I will be on a break this week --- a short vacation to Europe. While I am gone, my colleague in Washington, Bill Triplett, will be handling website duties, with a great D.C. bent to all of the week's news and postings.

I will be back on Oct. 8. In the meantime, thanks for reading.

Ted Johnson

That, and other news, in today's Political Panorama.

After stumping in a big way for John Kerry, only to see him go down in defeat, Bruce Springsteen has not abandoned his political rhetoric. His latest album "Magic" is billed as a return to pop for the Boss, but it is nonetheless biting on the Bush administration, according to a profile in the New York Times.

Writes A.O. Scott, "While the songs on “Magic” characteristically avoid explicit topical references, there is no mistaking that the source of the unease is, to a great extent, political. The title track, Mr. Springsteen explained, is about the manufacture of illusion, about the Bush administration’s stated commitment to creating its own reality.

“This is a record about self-subversion,” he told me, about the way the country has sabotaged and corrupted its ideals and traditions. And in its own way the album itself is deliberately self-subverting, troubling its smooth, pleasing surfaces with the blunt acknowledgment of some rough, unpleasant facts.

"In conversation, Mr. Springsteen has a lot to say about what has happened in America over the last six years: “Disheartening and heartbreaking. Not to mention enraging” is how he sums it up."

You may remember that back in 2004, much was made of the fact that Springsteen went out and campaign for Kerry, and the worries that by doing so he made alienate a portion of his audience. In fact, even though Kerry lost, that never happened. And Springsteen's event with Kerry in Madison, Wis., was among the biggest and most successful rallies of the fall campaign.

Here's a clip --- albeit not the best quality.

Bill's Will: On "Meet the Press" on Sunday, Bill Clinton modified his previous support of some forms of torture, and he did it by framing the issue in terms of "24" and Jack Bauer. From the Los Angeles Times' Top of the Ticket blog:

"Clinton said he didn’t know what he would do if confronted with the proverbial ticking bomb and terrorist in hand, but suggested -- currying no favor with the intelligence community -- that agents could torture but be prepared to face the consequences for violating the law or Geneva Conventions.

"I think what our policy ought to be is to be uncompromisingly opposed to terror--I mean to torture, and that if you're the Jack Bauer person, you'll do whatever you do and you should be prepared to take the consequences," he said. "And I think the consequences will be imposed based on what turns out to be the truth."

Fred's Money: Fred Thompson pulled in $8 million in the third quarter, with a big chuink from contributions from donors in Tennessee.

Obama Boost?: Barack Obama leads among likely caucusgoers in Iowa --- ever so slightly --- according to the latest Newsweek poll, giving his campaign a dose of good news at an opportune time.

Updated

That, and other news, in today's Political Panorama.

Democrats appear to have succeeded in their efforts to scuttle a proposed initiative that would change the way that California chooses its electors. According to the Los Angeles Times, key backers behind Californians for Equal Representation, the group gathering signatures for the measure, have resigned, putting in doubt the group's ability to get the initiative on the ballot in time for the 2008 election.

Thomas Hiltachk, the lawyer who had led the effort, and Kevin Eckery, the group's spokesman, quit after they were unable to raise enough money and because one of its major donors failed to disclose the source of his contribution. That donor, Missouri attorney Charles Hurth III, had contributed $175,000.

Opponents called the initiative a "partisan power grab," because its formula would have  switched the way that the state awarded its 55 electors to presidential candidates. Instead of a winner-take-all system, they would have been awarded by the winner in each congressional district. Such an effort, had it been in place, would have cost  John Kerry 20 electoral votes in the 2004 election, for example.

Democrats mobilized quickly against it, enlisting Steve Bing as one of the potential major donors and drawing support from the likes of Norman Lear. Bradley Whitford shot a web ad that debuted this week on the Courage Campaign website. This week, they had questioned where the opposition was getting its money, and played up Hurth's connections to the Rudy Giuliani campaign as one of the former New York mayor's donors.

The effort isn't officially dead, as a major backer could still come along and fund it. But time is running out, as signatures have to be gathered in the next two months to get it on the June, 2008 ballot.

And the leader of opposition group Californians for Fair Election Reform was cautious about declaring it over.

Democratic strategist Chris Lehane said in an e-mail to Variety today, "We will treat this the same way Ronald Reagan treated the Commies --- trust but verify. We want to make sure that this is not  some kind of ploy to play political possum.  It is clear that the legal exposure that they faced from the creation pf these Nixonian front groups to launder their money, he revelations of the Giuliani-donor connections and the media/blogger scrutiny all led to what appears to be a mass resignation by the folks who cooked up this power grab in the first place."

