That, and other news, in today's Roundup and Recap.

The spin on cable last night had pundits from the right arguing that the results were a referendum on Obama and those on the left contending that it was the economy. And while exit polls in Viriginia and New Jersey showed that voters made their decisions based on the candidate, not the White House, the truth is that young voters did not show up in anywhere near the numbers that they did a year ago, what Howard Fineman called a "revolution in reverse."

Younger voters traditionally don't show up in off year elections, but the great movement that the Obama campaign tapped into via social networking and grassroots organizing ignored these races, . It has yet be channeled, and certainly it remains to be seen whether it is a meaningful shift of the electorate that will turn out next year.

A group of orgs including Rock the Vote, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and the Energy Action Coalition released a report timed to the one-year anniversary of Obama's election that gave mixed marks on a variety of issues. Erica Williams, deputy director of Campus Progress, says, “The legislative landscape shows a mixed bag: progress on some issues has been steady; on others, non-existent." Their report is here. One blogger for Rock the Vote notes on their site that the lack of turnout is not due to apathy. "This is not a partisan thing, this is an ‘address my issues and I’ll consider giving you my vote’ thing," she writes.  

John Harris in Politico offers an insightful analysis of Obama, one year after the election, and what may be behind the inability of the President to generate a higher turnout after campaigning for Creigh Deeds and Jon Corzine.

Harris writes, "Obama turns out not to be a Bill Clinton-style centrist or a Paul Wellstone-style liberal. His plans for health care and his trillion-plus dollars in new spending have earned the ire of Rush Limbaugh for being too grandiose and of Arianna Huffington for not being grandiose enough.

"Obama is the president as grand improvisationalist: a leader of epic ambitions who — when faced with a difficult choice — almost always pursues his aims with a pedestrian strategy and style.

"This may be a shrewd approach to governing. But it manages almost by definition to defy and disappoint the huge — and wildly divergent — expectations Obama encouraged supporters to harbor for his presidency."

Victoria Espinel, President Obama's nominee to be the first "copyright czar," told the Senate Judiciary Committee that it is "difficult to overstate the importance of intellectual property to the United States today." Her nomination is supported by media congloms and unions.

After the defeat of same-sex marriage in Maine, the spotlight has again shifted to California, where Ted Olson and David Boies are pursuing a case in federal court to overturn Proposition 8. U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker also is considering requests to televise the January trial, a prospect that would certainly elevate the drama to a prospective nationwide audience.

The stinging loss in a New England state, where the mix of libertarianism and liberalism seemed like as good a shot as any, bolsters arguments that attention should be focused on the national level, and that there has to be a rethink of the state-by-state approach. Even further, Olson and Boies have argued that rights of equality aren't the sort of thing that should have to be defended at the ballot box.

Chad Griffin, who has been leading the federal court effort supported by entertainment industry activists, issued this statement today: "Our founding fathers did not intend for people's Constitutional rights to be determined by political campaigns. The results in Maine underscore exactly why we are challenging California's same sex marriage ban in federal court. When the Supreme Court ruled in Loving v. Virginia, more than 70 percent of Americans disapproved of interracial marriage. The U.S. Constitution guarantees equal rights to every American, and when those rights are violated, it is the role of our courts to protect us, regardless of what the polls say."

Equality California, the leading group pushing for same-sex marriage in the state, today issued a statement calling on President Obama's administration to file a brief in support of the Olson and Boies suit, which is officially known as Perry vs. Schwarzenegger. Their statement reflected the frustration at the White House for failing "to actively support efforts to defeat ballot measures," and it revived anger at Obama for not playing a greater role in the No on 8 campaign.

"The President has, at best, remained a silent player against marriage for same-sex couples," the statement said.

"The day before the election, Organizing for America — formerly Obama for America, and a part of the DNC — sent out an email to its members in Maine urging them to volunteer for the election in New Jersey instead of helping defeat Question 1.

"Despite pleas to speak out aggressively, Obama and his administration failed to take leadership, and his Attorney General refused to take a position on Question 1.

