POLITICAL HOT TOPICS: Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Compiled by Jonathan Helman
CNN Washington Bureau

WSJ: Candidates' Plans Could Indirectly Raise Gas Prices
Although the major presidential candidates are making record gasoline prices a campaign issue, they are avoiding mention of measures they each support that would indirectly raise prices at the pump.

NY Times: McCain Strengthening His Political Marriage
Senator John McCain’s recent harsh critique of the Republican-led response to Hurricane Katrina no doubt reminded some of his newfound allies in Congress that his independent image was often honed at his party’s expense.

AP: Heated Campaign Souring Democrats On Rivals
Voters increasingly dislike the Democratic presidential candidate they are not supporting, according to a new survey and exit polls, raising questions about the party's White House chances as Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama's contentious nomination battle drags on.

WSJ: Clinton Seeks Edge by Focusing on Voter Insecurities
Hillary Clinton's embrace of the tiny industrial-magnet industry in Indiana, site of Tuesday's primary, plays to the insecurities of blue-collar voters - a successful strategy in other states.

Indianapolis Star: Clinton To Dems: Don't Switch Sides
Hillary Rodham Clinton said Tuesday it would be "the height of political foolishness" for Democrats to back a Republican, or not vote at all, if they're disappointed by the outcome of the long-running nomination battle between her and Barack Obama.

The Hill: McCain Eyes Voting ‘No’ On The Farm Bill
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is leaning against backing a massive farm bill that would rewrite agriculture policy over the next five years, a choice that puts him in between his fiscal conservative base and rural states important in the general election.

WSJ: In Evoking Good of '90s, Clinton Risks Memories of the Bad
Sen. Hillary Clinton is reminding economically hard-hit voters how much better they had it in the 1990s, but bringing up the past also risks taking them back to the scandals and partisan divides associated with former President Bill Clinton - memories Sen. Barack Obama has tried to exploit.