And Lehane added this, which is a good note to go out on: "Part of me is wondering whether this is some kind of Republican Vinny the Chin strategy --- distract people by acting crazily."

Antonio's Admission: Antonio Villaraigosa told Michael Eisner, of all people, that he talked with Hillary Clinton about his affair with Mirthala Salinas. Appearing on Eisner's CNBC talk show, Villaraigosa didn't offer too many details, and Eisner didn't press him, but he did keep coming back to the topic, reports L.A. Observed. Video here.

MySpace Place: A very casual John Edwards participated in the MTV/MySpace forum, which turned out to be more substance than style.

McCain's Dinner: Per USA Today, John McCain dined with James Gandolfini, so is an endorsement in the offing? "Next step?" McCain asked, and grinned. "Maybe have some of my opponents' legs broken?"

Tyra Politics: Barack Obama taped an appearance on Tyra Banks' talk show on Thursday, but that doesn't mean that the host has endorsed his candidacy (she has contributed to it, though). Banks says, "If you look at a lot of people in the field we're in, they're constantly endorsing everything - from a new purse to a new hotel. This is just another thing [to endorse]. I love Oprah using her power, because she has the influence to change what she feels is necessary. [But] Oprah has been endorsing a lot of things. I can't say I'll publicly be endorsing a candidate, but it's something I'm thinking about."

"Bill, what were you trying to say?" asked Jesse Jackson on "The O'Reilly Factor," which devoted a significant portion of Thursday's show to Bill O'Reilly's pushback against accusations that comments he made about a dinner he had at a Harlem restaurant were racially insensitive.

While Jackson suggested that O'Reilly's comment came across as underestimating "the civility of blacks," he said the bigger issue was that the brouhaha obscured more substantive issues this week, like the 50th anniversary of the desegregation of Little Rock High School and the challenge of "resegregation" in schools.

"That to me was more insulting," Jackson told O'Reilly.

The entire incident, first highlighted by progressive watchdog group Media Matters earlier this week, ignited what has been a back and forth between O'Reilly and some of his detractors. O'Reilly has accused news outlets like the New York Times and CNN of distorting what he said, calling it a "witchhunt."

"The point right here is to get beyond the smashing and counter-smashing," Jackson said.

But it's not over yet. O'Reilly also pointed to one CNN guest's use of the term "the eternally happy Negro" to describe Juan Williams in one CNN segment on the controversy.

This naturally is fodder for O'Reilly, but it may be even better publicity for Media Matters, which doesn't have a popular nightly cable forum. On their website, the group said that although "O'Reilly claimed Media Matters has personally attacked him," he "failed to offer any examples."

Video of Jackson's interview here.

And here's the CNN segment.

Fran Drescher is in D.C. again, so the question is – is she an actress today, or a lobbyist?

And you might say – well, um, there’s a difference?

Since both politics and showbiz depend so heavily on strong narratives for leading characters, the skill sets of each overlap conveniently.

“Being executive producer of ‘The Nanny’ gave me experience on how to run a company and turn it into something,” says the Queens native (yes, that is her real voice). “And I’ve applied it to this, coming up with an idea and turning it into a movement.”

That would be her dedication to raising awareness and improving screening of gynecological cancers, which she knows all too well, being a survivor of one. Her nonprofit org, Cancer Schmancer, pretty much single-handedly fought for congressional legislation aimed at ensuring that women’s cancers are diagnosed early, when they are most treatable.

The bill was signed into law last January, but she has been coming back to Capitol Hill regularly ever since to make sure it receives adequate funding.

Hence, the reason she’s in town again and why she’s being feted at the posh eatery Teatro Goldoni, deep in the heart of K Street’s blue-suit corridor.

“Washington is really the bigger stage because what happens here is so important and has so much impact on us all,” she says. “If a studio makes a stinker of a movie, no skin off our noses. But what happens here really matters.”

Assuming you can cut through the old-boy machismo that still weighs down some corners of congress.

“I remember when we were still trying to get the bill passed,” Drescher says. “I was sending e-mails to all the senators saying, ‘Let’s not make this a battle of balls, otherwise women will lose.'”

---By William Triplett in Washington.

That, and other news, in today's Political Panorama.

Updated

In Wednesday night's debate, Hillary Clinton had the most to lose, but she didn't. Barack Obama had the most to gain, but he probably didn't. And John Edwards had the most to prove, which he primarily did.

The latest forum, moderated by Tim Russert from Dartmouth, N.H., and shown on MSNBC, was billed as the time when candidates, with the Iowa caucus looming, would really go after the front-runner Clinton, particularly Obama, who has a record number of donors and perhaps a sizable number of anxious ones.

