leading candidates for the Republican presidential nomination are laying bare the ideological struggle inside their party over shaping a post-George W. Bush era…

McCain, Romney acrimony dates back to Olympics

By Bob Drogin
Los Angeles Times
February 3, 2008

The two clashed over spending for the 2002 Games, foreshadowing the fissures that divide the GOP front-runners…

Romney's take: Voting for Huckabee helps McCain

By Seema Mehta, Maeve Reston and Michael Finnegan
Los Angeles Times
February 2, 2008

Don't split the conservative vote, says the former Massachusetts governor…

McCAIN

No Longer the Insurgent, McCain Primes to Lead

By Elisabeth Bumiller
New York Times
February 4, 2008

Senator John McCain wants to maintain his role as an independent-minded candidate, but at the same time, he must mend the rifts within his own party…

McCain tries to bridge 'moat' with mass audiences

By Maeve Reston
Los Angeles Times
February 3, 2008

The Republican presidential hopeful must balance town-hall intimacy with the realities of multistate campaigning…

McCain surge puts Iraq war at fore

By Peter Wallsten
Los Angeles Times
February 2, 2008

The likelihood that the war hero will be the GOP nominee creates a battle between Democrats over who can best challenge him…

McCain sticks to message, vows 'respectful' contest

By David Jackson
USA Today
February 4, 2008

FAIRFIELD, Conn. — John McCain tailored his remarks this weekend about the presidential race, at times reluctant to think ahead but then sounding like he has clinched the Republican nomination…

ROMNEY

Romney Reaches Out to Some Fellow Named Brady

By Michael Luo
New York Times
February 3, 2008

Mitt Romney casually dropped that he had exchanged e-mails on Saturday with New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady…

Romney Wins Maine Caucuses

Associated Press
February 3, 2008

AUGUSTA, Maine -- Mitt Romney coasted to a win in presidential preference voting by Maine Republicans on Saturday, claiming his third victory in a caucus state and fourth overall…

Romney scores big in Maine caucuses

Los Angeles Times
February 3, 2008

Winning 52%, the former governor could sweep all 18 delegates. McCain is a distant second with 21%, Ron Paul a close third…

Romney views Maine win as sign of things to come

By Andrea Stone
USA Today
February 4, 2008

ST. LOUIS — John McCain may have momentum going into Super Tuesday, but the message from Mitt Romney's campaign is You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet…

<><> THIRD PARTIES <><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

BLOOMBERG

McCain's Success May Be Upsetting N.Y. Mayor's Plans

By Keith B. Richburg
Washington Post
February 3, 2008

NEW YORK -- When the polls close on Tuesday, few will be analyzing the results more closely than Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, whose own thinly disguised presidential ambitions are likely to hinge on the outcome…

<><> PRIMARY CONTESTS<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

SUPER TUESDAY

Democrats Flood States With Ads as Tuesday Nears

By Adam Nagourney
New York Times
February 3, 2008

A concentrated burst of advertising is highlighting the diverging financial fortunes of the two parties…

From Irrelevance to Influence

By N. R. Kleinfield
New York Times
February 3, 2008

For the first time in recent elections, Northeastern voters will figure prominently in choosing the presidential nominees…

As Candidates Scramble for Delegates, Connecticut Primary Gains Spotlight

By Thomas Kaplan
New York Times
February 4, 2008

With its primary election shifted from the bleak obscurity of late winter, Connecticut has become a presidential battleground for the first time in recent memory…

Closing Arguments for Super Tuesday

By Zachary A. Goldfarb
Washington Post
February 3, 2008

Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) said Sunday that he could unite the Republican Party, but Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, said McCain was only wearing "conservative garb."

How to untangle the politics of Super Tuesday primaries

By Linda Feldmann
Christian Science Monitor
February 4, 2008

Clinton, Obama, McCain and Romney compete for 42 percent of all delegates…

California Offers a Look Into Future of Politics
Presidential Hopefuls Converge on State Increasingly Influenced by Independents, Hispanics

By Jonathan Kaufman and Jim Carlton
Wall Street Journal
February 4, 2008

To travel across California these days is to see the unfolding contours of the future of American politics…

Primary focus turns to California

By Cathleen Decker
Los Angeles Times
February 3, 2008

For first time in decades, state plays crucial early role in presidential race..

