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Romney Says McCain Out of GOP Mainstream

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. -- Mitt Romney said Wednesday that John McCain is out of the conservative mainstream, as the rivals for the Republican presidential nomination vied for votes in next week's multistate primary.

Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, said McCain twice voted against President Bush's tax cuts and pushed campaign finance reforms that restricted fundraising and spending. The Republican establishment embraced the tax cuts and opposed the new campaign law, which many saw as more helpful to Democrats.

"Those view are outside the view of mainstream Republican thought," Romney said in the opening moments of a debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. The forum came 24 hours after McCain won Florida presidential primary despite criticisms that he is too moderate on several issues dear to party loyalists.

McCain, an Arizona senator, disputed the claims, saying "I'm proud of my conservative record." He said Romney left Massachusetts with high taxes and a large debt. "His job creation was the third worst in the country," McCain said.

Republicans John McCain and Mitt Romney focus on each other in Wednesday's televised presidential debate only hours after Florida voters left no doubt that they are the two viable contenders for their party's nomination.

With Rudy Giuliani slated to bow out of the race and Mike Huckabee limping badly, McCain and Romney are almost certain to engage each other more sharply than they did in last week's rather tepid GOP forum in Boca Raton, Fla.

The stakes are especially high for Romney. The former Massachusetts governor lost to McCain in Florida and now must try to thwart his momentum with the multistate Super Tuesday primaries and caucuses next week.

In a possible prelude to Wednesday's exchanges, Romney in recent days called the Arizona senator dishonest, liberal, an economic novice and a lover of tax hikes. He sharply criticized McCain's Senate record on immigration, campaign finance laws and energy.

McCain in turn ridiculed Romney's shift on matters such as abortion rights, and said Romney had supported a premature withdrawal from Iraq.

McCain enters the debate with Giuliani's likely endorsement and a new boost of confidence for his once-staggering campaign, putting the onus on Romney to persuade GOP voters to resist a McCain bandwagon.

Late Nite Jokes

Jay Leno

Congratulations to John McCain — the big winner in Florida. He had to win over a whole voter group: Republicans.

It was a tough fight for McCain. A lot of voters in Florida are unsure about him. At age 71, McCain is a lot younger than most Florida Republicans, so they don’t trust him.

Democrats won’t count in Florida. They’re punishing them for moving their primary up. How ironic is that? The one election that they get done early, and it doesn’t count.

Rudy Giuliani is out of the race. Finally, a Republican with an exit strategy.

Late Show Top Ten

Top Ten Questions To Ask Yourself Before Flying The Naked Airline

10. What if my tray table isn't the only thing in an upright position?

9. Are the seats taken out and incinerated after each flight?

8. Would it be cheaper to take the naked Greyhound Bus?

7. Is the coffee served in a spill-proof cup?

6. I thought you said, 'cockpit'

5. Is this what the Wright brothers had in mind?

4. Hey, isn't that Matthew McConaughey?

3. Where do I keep my passport?

2. Is this really the kind of flight I should be taking with mom?

1. Do I really want people handling my baggage?

David Letterman

Yesterday down in Florida, they had the primary . . . Rudy Giuliani came in third. Third place. Tough night. During his speech, that actress Sean Young started yelling, “Get on with it! Get on with it!”

John Edwards dropped out of the race. He says he wants to spend more time with his haircut.

Janet Reno has endorsed Hillary Clinton. The endorsement was slightly tainted, however . . . Janet Reno was mentioned in the “Mitchell Report.”

Happy birthday to Vice President Dick Cheney — 67 years old today. Friends got together and threw a big party. Then Cheney tortured the cake. They all enjoyed playing shoot the tail off the donkey.

Conan O'Brien

Everyone’s talking about “Cloverfield.” People are getting sick from the filming. But it’s a big hit. So I thought I would make everybody sick too.

Craig Ferguson

Dick Cheney’s birthday. Happy birthday Dick Cheney. He celebrated with a 21-gun salute.

John McCain did very well yesterday — winning in Florida. Who says there’s no country for old men?

Mitt Romney has plans to stop McCain’s momentum. He’s going to take the tennis balls off of McCain’s walker.

Big Republican debate in California now. We’re not used to that kind of big debate. The big debate here is usually, facelift or boob job?

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

John Edwards and Rudy Giuliani both announced they are out of the race today, to spend more time with each other.

Giuliani said he will endorse John McCain. Edwards surprised everyone by saying he will endorse Herbal Essence Fruit Fusion Volumizing Shampoo.

The real race America is following, is not the race for president . . . it’s the race to find the No. 1 karaoke singer on “American Idol.”

McCain Claims Conservative Mantle

John McCain solidified his status as the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination with a Florida triumph, his candidacy having come full circle in little more than a year.

"It shows one thing. I'm the conservative leader who can unite the party," the Arizona senator said in a brief interview with The Associated Press.

He was hesitant to give himself a label and was mindful of the challenges ahead, saying: "It's a very significant boost but I think we've got a tough week ahead and a lot of states to come."

The Florida win continues an extraordinary comeback from last summer when his campaign nearly imploded. McCain rebounded to win New Hampshire and South Carolina before rolling up Florida and its winner-take-all 57 delegates. In the final days of the campaign, he picked up sought-after endorsements from the top two elected Republicans in the state — Sen. Mel Martinez and Gov. Charlie Crist.

"Having those people behind us was certainly very helpful," McCain said, also naming a trio of Miami-based members of Congress, Reps. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, Mario Diaz-Balart and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.

McCain heads into next week's 20-plus contests — that includes mega-delegate states California and New York — with an enormous amount of momentum after having won two straight contests.

He began his campaign just over a year ago as the presumptive Republican leader. He cast himself as the inevitable nominee in a party that historically has nominated the next guy in line. That distinction appeared to fall to McCain, given his 2000 loss to George W. Bush.

Running a front-runner's campaign to match his seeming front-running status, McCain mixed loyalists from his first campaign with veterans of Bush's two successful efforts to build an unrivaled, and enormous, national organization. He argued that he was the only Republican who could unite a wayward party reeling from a 2006 thumping that put Democrats back in control of Congress.

That appearance of invincibility quickly shattered.

Internally, infighting rocked the campaign. Money was being spent faster than it came in, and finger-pointing ensued. Top aides vied for primacy making it appear that no one person was in charge and McCain was not invested in the race. Longtime McCain aides clashed with one-time Bush aides.

Externally, Iraq and immigration took a political toll; his advocacy for a troop-increase strategy hurt him with independent voters while his backing for an eventual path to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants infuriated the GOP's conservative base.

His standing in polls dropped and fundraising dried up.

By summer, the campaign had blown through nearly all of the $25 million it had raised, and McCain had accepted the resignations of two top aides and promoted a third to manage what was left of the campaign. Money troubles meant dozens of layoffs while loyalty to the departed aides prompted others to flee.

McCain laid low in August, working to stabilize his campaign's finances and seeking to map out a road ahead with a narrower strategy. He hoped he could still emerge as the last man standing if the GOP field remained fractured.

Thus, he began his comeback with wins in New Hampshire and South Carolina.

He looked to Florida to cement his returned status — and Florida delivered.

Late Nite Jokes

Jay Leno

If you were watching the State of the Union address last night, you know that President Bush is cutting 151 programs that are performing poorly. Or as we would call that at NBC, our fall schedule.

Did anyone notice Nancy Pelosi behind Bush? She was reading something. Anyone know what she was reading? [Picture of book: “Botox Facial Exercises.”]

The Kennedys came out for Barack Obama. The next big party endorsement is from Al Gore. Both Barack and Hillary are going all out to try to avoid that one.

John Edwards’ poll numbers have not moved at all. It’s like his hair.

David Letterman

Happy news from Hollywood. Angelina Jolie is pregnant. And, insiders believe, as soon as the child is born, she plans to adopt it.

Today is Oprah Winfrey’s birthday. Banks, schools, and post offices are closed today.

The Florida primary was today. And to accommodate senior citizens, Florida polls are staying open late: 5 p.m.

Moments ago, Al Gore demanded a recount.

Conan O'Brien

President Bush gave his final State of the Union address. During every State of the Union address, every president has acknowledged great leaders, usually in the balcony. He didn’t do that last night. I’m kind of the president around here, so I am going to salute people in the audience. It’s this woman’s birthday. To honor her, her friends got her a ticket to a free show.

There’s a man in a great turtleneck. He’s from Portugal. He’s a wanted killer, but he came to the show. I salute you, sir.

That woman’s a stalker. I don’t really have one, so I pay her $500 a month. I salute you.

I salute that guy. He thought he was coming to see “Regis.”

Craig Ferguson

Today was the Florida primary. I worry about John McCain because usually when a man his age comes to Florida, they don’t leave.

One of the Dixie Chicks is pregnant. I don’t know which one . . . there’s Natalie, Emily, and Regis, I think.

Scientists say a satellite will come crashing down to earth. It weighs 200 tons, full of gas. We have a picture of it. [Picture of Rush Limbaugh.]

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

It‘s Oprah’s birthday. That’s the reason the banks and cupcake stores are closed today.

I feel bad for Stedman — what the hell do you get Oprah for her birthday?

You can’t get her a ticket to a spa . . . you have to get her a whole spa.

House, Senate at Odds on Stimulus

WASHINGTON -- The Senate is set to begin voting on dueling economic aid proposals, as senators rush to add jobless benefits and tax rebates for high earners, the elderly, and disabled veterans to a House-passed package.