Obama had his moments, points where he could distinguish himself from Clinton, but it was Edwards who engaged her. It was as if Edwards was reminding everyone that as attention has so focused on the Obama and Clinton rivalry, he's very much the alternative. In fact, Obama's biggest challenge in the coming weeks may not be Clinton, but Edwards, particularly in Iowa.

Among other things, Edwards seized on Clinton's suggestion that she would leave combat troops in Iraq for counter-terrorism missions. And he criticized her vote for a vote on Wednesday to label Iran's Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist group. He said he had "no intention of giving George Bush the authority to take the first step to war with Iran."

Yet the news that was picked up by the debate was not how insistent candidates were in getting troops out of Iraq but how non committal they were, including Edwards. Chris Dodd and Bill Richardson vowed to get troops out by 2013, the end of the next president's first term; Clinton, Edwards and Obama would not make the same commitment.

Joe Biden, touting his ability to gain support across both parties for a plan to divide Iraq as part of a new federation,  took aim at the polarization of Clinton-Bush politics.

"They feed on this Clinton-Bush thing," he said, later adding, "There's a lot of old stuff that comes back." He paused. "When I say 'old stuff,' I'm referring to policy. Policy."

In other words, he avoided dredging up the Clinton-Lewinsky years. But Clinton came away generally unscathed, deploying her now famous cackle when confronted with an especially egregious attack, or some other joke.

She also scored what may have been the signature moment of the debate. Backing off of her previous support of some forms of lawful torture, she said that she would not use it. "It cannot be American policy, period," she said.

Then Russert reminded her that she was taking a different position than her husband.

"Well, he's not standing here right now," she said. Smiling, she added, "Well, I'll talk to him later."

She was less enthused when Russert grilled her about whether her husband should reveal the names of donors to the Clinton Foundation, but she had her moment.

The debate had its bizarre moments, like Edwards giving Dennis Kucinich a friendly bonk on the head, Chris Dodd joking that he gets mistaken for Anderson Cooper and Russert announcing that they would do a "lightning round," to which Mike Gravel said, "Lightning round, we never got to the real round."

Either two hours is just too long or there is an upper limit to the number of questions the candidates can be asked. Should the drinking age be reduced to 18? Who knew that was a concern? "Of course they should be able to drink at age 18," answered Kucinich. "And they should be able to vote at age 16." Huh? Is that issue on the table too?

Reiner's Endorsement: Rob Reiner has endorsed Hillary Clinton. Here's my story here. The director and political activist will hold a fund-raiser for Clinton at his home along with his wife, Michele on Oct. 21, an event that will also double as a 60th birthday party for the New York senator.

More Forums: John Edwards is the first candidate up in the MTV My Space forum. And tonight is the much-talked about PBS Republican debate moderated by Tavis Smiley. Aimed at African American voters, it's notable because none of the GOP front runners will be there. What will be there are empty lecterns. Seriously.

Feds vs. the Webs: The FCC is asking the Supreme Court to review a lower court ruling that invalidated the government's ability to fine broadcasters for fleeting expletives, reports Variety's Bill Triplett. If the court takes the case, it will be its first review of the government's indecency authority in 30 years.

O'Reilly Remarks: Bill O'Reilly says that the liberal watchdog group Media Matters is "fabricating a racial controversy where none exists," reports Variety's Michael Learmonth. Specifically, they have spotlighted remarks that O'Reilly made last week on "The Radio Factor" in a discussion about race with Juan Williams.

Recounting a dinner at the famed restaurant Sylvia's with Rev. Al Sharpton, O'Reilly said: "It was like going into an Italian restaurant in an all-white suburb in the sense of people were sitting there, and they were ordering and having fun. And there wasn’t any kind of craziness at all.”

O'Reilly says that his remarks were taken out of context.

Denton's Democrat: James Denton of "Desperate Housewives" will be out on the campaign trail stumping for John Edwards this weekend.

The season premiere of "Boston Legal" on Tuesday would have felt very familiar to producer Steve Bing.

On the show, Shirley Schmidt (Candace Bergen) reveals that she has donated $3 million to Stanford University for the study of greenhouse gases. But she wants to rescind the donation because ExxonMobil is donating $100 million to the same study. Stanford wants to sue her for breach of contract.

In March, Bing rescinded a $2.5 million donation to Stanford after the U announced a $100 million partnership with ExxonMobil for climate and energy research. Bing had been turned off by a series of ads that ExxonMobil had run, which mentioned the Stanford partnership. The decision carried special resonance, not only because Bing attended the U, but because his father had been chairman of Stanford's board.

Appearing at a Clinton Global Initiative panel on the environment today, Brad Pitt announced plans that he and producer Steve Bing have for a new 150-home community in New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward.

