Video: Hillary Clinton Advocates Exporting Abortion

From the SuzyB blog:

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was questioned by the House Foreign Affairs Committee today. This video shows highlights of the pointed questions by pro-life Representatives Chris Smith and Jeff Fortenberry, as well as Clinton's responses.

Hillary: "... we are now an administration that will protect the rights of women, including their rights to reproductive healthcare."

No change here.

More from the Cathoholic on why this is significant here.

Stupid: Hillary asked "Who painted it?" when at Guadalupe

Ladies and Gentleman - our Secretary of State:

During her recent visit to Mexico, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made an unexpected stop at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe and left a bouquet of white flowers “on behalf of the American people,” after asking who painted the famous image.

The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe was miraculously imprinted by Mary on the tilma, or cloak, of St. Juan Diego in 1531. The image has numerous unexplainable phenomena, such as the appearance on Mary’s eyes of those present in the room when the tilma was opened and the image’s lack of decay. (CNA)

Maybe planning her acceptance speech for Planned Parenthood's Margaret Sanger Award distracted her.

Hillary Clinton to receive Margaret Sanger Award from Planned Parenthood

Honestly, I can think of few things more offensive than a "Margaret Sanger Award".

Glad to see our Secretary of State is bending over backwards to receive it:

Doing a rare domestic political event, and continuing the Obama administration's forceful, if understated alliance with abortion-rights groups, Hillary Clinton will receive an award from Planned Parenthood Friday night in Houston, the group says.

"The 2009 Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) Margaret Sanger Award, the organization’s highest honor, will be presented to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who has been a champion of women’s health and rights throughout her public service career," according to the release.

Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards is an old Clinton ally, and women's health was a central issue for her in the Senate. Her appearance, though, suggests she's raising her profile a bit beyond what had been, to date, a determined effort to keep her focus entirely on her new portfolio. (Politico)

Family Research Council forcefully (and succinctly) makes the case that it's outrageous for Hillary to accept such an award even if you disagree about abortion. Planned Parenthood engages is many illegal practices, and Margaret Sanger - its founder - was an evil eugenicist. And yet because of Planned Parenthood's financial ties and sympathetic ideology, the organization remains on the inside track of this administration.

Picture: Hillary Clinton visitis Our Lady of Guadalupe

AmP reader Sebastian says: "She prayed for the well being of the people of the USA. I guess she forgot to pray for the unborn Americans, sadly."

Here is a Spanish-language report of her visit (includes video).

Hillary Clinton appointed Sec. of State

Chickens coming home to roost:

Obama introduced Clinton first, saying of his former presidential rival, "She possesses an extraordinary intelligence and toughness, and a remarkable work ethic. ... She is an American of tremendous stature who will have my complete confidence, who knows many of the world's leaders, who will command respect in every capital, and who will clearly have the ability to advance our interests around the world."

Clinton will give up her seat as a senator from New York to join the Obama Cabinet. Her appointment was preceded by lengthy negotiations involving her husband, the former president, whose international business connections posed potential conflicts of interests.

The former president also agreed to disclose the donors to the foundation that built his library, as well as contributors to his international foundation.

She said to Obama, in a brief turn at the lectern, "I am proud to join you ... and may God bless you and our great country."

Sen. Clinton had scarcely finished speaking when her husband issued a written statement. "She is the right person for the job of helping to restore America's image abroad, end the war in Iraq, advance peace and increase our security, by building a future for our children with more partners and fewer adversaries, one of shared responsibilities and opportunities," he said. (AP)

Oh the drama we can expect.

Video: SNL on Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton

Warning: *Some Adult Language* (it is SNL...)

Clinton-Obama ticket?

It looks like Obama is very close to clinching the nomination. Now the question arises if Clinton will be his Vice-President. She's saying she would be open to it, but I doubt Obama will pick her.

Thoughts?

Obama begins to shake Clinton off, leads McCain in poll

Just a matter of time:

Democrat Barack Obama has opened an 8-point national lead on Republican John McCain as the U.S. presidential rivals turn their focus to a general election race, according to a Reuters/Zogby poll released on Wednesday.

Obama, who was tied with McCain in a hypothetical head-to-head matchup last month, moved to a 48 percent to 40 percent lead over the Arizona senator in May as he took command of his grueling Democratic presidential duel with rival Hillary Clinton. (Reuters)

Get ready for it.

A little politics: North Carolina & Indiana (update)

update, 11:25pm: Obama has won North Carolina by about 14 points. Hillary is holding onto a 2 point lead, with 91% of the precincts reporting. Hillary might have to take a serious look at that result.