Senate Democrats and some Republicans are teaming up to tack $32 billion onto the House measure with a bill that would send rebates of $500-$1,000 to all but the richest taxpayers. Families also would get $300 for each child. Senators could begin voting as early as Thursday in hopes of completing the package by week's end.

Provided that President Bush quickly signs the legislation, Americans could start receiving rebate checks in May, with the bulk expected to arrive in June.

The measure would make individuals with annual incomes of up to $150,000 and couples with incomes up to $300,000 eligible for the rebates _ limits twice as high as the plan the House passed on Tuesday.

It also would expand rebate eligibility to 20 million older Americans on Social Security and to disabled veterans, and provide an unemployment extension for those whose benefits have run out.

''It helps seniors and it helps those hit hardest by the economic downturn,'' said Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., the plan's author.

The Senate Finance Committee approved the measure on a bipartisan vote Wednesday.

But the plan defies entreaties from President Bush, House leaders and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to keep the narrower House bill intact. The Senate measure would pump $193 billion into the economy over the next two years, compared with the $161 billion House measure.

''The Baucus proposal has become yet another Christmas tree and will only grow and slow down when it reaches the Senate floor. We need to act now, and the way to do that is the bipartisan bill that passed the House by an overwhelming, bipartisan margin,'' McConnell said late Wednesday.

Still, the senior Finance Republican, Sen. Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, came out in support of the plan and said he would team with Baucus to resist efforts to add to it.

''This cannot be loaded down or it is likely to sink,'' Grassley said

Senators already were lining up with more add-ons to the bill, including food stamp and heating assistance for the poor.

The most expensive change, though, was Baucus' larger rebate, which would cost about $18 billion more than the House-passed rebates.

Baucus' measure would extend unemployment payments for 13 weeks for those whose benefits have run out, with 26 more weeks available in states with the highest unemployment rates. The only state that currently meets the trigger is Michigan.

It also goes further than the House package in efforts to bar illegal immigrants from receiving rebates. Under the Senate measure, recipients and their spouses and children would have to have valid Social Security numbers to qualify. The House bill omits that requirement, although it expressly disqualifies nonresident aliens.

The Senate plan would restore a business tax break dropped during the House negotiations that would permit corporations suffering losses now to reclaim taxes previously paid.

Both packages include roughly $50 billion worth of tax incentives for businesses to invest in new plants and equipment. Baucus' measure also adds $5.5 billion in renewable energy tax incentives.

Late Nite Jokes

Jay Leno

Tonight, President Bush gave his last State of Delusion address.

Congratulations to Barack Obama. He won big in South Carolina. He got the endorsement from Ted Kennedy. Ted didn’t always know who he was though. [Clip of Kennedy saying, “Just ask Osama bin Laden, er, Sen. Obama . . .]

The big issue in South Carolina is the lost textile jobs, which is why Hillary was so stunned that she came in second. She said, “You mean I’ve been wearing these pantsuits for nothing?”

Exit polls show Bill’s campaigning actually hurt Hillary. Gee, I hope that doesn’t create any tension in their marriage . . .

Late Show Top Ten

Top Ten Things You Don't Want To Hear From A Guy Dressed As A Monster

10. "Looks like I'm not the only one who ate a whole city"

9. "Finish up your bucket list, guys I'm coming back for you in an hour"

8. "I was going to destroy the country, but it looks like the mortgage crisis beat me to it hey-ooo"

7. "Where's Madison Square Garden? Some guy gave me a hundred bucks to eat Isiah Thomas"

6. "Do you know where I can find a scaly green hooker?"

5. "I'm Godzilla's cousin, Todd-zilla"

4. "When I'm fully grown, I'll be almost as big as a New York City rat. Can you believe that? A city rat. Now that's a big rat!"

3. "Ahhhh!"

2. "This is what happens when you let Barry Bonds inject you in the ass"

1. "I ate your sister last night"

David Letterman

Last night was President Bush’s last State of the Union address. The next State of the Union address will be given by co-Presidents Bill and Hillary Clinton.

This is what everyone’s worried about, Bill calling the shots; it will be like Bill and Hillary running the country. And I’m thinking, “This is tremendous!” It’s going to be like Regis and Kelly.

During the State of the Union address, what a rowdy crowd! At one point, Dick Cheney had to fire a couple of shots in the air.

It was such a riveting speech, Sen. Craig only took two bathroom breaks.

Conan O'Brien

Lots of big news: Barack Obama endorsed by Ted Kennedy, stock market fluctuations, State of the Union address . . . but let’s face it — the biggest news event is that I shaved my beard.

Craig Ferguson

President Bush gave his State of Union address earlier this evening. Wasn’t it great? I found it very moving, so inspiring, so . . . no one watched it? I didn’t watch it either.

This is the last time Bush with give this speech. It was like a farewell, special edition of “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader.”

I’m getting cocky for someone who is not yet a citizen. Aren’t I?

No Deadline for Clinton Papers Release

LITTLE ROCK -- Hillary Rodham Clinton's daily schedules as first lady will be forwarded to former President Clinton by Friday for review, the first of two steps without a fixed time limit before any are released to the public, the National Archives said Wednesday.

Former President Clinton will have 30 days _ possibly longer, if he requests an extension _ to review the 10,000 pages of his wife's daily schedules before they will be sent to the White House for its review, said Susan Cooper, a spokeswoman for the National Archives. The Bush administration does not have a time limit to review the documents before they can be released, Cooper said.

Last year, Clinton faced criticism from her fellow Democratic presidential rivals over the number of White House documents from her husband's administration that have not been made public.

The daily schedules are currently held at Clinton's library here, which is part of the presidential library system operated by the National Archives.

The stack of schedules "still has two more layers of review to go through," Cooper told The Associated Press on Wednesday. Longtime Clinton adviser Bruce Lindsey will review the documents for Clinton.

Archivists have been sorting through 80 million pages of documents and 20 million e-mails at the library from Bill Clinton's eight years in office, but few records have come out of the library in response to Freedom of Information requests since it began accepting them in January 2006. The library processes requests based on when they were received.

The daily schedules are the focus of a lawsuit a conservative public interest group has filed against the archives seeking the release of the former first lady's records, including phone logs and other files. Judicial Watch has also sued in federal court seeking the release of documents related to a White House task force Clinton headed as first lady.

President Clinton put his wife in charge of the task force early in his presidency to propose an overhaul of national health care policy. The effort eventually failed to muster support in Congress.

Cooper said those documents are still being processed by library archivists and did not know when they would be forwarded to Lindsey.

Karl Rove: Politics Has New Rules

In his article "Two parties, two types of nominees, two paths to winning a presidential nomination, 1972-2004," author Jason D. Berggren writes, "Since 1972, the story of who wins a party's presidential nomination has not had one simple storyline: the early frontrunner wins. Instead, there appears to be two: early Republican frontrunners easily become the nominee; Democratic nominees struggle early and emerge late. Or, it may be said: certainty is to Republican frontrunners what change is to Democratic frontrunners."

Nomination scholar William G. Mayer told Berggren, "When the ride finally ends, we usually wind up exactly where we started out." With the frontrunner winning the nomination.

Well, Rudy Giuliani was the early frontrunner for the nomination, and he's out of the race. John McCain's candidacy was given up for dead, and he's now the frontrunner.

What happened?

Karl Rove writes in today's Wall Street Journal that some of the old nomination rules still apply, but that there are a few new ones. They are:

Winning primaries gives no bounce. Rove writes, "John McCain won New Hampshire this year. Yet his bounce was gone seven days later ... In 2008, winning a primary gives a candidate only a small bounce that lasts a limited time.

TV ads? Puh-leeze. Rove says they don't matter. The TV ad man has been replaced by the communications director. "People ... form opinions that are difficult to alter by early and voluminous advertising, he writes." Plus, the popularity of YouTube, and the multiple news cycle days created by 24-hour cable news mean TV ads can't keep up. It's too expensive.

A Web of money. Direct mail that arrives 10 days after a primary win or other good news for a candidate is out. The Internet let's candidate raise money now.

Can anyone say "Mike Huckabee?"

Of course, he lost in Iowa, so some of the old rules apply, writes Rove. They are:

No nomination on a niche. "In each party, the winner will be the person who can draw support from the greatest number of diverse elements within the party."

Adapt or lose. John McCain was broke and polling low ... and may not have been running the kind of campaign he wanted to. Defections and a lack of funds may have pushed "McCain back into a lean, guerrilla-style campaign," writes Rove.

Exit polls still stink. In New Hampshire, press stories on the McCain victory were written while he was beating Romney by 7-10% according to exit polls. McCain only won by 5%, but the damage was done.

Win early, stay strong. Can anyone say, "Rudy Giuliani?"

Money doesn't trump appeal. "Neither Mr. McCain's financial strength last spring nor Mr. Romney's large personal wealth nor Congressman Ron Paul's record-breaking Internet fundraising blitzes have guaranteed victory."

In closing, Rove writes: "The candidates who emerge victorious, while they may be imperfect, have admirable grit and gumption. And that should matter for something."

Late Nite Jokes

Jay Leno

Dennis Kucinich has dropped out of the presidential race. He’s going back to his old job as a Keebler elf.

I’m not saying Dennis was short, but he tossed in the hand towel.

What’s going on with Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama? I’m not going to say they’re acting childish, but today Hillary issued a statement saying, “I’m rubber. You’re glue.”

Support for Rudy Giuliani has fallen to just 12 percent — and that’s just among his children.