Far from urban hubs, pace picks up

By Phil Willon
Los Angeles Times
February 3, 2008

Bakersfield was a bit of an afterthought. But with a narrowed field and the primary near, campaigns are roused…

Little of candidates' ad money shows in Feb. 5 states

By Scott Martelle
Los Angeles Times
February 2, 2008

Record amounts have been spent on TV publicity, but most of it went to Iowa and New Hampshire…

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

Obama Closes In on Clinton As McCain Lengthens Lead
Poll Results Come As Candidates Seek Big Tuesday Win

By Jackie Calmes
Wall Street Journal
February 4, 2008

On the eve of tomorrow's near-national contest for each party's presidential nominee, Democrat Hillary Clinton has lost much of her longtime polling lead over Barack Obama both nationally and in grand prize California, while Republican John McCain has surged ahead for a potentially decisive edge…

Stealthy Groups Shake Up Races
Independent Outfits Avoid Disclosing Donors; Phone Calls for Huckabee

By Brody Mullins
Wall Street Journal
February 4, 2008

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Election results from Florida were still rolling in last Tuesday evening when Patrick Davis began plotting to help his candidate, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, in tomorrow's slate of Super Tuesday contests. He checked campaign finances, analyzed polls and edited phone-call scripts to solicit votes and bash opponents…

McCain Looks Confident; Democratic Race Tightens

By Adam Nagourney
New York Times
February 4, 2008

John McCain was striving to end the Republican race on Tuesday, while polls showed Hillary Rodham Clinton’s lead over Barack Obama was narrowing…

In Election of Change, TV Gives Voice to Insiders

By Alessandra Stanley
New York Times
February 4, 2008

The best-known television pundits who hold politicians to account are entangled in old partisanship and past allegiances…

Candidates Scrambling in States About to Vote

By Jeff Zeleny and Elisabeth Bumiller
New York Times
February 3, 2008

Democratic and Republican candidates fanned out across the nation to make swift appeals to voters in delegate-rich or politically symbolic states…

Obama, Clinton Are Even In Poll
McCain Now Clearly GOP's Front-Runner After Primary Wins

By Dan Balz and Jon Cohen
Washington Post
February 3, 2008

Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) and Barack Obama (Ill.) are running roughly even nationally as the battle for the Democratic nomination heads into Tuesday's big round of primaries and caucuses, while Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) has jumped to a dominating lead over his remaining rivals in the Republican race, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll…

Campaigns Experimenting Online to See What Works

By Jose Antonio Vargas
Washington Post
February 3, 2008

Super Tuesday isn't just draining campaigns of much-needed money and challenging their organizational mettle. Feb. 5 also is turning out to be a "big test," campaign aides say, of the reach and power of the Internet…

Exhaustion and exhilaration on the campaign trail

By Peter Nicholas, Seema Mehta and Maeve Reston
Los Angeles Times
February 3, 2008

In this marathon primary season, days on the road become a blur for candidates, staff and journalists. Still, they wouldn't be anywhere else…

Presidential candidates race the clock

Los Angeles Times
February 3, 2008

Clinton stops in L.A. while Democratic rival Obama braves GOP turf in Idaho. Republican McCain travels through the South; Romney pauses to attend the funeral of Mormon leader Hinckley…

Nuclear interests pull a big switch

By Dan Morain and Maloy Moore
Los Angeles Times
February 3, 2008

The industry, which backed GOP candidates in past elections, gives large sums to Obama and Clinton…

Clinton, Huckabee take no chances in Arkansas

By Stephen Braun
Los Angeles Times
February 3, 2008

Both have strong ties with the state, but they've ventured back to make sure they're still on firm ground…

The Times editorial board endorses McCain, Obama

By Scott Martelle
Los Angeles Times
February 2, 2008

Breaks a 36-year hiatus in selecting candidates for the Democratic and Republican presidential nominations…

<><>WAR/TERROR<><><><><>><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Rising Cost of Iraq War May Reignite Public Debate

By Yochi J. Dreazen and John D. Mckinnon
Wall Street Journal
February 4, 2008

WASHINGTON -- The cost of U.S. military operations in Iraq is rising rapidly, and could reignite the national debate about the war, which has taken a back seat to the economy as an issue for most voters this election year…

Pentagon Seeks Record Level in 2009 Budget

By Thom Shanker
New York Times
February 4, 2008

The Pentagon’s proposed budget of $515.4 billion represents the highest annual military spending, when adjusted for inflation, since World War II…

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

Alaska Drilling Plans Draw Opposition

By Stephen Power
New York Times
February 4, 2008

WASHINGTON -- A federal plan to expand oil-and-gas drilling in Alaska presents the Bush administration with an awkward choice between oil and polar bears…