Impeach+Bush+Cheney, Hillary has a bad vote day and The Shake Up Buzz is On! Bring back “The Snake”?

Impeach+Bush+Cheney, Hillary has a bad vote day and The Shake Up Buzz is On! Bring back “The Snake”?

Word on the street is that Hillary Clinton will likely shake up her campaign staff after tonight's primary. Fox News reports that she will likely hire political strategists James Carville and Paul Begala to help breathe some new life into her campaign. Carville and Begala were previously Bill Clinton's top advisors.

LOOKS LIKE CLINTON WILL TURN TO CARVILLE, BEGALA...The Nation., NY - 5 minutes agoMANCHESTER, NH -- The official denials have been issued, but the buzz all around the Hillary Clinton for president camp is that Jim Carville and Paul Begala ...

NASHUA - In addition to the as yet unconfirmed rumors that Carville and Begala are returning to try and save the Clintons' bacon (UPDATE: Major Garrett says it's a done deal according to senior advisers in the Clinton camp, which he called "solid" sources), Tom Edsall at the Huffington Post reports that the special interest groups backing Clinton are throwing around the idea of consolidating resources into an "anti-Obama" 527 group in an effort to try and "Swift Boat" the Illinois Senator turned Presidential front runner. Edsall writes:

Three groups conducting independent expenditure campaigns in behalf of Clinton - Emily's List, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) - have explored the possibility of trying to put together a multi-million dollar effort privately dubbed the Anybody-But-Obama 527 Committee, but they have run into problems finding any Democratic operative willing to become the director of a campaign against the man who now is the odds-on favorite to become the party's nominee.

This raises a question I've been mulling for a while. How ironic is it that Bill Clinton - once dubbed America's first black president - is now in the position, along with his wife, of having to go negative against a black man who appears to have the first legitimate chance of winning the White House? If the Clintons are successful in snuffing out Obama's insurgency with swift boat like tactics, how much venom and hatred will that unleash against them by progressive activists and the African-American community - and how might that play a role in the general election?

This morning, The Drudge Report says that there is significant buzz surrounding the possibility of an imminent exit by Hillary Clinton from the race for the 2008 Democratic Presidential nomination.

"She can't take multiple double-digit losses in New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada," laments one top campaign insider. "If she gets too badly embarrassed, it will really harm her. She doesn't want the Clinton brand to be damaged with back-to-back-to-back defeats."

Fter jumping for joy a bit, I asked around, because when I saw Drudge's story, I wondered if there was a little self-fulfilling prophecy at work there.

A single anonymous source is not the stuff of rock-solid journalism, but it is the pebble for a rolling snowball of buzz to form around.

I have tried to verify the quotes attributed to both the Edwards' and Clinton's campaigns, but was unable to. Now, I wonder just how "inside" Drudge's Clinton source really is, or whether he's putting tea-leaves in someone's mouth.

The anonymously sourced report goes on to describe a schism within the Clinton campaign, with James Carville said to favor remaining in the race at least until Super Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2008, while others are said to recommend a dignified, scar-free withdrawal. Carville would be hoping for some big wins on Super Tuesday to stanch the bleeding, while those leaning toward an early exit see a bruised and battered Clinton as too high a price for what may be an unwinnable election for her.

Perhaps more compelling is that Drudge goes on to say that John Edwards, who beat Hillary in Iowa and hopes for a strong showing in New Hampshire, has supposedly confided to senior staff that he plans to stay in the race for the long haul because Hillary "could soon be out." The Clinton, Edwards and Obama campaigns have not yet returned calls for comment.

James Carville Emphatically Denies That He's Going To Work For HillaryTPMElectionCentral.com, NY - 1 hour agoBy Greg Sargent - January 8, 2008, 12:43PM Fox News just reported that James Carville and Paul Begala will be re-entering the Clinton orbit by coming in to ...Back to the Future FOX NewsClinton staff shakeups? Part II... MSNBCIn New Hampshire, Bill Clinton Finds Less Spark New York Timesall 44 news articles »

Hillary Clinton's hopes of winning the White House continued to unravel today as her camp privately conceded that she is set lose the next key battleground, South Carolina, after failing to block the rise of Barack Obama.

Amid recrimination, squabbling, soul-searching and speculation about a shake-up of staff within her campaign team, Clinton is all but abandoning her original strategy in favor of a Plan B.

The new strategy is an all-or-nothing fight for the big six US states - Florida, California, Illinois, Ohio, Texas and New York. Victory in all, or almost all of them, would still give her the Democratic nomination.

At the start of the campaign, the Clintons had anticipated an orderly procession, picking up the smaller states from Iowa to South Carolina.

The primary in the southern state is normally one of the toughest battlegrounds of the presidential election campaign for both Democrats and Republicans, and has turned out to be the graveyard for many White House hopefuls.

Clinton began last year with a strong lead in the state, in which about half the Democratic vote is African-American. But Obama has since built up a strong network in the state, and the African-American vote - despite lingering affection for Bill Clinton - has gradually shifted towards Obama.

