Clinton explained Thursday why she opted to stay on the Michigan ballot .

(CNN) — Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton seemed to hint Thursday she expects to win her party’s nomination, as she defended the decision to remain on the Michigan primary ballot. But just down the road in New Hampshire, another Democratic White House contender, Bill Richardson, accused Clinton of having it “both ways.”

Clinton was asked about the issue on a New Hampshire radio show, days after five Democratic candidates removed their names from the Michigan ballot after the Democratic National Committee ruled the state violated party rules by scheduling its primary before February 5.

“I just personally did not want to set up a situation where the Republicans are going to be campaigning between now and whenever, and then after the nomination, we have to go in and repair the damage to be ready to win Michigan in 2008,” Clinton said in an interview on New Hampshire Public Radio program “The Exchange.”

Clinton said any weakness in Michigan could hurt Democratic chances to win the state in 2008. “I did not believe it was fair to just say, 'Goodbye Michigan' and not take into account the fact we're going to have to win Michigan if we're going to be in the White House in January 2009," she said.

Richardson, one of the Democrats who removed his name from the Michigan ballot, expressed frustration over Clinton’s decision.

“Maybe she's made up her mind that she's the nominee, but you can't have it both ways and say you're not going to be on the ballot in Michigan and say OK, leave my name on the ballot,” Richardson said at a campaign stop in Manchester.

– CNN Political Assignment Editor Marissa Muller

Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, criticized New York Sen. Hillary Clinton's healthcare plan after unveiling his own Thursday in Des Moines.

DES MOINES, Iowa (CNN) — Drawing comparisons between New York Sen. Hillary Clinton's current healthcare plan and the one she championed in 1993, Arizona Sen. John McCain joked Thursday, "I think they put some lipstick on the pig, but it's still a pig."

"There are many things that concern me about [Clinton's plan]," the Republican presidential candidate said. "It's…. eerily reminiscent of what they tried back in 1993."

McCain also said he traveled around the country that year "trying to make people aware of the catastrophic consequences that would ensue if we had enacted that healthcare plan."

"It is the liberal outlook. Let government do it. That's the ultimate solution," McCain added. "I haven't examined all the details of the plan, but it is the big government system with mandates, eventual mandates, as I read it."

The presidential hopeful said the plan from 1993 was met with "a lot of support from big business." He argued that large businesses favor government-run healthcare because "they don't want to pay for it themselves."

Click here to see CNN's new political portal: CNNPolitics.com

-CNN Iowa Producer Chris Welch

Watch portions of Wolf Blitzer's interview Thursday with Sen. Barack Obama.

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama criticized Sen. Hillary Clinton Thursday for her vote in support of a resolution calling an Iranian group a terrorist organization, saying it exhibited the "flawed" judgment she used during the vote to authorize the Iraq war five years ago.

The resolution, which declared the Iranian Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization, could be used by President Bush as a "blank check" that he interprets as authorization to take military action against Iran, Obama said.

"We know in the past that the president has used some of the flimsiest excuses to try to move his agenda regardless of what Congress says," Obama told CNN's Wolf Blitzer.

When asked by an audience member at a campaign event Sunday why she voted for the resolution that the questioner said authorized military action against Iran, Clinton said, "The premise of the question is wrong," and went on to argue that the measure calls for the terrorist label so that sanctions can be imposed.

The sanctions, Clinton said while campaigning in New Hampton, Iowa, will in turn "send a clear message to the leadership" and lead to stronger diplomatic efforts.

Full story

– CNN.com Senior Political Producer Scott Anderson

Watch Richardson criticize Clinton Thursday.

MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (CNN) — Moments after delivering a speech outlining his education reform plan, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson criticized New York Sen. Hillary Clinton for her decision to leave her name on Michigan's January 15 Democratic primary ballot.

