Kansas Senator Sam Brownback announced he was lifting his hold on abortion rights supporter Julie Finley to be confirmed as ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Previously, the Buzz noted Brownback was holding Finley’s nomination both because of her beliefs and because Brownback worried Finley would empower the pro-abortion influence from international organizations.

While Finley does support abortion rights, she has also raised funds for President Bush and Republican candidates. In a statement, Brownback said:

"I had a very good meeting with Ms. Finley yesterday, and we had an opportunity to address concerns I and others have regarding the OSCE. I am satisfied that she will well represent the interests of the United States.”

I may still be too technologically inept to post pictures on this blog, but I can occasionally find a decent picture.

Before getting too caught up in the merits of Slate’s article today on Dick Wadhams, take a moment to observe their bias overpowering taste down to the level of basic page layout.

The New York Sun points out John Kerry has still not released his full records to the general public. Though many details of his Navy service are included, Kerry only signed permission for the Boston Globe and Los Angeles Times to obtain copies of the records.

The Sun says Kerry’s move fuels speculation there is more information to be obtained in his records. However, in an editorial today the Boston Globe takes the opposite track of criticizing Kerry. The Globe says Kerry’s mistake was not releasing the records to the public and earlier. The Globe says Kerry’s records show that even though many will still hold his protest of Vietnam against him, while in the Navy, Kerry was “one of the finest young officers" and "the acknowledged leader of his peer group."

For those of you who don’t have the chance to read the entire Slate article on Dick Wadhams, there’s at least one additional point to be made regarding his stature.

As I’m told, in private Karl Rove praises Wadhams’ skills and smarts and “appears to be a fan” of the veteran strategist.

The Detroit News notes John McCain has already visited Michigan twice this year, raising more than $1 million for Republicans in 2006.

Though McCain insists the fundraisers were purely to help out his fellow Republicans and not build loyalty for 2008, the News points out McCain was the first of the ’08 players to accept a speaking invitation at September’s state Republican Leadership Conference.

McCain also took time to praise RNC Chair Ken Mehlman for his community outreach efforts to engage African-Americans and other minorities.

Lawrence Hunter and Phil Kerpen write in the new Free Enterprise Fund memo that Congress still has a chance to make Social Security reform a winning issue for Republicans in 2006. To do so, the House must take the lead, creating a bill that would place the annual Social Security surplus into personal accounts, rather than use it to fund other government programs:

“Congress should quickly free the surpluses for personal retirement accounts. The only heavy lifting would be to reduce spending by at least the surplus, about $85 billion a year or about 3 percent of total federal spending, which, in the bloated $2.5 trillion dollar federal budget, it's quite doable.”

Daly Thoughts is doing a fine job of putting the latest Bush approval polls into context versus electoral gains and losses. Definitely worth taking a look.

The New York Times says Howard Dean received a “private scolding” from Democrat Senators yesterday during his visit to Capitol Hill.

However, ABC News claims several sources tell them the mood was much more cordial at the meeting. The public face of outrage coming from Democrats may have just been a face.

Joe Biden will keynote the Florida Democrat’s Jefferson-Jackson dinner tomorrow night.

The Washington Post’s E.J. Dionne argues Democrats need to stop blaming John Kerry and start looking inward if they want to win back the White House in 2008:

Were John Kerry to quit politics and spend the rest of his life windsurfing off Nantucket, Democrats would still have to figure out how to deal with national security, social issues and economic stress. That's hard work. Making fun of Kerry is easy, fashionable and, ultimately, useless.

Slate profiles political strategist/adviser Dick Wadhams and finds he may be the heir to Karl Rove. Because it is the left-leaning and often juvenile Slate, the piece mostly attacks Wadhams as lacking civility, tying him to harsh allegations against Rove and Lee Atwater. Slate even attempts a play on words with derogatory language to compare Rove/Wadhams.

Slate spends a lot of ink discussing Wadhams’ role in helping John Thune defeat Tom Daschle. After that race, Wadham signed up with George Allen. Slate asks:

Can Wadhams take Allen from a little-known senator to a spot on the national ticket? It's a gamble, for sure: Even some Republicans snicker at Allen's tendency to turn every thought into a football metaphor (primaries are "intersquad scrimmages"; Senate recess is "halftime"). Questions about whether Allen is smart enough to be president are sure to dog a potential bid. And Wadhams has never run a national campaign before—or for that matter, a campaign outside a red state.