Pitt and Bing each pledged to match $5 million in contributions to the project,  for a total of $10 million in matching funds.

Pitt, representing the Jolie-Pitt Foundation, appeared on a luncheon panel on energy and climate change. Angelina Jolie was scheduled to appear on a panel on world affairs later in the afternoon.

Pitt became a part-time resident of the Lower Ninth Ward after Hurricane Katrina, and started the Make It Right project to galvanize rebuilding efforts there.

Pitt and Bing's pledge calls for the 150 single family homes, built in a "green" and sustainable model, with a "finance plan that ensures that residents who wish to return to the Lower Ninth Ward can do so without further financial hardship." William McDonough & Partners will lead the design effort, with the idea of producing "high quality design and construction" while maintaining the community's culture.

"We're prepared to break ground by the end of the year, but we need your help," Pitt said at the event, according to the HuffingtonPost. "We will match dollar for dollar any and every single contribution up to $10 million."

Bing was not part of the panel but is attending the Clinton Global Initiative.

"The heart and soul of New Orleans, specifically the people of the Lower Ninth Ward, are paramount to this project," Pitt said.

Others expected at this year's event, in addition to a host of world leaders, tennis star Andre Agassi and media mogul Rupert Murdoch. This morning, Bill Clinton and Al Gore made a rare joint appearance at one of the panels.

Last night, the event hosted a screening of Dreamworks/Paramount's "The Kite Runner" at the Sony Lincoln Center. Stacey Snider introduced the film.

Video of Pitt's panel here.

In a session with reporters, Jolie said the amount being spent on the war in Iraq dwarfs the amount needed by UNICEF, the UN's fund for children, and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

"The entire appeal equals about eight hours of current spending in Iraq. So just a few hours would send 150,000 children to school," she said.

At the conference, she unveiled a $150 million program to help some one million children in various conflicts around the world.

Video of Clinton's panel here.

That, and other news, in today's Political Panorama.

Katie Couric didn't exactly deliver a moment worthy of Walter Cronkite and Vietnam (LBJ: "If we've lost Walter Cronkite, we've lost the country") but she was pretty sharp in her comments about the war in Iraq and the Bush administration's handling of it.

As Michael Learmonth of Variety reports, she told Marvin Kalb at a National Press Club interview last night that she thinks the media were "misled" on the rationale for going to war.

But after her recent tour of Iraq and Syria, she stopped short of coming home and declaring it lost.

"Is it my job to go to Iraq and say this war is terrible and we should pull out? I don't think that's the case," she said.

And perhaps a bit unsettling for the Clinton camp, she offered her own theory on why her ratings are depressed and whether Americans are ready to accept a female news anchor.

"I think there probably remains an underlying discomfort in this country with women in power," Couric said.

Via the Washington Examiner's Yeas and Nays, here's more on what she said about the war:

“The whole culture of wearing flags on our lapel and saying ‘we’ when referring to the United States and, even the ‘shock and awe’ of the initial stages, it was just too jubilant and just a little uncomfortable. And I remember feeling, when I was anchoring the ‘Today’ show, this inevitable march towards war and kind of feeling like, ‘Will anybody put the brakes on this?’ And is this really being properly challenged by the right people? And I think, at the time, anyone who questioned the administration was considered unpatriotic and it was a very difficult position to be in.”

The Next Match Up: With Hillary Clinton pulling away with it --- in polls and endorsements --- and some speculating that she could leave Obama in the dust if she outraises him this quarter, she naturally is expected to be the prime target at tonight's Democratic debate on MSNBC. It starts at 5 p.m. PDT, from Dartmouth College, with Tim Russert moderating. By the way, a new poll shows Clinton with a 23-point lead over Obama in New Hampshire.

Bill and Greta: The Clinton Global Initiative gets into full swing today, and Bill Clinton is lining up interviews. He appears on Fox News Channel's "On the Record" with Greta Van Susteren on Thursday to talk about the three-day session.

Little Rock Plus 50: In my posting about David Margolick's piece on Louis Armstrong and Little Rock, I forgot the mention that the author has a more extensive story on Vanityfair.com, looking at an iconic image from the civil rights movement.

Style and Substance?: Karen Ocamb at the Bilerco Project takes issue with the Advocate's recent cover story interview with Hillary Clinton. She writes that even though the piece gained headlines because the writer asked Clinton whether she was a lesbian, it was otherwise pretty fawning. Ocamb challenges the assumption that Los Angeles' gay community is "so in love" with Clinton.

"I hate to disillusion Kennedy, but many LGBT voters, at least in the Los Angeles area, are very dedicated to Obama, John Edwards, and Dennis Kucinich for their positions on the war in Iraq, poverty, healthcare as well as LGBT issues. For them, the primary is not yet over."

