Outlook
- The Democratic presidential contest is getting mean and nasty with a desperate feeling by opponents of Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) that she must be stopped in Iowa or not at all. She has never been better than even in the polls in Iowa against Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.). (See below for the Clinton-Obama story.).
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The inside talk in Republican circles is that the confused, unpredictable battle may be coming down to a one-on-one between former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, with an uncertain outcome. The unexpected endorsement from the National Right to Life Committee did help former Sen. Fred Thompson (R-Tenn.), but his candidacy is in deep trouble. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is coming back but still is anathema to conservatives. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is picking up religious conservatives in Iowa but is deeply suspected by conservatives generally.
- Congress recessed with much unfinished business — notably the alternative minimum tax (AMT) "patch" and spending for veterans. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) was off on a congressional delegation to South America once the recess began. When he returns, he will have to deal with an overloaded docket facing a procedure requiring a 60 percent super-majority on every major vote and unlikely to get it in the current partisan atmosphere.
- The biggest real-life problem for the politicians may be the failure to get an AMT patch, causing a 10-week or more delay in income tax refunds for 50 million taxpayers. The Republicans are blaming the Democratic leadership of Congress, but top Bush Administration officials are readying themselves for a Democratic onslaught.
- The item reported that a Clinton agent was spreading the word that the Clinton campaign had scandalous information about Obama but was not using it for purposes of party harmony. The nature of the alleged scandal was not revealed to the source of the item (a well known Democrat), who said he thought Clinton wanted to avoid a Clinton-Obama clash that would benefit a third candidate, presumably Edwards.
- Obama reacted with a sharp statement against Clinton’s attacks, and Clinton responded with an accusation of Republican dirty tricks. The intensity of their reactions indicated that both sides are nervous as the date of the Iowa caucuses nears — Obama worried about a Clinton breakaway, Clinton concerned about Obama creeping up.
- Both sides have reason to worry. Clinton can never match Obama’s oratorical power, as he indicated in the Jefferson-Jackson debate in Des Moines. Obama is clearly second best to Clinton in debating technique, as indicated in the most recent debate in Las Vegas.
- The column item suggested Clinton planting the seeds of trouble ahead if Obama is nominated and Obama knowledgeable about past Clintonian policy of digging into an opponent’s background.