"I signed a pledge not to campaign in Michigan because I respect the sanctity of Iowa and New Hampshire. I noticed that Senator Clinton didn't do that. She wants to have it both ways. She thinks she's the nominee, so she doesn't want to alienate Michigan voters."

Earlier this week, Richardson, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, Delaware Sen. Joe Biden, former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, and Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich all officially withdrew their names from Michigan's ballot in order to comply with the DNC's rules.

"She's not the nominee," Richardson repeated. "You've got three months to go, and…. I'm moving up. This is going to be a contest. The voters of New Hampshire and Iowa have not made up their mind."

–CNN New Hampshire Producer Sareena Dalla

Obama told CNN Thursday it's time to show where he differs from Clinton.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama told CNN Thursday he will step up efforts to clarify his differences with rival Hillary Clinton, in what the Illinois senator is calling the "next phase" of his campaign.

"There's no doubt we are moving into a different phase of the campaign," Obama told CNN's Wolf Blitzer in an interview slated to air on The Situation Room later today. "The first part of a campaign is to offer some biography and give people a sense of where I've been and what I am about. (Related: Obama: Clinton vote on Iran shows 'flawed' judgment)

"In this next phase we want to make sure that voters understand that on big issues, like the decision to go into the war in Iraq, I had real differences with the other candidates and that reflects on my judgment," he continued.

In what could easily be seen as a direct shot at Clinton, Obama also suggested he could better unite the country and offer "something new, as opposed to looking backwards and simply duplicating some of the politics that we've become so accustomed to that frankly the American people are sick of." (Video: Watch key excerpts of Wolf Blitzer's interview with Obama Thursday)

The Illinois Democrat would not say whether he would consider Clinton as his running-mate should he become the party's nominee, saying, "I think Sen. Clinton is a very capable person. Right now my goal is to make sure I am the nominee and she is still the senator from New York."

Catch the full interview tonight on The Situation Room, 4, 5, and 7 p.m. ET.

TIME.com: Clinton Selling Substance Over Style in Iowa

– CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney

Dodd plans to give Red Sox tickets to some lucky supporters.

(CNN) – Baseball’s American League Championship Series between the Boston Red Sox and the Cleveland Indians entered the realm of presidential politics Wednesday when presidential hopeful and Red Sox fan Chris Dodd announced a contest for tickets to Game 6 of the series at Boston’s Fenway Park.

“There’s nothing more American than baseball, and it doesn’t get much better than sitting at Fenway Park to watch the Red Sox in the playoffs,” Dodd said in a statement released by his campaign. “It’s been a long three years since the Sox won the World Series in 2004, but the team is on the winning path once again. My campaign is about getting results, and I’m confident the Red Sox are as well. But they can’t do it alone, nor can I, so I am hoping for some help by my side when I cheer them to victory.”

The campaign said that if the Red Sox win the series before Game 6, the winning entrant would attend Game 2 of the World Series at Fenway Park. If the Indians get the best of the Red Sox, the campaign said the winning entrant would get to spend the day on the campaign trail with Dodd in either Iowa or New Hampshire.

The Red Sox advanced to the ALCS after sweeping the Los Angeles Angels 3–0 in the opening series of the playoffs. The Indians beat Boston’s arch-rival, New York Yankees, 3 – 1 in their opening round.

Boston and Cleveland last met in the postseason during the Truman Administration. The Indians won a one-game American League playoff against the Red Sox in 1948 by the score of 8-3, and went on to defeat the Boston Braves in the World Series.

– CNN Political Desk Editor Jamie Crawford

If Gore wins a Nobel Peace prize, presidential talk is certain to heat up again.

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Will Al Gore add a Nobel Peace Prize to his Oscar and Emmy honors?

"An Inconvenient Truth," a documentary featuring the former vice president captured two Academy Awards in February. The film focuses on Gore and his worldwide travels to educate the public about the severity of global warming. (Related: Draft Gore group steps up efforts)

Last month Gore picked up an Emmy — the highest award in television — for "Current TV," which he co-created. The show describes itself as a global television network that gives its viewers the opportunity to create and influence its programming.