The campaigns of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are each trying to temper expectations as yet another fund-raising quarter comes to an end on Sunday, with each side saying that the other will post the most contributions in the third quarter.

This will be another frantic few days of raising money, with Obama having attended a "Barack Obama on Broadway" fund-raiser in New York.

Although the pace of raising money is expected to slow as candidates focus on actual campaigning in early states, they are preparing October swings through Los Angeles, with Clinton attending a fund raiser on Monday at the home of Marc Nathanson that is also hosted by Nathanson's two sons, Adam and David. Barack Obama visits on Oct. 20 for a luncheon at the home of Irena Medavoy.

And not to be forgotten is John Edwards, who attends an Oct. 19 fund-raiser at the home of Brett Ratner. It will be the second such event Edwards has had at Ratner's Beverly Hills home, the Hilhaven Lodge, having already appeared at a young Hollywood gathering in June. (Hillary Clinton also raised money there on May 30.)

Clinton's biggest fund-raising problem seems to be that so many donors have "double maxed" out to her, i.e. given up to the federal limit of $4,600. But that isn't necessarily so in entertainment. As of June 30, nearly 300 donors in entertainment have met that threshold to one candidate or another -- almost two-thirds of them "double maxing" out to Clinton, according to an analysis we did of Center for Responsive Politics figures. So there's still more trees to shake.

Updated

That, and other news, in today's Political Panorama.

J.C. Watts, the last African-American to serve as a GOP member of Congress, called the decision by leading Republican candidates to skip minority-sponsored debate forums as "stupid."

"I think the best that comes out of stupid decisions like this," Watts told ABC News, is "that African-Americans might say, 'Was it because of my skin color?' Now, maybe it wasn't, but African-Americans do say, 'It crossed my mind.'"

The invites for a PBS debate on Thursday moderated by Tavis Smiley were extended in March, but Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, Mitt Romney and Fred Thompson all declined, citing scheduling conflicts. Smiley appeared on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" last week and criticized the field --- to Leno's agreement.

Governor on the Grill: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will be the target of a celebrity roast at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Oct. 17 to raise money for his 2006 campaign fund (and you thought it was over). Tom Arnold is the MC, with those roasting including Jim Brulte, John Burton, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kelsey Grammer, Patricia Heaton, Dax Shepard and David Spade. Tickets start at $500-per-person.

Media Maneuvers: Following up on the Clinton campaign's spiking of a GQ cover story, ABC News declares that Hillary Clinton is "running perhaps the most media-controlled -- and media-obsessed -- campaign in presidential history. Her aides carefully screen access to the candidate, generally avoid news conferences on the campaign trail and have been known to throw around the Clintons' considerable weight to block negative stories and influence coverage of the candidate they're protecting and promoting."

FCC Fines: In the first-such crackdown of its kind, the FCC is proposing to slap Comcast Corp. with a $4,000 fine for running a "fake news release" of a sleep aid without telling viewers that it was financed by the maker of the product.

The Jolie Summit: Angelinia Jolie will meet with British foreign secretary David Miliband in New York this week to discuss forieng policy.

Spacey's Meet: Add Kevin Spacey to the list of performers who have paid Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez a visit on a trip through the country.

My Kind of Town: James Gray's upcoming "We Own the Night" features a cameo by former New York Mayor Ed Koch as...himself, circa 1988. Although he gets a few flattering lines, it's not the most flattering view of the city, overrun with drug activity and organized crime. One of the film's stars, Robert Duvall, has endorsed Rudy Giuliani, whose campaign pitch is that he's helped clean up the city.

Clavin's Campaign: John Ratzenberger, a.k.a. Cliff Clavin on "Cheers," is touring the country with a "Keep It Made in America" campaign, designed to push the issue of maintaining the country's manufacturing base at the forefront of the 2008 campaign. He tells the Washington Examiner Yeas & Nays column, “The manufacturing base of the United States is disappearing. And when factories disappear, the entire fabric of a community disappears.”

Actor Bradley Whitford debuted an online video he created as part of a new push by the Courage Campaign to defeat a Republican-led effort to change the way that California calculates its presidential electoral votes.

It's just the latest in an attempt to stop the Presidential Election Reform Act initiative, which would end the "winner-take-all" system of awarding the state's electors and replace it with one where they are divvied up by the winner in each congressional district. Such a method, Whitford says, would give the GOP a leg up in the presidential election. Democrats would lose about 20 electoral votes, given the current makeup of the state's districts. That would make it very difficult to win the White House, because the Democrats have depended on California's 55 electoral votes as a base of support.

Signatures are now being collected by Californians for Equal Representation to put the initiative on the June, 2008 ballot.