Late Show Top Ten

Top Ten Rejected Titles For The George W. Bush Movie

10. "Jackass 3"

9. "The Lyin' King"

8. "The Departed As Of January 20th, 2009"

7. "Stop Or My Vice President Will Shoot"

6. "Dial M For Moron"

5. "Das Boob"

4. "When Sally Met Cheney's Daughter"

3. "White Men Can't Govern"

2. "The Nightmare Before Hillary"

1. "Raging Bull****"

David Letterman

In the movies, Sylvester Stallone is Rambo again. Like everyone else, he’s older. Now when he gets dropped behind enemy lines he says, “What did I come here for?”

He now gets an AARP discount for ammo.

Happy birthday to Ellen DeGeneres. Fifty years old today. I’m starting to worry she’ll never find the right guy.

Today is the 170th anniversary of the flush toilet. Or as Sen. Larry Craig calls it, the love seat.

Craig Ferguson

Odd week on Wall Street. Chaos. It was up; it was down; people yelling; people pulling each other’s hair . . . it was like watching “The View.”

The movie I am excited about is opening today: “Rambo.” Sylvester Stallone recently described himself as a tiny fairy on this show. A tiny fairy! Where does that leave me? Where does that leave Clay Aiken!

On a scale, there’s Sylvester Stallone, me, Clay Aiken . . . then Ryan Seacrest.

I liked the “Rocky” movies. In “Rocky 3” he fought Mr. T. I think they went downhill after that. In “Rocky 4” he fought the shark from “Jaws” or something.

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

There was a terrible fire at the Monte Carlo in Vegas. Police say no one got hurt. One old lady swallowed a roll of nickels, though.

I think there were a couple of lightly smoked hookers.

Republicans held another debate. Rudy Giuliani’s not doing so well. He’s basing his hopes on Florida. I think I know why he’s not doing so well. It’s his crazy facial expressions. Well, he may not become president, but he’ll do well in clown college.

Quotes on Bill Clinton's Campaign Role

Reaction to former President Clinton, who has been campaigning for his wife's presidential run and has been taking aim at her rival Barack Obama:

"No one suspected that former President Clinton would not be part of this race. Of course he would be. But the way he goes about it, what he says, how he says it, the tone he uses _ he is not the average spouse now. He is a former president of the United States." _ Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, who has endorsed Obama.
___

"There are high stakes, this is for president of the United States. I think people get tired and they're all very passionate about what they're doing, but I have every confidence that we will come back together as a party." _ Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., who has endorsed Clinton, speaking about the tone of the Democratic race.
___

"As long as he is careful with the truth, I don't think any of us in any way resent his campaigning. But the fact that he has shaded things and he has tried to manipulate the facts in a way that is patently unfair, I think that is frankly flat wrong and I think it's demeaning." _ Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., who has endorsed Obama.
___

"Candidates always do best when they appeal to the nobler aspirations and concerns of the American electorate." _ Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., who is neutral in the campaign.
___

"You can't present nothing when race pride set in. Now we're going to get our fair share of black votes. But we would have won if race pride hadn't set in. Hillary would have beat Barack hands down if race pride hadn't set in." _ South Carolina state Sen. Robert Ford, a black politician who endorsed Clinton early after saying he thinks Obama's race would harm Democrats on ballots across the nation.

Hill Defends Bill on Stump

WASHINGTON -- Hillary Rodham Clinton, defending her husband's increasingly vocal role in her presidential effort, sidestepped questions about whether Bill Clinton's suggestion that Barack Obama had put a "hit job" on him was language befitting a former president.

"We're in a very heated campaign, and people are coming out and saying all kinds of things," Hillary Clinton said in an interview Wednesday. "I'm out there every day making a positive case for my candidacy. I have a lot of wonderful people, including my husband, who are out there making the case for me."

The former first lady's comments came as she readied a speech on ways halt the global economic slide and stabilize U.S. financial markets. She previewed the speech in an interview with The Associated Press.

The interview came as Bill Clinton campaigned for his wife in South Carolina, which holds its primary Saturday. The former president suggested that Obama would win the contest there because of his popularity among black voters even as he lambasted the news media for its interest in the contest's racial and gender dynamic.

Obama is trying to become the nation's first black president, while Hillary Clinton hopes to be the first woman to hold the job.

The former president also reacted angrily upon being told that Dick Harpootlian, a former South Carolina Democratic chairman and Obama supporter, had called the Clinton campaign "reprehensible" and suggested it had borrowed tactics from Lee Atwater, the late South Carolina GOP strategist who famously practiced negative campaigning.

In response, Bill Clinton noted that there had been no outcry from reporters when Obama put out a "hit job" on him.

He didn't elaborate on what he meant, and Hillary Clinton refused to speculate in the interview.

"He was thinking about something. You'll have to ask him what he means," she said, while calling the comparison to Atwater "outrageous."

"Talking about people's records? Talking about what they do in the campaign? That's fair game. That's what we do in America," she said.

The New York senator planned to call Thursday for immediate steps to address the U.S. housing crisis.

Clinton said the rapid rise of home foreclosures stemming from subprime mortgages had rocked global markets like no other factor. Proposed tax rebates to stimulate the U.S. economy _ including those championed by Obama _ were necessary but not sufficient, Clinton said.

"It's OK, I'm for tax rebates _ put some money in people's pockets, though it has to be structured in right way," Clinton said. "But all the talk of stimulus and all the planning going on with Congress and the White House is going to miss the boat if we don't stem the tide of foreclosure."

Clinton, who came late to the notion of such tax rebates as economic stimulus, said she had been initially been reluctant to reopen the tax code.

"But the situation deteriorated quickly," she said, which meant any agreement would have to include tax rebates.

Clinton planned to discuss her economic proposals in South Carolina, whose primary will be the first to involve a significant number of black voters. Polls show Obama widely favored to win South Carolina and Clinton spent two days campaigning in states holding contests Feb. 5 before returning to the state.

"I want to emphasize the urgency of the situation we find ourselves in," Clinton said, saying South Carolina has a particularly complex set of economic challenges including home foreclosures, payday lending problems and higher than average level of student debt.

"When I started warning about this housing crisis and what it would do to the economy, I was blown off. I couldn't get any attention," Clinton said. "Republicans and others said, 'You're an alarmist, it's not a big deal.'"

Clinton's plan to freeze home foreclosures for 90 days has been criticized by some economists who have said it would raise home interest rates across the board while unfairly favoring consumers who had gotten into risky mortgages.

Clinton rejected that argument.

"People will say, 'Why should we bail out somebody who made a bad loan?'" she said. "Because you don't want a vacant house next to you. You don't want a deteriorating neighborhood. You don't want a tax base dropping so police service to your home gets cuts. We're all in this."

Clinton also expressed support for Ben Bernanke, chairman of the Federal Reserve, but declined to say whether she would keep him on as Fed chairman if she is president when his term expires.

"He's walking a very difficult line _ I'm not going to second guess him," Clinton said, while saying he probably should have taken action earlier to address the housing crisis.

"I think he inherited a lot of problems he is trying to work through," she said. "He's got to stimulate the economy, to get credit flowing again, and to raise investor confidence. It would have been difficult to predict how dependent the global economy would be on the American consumer."

Late Nite Jokes

Jay Leno

What a cold day. It was so cold, I saw a flasher on Hollywood Boulevard wearing a sign on his raincoat saying, “Objects May Be Smaller Than They Appear.”

It was so cold, Simon Cowell was wearing two T-shirts.

Fred Thompson dropped out of the presidential race. He came in third in South Carolina — which would be great if he was still on NBC. He’d be a hero!

It looks like Rudy Giuliani is having a rough time in Florida. His early lead evaporated quicker than those wedding vows.

David Letterman

According to a recent study, there is a very high level of mercury in tuna in Manhattan. Or as the Hello Deli calls it, the special sauce.

One supermodel eats so much sushi, she is working as a thermometer.

How about that Mitt Romney? He looks like he should be selling fruit dehydrators on cable.

He looks like the stock photo that comes with the frame.

Craig Ferguson

People were shocked this morning by Bill Clinton’s comments. He said that he likes seeing Hillary fight with Obama. He likes it! Then he said, “I’d like it even more if they both wore dresses.“

“Oh, wait — who am I kidding? Hillary would never wear a dress.”

Republicans are campaigning down in Florida, where most voters are in their 50s and 60s, or as John McCain calls them, the youth vote.

Archaeologists have discovered a 100,000-year-old skull. C’mon! Can you believe that? We have a picture of it. [Photo of Larry King.]

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Britney Spears showed up at the court house in a short black cocktail dress, for her custody hearing today, but left before the hearing even started. She said, “This club sucks — let’s get out of here.”

Her friend Paris Hilton is strongly in Britney’s corner. Paris said, “I wish everyone would just leave her alone. She’s a great mother. I wish the best for her.” I want to be sure I heard that right. She is? Maybe compared to your mother.

I will say this: My mother rarely showed her vagina to the media.

Bloomberg Rips Federal Stimulus Package

WASHINGTON -- New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg castigated the White House and Congress on Wednesday for what he said was a shortsighted economic stimulus package and years of lousy financial management.

"We can't borrow our way out of this. The jig is up," Bloomberg said in prepared remarks to be delivered Wednesday evening before the U.S. Conference of Mayors, which is honoring his environmental efforts.

The billionaire mayor, who is said to be considering an independent presidential bid yet denies that he is a candidate, said the $150 billion stimulus package being hammered out between Democratic and Republican leaders won't be enough.

"There's just one problem: It's not going to make much of a difference because we've already been running huge deficits," Bloomberg said.

Some of those urging Bloomberg to run for president say his record as a CEO is his biggest selling point in a time of economic turmoil.