Not to intrude on what is otherwise a very pleasant spring day here in DC, but there are two Democractic primaries taking place today. Obama will win North Carolina by a wide margin it is predicted, and Zogby says he might manage to barely win Indiana as well.

Meanwhile, some on the ground are claiming that Republicans are crossing-over in Indiana to vote for Hillary and keep the race less defined, and Newt continues his calls for a radical, quick changes to the GOP.

Bottom line: If Obama wins both primaries today, things might move a little more in his favor, if he doesn't things remain, well, exactly where they started today. What progress.

Exclusive: On day of PA primary, Hillary Clinton wears Madonna Bracelet!

Check out this photo of a celebratory Hillary Clinton taken on the night of the PA primary:

Now let's have a closer look at that bracelet she's sporting:

To many Catholics, it's instantly familiar as a "Madonna bracelet", such as this one (maybe exactly this one):

So, here it is: on the day of a crucial primary for her campaign, in a state with a large Catholic vote, Hillary Clinton deliberately wears a piece of religious jewelry identifying her with a popular Catholic devotion.

Am I surprised? Not at all. After all, it paid off. She won the "Catholic vote".

But I thought it should be pointed out nonetheless.... what do you think of her choice?

update - this story has gone big. Feel free to add this to Digg, etc. The buttons are below.

update 2 - welcome, readers of HotAir, MichelleMalkin, Ace of Spades, NRO's The Corner & Lucianne.

You saw it here first: Hillary Clinton, a Methodist, wearing a Catholic devotional bracelet! See more of my posts:

• Hillary Clinton
• Barack Obama
• 2008 Presidential Race
• Catholicism & Politics
• My previous exclusives

.... and if you want some Friday humor, check out the archived papist picture of the day!

Update: Papists and Today's Pennsylvania Primary

update, 11:30PM:

Clinton wins PA by about 10 points. So that means she's staying in the race.

As Deal notes, Catholics went for Clinton big time, but had a less-than-expected showing.

update, 6:30PM:

early word out of PA is that Clinton has narrowly won the state over Obama 52-48.

if true, that's a much slimmer margin than she was hoping for, and now she needs Indiana.

more:

• Analysis: Philadelphia area key to winning state
• Exit polls: New Dems break for Obama, late deciders for Clinton

update, 3:30PM:

• "The former first [lady] is favored to win today's contest, but polls show a wide range of possible victory margins, and it's unclear what impact thousands of newly registered voters will have on the race. Many political observers believe she must win by double-digits here or face pressure to bow out." (MSNBC First Read)

Voter turn out is high today, aided by good weather.

• "The margin in the popular vote ultimately will be secondary to how Pennsylvania affects the battle for pledged delegates," Dan Balz writes in The Washington Post. "Clinton badly needs to make up ground in the delegate fight and, given the way they're distributed, that could be difficult." (ABC NEWS The Note)

If not impossible - at least for anyone who isn't named Clinton.

original post:

Tomorrow (Tuesday the 22nd), Pennsylvania is holding its democratic primary.

How much do Catholics figure in this primary? Plenty.

Estimates for the percentage of Catholics who will participate in the election run as high as 40%, which is above the state's overall demographic (where Catholics make up about ~30% of the population). This still means that Catholics are the largest voting block in Pennsylvania by religion. It seems safe to guess that 1/3 of the voters tomorrow will be Catholic.

This is good news for Clinton, who normally wins more Catholics than Obama.

Obama is wise to this situation, however, and he has formed a "Catholic advisory council", that Deal Hudson takes a look at here. The Catholic vote is crucial to Obama's long-term prospects. As CNN's Ed Henry notes, Catholics have picked the winner "in eight of the last nine presidential elections."

Will Pope Benedict's recent trip to the U.S. have an effect on voting or show up in the polls? It's very unlikely. Matt Drudge has reported that the Clinton campaign has internal polling numbers showing her with an 11-point lead going into tomorrow, but that up-tick I'm sure is due to many factors.

So, what do you think? I'll keep this thread updated tomorrow so concentrate the comments here.

Day 1: Hillary Clinton makes her move

New York Times blog:

"Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton issued a statement this morning praising Pope Benedict XVI for his work on world peace, social justice and climate change and welcoming his visit to Washington and New York this week. Mrs. Clinton, of New York, and her rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, are intensely courting Catholic voters, particularly in advance of the Pennsylvania primary scheduled for a week from today."

