I don't know how many polls have to show this before President Bush stops thinking that he can somehow persuade the public that they don't really support deadlines for troop withdrawal, but here's another one showing that a solid majority backs such efforts by the Dem Congress to end the Iraq war. The new Newsweek poll finds that 57% support legislation passed by the Senate this week that would set as a goal withdrawal of the troops by next March. The poll also finds that Bush's approval rating remains mired at 33%. Full poll here.

This is interesting: Democratic National Committee chair Howard Dean, who was greeted with intense skepticism by the party's big-money donors at the outset of his tenure, appears on track to bring in far more cash this quarter from those top fundraisers than many expected.

The DNC is on track to haul in roughly $14 million this quarter, approximately $3.8 million of which comes from major donors, who are defined as donors who gave more than $5,000 as an individual or from a PAC, the DNC says. That's a significant jump from the first quarter of 2003 -- the last comparable year -- when the DNC raised only $2.23 million from major donors, according to the DNC's numbers.

Yes, Dean is being helped by the White House's awful political travails. Nonetheless, it's still significant, because it suggests that Dean has had far more success than many expected in winning over the party's major contributors, who were initially so skeptical of Dean's gloves-off, grass-roots approach that they privately were threatening to clamp shut their wallets.

Top Democratic donor Robert Zimmerman describes the jump in money from the big contributors as "very significant."

"The major donors initially were skeptical of Dean and his 50-state strategy," Zimmerman says. "Dean had to prove the merits and logic of his strategies. But the success of his 50-state strategy certainly has impressed the establishment donor community. Unlike in 2004, when there was an overreliance on 527s that undermined the idea of a strong party structure, the support Dean is receiving from major donors shows a growing recognition among them that a strong DNC is an essential tool for victory in 2008."

Times do change.

Here's a new-and-improved version of our massive chart comparing the Iraq war votes of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama — this time we've decided to throw in Joe Lieberman's votes, so you can compare his votes to those of Hillary and Obama.

The chart is very revealing: It demonstrates Lieberman's increasing trend of voting with the GOP on everything from detainee treatment, to military commissions, to regime change in Iran, to resolutions on Iraq, to the recently-passed timetable for withdrawal, and even procedural motions on whether or not to debate the subject at all.

Another interesting pattern: Lieberman's breaking ranks with Dems has steadily grown much more frequent over time as the war progressed — and especially after his 2006 reelection as an Independent. Since then he's voted with the GOP on war-related questions far more frequently than he did in the past. Check out the full chart after the jump.

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Donna Edwards -- whose netroots-propelled, Ned Lamont-style insurgent candidacy almost succeeded in knocking off pro-war Dem Rep. Al Wynn last year -- is revving up to target Wynn again. From the Maryland Gazette community newspaper:

The Fort Washington activist and lawyer who gave U.S. Rep. Albert R. Wynn (D-Dist. 4) of Mitchellville a run for his money in last year’s Democratic primary is already discussing what she’ll do differently this time, as she prepares for a likely rematch.

Speaking at Silver Spring’s El Golfo restaurant on Saturday, Edwards said she plans to be better organized, spend more time campaigning and raise more money — much more money...

For starters, she expects to have a bona fide campaign manager this time...Edwards said she also expects to have more time. Last year, she began campaigning heavily in June, giving her three months to reach the district’s voters. But this year, she expects to announce her candidacy next month, giving her about 10 months to campaign, if she decides to run.

In a sign that Wynn -- who prevailed over the little-known Edwards by less than four percent -- may be sweating another challenge, he recently voted in favor of the House Dems' Iraq withdrawal bill and has been making loud antiwar pronouncements.

Edwards is already stirring support from the netroots. "Edwards has a better shot. Last cycle everyone was afraid of Wynn, but now he's kind of been reduced to a vacillating bumbler," MyDD's Matt Stoller comments. "The country is ready for a new generation of leadership."

Phil DeVellis, the creator of the now-infamous 1984-style Vote Different ad hammering Hillary, bares all in an interview with the outlet that turned him into a momentary celebrity, that is, YouTube:

He lays out how he did it. If you care.

We're listening to the whole thing now, and will let you know if there's anything worthwhile in there...

Associated Press:

Colorado Republican Rep. Tom Tancredo, an outspoken opponent of illegal immigration, will announce his bid for president on Monday.

Tancredo will kick off his campaign with an announcement in Iowa, where political caucuses start the presidential nominating season, an official close to the congressman said.

