Claire Bucks Up For Jay

"He faces two Republican opponents who are . . . using the same divisive campaign tactics the G.O.P. used against me."

U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill has sent out a fundraising appeal for former rival and current colleague Attorney General Jay Nixon.

She's asking for contributions for Nixon's campaign for Governor before the June 30th quarter-ending deadline.

"I'm no stranger to Election Day squeakers. And I know what it's like to go against the national Republicans, the Bush political machine and the Missouri GOP. We took them all on -- and together in 2006, we beat them," McCaskill writes. "But it certainly wasn't easy -- and I know just how tough the road ahead is for my good friend Jay Nixon. He faces two Republican opponents who are already airing television ads, using the same divisive campaign tactics the GOP used against me. They're running far to the right and pledging to continue Matt Blunt's failed policies every step of the way," she adds.

McCaskill then winds up her pitch with a shot at health care. She said that " too often, my efforts to improve the lives of Missouri families have been impeded by GOP leaders in Jefferson City."

"Take, for instance, the children's health insurance legislation last year, SCHIP. This bipartisan proposal would have provided health coverage to thousands of Missouri children. But instead of standing up for Missouri families -- many of whom lost their health care because of the devastating and unnecessary health care cuts of 2005 -- Matt Blunt opposed our efforts in Congress to cover more than 56,000 children in Missouri," McCaskill added.

"Sadly, Jay's Republican opponents still embrace Matt Blunt's cuts to children's health care," she concludes.

McCain Notes McCaskill's Opposition to Levee Bill

Barack Obama is criticizing John McCain for his opposition to a water resources bill, implying that McCain's failure to support the measure for new levees and flood controls is partly responsible for the Midwest flooding.

But McCain's campaign hit back Saturday, noting that Obama's national co-chair, and junior Missouri senator Claire McCaskill also opposed that 2007 legislation.

"In Attacking John McCain For Opposing The WRDA Bill, Barack Obama Is Attacking His Own National Co-Chair -- Senator Claire McCaskill -- Who Voted Against The Bill. Is She To Blame For Levees In Missouri Breaking?," blasted a release from the McCain campaign Saturday.

It is true that McCaskill voted against the passage of the Water Resources Development Act, for basically the same reason McCain did. The bill authorized $23.2 billion for 900 water projects, including $3.9 billion for a new locks and dams system for the Upper Mississippi River.

"This isn't about the projects or merits of the projects. Painfully for me, one is in Missouri. This isn't about the projects. This is about the process. This isn't about Democrats. And this isn't about is about a bad habit. This is about getting into the habit of directing authorization or spending in a conference report instead of under the bright lights of the Senate floor, the House floor or committee work," McCaskill said in a press release on Sept. 24, 2007.

At the same time, McCain said he opposed the bill because it included "outrageous spending"

"The legislation being considered today far exceeds the already outrageous spending that was approved in both the House- and Senate-passed bills and would drastically increase the backlog of Army Corps of Engineers construction projects while doing nothing to modernize the system for funding these projects. I wonder, did we learn nothing from Hurricane Katrina?," said McCain in a statement on the same day McCaskill issued her own.

McCaskill Is Mum

Asked on MSNBC today if she is being vetted by Sen. Barack Obama's team as a potential running mate, Sen. Claire McCaskill replied, "Completely against type, I'm not going to talk about it."

Quipped anchor Andrea Mitchell, "That's not a denial."

This is probably good for both McCaskill and the media. The media can continue to speculate about McCaskill's fortunes and Claire can continue to soak up all that tube time by being vague.

In politics, vague is sexy. Don't ya think?

Line of the Day

“I can tell you, there are very few people who are closer to me, who I have relied on more for counsel or advice. Should I be successful in this campaign, she will be somebody who has the utmost access to the Obama administration.”