Full story

– CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser

Click here to see CNN's new political portal: CNNPolitics.com

Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has hired a powerful Washington attorney to represent him.

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has hired influential Washington attorney George Terwilliger to represent him as a probe continues into allegations he misled lawmakers about a controversial surveillance program and illegally let politics influence hiring and firing decisions at the Justice Department.

Terwilliger tells CNN his firm is "assisting Judge Gonzales as we assist many companies and individuals when they are cooperating with investigations. It is always unfair for anyone to assume that hiring a lawyer represents anything other than common sense."

Read the rest of this entry »

CNN's Tom Foreman takes a look at the latest effort to get Al Gore to run for president.

WASHINGTON (CNN) — With roughly three months until the first wave of voters weigh in on the 2008 presidential candidates, Al Gore supporters are stepping up their efforts to persuade the former vice president to jump into the race.

Draftgore.com published an ad in the New York Times Wednesday with an open letter to the 2000 Democratic presidential nominee strongly urging he throws his hat into the ring.

"You say you have fallen out of love with politics, and you have every reason to feel that way," the letter states. "But we know you have not fallen out of love with your country. And your country needs you now — as do your party and the planet you are fighting so hard to save."

"Many good and caring candidates are contending for the Democratic nomination," the ad continues. "But none of them has the combination of experience, vision, standing in the world and political courage that you would bring to the job. Nor do they have the support among voters that you enjoy and would lead you to victory in 2008″.

The group also claims in the letter it has amassed 136,000 signatures for its petition urging Gore to run.

The ad comes two days before Gore finds out if he has won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to bring attention to the dangers of global warming. The winner is set to be announced on Friday in Norway.

The ad also comes a day after Gore backers in California began a campaign to get the former vice president on the state's Democratic primary ballot. The group needs to amass signatures from 26,500 registered Democrats in the state — 500 from each congressional district — by December 4 to successfully place Gore on the ballot.

Meanwhile, Gore himself continues to say he has no plans to run for president again.

Responding to the ad, Gore's spokeswoman Kalee Kreider said the former vice president "truly appreciates the heartfelt sentiment behind the ad, however, he has no intention of running for president.

"He is involved in a campaign of a different kind—a campaign to educate all Americans about the climate crisis and what we can do to solve it," she added.

– CNN's Alexander Mooney and Steve Brusk

For the latest, breaking political news, check for updates throughout the day on the CNN Political Ticker http://www.cnn.com/ticker. All politics, all the time.

Making News Today…

McCain to unveil health care plan

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, will propose increasing competition among private insurance and drug companies, as well as allowing Americans the freedom to choose their own health insurance coverage, in a speech scheduled for Thursday in Iowa.

Most of the Democratic presidential candidates have already called for universal health care that is at least partially funded by the federal government. McCain, who is seeking the Republican presidential nomination, argues that kind of approach won't work and he doesn't "believe in coercion and the use of state power to mandate care, coverage or costs."

"Democratic presidential candidates are not telling you these truths," McCain is expected to say, according to a copy of his speech provided to CNN. "They offer their usual default position: if the government would only pay for insurance everything would be fine. They promise universal coverage, whatever its cost, and the massive tax increases, mandates and government regulation that it imposes. I offer a genuinely conservative vision for health care reform, which preserves the most essential value of American lives – freedom."

– CNN Associate Producer Lauren Kornreich

***

Former attorney general hires influential lawyer

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has hired influential Washington attorney George Terwilliger to represent him as a probe continues into allegations he misled lawmakers about a controversial surveillance program and illegally let politics influence hiring and firing decisions at the Justice Department.  Full Story

– CNN Justice Correspondent Kelli Arena

***

Attorney general confirmation hearings begin next week

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Senate confirmation hearings for attorney general nominee Michael Mukasey will begin on Wednesday, Oct. 17, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, announced Wednesday.