Despite their best efforts to portray his administration as weak and/or faltering, USA Today finds Arnold Schwarzenegger “doesn't have the aura of a governor on the skids.”

While it’s true his approval ratings have fallen, no real threat has emerged to challenge Schwarzenegger should he choose to seek re-election in 2006. And while the Constitution prevents Schwarzenegger from seeking the White House, if he is in a strong position as governor when the primary season kicks off, there is little doubt he will have a strong impact on the race.

In the meantime, Schwarzenegger is making the most of his personal appeal and sending a series of initiatives directly to the people of California. Even if his personal ratings aren’t where they once were, don’t be surprised if his proposals pass through on strong margins. And if not:

"What is going to happen if everything fails? Life goes on," Schwarzenegger said during a 45-minute interview Wednesday. "What do you think, I'm worried about that? I'm only thinking of one thing: victory for the people of California. ... I've done my trip to glorify myself, to do all my things, and to shine. I'm doing this because it gives me a chance to give something back."

Mitt Romney has agreed to endorse his Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey in 2006 if he decided to run for president, according to a GOP and Healey officials.

The GOP official said:

“Put it this way: It is a definite," a top Republican Party official said of Romney's endorsement of Healey if he makes a bid for the White House. ''There have been conversations between them. There is no question in Kerry Healey's mind that Mitt Romney will be endorsing her if [he runs for president]. And again, that's an if.”

The Los Angeles Times profiles Virginia Governor Mark Warner who met with a group of LAT reporters and editors in Washington after his recent visit to California. Warner is staking his claim to the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination on being the one moderate Governor in the race. And he was quick to offer his own party advice:

While we have to do all we can to activate every person who is part of the traditional Democratic family," Warner told a group of Los Angeles Times reporters and editors, "ultimately we also have to go and convince some folks who have been voting Republican.

Both Democrat congressional leaders defended Howad Dean after meeting with him in Washington yesterday. Dean noted he and Harry Reid have not discussed the controversy surrounding Dean’s remarks. Reid, who created his own small controversy for disparaging remarks about President Bush, was asked if he had any advice for Dean and said, "Well, I think, as all of you know, that there isn't a single person" among Democrats or Republicans, "that haven't misspoken."

Nancy Pelosi was more forceful in her defense of Dean, though the evidence behind her argument is certainly up for debate. She said, "If Governor Dean were not being effective, they would not be going after him so strongly.”

Visiting New Hampshire, Wesley Clark said the Iraqi efforts to support the Iraqi government could fail if the U.S. doesn’t follow through on its initiatives. Clark added his belief that the U.S. will begin withdrawing significant forces from Iraq by this summer:

“Barring some vast systemic change in Iraq in which the reception of the troops ... was entirely different, I think it's clear that we need to reduce the size of the forces there.”

Clark also said his visit to New Hampshire should not be interpreted as early campaigning for the 2008 presidential nomination.

A Buzz reader writes in with thoughts on why Dean has technically outpaced Terry McAuliffe’s first quarter as DNC Chair:

“The Democratic refrain, ‘Howard Dean is not the spokesman for the Democratic Party’ is ludicrous. If it's not Dean, who is it? The spokesman for the party is supposed to be someone who is there to help ALL of the Democrats. Howard Dean is only helping himself. I think the party chairs who elected him can't see this, but certainly Richardson, Biden and Pelosi know this.”

“I think McAuliffe took over in 2001, before blogging and the Internet were really part of the game. The Internet, in my opinion, makes 365 days per year fundraising a lot cheaper. Dean had a ready made organization in place (democrats.org) to immediately start taking in money. McAuliffe probably had a much slower start.”

The Hotline also reports former Al Gore adviser and Democrat strategist Monica Dixon has agreed to be Mark Warner’s PAC adviser. Hotline says:

“As one person described it to us, she is coming on board to help Warner on things from the NGA to state politics and with the transition of Warner from Gov. to private citizen to his next electoral pursuit. There's no official title.”