--Sen. Barack Obama, on Sen. Claire McCaskill, in today's St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"I Can Assure You Missouri Is Not in McCain's Column"

SEN. MCCASKILL TALKS TO KY3 NEWS ABOUT OBAMA

In Part One, She Suggests Why A Republican Running Mate Should Be On The Table

In Part Two, She Explains Why Obama Will Be Competitive In Missouri

In Part Three, McCaskill Discusses How Obama's Race Could Impact Voters in Southwest Missouri

Claire Open To Republican as Obama's Veep

IN KY3 NEWS SATELLITE INTERVIEW, SAYS, "I wouldn't be opposed to someone who maybe was a Republican even . . ."

***DEVELOPING for . . . Tonight on KY3 News @ 10

For They Will Come

Sen. Claire McCaskill tells The Politico that the majority of uncommitted superdelegates on Capitol Hill are privately backing Barack Obama.

“The majority of superdelegates I’ve talked to are committed, but it is a matter of timing,” said Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.). “They’re just preferring to make their decision public after the primaries are over. ... They would like someone else to act for them before they talk about it in the cold light of day.”

When asked which way those undecided supers are leaning, McCaskill replied, "James Brown would say, ‘I Feel Good.’”

Missouri's top Obama-backer also noted that the campaigns have all but given up lobbying Senators because they know their minds are made up.

McCaskill Concerned With Air Force Contract

Sen. Claire McCaskill is asking the Secretary of Defense to hold senior Air Force officers accountable for a contract given to a civilian friend of top officials.

The Washington Post details the account HERE.

A report raises questions about how a retired 4-star general received a $50 million dollar contract to update an air show, despite much higher bids from others.

"I am particularly concerned with the actions of Air Force Chief of Staff General T. Michael Moseley and the dismissive and demoralizing message it sends to subordinates when there is a lack of disciplinary action taken against the most senior leaders," McCaskill wrote to Secretary of Defense Gates.

McCaskill also wrote a stern letter yesterday to Air Force Secretary Michael W. Wynne.

"It is incomprehensible to me that no action has been taken to reprimand General Moseley or to evaluate his continued fitness to lead the Air Force," McCaskill wrote.

McCaskill also appears in Friday's Post about her bill aimed at strengthening the independence of the government's inspectors general.

The Senate approved a bill that would set job qualifications for inspectors general, allow Congress to determine if an agency was trying to punish an IG by cutting his or her budget and ensure that all audits and investigative reports are posted on agency Web sites within three workdays, according the Post piece.

"This bill is key to preserving the IGs' role as government watchdogs and making sure they can do their job of rooting out waste in this country," Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) said in a statement.

McCaskill Won't Ever Tell Clinton To Drop Out

ROAD TO AN ENDGAME?

McCaskill To KY3: "I think there's a lot of superdelegates . . .
who don't want to say who they're for."
ON MSNBC TODAY: "There will be controversies about the Clintons that will also be an issue in November."

Sen. Claire McCaskill refused to say under what circumstance Hillary Clinton should get out of the presidential race, but added that despite her win, the math remains unforgiving.

"Somebody needs to explain how the math works," McCaskill told KY3 News.

Missouri's junior senator was again on the front of the battlelines the day after, appearing on MSNBC mid-day Wednesday.

"Those superdelegates are paying very close attention and they know a couple of things. They know that Barack Obama's candidacy has excited a whole new generation of voters for our party. They know that Barack Obama has competed under the rules in every state for every delegate, and is winning and will win the pledged delegates. And frankly, to take this away from a candidate under those circumstances would be a brazen move for a party that cherishes the fact that we want everyone to participate," McCaskill said.

"It was always her state, we narrowed the gap, there were no independent voters that were allowed to vote yesterday, and that's one of Barack Obama's strengths," McCaskill added.

On what happens if Clinton takes the popular vote: "I'm not sure that Senator Clinton can come out ahead in popular votes, especially if we're counting the states that played by the rules, as opposed to states that knowingly violated the rules in the way they held primaries," McCaskill said.

On the possibility of Obama going negative: "It's a very difficult decision . . . People do need to remember there will be controversies about the Clintons that will also be an issue in November."