Despite his public denials, Bloomberg is conducting an analysis of voter data in all 50 states to better understand his chances as a third-party candidate. Aides have said he would delay a decision until after the major parties produce clear front-runners.

The metropolitan mayor used a farming analogy to heap scorn on the current crop of Washington leaders.

"They spent most of this decade running up bills with reckless abandon and when the economy started heading for the ditch, the special interest giveaways got even bigger. They ate the seed corn without worrying about the next year's harvest. Well, the next year is here, and the seed corn is gone. All we've got is a barn full of IOU's," he said.

Details of the stimulus package are still being negotiated, but the centerpiece of the measure is expected to be a tax rebate similar to the $300-$600 checks sent out in the summer of 2001. The emergency measure would more than double last year's deficit spending of $163 billion, according to new congressional budget estimates.

Bloomberg argued that the government's first goal should be to stop the bleeding in the housing sector. "What good is a rebate going to do for a family who's about to lose their home?" he argued.

Late Nite Jokes

Jay Leno

Today was a big day in Hollywood. Academy Awards were announced. A lot of Oscar buzz for “No Country for Old Men.” That’s also John McCain’s campaign slogan.

Another Oscar nod for “There Will Be Blood,” a story of a ruthless oil tycoon . . . or as Dick Cheney calls it, “The greatest movie of all time.”

Fred Thompson dropped out the presidential race. Do you think he knows yet?

Do you know what’s standing between Fred and the White House? The American people.

Late Show Top Ten

Top Ten George W. Bush Ideas For Stimulating the Economy

10. Send troops to invade U.S. Mint

9. Oprah gives everybody a new car

8. Turn Grand Canyon into a giant national "Have a penny, leave a penny" jar

7. Cheney threatens to shoot Treasury secretary in the face

6. Plans to fix economy in third term

5. Replace Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke with briefcase babes from "Deal or No Deal"

4. Send elite team of economists to rob Mick Jagger's apartment

3. Ahhh somebody help . . . Cloverfield monster . . . Run for your lives!

2. Maybe not spending a billion dollars a month in Iraq?

1. Forget the economy why doesn't someone try stimulating Condoleezza?

David Letterman

Everyone’s worried about the economy. Don’t worry — George W. Bush is going to give it a shot in the arm. If that doesn’t work, Dick Cheney’s going to give it a shot in the face.

Hillary Clinton and Barrack Obama were really going at one another last night. John Edwards looked like the moderator on “Family Feud.”

During the argument, security guards had to be brought in, and you could hear Hillary Clinton screaming, “Don’t Tase me, bro!”

Fred Thompson has dropped out of the race. He spent all day packing the bags under his eyes.

Craig Ferguson

Not such a great day for Fred Thompson. He dropped out of the presidential race. I think I speak for everyone when I say, “Fred Thompson was in the race?”

John McCain’s team is heading to Florida to get ready for the primary. Hillary Clinton’s team is going there so they can get an early start for Bill on Spring Break.

Oliver Stone is going to make a movie about our current president. It’s going to called “Bush.” I think I saw that already. I saw it in a hotel room accidentally. Six times.

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Mitt Romney was in Jacksonville, Fla. They had a big Martin Luther King Day parade there. Even though he didn’t fit in at all, he made himself at home. [Clip of Romney standing with black girl, saying, “Who let the dogs out?”]

In fairness, that was his first time ever meeting black people.

Bill Clinton had an embarrassing moment too. Between campaigning for his wife Hillary, and pretending to have work to do to avoid going to bed with her, he’s exhausted.

That’s obvious at the Convent Avenue Baptist Church in Harlem yesterday where he was supposed to be listening to Martin Luther King III. [Clip of Clinton nodding off during speech.] I don’t know if that was the kind of dream Dr. King had in mind.

Bill Clinton Sees a Role in White House

ATLANTA -- Bill Clinton doesn't want to become the White House's Sasquatch.

The former president says it would be a mistake for him to have a specific job if he were to return to Washington with a new Clinton administration.

"I'd be like the abominable snowman," Clinton told reporters Monday. "I'd be Bigfooting everybody even if I tried not to. There's almost no way you can avoid that."

Clinton said his best use on behalf of his wife, Democratic candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton, were she president, would be "to try to help her talk through all these problems and then to be available for very specific assignments that would not in any way undermine the authority of the vice president or the secretary of state."

Asked if he would live in the White House, Clinton said, "I would anticipate being there, unless you know something I don't."

Late Nite Jokes

Jay Leno

One year from today, we will swear in a new president of the United States. Or as Hillary Clinton likes to say, “Whomever she may be.”

Congratulations to John McCain . . . he won the South Carolina Republican primary. He’s what’s been described as a republican maverick. You know what that means? After Mark Foley and Larry Craig, that means he’s a straight guy. There aren’t a lot of those left.

Here’s one of those philosophical questions: If Fred Thompson stops campaigning, how can you tell?

It costs me 65 bucks to fill up my car today. Remember when 65 bucks would buy you a large latte at Starbucks?

Late Show Top Ten

Top Ten Things Overheard During the Giants-Packers Game

10. "Here to sing the national anthem

9. global warming genius Al Gore"

8. "It's minus 3 degrees

7. but it's a dry cold"

6. "Eli's hands are frozen to the center's ass"

5. "Packer's tight end looks suspiciously like a polar bear"

4. "I'm glad I spent the extra money on the fleece-lined cheese hat"

3. "The referee will be officiating the second half from the hotel"

2. "Screw the game

1. let's keep huddling"

David Letterman

It’s cold here in the Northeast. You have to dress in layers when it’s this cold. For instance, I’m wearing two hairpieces.

It’s so cold, that Cloverfield monster? He changed his mind and attacked Miami.

A giant monster attacks New York City . . . fortunately, he’s killed by an exploding steam pipe.

How about that Mitt Romney? Republicans say that he may be too good-looking to be running. He looks like a closer at a Cadillac dealership.

Craig Ferguson

Down in Florida, they are getting ready for the Republican primary. They’ve got one week to make sure the voting machines don’t work.

The government announced that some voters will be allowed to vote online. That’s going to be a tough choice: democracy or porn . . . democracy or porn.

I just got back from a weekend in San Francisco. I saw the dogs with the tattoos, the strung-out hippies, the gay pride parades, and that was just in the hotel lobby.

I visited Alcatraz while I was there. The famous Birdman of Alcatraz went there. I don’t know what he did . . . I think he was responsible for bird flu.

McCain Too Old for President

Campaigning for Mike Huckabee, actor Chuck Norris said Sunday that Sen. John McCain is too old to handle the pressures of being president.

"I didn't pick John to support because I'm just afraid that the vice president would wind up taking over his job in that four-year presidency," said Norris, who was hosting a fundraiser for Huckabee at his Lone Wolf Ranch.

"So we need to find someone that can handle it for four years or eight years ... that has the youth and vision and communication skills to make that work." Norris, 67, is four years younger than McCain, who will be 72 in August.

Huckabee, coming off a disappointing second-place finish in the South Carolina GOP primary to McCain, distanced himself from Norris' comments.

"Only John McCain and his hairdresser know for sure," he quipped, at a ranch house on the sprawling East Texas estate. "It is a very stressful position. ... I'm not going to say he's too old. I think he's got a lot of inner strength, good genetic factors by his mom."

McCain's campaign did not immediately have a comment.

As the first Southern primary, South Carolina was supposed to be friendly territory for Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor and Baptist minister.

"We obviously wanted to win and we really thought we would win," he said. "The fact of Fred Thompson's being in the race took some votes that we would have most likely had."

Huckabee also blamed late snowfall in parts of upstate South Carolina.

"The snow not only froze the streets of the Greenville-Spartanburg area, the votes kinda stopped once it started snowing," he said. "That was an area we were looking forward to having a significant vote margin."

Huckabee hoped the fundraiser would be the start of a momentum shift in his favor.

"Starting today, we reset the clock," Huckabee said. "I woke up this morning and I thought 'the momentum is back.'"

Huckabee next turns to Florida, which holds its GOP primary Jan. 29. He seemed to be preparing for a long haul.

"Even a contest of delegates isn't going to be over after Florida and probably even after February 5," he said. "So everybody's sort of retooled and said, 'No, this could go on all the way to the convention.'"

Norris estimated that more than 200 people had paid at least $1,000 for a plate of barbecue and a chance to watch Huckabee play bass guitar with his band, Capitol Offense. Some paid $2,300, but fundraising totals were not yet available.

After repeating his stump speech to the rural Texas crowd, the band joined Huckabee on stage for some classic rock tunes, kicking off with "Only in America."

Romney Extend Delegate Lead

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton edged Sen. Barack Obama in the race for Nevada's delegates to the Democratic national convention this summer, extending her overall lead. Mitt Romney won over half the Republican delegates in Nevada, also extending his national lead.

Clinton won 13 delegates in Nevada on Saturday, compared to 12 for Obama, an AP analysis of caucus results showed. All of Nevada's 25 Democratic delegates have been awarded.

Clinton leads the overall race for delegates with 237, including separately chosen party and elected officials known as superdelegates. She is followed by Obama with 135 and former Sen. John Edwards with 50.

A total of 2,025 delegates are needed to secure the Democratic nomination.

Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, won 17 delegates in Nevada's caucuses, extending his overall lead in the race for delegates to the GOP convention this summer.

Sen. John McCain and Rep. Ron Paul each won four delegates, and former Sen. Fred Thompson and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee each won two. Rep. Duncan Hunter and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani each won one delegate. It is the first delegate for Giuliani's campaign.