Dean’s ability as a fundraiser is getting its share of ink in all the discussion about whether or not he is good for Democrats.

As I’ve reported, Republican’s are quick to note they essentially doubled the DNC’s fundraising last quarter and brought it 60,000 new donors, compared with 20,000 for Democrats.

Dean’s supporters respond by noting Dean is outpacing Terry McAuliffe’s first months as chair in 2003 by approximately $13 million to $8.5 million.

Dean is in fact outpacing McAuliffe. And with nearly all his focus on the grassroots he is certainly opening new avenues of financial support to Democrats. However, McAuliffe’s mission from day one was to work with and expand the Democrats' large donor base. Even after campaign finance reform, McAuliffe left Dean what is widely reported to be an extensive list of large dollar fundraising donors. Would the Democrats be in a better position financially if Dean had split his time between grassroots efforts and elite fundraisers?

I already told you about Bill Richardson’s two day visit to New Hampshire and some of the public events and comments he took part in.

But in addition to his public events, Richardson took part in two private fundraisers during his visit. Richardson was the featured guest at a Democrat State Committee fundraiser with the Sierra Club. Richardson’s second fundraiser took place at the Centennial Inn with host Butch Maki.

The Hill’s Geoff Earle reports on John McCain and Chuck Hagel, the two Republicans squaring off for the maverick title in the 2008 warm-up laps.

When Hagel was asked about the impact a McCain run would have on his own chances, Hagel said, "We're a long way from that decision. John McCain is a very dear friend of mine and one of the most effective senators. ... What he's gonna do, I don't know. ... What I'm gonna do, I don't know."

In response, McCain said, "I don't know if he's running, and I don't know if I'm running. No matter what, we're going to remain very close friends. I know that he's highly respected."

Hagel had two exceptionally curious comments as well. On Iraq, he declared, “"I'm not surprised by the difficulties we're having. I don't think the administration was prepared. They hadn't planned."

And regarding John Bolton, Hagel’s comment was even more curious, taking credit for indecision, “I raised my doubts right from the beginning. ... I was out front on this being undecided."

A few more Democrats distancing themselves from Dean comments, courtesy of the Hotline:

* Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR): "I would encourage my chairman and the Republican chairman to tone it down a little bit, if possible" (Barton, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 6/9).

* Rep. Harold Ford Jr. (D-TN): "I won't have him down for me in Tennessee spending time on the campaign trail with me" ("Imus," MSNBC, 6/9).

* Sen. Jon Corzine (D-NJ) said Dean's style "gets away from how the Democrats should frame issues" (Lakely, Washington Times, 6/9).

As I explained in my article yesterday, Hillary Clinton is successfully maneuvering both wings of the Democratic Party. On Howard Dean’s rhetoric, Clinton has had nothing to say. She literally just smiled and kept walking when asked by reporters to comment on Dean’s “white, Christian party” comments.

However, as with other major issues, Hillary speaks through different mouths to different ears. Clinton aide Howard Wolfson said Dean’s comments were “over the top” and added, “You know, I think a comment like this is unhelpful.”

Wolfson also tried to downplay Dean’s significance, “I think he's obviously an important voice for Democrats, but there are many important voices for Democrats.”

In their release (PDF) announcing Evan Bayh’s visit this Friday, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin includes the following passage on Bayh:

“A testament to Senator Bayh’s commitment to working for all Americans, President Bill Clinton commented, ‘I hope and expect some day I'll be voting for Evan Bayh for President of the United States.’”

Bob Novak says Democrats on the West Coast were impressed by Evan Bayh’s recent trip to California. More importantly, Novak’s sources claim some of those same Democrats were disappointed with Hillary Clinton’s visit.

On Bayh’s appeal, Novak says, “The Hoosier senator may be a dull, moderate Midwesterner to the party cognoscenti who already have bestowed the nomination on Clinton, but he looked like a winner to the Hollywood crowd.”

Novak adds Bayh and Virginia Governor Mark Warner were hits “mainly because they were not Hillary.”

However, before George Allen touches down in New Hampshire, Wesley Clark will keynote the Manchester City Democratic Committee’s Flag Day breakfast this Sunday.

