CNN

Compiled by Jonathan Helman
CNN Washington Bureau

NY Times: For McCain, Self-Confidence on Ethics Poses Its Own Risk
As his relationship with a female lobbyist underscores, John McCain’s confidence in his own integrity has sometimes seemed to blind him to potential conflicts of interest.

CNN: Report On McCain's Relationship With Lobbyist Angers Campaign
Sen. John McCain's advisers are denying assertions The New York Times published that McCain once had a close relationship with a female lobbyist whose clients had business before his Senate committee.

Washington Post: As Crucial Tests Loom, Clinton Hits Harder
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton launches a tough new offensive against Sen. Barack Obama prior to the Texas and Ohio primaries, asserting flatly that her rival for the Democratic presidential nomination is not prepared to serve as commander in chief.

AP: McCain Loan Raises FEC Questions
The government's top campaign finance regulator says John McCain can't drop out of the primary election's public financing system until he answers questions about a loan he obtained to kickstart his once faltering presidential campaign.

Washington Post: McCain Presses Obama on Pledge About Public Funds
Sen. John McCain intensified his attacks on Sen. Barack Obama on Wednesday, assailing the Democrat for backing away from a commitment to public campaign financing and calling him "naive" for suggesting several months ago he would attack targets in Pakistan without that government's permission.

NY Times: Clinton Aides Split on How to Take On Obama
When Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton meets Senator Barack Obama at a one-on-one debate in Austin on Thursday night, one of her final opportunities to change the course of the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, she will again face the challenge that has repeatedly stymied her: how to discredit her popular opponent without hurting herself.

WSJ: Stakes Are Raised In Last Two Democratic Debates
Can Sen. Hillary Clinton come back in a presidential campaign she once dominated? Will Sen. Barack Obama let her? And could two more debates make a difference? Months of regular debates between the Democratic rivals have registered only tiny blips in the opinion polls. But tonight's debate in Austin, Texas, and the one next week in Cleveland could prove pivotal in settling public opinion.

NY Times: Teamsters Endorse Obama, Offering a Blue-Collar Lift
In a surprising boost for Senator Barack Obama, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters endorsed him on Wednesday, giving him new momentum among a group where he is eager to shore up support: blue-collar men.

USA Today: Giuliani Ends Race With $9 Million
Rudy Giuliani spent nearly $7 million in January on a failed Florida-based presidential strategy, but ended the month and his campaign with nearly $9 million in the bank, most of it for the general election.

NY Times: Obama, Drawing Criticism on Two Fronts, Fires Back
Coming off a decisive string of victories, Senator Barack Obama pushed back against attacks by his political rivals Wednesday as the fight for the Democratic presidential nomination entered a combative and critical two-week period.

NY Times: Obama and Clinton Spending Furiously
Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton both spent at the furious clip of nearly a million dollars a day in January as they battled to win the initial contests for the Democratic nomination, according to filings on Wednesday with the Federal Election Commission.

Washington Post: Independent Group to Air TV Ads Echoing Clinton Attacks on Obama
As Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton launches fresh attacks on Sen. Barack Obama after a string of electoral defeats, several of her major financial backers have formed an independent group to air television advertisements echoing her message that she is more qualified than Obama to fix the economy.