All of Nevada's 31 Republican delegates have been awarded.

Romney will have 59 delegates heading into the Republican primary in South Carolina, followed by Huckabee with 34 and McCain with 17.

A total of 1,191 delegates are needed to secure the Republican nomination.

Romney Wants $250 Billion Stimulus Package

LAS VEGAS -- Weighing in on a debate about stimulating the slowing U.S. economy, Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney is calling for a package of tax breaks expected to cost $250 billion, an aide said on Friday.

The former Massachusetts governor's package centered on several permanent tax cuts, rather than temporary rebates and spending programs favored by others engaged in the stimulus discussion in Washington and on the campaign trail.

The package was first reported by the CNBC television network and confirmed by Romney spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom.

Romney, who has been campaigning in Nevada ahead of its nominating contest on Saturday, plans to propose permanently reducing the rate for the lowest income tax bracket to 7.5 percent from 10 percent, retroactive to 2007. He also wants to eliminate Social Security payroll taxes for workers over 65 and eliminate capital gains and dividend taxes on households earning less than $200,000 a year.

He also would permanently reduce the corporate tax rate to 20 percent from 35 percent over two years and allow businesses to depreciate the value of new equipment purchases faster.

President George W. Bush earlier on Friday called on Congress to enact a package of temporary tax cuts and other measures estimated to cost up to $150 billion.

On the potential impact on the long-term budget deficit of his package, Romney told CNBC, "If we go into recession, the cost to our balanced budget is going to be far more severe than the cost of this program."

"The kinds of stimulative actions we take should be pro-growth. They aren't just writing checks for people to buy oil or TVs," he said, according to CNBC.

Late Nite Jokes

Jay Leno

Voters are starting to warm up to Hillary Clinton. You what that means. This may be the best proof yet for global warming. Hillary is starting to thaw.

John Edwards keeps coming in third, but he says he’s not worried about it. He now says he doesn’t believe there are two Americas. He now thinks there are three. And he’s going to keep looking for the one that wants him to be president.

There’s still no front-runner for the Republicans. Republicans are starting to look like Britney Spears getting out of the limo: wide open.

McDonald’s says that sometime in the near future, they will have robots preparing their food. I this doesn’t mean it will have an assembly line taste.

Late Show Top Ten

Top Ten Signs You're Watching A Bad Monster Movie

10. Monster comes to New York takes in a matinee of "Jersey Boys" and leaves

9. He doesn't eat people he just licks them

8. It's two hours of the creature writing his bucket list

7. It tortures people by showing slides from his trip to the Poconos

6. The monster shows up and FEMA doesn't send help for three days

5. It's entitled "Phantom of the Oprah"

4. The beast with a disfigured face? Joan Rivers

3. Monster's main tactic is to refuse to negotiate with the Writers Guild

2. Werewolf looks like this (photo: Dave with beard)

1. After taunting city for hours, tearful monster is led away by Dr. Phil

David Letterman

Everybody’s worried about the flu. Today I saw a squirrel putting Purel on his nuts.

“American Idol” is coming back. “American Idol” features a group of self-deluded pretenders and publicity seekers . . . it’s just like the presidential race.

Mayor Bloomberg may run for president. It’s on his “bucket List.”

The movie “Cloverfield” opens today. It’s about a monster that goes crazy. Right after getting fired from “The View.”

Craig Ferguson

In an interview, Jack Nicholson said he would date a woman his age. But when asked his age, he said 18 . . . or 22.

“Cloverfield” opens today. It’s about a big ugly monster that tries to destroy New York. It was originally called “Trump.”

No one knows what the monster looks like . . . there are no pictures on the Internet. It’s like Nessy or Chupacabra, or Oprah’s boyfriend.

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

It’s Friday night! Don’t feel bad, I had nowhere fun to go either.

ABC has announced they are going to remake “Circus of the Stars.” It officially means we’re out of ideas.

CBS and Fox are also reportedly working on projects involving famous people doing circus tricks. Which is great news for Gary Coleman.

There’s going to be a huge bidding war to see who gets to shoot him out of a cannon.

Bill Clinton Berates Reporter

OAKLAND, Calif. -- A heated exchange between former President Clinton and a television news reporter circulated on the Internet Thursday.

During a campaign stop for his wife in Oakland a day earlier, Clinton became visibly annoyed when KGO-TV reporter Mark Mathews asked him whether Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign should take a stronger stand against a union's lawsuit to keep casino workers from caucusing at special precincts in Nevada.

"I had nothing to do with that lawsuit and you know it," said Bill Clinton, who had been in the Bay Area talking to residents and real estate professionals about home foreclosures.

"Get on your television station and say, 'I don't care about the home mortgage crisis,'" he berated Mathews.

On Thursday, a federal judge threw out the lawsuit. A union with ties to Hillary Clinton had tried to prevent casino workers from caucusing at special precincts on the Las Vegas strip.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge James Mahan was presumed to be a boost for Clinton rival Barack Obama in the Democratic presidential caucuses Saturday because he has been endorsed by the union representing many of the shift workers who will be able to use the precincts.

Clinton's campaign has said it was not involved in the lawsuit.

Late Nite Jokes

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
We had 80 mph winds today! Coming in this morning, I saw a Mini Cooper circling the airport.

It was so windy on Hollywood Boulevard, I saw a guy take the chains out of his nose and wrap them around a lamp post just to keep from blowing away.

And cold! It’s been into the teens more than R. Kelley.

There was a big Democratic debate the other night, and NBC would not allow Dennis Kucinich into the debate because his poll numbers were not high enough. How ironic is that — NBC saying you’re ratings are too low.

Late Show Top Ten

Top Ten Signs A Police Officer Is Too Fat

10. Traded his police cruiser for a Good Humor truck

9. On drug busts he's the battering ram

8. Uses powdered sugar to dust for prints

7. Once tasered a guy at McDonald's for skimping on the special sauce

6. He gets winded during roll call

5. Known as "New York's Tubbiest"

4. Decided to join writers' strike just for the free donuts

3. His "nightstick" is a pepperoni

2. Calls for backup to help him get out of his squad car

1. Looks in the mirror and says "OK, break it up"

David Letterman

Eddie Murphy ‘s marriage is over. It lasted only two weeks. Two weeks! Here’s what I heard: They started to drift apart during the ceremony.

The legal question now is, Who gets custody of the cake?

We finally know the name of the woman who posed for the Mona Lisa. Her name is Lisa Del Giacondo . . . by the way, her identity was leaked by Scooter Libby.

She’s being described as a Renaissance groupie. She saw more ceilings than Michelangelo.

Conan O'Brien

Last night on my show, I came out . . . jumped around like a chimp . . . this is what I normally do . . .

Then I said something about Mike Huckabee’s presidential campaign. I said Mike Huckabee’s successes were due to Chuck Norris, and since I made Norris (through the Walker Texas Ranger Level segment of my show), I am a king maker. Today, my staff is buzzing about some comments made by Stephen Colbert, the temporary host of “The Colbert Report.” He’s filling in until they find another Colbert. I’ve never had a chance to check his show out, because, frankly, I don’t have a radio.

He says he made Huckabee. Even if that is true, if Colbert made Huckabee, and I made Colbert by breathing life into his show by mentioning it on my show — then Conan made Huckabee!

Craig Ferguson

Not such a great day for O.J. Simpson. A judge told him, “You must arrogant, ignorant, or both.” O.J. said, “I am none of these things. I am just a murderer.”

It’s a great day for the president’s daughter, Jenna Bush. She set a date for her wedding. She’s excited about her marriage, especially about the part where she gets to change her name.

Osama bin Laden’s son announced today that he wants to be a peace activist. Talk about rebelling against your parents!

That’s like Tom Cruise’s kid announcing she’s going to be human.

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Has anyone been watching “American Idol,” the karaoke show?

Thousands of people from all over the United States, many of these people mentally disturbed, present themselves to be evaluated.

Many of our favorites in Hollywood are insane . . . Britney Spears, Amy Winehouse . . . Kortney Love . . . Would they be rejected?

Bernanke Seems Open to Stimulus Package

WASHINGTON -- Faced with a deteriorating economy, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has indicated he is open to congressional and White House efforts to develop a rescue package to avert a recession.

The fragile state of the economy has gripped Wall Street and Main Street and is a rising concern among voters. The situation has galvanized politicians - including those vying to be the next president - and poses the biggest test to Bernanke, who took over the Fed nearly two years ago.

Much attention will be focused on Bernanke's testimony Thursday before the House Budget Committee for insights into what can be done to help blunt the ill effects of a deep housing slump and a credit crisis. The big worry is that those problems will force consumers to clamp down on their spending and businesses to put a lid on hiring, sending the economy into a nosedive.

Joint Economic Committee Chairman Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said he had spoken with Bernanke on Monday and that the Fed chairman was "generally supportive" of lawmakers and Bush passing a stimulus bill.

"He said that while he wasn't going to endorse a specific plan, if an economic stimulus package was properly designed and enacted so that it enters the economy quickly, it could have a very positive effect on the economy," Schumer said.

With the economy suffering, one of President Bush's first acts after returning to Washington Wednesday evening from the Middle East was to be a conference call Thursday with congressional leaders in both parties to discuss a possible short-term stimulus package.

For the Fed's part, Bernanke pledged last week to aggressively slash a key interest rate as needed to bolster the economy. Many economists believe the Fed will lower its key rate, now at 4.25 percent, by a bold half-percentage point at its next meeting on Jan. 30. The Fed cut rates three times last year, starting in September. But some critics on Wall Street and elsewhere have been critical of Bernanke for not taking action sooner and more forcefully.