"It is essentially a black primary," a source in her camp said.

The Democratic and Republican candidates are fighting state by state for delegates to this year's party conventions, which will choose the candidate to contest the presidential election in November.

Within hours of the polls opening in New Hampshire today, Bill Clinton all but conceded defeat in the state, saying the unusually short stretch between the vote in Iowa last Thursday and today's in New Hampshire presented little chance to counter Obama's momentum. "It takes some time to undo that ..." he said. "If this were 10 days after Iowa, instead of five, I believe we would have no doubt about what the outcome would be."

Hillary Clinton, too, appeared to acknowledge defeat but said she would fight on until the closing hours of Super-Duper Tuesday, February 5, when about 20 big states, including California and New York, vote.

"I view the defining moment in this process as midnight on the West Coast, February 5th, because I think it's going to take until then to really sort this out," she said.

The New York Times speculated today that Clinton might reshuffle her long-standing campaign team - Mark Penn, chief strategist; Patti Solis Doyle, campaign manager; Mandy Grunwald, advertising adviser; and Howard Wolfson, communications director - and was sounding out former aides to Bill Clinton, James Carville and John Podesta, about taking over.

A source inside the Clinton camp admitted there was soul-searching inside the camp over the failed campaign message but that it was unlikely that either Carville, who is a full-time television pundit, and Podesta, who heads a Washington think-tank and is already a part-time adviser to Clinton, would give up their jobs.

The Clinton camp accepts that her message last year of stressing her experience over Obama had lost out to his message of change. She has since retooled her message, stressing that while he is promising change, he cannot deliver it.

The campaign team also hopes that, with Obama as front-runner, the US media will subject his life and policies to greater scrutiny, having given him a soft run so far.

Bill Clinton, though popular with Democrats, has often appeared drained, has frequently diverged from the agreed campaign line and been a constant reminder of the past. But her campaign team, while admitting there have been "glitches" with him, are not putting the blame on him.

The Clinton strategy now is based on the calculation that she will claim victory in next week's primary in Michigan, albeit a potentially hollow one given she is the only name on the ballot, and hopefully Nevada on January 19, Florida on January 29 and New York, California, Ohio and Texas on February 5. Obama is expected to take his home state, Illinois.

She is banking on winning support from the huge Hispanic populations in Florida and California, who, the Clinton campaign claims, do not like Obama because of his stance on illegal immigration.

But that strategy could become unstuck as a result of the nationwide publicity Obama has received since his Iowa win. After holding a healthy lead in nationwide polls over Obama throughout last year, Clinton is now tied with him on 33% according to a USA Today/Gallup poll.

Behind the scenes, some Clinton operatives are looking even further down the road than Super Tuesday - at the prospect of trying to turn the nomination convention in Denver next summer into a last-minute battle for votes.

Michigan has been stripped of its convention delegates by the Democratic national organisation because it broke party rules by holding its primary early, but Clinton, as winner in that state, could seek to have these delegates reinstated to boost her vote at the convention.

Other Democratic strategists have weighed in with criticism of her campaign. Bob Shrum, the Democratic operative who was responsible for John Kerry's losing presidential campaign in 2004, wrote what amounts to the campaign's obituary in a piece for the New York Daily News. "The Clinton industry, encrusted with the beneficiaries and acolytes of the first and probably only Clinton presidency, has turned Hillary into a product whose sell-by date has passed," he wrote.

MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (Reuters) - Voters are not turning their backs on Hillary Clinton because of doubts about a woman in the White House but rather turning on to the optimistic message of her rival Barack Obama, according to some experts on gender and leadership. The 46-year-old senator with his wife and two young children makes Clinton, a 60-year-old political veteran, seem outdated to some voters, they said.

On Primary Day: Pundits Predict Obama, McCain WinsEditor & Publisher - 25 minutes agoBy E&P Staff NEW YORK If you can believe the pundits in the press -- not to mention the polls -- Barack Obama is coasting to a smashing victory in the first ...

Obama's Tipping PointWashington Post, United States - 41 minutes agoBy Dan Balz CONCORD, NH -- Barack Obama closed out his New Hampshire campaign late Monday the way he began it early Friday, with a display of energy, ...

REFORMING AMERICA Republicans Jump on the 'Change' BandwagonSpiegel Online, Germany - 59 minutes agoBy Gregor Peter Schmitz in Nashua, New Hampshire Change, change, change: The past few days of New Hampshire campaigning has turned up reformers on every ...

How Obama Became The Man To BeatCBS News, NY - 1 hour agoCBSNews.com Reports: Barack Obama Is On The Verge Of Becoming The Clear Democratic Frontrunner. How Did He Do It? Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. ...

A balmy NH gives primary a boostLos Angeles Times, CA - 1 hour agoRepublican presidential candidate Mitt Romney gives an interview by cellphone while being driven from Stratham to Nashua, NH, on the last full day of ...