Her statement:

We are blessed to receive a visit from His Holiness, Pope Benedict, to the United States this week. Not only is he the spiritual leader of America’s great Catholic community, he is a strong and effective voice for the cause of peace, freedom and justice as well as the fight against poverty and disease. His visit to the United States this week should be a very impactful one. I particularly appreciate his going to ground zero with some of the families who lost loved ones there. I hope that his message about economic justice and global development will get an appropriate hearing both in our country and in the government. I also applaud Pope Benedict’s example and leadership on addressing global warming making the Vatican a model in conservation for all to emulate.

His apostolic journey is built on the theme of Christian hope, and as he has said, the Gospel message is ‘deeply rooted’ in our country. We all pray that he will have a safe and successful visit to America, and that everyone will find inspiration in his presence and his words.

It's notable for its absences.

Political aside: the state of the presidential nomination race

Yes, even as we prepare for Pope Benedict XVI's visit, we should keep in mind that there's a race happening.

The news de jour for the Clinton campaign is that her top strategist, Mark Penn, has quit "amid criticism of his public relations firm's contacts with the Colombian." MM for more commentary.

Sure, I'm sure the Colombian government ties are the cause of his departure, but at the same time, if you're a savvy rat, it's nice to have an alibi for why you're jumping off the sinking ship. I'm not saying he's a rat.

AP: "It was the second major departure of a Clinton campaign official this year. In February, Patti Solis Doyle stepped down as campaign manager and was replaced by Williams...Penn's consulting firm, Penn, Schoen & Berland, has been paid $10.8 million so far by Clinton's campaign."

This WaPo Politics blog intimates that Penn "was a major influence in Clinton's decision to focus on her toughness and readiness to be commander in chief during the campaign [and the 3AM ad as well]."

Meanwhile, in the wider picture, Obama has a double-digit lead in North Carolina, has narrowed the gap between him and Hillary in mutch-watched Pennsylvania, and now leads Clinton 50%-42% nationally.

Interestingly, Obama also leads McCain 46%-42% in a hypothetical Iowa matchup. McCain is far ahead of Hillary.

Here's something: Dan Senor at ABC News makes the case that Condoleezza Rice is actively pursuing the republican VP spot. LifeSiteNews did a report on her abortion position in 2005, where she described herself as "mildly pro-choice." See her respond to the question on 60 Minutes here:



And that's the state of the presidential nomination race.

If I missed someting important or noteworthy, tell me below!

PA bishop cancels appearance after Catholic college announces Clinton rally

Another day, another Catholic college invites Hillary Clinton:

Hillary Clinton is going to hold a campaign rally at Mercyhurst College tomorrow, Tuesday, April 1, 2008. The Catholic College boasts of the pro-abortion Senator and Presidential candidate's appearance on its web page. LifeSiteNews.com has also learned that Erie Bishop Donald W. Trautman has cancelled his scheduled appearance at the upcoming Mercyhurst graduation ceremony in protest. (LifeSiteNews)

Here is the event page on the Mercyhurst College website.

What locals can do:

Tim Broderick of the pro-life group People for Life is urging "all pro-life people to make whatever sacrifices are necessary to be at Mercyhurst for a pro-life informational demonstration from 5:30 PM until 7:30 PM, Tuesday -- rain or shine." Broderick is urging pro-life individuals who are unable to attend to contact the university with their concerns.

Demonstrators are being asked to meet at the Parade Blvd. entrance to the Mercyhurst Campus. Broderick will be on hand with picket signs from 4 PM.

What we can do: LSN also provides the President's contact information "to politely express concerns".

Related: "Catholic Mercyhurst College Jeered for Hosting Pro-Abortion Hillary Clinton Rally"

Mercyhurst? More like "unmerciful hearse" if they let a pro-abortion politician campaign there.

Okay, that's histrionic of me to say, I realize, but why is it that the Catholic colleges with the best namesakes end up making some of the worst decisions, it always seems?

Picture: Little Child Speaks (Pro-Life) Truth to Power

... at a St. Patrick's Day march where Hillary Clinton was participating.

Another tuesday, another primary.

Obama will win Mississippi's primary today.

He won the Wyoming caucus on Saturday.