Last week I told you about Mitt Romney’s visit to New Hampshire as keynote speaker for the annual New Hampshire Federation of Republican Women’s Lilac Dinner. This was the same event that launched President Bush’s first foray into New Hampshire primary politics back in 1999.

Well, the group has also decided to hold their traditional Lilac Luncheon as has asked George Allen to be the featured speaker there on June 25th.

Evan Bayh tells the Fort Wayne Gazette that he is moving closer to a possible presidential run. When asked if he’s preparing for a run, Bayh said, “Am I doing the practical things that would allow me at some point to make that decision? Yes, I’m doing the practical things to keep that open as an option.”

Bayh has several primary state events coming up, including multiple trips to Iowa and an appearance tomorrow as the featured speaker at an events for Wisconsin Democrats.

While John Edwards, Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi and other prominent Democrats take shots at Howard Dean, there are a few on the left openly defending him as well.

Ted Kennedy said of the fallout from Dean’s comments, “It's a diversion from the real, central issues.”

And Democrat consultant Jim Jordan blamed the status quo of the party rather than Dean saying, “It seems to me that the shots at the chairman from Democratic elites says more about our party, sadly, than it does about Chairman Dean. Not much of a mystery really why we're the minority party."

Barack Obama added his voice to the Dean criticism saying:

“As somebody who is a Christian myself, I don't like it when people use religion to divide, whether that is Republican or Democrat. I think in terms of his role as party spokesman, [Dean] probably needs to be a little more careful and I suspect that is a message he is going to be getting from a number of us.”

The Washington Post reports more Democrats are stepping back from Howard Dean’s rhetoric. Yesterday, Joe Lieberman called Dean’s “white Christian party” comment "way over the top" and said he will ask Dean to “explain himself” during Dean’s previously scheduled meeting with Senate Democrats today. "I'm sure I won't be the only one," Lieberman said.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who has never been close with Dean, added, “I don't think the statement [Dean] made was a helpful statement.”

In an interview with the Associated Press, Virginia Governor Mark Warner said Democrats must to pay better attention to voters with differing points of view. During his appearance yesterday in Iowa, Warner criticized John Kerry for "for adhering too rigidly to party doctrine."

More Warner on Kerry's independence:

"I can't tell you where he ever broke with anything in Democratic orthodoxy. We've got to rethink the way we talk to the American people, what we lay out as to where we're headed … "I am talking to a few other folks on the political side as well... The congressional wing of the Democratic Party is kind of the ultimate 'party of the status quo.'"

Bill Clinton told Fox News last night that Hillary won’t “entertain” thoughts about running in 2008 until after her 2006 re-election. However, when it comes to 2008, he said, “I think it would be a great mistake for her to look beyond this next election, and I know she feels that way.”

The Atlantic Monthly makes light of the large number of possible 2008 players, who like President Bush, have developed a great affinity for running.

Democrats like Evan Bayh, Tom Vilsack have participated in marathons, as have Bill Frist, Mike Huckabee and Tim Pawlenty. The Atlantic notes John Kerry claims to have run the Boston marathon in the 1970’s, but that his story is a little “murky” as no official record exists of him running.

I have a new article up on the main site. It takes a look at how Hillary Clinton is balancing her public “moderate” personal versus the partisan liberal who spoke at a Clinton fundraiser this weekend.

While speaking at the Latino Summit Conference, Bill Richardson had some fun with speculation over his possible 2008 candidacy. “I want to be very clear to the media in the back of the room. No I will not run for president in 2008,” Richardson said right before saying in Spanish to the Latino Summit audience: “But, yes I am.”

Boston Globe columnist Bob Kuttner says Hillary Clinton will be a strong but polarizing candidate for Democrats in 2008:

“Though Clinton's issues are moderate, her persona isn't. For traditionalists, she is tainted, unfairly, in two contradictory ways. She is irrevocably seen as a pushy woman, but also a wronged woman -- which makes her seem weak at a time when Americans need someone strong.”

I’ll be away from my computer for the next hour or so. But back after the lunch hour for a lot more Buzz today. So please check back regularly throughout the afternoon.

The Wall Street Journal editorial board goes after Kansas Republican Senator Sam Brownback today. The WSJ is mad because Brownback has placed a “hold” on the nomination of Julie Finley as ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe because she supports abortion rights.