Two Hopefuls Share Little but Youth AppealNew York Times, United States - 1 hour agoStudents, denied access because the hall exceeded capacity, watch from outside Alumni Hall as John McCain addresses supporters at a rally at Dartmouth ...

Record NH Turnout Is PredictedNew York Times, United States - 1 hour agoBy JEFF ZELENY HANOVER, NH — Voters in New Hampshire began rendering their judgment in the presidential race on Tuesday. State election officials forecast a ...

Obama rides growing wave of supportGlobe and Mail, Canada - 1 hour agoMANCHESTER, NH — Barack Obama surged toward victory today in New Hampshire's crucial primary, ebullient but cautioning his fevered supporters against ...

Surge of a different kind for ObamaBaltimore Sun, United States - 1 hour agoBy Jim Tankersley NASHUA, NH -- As New Hampshire voters go to the polls this morning, a tide is turning toward Sen. Barack Obama -- in reporters' inboxes, ...

Before likely second blow, Clinton plots next battlesAFP - 2 hours agoSALEM, New Hampshire (AFP) — Braced for a second painful rejection Tuesday in the White House race, Hillary Clinton is seeking fresh battlefields on which ...

Voters head to the polls early in NHUSA Today - 2 hours agoBy Jill Lawrence, USA TODAY MANCHESTER, NH — Voters, many lining up before dawn, turned out in spring-like weather Tuesday to pick their favorites for ...

Leadoff Primary Shapes White House RaceThe Associated Press - 3 hours agoMANCHESTER, NH (AP) — Streams of voters filed into polling stations Tuesday to decide the high-stakes race for the New Hampshire presidential primaries, ...

'The Factor' Goes to New HampshireFOX News - 3 hours agoBy Bill O'Reilly As expected, our trip to the Granite State over the weekend caused a little bit of commotion. Nothing serious, but it was illuminating. ...

Obama takes early lead in New Hampshire pollIrish Times, Ireland - 3 hours agoDemocrat Barack Obama expanded his lead over Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire to 13 points as voting began in the state's critical presidential primary, ...

First thoughts: Primary DayMSNBC - 3 hours agoMANCHESTER, NH -- By finishing second here in 1992, Bill Clinton earned the nickname “the Comeback Kid.” Ironically, if his wife today finishes in New ...

The battle for New HampshireMSNBC - 3 hours agoThe latest CNN/WMUR tracking poll has Obama leading Clinton by nine points, 39%-30%, with Edwards at 16%. On the GOP side, it’s McCain 31%, Romney 26%, ...

Oh-eight (D): Staff shakeup ahead?MSNBC - 3 hours ago"Obama and Clinton are now tied with 33 percent of the vote each nationally, according to the latest USA Today/Gallup poll. The finding is a stunning change ...

CLINTON: The New York Times writes, “Key campaign officials may be replaced. She may start calling herself the underdog. Donors would receive pleas that it is do-or-die time. And her political strategy could begin mirroring that of Rudolph W. Giuliani, a Republican rival, by focusing on populous states like California and New York whose primaries are Feb. 5. Everything is on the table inside Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s campaign if she loses the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday, her advisers say - including her style of campaigning, which shifted dramatically on Monday when Mrs. Clinton bared her thoughts about the race’s impact on her personally, and her eyes welled with tears.”

More: "Everything is on the table inside Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s campaign if she loses the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday, her advisers say - including her style of campaigning, which shifted dramatically on Monday when Mrs. Clinton bared her thoughts about the race’s impact on her personally, and her eyes welled with tears." Staff mentioned: "If Mrs. Clinton loses badly on Tuesday, campaign officials say she may shake up her team and replace one or more of her senior aides, such as her campaign manager, Patti Solis Doyle; her chief strategist, Mark Penn; her advertising adviser, Mandy Grunwald; and her communications director, Howard Wolfson."

Politico's Mike Allen reports, "The emerging strategy - assuming the results are as bad as Clinton aides now fear - will start with a concerted plea to voters, donors and the news media to hold off writing campaign obituaries until after the Feb. 5 primaries." Allen mentions Solis Doyle and Penn by name in the staff that could be fired list. More: "Senator Clinton recognizes that there will be calls for her to leave the race if Tuesday night turns into a blowout, according to the advisers."

The Wall Street Journal: “Already some Clinton associates have begun lobbying for her early exit if she loses the primary by a big margin, as polls suggest she could. Several Senate colleagues who have sat on the fence are now in talks with Obama advisers about endorsing the freshman Illinois senator over his more experienced colleague… And the Clinton campaign is considering effectively ceding South Carolina, which votes a week later. Her once-strong support in the state's large black population eroded and Sen. Obama opened a big lead in polls after Iowa's caucus results energized many blacks with the prospect that a man of their race stands a realistic chance of being nominated.”