Paul Hogarth on why Clinton won't win the nomination:

Everyone wants the Democratic presidential nomination to end, but the media momentum myth that has kept Hillary Clinton alive makes the movie “Groundhog Day” look benign. Here’s what we’ve seen at least three times so far: Clinton wins a primary that cuts off Barack Obama’s winning streak – and regardless of the raw delegate count that she needs to get nominated, gets legitimized as a “comeback.” We saw this most recently in Ohio and Texas, but it also happened after New Hampshire, Nevada and Super Tuesday – only to later realize that she did not make the gains that the media exclaimed. Obama won the Wyoming caucus on Saturday, and is expected to win Mississippi tonight – paving the way for another Clinton “comeback” in Pennsylvania. But Obama should win most of the subsequent primaries, making the whole myth of a “tight race” slightly exasperating and dishonest. Unlike Mike Huckabee, Clinton does not get ridiculed for believing in miracles – rather than math.

The front page of the March 4th San Francisco Chronicle (“Momentum vs. Mathematics”) pretty much summed up the Clinton campaign strategy, and how she’s gotten away with a media narrative that has driven the primary season. In what is ultimately a race for delegates to the National Convention, how does an abstract concept like “momentum” trump basic arithmetic? While George Bush denounces his skeptics as living in the “reality-based community,” Clinton seems to think she can hoodwink Democrats into thinking there may be a chance that she’ll be the next presidential nominee.

... and Hogarth has the numbers to disprove that.

An open question remains whether Clinton would accept, and Obama would give, the VP spot.

Video: the end for Hillary Clinton

Not even anything so grand as a "last stand", Clinton's appearance on the Daily Show:


Just the end.

"It's pretty pathetic."

The fact that I second-guess my sympathy for her and ask myself if this is yet another campaign ploy, well, it just illustrates all the things I won't miss about having to watch it anymore, or at least as much.

Ph/t: MM.

Barack Obama and the Catholic vote, and Catholic positions

A recap of revent events.

Deal Hudson at the Insight Blog notes "the determination of the Obama effort to attract Catholic voters", citing a recent Politico.com column, on the Obama campaign's response to a previous article entitled "Obama Slow to Gain Among Catholics." Hudson's own take published here.

Also, Michelle Malkin points out that Obama has been "explain[ing] how his Christian faith approves of same-sex unions and abortion." On the first issue, Terry Jeffrey at Cybercast News Service:

"I don't think it [a same-sex union] should be called marriage, but I think that it is a legal right that they should have that is recognized by the state," said Obama. "If people find that controversial then I would just refer them to the Sermon on the Mount, which I think is, in my mind, for my faith, more central than an obscure passage in Romans." [Hear audio from WTAP-TV] St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans condemns homosexual acts as unnatural and sinful.

This coming as the homosexual lobby gravitates towards Obama, Bloomberg reports:

Now some gay voters, who have been among Clinton's most stalwart supporters and helped her defeat Barack Obama in Democratic presidential primaries earlier this month, may be drifting toward the Illinois senator, according to political activists and campaign officials.

And on the topic of abortion, Cybercast quotes Obama saying:

“I think that the bottom line is that in the end, I think women, in consultation with their pastors, and their doctors, and their family, are in a better position to make these decisions than some bureaucrat in Washington. That’s my view,” Obama said about abortion. “Again, I respect people who may disagree, but I certainly don’t think it makes me less Christian. Okay.”

Obama, for his own part, is identifying himself often as a praying Christian:

"I am a devout Christian," he told voters in this key state.

"I pray to Jesus every night and try to go to church as much as I can."

Meanwhile, on the always-enlightening Obama Messiah blog, videos like this one:


If Obama manages to beat Clinton in Texas tomorrow, and further distances himself from her in the other Tuesday contests and in the coming weeks, we can expect more where this came from.

Over the past couple evenings I've refined an op-ed piece on the topic of Clinton and Obama that I've submitted to a few places. If none of them choose to run it, I'll publish it here. So either way, you'll see it!

The definition of a slow news day....

"The day when there's really only politics to talk about."

And even that topic is sparse.

For the Republicans, the New York Times ran a story trying to claim, with almost no evidence, that John McCain had an affair. McCain has denied it, and it seems that everyone is collectively fed up with the NYT on this one.

MM first covers the story here; HotAir has video of McCain's press conference and more backstory here, and MM has since pointed out the NYT's incredibly hypocrisy here. TownHall does the same, notes the NYT is in full retreat, makes the paper look bad, and concludes that the story may end up helping McCain.

Huckabee trusts McCain's word. Some folks have tried to claim this will hurt McCain among the evangelicals and conservatives, but I think they are intelligent enough to not countenance such baseless claims (and they are baseless, it seems). If anything, this prompts sympathy for McCain. Well played, NYT.

