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Breaking News in Puerto Rican Media -- Hillary on the Island for 3 days - from Saturday, May 24th through Monday, May 26th. More details later.

The Washington Post, a bit late for Democratic primary voters to consider, notes that despite Barack Obama's high-minded talk about rising above the Red state-Blue state divide, "his political program and his legislative record are almost entirely blue." Wait: he's really liberal? Who knew! Then the Post confesses that...

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton loaned her campaign $6.4 million in the past few weeks...Howard Wolfson, a Clinton campaign spokesman...was also asked if the loans were drawing on her personal income, or on the joint income of both the senator and former President Bill Clinton. "There is no distinction between her share of their joint assets and her money," Wolfson said in response. "Legally she is entitled to use up to 50 percent of their jointly held assets, if she chooses. She's actually made about $11 million from her book and her Senate salary."

No matter who wins the remaining primaries, there's no way for Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton to capture enough delegates to reach the magic number of 2,025 needed to secure the Democratic nomination. The decision will then fall to the superdelegates, elected officials and party people often demonized in the media as hacks or backroom operators. A majority of them will swing behind one or the other candidate—likely Hillary Clinton—boosting her over the top even if she lags behind Barack Obama in the pledged delegate count. And they will do this dastardly deed behind closed doors, in the electronic equivalent...

Should this be Hillary's new theme song, or will Paul Shanklin do a parody? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZpKwGXcxbk

(Washington, DC) Medical authorities have failed to explain why MSNBC’s Chris Matthews’s leg hasn’t stopped tingling since the evening hours of February 13 during an acceptance speech given by Democratic candidate Barack Obama. Matthews first reported his condition in an on-air exchange with Keith Olberman about an hour after Obama swept the so-called Potomac primaries in Virginia, Maryland and DC. According to MSNBC transcripts: “I have to tell you, you know, it’s part of reporting this case, this election, the feeling most people get when they hear Barack Obama’s speech. My, I felt this thrill going up my leg. I...

Air America radio host Randi Rhodes unleashed a torrent of what's being called "liberal racism" and accused Oprah Winfrey of "acting" when she stumped for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. On her show last week, Rhodes discussed Oprah's appearances on Obama's behalf, and told listeners: "She was blacker than Obama yesterday . . . Let me tell you something. Everyone who watches Oprah are the whitest people in the world . . . Even the black men who watch Oprah are white women while they watch Oprah . . . "She's like so unbelievably white . . . Why is...

WASHINGTON -- Democrats enter the 2008 election campaign with powerful political advantages but face a tough and unpredictable battle because of the vulnerabilities of front-runner Hillary Clinton and the Democratic-controlled Congress... But offsetting that demand for change in the presidential contest are reservations about Sen. Clinton's truthfulness and ideology...The result: She is in a virtual dead heat with leading Republican candidate Rudy Giuliani when the two are matched up... Mr. Giuliani has maintained an aggressive stance toward his in-state rival for the White House. While promoting his antiterror credentials with tough talk on Iran, the former New York City mayor...

(DOJA, QATAR) In an effort to clarify his rambling seven-page manifesto released on September 7, Osama Bin Laden has sent a rambling a three-page memo to Al Jazeera, the 24-hour Arab news service in Qatar. The memo has been read continuously by a Bin Laden look-a-like every hour on the hour across the Middle East since Al Jazeera received it early Sunday morning. In the threat-laced memo, Bin Laden seems to single out Hillary Clinton, whom he calls “cuckolded blond lady candidate.” He later refers to her as “the lady candidate who should be burqa-ed.” Bin Laden chides Hillary by...

There's a fascinating piece of political lore that tells the story of Hillary Clinton pulling John Kerry aside in the Senate cloak room before his fateful 'no' vote on the Iraq funding bill back in 2003. That is, of course, the vote that sparked his politically devastating comment about voting for the $87 billion before he voted against it. The story goes that Clinton told him that he really needed to vote 'yes' on the bill, even though the ant-war sentiments of Howard Dean seemed to account for Dean's lead in the 2004 Democratic primary polls. Her feeling was that...

Despite a commanding financial advantage, state Controller Steve Westly could have trouble overcoming the union muscle that will direct voters toward his rival, state Treasurer Phil Angelides, in the Democratic primary for governor. The failure of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's public works bond to reach the June ballot means there will be little to attract the moderate voters Westly needs to counteract the died-in-the-wool Democrats that unions are expected to drive toward Angelides. "The challenge for Steve Westly is going to be getting people who are not so tightly affiliated with the Democratic Party to show up and vote," said Bruce...

WASHINGTON - John Kerry's been described as a waffler who blathers, a son of privilege who won't stand up to millionaires, a Washington insider who's a handmaiden to special interests and an inconsistent candidate whose word is no good. All of that comes from fellow Democrats who ran against Kerry in the presidential primary race but now are pledged to help elect him president. The also-rans in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination have supplied plenty of rhetorical ammunition that Republicans could refire in the fall campaign, although the strategy is not without risks. It happens every primary election...