The New York Sun even looks at the possibility Obama could win the New York primary. "I am worried," Mayor Koch, who backs Mrs. Clinton, said. "The whole question is whether the country is caught up in an Obama fever. I still believe the best will prevail and she is the best." A state senator who is one of the few New York Democratic elected officials who supports Mr. Obama, Bill Perkins, said the calculus for New York delegates has changed. "Assuming all the polls bear out like they did in Iowa, then we are going to have a race," Mr. Perkins, who represents Harlem, said. (How is Clinton going to handle the first post-New Hampshire New York poll that shows it close? Imagine what the NYC tabs do with that?)

Terry McAuliffe spin, via the Brody File. “Asked about a story on The Drudge Report that she may pull out of the race if she loses New Hampshire, McAuliffe tells me: ‘Preposterous! With $110 million? We raised a million dollars post Iowa that has come into the campaign headquarters… I talk to Hillary every day and I can tell you it isn't coming from me, it isn't coming form Hillary. I know it's not coming from Patti Solis Doyle, our campaign manager. So I don't know who it's coming from, but listen, you got a lot of bouncing balls going around people talking and trying to get different things in different campaigns. We're going to be the nominee of the Democratic Party.”

The front page of the New York Post: "It's not easy: Emotional Hill close to tears." The story's headlined "Hill gets weary & teary."

The Clinton family took the stage together last night in Manchester to make her closing argument to New Hampshire voters. Bill and Chelsea stood aside as Hillary opened with the same sort of rallying call and response style seen in the closing days in Iowa, asking the audience if they were ready to do things like end the era of "cowboy diplomacy" and take on global warming, NBC/NJ’s Athena Jones reports. Clinton said this election was serious because America had been taken off course. "We will together begin to set our country on the right track, but I know what it will take," she said.

"A woman!" shouted a man in audience, as the crowd roared.

The senator laughed. "There's an old saying: if you want something done, ask a busy woman to do it."

No, he says. He really didn't, NBC/NJ’s Mike Memoli writes. During a town hall meeting yesterday afternoon, Bill Clinton was asked for some clarification on an issue that dogged him some years back: Did you or did you not inhale? The crowd, at least those who stayed despite the former president being over and hour and a half late, laughed at the query, as Clinton quickly responded.

"You know actually I didn't," he said. "But the press -- that was a classic example of the disparate press [coverage]." He referred to a book written by a British journalist as his evidence. But Clinton hinted that there was more to the story. "I thought it was funny that I didn't inhale. I didn't say that I didn't try," he said. "It was something I could not do, that didn't have anything to do with the way it was spun out to you. It was a joke."

That question was the last one Clinton took at the event in the western part of the state -- or at least it was supposed to be. After thanking the audience, Clinton began shaking hands and the music started blaring. But he quickly returned to the podium, saying someone had asked him something personally he wanted to answer publicly: What can be done to stop Barack Obama's momentum? "The answer is, there might not be enough time," Clinton replied. "New Hampshire made a decision, that I didn't agree with, to basically give up a lot of their independent judgment by going five days after Iowa, when there in a wash of all this publicity. We are just now getting to the real differences with some of these candidates."

Here's more from Bill from last night: "It is wrong that Senator Obama got to go through 15 debates trumpeting his superior judgment and how he had been against the war in every year, enumerating the years, and never got asked one time--not once, 'Well, how could you say that when you said in 2004 you didn't know how you would have voted on the resolution? You said in 2004 there was no difference between you and George Bush on the war. And you took that speech you're now running on off your Web site in 2004. And there's no difference in your voting record and Hillary's ever since.'”

Bill was then asked about Mark Penn's "where's the bounce" memo and 42 went off. "The bounce always occurs on the second day not the first day," Mr. Clinton said, conceding the mistake before turning the table on the questioner and the Obama camp. "What did you think about the Obama thing calling Hillary the senator from Punjab? Did you like that? Or what about the Obama handout that was covered up, the press never reported on, implying that I was a crook. Scouring me-scathing criticism over my financial reports. Ken Starr spent $70 million to find out that I wouldn't take a nickel to see the cow jump over the moon."

"So you can take a shot at Mark Penn if you want. It wasn't his best day. He was hurt. He felt badly we didn't do better in Iowa," Mr. Clinton explained during the forum. "But the idea that one of these campaigns is positive and the other is negative when I know the reverse is true and I have seen it and I have been blistered by it for months is a little tough to take just because of the sanitizing coverage that's in the media doesn't mean the facts aren't out there."

And did Bill Clinton semi-endorse McCain? Per NBC’s Bridget Nurre, he said: “Right now, depending on who they nominate, all of our guys could win. So I never said that we couldn’t do that. But I just think that if it goes bad and if there’s an emergency and if they nominate McCain, it’d be the hardest to beat. He has deep national security credentials and is a profoundly decent man, even though I disagree with him on a lot of things. I admire him, and I like him and Hillary really likes him. They’re good friends.”