President Bush nominated Judge Mukasey to replace Alberto Gonzales last month. Gonzales was criticized for the controversial firing of eight U.S. attorneys and resigned his post in August.

– CNN Assignment Editor Katy Byron

***

Ex-Ag Secretary Johanns declares Senate bid

(CNN) — Former Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns officially announced his expected candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat in Nebraska that Republican maverick Chuck Hagel is giving up in 2008.

"It's time to restore the people's trust in a government that, in my judgment, has strayed too far from conservative values — in principles that we hold dear," said Johanns, who resigned his Cabinet post in September.  Full Story

– CNN Political Writer Matt Smith

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Political Hot Topics
(Today's top political stories from news organizations across the country)

Compiled by Lindsey Pope
CNN Washington Bureau

RICHARDSON INCHING UP IN THE POLLS: By Bill Richardson’s own admission, he is neither the richest, nor the most popular, nor the most glamorous of the Democratic candidates. New York Times: Candidate Has an Eye on Edging Up to Number 3

"YOU'VE GOT SOME CANDIDATES WHO HAVE BEEN TOUTING THEIR ABILITY TO WORK THE SYSTEM AS THE REASON THEY SHOULD BE ELECTED PRESIDENT… BUT THEY DON'T SEEM TO UNDERSTAND THE SYSTEM HASN'T BEEN WORKING FOR US": Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) spent yesterday evening in Prince George's County, Maryland, speaking to one of the nation's most affluent African American communities in an attempt to convince voters that he has a real chance of becoming the nation's first black president. Washington Post: Obama Tells Md. Voters, "We Need Something New"

OBAMA ATTRACTS DIVERSE, YOUNG CROWN IN MARYLAND: Iowa and New Hampshire dominate the schedules of presidential candidates these days, but voters in states that don't vote early — such as Maryland — want some attention, too. Baltimore Sun: Candidate Obama Plays to Young Crowd

CLINTON FACES GENDER ISSUES IN IOWA: For Hillary Rodham Clinton to win Iowa, she'll have to get past the men challenging her for the Democratic presidential nomination and the state's tradition of turning a cold shoulder to female candidates. Quad City Times: Clinton Faces Men, Glass Ceiling in Iowa

CLINTON CHANELS PAST PRESIDENTS TO ATTRACT THE MIDDLE: As she travels throughout the Granite State, Senator Clinton is invoking an unlikely trio: Presidents Eisenhower, Lincoln, and Roosevelt. NY Sun: In NH, NY Senator Cites Republican Presidents

HILLARY CAMP HOPES TO PROFIT FROM BIRTHDAY PARTY: Hillary Clinton's campaign hopes supporters gift-wrap a $1 million present for her 60th birthday bash with Elvis Costello. NY Daily News: Hillary's Big Birthday Bash Could Rake in Cool $2 Million

GIULIANI COMPARED TO BILL CLINTON IN NEW BOOK: On the campaign trail this year, Rudy Giuliani has cast himself in the model of Ronald Reagan. But one of his senior aides, in a 2004 book, offered another parallel: William Jefferson Clinton. Politico: Giuliani Aide Likened Boss to Bill Clinton

EVANGELICAL LETTER: “GALVANIZE SUPPORT AROUND MITT ROMNEY, SO MR. GIULIANI ISN’T THE UNINTENDED BENEFICIARY OF OUR DIVIDED SUPPORT AMONG SEVERAL CANDIDATES”: A prominent evangelical supporter of Mitt Romney has written a memorandum to 150 conservative Christian leaders, warning of the prospect of Rudolph W. Giuliani or Hillary Rodham Clinton in the White House and making the case to rally around Mr. Romney. New York Times: Letter Urges Conservative Christians to Support Romney