Last week, Bernanke signaled he was open to additional help from the Democratic-controlled Congress and the White House, which are exploring economic stimulus packages, that could include tax rebates.

"I'd like to see what emerges from the process, and I look forward to talking with and discussing with proponents some of the various options that might be put on the table," Bernanke said in a Q&A session after speaking in Washington on Jan. 10.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio emerged from a rare meeting on Wednesday promising to craft legislation to energize the weakening economy.

Although Republicans and Democrats differ over what provisions should be part of any such package, there's widespread agreement that tax rebates along the lines of the $300-$600 checks provided in 2001 are likely to part of the measure. The country last suffered a recession in 2001.

A recent string of dismal economic reports has raised fears the country could slide into a recession this year. Retail sales have plunged. The nation's unemployment rate has jumped from 4.7 percent to 5 percent, a two-year high. Manufacturing activity has slowed. The nation's major banks are piling up big losses and Wall Street has been mired in turmoil.

Labels: E

Late Nite Jokes

Jay Leno

Congratulations to Mitt Romney. He was the big winner in the Michigan primary. John McCain came in second. An embarrassing moment for McCain when he spoke at a polling place that was also a funeral parlor. I don’t want to say McCain looks old, but when he tried to leave the funeral home, he had to show ID.

Hillary Clinton was on the "Tyra Banks" show. Tyra asked her if she could be on a reality show, which reality show would she be on? Hillary answered “Dancing with the Stars.” Well, if Barack Obama continues to do well, she could be on that show sooner than she thinks.

While he was in the Saudi Arabia, President Bush met with the Saudi crown Prince Abdullah. See, he’s not really good at these social situations. He kept asking the prince about his sister Paula Abdullah.

The FDA has certified cloned meat safe to eat. Well, thank God — you don’t anything unhealthy that you then batter and deep fry with cheese.

Late Show Top Ten

Top Ten Programs on Oprah's New Television Network

10. "Law and Oprah"

9. "The Oprentice"

8. "As Oprah's World Turns"

7. "Two and a half Stedmans"

6. "Hawaii Five-Oprah"

5. "Gayle King of Queens"

4. No number 4 — writer making his bucket list

3. "Sofa Repair With Tom Cruise"

2. "Oprahstar Galactica"

1. "More Bullsh** From Dr. Phil"

David Letterman

A lot of tourists in New York City. Looking for something exciting to do? Take a burro ride to the bottom of a pothole.

They’re building a New Yankees stadium here. And the progress is really fast. There’s a good reason for it: The workers are taking the same stuff the players are.

Scientists have created a rat heart in a Petri dish. A beating rat heart! Or as it’s known at the Hello Deli, the No. 2.

A living rat heart. Finally some good news for Dick Cheney.

Conan O'Brien

In the last few weeks, I have shown without a doubt, that I am responsible for Mike Huckabee’s meteoric rise because he campaigned with Chuck Norris. How did Norris become king maker? Because for years, I did a segment on my show called, “Walker Texas Ranger Lever” where I would pull a lever and show clips from his show. It resurrected Chuck Norris’ career — he was going nowhere fast. He was hitting the bottle sleeping in the gutter . . .

Then, Chuck Norris resurrected the campaign of Mike Huckabee . . . I made Norris . . . Norris made Huckabee . . . ergo, I made Huckabee.

Well, last night in the Michigan primary, Huckabee came in third. Third! What happened, you’re wondering, right? Again, I believe I was responsible. Huckabee was so excited about his newfound friend, Walker Texas Ranger, that he took the whole thing too far. He ran an ad all day in Michigan. I think the ad really hurt him. [Clip of adulterated ad: Huckabee: “My plan to secure the border? Chuck Norris.” Huckabee then pulls “Walker Texas Ranger Lever” and runs clip of Norris smacking a man stuck in a bear trap saying, “Shut up.”

Craig Ferguson

It’s a sad day: Eddie Murphy has announced he’s separated from his wife. He’s been married for only 15 days! I guess he couldn’t get past the fact that she was a woman.

David Spade is having a baby with a Playboy playmate. Miss March. In a few months, she’ll be sporting a tiny, whiny, crying thing around . . . then the baby will be born, and she’ll move on.

Archaeologists have found the remains of a 40-million-year-old giant rodent. It was as tall as a human, with a head like a beaver. We have a picture of the rodent. [Shows picture of Donald Trump’s head.]

President Bush is in Saudi Arabia. He still took the time to cast that all-important vote on “American Idol,” though

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

If I seem like I’m off my game tonight, I want you to know it has nothing to do with the fact that I spent last weekend with Jessica Simpson.

“American Idol” premiered last night. Apparently, it was the lowest rated premier in four years. Only 85 billion people watched last night.

Poor Ryan Seacrest — they’re saying he’s going to have to get his tips frosted at Super Cuts now.

I like the bad singers better than the good ones. Especially the crazy ones. I was thinking I would like to see a whole show with nothing but crazy people being insulted by judges. And then I remembered that’s already a show, called “Judge Judy.”

Quick GOP Winner Not Likely

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. -- One thing about the Republican presidential race is certain -- the nomination won't be by acclamation.

The fight for the party nod isn't likely to end until well into February -- or even beyond -- as Mitt Romney, John McCain and Mike Huckabee have divvied up the early states, and no clear front-runner with a burst of momentum has emerged. South Carolina is next up on Saturday.

The battle between the top-tier candidates "is going to be like the Bataan Death March," said Ron Kaufman, a top adviser to Romney.

And it isn't likely to end until well into February, as each candidate and each electoral constituency continues to stake its claim to a share of the party's first open nomination in decades.

Mike Huckabee said his victory in the Iowa caucuses showed strength among the social conservatives who will play a pivotal role now that the campaign moves to the Bible Belt. John McCain said his win in the New Hampshire primary showed crossover appeal and a yearning for straight talk.

And now, Romney, who won Tuesday here in the Rust Belt, said his success heralds the importance of economic competency, as well as triumph of Washington outsiders over the Beltway establishment.

"Guess what they're doing in Washington?" the Michigan native son said at a rollicking victory party. "They're worrying, because they realize _ the lobbyists and the politicians realize _ that America now understands that Washington is broken, and we're going to do something about it."

That may be, but the early results more clearly show that no one has gained a decisive edge in the campaign.

And that is like a victory itself for former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, who has hunkered down through a pummeling in the early contests in the hope of rebounding with a victory on Jan. 29 in Florida, where polls show the race narrowing to a four-way tie among Giuliani, McCain, Huckabee and Romney. Grabbing a goodly chunk of the state's 57 delegates could put Giuliani back in the hunt for the nomination in a single day.

A week later, 24 states vote, and they will distribute 1,038 delegates, a potent-enough bloc to begin bringing clarity to a race now unlikely to be settled until late February.

"Tonight, my friends, we congratulate another candidate's campaign but tomorrow we get up and fight," McCain told supporters in South Carolina, where he awaited the Michigan election returns.

The Arizona senator said that on Tuesday, "Michigan welcomed their native son with their support," belittling Romney's victory in the state where he lived for the first 19 years of his life, and where his father, George, served as governor for three terms.

Nonetheless, McCain could not ignore the fact that he engaged Romney in Michigan, spending a weekend campaigning here and counting on the support of the same Democrats and independents who propelled him to victory over George W. Bush in the 2000 Michigan primary.

Instead, they largely stayed home, deflated by a Democratic primary that lost its power to award delegates after party elders objected to the state moving its election from February to January.

McCain took a further risk, using his concession speech to predict victory in Saturday's primary in South Carolina, where Huckabee also has shown strength.

Likewise, the former Arkansas governor promised a win.

"We put a flag in the ground here Saturday," Huckabee said in his own concession speech. "We're going to make it real clear that the first-in-the-South primary is going to give their support to the first-in-the-South candidate."

Huckabee nonetheless acknowledged he faced a challenge in South Carolina, where a fifth candidate, former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, is also competing.

"Whatever it takes, we're in it for the long haul," Huckabee proclaimed.

Romney, despite only four years in elective office as Massachusetts governor, has shown remarkable staying power in his first national campaign.

While he has been criticized for not winning in Iowa and New Hampshire, he finished second in each state and now has pulled off a pair of wins in Wyoming and Michigan.

All told, there have been four nominating contests so far. Romney has finished first or second in all of them.

None of his rivals has competed to the same degree in any of them, allowing them to dodge the questions Romney has faced about winning the big one, but making it impossible to ignore whether they have the ability to go all the way.

With his business millions, his recalibrated message focusing on change and the most votes of any GOP candidate to his credit, Romney declared Wednesday that he, too, is in the race for the long haul.

"Let's take this campaign to South Carolina and Nevada and Florida and all over the country," he told his cheering supporters, standing in shirt sleeves to underscore his workmanlike effort. "Let's take it all the way to the White House."

Late Nite Jokes

Jay Leno

Big news: Barack Obama has increased his Secret Service protection. And that’s just from Hillary.

It looks like the Democratic field has really narrowed down. It’s going to be a black man or a white woman. A black man or a white woman. You know, this is the same decision Michael Jackson has to make every morning of his life.

Because of some discrepancy in the voting, New Hampshire says it will do a hand recount of all of Dennis Kucinich’s votes. Luckily, they’ll only need one hand.

This isn’t fair: NBC did not invite Dennis to tonight’s Democratic debate. To be fair, they did invite his hot wife.

David Letterman

I know there are a lot of folks from out of town, but last year New York was visited by 46 million visitors. Thank you, weak dollar.