EDWARDS: The Union Leader wraps up Edwards’ 36-hour blitz across New Hampshire. "Edwards reiterated his promise to continue his campaign 'through the convention and to the White House' and refused to discuss the possibility that he might not win a primary."

In an interview with NBC's Andrea Mitchell, which will air later today, Edwards said that what Obama has been saying is a "fantasy."

OBAMA: NBC News has learned that Nevada’s all-important Culinary Workers Union will endorse Obama. And, per NBC/NJ’s Aswini Anburajan, Obama will have a big rally in Las Vegas on Friday. The union held off until after the New Hampshire primary, but according to multiple sources, the union was going to endorse whoever won Iowa between Obama and Edwards.

Looking ahead to February 5? Tomorrow, Obama will host an organizational meeting and rally in Jersey City, NJ “to gather supporters and organize volunteers before statewide canvasses this weekend,” the campaign says.

"Words matter," Obama told Clinton at Saturday's Democratic debate, in response to her accusation that he offered "false hope" based on rhetoric rather than substance. Yet NBC/NJ’s Anburajan notes that the power of words, a great stump speech, and the ability to make light of one's enemies was evidenced throughout Obama's four days in New Hampshire following the Iowa caucuses. It caused large rallies to erupt in applause; it stirred crowds standing in the damp cold air listening to Obama's voice over a loudspeaker; and it caused a high school gymnasium packed to the brim at 11:30 pm last night to chant and clap, "Obama! Obama! Obama!" It was the perhaps the most enthusiastic crowd Obama has had since Iowa.

From Obama’s interview yesterday with NBC’s Brian Williams… On what he’s for in addition to change: “Well, I've -- there's a -- a lot of things. I'm for having a responsible, thoughtful foreign policy that makes us safe but also increases our standing in the world, something that this administration has done very poorly. I'm for a balanced economy. I believe in the free market. I believe in free trade. But I also believe that -- we have an obligation to make sure that workers still have ladders of opportunity, that our tax code is not skewed towards the wealthiest among us, but it allows for shared prosperity… And I'm for investing in our children to make sure that that they have the same chances that somebody gave me.”

On questions about his experience (or lack thereof): “That on the most difficult foreign policy issues that we have confronted over the last several years, since 9/11, my judgment has been sound. I anticipated the problems that we would have in Iraq and warned against them before we went into the war, at a time when I was running for the United States Senate. I had suggested very early on in this campaign and have been consistent in the view that we have to talk not just to our friends but also to our enemies… When it comes to Pakistan, back in August, I suggested we're on a dangerous course putting all our eggs in the Musharraf basket -- that we have to broaden democracy there and we have to put much more pressure on them to go after Al Qaeda in Afghanistan because militant Islam is starting to seep in and could cause -- cause us great danger.” And: “So ultimately, the judgments that I have made during the course of this campaign and as a United States senator, I think, are reflective of the judgments that we need in the Oval Office.”

After today, Obama has a new challenge. Notes the Wall Street Journal: "Democrats expect Sen. Obama to be forced to pass what one calls "the Oval Office Test," and will be pressed more to translate what ‘change’ means in policy specifics. The Obama campaign is considering some weighty speeches, perhaps on foreign policy and on stimulating the economy -- to give him more heft with an eye to the general election as well as the nomination battle."

RICHARDSON: On Richardson, one voter said, "He's very intelligent. I hope when he doesn't make it into the White House, someone uses him wisely." "The former energy secretary, who came in fourth in the Iowa caucuses, denied any vice presidential ambitions during a last-minute campaign jaunt that had him zigzagging between Manchester and the Seacoast."

The head at the expense of the heartGuardian Unlimited, UK - 4 hours agoSenator Clinton's failure to elicit any emotion in her speeches looks like it will doom her in New Hampshire. Here's Roger Simon of the Politico comparing ...
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/01/07/dartmouth_students_walk_out_on.html

Dartmouth Students Walk Out on BillWashington Post, United States - 16 hours agoAbout thirty minutes into Bill Clinton's nearly two-hour stop here at Dartmouth College, a steady stream of students started walking out of the venue. ...

http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=4097366

Edwards keeps going, and going, and going...Baltimore Sun, United States - 19 hours agoBy Jim Tankersley The former senator is showing few signs of strain while barnstorming New Hampshire on a bus tour that began at mid-day Sunday and isn't ...

That was then, this is now. She could have taken this opportunity to fire Penn and shake herself loose from James Carville and the other weathered barnacles clinging to the hull of her campaign. "I did it the consultants' way," she could have said, "now I'm going to be me." Instead it looks like she's sticking with the old team and their ugly ways. Penn wasted no time telling a group of reporters that their campaign's going to get even nastier as they try to rough up Obama some more.

Key players in Clinton’s inner circle are said to be split. James Carville is urging her to fight it out through at least February and Super Tuesday, where she has a shot at thwarting Barack Obama in a big state. But others close to the former first lady now see no possible road to victory, sources claim.