For McCain's first exposure to the trial by fire of being the party's presumed nominee - he's doing pretty well.

For the Democrats, Obama just added an 11th-straight democratic primary win to his column - the "democrats abroad" vote. Tonight, Hillary gets her last chance to debate him before the March 4th primaries in Texas and Ohio. They haven't debated in three weeks, and much has changed since then. Details on the debate here.

There you have it.

Observations?

update: Katherine from the comments:

I don't know about the appropriateness of the NYT story. However, Mrs. Cindy McCain response that "More importantly, my children and I not only trust my husband, but know that he would never do anything to not only disappoint our family, but disappoint the people of America. He's a man of great character."

Wasn't Senator McCain carrying on with her while still married (always married in God's eyes) to his first wife?

Here is the first source I found for this claim:

"McCain was still married and living with his wife in 1979 while, according to The New York Times' Nicholas Kristof, "aggressively courting a 25-year-old woman who was as beautiful as she was rich." McCain divorced his wife, who had raised their three children while he was imprisoned in Vietnam, then launched his political career with his new wife's family money. In 2000, McCain managed to deflect media questioning about his first marriage with a deft admission of responsibility for its failure."

Anyone have something to add on this topic? Did McCain really accede this claim by the NYT?

update 2: some folks are calling Hillary's closing words at tonight's debate her prepatory concession speech.

Coverage of Today's Political Contests

update: Obama wins Wisconsin, Hawaii handily. McCain wins Wisconsin and Washington.

From MSNBC's First Read, the facts:

Wisconsin (D). Open primary (independents can vote) -- 74 delegates up for grabs (48 proportional by CD, 15% threshold; 26 by statewide vote, 15% threshold).

Wisconsin (R). Open primary (independents can vote) -- 37 delegates at stake (24 winner-take-all by CD; 16 winner-take-all by statewide vote).

Hawaii (D). Closed caucuses (independents cannot vote) -- 20 delegates up for grabs (13 proportional by the state’s two CDs, 15% threshold; 7 based on statewide results, 15% threshold).

Washington (R). Open primary (independents can vote): Feb. 9 caucuses were used to determine 18 (or 49%) of the state's pledged delegates. Today's primary will determine the back half (or 51% -- 19 delegates) -- 10 proportional by statewide vote, 20% threshold; 9 WTA by CD.

Some brief comments if you click through.

I haven't been following the contests as much lately. Briefly, McCain is the heir-apparent for the Republican nomination, even as Huckabee continues to compete (inexplicably? am I missing why?). Oh yeah, and Romney endorsed McCain. Most of the focus has shifted now to speculation about who McCain will pick as a running mate. No sure bets on that one, and I'm pretty sure we won't know until right before it happens. It's too early for Bobby Jindal, so I'm preparing myself for dissapointment.

On the Democrat side, more confusion, but things continue to go Obama's way. Hillary will probably lose the contests today, putting her at a dismal 0-10 in the most recent elections and caucuses, and Obama already has her tied in Texas, and she is losing ground in Ohio. See Peggy Noonan's most recent column here.

I've said this before, and I'll probably say it again - it's going to be a very long Lent.

Video: Bill Clinton loses temper with Pro-Life protestors

Breaking news. Here's the only video available so far:



Bill Clinton was campaigning for Hillary in Steubenville, Ohio. A group of about 100 pro-life students from local Franciscan University of Steubenville crashed the rally with their pro-life message.

Bill has been testy on the campaign trail lately, sparring with an Obama Supporter earlier today.

Nicholas Hardesty of Phat Catholic, who noticed the scheduled appearance, was on the ground spreading the word and helping to organize the protest. You sir, get an AmericanPapist shout-out:

LifeSiteNews has more, including a transcript of Bill's comments. LifeNews, meanwhile, reminds us:

In 2004, John Kerry campaigned in Steubenville and was greeted by over 500 pro-life students, who rejected his support of abortion-on-demand despite his Catholic faith.

Reports of the thousands of people who turned out against Kerry made the national news and Steubenville residents were credited with helping President Bush carry Ohio and, thus, the nation.

An MSNBC blog has picked up on the story as has most of the media coverage (updating list here).

Local WOTV9 has video coverage, and reports there was a large pro-life demonstration outside the building.