Tancredo has flirted with a presidential bid for more than a year and began raising money for the effort in January. After taking in more than $1 million in two months, he has decided to make his run official, said the official, who asked not to be named ahead of Tancredo's official announcement.

Tancredo's office on Friday morning said that he will make a "major announcement" Monday on a Des Moines, Iowa, radio station.

If Fred Thompson decides to run for President, it's a no-brainer that he'll leave his current role on Law & Order, but The Washington Post reports that Law & Order might have to leave him too — and stop rerurns of Thompson's episodes of the show in order to honor the equal-time provision. Here's how it works: The equal-time rule requires that if a TV channel gives out screen time to one candidate, they have to also offer free time to other candidates. (News interviews don't count.) So if Thompson runs for President, his screen time on Law & Order could potentially be counted as a requirement to give out free time to the other Republicans, from Rudy Giuliani to Tom Tancredo. And since TV networks are loathe to even risk that kind of litigation, expect his episodes to go off the air if he jumps into the race.

A fun number in this week's big Gallup poll: Karl Rove's favorable rating has edged all the way up to 21%. That's a two point gain from last November, when his rating was mired at an abysmal 19%. Strikingly, less than half of Republicans -- 42% -- see Rove favorably (though that number does dwarf the 22% who see him negatively). Maybe his MC Rove performance will help matters, and he'll boost himself all the way up to 23% by next fall.

So it looks as if Rudy is enduring his first genuinely rough day of press since jumping into the Presidential race, with tough stories out there today about his 9/11 leadership and his relationship with former top cop Bernie Kerik.

Which begs two key questions for the media about Rudy: Will reporters and commentators get serious about cutting through the haze of 9/11 mythology that now shrouds Rudy's allegedly Churchillian leadership that day by asking tough questions about his actual performance, or will they cede him 9/11 on his own terms? And relatedly, will reporters and commentators cede Rudy the aura of foreign policy strength based solely on that performance, or will they get past the mythology and aggressively point out his lack of genuine foreign policy experience?

Today the Associated Press begins to answer that question with an effort to put a dent in Rudy's 9/11 halo:

Giuliani, the leader in polls of Republican voters for his party's nomination, has been faulted on two major issues:

-- His administration's failure to provide the World Trade Center's first responders with adequate radios, a long-standing complaint from relatives of the firefighters killed when the twin towers collapsed. The Sept. 11 Commission noted the firefighters at the World Trade Center were using the same ineffective radios employed by the first responders to the 1993 terrorist attack on the trade center...

-- A November 2001 decision to step up removal of the massive rubble pile at ground zero. The firefighters were angered when the then-mayor reduced their numbers among the group searching for remains of their lost "brothers," focusing instead on what they derided as a "scoop and dump" approach. Giuliani agreed to increase the number of firefighters at ground zero just days after ordering the cutback.

Meanwhile, The New York Times also highlights another troubling aspect of his record:

Rudolph W. Giuliani told a grand jury that his former chief investigator remembered having briefed him on some aspects of Bernard B. Kerik’s relationship with a company suspected of ties to organized crime before Mr. Kerik’s appointment as New York City police commissioner, according to court records...

Mr. Giuliani’s testimony amounts to a significantly new version of what information was probably before him in the summer of 2000 as he was debating Mr. Kerik’s appointment as the city’s top law enforcement officer. Mr. Giuliani had previously said that he had never been told of Mr. Kerik’s entanglement with the company before promoting him to the police job or later supporting his failed bid to be the nation’s homeland security secretary.

Finally, today's coverage of his remark yesterday that wife Judy Nathan would be welcome to hang out at cabinet meetings should he be elected President was not terribly kind, either.

So maybe this glimmer of media aggressiveness towards Rudy suggests there's reason for optimism about the press not giving Rudy a pass on the questions I asked above. We'll see.

Jim McGovern (D-Mass) is endorsing Hillary according to the Boston Globe's Primary Source. On the Clinton campaign site, McGovern called her candidacy "bold, groundbreaking, history-making." A long time critic of the Iraq war, McGovern also thinks "President Hillary Clinton will end this war" if it's not over before January 2009. Coming on the heels of Vilsack's similar bid of confidence, we can safely say that endorsement season is in full swing.

Fox Plans Again To Host Democratic Debate
Fox News will team up with the Congressional Black Caucus Institute to host a Democratic Presidential debate on September 23. Previous plans to hold a Democratic debate in Nevada were cancelled after the Nevada State Democratic Party pulled out at the demands of party activists.