Back to the Future: Carville & Begala to join Clinton campaign

by Major Garrett

MANCHESTER, N.H. - It’s back to the future at Hillary Clinton’s campaign as some of the top advisers to former President Clinton are set to join to Hillary’s faltering campaign as early as tomorrow.

Senior Clinton sources tell Fox that Hillary intends to bring in as top day-to-day advisers James Carville and Paul Begala.

The campaign could also add other strategists from Clinton’s presidential years, but Carville and Begala are the biggest names and are set to join the campaign after a post-New Hampshire strategy meeting tomorrow.

Carville and Begala will serve as top strategists on politics and communication and likely overshadow the current role of Mark Penn, Hillary’s senior strategist, and Patty Solis Doyle, Hillary’s current campaign manager.

Top sources tell Fox Hillary won’t fire anyone but will merely seek to “enlarge” her pool of advisers.

One Democratic described it as “addition by subtraction.” The subtraction won’t come in the form of lost jobs, but lost influence, meaning Carville and Begala’s strategic advise will now carry greater weight than that of the original team that devised a strategy that has led to a defeat in the Iowa caucuses and a likely defeat in tonight’s New Hampshire primary.

The Clinton team fully expects to lose New Hampshire tonight and will attempt to argue that anything less than a 10-point loss will constitute a “moral victory.” Hillary’s surrogates will try to persuade the public that if Hillary loses by less than 10 points she will have withstood the affect of Obama’s massive post-Iowa momentum — momentum, by the way, the Clinton campaign asserted as recently as Saturday did not exist. Obviously, a loss is a loss and a loss in a state the Clinton campaign guaranteed it would win less than four days ago, any defeat is a huge blow — no matter the magnitude.

As for the future strategy, top Clinton advisers say Hillary will attempt to compete aggressively in Nevada’s Jan. 19 caucus though she expects to lose the vital endorsement of the culinary union in Las Vegas, a vital cog in the state’s Democratic machinery. Rory Reid, son of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, has urged Hillary not to give up on Nevada, arguing he can keep her competitive. Even so, Clinton’s camp has begun to reconcile itself to defeat there too.

A crucial decision, therefore, awaits the campaign on the Jan. 26 South Carolina primary. Hillary may skip the state in order to save money for the Feb. 5 primaries in more than 20 states. In essence, Hillary now finds herself having to fight a rear-guard battle until the national prmary, even though less than two weeks ago she was regarded as a nearly unbeatable national front-runner.

Financially, top advisers say the campaign has enough to carry on, with staff in all states between now and February 5th paid in full and with at least $28 million in the bank. But Hllary’s campaign hasn’t purchased TV commercials in any of the Feb. 5th states, meaning resources could prove scarce as Hillary tries to move her TV message in expensive media markets in New York, California, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

On MSNBC Andrea Mitchell just asked Terry McAuliffe about a possible Clinton campaign shakeup. I didn't transcribe everything but McAuliffe seemed to say the current team will remain, adding however that some new faces might join. Mitchell threw out the name of James Carville, to which McAuliffe replied, "I would hope James would come in. I would love to have him.

He then hedged, adding that Carville is "making a fortune" as a CNN commentator.

One canny Stump reader argues that--given Hillary's recent charm offensive with the press (off-the-record drinks in Iowa, a press conference here a couple of days ago, loose interviews on shows like Morning Joe)--it's only a matter of time before the press-schmoozing Mike McCurry shows up.

Update: And then I click on TPM to find Carville denying a report that he's coming back. And yet Ben Smith says Carville "received clearance from CNN executives before making the move, a source familiar with those conversations said."

Something strange--and probably not healthy for Clintonland--is happening here.

--Michael Crowley

James Carville Emphatically Denies That He's Going To Work For Hillary

By Greg Sargent - January 8, 2008, 12:43PM

Fox News just reported that James Carville and Paul Begala will be re-entering the Clinton orbit by coming in to work for Hillary as senior campaign volunteers as early as tomorrow -- the idea being that they're being brought in to right Ship Hillary in the wake of.her Iowa loss and possible New Hampshire one.

The storyline of choice here, obviously, is that Bill's Bad Boys of 1992 are riding back in to rescue his wife from electoral disaster.

I just reached Carville on his cell. Here's what he had to say about this:

"Fox was, is and will continue to be an asinine and ignorant network. I have not spoken to anyone in the Clinton campaign about this. I have not done domestic political consulting since President Clinton was elected. I'm not getting back into domestic political consulting. If I do go back, it would be safe to say that I'm the biggest liar in America."

Asked if he knew whether Begala would be coming back, Carville continued:

"To the extent that I know anything, as of nine this morning, no he is not."

Oh, well. There goes that narrative.

Shake-up, the narrative

James Carville, Paul Begala, and CNN are denying reports that the consultants are taking a role on the Clinton campaign.

Fox first reported the move, and a source close to CNN told Politico of conversations between Carville and the network.

