April 7, 2008 Briefings

1.) Hillary Clinton made a high-profile move today when she called on President Bush to boycott the opening ceremonies of the Olympics on August 8^th in China. The message behind the boycott would be to press down on China for its crackdown in Tibet. (politico.com)

2.) It is in unlikely that Barack Obama will be able to draw very many college campus votes in the crucial Pennsylvania primary. While the states hosts over 150 colleges and universities, the issue lies in he fact that a very large number of these students are from out of state – meaning that they are registered to vote in their home states. (politico.com)

3.) Although Barack Obama has consistently backed gun control legislation, the presidential candidate is working to draw support from pro-gun voters in Pennsylvania. The state has one of the country’s highest per capita rates of National Rifle Association memberships. (politico.com)

4.) Hillary Clinton’s chief strategist, Mark Penn, stepped down Sunday night. This move comes after a week of political embarrassment for Penn. (The Huffington Post)

5.) Condoleezza Rice has been expressing interest in taking the place as running mate for presidential candidate John McCain. Many political analysts have said that the pairing would be ideal. (The Huffington Post)

6.) A Philadelphia gay newspaper has accused Barack Obama of avoiding them. Following this, the paper printed a lengthy interview with Hillary Clinton; right alongside a big, blank middle-finger to Obama. (The Huffington Post)

7.) According to political writer Sean Wilentz, Hillary Clinton should be ahead in the race for the presidency. He states that in a winner-take-all system, she would be well ahead and notes that her only downfall is the process. (realclearpolitics.com)

8.) New reports are showing that anti-McCain campaigns are falling short financially. One analyst criticized Democrats for being to focused on the Clinton-Obama race, when they should be putting more effort towards slowing down John McCain. (politico.com)

9.) Howard Dean warned Democrats on Sunday that if they remain divided come election time, they will hand Republicans the presidency. He did say though that he does not want to pressure undecided Dems to pick a side. (politico.com)

10.) Filmmaker Spike Lee endorsed Barack Obama in a recent interview with politico.com writer Ben Smith. He also went on to say that he voted for a Clinton twice, but that’s over with. (politico.com)