N.H. House Approves Bill To Move Primary Ahead Of Iowa
The New Hampshire State House has approved a bill to empower the Secretary of State to schedule his state's primary ahead of the Iowa caucus, the Associated Press reports. Current state law requires that New Hampshire hold the first primary, but the state has traditionally deferred to the earlier Iowa caucus — an arrangement that has been threatened by the recent establishment of the Nevada caucus between Iowa and New Hampshire.

Vilsack: I'll Pay My Own Debts
WHO-TV 13, the Des Moines affiliate of NBC, reports that Tom Vilsack is denying a Hillary Clinton role in paying off his campaign debts, in response to allegations of a quid pro quo for his endorsement of Clinton's campaign — though the Clinton campaign says it is still willing to help him. "She isn't going to help. It would be very inappropriate for a candidate to help." Vilsack added that he'll be paying his debts off by personally raising money where he can. "It's particularly difficult when you are not a candidate, but you do the best you can. If you're not successful doing it that way, then you work hard for one year, two years, three years, four years, however long it takes until you pay this off."

Corzine To Endorse Hillary
PoliticsNJ reports that New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine — who previously served in the U.S. Senate — will endorse Hillary Clinton for President. Corzine will also line up a large group of other New Jersey Democrats supporting Clinton, including Congressmen Frank Pallone and Rob Andrews.

The Fix: Dems Dominate List Of Endangered House Members
Chris Cillizza at The Washington Post gives his list of the top ten endangered House incumbents. The list is mostly made up of successful Democratic challengers from last year's elections, who would then be running in Republican-leaning districts in a Presidential year. The only two Republicans on the list are North Carolina's Robin Hayes, who barely survived last year, and New Mexico's Heather Wilson, who endured both a close race last year and is now implicated in the U.S. Attorney scandal.

Richardson: We Need To "Prevent A Nuclear 9/11"
Speaking at Johns Hopkins University, Bill Richardson said that the Iraq War has distracted the world from the looming threat of terrorists obtaining nuclear weapons and using them in new attacks. "We need a new Manhattan project to stop the bomb — a comprehensive program to secure all nuclear weapons and all weapons-usable material, worldwide," Richardson said.

Romney: Jeb, Gingrich, Sanford Potential VP Choices
The Associated Press reports that at a campaign stop in South Carolina, Mitt Romney listed potential running mate picks sure to please the conservative base: Jeb Bush, Newt Gingrich, and South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford. Romney did hasten to add, "I have to be honest with you, I haven't given a lot of thought to that, so I don't want to put any names in that hat right now," and that such names were simply those that any GOP candidate might be looking at. Of Jeb Bush, Romney said, "I love him. If his name weren't Bush, he'd be running for president, I'm convinced."

Jesse Jackson Endorses Obama
Jesse Jackson has indicated that he will vote for Barack Obama, the Associated Press reports. Jackson also said, however, that he does not serve in any capacity on the Obama camapaign. "I just have an appreciation of him."

George Clooney Wants To Support Obama — But Not Loudly
The Chicago Tribune reports that actor George Clooney is supporting Barack Obama's candidacy, but does not want to be a vocal supporter out of fear that a Hollywood connection could spoil Obama's chances in Middle America. Clooney's father Nick, who ran for Congress in 2004 in Kentucky, was himself attacked for his show business connections. "It became an issue of Hollywood versus the heartland," the younger Clooney said. "I believed I could only do him more harm."

Poll: Rudy Leads Slightly In Iowa
A new Zogby poll has Rudy Giuliani with a small lead among Iowa Republicans. The numbers are: 25% for Rudy, 19% for John McCain, 11% for Mitt Romney, 7% for Fred Thompson, 5% for Tommy Thompson — quite possibly owing to name confusion between the two Thompsons — and all others far behind.

Jim McGovern Endorses Hillary Clinton
Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA) is endorsing Hillary Clinton. On the Clinton campaign site, McGovern called her candidacy "bold, groundbreaking, history-making." A long time critic of the Iraq war, McGovern also thinks "President Hillary Clinton will end this war" if it's not over before January 2009. Coming on the heels of Vilsack's similar bid of confidence, we can safely say that endorsement season is in full swing. — Kate Redburn

Since the comparison of the Iraq positions over the years of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama is one of the hottest issues of the campaign, we thought it would be useful to post a comprehensive comparison of all of their votes on everything relating to the Iraq war.

So here it is: A massive compilation of Iraq-related bills -- and the votes by Hillary and Obama on them, side by side -- beginning in early 2005, when Obama first joined the Senate.