However, Carville, Begala, and a senior CNN producer, Sam Feist, denied that there's any planned move.

"I have not spoken to anyone in the Clinton campaign about this. I have not done domestic political consulting since President Clinton was elected. I'm not getting back into domestic political consulting. If I do go back, it would be safe to say that I'm the biggest liar in America," he told TPM, calling Fox "asinine."

Begala emailed Politico: "As I say to the boys: N.H.D. Not Happenin' Dude."

Fox's Major Garrett reported that Carville and Begala — leading figures from Bill Clinton's 1992 campaign — would be returning to right the Hillary ship. Politico has no independent information on Begala's plans.

The chatter comes as pollster and chief strategist Mark Penn, who has been blamed for Clinton's relentless focus on experience, and for the lack of attempts to make emotional connections, is taking much of the blame for Hillary's woes.

Hillary supporters rally to her but there's no sign that she is ...Spectator.co.uk (subscription), UK - 12 hours agoAlready, CNN are reporting that James Carville will come on board if Mark Penn is dismissed. Hillary is thought to be loathe to get rid any of her staff but ...

Hillary's 'Comeback Kid' Opportunity -- Already Squandered?AlterNet, CA - Jan 5, 2008She could have taken this opportunity to fire Penn and shake herself loose from James Carville and the other weathered barnacles clinging to the hull of her ...Obama: America's first white president? WorldNetDailyall 442 news articles »

You gotta say this for the Clinton team's strategy: it's different. Instead of asking for votes they've been battering the electorate, telling voters that if they don't like their candidate it's their shortcoming, not hers. Idealism is for losers, and the more you dare to hope the more we'll crush your dreams with negativity. With Mark Penn's 'incumbent' strategy in ruins, last night looked like an opportunity to change her direction by unshackling herself from bad advisors and appealing to voters one-on-one.

That was then, this is now. She could have taken this opportunity to fire Penn and shake herself loose from James Carville and the other weathered barnacles clinging to the hull of her campaign. "I did it the consultants' way," she could have said, "now I'm going to be me." Instead it looks like she's sticking with the old team and their ugly ways. Penn wasted no time telling a group of reporters that their campaign's going to get even nastier as they try to rough up Obama some more.

That's not to say that the other campaigns haven't been tough on Clinton, or that they haven't hit her with criticism. Of course they have. But they don't make a fetish of negativity the way Penn did in his journalists' chat last night. Where Obama promotes optimism and Edwards pushes change, the Clintonites are taking a different approach.

"Pretty face you got there, Senator. It would be a shame if ... something happened to it."

Clinton and Penn could be talking about lessons learned in Iowa, but apparently that's not the way this team works. Too bad. She has some good people in her corner, but their voices don't seem to be loud enough to drown out the others.

She's been a good Senator, but that's a legislative job. Her career has only given us two examples of her executive abilities: the 1994 health initiative, and this year's campaign. We know what happened in '94, and her management decisions this year -- on everything from hiring to human resource management (she should have insisted Penn take a leave of absence) to choice of themes and tactics -- have been disappointing. That's not promising for a would-be Chief Executive.

The electorate is unimpressed by her campaign strategy, and her response seems to be to tear down the other guy so that voters will accept her because they have no other choice. This was Hillary Clinton's chance to redefine herself in a positive way. It doesn't look like she's interested. She could still eke out a nomination victory in a three-way race, but it looks like she's sticking with a negative and self-entitled strategy. Win, lose, or draw, that's bad news for the Democratic Party.

Hillary Clinton Quitting Campaign?Outside the Beltway, VA - Jan 7, 2008James Carville is urging her to fight it out through at least February and Super Tuesday, where she has a shot at thwarting Barack Obama in a big state. ...Drudge: Clinton Camp Considers Quitting Quickly AOL News Newsbloggers
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AND THEN THERE IS ALL THE DIRT THAT WILL BE DREDGED UP SHORTLY TO MUDDY THE WATERS…REMEMBER WHEN?

Bill’s bimbo backs Hillary

Can Gennifer Flowers do it for Hillary Clinton? The Little Rock mistress who emerged in 1992 as Bill Clinton's first 'smoking bimbo' has promised to vote for her former rival. It's a woman thing. The support of Flowers, these days a 'lounge singer' at 57, is music to Hillary's ears because her White House race depends on the women's vote.

"I can't help but want to support my own gender," says Flowers. "I just didn't think it would be her."

It is only a year ago that Flowers's attempt at revenge against the Clintons came to a bitter end. A judge finally dismissed her suit against Bill, Hillary and James Carville, the political consultant, all of whom she accused of defaming her as loose with the truth after she confessed to sex with Clinton during the New Hampshire primary of 1992.

Flowers ( above) has pitched up in Las Vegas, the Last Chance Saloon for ageing entertainers. It is a sad story. She had been a local television 'personality' when she succumbed to the then- Arkansas governor, with a cabaret act on the side.