It would be helpful if someone could upload a better-quality video to YouTube.

update: per the combox below, the organizer of the protest was Billy Valentine of Steubenville Students for Life. Excerpts from their press release at here. Students for Life has a statement. TownHall has indeed covered the story, and doesn't give Bill much room. update 2: Drudge has linked it. That's impressive. update 3: Jill Stanek adds details and points out "[Bill Clinton] says we're the ones who "tear people up"? What a gruesome irony.

update 4: better-quality video here, after a commercial (via phatcatholic). I wish it could be embedded.

update 5: as of 4:45pm EST, the video has been viewed 120,000+ times, helped by Brietbart & NRO's The Corner. It has a very good chance of making the YouTube front page. Talk about the little video that could!

update 6: probably the last update, for the sake of completeness: after the first day, the video has received over 275,000 views, 2,700 comments, and made the top 10. The story has also been picked up by HufflePuff Post (shudder), HotAir, and Gawker. So really, prettymuch everyone.

Most of the attention, I'm sure, has to do with the ongoing prurient interest that folks have in watching Bill Clinton embarrass himself, but I'm sure the subject matter is also gaining a share of the attention.

Clinton continues her tour of Catholic campuses

LifeSiteNews reports that with St. Mary's University under her belt, her next stop is St. Norbert College in Wisconsin on February 17. She'll also be attending Jesuit-run Marquette University. More info here.

Seriously, who wouldn't want to be part of her rally? She looks like she's having so much fun:

I couldn't resist.

Breaking: Abp. Jose Gomez vs. Hillary Clinton in Antonio, Texas

An old story, with a new twist, and even some frosting:

• the old story: pro-abortion public figure (in this case, Senator Hillary Clinton) invited to speak at Catholic institution today (in this case, St. Mary's University - the "oldest and the largest Catholic University in Texas and the Southwest.")


• the new twist: local Church authority (Archbishop Jose Gomez himself) vocally speaks out against the invitation, and expresses dismay that he was "neither advised nor consulted about it." It's going ahead this evening anyway.


• the frosting: Not only does he appropriately quote the 2004 Document issued by the USCCB: "Catholics in Political Life", he is absolutely unapologetic about his position, while remaining pastoral in his language and approach (yes, it is possible, albeit difficult, to do both). You can read the Archbishop's full statement here in PDF format.

I have a feeling this story will get a great deal of attention, so expect updates to this post.

Why is this a big deal?

Because, as practically every pundit has pointed out, Hillary needs the Latino vote to carry Texas. Archbishop Gomez [wiki entry], besides being a Catholic leader, has deep ties to this Hispanic community, was born in Mexico, is on the USCCB committee on Hispanic Affairs, etc.

A short (but revealing) account of him was published in Time Magazine at his 2005 election. He's well respected and "listened to in Texas", as his former boss, Abp. of Denver Charles Chaput told Time.

St. Mary's, meanwhile, is "the heart of the Latino community of San Antonio" as one Clinton campaign volunteer put it. They are expecting about 3,500 people to attend at 6:30 PM this evening.

Sources:

• Catholic News Agency
• Local coverage from WOAI, and again here, radio coverage here.
• update: Life News covered the story comprehensively, as the Hillary Project republishes.

update: Jeff Miller notes in the combox below that the same thing didn't happen last month when it was Obama's turn, in that case it was the Jesuit-run St. Peter's College in New Jersey.

update2: Zenit and Drudge (Associated Press) have both picked up on the story:

Clinton spokeswoman Adrienne Elrod said in a statement that the campaign respects the archbishop's point of view and appreciates the invitation to speak at the school.

Respect - it's free. And in this case, meaningless.

[top photo credit: CNA]

No honor among political thieves, especially when loot is scarce

Associated Press editorial:

For years, Bill and Hillary Clinton treated the Democratic National Committee and party activists as extensions of their White House ambitions, pawns in a game of success and survival. She may pay a high price for their selfishness soon.

Top Democrats, including some inside Hillary Clinton's campaign, say many party leaders — the so-called superdelegates — won't hesitate to ditch the former New York senator for Barack Obama if her political problems persist. Their loyalty to the first couple is built on shaky ground.

Current case in point:

For the second election night in a row, Hillary Clinton failed to acknowledge or congratulate Barack Obama after he won the day in dominating fashion.The courtesy of conceding a primary or caucus loss — and then congratulating your opponent — is by no means required. But it has become standard practice during campaign season.

Clinton congratulated Obama and John Edwards after their first and second place finishes in the Iowa caucuses. Obama returned the favor in New Hampshire, saying Clinton “did an outstanding job.” That courtesy continued through the early states.

But as the race has shifted to a delegate chase with dozens of states in play around the country, the notion of congratulating one’s opponent seems, for Clinton, to have fallen by the wayside.