Of the total of 69 votes we compiled -- some significant, some not -- it turns out that the two differed on only one. You'll see that one in bold on our chart. But let us be clear: We are not posting this to suggest that their earlier difference at the start of the war -- their most important difference -- should in any way be overshadowed by these similarities. For many, that difference will remain paramount -- for good reason. We just wanted to add factual grist to what is but one component of the debate.

As you can see, Clinton and Obama have voted the opposite way on only one vote on our list: The confirmation of General George Casey to be Chief of Staff for the Army, held just this past February. Hillary voted against confirmation, while Obama voted to confirm.

Additionally, please don't hold it against us if we missed any important votes. No agenda here, readers. If we did, let us know, and we'll add it immediately. Herewith, our full chart of Iraq votes after the jump.

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A new Pew poll released this afternoon has mixed news for Dem Congressional leaders -- though it also contains what may be a milestone of sorts: More Americans think that the Democratic Party, not the GOP, is the party with "stronger" and "better" leaders.

Key excerpts:

As the Democratic-led Congress approaches the 100- day mark, pluralities of Americans approve of the way that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid are handling their leadership roles. However, the public gives Democrats mixed reviews for delivering on their campaign promises and for their policies and proposals. Slightly more disapprove of the Democrats’ policies than approve (42% disapprove vs. 37% approve)...

...three-in-ten do not know enough about Nancy Pelosi to rate her performance. On balance, however, more than twice as many approve of Pelosi’s job performance than disapprove (48%-22%)...

...the public remains satisfied that the Democrats won control of Congress, though positive feelings have declined since shortly after the November elections. A 54% majority says they are happy that the Democrats prevailed in the elections, down from 60% who held that view in the week following Election Day....

While enthusiasm for the Democrats’ victory has slipped, the party’s image continues to improve relative to the GOP’s. Nearly half (47%) say the Democratic Party can better manage the federal government, compared with 31% who choose the Republican Party. A year ago, the Democrats’ edge on management was just four points. In addition, slightly more Americans now say the Democratic Party, rather than the Republican Party, has stronger leaders, wiping out the GOP’s substantial advantage on this leadership trait.

The poll finds that when asked which party has "stronger" leaders, 41% say Dems, while 36% say the GOP. That's a dramatic shift from the numbers in the Pew poll in the Fall of 2006 just before the elections: At that time, 30% said Dems, while 43% picked the GOP.

Similarly, when asked which party has "better" leaders, voters gave Dems a wide advantage, picking it over the GOP by 44%-29% -- an even more dramatic shift from last fall's poll, which gave the advantage to the GOP, 38%-34%.

Lots to dig through in the full poll.

Apologies to readers for the momentary slide into gossip -- we try to cover everything here, even things like ... Rudy's willingness as President to let his wife Judith Nathan attend cabinet meetings if she chooses.

Rudy has just revealed as much an interview with ABC News:

In an interview with Barbara Walters, former New York City Mayor and presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani said that if elected president, he would have no problem allowing his wife Judith Giuliani to sit in on cabinet meetings, "If she wanted to. If they were relevant to something that she was interested in. I mean that would be something that I'd be very, very comfortable with," he said.

He also tells Walters that he welcomes his wife's involvement in policy decisions during the campaign "to the extent she wants to be...I couldn't have a better adviser." When asked if she will sit in on policy meetings, Judith said: "if [Rudy] asks me to, yes. And certainly in the areas of health care."

From what I know about Judith Nathan -- I covered Rudy for some time at The New York Observer -- I suspect that Judith would be more than happy to take Rudy up on his offer.

The full interview airs on "20/20" tomorrow at 10 P.M.

Update: And since we're getting all salacious on you, don't miss this YouTube posted by Ben Smith wrapping up the Rudy-Judi saga.

It's a bad enough danger sign for an incumbent to sink below 50% — so imagine how New Hampshire GOP Senator John Sununu must feel now that a new poll has him below 35%.

The new American Research Group poll finds Sununu polling at an astonishingly low 34% — a full ten points behind his 2002 opponent, former Governor Jeanne Shaheen, who has 44%.

Two caveats: Shaheen has not declared any candidacy — though she has not shut the door entirely — and a strikingly high 22% are undecided. Nonetheless, these numbers are the last thing Sununu wants to hear as he heads into his 2008 re-election fight, with his pro-war advocacy leaving him extremely vulnerable in a state that swung heavily towards the Democrats in the 2006 elections.

Dems have just won another big one on Iraq: The Senate's version of the House bill on Iraq spending just passed, 51-47, largely along party lines. President Bush has already vowed a veto.