"His opposition to ending discrimination in marriage was used by anti-equality extremists in California and other states, yet he refused to denounce their actions."

Griffin today was at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal, which is considering an appeal by the Liberty Counsel to intervene in the case as a co-defendant. Walker denied their effort last month.

Speaking as a strategist for a host of ballot initiatives on various issues, Griffin said that an encouraging aspect of the Maine vote was that it was close. But he said that a big hindrance to victory has been the fact that same-sex marriage supporters have been on the defensive. "Repeatedly across the country, we have been chasing homophobic ballot measures and have been forced to play on their court," he said. Griffin and Bruce Cohen were among the industry figures who raised money to defeat the Maine initiative.

As efforts are underway to place an initiative on the ballot to repeal Proposition 8 in 2010, a big barrier will be raising money, as skeptical donors look to some evidence in polling or in other states that public opinion has shifted.

The GOP got a big boost last night, with wins in Virginia and New Jersey; Democrats could at least point to victories in New York and California congressional races. But no matter how the dynamics of election day 2009 are characterized, no one can deny that the economy had the greatest sway on how people voted. 

Also, is the stinging defeat in Maine a sign that gay marriage supporters may simply have to wait it out for approval at the ballot box?

And we talk to Madeleine Albright about her new book, "Read My Pins: Stories from a Diplomat's Jewel Box," where she shares her insights on Kim Jung Il and Vladimir Putin, as well as whether celebrity diplomacy is really worth the effort.

That's on our latest edition of Wilshire & Washington on the Radio, which you can listen to on the widget at the right or here.

Returns from Virginia, New York and New Jersey are all over cable news and the net, but the most up-to-date results from the Maine and Washington referendums are at Towleroad here.

No matter what spin is placed on today's off-year election, it will not temper the focus on 2012.

Minnesota Governor and presidential prospect Tim Pawlenty will kick-off his new leadership PAC on Wednesday in Minneapolis. with support from Jon Voight and Kelsey Grammer, each of whom will address the fund-raising gathering.

Voight is expected to speak about a simple message about Pawlenty in that the country "is at a clear crossroads." Grammer cannot attend the event, but will call in to address the crowd by speaker phone.

Pawlenty, who is not running for re-election for governor next year, announced earlier last month that he is forming a leadership PAC, called the Freedom First PAC, with money used to help other Republican candidates.

Tickets for the reception at the Hilton Minneapolis are $1,000 per person ($2,000 per couple); and for a reception and dinner, the price is $5,000 per person (or $10,000 per couple).

Voight and Grammer backed John McCain's presidential bid last year.

That, and other news, in today's Roundup and Recap.

Former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush will "debate the most pertinent current events" at Radio City Music Hall on Feb. 25, part of Madison Square Garden Entertainment's "Speaker Series: The Minds that Move the World." Calling it the "hottest ticket in political history," the organizers say, "The series will be formatted to allow for President Clinton and President Bush to each present their thoughts on a wide range of important current events and national issues through a moderated question and answer period during which the moderator can elicit information and insights into particularly pertinent topics of the day.   The moderator for this highly anticipated event will be announced in the coming weeks."

Clinton and Bush also will appear at the Gibson Ampitheatre at Universal City for a public lecture sponsored by the American Jewish University, with tickets (starting at $75) going on sale on Thursday.

Many signs point to a drubbing for Democrats today, with a strong possiblity of losses in the Virginia and New Jersey governorships as well as a congressional seat in upstate New York. And the defeat of a ballot initiative in Maine to approve same sex marriage, a campaign that the Democratic National Committee has stayed out of, would only add to the sting. So what do Democrats do, other than to drown in dashed hopes?

As the results come in, HBO will be debuting "By the People: The Election of Barack Obama," with a behind-the-scenes look at the campaign told largely through the eyes of the volunteers. Amy Rice and Alicia Sams directed the doc, and Edward Norton produces. As always, some footage didn't make it into the final product, including this passage on Obama's use of the phrase "Fired up and ready to go!" The doc may be a booster shot to the most ferevnt Obama supporters, or, depending on their persona, more cause for consternation.