Considerable, Sizable, Defendable

CLINTON 55%, OBAMA 45%
THE PENNSYLVANIA FINAL

Senator Hillary Clinton's victory in Pennsylvania Tuesday night was sizable and significant enough to continue her campaign at least another two weeks.

However you slice it or spin it, this was a very good night for the scrappy Senator from New York. Putting it plainly, Obama got clobbered and there it's reason enough to question whether the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination has a problem attracting working class white men within the core of the country.

I spoke to Senator Claire McCaskill following the Obama loss to ask her whether Democrats should be concerned about her candidate's ability to win important states. I pressed her on the electability issue. Could it be that Clinton is more electable than Obama in blue-collar working class states? Will Republican nominee John McCain be able to snatch up some of these Clinton voters if Obama is the nominee. Watch part 2 of the exchange above.

McCaskill Reacts To Obama Loss

NOVEMBER . . . DO WE HAVE A PROBLEM?

McCaskill says "it's spin" to say Obama can't win a big state . . . she then defends his electability in the general against John McCain . . . "All these polls are taken while John McCain is running positive ads, meanwhile Hillary Clinton is trying to throw nails in front of the bus."

WATCH EXCHANGE ABOVE

NBC: It's Clinton

Called @ 7:49 p.m.

Now, about that margin . . .

McCaskill Pre-Spins Pennsylvania

PREDICTS CLINTON WIN, BUT STILL ADDS, "THE MATH IS UNFORGIVING."

SETS 60-DAY CLOCK FOR CLINTON

Sen. Claire McCaskill predicted Hillary Clinton would defeat Barack Obama in Pennsylvania, but that still wouldn't stop the tide of superdelegates marching to Obama's side.

McCaskill made the comments this morning to Brian Williams during MSNBC's all-day coverage of the Pennsylvania primary.

"I think it's making us nervous," McCaskill told Williams about the ongoing primary fight. "I think all Democrats are a little nervous right now about how we end this thing and bring everyone together."

But McCaskill quickly noted that despite what happens Tuesday night, Obama would end up the eventual nominee.

"The math is unforgiving to Senator Clinton and the superdelegate race, frankly, has not been talked about enough," McCaskill said. "Senator Clinton has lost as many superdelegates as she's gained in the last 60 days where Barack Obama has been on a relentless March on superdelegates," she added.

"It's 84 to 5 in the last 60 days," McCaskill said, referring to the superdelegate count.

"I don't think anything in the results tonight in Pennsylvania are going to stop that march of superdelegates to the Barack Obama side," she said.

After calling Clinton a terrific leader and formidable competitor, McCaskill suggested that over the next two months Clinton would decide to end her campaign.

"I think at some point in the next 60 days we will come together and move forward," McCaskill said.

She quickly added that "the more negative Clinton gets," the more it will spur Democratic party leaders into action to try to end the race. "If this begins drifting off into 'let's go after his kneecaps land', and really hurt him permanently for November, I think you're going to see some of the party elders, more importantly a lot of these superdelegates go, 'wait a minute, this isn't what we signed up for,'" McCaskill said.

Women Unite For Equal Pay

Sen. Claire McCaskill is joining fellow Senate female Democrats tomorrow to renew their call for passage of the Fair Pay Restoration Act.

The Hotline notes that while the contentious presidential primary has divided the women of the Senate, the Fair Page Restoration Act (S. 1843) has brought them together.

Sen. Barbara Mikulski is set to speak on the issue at 9 a.m. central tomorrow, followed by Sens. Patty Murray, McCaskill and Klobuchar. The legislation would ensure equal pay for women and minorities in the workforce and overturn a Supreme Court ruling that workers must sue for pay discrimination within 180 days of the pay-setting decision.

McCaskill Says Clinton Should Move Aside If She Doesn't Win Ohio and Texas

COMMENTS ON KOSTER, NIXON DURING SPRINGFIELD ENERGY CONFERENCE

Senator and super-surrogate Claire McCaskill suggested Hillary Clinton should drop out of the race for president and unite behind Barack Obama if she doesn't win both the Texas and Ohio primaries on March 4th.