With her fee from stripping for Penthouse magazine, she moved to New Orleans. She even married. But Hurricane Katrina destroyed her house and her marriage.

Her declaration for Hillary won't be the first time Flowers has helped garner the votes of women. In her Penthouse spread, she confided that Bill Clinton bestowed world-class oral sex. My theory is that while Clinton scored with blue-collar males by lining his pick-up truck with Astro turf for al fresco couplings, he drewIn her Penthouse spread, Flowers confided Bill Clinton had bestowed world-class oral sex.

Flowers said Bill once surfaced to tell her that ‘Hillary has eaten more pussy than me women's votes for his willingness to please with cunnilingus.

Is Flowers onto something? She also revealed Slick Willy once surfaced to tell her 'Hillary has eaten more pussy than I have'. That revelation was a starting point for rumours about Hillary's sexuality that persist to this day, with gossip that she is having an affair with her aide Huma Abedin.

Americans have been preoccupied with oral sex since it was banned by Puritan 'sodomy' laws. There are votes in this that could make all the difference.

FIRST POSTED DECEMBER 24, 2007
http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/index.php?storyID=10848&p=3

Editor's note: In the past ten years, we’ve seen a presidential impeachment, 9/11, war in Afghanistan, war in Iraq, and the first female Speaker. We’ve covered these events at National Review and National Review Online with Rich Lowry at the helm; this month Rich celebrates his tenth year as editor (he was named the third editor in National Review’s history in December 1997).

Where you are right now — www.nationalreview.com — is a big part of his vision as editor. He knew early on resources should be put online. This week, we’ll be taking a tour of the last ten years in National Review, with some key pieces and issues.This column ran as a “From the Editor” feature in the April 6, 1998, issue of National Review. —KJLWASHINGTON, D.C.,

March 25 — In an extraordinary speech tonight, President Clinton appeared jointly with a Washington, D.C.-based therapist to confess that most of the Sexgate allegations lodged against him are true, but that intensive counseling and a 12-step recovery program will allow him to continue “doing the people’s business.”

“I sincerely apologize,” the President said in an emotional 12-minute speech against the dignified backdrop of the Oval Office, “that a difficult and emotionally barren childhood coupled with the political attacks I have had to endure pushed me into behavior over which I had no control and for which I bear no responsibility.”

In a talk that is already drawing comparisons to then-Vice President Richard Nixon’s Checkers speech and President Kennedy’s Oval Office mea culpa after the Bay of Pigs, President Clinton often choked back tears and at one point held up a chart displaying the 12 steps of “Sex Addicts Anonymous” as he declared: “For me, and for the nation, it is time for the healing to begin.”

Explaining that his condition is technically known as “satyriasis,” and that it “afflicts thousands of hard-working Americans every year,” Clinton pledged to request increased National Institutes of Health funding for sex afflictions and to lead a “national dialogue” on out-of-control sexual behavior.

Initial reaction from both sides of the aisle on Capitol Hill was favorable. “I think we all can learn something from the President’s courageous address tonight,” said Sen. Ted Kennedy (D., Mass.). Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott remarked, “The President really does get it.” Meanwhile, Speaker Newt Gingrich predicted quick approval for Clinton’s proposed NIH spending increases.

White House aides tell of frenzied days in the run-up to the speech, as former Clinton advisor Dick Morris was called back to the White House to advise on recovery programs and pollster Mark Penn tested whether the phrase “incorrigible sexual predator” or “victim of obsessive passions” made a better impression on the public.

In a grueling session over pizza and soda in a West Wing office late last night, President Clinton repeatedly reworked and rehearsed the speech, practicing the dabbing of tears even after exhausted aides assured him he had mastered the maneuver. According to insiders, the First Lady coached the President and inserted one of the speech’s most memorable lines: “yes, at times, I loved too much.”

Analysts from across the political spectrum agreed that the speech represents a serious setback for Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr, who now risks seeming insensitive to a President who has movingly bared his soul to the American public.

Clinton’s defenders were quick to go on the attack. “It’s time for the witch-hunt to stop,” said James Carville in a heated exchange with wife Mary Matalin on ABC’s Nightline. “So the President’s got a problem? What’s Ken Starr gonna do, put him in jail for it?”

Clinton lawyer Bob Bennett called the speech a “vindication,” and maintained that the President’s confession “Demonstrates once and for all that he has been the victim of a campaign of lies, engineered to drum him from office — when we all known now these were only the innocent gropings of a well-meaning but troubled man.”

On one front, reaction to the President’s speech was muted. Even after the President talked of numerous liaisons in the Oval Office with his client — “some on this very rug” — Monica Lewinsky’s attorney William Ginsburg refused to acknowledge that she had had sex with the President.

“Larry, my client is sticking by the second of her three credible and entirely truthful versions of events,” he said in an hour-long interview on CNN’s Larry King Live. “All I’m going to say is that the President is a man of honor.”

That’s how the good old boys handle problems…..but back to other business!

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