Glenn Beck's successor on CNN Headline News is liberal, outspoken and opinionated, but she's also a voice of surprising moderation. That's the word from a Politico profile of Joy Behar, who has toned things down from her persona on "The View." Nevertheless, she has drawn headlines for some recent interviews, and he numbers are relatively encouraging.

Like Beck, a comedian by trade, Behar says her galvanizing moment in the talk arena came when she saw Jon Stewart taking on the pundits of "Crossfire" back in 2004.

One of the unexpectedly eerie artifacts at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston can be found in the replica of the Oval Office. It is Kennedy's simple desk calendar, turned to November, 1963 and forever stuck there after it was pulled from the desk along with all of the other slain president's possessions in the haste to clear out for Lyndon Johnson.
 
I had that same sort of feeling watching "Mad Men" on Sunday night, with an episode called "The Grown-Ups," that springs the assassination even though I knew it as coming. It was 1963, and the show gave hints that it would capture the four days in November. We just thought it would be next week for the season finale.

Countless documentaries and retrospectives have captured television first 'round the clock moment, when TV news came into its own, to the point where much of the footage of the four days in November looks instantly familiar even to those who weren't born yet.

But what "Mad Men" did was put it in context, an advantage that the show has over even historical fiction or a biopic, for these are characters whose lives have been unfolding over the course of two dozen episodes.

So that is why I had that sense of dread as I watched the scene in which Pete Campbell is looking for consolation from Harry Crane, as a TV plays a soap opera in the background (above). As their conversation progresses, you begin to notice what is on the screen: It is familiar because it has been played so many times before. It's "As the World Turns," played just CBS News cut in with a "Bulletin." But it is even more unnerving because Pete and Harry continue their conversation, ignoring the set with its sound turned down. Only when co-workers rush in to watch the monitor do they realized what is unfolding.
 
Not only did the show characterize the mix of emotions and reactions to the assassination --- they were not all universal in their grief --- but they also showed how they didn't really know how to react to a national tragedy unfolding on TV, in real time for the first time.

"Are we going to the funeral?" Don Draper's son Robert asks his father, after a day mesmerized in front of the TV set.

Having watched Lee Harvey Oswald being shot live on TV, the events appear to send Betty not closer to her husband, but away from him, as she tells him she no longer loves him. Peggy can barely show Don sketches for a hair spray ad that resemble a shot from the Zapruder film. Roger goes forward with his daughters wedding, even as the bride reacts sardonically to the mention that the church was packed. "Those weren't our guests," she says.

Other fictional biopics and movies have captured the Kennedy assassination as a backdrop to another storyline, but often made the melodramatic mistake of having characters react to the history happening around them rather than the actual events. In its own, winding way, "Mad Men" managed to do both.

Cynthia Littleton has a great recap of the episode here.

It will be interesting if they get anywhere: Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) are big champions of the Performance Rights Act, which would for the first time require that radio broadcasters pay musicians when their songs are played on the radio. The measure has passed each of the respective Judiciary Committees they chair, but today they released a letter calling on both sides to sit down and hash this out. They have set Nov. 17 as the date that reps from each side sit down and meet, with a cutoff date of Dec. 1.

As I've written before, this is one of the most contentious show biz issues in Washington this year, with recording artists using their star power to sway legislators, and broadcasters using their reach on the airwaves to call the bill no less than a "tax." They've also been quick to point out that the bill has the backing of the Recording Industry Assn. of America, and that record labels stand to gain from such a new fee.

The issue also crosses party lines, with no clear party backing or opposing either side. (The invite to the meeting also was signed by James Sensenbrenner, Howard Berman, Orrin Hatch and Darrell Issa). The fact that Leahy and Conyers have called for negotiation reflects an ongoing concern of lawmakers that they are stepping in to an intra-show biz squabble.

The MusicFIRST Coalition, repping artists and record labels in lobbying for the bill, calls it an "important next step." "We have always said we are ready to sit down with NAB and others in the music and radio business to create a performance right that is fair to artists, musicians and rights holders and fair to radio."