A group called Californians for Fair Election Reform, which includes some of the states Democratic leaders, has been running ads warning voters of the measure, characterizing it as a partisan power grab.

And the progressive group Courage Campaign, led by producer Rick Jacobs, has launched a separate effort called Nodirtytricks.com as a way of engaging bloggers and other online activists to try to defeat the measure.

"The Republicans, because they do not have a majority of Americans on the issues, have become dependent on these kind of shady strategies," Whitford said in a conference call on Monday with bloggers and other activists.

Opponents fear that voter turnout will be low in June, and that only the most die-hard supporters --- i..e. the GOP base --- will turn out to support it.

"The election could be over, here, in June 2008," Jacobs said on the conference call.

Although the measure is not yet on the ballot, opponents appear to have adopted a strategy of stopping the initiative before it gets any farther.

Political strategist Chris Lehane, who has been advising Californians for Fair Election Reform, points to polling that shows that although a majority of Californians support the idea, it is less than 50%, and even less than 40% by one measure. That's not a great place to be at the start of an initiative campaign, he says.

Supporters say the measure is needed to more accurately represent the vote in such a large, diverse state. Kevin Eckery, the spokesman for the measure, has said that he's actually encouraged by the poll numbers and that voters should be given the chance to decide for themselves. He said, "They don't want to be told, 'Don't put it on the ballot.' Even if they are going to vote 'no,' they want the right to vote 'no.'"

It's not technically another chapter in the talk show campaign, but Bill Clinton appears on "The Martha Stewart Show" on Wednesday to a new "giving initiative" called MyCommitment.org.

The exposure, even on a lifestyle show, certainly helps.

Clinton's visit will coincide with the Clinton Global Initiative meeting this week in New York, as well as the book tour for his new tome, "Giving." The website will encourgae everday citizens to make commitments to take action in their local communities.

In fact, Stewart herself signed a pledge on air to "create a handbook that addresses how to care for the aging members of one's family." The plan is to offer the materials free of charge online.

Clinton naturally addressed the campaign --- including what role he would have in a Hillary Clinton White House.

"...Hillary says, and I think she's probably right about this, that my best use would probably be dealing with difficult, particular foreign issues and help to raise Americca's standing in the world. But I'll do whatever I'm asked to do."

An audience member asked him what dish he'd like Stewart to make for him. "I'm going to get a failing grade from my heart doctor. Chicken enchiladas."

Meanwhile, according to Ben Smith of The Politico, the Clintons are deftly navigating what can be treacherous media waters. He reports that the campaign managed to get an unflattering GQ story on the Clinton campaign spiked by threatening to revoke access to Bill Clinton for a planned cover story in December.

Writes Smith,

"The campaign’s transaction with GQ opens a curtain on the Clinton campaign’s hard-nosed media strategy, which is far closer in its unromantic view of the press to the campaigns of George W. Bush than to that of Bill Clinton’s free-wheeling 1992 campaign.

"The Clinton campaign is unique in its ability to provide cash value to the media, and particularly the celebrity-driven precincts of television and magazines. Bill Clinton is a favorite cover figure, because his face is viewed within the magazine industry as one that can move product.

"It’s a fact that gives the Clintons’ press aides a leverage more familiar to Hollywood publicists than even to her political rivals — less Mitt Romney and more Tom Cruise, whose publicists once required interviewers to sign a statement pledging not to write anything “derogatory” about the star."

Jon Liebman, the CEO of Brillstein Entertainment Partners, will serve as chairman of Rudy Giuliani's California Finance Leadership Team.

He'll join co-chairs Ken Derr, Paul Folino, Floyd Kvamme, Bill Mundell, Bob Naylor, Ron Plotkin, Kelly Roberts and Frank Visco.

Giuliani has been perhaps the most aggressive all of the GOP candidates in raising money in entertainment, beating John McCain in fund-raising in the sector last quarter. Among those who have endorsed the former New York mayor are Kelsey Grammer, Dennis Miller, Robert Duvall, Ron Silver and Lionel Chetwynd.

He has long ties to the entertainment business. Liebman, for instance, served under Giuliani when Giuliani was United States attorney in the southern district of New York.

In a statement, Liebman says that he is "convinced that he is the only candidate that can beat the Democrats in 2008."

Liebman produced "In Memoriam: New York City 9/11/01," the HBO documentary that raised more than $1 million for the victims of the terrorist attacks.

Giuliani is scheduled for a campaign swing through Los Angeles on Thursday.

Bill O'Reilly and other cable pundits derided Columbia University for extending an invite to Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, but that didn't stop all three cable news networks from carrying the speech uninterrupted.