The Dems' bill provides $122 billion to pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and orders Bush to begin withdrawing troops within 120 days while setting the goal of ending combat operations by March 2008 -- though unlike the House bill, the Senate's end deadline is nonbinding. Next stop: conference, and finally, an eventual veto of the final version.

But still: Both House of Congress have now voted to support withdrawal from Iraq. This is an absolutely key step in what will undoubtedly be a long, grindingly slow process. The confrontation between Congress and the White House will only escalate from here on out.

Some key Senators' votes on the bill: Both GOP Senator Chuck Hagel and conservative Dem Ben Nelson -- a potential No vote -- voted with the Dems today, as did GOP Senator Gordon Smith. So did Dem Senator Mark Pryor -- who had previously voted with the GOP's failed amendment to strike withdrawal language from the bill.

We'll bring you the full roll call as soon as it's available.

Update: The roll call is here.

Voting underway as we speak. So far, both GOP Senator Chuck Hagel and conservative Dem Ben Nelson -- a potential No vote -- have voted with the Dems. So did GOP Senator Gordon Smith.

These same Senators voted with the Dems and against the GOP amendment to strike withdrawal timetables from the bill. The Dems won that round, 50-48, so the current voting bodes well for the Dems right now.

More soon.

Update: It's over. Bill passes, 51-47.

In a statewide poll covering California primaries, released yesterday by the Public Policy Institute of California, Hillary leads the field. She pulls 35% from likely voters, eleven points more than Obama's 24%, and over twenty over the 14% of Edwards. Bill Richardson is the next named Democratic candidate, at 6%, and Al Gore does not show.

On the other side, Rudy leads with 33%, far above McCain at 19%, and Gingrich at 14%. Romney rounds out the field with 7%, and Fred Thompson is not included.

Here are the latest updates on the Presidential candidates, to wake you up with your morning coffee:

• In what can only be bad publicity for John McCain's Republican primary bid, Tom Daschle is claiming that McCain nearly switched parties — and Senate control — in 2001, shortly before Jim Jeffords did so first. McCain's camp is denying the story.

• Hillary Clinton is not shying away from the word "feminist," saying bluntly that she fits that definition as she touted the endorsements of the National Organization for Women, Geraldine Ferraro and Billie Jean King.

• Both parties plan to use the coming week's Congressional recess to attack the other for abandoning U.S. troops: Republicans will hit Democrats for passing an Iraq withdrawal timetable certain to meet a Presidential veto, while Democrats will hit right back by saying that President Bush's expected veto is effectively cutting off the funding for troops included in the bill.

• The National Republican Congressional Committee is launcing a new site, The Real Democrat Story, attacking freshmen House Democrats. (Note the use of "Democrat" as an adjective in the title.)

• Rudy Giuliani has picked up the endorsement of former Presidential candidate Steve Forbes, and is endorsing Forbes' signature issue of a flat tax — even as he denounced the same idea back in the 1990's.

• Possible GOP candidate Fred Thompson is already being attacked by one of the party's biggest religious activists — James Dobson bluntly said, "I don’t think he’s a Christian."

More after the jump.

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Hillary has widened her lead over Barack Obama and closed the gap on Rudy in the key swing state of Pennsylvania, a new Quinnipiac University poll finds. Hillary holds a 19-point edge over Obama among Dem primary voters, pulling 36%, while Obama gets 17%, Al Gore has 13% and John Edwards has nine percent -- a larger lead than the 11-point spread in a Quinnipiac poll earlier this month, which found Hillary at 29% with Obama at 18%.

Meanwhile, Rudy holds a 46%-42% lead over Hillary in the state in a general election, a tighter spread than the nine point lead he held in the earlier poll. Rudy beats Obama 46%-39%. Other general election matchups:

* Clinton 44%, McCain 43 * Clinton 49%, Romney 35% * McCain 42%, Obama 42% * McCain 42%, Edwards 41% * Obama 48%, Romney 29% * Edwards 50%, Romney 28%

For a guy with an approval rating in the low thirties, President Bush sounded awfully sure of himself today. In his remarks this morning, President Bush actually seemed to suggest that when it comes to the current standoff between the White House and Congress over Dem efforts to mandate a pullout from Iraq in the war spending bill, public opinion is on his side -- in defiance of all polls showing the contrary.

From his remarks today:

Members of Congress need to stop making political statements, and start providing vital funds for our troops. They need to get that bill to my desk so I can sign it into law.