It's unclear when the bills will make it to the floor, and whether this call for a meeting reflects a kind of stalemate. Broadcasters have been gathering signatures for a resolution to not impose such a performance fee. According to the National Assn. of Broadcasters, 252 House members 27 senators have signed the resolution.

NAB's new president, Gordon Smith, its joint board chairman Steve Newberry and exec VP Dennis Wharton issued a statement saying that "of course" they "are willing to talk with members of Congress on this issue and any issue that could negatively impact the ability of free and local hometown radio stations to serve our listeners.

"We would hope that any discussions would also include the nearly 300 members of Congress who oppose the RIAA-backed bill."

In other words, sure they will meet, but it doesn't mean they will negotiate.

WireImage photo: Billy Corgan testifies in April.

Bryan Lourd, Yo-Yo Ma, Liz Manne, Edward Norton, Sarah Jessica Parker, Andy Spahn, Kerry Washington, Forest Whitaker, Anna Wintour, George C. Wolfe and Alfre Woodard are among the 25 names on President Obama's Committee on the Arts and Humanities.

The committee will be chaired by George Stevens Jr. and Margo Lion, with Mary Schmidt Campbell as vice chair, and one of their tasks will be to elevate the role of the arts in society. Michelle Obama is the honorary chair.

The committee’s executive director is Rachel Goslins, an attorney and independent producer who also is the wife of FCC chairman Julius Genachowski.

Many of the committee members were avid supporters of Obama during the campaign. Lourd, for instance, hosted a fund-raiser at his home that featured Michelle Obama. Wintour and Calvin Klein also hosted the future First Lady for an event. Whitaker and Washington stumped for Obama, and Parker worked the phones. Spahn played a central role in organizing the first major industry fund-raiser for the candidate. And Norton was on the trail with the candidate as he was producing the documentary "By the People," debuting on HBO on Tuesday. 

Others on the list include Inktel Direct CEO J. Ricky Arriola; Madeleine Harris Berman, board member on the Americans for the Arts; Minnesota state Sen. Richard J. Cohen; Henry Crown & Co. principal Paula Hannaway Crown; marketing and branding exec Christine Forester; philanthropist Teresa Heinz; educational consultant Victoria Strauss Kennedy; Anne Luzzatto; architect Thom Mayne; lawyer Jill Cooper Udall; Booz Hamilton exec VP Reginald Van Lee; Agnes Varis, founder of Agvar Chemicals and Modavar Pharmaceuticals; Blue Texas PAC founder Alexa L. Wesner; and ballet dancer Damian Woetzel.

The latest polling in Maine looks familiar: Gay marriage opponents appear to be on the upswing, on a ballot initiative that is just as confusing as Proposition 8 last year. (A "yes" vote means "no").

I'm no expert on the Maine electorate --- see here and here for some very good coverage --- but based on the way the issue has been presented to voters in ads, opponents of gay nuptials have the advantage of raw emotion while the No on 1 camp has been consumed with the idea of fairness.

In a dire economy, conservative backlash and other simmering angers will the advantage go to those who can tug at people's personal fears rather than civic values of equality?

As you will see from a sampling of ad spots, the Yes on 1 campaign lately is trying to have it both ways, with one spot referring to "homosexual marriage" being taught in schools, and another assuring voters with the claim that they can still reject same-sex marriage and support equal rights for gays and lesbians. It even calls for "being tolerant of gays" with an existing domestic partnership law in place, even though its other spots present the fight for "homosexual" rights as a threat against kids. ("They are already pushing their agenda in Maine schools.")

The No on 1 campaign isn't replicating the No on 8 playbook, and is much more upfront in featuring same-sex parents, along with straight families. That was one of the big criticisms of Prop 8 last year, that the campaign for marriage equality shied away from actually featuring gays. Tuesday's vote will be a test of whether that actually makes a difference.

In the spots, the No on 1 campaign mentions the state's residents being "able to live the life they want to live, without interfering," an appeal to the libertarian streak of conservatism. And they counter the "threat" to children by charging that same-sex marriage opponents "harm our kids" and trying to "make them feel ashamed." (I wasn't too crazy about one spot that featured puppets, although it didn't get as much play.) It is an emotional pull, but not quite the same level of raw fear of families under siege that the Yes on 1 side has been presenting.

