After John McCain sparked more VP talk focused on Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice with a comment calling Rice's record "very, very meritorious". Rice again denied today that she is looking for a spot on a potential McCain-Rice ticket.
"Senator McCain is an extraordinary American, a really outstanding leader and obviously a great patriot. That said, I am going back to Stanford, back to California, west of the Mississippi. I very much look forward to watching this campaign and voting as a voter," Rice said at a State Department news conference.
Marc Ambinder is reporting that John McCain in March raised $15 million, his highest one-month total of 2008.
That still pales in comparison to his rivals' totals; Barack Obama raised $40 million and Hillary Clinton raised $20 million last month.
McCain's fundraising effort appears to be improving. He received more money in March than he had in February, when he received less than $11 million in donations. Obama's and Clinton's hauls dipped in March, having raised $55.4 million and $34.5 million during the previous month, respectively.
John McCain called on his Democratic rivals to tell the truth about the Iraq war to the American people.
McCain has been criticized by Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and the Democratic National Committee for saying that he is willing to keep troops in Iraq for "100 years." McCain's campaign has pushed back against the Democrats' attack, saying that the Republican was referring to a U.S. force in Iraq similar to the non-combat American presence in South Korea since the end of the Korean War.
McCain himself fired back at his Democratic rivals in a speech Monday before the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Kansas City, Mo:
"The American people deserve the truth from their leaders. They deserve a candid assessment of the progress we have managed to make in the last year in preventing the worst from happening in Iraq, of the very serious difficulties that remain, and of the grave consequences of a hasty, reckless, and irresponsible withdrawal. If we are honest about the opportunities and the risks, I believe they will have the patience to allow us the time necessary to obtain our objectives. That honesty is my responsibility, and it is also the responsibility of Senators Obama and Clinton, as well as Democratic and Republican leaders in Congress."
John McCain's comment that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's record has sparked more talk of a McCain-Rice ticket.
"I think her overall record is really very, very meritorious," McCain told reporters during an availability on his campaign plane. Video is below.
As reported earlier, Rice has recently been making the rounds with potential VP vetter. On Sunday, Republican strategist Dan Senor told George Stephanopoulos on "This Week" that Rice has been "actively" campaigning for the VP spot.
A poll released today by the American Research Group shows the race in Pennsylvania is all tied up at 45-45 with six percent undecided. A poll taken a month ago by the same group had Hillary Clinton up 11 over Barack Obama.
David Axelrod, a top strategist for Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), said Monday that the departure of his counterpart Mark Penn from the campaign of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.)
The DNC has released a second round of McCain vs. McCain videos. The ad mocks the GOP nominee with conflicting statements McCain has made through the years on the economy. The first video is on Iraq. The transcript of the video is after the jump.
Bill Clinton is spending Monday in Puerto Rico, signaling the Clinton camp is at least planning a run to the final weekend of the race despite news from bigger states scheduled earlier on the primary calendar. The former President has stops today in Barceloneta, Salinas and Ponce.
Sending Bill Clinton to do ground work for the June 1 contest is a somewhat surprising given the recent news from Pennsylvania and North Carolina.
In Pennsylvania, Clinton's double digit lead in polls has shrunk to a RealClearPolitcs average of 6.6 percent. One recent poll even showed Obama leading in the state.
In North Carolina, Obama's average lead is 16.2 percent. A poll released this weekend showing Obama up 23 points in the the state made a splash on Drudge and other sites.
Mark Penn, a long-time political advisor to both Hillary and Bill Clinton, has stepped aside as chief strategist for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. Penn has been mired in a controversy over his meeting with Colombia's ambassador to discuss a pending free trade deal, one that Clinton has opposed.
Penn asked to stepped down, though his polling firm will continue to advise the campaign, said Clinton campaign manager Maggie Williams in a press release.
Here's Williams' statement:
After the events of the last few days, Mark Penn has asked to give up his role as Chief Strategist of the Clinton Campaign; Mark, and Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates, Inc. will continue to provide polling and advice to the campaign.
Geoff Garin and Howard Wolfson will coordinate the campaign's strategic message team going forward.
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