McCaskill called Obama's 10-straight primary victories an amazing accomplishment, and said if Clinton was in Obama's position at this point, the pressure would grow for him to drop out.

"What would America be saying right now if Senator Clinton had won 10 primaries in a row and had the popular vote, the delegate count, and had won the most states, had won the last 10 primaries by an average of 30 points, what would America be saying," McCaskill asked Friday afternoon, before answering her own question. "America would be saying its time to unite behind the nominee, Senator Clinton. But that has happened and we have not yet started hearing those kinds of calls for unity behind Senator Obama," she said.

McCaskill declined to go as far as to say Clinton should drop out, but strongly hinted that March 4th should be her last shot. "I think if in fact he wins Texas or Ohio, I think its time for our party to come together and I think the math is very difficult," McCaskill said.

She also cited former President Clinton's recent statements about his wife's need to win those states in order to secure the nomination. But Missouri's junior Senator also left open the possibility of another round. "Now if its close, then we go on to the next round, because if its close there, he's going to still be ahead in the delegate count because she has to win by such a large margin to ever get back to the point where she's competing on an even keel in terms of delegate count."

McCaskill was also asked about Missouri's Governor's race and the 3-way Democratic primary for Attorney General.

ON JAY NIXON: "The Republican Party has a primary. Sometimes that's an advantage and sometimes its a disadvantage. But I think in this instance, we are united . . . I think he's going to be a terrific Governor. I think he can win the hearts and minds of Missourians through his campaign, but he's got a lot of work to do."

ON CHRIS KOSTER: "I think anyone seeing the light and becoming a Democrat makes them a credible candidate. I don't know exactly how that primary is going to turn out and I've worked very hard to stay absolutely neutral in all the primaries and certainly the primary for Attorney General is no exception. I think all three candidates are grace."

So, McCaskill doesn't endorse in primaries unless Barack Obama is running and thinks primaries can be a disadvantage unless she's doing the challenging;) We nudge playfully, because its Friday . . .

McCaskill on Obama's South Carolina Rout

On MSNBC, Sen. Claire McCaskill called Senator Obama's primary win in South Carolina "an extraordinary victory."

"Barack Obama was behind by 20 points three months ago. By anybody's measure, it is quite astounding that he has won, and he's won the way he has won. And I'm excited about the young people all over Missouri. I see the young people out working like I've never seen them work before," McCaskill said.

McCaskill made the rural/red state case for Obama pointing to his win in white-Iowa, his close second in white-New Hampshire and his good showing in rural areas of Nevada.

"We've got a long way to go but obviously this is a good night for the Obama campaign," McCaskill said.

She also attempted to build momentum for Obama by citing poll numbers. She said Obama has been able to cut Hillary Clinton's lead in Missouri in half. "Elections in Missouri are decided by independent voters, and guess what, presidential elections are decided by independent voters, and Barack Obama is hitting a chord with independent voters," McCaskill said.

She said that would help him win the most delegates on Super Tuesday, February 5th.

***By the way, earlier in the day, MSNBC's Chuck Todd called Missouri one of the battleground states between the Clinton and Obama campaigns on Super Tuesday.

TOO MUCH NEWS

OBAMA EVENT CANCELLED BECAUSE OF STEELMAN ANNOUNCEMENT

"If you're not there, it's not worth it for us to do."

For now, the scramble that is the Governor's race in Missouri even tops the presidential race.

Tonight, Barack Obama's Missouri campaign has announced it has scrapped a Springfield event because a timing conflict with Sarah Steelman's announcement for Governor.

"If you're not there, it's not worth it for us to do," said one aide to Sen. Claire McCaskill, who was helping coordinate the event.

The Obama campaign has postponed its Springfield event featuring Senator Claire McCaskill has until next weekend. McCaskill and the Obama campaign will be in Springfield next Saturday.

Rep. Lampe Backs Obama

MCCASKILL TAKES ON BILL CLINTON'S TRUTH-TELLING
On Hillary: "It worries me whether . . . we could prevail in Missouri, if she's the nominee."