Brownback says he is holding Finley because he’s concerned she would allow Europeans to expand international abortion laws. But the WSJ says:

“More likely, the Senator is angling to impress the GOP's anti-abortion wing, whose support he will want if he decides to run for the Republican Presidential nomination in 2008. Yes, Ms. Finley is a pro-choice Republican, but she's also one of the party's biggest financial contributors and has backed pro-life candidates, such as President Bush and Bob Dole.”

"Last time we checked, it required a coalition to sustain a political majority, and Ms. Finley is being nominated for what is basically a security (not a social policy) post. Republicans don't want to become the mirror image of those Democrats who blocked Pennsylvania Governor Bob Casey from speaking at their convention in 1988 because he was pro-life."

During his two-day visit to New Hampshire, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson distanced himself from Howard Dean’s comments but chose to not criticize the DNC Chair. Richardson said, “Nobody is perfect. We all make mistakes. We all say stupid things sometimes. I didn't say he said a stupid thing. I said all of us do stupid things, including myself."

Richardson is a savvy politician and is attempting a balancing act with Dean that Joe Biden and John Edwards chose not to engage in when they openly criticized Dean earlier this week. With his response, Richardson is able to appear the bigger man by separating himself from Dean’s harsh rhetoric. However, by refusing to criticize Dean outright, he keeps himself in league with what is no doubt a significant percentage of Democrats who actually agree with Dean’s sentiment.

The Hotline reports Dean defended his rhetoric on NBC’s Today show this morning. On Republican criticism, he said, “They want to divert attention, they want to make me the issue.”

The San Francisco Chronicle has a recap with sound of Dean’s comment last night that Republicans, “all behave the same, and they all look the same. ... It's pretty much a white Christian party.”

Speaking to a San Francisco roundtable on Monday, Dean also said, “You know, the Republicans are not very friendly to different kinds of people. They're a pretty monolithic party. Pretty much, they all behave the same, and they all look the same. ... It's pretty much a white Christian party.”

Senate Democrats are again trying to block the nomination of John Bolton. The New York Times says it is unknown if Bill Frist will try to bring Bolton’s nomination up for a vote again, “and, if so, when.”

However, Republicans like George Allen and Jon Kyl are pushing for another vote this week. This is a chance for Frist to earn back some credibility by getting Bolton an up or down vote. But if he lets other senators like George Allen continue to take the lead, it’s going to be another dent in his leadership armor and presidential ambitions.

Many Buzz readers are already familiar with this story. John Kerry released his full records this week, which include his grade averages from Yale. The media has been shocked – just shocked – to learn that Kerry and Bush’s Yale records were comparable. In fact, Bush had a cumulative score of 77, one point higher than Kerry’s 76. Kerry also received three "D's" at Yale, compared to just one for Bush.

I’ll leave the details debate to those who enjoy spending hours on the “philosophy” of college academics. However, this story only adds weight to the misgivings many of us have about so-called elites. In 2000 it was also assumed by many that Al Gore was simply “smarter” than George Bush. But when their SAT scores were revealed, they too were comparable. There’s a strong belief, particularly in Washington, that your college or family background should carry more weight on your future resume than deeds accomplished in the real world. While this story is worth noting, don’t expect it to change how the next Republican presidential nominee is treated compared to his or her more “intellectual” counterpart.

A new Keystone Poll is out and finds Rick Santorum still struggling in a 2006 re-election match-up against Democrat Bob Casey. Keystone found 42 percent of Pennsylvania voters think Santorum deserves re-election, while an equal 42 percent believe, “it is time for a change.”

In a head to head poll, Casey leads Santorum 44 to 37 percent, with 19 percent undecided.

The good news for Santorum is Casey is still under 50 percent and nearly 20 percent of voters remain undecided. There is little doubt Santorum will receive more than 37 percent of the vote. So, as long as he keeps Casey under 50, the race still has to be considered up for grabs.

The poll tracked 581 Pennsylvania voters, 207 Republicans, 200 Democrats and 60 Independent voters.