I still believe that the most effective spot was not even one that was made for te airwaves, but a viral video of World War II veteran Phillip Spooner arguing for marriage equality at legislative hearings last spring. It has more than 500,000 views, and may be the best example yet of the emotional side of equality.

My colleague Dave McNary has a good story that may surprise those who view Hollywood as unscathed by the recession and the spiraling costs of health care: In fact, anxieties are running high throughout the industry that the shortage of jobs will cost many workers their benefits, particularly freelance workers who earn credits to qualify for guild and union plans. And as Dave notes, the plans themselves are having trouble staying afloat.

I have a companion piece, on how entertainment industry activists are more hesitant to enter the health care debate, as it is not only the source of polarized opinions, but is a legislative moving target. Some of the  exceptions are Will Ferrell, Zach Braff and Heather Graham, each of whom have appeared on satirical videos, as well as Paul Simon, a longtime advocate for children's health who has been working the halls of Congress.

Barry Levinson's documentary "PoliWood," which debuts tonight on Showtime, starts with the famous scene from his movie "Avalon," with a family mesmerized by the new TV set in their midst, not uttering a word to one another.

Throughout his documentary, Levinson outlines the impact that television has had on society and the electoral process, including the rise of the celebrity as political spokesperson. But while there is plenty of indictment of 24-cable news and campaign stagecraft, "PoliWood" often defends the right of Hollywood figures to step into the political fray.

Here's my interview with Levinson and his documentary, which focuses on the Creative Coalition members as they make their way through the Democratic and Republican conventions last year and the inauguration this year.

Madeleine Albright appeared in Beverly Hills the other day to promote her new book, "Read My Pins," an interesting account of how she tied her brooches to public diplomacy.

I chatted with her briefly about the book as well as the preponderance of celebrity diplomats, particularly those on humanitarian missions in Africa and those calling for greater U.S. action in Darfur. Of the latter, there has been some cynicism as to whether all of the star call-to-awareness has been worth it, given the lack of progress in swaying the government of Khartoum.

She disagreed.

"If they take their stardom in a way that furthers causes, I think that is a very good thing," she says. "A lot of actors are very committed and very smart people and focus in on the issues directly. They can articulate them, and I think it has made a big difference."

The complete story is here.

You can find no greater fan of "Mad Men" than myself, and I liked this essay in the Wall Street Journal from John Meroney, who singles out the show for its depiction of Conrad Hilton, played by Chelcie Ross.

Although Hilton is eccentric, Meroney writes that "to many viewers Hilton may seem unusual—and he does represent a refreshing break from Hollywood's negative depictions of corporate businessmen. The Hilton character in the show, like the real-life man on whom he is based, was a Christian anticommunist who believed that America and capitalism were positive forces in the world."

I don't have quite the same reaction of Hilton, who seems to also have shades of Sam Zell, but Meroney's point is that he provides a counterweight to what is unfolding on the show, the turbulent 1960s that other filmmmakers have mythologized in favor of the youth revolt. What I hope is that the show presents a nuanced view of conservativism and liberalism that is framed by that era rather than the rather cartoonish standards of today.

Meroney writes, "In this case, the show has chosen the right man, whose proud, wholesome, pro-American views—lest we forget—were as emblematic of the 1960s as the social turmoil to come. "There were people like Hilton," [creator Matthew] Weiner says, "and I love what he was about.""

Attorney General Jerry Brown's spokesman secretly taped a phone conversation with San Francisco Chronicle reporter Carla Marinucci --- a violation of state law. And that spokesman, Scott Gerber, has admitted taping other conversations.

"Here's the implication: Reporters now have one hell of a story about a guy who's running for governor of California," said Lucy Dalglish, executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, tells the Chronicle. "He's just lit a fire under a real big political thing."

It's hard to tell, though, what is more of a potentially damaging issue for Brown: The secret taping or that fact that Marinucci had been working on a story about Brown revising ballot language on an auto insurance initiative, with a watchdog group claiming that he was removing mention that it would increase rates. Mistrust of auto insurance companies is a California pasttime.