The price of milk has gone up 36 percent. Here’s what happened: The cows have joined OPEC.

President Bush is already on the problem. He’s going to fight the high price of milk. He’s planning to invade Wisconsin.

Conan O'Brien

The Michigan primary is tonight. And then there's the big Democratic debate in Las Vegas. But of course, the biggest story: American Idol is back on the air. More Americans will participate in “American Idol” than in the election of our next president. It’s true. And they’ll be happier about the result.

I think it’s the best “American Idol” yet. Take a look: [Clip of Hillary Clinton singing the “Star-Spangled Banner,” off-key].

Craig Ferguson

It’s a great day for Oprah Winfrey. She’s getting her own TV network. It’s going to be called Oprah Winfrey Network, or OWN. Which is appropriate: She owns everything.

The network will start small, then it will expand, it will get really good, then it will get small again then large, then small.

Then it will start dating Stedman but always seen with Gayle.

The Michigan primary was today. John McCain was wearing the same green sweatshirt that he wore during his win in New Hampshire. Not to be outdone, Hillary was wearing the same jockstrap.

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

“American Idol” is back. It’s a good thing, too. The country is running dangerously lower on Bucky Covingtons.

Traditionally, the first “American Idol” episodes are filled with horrible singers, some of whom appear to be either disturbed or insane. But this year, well, they did the same thing.

There were rumors that Simon Cowell had pec implants. I don’t believe it , but I think there’s a distinct possibility that he had nipple extensions. They were poking through his shirt.

In less important news, Mitt Romney won the Republican primary.

McCain Presidency Very Dangerous

Former Senator and leading conservative Rick Santorum says a John McCain presidency would be “very, very dangerous for Republicans.”

Santorum — who was defeated in 2006 after two terms as a U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania — was sharply critical of fellow Republican McCain in an interview that aired last week on syndicated talk radio host Mark Levin’s show.

Responding to Levin’s observation that McCain is trying to recast himself as more conservative now that he is seeking the GOP presidential nomination, Santorum said:

“It’s amazing to hear what John McCain is trying to convince the voters he is all about. The bottom line is, I served 12 years with him, six years in the Senate as one of the leaders of the Senate, trying to put together the conservative agenda, and almost at every turn, on domestic policy, John McCain was not only against us, but leading the charge on the other side.”

Santorum cited the campaign finance reform bill sponsored by McCain, the McCain-Feingold Act, which limits campaign contributions and has been called by some an “incumbent protection act.”

Santorum called the act “an affront to personal freedom and liberty in this country, and what we’ve seen as a result of this misguided attempt to placate the New York Times and to help his stature within that community … is that special interests have absolutely taken over the political process, and individual candidates, unless you’re a billionaire, and parties have very little voice in the process.

“It’s a shame, but he was obviously out front on that.”

The former Senator also criticized McCain for voting against the Bush Tax cuts — he was one of only two Republicans to do so.

“The reduction in [tax] rates and lowering the rates on capital gains and dividends … did so much to get this economy up and going. [But] we would have had a much bigger tax cut if it were not for John McCain.”

Santorum pointed to McCain’s opposition to conservative positions on drug re-importation, federally funded embryonic stem cell research, immigration, the questioning of terror detainees and other issues, and said he has a “big fear” of a McCain presidency.

He asserted it would create a “huge rift” in the Republican Party, and told Levin’s listeners:

“I think he’s been solid in the war on terror … but on domestic policy, he’s very, very dangerous for Republicans.

“There’s nothing worse than having a Democratic Congress and a Republican president who would act like a Democrat in matters that are important to conservatives.”

Santorum also claimed that McCain was a leader of Senate moderates that often stopped Republicans from pushing strong pro-life legislation.

Santorum said he had not decided which candidate he will vote for in the upcoming GOP primary, but ruled out voting for McCain.

Santorum expressed the same sentiment back in March, saying he would support whoever wins the Republican nomination for president in 2008, with the exception of John McCain.

As Newsmax reported at the time, Santorum said in an interview: "I don’t agree with him on hardly any issues. I don’t think he has the temperament and leadership ability to move the country in the right direction.”

Late Nite Jokes

Jay Leno

President Bush is visiting our good friends in Saudi Arabia. Today President Bush said the Saudis are fully enlisted in the war on terror. Yeah — so fully, they’re on both sides.

And the country says they’re getting more progressive. For example, today the king said they are considering allowing women to drive in Saudi Arabia. Well, except for Lindsay Lohan.

I read something about terrorists. The scariest weapon is a dirty bomb. It’s a regular bomb that’s coated in radioactive waste. It’s the same thing as a corndog.

It was this week in 1914 that Henry Ford adopted a minimum wage of $5 a day. And today, to prove they’re not cheap bastards, NBC told the striking writers they will match that.

David Letterman

Because of the writers’ strike, the Golden Globes had to be cut down from three hours to one hour. And the winner is? The American public.

Lots of visitors this time of year in New York City. It’s easy to spot a visitor . . . he’s the guy hailing an off-duty hooker.

I had a foreigner today ask me for directions. He was my cab driver.

Here’s something that happens often. Cops chase a naked guy in Montana for 18 hours. Eighteen hours! And I’m thinking, “You’ve got to get some help, Sen. Craig.”

Conan O'Brien

Last night was the Golden Globes. It was supposed to be on NBC. No celebrities, no host, no nothing. It lasted 31 minutes. It was narrated by Larry King. You couldn’t see him, but after they announced the winners, he would jump in. It was startling. You never knew what he was going to say. “I like eggs.”

I was riveted. I believe the Oscars should be done the same way. When someone wins, he’ll just shout out something . . . anything.

Craig Ferguson

It’s not a great day for OJ Simpson. You know, America’s favorite murdering running back.

Ole Stabby Simpson. He’s back in jail. He violated his probation. He made an illegal phone call. I don’t know who he called; I think he wanted to vote on “American Idol” a day early or something.

Congratulations to Nicole Ritchie. She gave birth to a daughter over the weekend. She weighed 6 pounds, 8 ounces. I don’t know how much the kid weighed.

Chelsea Clinton is doing a series of Q&As at campuses across the country. Apparently she wants to target the college female demographic. Just like her dad.

Obama's Minister Honored Farrakhan

Barack Obama’s longtime minister, mentor, and sounding board has been a key supporter of Louis Farrakhan and last month honored the Nation of Islam leader for lifetime achievement.

Farrakhan has repeatedly made hate-filled statements targeting Jews, whites, America, and homosexuals. He has called whites “blue-eyed devils” and the “anti-Christ.” He has described Jews as “bloodsuckers” who control the government, the media, and some black organizations.

“Do you know some of these satanic Jews have taken over BET [the Black Entertainment Network]?” Farrakhan said in a speech on Nov. 11, 2007. “Everything that we built, they have. The mind of Satan now is running the record industry, movie industry, and television. And they make us look like we’re the murderers; we look like we’re the gangsters, but we’re punk stuff.”

The month after that speech, Obama’s minister and friend, the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. and his Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, honored Farrakhan at a gala, bestowing on him its Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. Lifetime Achievement Trumpeteer award.

Obama has said he found religion through Wright in the 1980s and consulted him before deciding to run for president. He prayed privately with Wright before announcing his candidacy last year.

In the November/December issue of his church’s magazine, Trumpet, Wright heaped praise on Farrakhan, whom he helped in organizing the Million Man March in Washington in 1995. Wright lauded Farrakhan as one of the giants of the African-American religious experience in the 20th and 21st centuries.

“When Minister Farrakhan speaks, black America listens,” Wright said. “His depth on analysis [sic] when it comes to the racial ills of this nation is astounding and eye-opening. He brings a perspective that is helpful and honest.”

Hailing Farrakhan’s “integrity and honesty,” Wright said, “His love for Africa and African-American people has made him an unforgettable force, a catalyst for change, and a religious leader who is sincere about his faith and his purpose.”

A video quoting some of Wright’s opprobriums ran at the gala at the Hyatt Regency Chicago and appears on YouTube. However, while the mainstream media have hammered Mitt Romney over his religion, they have ignored or else downplayed Obama’s ties to Wright. No stories have appeared on Wright’s award to Farrakhan in December.

Wright’s church occupies a brick building at 400 West 95th Street near a public housing project and railroad tracks. Since becoming pastor in 1972, Wright has seen the church’s membership grow from 80 to more than 8,500. The church is the largest congregation in the United Church of Christ, a predominantly white denomination known for its liberal politics. Obama’s church runs an outreach program to attract gay and lesbian singles.

Born in Hawaii, Obama is the son of a white Christian mother from Kansas and a Kenyan father who was a Muslim but was not religious. From age 6 to 10, Obama lived in Indonesia, where he went to a Catholic school. For a year, he went to a public school where he attended Islamic religion classes.

Obama says he found religion and Jesus Christ through Wright, whom he met in the mid-1980s. Obama has been attending Wright’s church regularly since 1988. Wright warned Obama that getting involved with Trinity, with its radical reputation, might turn off other black clergy. But in 1991, Obama joined the church and walked down the aisle in a formal commitment of faith. Wright later married Obama and Michelle Robinson and baptized their two daughters.

The title of Obama’s bestseller “The Audacity of Hope” comes from one of Wright’s sermons. Wright is one of the first people Obama thanked after his election to the U.S. Senate in 2004.

For a Jan. 21, 2007 story in the Chicago Tribune, Obama said that Wright keeps his priorities straight and his moral compass calibrated.