Future fall-out from the past:

An aide to Barack Obama says the man who led former President Clinton's 1992 bid plans to endorse the Illinois senator.

Obama's campaign plans a 1 p.m. conference call Wednesday to announce the endorsement by David Wilhelm, who later became chairman of the Democratic National Committee. The aide spoke on condition of anonymity because the announcement would be made public later in the day.

When your primary argument that you deserve the support of your peers is your power and influence, and you begin to lose that power and influence, well, exactly what case do you make then?

Multi-million-dollar advisors aside, I don't think the Clintons have been able to figure that one out.

AmP's Super Election Tuesday peremptory comments

On Tuesday the 6th (also Mardi Gras, which should make for a good party), 21 republican and 20 democratic contests will take place across the United States. It's the closest thing to a "national primary" in the nation's history. Here's my quick summary of the DNC/GOP state of the union.

On the republican side, McCain and Romney are tied in national polling at 30%, with Huckabee trailing 3rd at 21%, and Ron Paul hovering somewhere around 5%, as Rasmussen reports.

However, the nature of most republican primaries is that the winner takes all delegates, leaving nothing for even second place, which is good news for McCain, who holds significant or small leads over Romney in almost every state, as this table illustrates. Romney is closest in California, which is good news because it has the most number of delegates. He is very far behind in New York, but not giving up.

Thus, after Super Tuesday, if McCain is able to hold onto his slim leads and sweep those contests, he will be almost unstoppable through the rest of the voting.

On the democratic side, as a switch from the earlier trends, the race actually has the potential to remain more cloudy and undecided than the republican situation. This confusion is caused by the fact that democrat primaries grant delegates proportional to votes, and so while Obama trails Clinton in national polling 37-45%, those numbers are tightening up, and a string of second place finishes for Obama would not disqualify him to the degree it would in the republican system. Indeed, he is making fast gains in delegate-rich California, while far behind in New York. Get the full breakdown of the polling here.

Therefore, after Super Tuesday, Hillary would still have to fight very hard to establish herself definitively as the democratic nominee. Matters are further occluded because the democrats allow certain "superdelegates" to vote at the convention who are not tied to any particular state, making them essentially free agents (I personally don't understand how this system doesn't get close to disenfranchising the democratic voter, but that could be purely my own ignorance). These delegates count for 800 votes.

To review: McCain, barring a 11th-hour surge by Romney, can have the nomination all but won, while Clinton can at best hope to re-establish herself as the default choice over Obama.

Something to consider before we put all this out of our mind and receive our ashes the day after.

Hillary Clinton wins NH Catholic vote handily over Obama, 44% - 27%

Jay Cost of Real Clear Politics writes about Hillary Clinton's surprise win over Obama in the NH primary:

"[Hillary] won Catholics, 44% to [Obama's] 27%."

More from Ted Olsen at Christianity Today:

Roman Catholics (the largest religious group among New Hampshire Democrats, with 36% of voters in that primary), overwhelmingly chose Clinton (43%) over Obama (28%).

Meanwhile, across the aisle, the Concord Monitor reports:

Politico's Jonathan Martin reported that anti-Romney fliers were dropped on cars at St. Joseph's Cathedral in Manchester during Sunday Mass.

The flier gives a side-by-side comparison of Romney and McCain, and says, "John McCain is the best choice for Catholics in 2008!" It accuses Romney of having a mixed record on abortion, supporting taxpayer funding for abortion, supporting measures to force the Boy Scouts to allow gay Scout leaders and distancing himself from Ronald Reagan. It also says McCain has a better chance of winning the general election.

The flier said it was "prepared by a concerned citizen."

The McCain campaign denied having anything to do with the fliers.

update: exit-polling for the Republican primary (from CNN) reveals that McCain and Romney each received 38% of the vote from Catholic republicans. Guiliani had 8%, Ron Paul and Mike Huckabee tied with 7%.

I haven't yet been able to find out if more Catholics participated in the Democrat or Republican primary.

Video: "Endorse me, Mom."

... or else, says Hillary:



"She was never envious of anybody."

Now that's impressive.

Alan Keyes squeeks into today's GOP debate

MSNBC's First Read:

There is one additional Republican presidential candidate who will be on the stage here at the GOP Des Moines Register/Iowa Public Television debate this afternoon: Alan Keyes.

This will be the first major debate this cycle featuring the former presidential candidate and ambassador, who most recently faced off against Barack Obama in the 2004 Illinois Senate race (even though he actually hails from Maryland). Keyes did participate in the Tavis Smiley-moderated GOP debate in September, which the top Republican candidates skipped.