ROMNEY, GIULIANI IGNORE OTHER GOP '08 HOPEFULS: Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani are increasingly treating the campaign for the Republican nomination as a two-man race, ignoring their rivals as they assail each other over taxes, spending, and national security. Boston Globe: Romney, Giuliani Ignore Other GOP Contenders to Spar

BUSH A FOUR LETTER WORD FOR GOP '08ERS?: The official transcript from MSNBC of Tuesday's debate among the Republican presidential candidates does, indeed, make it official: The men vying to keep the White House in GOP hands appear loath to utter the current occupant's name. LA Times' Top of the Ticket: The Name That Republicans Dare Not Mention

HILLARY CONTRADICTS BUSH CRITIQUE IN NEW AD: Senator Clinton, who is using images from ground zero in a new television ad for her presidential campaign, sharply criticized President Bush when he put pictures from the World Trade Center site in his campaign advertising. NY Sun: Despite Criticizing Bush, Clinton Uses 9/11 in Ad

CANDIDATE'S KIDS HIT THE TRAIL: At 25, Sarah Huckabee has several roles in her father Mike's bid for the Republican nomination for president. Among them: field director, character witness and no-nonsense adviser. USA Today: For Candidates’ Kids, New Roles and Attention

MCCAIN TO DETAIL HEALTH PLAN: Senator John McCain will propose on Thursday overhauling the nation’s health care system by offering new incentives for both patients and doctors to emphasize prevention and wellness, while moving toward compensating medical providers based on the quality of their work. New York Times: McCain to Unveil Health Plan Focusing on Quality of Care

MCCAIN ON IRAQ CONTRACTORS: “I THINK THEY SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE UNDER CRIMINAL LAW AS WELL AS RULES OF ENGAGEMENT”: Private U.S. military contractors such as Blackwater USA should be subject to American criminal law for illegal behavior in foreign countries, Republican presidential candidate John McCain said Wednesday. Des Moines register: McCain: Hold Iraq Contractors Responsible

PAUL RAISES SERIOUS CASH OFF THE NET: For several sweltering days in August, Cheryl Scott and several other Nashville residents stood on downtown overpasses bearing eight-foot-long signs that urged rush-hour drivers to "Google Ron Paul." USA Today: Paul Campaign Fueled By Wed Cash and Savvy 

CANDIDATES LEARN LOCAL RULES THE HARD WAY: Thou shalt not wear a shirt and tie at a lobster shack near a New Hampshire beach. Thou shalt not invoke upscale grocery stores while campaigning in farm-rich Iowa. And thou shalt not call South Carolina's Lowcountry "the lowlands." New Hampshire Union-Leader: Candidates Find Potholes on Campaign Trail

GOP CANDIDATES DEBATE LINE ITEM VETO: In the arsenal of budget-cutting weapons revered by fiscal conservatives, few are as prized as the line-item veto…GOP presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Rudolph W. Giuliani have found themselves engaged in an increasingly noisy debate over their commitment to the line-item veto. LA Times: Romney, Giuliani Draw the Line on Veto

FUNDRAISING FUGITIVE HSU OWNED AN EXTENSIVE COLLECTION OF CLINTON MEMORABILIA: Disgraced Democratic fundraiser Norman Hsu had a well-known affection for fine living and all things Clinton. LA Times: Hsu’s Love of Wine and Clinton on Display

NEW MEXICO LT. GOVERNONR CONSIDERING SENATE RUN: After initially ruling out a Senate bid, New Mexico Lt. Gov. Diane Denish is acquiescing to pressure from her fellow Democrats and is considering a 2008 run for the seat being vacated by iconic Sen. Pete Domenici (R). Roll Call: Democrats Focus on Denish in N.M.