<p>ATLANTA -- Senator John F. Kerry yesterday fended off an unusually direct attack from President Bush's campaign chairman -- who criticized the "remarkably negative tone" of Kerry's White House bid -- while energizing about 1,000 Georgia voters with 90 minutes of almost uninterrupted denunciations of Bush over jobs, taxes, and the Iraq war.</p>

Is the Jewish community to blame for the spectacular fall of Joseph Lieberman? It was a bittersweet moment Tuesday night. Just outside Washington D.C. at Lieberman's campaign headquarters in Arlington, Va., the first Jewish candidate for president took his hat out of the ring. "Our campaign has been about vision, and while the door on our campaign has closed, a window opens tonight for us to continue fighting for what's right," Lieberman told the crowd of friends, family, and close supporters. "Tonight," Lieberman said, a touch of defiance in his voice, "our journey comes to an end." His announcement didn't...

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The week has witnessed the departure from the Democratic presidential race of the party's last authentic man competing for the nomination, Sen. Joe Lieberman. The remaining candidates are all hucksters. They are the masters of such lines as "Ah ... let me clarify what I said the other day," and, "Oh, allow me to apologize to my distinguished colleague," and, "Well, what I really meant to say was ..." From frontrunner Kerry to bottom-of-the-heap Sharpton (and a well-upholstered bottom it is), each remaining candidate lives in fear of what a Lexis-Nexis search might reveal about his past...

Let us review the Democratic presidential primaries so far: In the beginning, John Kerry surged to a big lead in the New Hampshire polls because he seemed so electable. He had plenty of experience, lots of money and big hair, and, as somebody said, he looks like an animatronic version of Abraham Lincoln. But then Howard Dean raised a lot of money, and New Hampshire voters figured that he was bringing so many new people into the process that he must be electable — and if he was electable, then they should probably support him because they wanted somebody who...

SOURCES SAY IN EARLY RETURNS: [Rich Lowry] Kerry 36, Dean 31, Edwards 12, Clark 12 Posted at 02:03 PM

NASHUA, N.H. — A couple of weeks ago, one of John Edwards's aides showed me, in the manner of one unveiling the Dead Sea Scrolls, the original draft of The January Speech. Edwards had spent much of the fall showing that he was more than a slick trial lawyer, and the new January speech was to differentiate himself from the other candidates. Edwards collected his thoughts over a few weeks and must have written them down quickly. There were about 25 words scrawled illegibly over two sheets of spiral notebook paper. On the page it's a mess, but coming out...

He didn't just support the war — he thought it was great. "I've been against this war from the beginning. I was against it last summer. I was against it in the fall. I was against it in the winter. I was against it in the spring. And I'm against it now." Retired General Wesley Clark, in a candidates' debate, October 26, 2003. This isn't really a test — after all, the answer is in the title of this article. But just for the exercise, please ask yourself the following questions: Who said, in April of 2003, "Can anything be...

<p>DES MOINES, Iowa — The race for the Democratic presidential nomination remains in a statistical dead heat in the vital Iowa caucuses but it has a surprise twist -- Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry (search) has taken the lead, according to the latest tracking poll, released Thursday.</p>

In 2000, the American electorate was evenly divided. Now, as we enter another voting season, the Gallup Organization has released a study, based on 40,000 interviews, that shows that 45.5 percent of voters identify with or lean toward the Republican Party and 45.2 percent identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party. So is that it? After Sept. 11, the Iraq war and the Madonna-Britney kiss, could it really be that we are back to where we started? Since 2000, tens of millions of people have moved, divorced and converted; can it really be that everything in America changes except...

Sharpton Blasts Dean on Race in Debate) DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Under fire in a campaign debate, Howard Dean conceded grudgingly Sunday night that he never named a black or Latino to his cabinet during nearly 12 years as governor of Vermont. "If you want to lecture people on race, you ought to have the background and track record to do that," Al Sharpton snapped at the Democratic presidential front-runner in an emotionally charged exchange in the final debate before next week's kickoff Iowa caucuses. "I will take a backseat to no one in a commitment to civil rights...

Disqualifying Remarks A President Dean would let a jury fight the war on terror. By Andrew C. McCarthy One wonders aloud whether there are any adults left minding the Democratic store. Regardless of how commanding a lead he has amassed, no matter the daunting war chest, and overlooking the skill with which he strums the anger chord of a loony Left that mulishly fiddles over Florida 2000 while the rest of us fight for our lives, Howard Dean's mistletoe buss for Osama bin Laden would, in sane times, disqualify him from serious contention for a major party's presidential nomination. If...

DES MOINES, Dec. 30 — When Democratic Party officials devised their primary calendar for 2004, they produced a rapid-fire voting schedule intended to quickly produce a nominee who could escape the battering that has hobbled so many presidential candidates over the years. But less than three weeks before the first vote in the nominating process, the caucuses here on Jan. 19, it appears possible that the party has achieved just half of its goal. The Democrats may get their early nominee, party officials say, but it now appears likely to be someone bruised by the nominating fight and confronted with...