This is a story that probably would have gotten buried by the Newsom news had Brown's spokesman not recorded the calls, trigger more media interest.

When Bill Clinton endorsed Gavin Newsom, some pundits called it a game-changer: A former president stepping into a presidential primary so early in the process.

But now that Newsom is out of the race, what does it say about Clinton's ability to drum up support and campaign cash?

Earlier this year, Clinton was a big backer of Terry McAuliffe's bid for governor of Virginia, which ended with his loss to Creigh Deeds. Nevertheless, even as Clinton was pummeled in the media for his wife's defeat in the South Carolina presidential primary in 2008, he campaigned aggressively in California, which she won handily.

The fund-raiser that Newsom held with Clinton on Oct. 5 drew healthy turnout, but apparently not nearly enough money to trigger a flow of money to his campaign coffers. The week before, the DreamWorks trio of Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen announced their endorsement of Jerry Brown, no mere coincidence as the Newsom team was fielding donors for its big event.

Although Brown's upcoming fund-raiser will be his first major fete for his gubernatorial bid, he's been aggressively lining up donors and fund-raisers for months, calling and visiting them personally. Those he couldn't convince to stay in his camp may have at least stayed out of it. It's still early, after all, and the gubernatorial race was hardly generating the excitement of the Clinton-Obama rivalry in Hollywood.

The big surprise would be if Clinton again ventures into California gubernatorial politics any time soon. There was no love lost between Clinton and Brown, both rivals for the Democratic nomination in 1992, or, for that matter, between Clinton and Geffen, whose falling out came to the fore in the early days of the 2008 presidential race.

If anything, Newsom's exit shows the limits of endorsements, even of the presidential sort. Newsom ran a campaign that sought to embrace the kind of youthful energy of Obama's run, but left lingering were doubts on how voters statewide would treat some of his negatives. Clinton's support certainly didn't hurt Newsom, but it didn't alleviate the anxiety of whether the San Francisco mayor really could win.

Update: Karen Ocamb writes that Newsom may have one person to thank for his scuttled gubernatorial bid: Frank Schubert. He's the political consultant who created the pro-Prop 8 ad last year that tried to make Newsom a scary figure to statewide voters. It features a clip of Newsom celebrating the state Supreme Court's decision to approve same-sex marriage, and the San Francisco mayor says that gay nuptials are coming to the state "whether you like it or not."

Photo of Brown and Newsom: Karen Ocamb

Oprah Winfrey, George Clooney and Brad Pitt all appear on the logs of the initial batch of visitor records released by the White House today, but the more discreet entertainment figures may not have to worry about their names being disclosed.

The White House unveiled the list of visits dating from Jan. 20 to Sept. 15, but the names are only those that have been specifically requested. The Obama administration plans to release visitor records on a regular basis starting in late December, although the lists will be 90 days after the fact and will not include those coming to the Executive Mansion for purely personal visits with the President and First Lady.

Winfrey visited twice, once for a late-night reception on inauguration day, Jan. 20, and another time on Feb. 17 to interview Michelle Obama.

Clooney's visit on Feb. 23 was to visit Vice President Joseph Biden to talk about the crisis in Darfur, but the logs do not mention his short, last-minute visit with President Obama or Clooney's press conference on the White House driveway.

The record for Pitt's March 5 visit to the White House mentions meeting with adviser Melody Barnes and Kate Brandt, special assistant to Carol Browner, but does not cite his meeting with Obama, where he discussed his Make It Right project in New Orleans. Pitt was joined in his visit meeting by producer Steve Bing and their political advisers Trevor Neilson and Chad Griffin.

Hill Harper, who went to law school with Obama, visited twice, once on May 12 to meet Obama as part of a poetry reading, and again on May 14 to meet with Karen Anderson of the Council on Women and Girls.

Obama's team agreed to release the records in response to lawsuits brought by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. In unveiling the names on Friday afternoon --- in what is known as a document dump --- the White House also expressed words of caution of not assuming those on the list are who they appear to be.