The Washington Post reports liberal are rethinking their end of the deal on judicial filibusters. Liberal Democrats and leftist activist groups are unhappy that a majority of President Bush’s nominees are now getting through under the deal. And we have another claim that the deal may in the long run help Bill Frist. University of Richmond law professor Carl Tobias says, “"It looks like in some ways Frist is seizing the initiative," by pushing through nominees like Priscilla Owen and Janice Rogers Brown.

The Hotline reports that on tonight’s Hardball, Chris Matthews will ask Rudy Giuliani if the war in Iraq might turn out to be bad for America. Giuliani said, “Oh, you never know. History proves us sometimes right and sometimes wrong.”

The Dallas Morning News’ William McKenzie writes John McCain needs to highlight his pro-life views if he wants to have any shot at winning the Republican nomination in 2008. McKenzie writes:

“Here's the problem, Mr. McCain: The current deck in the Republican Party is stacked against you, so you need to expand the deck. One way to do that is to reach Americans who take their faith seriously.”

McKenzie says McCain could also do well with “evangelical progressives” if he discusses human rights, the poor and the environment, “This list may sound calculating. But let's face it. You can't afford to ignore voters whose faith guides them on Election Day. Not if you want to be the next GOP nominee.”

In addition to the comments I posted earlier, there are more dark references to Hillary Clinton emerging in the excerpts from Edward Klein’s new book: “The Truth About Hillary: What She Knew, When She Knew It, and How Far She'll Go to Be come President.”

Klein says the late Democratic Senator Pat Moynihan “despised” a “duplicitous and ruthless” Clinton who would “do anything” to advance her career. Moynihan’s wife Liz is quoted as saying, “She can look you straight in the eye and lie . . . 'Lying' isn't a sufficient word; it's a distortion of the truth to fit her case.”

Clinton’s office denies the allegations in the book.

Yesterday, I reported Howard Dean had lost his top grassroots fundraiser at the DNC. The Hill adds on today that Dean has also lost his top fundraising directors in New York and California.

Dean’s Democrat critics say he is ignoring high-level fundraisers in favor of grassroots, Internet fundraising. But his supporters point out the DNC is raising more money than it was at this point under Terry McAuliffe, when Democrats could still raise unlimited amounts of soft money.

The New York Post has exclusive excerpts from Fred Siegel’s new book on Rudy Giuliani. The selection shows Giuliani first coming into office as New York City’s mayor; placing a hiring freeze on government workers, working to lower taxes, cleaning up the streets and reducing crime by significant margins.

GOP pollster David Winston has a different take on where the country is headed than most major papers and pollsters would indicate. While most are looking for intra-party fighting on right, Winston finds:

“The real story of the last month is the implosion of the Democratic Party — Reid in strategic retreat on judges, Democrat defections on key issues, Dean making headlines for all the wrong things and party fundraising in the tank.”

Great forecast, if Winston is correct. Slightly harder to believe is his view that Bill Frist may actually gain from the compromise over judicial filibusters:

“In truth, by forcing Democrats to put up or shut up, to filibuster or vote, Frist called Reid’s bluff, and in the end the Minority Leader folded. Reid tried mightily to claim victory, but there is no denying the strategic advantage Republicans now enjoy.”

I’m hard pressed to find the angle from which Frist claims advantage from the deal on filibusters. But if Democrats break the compromise and Frist successfully pushes through the Constitutional option afterwards, it would go a long way towards ceasing the erosion to his presidential ambitions.

NBC’s Andrea Mitchell reports on Howard Dean’s verbal gaffes over the last few months. Then, Mitchell found two Democrats last night that went on the record to express their frustrations. On Dean saying some Republicans “never made an honest living in their life,” Democrat consultant David Axelrod said, “He was gratuitously insulting 50 million Americans who call themselves Republicans, some of whom we hope will vote Democrat.”

And former DNC Chair Bob Strauss added, "It doesn’t become the chairman of our party to be as loose with his lips as he apparently is."

While Mark Warner makes his appearance on Iowa public TV, Bill Richardson is in the midst of a two-day trip to New Hampshire. Today, Richardson has already shared a “Politics and Eggs” breakfast and media availability. This afternoon, he will conduct a press conference then meet with Latino business leaders at Southern New Hampshire University.