In 2000, John McCain led an insurgent campaign against the Republican establishment. Say what you will about G.O.P. elites, they do not lack self-confidence. When McCain hit them, they hit back, viciously. In South Carolina, they insulted McCain's honor, caused him to lose his equilibrium and left him battered and defeated. An election later, the Democratic establishment faces its own insurgency campaign. Howard Dean has launched a comprehensive assault on his party's leaders. First, he attacked their character, charging that they didn't have the guts to stand up to George Bush. Then, he attacked their power base, building an alternative...

<p>BY ENDORSING Howard Dean before a single vote has been cast, as he did on Tuesday, Al Gore has done Democrats hoping for a victory next November a true disservice.</p> <p>The primary process should be a period of testing, of evaluation, of taking the measure of the candidates. It should afford Democratic voters time and opportunity to make a series of judgments about their hopefuls. It should be a winnowing process that sorts the long shots from the serious contenders -- and then lets the heavyweights square off in different states around the country to demonstrate their appeal.</p>

<p>RALEIGH, N.C. -- Sen. John Edwards is giving voters an idea on how he plans to get America back on track.</p> <p>New commerials began airing Monday in Iowa and New Hampshire. They feature Edwards speaking to a group of supporters and explain how voters can obtain a written copy of his "plan."</p>

Kerry, Gephardt, Edwards Campaigns Work Together Against Potential Dean NodBy Ron Fournier The Associated PressPublished: Nov 3, 2003 WASHINGTON (AP) - In a rare alliance, strategists for John Edwards, Dick Gephardt and John Kerry discussed whether they could stop the Service Employees International Union from endorsing fellow Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean. The union, the largest in the AFL-CIO with 1.6 million members, announced last week that its 63-member board would decide Thursday whether to endorse the former Vermont governor. "It's Dean or one," said SEIU spokeswoman Sara Howard. The announcement prompted top aides to Edwards, Gephardt and Kerry to...

WASHINGTON - Supporters of Gen. Wesley Clark are fond of his stars and stripes. They tout his combat experience - he was shot four times in the Vietnam War - and his record as commander of NATO. Some supporters wear a campaign button that doesn't have any words, just four stars. But Clark's remarkable surge as a presidential candidate cannot be solely explained by his military resume. He came into the public eye as a TV pundit. During the Iraq war, he was on CNN for 25 days straight, explaining B-2 bombers, bunker busters and "decapitating strikes." His commentary...

WASHINGTON - Hillary Clinton came to a Monitor breakfast the other morning and made it abundantly clear that she wasn't running for president. She said the Democrats had a "strong field of candidates" and that she believed President Bush was vulnerable to defeat. She emphasized that she was not supporting any individual candidate and that included Gen. Wesley Clark. So the 59 journalists who met with the New York senator had to be a bit disappointed. They'd hoped Mrs. Clinton might open the door just a crack, that she might have at least teased them with a few words about...

<p>NEW YORK -- With the campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination fully underway, a liberal advocacy organization is holding the first serious ''online primary'' beginning today, promising to deliver its endorsement and potentially millions of dollars in donations to any candidate who wins more than 50 percent of the vote.</p>

Democratic Primary Race Remains Wide Open Lieberman maintains slight edge over Kerry by Lydia Saad GALLUP NEWS SERVICE PRINCETON, NJ -- A new CNN/USA Today/Gallup survey finds the race for the Democratic presidential nomination still wide open, with no candidate garnering more than 20% of the vote. Three candidates -- Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman, Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, and Missouri Congressman Dick Gephardt -- receive double-digit support among registered Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents. Although Lieberman technically leads the pack today, it is by only 3 points over Kerry, 20% vs. 17%, which is less than the margin of error for...

Rep. Gephardt, D-St. Louis County, warned Missouri Republicans over the weekend that scuttling the primary would disenfranchise soldiers - an important and politically sensitive voting bloc

<p>ASSACHUSETTS voters could never quite figure out who John Kerry is. Now there is some explanation for the air of mystery that surrounds him: In a most literal sense, John Kerry doesn't know who he is, either. The story published in Sunday's Boston Globe, ''Search for Kerry's roots finds surprising history,'' reveals fascinating details about the man who served this commonwealth as junior senator since 1984, and before that as lieutenant governor, and who now seeks the Democratic presidential nomination.</p>

The Fox News reported that the former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich finished third in the Democratic Primary for Governor of Massachusettes.

[ The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: 6/20/02 ] Name recognition, getting black vote big challenges for Majette in her bit to unseat McKinney By BILL TORPY and JIM GALLOWAY Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writers CASH ADVANTAGE Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-Ga.) starts her re-election bid with a fund-raising advantage over challenger Denise Majette: MCKINNEYCash on hand: $278,112Total raised: $248,689From PACs: $94,500 MAJETTECash on hand: $26,123Total raised: $130,148From PACs: $1,000 Source: Federal Election Commission Rep. Cynthia McKinney has been unbeatable during her decade in Congress because she's never faced a formidable Democratic opponent. Denise Majette, who is set to file Thursday to run for McKinney's...