Now, some of them believe that by delaying funding for our troops, they can force me to accept restrictions on our commanders that I believe would make withdrawal and defeat more likely. That's not going to happen. If Congress fails to pass a bill to fund our troops on the front lines, the American people will know who to hold responsible.

Actually, the American people support the measures that the Democratic Congress is trying to implement to end the war -- so, yes, they probably will have a fairly good idea who should be held responsible if Bush vetoes these efforts against their will.

Pew poll, March 26:

A solid majority of Americans say they want their congressional representative to support a bill calling for a withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq by August 2008. Nearly six-in-ten (59%) say they would like to see their representative vote for such legislation, compared with just 33% who want their representative to oppose it.

Gallup poll, March 26:

Would you favor or oppose Congress taking each of the following actions in regards to the war in Iraq?

Requiring U.S. troops to meet strict readiness criteria before being deployed to Iraq: Favor 80%, Oppose 15%

Setting a time-table for withdrawing all U.S. troops from Iraq no later than the fall of 2008: Favor 60%, Oppose 38%

Also note Bush's line about how members of Congress think "they can force me" to do what the public wants. That's what this has come down to now.

"Me."

Delusional.

New CBS Poll:

Americans support former Sen. John Edwards' decision to continue his bid for the Democratic Presidential nomination after his wife was diagnosed with a recurrence of cancer — and by a margin of more than 2-to-1.

According to a CBS News Poll conducted in the two days following the couple's interview by Katie Couric on "60 Minutes" this past Sunday, 57% of those who were surveyed said Edwards is doing the right thing by continuing to campaign. Less than half as many — 24% — said he should have suspended his campaign or withdrawn entirely.

Nor is there apparently much traction for the idea that Elizabeth's health would impair his ability to be President. A majority -- 52% -- think he'd be able to devote enough time to the job, while only 30% think he wouldn't.

McCain is right. It's safe for a stroll -- if you take two bodyguards and wear your running shoes.

-- Karen Tumulty, writing on Swampland about John McCain's assertion that it's safe to walk around some neighborhoods in Baghdad.

So which Republican Congressional incumbents does Karl Rove, the "architect" of the GOP's big recent wins — but also the 2006 debacle — think are the most vulnerable? And which Democratic incumbents does he want the GOP to target?

The answer is contained in the PowerPoint presentation authored by Rove's office that TPMmuckraker has been dissecting today. As Paul notes, the overtly political briefing was given by a Rove deputy to personnel with the General Services Administration, which theoretically is supposed to be nonpartisan. (For more background on the slide show, see TPMmuckraker's ongoing coverage).

So who's Rove worried about? The presentation lists the following Republican House members as on the "Priority Defense" list:

Jim Gerlach, Pennsylvania
Vern Buchanan, Florida
Robin Hayes, North Carolina
Heather Wilson, New Mexico
Marilyn Musgrave, Colorado
Peter Roskam, Illinois
Chris Shays, Connecticut
Jean Schmidt, Ohio
Thelma Drake, Virginia
Barbara Cubin, Wyoming (Note: Rove also says that Cubin might not seek re-election.)
John Doolittle, California
Jon Porter, Nevada
Jim Walsh, New York
Deborah Pryce, Ohio
Randy Kuhl, New York
Mike Ferguson, New Jersey
Joe Knollenberg, Michigan

Nick Lampson, Texas
Tim Mahoney, Florida
Jerry McNerney, California
Zack Space, Ohio
Baron Hill, Indiana
Chris Carney, Pennsylvania
Patrick Murphy, Pennsylvania
Nancy Boyda, Kansas
Joe Sestak, Pennsylvania
Brad Ellsworth, Indiana
Heath Shuler, North Carolina
Ciro Rodriguez, Texas
Steve Kagen, Wisconsin
Jim Marshall, Georgia
Joe Donnelly, Indiana
John Barrow, Georgia
Jason Altmire, Pennsylvania
John Hall, New York
Kirsten Gillibrand, New York
Stephanie Herseth, South Dakota

Get your updates on the candidates right here, while they're hot:

Hillary Clinton will help raise money to pay off Tom Vilsack's $400,000 campaign debt. A Hillary spokesman strongly denied there was any quid pro quo for Vilsack's endorsement, citing the two's decades-long friendship.

John Edwards' decision to stay in the race in the wake of his wife's cancer recurrence has been rewarded by the Democratic base — his campaign raised half a million dollars online in five days, and he jumped into the lead in an Iowa poll midway through the sampling.

