DNC takes aim at McCain over Iraq
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2008/images/03/18/art.mccaindnc.cnn.jpg caption="The DNC is taking aim at McCain."](CNN) - While Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama continue to battle it out for their party's presidential nomination, the Democratic National Committee is taking aim at the presumptive Republican nominee, John McCain.
In a Web video released Tuesday, the DNC seeks to portray the Arizona senator as "in lockstep from day one" with President Bush on Iraq. The one-minute video highlights several sound bites in support of the war from Bush, as well as former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Vice President Dick Cheney. It then shows McCain making nearly identical comments.
"After five years, we don’t need a third Bush term,” the ad states. "Bush and McCain: wrong then, wrong now."
The video's release comes a day before the five year anniversary of the start of the war.
- CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney
No new primary for Florida Democrats
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i.l.cnn.net/cnn/2008/POLITICS/03/17/florida.primary.decision/art.florida.ap.jpg caption=" Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Karen Thurman at a press conference Thursday."]WASHINGTON (CNN) - After weeks of negotiations, the Florida Democratic Party said Monday it will not hold a second primary in the state.
The state party's leaders have been seeking a way to have Florida's delegation seated at the Democratic National Convention.
"We researched every potential alternative process - from caucuses to county conventions to mail-in elections - but no plan could come anywhere close to being viable in Florida," said state party chairwoman Karen Thurman in an e-mail sent to Florida Democrats late Monday afternoon.
Related: CNN's Joe Johns explains what happens to Florida's delegates
Obama to deliver speech on race, ex-pastor
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i.l.cnn.net/cnn/2008/POLITICS/03/18/obama.speech/art.obama.speech.afp.gi.jpg caption=" Sen. Barack Obama has said the controversy over his ex-pastor's remarks has been "a distraction" to the campaign."]PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (CNN) - Sen. Barack Obama, who has mostly avoided focusing on race during his campaign, is delivering a major speech on the issue Tuesday after spending the weekend on the defensive over racially charged statements from his former minister.
The senator from Illinois' biggest challenge is the same as that faced by Republican Mitt Romney, who gave a major speech during his presidential run to reach voters unfamiliar with his Mormon faith: Obama will be looking to explain the Trinity United Church of Christ and its worldview to voters who are aware only of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright's headline-grabbing comments.
And Obama's most pressing task will be his attempt to take control of the campaign narrative after days of tough headlines.
- CNN's Rebecca Sinderbrand
Poll: Obama, Clinton both tie McCain
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2008/images/03/17/art.obamaclinton.gi.jpg caption=" A new poll suggests both Clinton and Obama would tie McCain in a general election match up."](CNN) - Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton would both statistically tie Republican John McCain in a general election matchup, a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll indicates.
According to the poll released Tuesday morning, both Obama and Clinton are locked in a dead heat with the Arizona senator. If Obama were to win the nomination, he would get 47 percent of the vote compared to 46 percent for McCain - a statistical tie given the poll's 3 percentage point margin of error. Should Clinton win the nomination, the poll suggests she would get 49 percent compared to McCain's 47 percent - another statistical tie.
While Clinton and Obama match up equally with McCain, CNN Polling Director Keating Holland notes the two Democrats appear to be drawing support from different groups of voters.
"Clinton appears to do a little bit better than Obama among older voters, women, and self-identified Democrats against McCain; Obama's numbers may be slightly better among younger voters and those who describe themselves as Republicans and Independents," Holland said.
The poll also shows all three presidential candidates get high marks from voters on the issue of economy - roughly two-thirds of those surveyed say each of the candidates would do a good job handling the issue. This appears to be good news for McCain, given that the incumbent president's party is often blamed for economic woes.
Related Video: CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser breaks down the new poll numbers
- CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney
POLITICAL HOT TOPICS: Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Compiled by Jonathan Helman
CNN Washington Bureau
CNN: No New Primary For Florida Democrats
After weeks of negotiations, the Florida Democratic Party said Monday it will not hold a second primary in the state.
NY Times: Anniversary Highlights Iraq War’s Role in Campaign
This week’s fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq provoked an intense exchange over the war Monday among the three presidential candidates, illustrating the deep divisions over how to proceed there even as the violence has ebbed. The day left little doubt that the issue would be a major area of difference between the two parties this fall.
LA Times: Economic Turmoil Shakes Up Campaign Strategies
For months, the top presidential candidates have focused on showing a war-weary public that they have what it takes to be the next commander in chief. But on Monday, as the Iraq war entered its sixth year, they faced a test with far more relevance to the everyday lives of Americans: whether they could serve as economist in chief.
NY Times: On Defensive, Obama Plans Talk on Race
Faced with what his advisers acknowledged was a major test to his candidacy, Senator Barack Obama sought on Monday to contain the damage from incendiary comments made by his pastor and prepared to address the issue of race more directly than at any other moment of his presidential campaign.
ON THE TRAIL: Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Compiled by Jonathan Helman, CNN Washington Bureau
*Hillary Clinton has events in Philadelphia and Millersville, Pennsylvania.
*John McCain is in Jerusalem.
*Barack Obama gives a major speech on race at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
CNN=Politics Daily
(CNN) – The economy is the number one issue for voters, according to a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll released Monday and the struggling U.S. economy takes center stage in the latest episode of CNN=Politics Daily.
White House Correspondent Ed Henry reports on the Bush administration’s response to the troubles of a Wall Street giant whose sale was announced Monday. Suzanne Malveaux reports from the campaign trail about the how Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama responded to the Bush administration’s assistance to Bear Stearns and about what each of the two Democrats would do to jump start the economy if either wins the White House.
Plus, Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider digs into the new CNN poll numbers on the economy and on whom Democrats prefer – Clinton or Obama – to be their party’s next presidential nominee.
Finally, while the White House, Clinton and Obama focused on the economy, Sen. John McCain is in Iraq casting a spotlight on foreign policy. Chief National Correspondent John King is in Iraq with McCain and has an interview with the presumptive Republican nominee.
Click here to subscribe to CNN=Politics Daily.
–CNN Associate Producer Martina Stewart
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