“What I value most about Pastor Wright is not his day-to-day political advice,” Obama told the paper. “He’s much more of a sounding board for me to make sure that I am speaking truthfully about what I believe is possible and that I’m not losing myself in some of the hype and hoopla and stress that’s involved in national politics.”

However, Obama has said that in the fall of 2006, he broached the subject of a run for the presidency with Wright, who encouraged him to go ahead.

As noted in a Jan. 7 Newsmax article, “Barack Obama’s Racist Church,” in sermons and interviews, Wright has equated Zionism with racism and has compared Israel with South Africa under its previous policy of apartheid. On the Sunday following 9/11, Wright characterized the terrorist attacks as a consequence of violent American policies. Four years later, Wright suggested that the attacks were retribution for America’s racism.

“In the 21st century, white America got a wake-up call after 9/11/01,” Wright wrote in Trumpet. “White America and the Western world came to realize that people of color had not gone away, faded into the woodwork or just ‘disappeared’ as the Great White West kept on its merry way of ignoring black concerns.”

In one of his sermons, Wright said to thumping applause, “Racism is how this country was founded and how this country is still run! ...We [in the U.S.] believe in white supremacy and black inferiority and believe it more than we believe in God.”

In an op-ed in the Philadelphia Tribune, Wright said that war is about “making the world safe” for American business interests. “When one goes against the war, one tampers with the financial institutions and the financial system that was put in place by the Founding Fathers of this country to keep the rich, rich!” he said. “The rich can only stay rich by keeping the poor, poor.”

As for Israel, “The Israelis have illegally occupied Palestinian territories for over 40 years now,” Wright has said. “Divestment has now hit the table again as a strategy to wake the business community and wake up Americans concerning the injustice and the racism under which the Palestinians have lived because of Zionism.”

Those views run parallel to Farrakhan’s, who said in an interview this month with FinalCall.com that there will be “no peace for Israel, because there can be no peace as long as that peace is based on lying, stealing, murder, and using God’s name to shield a wicked, unjust practice that is not in harmony with the will of God.”

Just before Obama’s nationally televised campaign kickoff rally last Feb. 10, the candidate disinvited Wright from giving the public invocation. Wright explained: “When [Obama’s] enemies find out that in 1984 I went to Tripoli” to visit Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi with Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, “a lot of his Jewish support will dry up quicker than a snowball in hell.”

According to Wright, Obama then told him, “'You can get kind of rough in the sermons, so what we’ve decided is that it’s best for you not to be out there in public.” Wright is retiring as senior pastor of the church in May. He asked his successor, Otis Moss III, to speak instead, but he declined. However, Obama and his family prayed privately with Wright just before the presidential announcement.

The media blackout on Obama’s radical minister is in striking contrast to the coverage of Romney. Nearly half the references to Romney in the media include a discussion of his membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

If Romney’s church proclaimed on its Web site that it is “unashamedly white,” the media would pounce, and Romney’s presidential candidacy would be over. Yet that is what Obama’s church says on its web site -- except in reverse.

“We are a congregation which is unashamedly black and unapologetically Christian,” says the Trinity United Church of Christ’s Web site. “We are an African people and remain true to our native land, the mother continent, the cradle of civilization.”

Moreover, the church has a “non-negotiable commitment to Africa,” according to its Web site, and the church and its pastor subscribe to what is called the Black Value System.

While the Black Value System encourages commitment to God, education, and self-discipline, it refers to “our racist competitive society” and includes the disavowal of the pursuit of “middle-classness” and a pledge of allegiance to “all black leadership who espouse and embrace the Black Value System.” It defines “middle-classness” as a way for American society to “snare” blacks rather than “killing them off directly” or “placing them in concentration camps,” just as the country structures “an economic environment that induces captive youth to fill the jails and prisons.”

In two exceptions to the media blackout, Tucker Carlson of MSNBC described Trinity as having a “racially exclusive theology” that “contradicts the basic tenets of Christianity.” Sean Hannity of Fox News confronted Wright on TV and asked how a black value system is any more acceptable than a white value system.

If a white presidential candidate’s church had a similar statement and “you substitute the word black for white, there would be an outrage in this country,” Hannity said. “There would be cries of racism in this country.'”

In response, Wright repeatedly asked Hannity how many books he had read by James Cone and others about black liberation theology. Cone, who is widely admired at Wright’s church, was quoted in the May 29, 2007, issue of The Christian Century as saying, “Theologically, Malcolm X was not far wrong when he called the white man ‘the devil.’... Any advice from whites to blacks on how to deal with white oppression is automatically under suspicion as a clever device to further enslavement.”

On a few points, Obama has sought to distance himself from Wright’s teachings or to explain them away. While Wright is his pastor and friend, Obama has said, they do not see eye to eye on everything. Without addressing Wright’s denunciations of Israel and Zionism as racist, Obama has said he “strongly disagrees with any portrayal of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that advocates divestment from Israel or expresses anything less than strong support for Israel’s security.”

As for Wright’s repeated comments blaming America for the 9/11 attacks, Obama has said it sounds as if the minister was trying to be “provocative.”

But Obama’s close association with Wright over more than two decades and the minister’s close ties to Farrakhan cannot be explained away so cavalierly. If Obama rejects Wright’s warped view of this country, why does he continue to attend his church? If Obama disagrees with Farrakhan and his anti-Semitic and anti-white statements, why doesn’t he denounce him rather than continue to associate with a minister and friend who is one of his advocates and who gave him an award for lifetime achievement? Does Obama secretly agree with some of their hate-filled, radical statements while publicly avoiding race-specific appeals as part of his candidacy?

That comports with Obama’s habit of not showing up for controversial votes or tackling tough policy issues, allowing him to broaden his appeal through charisma alone. Farrakhan himself recently spoke approvingly of Obama’s strategy, which is crucial to inviting whites to support him.

“Barack Obama has been very careful not to position himself as Rev. Jesse Jackson or Rev. Al Sharpton as a promoter of ‘The Black Cause,’” Farrakhan said in the interview with FinalCall.com. “He has been groomed, wisely so, to be seen more as a unifier, rather than one who speaks only for the hurt of black people.”

At the least, Obama’s membership in Wright’s church and close ties to Wright himself suggest a lack of judgment and an insensitivity to views that are repugnant to the vast majority of white Americans who are not bigots or anti-Semites.

That same lack of judgment has shown up in Obama’s gaffes -- threatening to invade Pakistan and offering prompt negotiations with anti-American despots. More frightening, Obama voted last August to give Osama bin Laden and other terrorists the same rights as Americans when it comes to intercepting their overseas calls in order to pick up clues needed to stop another attack.

To evaluate what Obama’s ties to Wright mean, picture America’s reaction if President Bush’s minister, mentor, and moral compass had the views of Wright and was an admirer and supporter of Farrakhan.

“He that lies down with dogs, shall rise up with fleas,” Benjamin Franklin said.

Obama may be a gifted orator, but his choice of a friend and advisor suggests he is masquerading as a moderate. While the liberal media have already decided Obama will be our next president, Americans may have a different view when they consider what his ties to Wright tell us about the presidential candidate’s true opinions and character.

Iraqi Lawmakers Pass Pro-Baath Party Law

BAGHDAD -- Iraq's parliament adopted legislation Saturday on the reinstatement of former Baath party supporters to government jobs, a benchmark sought by the United States as a key step toward national reconciliation.

The voting was carried out by a show of hands on each of the law's 30 clauses. The bill, officially called the "Accountability and Justice" law, seeks to relax restrictions on the right of members of Saddam Hussein's now-dissolved Baath party to fill government posts. It is also designed to reinstate thousands of Baathists in government jobs from which they had been dismissed because of their ties to the party.

The dismissal of thousands of Baath Party supporters from these jobs had deepened sectarian tensions between Iraq's majority Shiites and the once-dominant Sunni Arabs.

Web Site Urges Dems to Vote for Romney in Michigan

The political Web site DailyKos is urging Democratic voters to create a little mischief in the Michigan presidential primary by switching over and voting for Republican Mitt Romney.

If Romney wins in Michigan, the theory goes, he'll stay in the race for the GOP presidential nomination longer, forcing other Republican candidates to devote time and resources to attacking each other -- rather than Democrats.

Since Michigan is an open-primary state, the effort would be perfectly legal, explained DailyKos founder Markos Moulitsas:

"In 1972, Republican voters in Michigan decided to make a little mischief, crossing over to vote in the open Democratic primary and voting for segregationist Democrat George Wallace, seriously embarrassing the state's Democrats. In fact, a third of the voters in the Democratic primary were Republican crossover votes. In 1988, Republican voters again crossed over, helping Jesse Jackson win the Democratic primary, helping rack up big margins for Jackson in Republican precincts. (Michigan Republicans can clearly be counted on to practice the worst of racial politics.) In 1998, Republicans helped Jack Kevorkian's lawyer – quack Geoffrey Feiger – win his Democratic primary, thus guaranteeing their hold on the governor's mansion that year.

"With a history of meddling in our primaries, why don't we try and return the favor. Next Tuesday, January 15th, Michigan will hold its primary. Michigan Democrats should vote for Mitt Romney, because if Mitt wins, Democrats win.

"Poor Mitt Romney, who's suffered back-to-back losses in the last week, desperately needs to win Michigan in order to keep his campaign afloat," wrote Kos. "Bottom line, if Romney loses Michigan, he's out. If he wins, he stays in.

"And we want Romney in, because the more Republican candidates we have fighting it out, trashing each other with negative ads and spending tons of money, the better it is for us. We want Mitt to stay in the race, and to do that, we need him to win in Michigan."