The three also carried Columbia President Lee Bollinger's lengthy preamble, in which he denounced Ahmadinejad as a "petty, cruel dictator" for, among other things, denying the Holocaust, aiding insrugents in Iraq and plotting the destruction of Israel.

"Everyone knew Bollinger was going to be very tough on him," says NBC News senior veep Phil Griffin, who oversees MSNBC, explaining the net's rationale.

Chief legal correspondent Dan Abrams said MSNBC wouldn't have taken the speech without context.

"We have no interest in just putting his views across on television --- it was in the context of a controversy," he says.

Cameras caught applause for Bollinger's scathing attack and also for the robust applause for Ahmadinejad's response, which offered an afternoon of analysis and punditry.

Fox News and MSNBC stuck with the story longer than CNN. Fox, which had former Ambassador John Bolton weigh in, repeatedly asked students whether allowing Ahmadinejad to speak didn't play into his PR strategy. Anchor Shepherd Smith asked a student whether they believed Iranian audiences would see any of Bollinger's attack --- or just the applause for the Iranian president.

One irony: Even if the speech was playing into the Iranian leader's PR strategy, Fox News was not going to pass it up.   

---Michael Learmonth in New York.

Here's the Iran leader's speech, where he is booed when he denies the existence of gays in his country. In fact, human rights groups say that citizens have been executed for homosexuality.

That, and other news, in today's Political Panorama.

With the New York Times, NBC News and even President Bush declaring Hillary Clinton the front-runner, her biggest problems now are expectations, whether in debates, interviews and certainly in the Iowa caucus. As if demonstrating that she can master the Sunday talk show media better than any of her competitors, she pulled off a "Ginsburg" on Sunday, reports the Los Angeles Times' Jim Puzzanghera, appearing on all five major Sunday talk shows, promoting her health care plan and vowing to not vote for any Iraq funding that "does not move us toward beginning to withdraw our troops." (GInsburg, by the way, refers to the feat that Monica Lewinsky's lawyer, William H. Ginsburg, pulled off in 1998 when he appeared on all five shows on the same day).

Things may only get better for Clinton this week, as her husband hosts the Clinton Global Initiative in New York, further sending the message that a vote for Hillary is also a vote for a global ambassador in Bill Clinton.

Gere's Grouse: Richard Gere appealed to China to change policy as it prepares to host the Olympic Games next year. "Boycott is not the answer. Isolation is not the answer. This is China's moment for radical change. You don't achieve greatness through human rights abuses. You achieve it through openness,"  he said at the San Sebastian Film Festival. Gere,  a longtime advocate of Tibet,  has in he past been denied a visa to visit China. He also created some headlines in  characterizing the Bush adminstrations drive toward war in Iraq as "big lies."

Edwards at Auction: A day on the campaign trial with John Edwards is among the items being auctioned off by William Baldwin to benefit the Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund. Its named in honor of Baldwin's mother.

Tuesday marks fifty years since nine black students desegregated Little Rock's Central High School, escorted by some 1,200 paratroopers into Little Rock's Central High School.

Today's New York Times features an essay by David Margolick that recounts Louis Armstrong's unlikely role in the landmark civil rights battle. It shows the little-known impact that an entertainer could have on policy, particularly Armstrong who was known as a political.

Days before the federal troops arrived, as the students were struggling to gain admission to the school, to the opposition of Gov. Orval Faubus and local segretationists, the normally apolitical trumpeter finally spoke out on segregation and the Jim Crow South.

"The way they are treating my people in the South, the government can go to hell," Armstrong said.

Almost as interesting was who he said it to: Larry Lubenow, a cub reporter for the Grand Forks, N.D. newspaper who was sent to the hotel where Armstrong was staying to secure a soft interview --- "no politics," his editor insisted. Lubenow snuck into Armstrong's room and secured an interview, and couldn't resist asking him what he thought of what was going on in Little Rock.

Eisenhower, he said, was "two-faced" and showed "no guts." When Lubenow's editors doubted the veracity of Armstrong's comments, he went back to the hotel the next morning, got a picture with Armstrong and got him to sign a copy of the story with the word, "solid."

When Eisenhower sent federal troops, Armstrong wired him, "If you decide to walk into the schools with the little colored kids, take me along, Daddy. God Bless You."

That, and other news, in today's Political Panorama.

It still feels like 2004. The Democrats are still flummoxed on Iraq, as the Republicans continue to press the patriotism card. In the midst of the Senate's haggling over the resolution to condemn MoveOn for its "General Betray Us" ad --- inspiring a debate that some may feel ranks up there with Terry Shaivo and flag burning --- came an amendment to also condemn Swift Boat ads. Heck, even John Kerry is enjoying a new burst of attention, thanks to a little bit of campus-enforced shock therapy. And  Dan Rather is vowing to reopen the entire merits of his  2004 story on President Bush's National Guard service, telling Larry King last night that his $70 million suit against CBS is designed to no less than save journalism from big government influence.

