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Countdown to Iowa: 17 Days

Sunday, Hillary Clinton launched her Hill-a-Copter tour which will take her to 99 Iowa counties by Thursday. A reporter from the Boston Globe is accompanying the tour.

Tomorrow, she will be on all six morning shows: ABC's Good Morning America, NBC's Today, CBS' Early Show, Fox News Channel's Fox & Friends, MSNBC's Morning Joe and CNN's American Morning.

Her latest endorsements: Former Nebraska Senator Bob Kerrey and Maine Governor John Baldacci. The other governors supporting her are New York's Eliot Spitzer, New Jersey's Jon Corzine, Ohio's Ted Strickland, Maryland's Martin O'Malley, Arkansas' Mike Beebe and Michigan's Jennifer Granholm.

Obama's getting help from a long-time friend, Mike Jordan, an insurance agent from Chicago who goes to Iowa every weekend to stump for the candidate. At an Iowa town hall meeting, Obama addressed how he'd create a better educated workforce. He also "pledged to bring troops home within 16 months of taking office." At a news conference just before the town hall meeting in Saturday, Obama focused on toy safety.

Joe Biden told a group in Iowa they don't want a candidate without foreign policy experience. [More...]

“I think the American people intuitively know there is one thing you do not want based on the past 15 years. You don’t want a governor who doesn’t know about foreign policy,” he said to a crowd of about 35 who listened to him for an hour and a half here at Smokey Row Coffeehouse.

Catch the word "intuitively." That's the same word the Boston Globe used in endorsing Obama:

America needs a president with an intuitive sense of the wider world, with all its perils and opportunities. Senator Barack Obama of Illinois has this understanding at his core.

Bill Richardson told his supporters he believes he can win Iowa.

“I can bring in four states that usually vote Republican,” Richardson said, referring to New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and Nevada. “If Senator Kerry had won those and still lost Ohio, he’d be president today.”

“Who’s the Democrat the Republicans fear to run against most? It’s me.” he added. “And I bet you I can win a state like Iowa. People know that I have the foreign policy experience, and we can’t have a president who needs on-the-job training in that area.”

John Edwards, as I wrote earlier, spent the morning on the Sunday talk shows and got the cover of Newsweek. And a Boston Globe reporter says Iowa voters are giving him a second look.

Iowa's uncertainty has given new life to Edwards, who has been banking on a win here to keep his campaign alive against two very well-funded rivals.

Edwards's campaign events do not attract the massive crowds that turn out to see Clinton and Obama, who are now deadlocked for the lead in opinion polls. But Edwards's supporters are devoted and enthusiastic, pledging to turn out on an evening in January, however cold and snowy, to caucus for their candidate.

Chris Dodd kicked off his "12 Days of Results" Tour in Grinnell Iowa Saturday. He's highlighting his past achievements for women and children.

Undoubtedly, he's on his way back to Washington today, to prepare for the filibuster he's leading tomorrow on FISA. From the campaign schedule, it looks like Hillary and Obama will be in Iowa, not Washington Monday.

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  • Display: Sort:
    Clinton and Obama should be in D.C. (none / 0) (#1)
    by oculus on Mon Dec 17, 2007 at 12:29:52 AM EST
    for FISA proceedings.

    Frank Rich seems to be leaning Obama and he actually referred to Clinton's "shrill" campaign in his Sunday NYT piece.  Kind of startling to read.

    seems to be? (none / 0) (#2)
    by Jeralyn on Mon Dec 17, 2007 at 12:44:34 AM EST
    It was a hatchet piece on one and love fest for the other.

    Parent
    You are probably right. I just (none / 0) (#3)
    by oculus on Mon Dec 17, 2007 at 01:02:46 AM EST
    didn't see it coming.

    Parent
    well (none / 0) (#4)
    by Jgarza on Mon Dec 17, 2007 at 09:32:26 AM EST
    Paul Kurgman did just the opposite so i guess the NYtimes is even.

    Parent
    Clinton and Obama are both touting themselves (none / 0) (#5)
    by hellskitchen on Mon Dec 17, 2007 at 09:57:00 AM EST
    as leaders of accomplishment.

    They vowed to filibuster retroactive immunity for the telecoms - and did so publicly.

    Where is their leadership, where is their accomplishment if they're no-shows in DC for the filibuster?