OT: Clinton cancels speech.

[ProSense]

First, I wish John McHugh a speedy recovery.

January 16, 2007, 12:37 pm

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/01/16/senator-clinton-illness-not-obama-delayed-news-conference/">Clinton Campaign: Illness, Not Obama, Delayed News Conference

By Patrick Healy

Yes, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton would’ve have been asked all about Barack Obama today if she’d held her news conference on Iraq this afternoon, as initially planned. But that’s not the reason it was postponed until Wednesday, her advisers say.

In fact, an aide for the senator disclosed at 3 p.m. Monday that the news conference would be postponed. The reason, the aide said, was that one of Mrs. Clinton’s companions on the trip, Representative John McHugh, took ill during a stop in Germany and stayed behind to recover while she and Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana, the third member of the delegation, flew back to Washington on Monday.

A spokeswoman for Mr. Bayh seconded that the news conference was scrubbed on Monday because of the timing of Mr. McHugh’s return. The three will speak about their trip at 3 p.m. Wednesday.

Clinton advisers say there was no back-channel heads-up from the Obama camp that his announcement was coming this morning. They said there was no way the Iraq presser would’ve gone ahead without Mr. McHugh, a New York Republican — and anyway, Mrs. Clinton will be thrown plenty of questions about Mr. Obama regardless of when she next faces reporters.

Read the comments. LOL!

[karynnj]

1. What a snotty lead sentence

Patrick Healy is a disgrace.

[ProSense]

2. Healy is a disgrace.

It was the only reference I could find that wasn't like this, after seeing the rumor on Taylor Marsh. Still, the story is a little far-fetched.

This from Carpetbagger:

* And Hillary Clinton’s presidential hopes got a boost yesterday when Emily’s List, the largest political action committee in the nation, announced it will endorse Clinton’s presidential bid shortly after her campaign kick-off. It will be the PAC’s first-ever presidential endorsement.

[MH1]

4. I am about to find out how to cancel my membership to Emily's List.

I called their office and the person I need to speak to went home at 5.

If they endorse Hillary right out of the gate like that, then they have received their last contribution from me. I might be okay with it if they waited, but what they are doing is saying, "it has ovaries and none of the others do, so we support it." That's just bullshit, especially when they've never endorsed at the presidential level before.

If they even waited until late this year or early next year, after the field is better defined, I could maybe live with it. But not this early on, when there may be better candidates who haven't announced yet.

:grr:

[Mass]

5. Remember what Emily's List is for. They ONLY endorse women.

There has never before been a women be in position to be the nominee. It makes a lot of sense that they endorsed her, except if there is another woman with a chance to win that is going to announce?

[ElizabethDC]

6. You got it.

They only endorse Democratic pro-choice women so, by definition, they would endorse Hillary. By endorsing her, they're simply fulfilling the purpose of the organization. Since there's no other viable pro-choice female candidate who's likely to run, Hillary would receive the endorsement essentially by default. I've heard male candidates who support women's rights complain about EMILY's list in the past, but the group's mission statement clearly states that their purpose is to elect women.

[MH1]

8. They don't have to endorse anyone in the Presidential race, at least not yet.

I've thought about cancelling before. This is the last straw, I'm done with them.

They could wait. They don't have to endorse right now.

[ElizabethDC]

9. Do you really think there was ever any chance that they *were'nt* going to endorse her?

They support Democratic, pro-choice, female candidates. I think unless Hillary were to change parties or her stance on abortion, there's no reason they wouldn't endorse her. Besides, I don't think they've officially endorsed her yet, they're just saying that they'll endorse her once she announces (which was inevitable anyway). I think it's obvious that EMILY's List is just fulfilling the mission of their program. I can see how, if you don't like her or support her or whatever, you wouldn't want to be indirectly contributing to her campaign, but I don't think that EMILY's List itself is doing anything surprising or inappropriate.

[ProSense]

3. From Hotline:

January 16, 2007
Obama Wire: Why Was HRC's Presser Cancelled?

Today, we anticipated a major post-Iraq and Afghanistan press conference from Hillary Clinton....

Now, we get this:

Senator Clinton has no public schedule for today, Tuesday, January 16th

Don't blame Obama, though: the presser was cancelled late last night because Rep. John McHugh remained in Germany and won't return until today.

Posted at 11:19 AM

[whometense]

7. Hillary made the cover of the Weekly Standard

Several mentions of Kerry in the article. Not the loveliest of pictures:

http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/013/172ykfbf.asp

Hillary's War
The loneliness of the long-distance front-runner.

by Matthew Continetti
01/22/2007, Volume 012, Issue 18

...Simply put, then, the Clintons are "not there yet" on retreat from Iraq. Most of their party, however, is there. Which means a central drama of the next two years will be Hillary Clinton's position on Iraq. For four years she has resisted the pull of the antiwar left. If she continues down that path, it may help her in the general election. Or she could end up walking very much alone.