Springfield Rep. Sara Lampe seems to be endorsing Senator Barack Obama for president.

She has dodged our questions about it for months, and she certainly didn't put out an official release.

But according to an Obama campaign schedule, Lampe will appear with Senator Claire McCaskill and other Springfield area supporters on Saturday at 10 a.m.

Hers's the exact text:

Press Conference with Claire McCaskill and Prominent Springfield Supporters
Who: Sen. Claire McCaskill, State Rep. Sarah Lampe, other Springfield-area supporters
When: Saturday January 26, 2008, 10:00 AM
Where: Greene County Democratic Central Committee Offices
1764 S. Fremont Ave.
Springfield, MO

A canvass of the Springfield area will follow the Saturday press conference.

In a conference call with reporters today, Sen. McCaskill talked about Obama's electability and also took some shots at Hillary Clinton.

"As I look at what candidate in the Democratic Party is going to excite conservatives and Republicans to come out and vote is not Barack Obama," said McCaskill during the conference, with a veiled swipe at Clinton.

"I believe that- they (the Republicans) are going to have problems with their nominee as far as uniting their party. They are frankly in chaos on that side. And I think that the only thing that I can see right now that excites the very conservative base of the Republican Party in Missouri is coming out to vote against Hilary Clinton- and that worries me. It worries me as to whether or not we could prevail in Missouri if she is the nominee," McCaskill added.

McCaskill also took some shots at former President Clinton:

"I would say that I think is really important for President Clinton to think about right now is that because of the larger microphone that he has as a former President, he needs to be very careful with the truth. This is not a time to play fast and loose with the facts. As long as he is careful with the truth, then I don't think any of us are in any way resenting his campaigning. But the fact that he has shaded things and he has tried to manipulate the facts in a way that is unfair. I think that is frankly flat wrong and I think it is demeaning," McCaskill said.

McCaskill In New Nationwide Ad For Obama

Sen. Claire McCaskill is featured in a new campaign ad for Barack Obama that will air on cable networks nationwide, according to Time's The Page.

You can watch the ad HERE.

In the ad, McCaskill touts Obama's U.S. Senate experience, and particularly his work on an ethics bill.

"It was hard to get that ethics bill passed," says McCaskill. "This is a man who knows how to get things done. He understands that we've got to move forward, with a different kind of politics."

Obama Makes 1st Ad Buy in Missouri

SUBSTANTIAL BUY IN SPRINGFIELD MARKET
TO HIT AIR SATURDAY

"It was not an afterthought . . . it's an important part of the strategy."

You'll soon start seeing a lot more of Barack Obama in your living room.

The Obama campaign in Missouri announced a major television advertising buy in the Show-Me-State Friday morning that will blanket St. Louis and Kansas City -- as well as rural markets like Columbia and Springfield.

Obama supporter Sen. Claire McCaskill called it "a substantial buy" in the Springfield area during a conference call Friday morning with reporters. "It was not an afterthought," McCaskill said of the decision to run ads in Southwest Missouri. "It's an important part of the strategy."

The ads will hit the air Saturday. WATCH THE AD HERE.

"People want change in every nook and cranny of Missouri," McCaskill added.

The ad will focus on the issue of healthcare. McCaskill said the topic of healthcare was chosen because "people in Missouri are ready to take a pitchfork" about the rising cost. Specifics on the size of the buy were not available in the conference call with McCaskill, and State Auditor Susan Montee. Details are forthcoming, but McCaskill promised "people will see these ads a number of times in the next few weeks."

"The Obama camp was the first in the state to have offices and staffers, and now it's the first to start running ads as well," noted Montee.

Both John Edwards and Hillary Clinton are making visits to St. Louis Saturday. The Obama campaign has not yet announced a visit, but McCaskill promised reporters he'd be here.

"If Barack Obama does not appear in Missouri between now and February 5th, I'll buy everyone on this call dinner," McCaskill said.

Duly noted, Senator:)

Make sure to check back here in a bit to see the ad Obama will be running.

DEVELOPING . . .