BOXER TAKING IN MORE CASH FROM CORPORATIONS: With one eye on a possible 2010 re-election race against California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) and the other firmly focused on the Environment and Public Works Committee, Chairwoman Barbara Boxer (D) is taking in increasing campaign contributions from industrial sectors and their unions with business before her panel. Roll Call: Boxer Gets Boost in Industry Cash

CONGRESS USES ROCK-AND-ROLL TO ATTRACT VOTERS: If you're going to fork over a couple of grand to a congressional candidate, you might as well have fun doing it. That's the thinking of several members of the House fighting for reelection who are eschewing the boring rubber-chicken dinner fundraisers in favor of rock-and-roll concerts at Verizon Center this fall.   Washington Post:  Congressional Fundraisers Let it Rock. 

WAXMAN DENIES INVESTIGATION INTO CONSERVATIVE TALK SHOW HOSTS: Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., who chairs the House Oversight and Government Affairs panel and has launched numerous investigations into the Bush administration since taking the gavel in January, is denying a report that he is setting his sights on three politically conservative talk show hosts. DC Examiner's Yeas and Nays: Waxman in No Rush to Silence Rush

THE NEW PIN ON LAWMAKERS' LAPELS: The way Representative John Yarmuth of Kentucky sees it, lawmakers on Capitol Hill and Americans everywhere have forgotten who the Founding Fathers really intended to run the country –- not the President who was more of a Constitutional after-thought but the Congress, the people’s elected representatives. New York Times: Congressional Fashion Statement: Were Article 1

TERRORISM EXPERIENCE TO INFLUENCE MUKASEY: Early in the Bush administration, Michael B. Mukasey's position at the intersection of terrorism and the justice system may have cost him a promotion. Washington Post: Attorney General Nominee Made His Name With Terror Cases

NEW DETAILS ABOUT WHITE HOUSE INVOLVEMENT IN THE CASE AGAINST FORMER ALABAMA GOVERNOR: The son of Alabama’s current Republican governor boasted that a Republican judge would “hang Don Siegelman,” a former Democratic governor of Alabama, for partisan reasons, according to a deposition by a Republican lawyer from Alabama. New York Times: Partisanship Accusation Expanded in Alabama 

THE NINE ERRORS IN AL GORE'S "AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH": Al Gore’s award-winning climate change documentary was littered with nine inconvenient untruths, a judge ruled yesterday. The Times of London: Al’s Inconvenient Judgment

==============================================================
On the Trail:

Compiled by Lauren Kornreich
CNN Washington Bureau

* Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-New York, talks about college affordability at Plymouth State University in Plymouth, New Hampshire. She then heads to Hackleboro Orchard in Canterbury for a barn party.

* Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani meets with local supporters at Spill the Beans in Greenville, South Carolina. He also delivers a speech to York County Republicans at Laurel Creek in Rock Hill.

* Former Sen. John Edwards, D-North Carolina, visits schools in Darlington and Summerton, South Carolina to talk about his education plan and meets with supporters at Brown's BBQ in Kingstree. In the evening, he headlines the Jasper County Democratic Party Dinner in Ridgeland.

* Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, unveils his health care plan in a speech to the Rotary Club of Des Moines at Hotel Fort Des Moines in Iowa. After, he travels to Mount Pleasant for a town hall meeting at Iowa Wesleyan College.

* New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson participates in the National Education Association's "School House to the White House" event and delivers a speech on education in Manchester. He also holds a "Presidential Job Interview" event in Concord and addresses the New Hampshire Latino Summit at Southern New Hampshire University in Hooksett.

* Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney raises money in Oklahoma City. He holds a media availability at Cutter FBO Operations Building in Phoenix, Arizona.

* House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and South Carolina state Rep. Fletcher Smith accept an endorsement on behalf of Sen. Joe Biden, D-Delaware, at the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines, Iowa.

* Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kansas, meets with local residents for coffee at Green's Tea and Coffee in Muscatine, Iowa. At night, he delivers a speech at Loras College in Dubuque.

* Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, gives a speech to the Robert Taft Club in Arlington, Virginia.

* The Senate Radio-Television Correspondents' Gallery Daybook

* The House Radio-Television Correspondents' Gallery Daybook