Virginia Governor Mark Warner is in Iowa today co-hosting an Iowa public television program on “overhauling” the nation’s high schools.

Joe Biden says the U.S. needs to move towards closing down the detention facility in Guantanamo Bay. Biden told ABC News, “This has become the greatest propaganda tool that exists for recruiting of terrorists around the world. And it is unnecessary to be in that position.”

President Bush media consultant Mark McKinnon says he will work as a consultant with John McCain, if he seeks the presidency in 2008. Austin based McKinnon oversaw advertising for President Bush in 2000 and 2004.

McKinnon says he’d revisit his options if Condoleezza Rice or Jeb Bush decided to run. In the meantime, the close friend of President Bush met with McCain this spring to discuss the possibility of working together.

However, McKinnon says he’ll wait for McCain to publicly decide on running before announcing his own intentions, “I like the senator a lot, but it is too early to speculate on his intentions, as he has said himself, not to mention mine. My political focus right now is on a successful second-term agenda for President Bush.”

The Washington Post looks at how Condoleezza Rice has reorganized the State Department since becoming Secretary of State. Gone are the long and “sprawling” meetings of Colin Powell’s term. They have been replaced by smaller, more tightly organized briefings every morning and evening.

Though the Post never says it directly, the clear implication is that Rice organizes her State Department in a way familiar to the Bush White House: discipline in media affairs, a tight knit and loyal group of advisors and focusing on major policy goals rather than an excessive attention to small details.

The Washington Post’s Howard Kurtz says conservative hopes that a new book on Hillary Clinton will damage her presidential prospects may be disappointed with the actual material. Kurtz says excerpts of Robert Klein’s new book in Vanity Fair are “less than devastating.” Then again, Kurtz notes the book so far:

“Depicts Clinton as an incompetent candidate who somehow managed to get elected in 2000. She is described by visitors as a baggy-eyed ‘zombie’ and is now transforming herself ‘from the old, radical Hillary into the new, moderate Hillary.’ One unattributed tidbit says that former president Bill Clinton wanted his wife to seek the presidency last year but that she decided she needed to establish a longer record and deemed President Bush to be unbeatable as a wartime president.”

As the New York Times reports, Hillary Clinton told a gathering of “Women for Hillary” in Manhattan her true feelings on President Bush, “There has never been an administration, I don't believe in our history, more intent upon consolidating and abusing power to further their own agenda,”

On Republicans in general, Clinton said, “It's very hard to stop people who have no shame about what they're doing. It is very hard to tell people that they are making decisions that will undermine our checks and balances and constitutional system of government who don't care. It is very hard to stop people who have never been acquainted with the truth."

The whole article is worth reading to see exactly how Clinton comes across. While other figures in the Democratic Party wage a public battle on issues like judicial filibusters and John Bolton, Clinton is quietly feeding her base supporters even as she puts on a moderate face for the public press.

The Hotline reports Washington Post’s John Harris, who has a new book out on Bill Clinton’s presidency, yesterday told Wolf Blitzer he thinks Hillary will run in 2008, “"I sure do. Everybody I know around both Clintons is operating under that assumption. I guess I'd be stunned if she didn't.”

Indiana Democrat Senator Evan Bayh was the keynote speaker at his state’s Democratic Party fundraiser on Saturday. According to the Indianapolis Star, a possible White House 2008 candidacy “was on the minds” of the 1,000+ Democrats in attendance. For the record, Bayh said he would make a campaign decision after the 2006 elections.

The normally moderate Bayh has been throwing meat to the left as additional evidence he plans to run. At the fundraiser, Bayh said of President Bush’s legacy, "When the history of our time is written I believe this president will be judged very harshly."

Romney doesn’t come across as ambiguous on life questions in this Union Leader recap of his speech at the Lilac Convention of the New Hampshire Federation of Republican Women. As I noted last week, this is the same even where in 1999, George Bush made his first New Hampshire campaign appearance.

On abortion, Romney said, “I am opposed to abortion, but I indicated that I would maintain the laws as they exist in Massachusetts, and I've done exactly that. That's been my promise and continues to be my promise.”