White House special counsel Norm Eisen wrote, "A lot of people visit the White House, up to 100,000 each month, with many of those folks coming to tour the buildings. Given this large amount of data, the records we are publishing today include a few “false positives” – names that make you think of a well-known person, but are actually someone else.  In September, requests were submitted for the names of some famous or controversial figures (for example Michael Jordan, William Ayers, Michael Moore, Jeremiah Wright, Robert Kelly ("R. Kelly"), and Malik Shabazz).  The well-known individuals with those names never actually came to the White House.  Nevertheless, we were asked for those names and so we have included records for those individuals who were here and share the same names."

A case in point: Denzel Washington's name pops up for two visits, one on May 7 and another on May 9, but he was part of a White House tour.

Updated

Gavin Newsom is dropping out of the race for governor of California.

The mayor of San Francisco issued a statement today citing his family responsibilities and city hall commitments as the reasons for not pursuing the job of replacing Arnold Schwarzenegger in Sacramento.

But his campaign, which he officially launched in March, had trouble gaining much traction and, despite some significant support from some high profile industry donors, posted lackluster fund-raising results overall.

Newsom was facing a stiff challenge from California Attorney General Jerry Brown, who recently received the endorsements of Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen.

Brown is not officially in the race, but last month set up an exploratory committee. Before that, he had been raising money for his reelection campaign for attorney general, money that can be rolled into his gubernatorial bid, and even by those marks had outraised Newsom.

Newsom had lined up a significant list of names in Hollywood, like Ari Emanuel, Ben Silverman, Jeffrey Kwatinetz and Chris Silbermann, as well as such celebrities as Ryan Seacrest and Rosie O'Donnell. With his support of same-sex marriage, he also had drawn gay and lesbian supporters in the business, such as Skip Paul and Bruce Cohen.

He was even scheduled to attend a fund-raiser this evening at the home of producer Bill Block, who recently wrote a check for $6,000, and there were plans for an event at Emanuel's home in December. One source said Newsom cancelled an appearance at Block's event on Thursday afternoon, citing pressing business in San Francisco.

More than anything, Newsom's endorsement by former President Bill Clinton, along with a campaign swing and fund-raiser earlier this month, were events that his campaign had hoped would provide a jolt. But those numbers, too, were apparently disappointing, based on initial campaign disclosure reports.

Newsom's spokesman, Peter Ragone, told the Los Angeles Times, "He needed to spend most of his waking hours raising money for the next few months in order for the campaign to be viable."

Even as industry supporters expressed surprise at the news today, rumors had been swirling for the past month or so that Newsom was considering dropping out, perhaps to seek the lieutenant governor slot instead. He made no mention of seeking that slot in today's announcement.

Although Newsom's departure leaves the field open for Brown, there has been some speculation that another Democrat could get in the race, such as Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.), who fell short in her bid for governor in 1998. To be viable, any candidate who gets in the race would have to have a strong network of fund-raisers or the ability to self finance, both to face Brown's strength and the general election challenge of potential Republican nominees Meg Whitman and Steve Poizner, millionaires who already have written substantial checks for their own bids.

Andy Spahn, political adviser to the DreamWorks founders, said that he started to reach out to Newsom donors this afternoon, e-mailing the withdrawal announcement. Even before Newsom ended his bid, he said, the fund-raiser had been on track to raise in the seven figures. The Nov. 18 event, with tickets starting at $5,000 per person, will be held at the home of Sandy Gallin, and the list of co-hosts also includes J.J. Abrams and Katie McGrath, Wallis Annenberg, Diane von Furstenberg and Barry Diller, Larry Ellison and John Emerson. Among those who have contributed to his exploratory committee is James Nederlander, who has chipped in $25,000.

Here is the statement from Newsom:

"It is with great regret I announce today that I am withdrawing from the race for governor of California. With a young family and responsibilities at city hall, I have found it impossible to commit the time required to complete this effort the way it needs to — and should be — done.

"This is not an easy decision. But it is one made with the best intentions for my wife, my daughter, the residents of the city and county of San Francisco, and California Democrats.