When the John McCain campaign stole bandwidth from developer Mike Davidson by directly using one of his images off his own server, Davidson got back — by altering the original image to say McCain supported gay marriage.

Comedy Central will be busy with the campaign tonight. Bill Richardson will appear on The Daily Show tonight, where he will talk about his campaign for President. And as a reminder, tonight's South Park will feature a fictionalized Hillary Clinton.

Bill Richardson gave an example of how he raises money in a field dominated by Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards: "I think the American voter or funder deserves to have a viable contest. So I appeal to funders that say, 'I’m for Senator Clinton,' and I say, 'O.K., that’s fine. But make me your second choice. Help me out too.'"

Rudy Giuliani will hold a fudraiser on May 12 featuring Donald Trump.

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The New York Times's Jeff Gerth -- the reporter who brought you Whitewater -- is back on Hillary's trail. Gerth is writing a book about Hillary called "Her Way: The Hopes and Ambitions of Hillary Clinton," the Daily News reports.

The paper quotes a publishing source saying that the book will be filled with "explosive stuff" and "may force her to answer ethics charges in the Senate" -- assertions that should perhaps be viewed in light of the outcome of the Whitewater investigation, which ultimately failed to bag the Clinton quarry.

The book -- which will be coauthored with fellow Timesman Don Van Natta and will be published by Little, Brown -- is set to come out in August, a mere six months before the start of the 2008 Presidential primaries. It'll be interesting to see what, if anything, the book says about Whitewater -- not to mention Gerth's role in creating the story.

Check out this new ad from the liberal group Americans United for Change blasting GOP Senate leader Mitch McConnell for his extensive efforts to prevent the Senate from halting the Iraq war:

The $200,000 ad begins airing today in McConnell's home state of Kentucky a day after the Senate leader's efforts to strike withdrawal timetables from the Senate's Iraq war spending bill went down to defeat. It will continue airing through Easter's Congressional recess.

Hillary was first lady of Arkansas for 12 years -- but does that guarantee that she'll have the support of the state's Congressional delegation and other prominent pols? Unclear, Roll Call reports.

"Democrats in the Natural State’s Congressional delegation aren’t clamoring to support her 2008 presidential bid," the paper says. "None of the Arkansas’ five Democrats are offering public endorsements of Clinton at this point, with some cautioning it is too early in the process or indicating they may stay out of presidential fray altogether."

Arkansas Senator Mark Pryor, who's up for reelection in 2008, may sit out the Presidential race altogether. “I’m just for everybody," he says.

Meanwhile, the Associated Press reports that the National Organization for Women is set to endorse Hillary today.

Rudy Giuliani's sizeable lead in the GOP primary takes a big dive when potential GOP candidate Fred Thompson is thrown into the mix, according to the big USA Today/Gallup poll released this week. It finds Rudy ahead of the pack by 31%, with John McCain in second at 22%, and Thompson in third with 12%. Interestingly, almost all of Thompson's 12% appear to come out of Rudy's hide: A poll taken in March without Thompson found Rudy at 44%, and another in February found him at 40%.

Here's a postscript to today's Iraq vote in the Senate: Joe Lieberman accidentally laid bare his repeated dissembling about Iraq for all the world to see! Yes, yes, what else is new. But seriously -- what other option is there but to point this stuff out every time it happens?

On the Senate floor today, Lieberman implored his fellow Senators to vote Yes on the amendment to nix withdrawal timetables. He argued that for the "first time in a long time" there is now finally reason for optimism about Iraq -- even though he's been steadily arguing for months and months in the recent past that there was cause for such optimism:

Lieberman's key quote:

"It is clear that for the first time in a long time, there is reason for cautious optimism about Iraq."

But...but...sputter...sputter...

If this is the "first time in a long time" that there's been "reason for optimism," does that mean Lieberman didn't mean it all those other times in the recent past when he suggested there was reason for optimism about Iraq?

Examples after the jump.

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The Senate has spoken on the GOP's efforts to pass an amendment to nix withdrawal timetables in its big Iraq spending bill. Its answer:

No can do. Dems win; Joe Lieberman and the Republicans lose.

The amendment -- which was the handiwork of Mississippi Senator Thad Cochran -- has just failed, with 50 votes against it, and 48 for it.

Here are a few of the key votes: Conservative Democrat Ben Nelson -- a potential supporter of the amendment -- stuck with the Democrats and opposed it. On the GOP side, Senators Chuck Hagel and Gordon Smith voted against it.

Meanwhile, vulnerable GOP Senator Susan Collins voted for it, as did her colleague Olympia Snowe (and as did Lieberman).

