News Roundup

Obama expands delegate lead over Clinton
DES MOINES, Iowa - Democrat Barack Obama expanded his fragile lead in delegates over rival Hillary Rodham Clinton on Saturday, picking up at least seven delegates as Iowa activists took the next step in picking delegates to the national convention.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080315/ap_on_el_pr/democrats_iowa

Rolling Stone Changes Headline From Obama's 'Radical Roots' to 'Destiny's Child'
Back on Feb. 22nd, Rolling Stone published their in depth story (6-pages on the net) about Barack Obama's "charisma" under the title, "The Radical Roots of Barack Obama." However, the story has lately been retitled "Destiny's Child." One might wonder why Rolling Stone made the sudden change avoiding the word "radical"... unless, that is, one were living under a rock and isn't aware of the trouble Barack is lately having with the anti-American and racist ranting of his "spiritual mentor," the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Jr. Many hard questions arise over Rolling Stone's self-censorship
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/warner-todd-huston/2008/03/15/rolling-stone-changes-headline-obamas-radical-roots-destinys-chi

Clinton, Obama clash despite plan to talk issues
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic U.S. presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama clashed on Saturday over his ties to an indicted Chicago businessman and her tax records, despite their agreement two days earlier on the need to focus on issues.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080315/pl_nm/usa_politics_dc

Pelosi's delegate stance boosts Obama
WASHINGTON - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says it would be damaging to the Democratic party for its leaders to buck the will of national convention delegates picked in primaries and caucuses, a declaration that gives a boost to Sen. Barack Obama.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080315/ap_on_el_pr/pelosi_delegates
Note from SNEN: So why have super delegates at all? If they're simply going to toss their votes to the one with the highest number of delegates, why not let the voters decide? Makes NO sense whatsoever...

Clinton backs Michigan revote plan
SCRANTON, Penn. - Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton Saturday said she supported an effort by Michigan Democrats to hold a new primary in June.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080315/ap_on_el_pr/clinton

Polarities persist in Democratic race
WASHINGTON - Something happened to the feel-good, way-cool Democratic presidential contest in the months since a woman and a black man began their path-breaking race for the White House. By the millions, black voters voted for the black candidate and women voted for the woman. White men seemed torn, by the millions.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080315/ap_on_el_pr/polarized_politics

Deconstructing Obama's lawyerly evasions on Wright
Barack Obama desperately needs to distance himself from his spiritual mentor and pastor of two decades, Jeremiah Wright, Jr. But the man who wants America to believe his promise of unspecified change adopts the carefully-parsed language of a Harvard-trained lawyer. There is a fundamental discordance in spirit between a canny, evasive lawyer inserting loopholes, and the smiling vision of unity and change you can believe in.
http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/03/deconstructing_obamas_lawyerly.html

Is Media Biased to the Right With McCain/Hagee vs. Obama/Wright Stories?
As you should know by now, Democratic Presidential hopeful Barack Obama has a Wright problem. That would be a Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr. problem. It turns out that Barack Obama's "spiritual mentor" has a long, long history of hatred against whites and the history of the U.S.A. But, late last week, news began to surface that one of John McCain's religious supporters, John Hagee, has made many harsh anti-Catholic statements in the past.
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/warner-todd-huston/2008/03/15/media-biased-right-mccain-hagee-vs-obama-wright-stories

The AP Style Guide on Defending Barack Obama
The Associated Press editors tasked in-house "writer" Phillip Elliott to write an article that dispels the "rumors and outright lies" concerning Barack Obama and the perception that Mr. Obama's support of Israel is questionable. The product of that task is what you'd expect from any number of left leaning story tellers in the mainstream media who write about Obama as opposed to journalists, reporters and political observers that actually take the time to research, study and honestly discuss that which they have found.
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/terry-trippany/2008/03/15/ap-style-guide-defending-barack-obama

Have the Networks Reported McCain's Anti-Catholic Endorser?
If you have liberal friends who try to rebut you and say that the same networks that had largely ignored Obama’s pastor Jeremiah Wright also ignored John McCain being embraced by harshly anti-Catholic evangelist John Hagee, you can first say that there’s a huge difference between someone’s selected pastor of two decades and a new endorser. A search through network transcripts shows that ABC has not reported on Hagee, although they broke the Wright flap. But CBS has done two stories and NBC, half a one.
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/tim-graham/2008/03/15/have-networks-reported-mccains-anti-catholic-endorser

Super Delegates Lining Up for Barack Obama
A funny thing is happening. While Hillary and Bill appeal to super delegates to override the will of the voters and back Hillary, the super delegates are doing just the opposite.
The latest delegate count posted on realclearpolitics.com shows that Hillary’s lead among super delegates, once a comfortable 60 votes, has now been cut almost in half to 36 delegates. The latest tally has Hillary leading among super delegates by 247 to 211. So, with 57 percent of the super delegates decided, Hillary’s lead is shrinking.
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/DickMorrisandEileenMcGann/2008/03/15/super
_delegates_lining_up_for_barack_obama

Obama Attempts Damage Control, Fallout Over Pastor’s Sermons Unclear
The presidential contenders have all had their share of supporters whose insensitive remarks forced the campaigns to issue disavowals. This week, it was Barack Obama’s turn.
After a series of recorded sermons by Obama’s longtime pastor the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr. sparked controversy over Wright’s fiery views on race, America and the Sept. 11 attacks, Obama responded Friday by firmly repudiating Wrights’ views in lengthy written statement and a round of cable news interviews.
http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/03/15/fallout-from-pastors-sermons-unknown-as-obama-attempts-damage-control/

Lots of Talk, No Resolution on Michigan Revote
Negotiations among Michigan Democrats led to little more than broad principles Friday as all the players worked toward a plan that would allow Michigan to seat its delegation to the Democratic National Convention in August. The Democratic National Committee (DNC) had stripped Michigan of its delegates for violating party rules.
http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docID=news-000002688702

Democratic rivals agree to play nicer
WASHINGTON - On this presidential rivals Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton can agree: They sometimes disagree with their trash-talking supporters and will try to cool it. Advisers to the Democratic candidates shed some light Friday on the private chat the two candidates had Thursday on the Senate floor.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080314/ap_on_el_pr/obama_clinton

House Newcomers Get Quick Assist from Dems’ Campaign Unit
Democrats Bill Foster of Illinois and Andre Carson of Indiana, whose special election wins over the past week made them the two newest members of the U.S. House, are on a short turnaround to prepare for competitive contests in this fall’s general elections. And nationally, Democratic Party campaign strategists are moving quickly to try to buttress their political security.
http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docID=news-000002688665

Retirement Surprise Turns Alabama House Race Into Tossup
The retirement announcement Thursday by nine-term Democratic Rep. Robert E. “Bud” Cramer caught Alabama’s political establishment by surprise. But both parties are already hustling to prepare for a hotly competitive and unexpected open-seat race in the state’s 5th Congressional District.
http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docID=news-000002688659