On marriage, “The family has always been the structure for which we pass on our values and ideals to the next generation. The Massachusetts Supreme Court did something that I think struck at the foundation of the family by saying our constitution allows gay marriage … Marriage is about raising children, and every child has a right to have a mother and a father," Romney said.

Though these comments reportedly drew the loudest applause, he didn’t specify how a Romney administration would assimilate widows, children of divorce or adopted babies into his plan.

However, the Boston Globe reports, “Activists who oppose abortion say they are pleased with what they call Governor Mitt Romney's shifting stance on the issue but say he will need to build a stronger record if he hopes to win their support for a possible run for the White House in 2008.”

There’s also more on how Romney’s stem-cell stance has earned him credibility with primary voters. Americans United for Life’s Daniel McConchie said, ''It has bolstered his credibility somewhat -- that he's willing to stand up to the Legislature. I think there are at least some people who are willing to take a second look at him."

The Boston Herald wrote yesterday that Mike Murphy’s “faking it” response to Mitt Romney’s abortion stance, “is the first impression the GOP hard-core has gotten of him.” The Globe claims, on the “right-wing red-meat” sites this weekend, “the most common phrase use to describe Romney was RINO,” or, “Republican In Name Only.”

The Arizona Republic notes John McCain is making his second recent trip to Michigan. McCain is scheduled to attend the Republican Lincoln Day Dinner in Macomb County, outside Detroit. McCain will be the featured guest speaker at the sold-out dinner and will later host a closed-door fundraiser for the state GOP.

Time’s Joe Klein writes about Hillary Clinton and John McCain in his new column and finds:

“The front runners for the presidency in both parties, Senators John McCain and Hillary Clinton, are essentially Sane sorts. But both will have to navigate the partisan interests, especially the secular and religious extremists, in their respective parties. And both will have to worry about being overtaken by candidates representing their party's version of the Party of Passion."

However, Klein concludes:

“But don't be surprised if people like Russ Feingold, John Edwards and Sam Brownback do much better than expected in the next presidential election—and don't be surprised if the Sanity candidates suddenly discover their gutbucket roots.”

ABC News reports DNC grassroots fundraising director Nancy Eiring has resigned. Eiring was “one of the few holdovers in the Dean era” from Terry McAuliffe’s DNC. Before that, Eiring worked on the Kerry ’04 campaign.

Eiring did not comment, but DNC spokeswoman Karen Finney said, “Nancy helped guide grassroots fundraising at the DNC during a tough election season and through the transition and we are grateful for her hard work and dedication.”

Mehlman was asked more about Clinton’s abilities and said:

“Senator Clinton is smart. She's effective. And she certainly is very effective--has a massive fund-raising network. I think the question that people will look to for Senator Clinton is: Where does she stand on the issues they care about?”

“If you look at the most recent Congress, she was more liberal than 82 percent of the United States Congress. She voted against tax relief in 2001 and 2003, including tax relief that benefits middle-class Americans. There's been a lot of noise made recently about the fact that she's moving to the center on the question of life. Yet Hillary Clinton has 100 percent rating from the National Abortion Rights Action League, a 0 percent rating from the National Right To Life, voted against protecting people in the future like Laci Peterson.”

On yesterday’s Meet the Press, RNC Chair Ken Mehlman was asked if he wants Hillary Clinton to be the Democratic presidential nominee in 2008. Mehlman said, “I think that just as in 1979 when Democrats were relishing the possibility of running against that right-wing crazy Ronald Reagan, they made a mistake.”

Yesterday, Joe Biden was asked about Howard Dean’s early tenure as DNC Chair. When Biden was asked about Dean saying many Republicans had never “worked an honest day in their life,” Biden said,” He doesn't speak for me with that kind of rhetoric. And I don't think he speaks for the majority of Democrats. . . . I wish that rhetoric would change.”

John Edwards also told a fundraising audience he didn’t agree with Dean’s comment, “The chairman of the DNC is not the spokesman for the party. He's a voice. I don't agree with it."

The New York Times says Bill Frist is confident his standing with conservative voters will return in short time. Frist said:

“The short-term evaluations, I believe, will prove to be shortsighted and wrong after we get judge after judge after judge after judge through, plus at least one Supreme Court nominee and an energy bill. And we will get Bolton.”