In the cross hairs this afternoon - Huckabee: "Today marks the first GOP meeting since Huckabee shot to the top of polls in Iowa and near the top of polls nationally." - Des Moines Register

And among the Democrats, Hillary's poll woes continue (but I'm betting she'll weather it).

You can watch the debate live (2pm EST) right here.

Student at Clinton Q&A told to ask about climate change

On the '08 campaign trail, Hillary Clinton staffers have been taking heat for apparently trying to plant questions among audiences in what are intended to be open Q&A sessions.

CNN has an exclusive interview with a Grinnell College sophmore who was approached (and did so) in Iowa.

The planted topic? Clinton's planned response to the effects of global warming and climate change:

Gallo-Chasanoff, whose story was first reported in the campus newspaper, said what happened was really pretty simple: She says a senior Clinton staffer asked if she'd like to ask the senator a question after an energy speech the Democratic presidential hopeful gave in Newton, Iowa, on November 6.

"I sort of thought about it, and I said 'Yeah, can I ask how her energy plan compares to the other candidates' energy plans?'" Gallo-Chasanoff said Monday night.

"'I don't think that's a good idea," the staffer said, according to Gallo-Chasanoff, "because I don't know how familiar she is with their plans."

He then opened a binder to a page that, according to Gallo-Chasanoff, had about eight questions on it.

"The top one was planned specifically for a college student," she added. " It said 'college student' in brackets and then the question."

Topping that sheet of paper was the following: "As a young person, I'm worried about the long-term effects of global warming. How does your plan combat climate change?"

You can watch the student describe how she was approached.

Hillary begins her search for the Catholic vote

I guess she read the report that in a run-off between her and Rudy Giuliani, he would probably come away with the majority of the Catholic vote.

Whatever the reason, her campaign has started a "National Catholic Steering Committee".

AMDG got the email:

Dear Friend,

We are starting a conversation with Catholics across America and hope you will join us. Hillary shares your vision for the common good -- quality, affordable health care for all Americans, better educational opportunities for our children, and a plan for peace and stability from Baghdad to Darfur. Together we can make this vision a reality.

Join Hillary's National Catholic Steering Committee to be a part of this campaign to make history.

To sign up, visit our Faith Steering Committee website: http://www.hillaryclinton.com/faith

Thank you for your support!

... because Catholics really need Hillary to steer them onto the straight-and-narrow.

Update: And right on time: Giuliani woos religious right with values pitch - Reuters.

Completely superfluous dig at pro-lifers:

"Some have spoken of backing a third party candidate to fly their anti-abortion banner should he become the nominee."

More social engineering from Clinton + DNC woes

Today's installment:

Every citizen could get a 401(k) retirement account and up to $1,000 in annual matching funds from the government under a plan offered Tuesday by Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton.

At a cost of $20 billion-$25 billion a year, the plan is Clinton's largest domestic proposal other than her plan for universal health insurance. The New York senator said it would be paid for by taxing estates worth more than $7 million per couple and would help narrow the gap between the rich and those who don't have enough savings for retirement. - AP.

Oh, and the last social engineering proposal? Turns out it was just an "idea" ....

At the same time, Clinton said she has given up another idea for a savings incentive—giving every baby born in the United States a $5,000 account to one day pay for college or a first home.

She made that suggestion last month before the Congressional Black Caucus, saying it was just an idea and not a policy proposal. The idea was criticized by Republicans, and she told The Wall Street Journal in an interview published Tuesday that it's off the table.

I guess it served its purpose in the polls.

Final chilling words:

"We have to fight and finally bury the idea of privatizing Social Security," she said.

Meanwhile, chaos in the Democratic Michigan Primary.

These are deep waters for me, but I'm trying to get my head around this item:

Michigan and Florida have run afoul of the Democratic National Committee by moving their nomination contests to earlier dates that conflict with the party's calendar.

The DNC has threatened to withhold delegates from those states at the party convention next summer that will nominate the Democratic candidate in the November 2008 election.

So, these two important swing states are getting the boot from the DNC?

Clinton promises to legalize embryonic stem cell research

Of course, while the headlines reads "Clinton Would Fund Stem Cell Research".

The first paragraph actually says:

"If elected president, Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton says she would sign an executive order rescinding President Bush's restrictions on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research."

I guess space restrictions prevented the reporter from including "embryonic" in the headline.

This sobering news from the democratic candidate polling 33 points ahead of the nearest competition.