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The Morning Grind / Political Hot Topics |
Clark abandons bid
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Southern strategy: After disappointing third-place finishes in the South, Gen. Wesley Clark is leaving the race.
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VIDEO
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CNN's Kelly Wallace on Sen. John Kerry's latest convincing primary wins.
CNN's Dan Lothian reports on retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark's decision to end his bid.
Despite finishing second, John Edwards says he's excited about his prospects.
Howard Dean says his supporters want fundamental change.
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SPECIAL REPORT
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Check out the links below to hot political stories around the country this morning.
• CLARK DROPS OUT: Wesley Clark is abandoning his race for the Democratic presidential nomination after third-place finishes in the Tennessee and Virginia primaries demolished his argument that he was the Democrat best qualified to carry the South against President Bush November.
The New York Times: Clark ending his campaign after poor showing in South
• KERRY TAKES TWO: John Kerry rolled to commanding victories in the Tennessee and Virginia primaries on Tuesday, solidifying his position as the perhaps unstoppable front-runner for the Democratic nomination and dealing a serious blow to his two Southern rivals.
The New York Times: Kerry sweeps to two victories as Clark drops out of race
• HEARTS AND MINDS: On the stump, Kerry embodies the quality of gravitas, his serious demeanor often cited by Democratic voters looking for "electability" in their nominee. Edwards, on the other hand, embodies the irrepressible optimism of the American personality. Kerry, it might be said, appeals to the head, and Edwards to the heart.
The Los Angeles Times: To each his own approach
• SO GOES WISCONSIN: Howard Dean could have hardly found more favorable turf on which to seek a rebound for his presidential candidacy than this state, the birthplace of progressivism. But as Wisconsin voters prepare for their primary next Tuesday, Dean and John Edwards are confronting the growing possibility that John Kerry's momentum will be too hard to stop.
The Boston Globe: No inroads seen for Kerry rivals
• BUSH TO FIRE BACK: President Bush plans to endorse a constitutional amendment that would define marriage as the union of a man and a woman in response to a Massachusetts court decision requiring legal recognition of gay marriages in that state.
The Washington Post: Bush plans to back marriage amendment
• A THOUSAND WORDS: A photograph of John Kerry together with Jane Fonda at an anti-Vietnam War rally in 1970 in Pennsylvania has surfaced on the Internet, angering veterans who say his association with her 34 years ago is a slap in the faces of Vietnam War veterans.
The Washington Times: Photo of Kerry with Fonda enrages Vietnam veterans
• CLIMB ABOARD: The South climbed aboard John Kerry's bandwagon last night, propelling him ever closer to what rivals and party leaders call a near-lock on the nomination to face President Bush.
The Washington Post: For party, compass points to Kerry
• ATTACK MONEY: Former senator Robert Torricelli, who is raising money for Democratic presidential front-runner John Kerry, contributed $50,000 to a secretive group that ran hard-hitting television ads against Howard Dean in December, a new Federal Election Commission filing shows.
The Washington Post: Kerry fund-raiser helped finance anti-Dean ads
• A KERRY-EDWARDS TICKET?: It is the question that John Edwards is asked in virtually every television interview, the question that suggests he's running out of gas, the question that drives his staff up the wall: Would you agree to be John Kerry's running mate?
The Washington Post: The veepstakes obsession
Compiled by Heather Riley