As we said before, this is a long, grinding, excrutiatingly slow process. Every incremental step counts. Including this one.

We'll bring you the full roll call as soon as its available.

Update: The full roll call can be viewed here.

Time to pay attention to what's going on in the Senate: Today that august legislative body is going to be voting on an amendment to strike the withdrawal timetable from the Senate's Iraq war funding legislation.

Jim Manley, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, just confirmed to me that the vote is set for 5:00 P.M. today. One Republican after another has paraded before the Senate throughout the afternoon, many arguing that keeping the withdrawal timetable in the legislation would be embracing failure, selling out the troops, or worse.

The amendment is the work of GOP Senator Thad Cochran of Mississippi. Even if the amendment doesn't pass, however, GOP Senate leader Mitch McConnell may subsequently allow the vote on the overall legislation to go through -- rather than using procedural tricks to block it, as he has in the past. The President would then veto whatever form the ultimate bill took after passing through conference.

This is a long, slow, grinding process in which every incremental development matters. The fate of the amendment is still uncertain, so stay with us for the vote.

Update: Voting underway. Thus far the only Republican to vote against the amendment was Gordon Smith.

Meanwhile, Dems Max Baucus and Ben Nelson -- potential supporters of the amendment -- stuck with the Democrats and opposed it.

More in a bit.

Late update: GOP Senator Chuck Hagel just voted against the amendment.

Vulnerable GOP Senator Susan Collins voted for it, as did her colleague Olympia Snowe.

Ouch. A new Harris Interactive poll has some pretty unpleasant news for Hillary Clinton: A solid 50% of Americans say they would probably or definitely not vote for her if she were the Democratic nominee. The poll is an online survey, which does cast some uncertainty on its accuracy, though. Some other negatives from the poll:

• 45% of women would not vote for her — including 52% of married women.

• 48% of Independents and 21% of Democrats would not vote for her.

• 45% of adults dislike her as a person.

• 52% agree with the following statement: "She does not appear to connect with people on a personal level."

Harris parses the data and concludes: "While the first votes are still many months away, there are a few groups that Senator Clinton and her team need to target. First, married women are consistently more likely to have negative feelings toward the Senator than single women. Second, those over age 62 have some of the highest negatives for her — behind only Republicans and Conservatives. Since this is the age group that votes in the highest numbers, there is work to be done here. Finally, the Clinton campaign may not want to use the slogan `a vote for Hill is one for Bill.' Only just over one-third (37%) feel it would be good to have both Hillary and Bill Clinton back in the White House."

So who was the big winner in Iowa from Tom Vilsack's withdrawal of the race? John Edwards, a new poll finds. The Des Moines Register's David Yepsen reports that the new American Research Group survey finds that John Edwards has shot up a surprising 15 points since Vilsack pulled out in February, while Hillary Clinton dropped a point. The two are deadlocked for first place, with Hillary garnering 34% to Edwards' 33%. Barack Obama's in third place with 16%.

A caveat: The poll was taken before news of Elizabeth Edwards' cancer recurrence and Vilsack's endorsement of Hillary on Monday, so it may be a bit out of date. Still, Yepsen, an expert in Iowa politics, says there's good news in the poll for all three contenders. His analysis here.

Get your updates on the movements of the Presidential candidates right here, while they're hot:

• Tomorrow's new episode of South Park will feature a fictionalized Hillary Clinton making a campaign stop in the small Colorado town. Comedy Central will then host Bill Richardson — the real one, this time — as a guest on The Daily Show.

• A new USA Today/Gallup poll finds that an astonishing 72% of Americans favor Democratic investigations into the U.S. Attorney firings, versus only 21% who oppose investigating.

• Chris Cillizza at The Washington Post provides an argument for why Fred Thompson should not mount a Presidential campaign: Thompson has only fought one single competitive campaign, and in the GOP landslide of 1994 no less.

• Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-KY, expressed some skepticism that his caucus will be able to strip out of the Iraq supplemental bill Democratic langugae setting bechmarks for a withdrawal — Democrats would control the conference committee — but is confident that President Bush's veto will be able to stop it from becoming law.

• A YouTube video is now coming to light of yet another policy reversal from Mitt Romney: In 1994, he supported limits campaign spending, outlawing PAC's, and other heavy campaign finance restrictions.

• Dennis Kucinich promised at a campaign stop in Albany on Sunday to use his chairmanship of the House Government Oversight Domestic Policy Subcommittee to investigate "a few discrepancies in the public record" of 9/11.

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