"When I embarked on this campaign in April, my goal was to engage thousands and thousands of Californians dedicated to reforming our broken system and bringing change to Sacramento.

"I would like to thank those supporters, volunteers, and donors who have worked so hard on my behalf. I have been humbled by their support and am indebted to their efforts. They represent the spirit of change and determination essential to putting California back on the right track.

"I will continue to fight for change and the causes and issues for which I care deeply — universal health care, a cleaner environment, and a green economy for our families, better education for our children, and, of course, equal rights under the law for all citizens."

-- posted by Josh Marks

Groups on the left have hounded journalists with proof that the White House is on the mark when it claims that Fox News' news programming, as opinion programming, is biased. Last night, Jon Stewart did the job for them --- with some needling of Valerie Jarrett for not sticking to the latest line of argument.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
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That, and other news, in today's Roundup and Recap.

In an interview, Sting sings President Obama's praises, but is also fascinated by the right's pushback. "In many ways, he's sent from God, because the world's a mess," he joked to the AP.

A Scientology spokesman denied that the church supported Proposition 8, but the text of ex-member Paul Haggis' letter shows that the issue was about refusing to denounce homophobia.

Obama's signing of the hate crimes bill was followed by a reception co-sponsored by the David Bohnett Foundation, and Bohnett was among those in attendance along with David Mixner, Judy Shepard, congressional leaders and Cyndi Lauper.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs met with a Fox News official on Wednesday, but Obama senior adviser Valerie Jarrett still has some (guarded) criticism of the news network.

Sorry for the technical glitches earlier today...

More than 40% of Barack Obama's top fundraisers have secured posts in his administration, and more than half of the ambassadors that he has named so far are political appointees.

This comes from a story in USA Today, which breaks down the numbers. It's particularly disconcerting for groups like the American Foreign Service Assn., which called on Obama to limit the selection of fund-raisers over career foreign diplomats. They now say that the percentage of political appointees is higher than at any point in four decades.

Among the entertainment figures tapped by Obama are Nicole Avant and Charlie Rivkin, his finance co-chairs in Southern California who are now ambassadors to the Bahamas and France, respectively. Others on the list who have landed posts include Rocco Landesman, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts; Julius Genachowski, chairman of the FCC; and William Kennard, ambassador to the European Union. Kennard is not yet confirmed.

Here's a piece I did in June on the whole practice of awarding ambassadorships to non-careerists, which is older than you think.

It's no secret that California Gov, Arnold Schwarzenegger was unhappy with the state legislature, but his statement in vetoing a recent bill is worthy of Dan Brown. If you read the first letter on each line, it is a "f--k you" --- perhaps, as some have suggested, directed at one of the bill's authors, assemblyman Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco), a rival. (Ammiano's vetoed bill is here). A spokesman for the governor says that it was a coincidence, but a cryptologist apparently told NPR that the oodds of such a thing are 5.5 in one trillion.

The letter is below. Start on the line, "For some time now..."

Al Gore is building an online wall for a clean energy economy.

The former vice president and star of environmental documentary "An Inconvenient Truth," is reaching out to college students, celebrities, activists, corporations and others in a new initiative through his Alliance for Climate Protection's green jobs project -- Repower America.

In a conference call to supporters this evening, Repower America campaign manager Dave Boundy previewed a new initiative called the Repower America Wall.

The new website www.repoweramerica.org/wall offers an opportunity for anyone to upload a video calling on our leaders to support a clean energy future. The result they hope will be a powerful show of force with thousands of videos scrolling across the screen.

There are already videos posted to the site including some notable participants. Musician Sheryl Crow, actress Fran Drescher, "The Wire" screenwriter George Pelecanos and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg are among the recognizable faces.

Corporate sponsors include Pepsico, Ebay, Whole Foods, Lifetime, Nike, North Face, Levis Strauss & Co. and Starbucks.

In the conference call Boundy stated that the initiative's goal is to create a "national chorus" for clean energy jobs and that they want to engage more than five million people in the campaign.

-- posted by Josh Marks