"Somebody, sometime has got to take a stand and say democracy cannot survive, much less thrive with the level of big corporate and big government interference and intimidation in news," he told King.

And in an interview with the Washington Post's Howard Kurtz, Rather says that he still believes in the accuracy of the story. Rather also said that he believes he is fighting for the "red, beating heart of our democracy."

Kurtz points out that one wrinkle in Rather's case is what he said before about the story --- like his apology in 2004.

"I didn't want to apologize," Rather says. "I never apologized for what was in the story, the record of President Bush."

Another detail: Although Rather had insisted that he was stepping down voluntarily when his resignation was announced in late November, 2004, he says that in fact CBS News chief Andy Heyward and CBS chairman Les Moonves had called his agent on the morning after Bush's re-election to tell him that Rather was out. Rather also says CBS ignored supportive evidence that was dug up by a private investigator it hired.

On the HuffingtonPost, Mary Mapes, the producer who was fired over the National Guard story, defends Rather and his decision to file the lawsuit.

She writes, "I know that filing a suit had to be a tough decision for Dan to make. But I'm not sure he had a choice. This episode deserves to be examined again and this may be the only way to accomplish that. Besides, a lawsuit also gives him that delicious power of discovery. Who knows what might shake loose?"

MoveOn or Move On?: All of the attention (President Bush called its ad "disgusting") may end up helping MoveOn --- even as some Democrats express wariness over the groups' tactics. It's executive director, Eli Pariser, told supporters, "MoveOn is going to be as strong as ever." He added, "We definitely will be putting pressure on Democrats, and especially those who voted against us, in the near future, and we are currently working on the best way to do that."

Hollywood Democrats reflect the divisions that party faithful have nationwide over the group. The Los Angeles Times' Tina Daunt reports that as one of the industry's favorite anti-war groups, MoveOn has drawn support from directors Oliver Stone and Ron Reiner, who even helmed ads for the org. But there are worries that its efforts could incite a backlash in the same way that Jan Fonda did during the Vietnam War.

"Most people saw it as a mistake that really hurt progressive candidates," said one Hollywood insider, who asked not to be named because he continues to be involved in fundraising efforts. "We just handed the Republicans a gift. It's like MoveOn has become tone-deaf. I think people will be more cautious and careful about what they do with MoveOn in the future."

Gore Says More: Al Gore tells Ron Grover of Business Week that his Current TV will relaunch its website on Oct. 15 that he says will "change the way folks use the Net." He and partner Joel Hyatt don't provide details, but Gore also indicated that he would make an appearance on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno."

Grover writes, "Is he finally going to announce he's in the race, I ask the politician, who joked on stage with Leonardo DiCaprio during the February Oscar telecast that he was using that televised event to announce his candidacy. 'Well, I am intending to make an announcement,' he says, dragging out each syllable for effect. Then, he smiles, jumps up from his seat, and offers a firm handshake that looks less like a candidate on the make than a Hollywood power player looking for his next big project."

Oprah Overblown?: A new study from the Pew Research Center for People and the Press showed that Oprah's endorsement will have little effect on how people will vote. From B&C: "According to the survey, 15% said Oprah's endorsement would make them more likely to vote for Obama, while the same 15% said it would make them less likely and 69% said it would make no difference. That is down from a 2000 poll that found that 14% said her endorsement would make them more likely to vote for a candidate and 11% less likely."

Obama No Show: Where was Barack Obama on Thursday instead of at the AARP-hosted  candidates forum in Iowa? He was appearing with Usher in Atlanta as part of his "Countdown for Change" tour, appealing to the youth demo.

Dodd Dollars: Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward host a fund-raiser in Connecticut on Sunday for Chris Dodd.

Clinton Comedy: Bill Clinton on how he will handle being First Husband? "I may slit my throat." That was a joke, be assured, as he appeared on Thursday's "Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

Fox Attacks, the group made up of Brave New Films, MoveOn, Media Matters and other progressive orgs, released its own response to Fox's censoring Sally Field's Emmy acceptance speech: A compilation of clips where the word "goddam" was used on Fox News Channel. It's a challenge to Fox's contention that they had to cut the use of the word for fear of indecency fines --- not because her speech was anti-war.

Technically the FCC's indecency authority doesn't extend to cable, a.k.a. Fox News, although such networks often follow broadcast standards.

Is this a sign of how confident that Hillary Clinton is of her lead?

On Sunday, she will appear on "Fox News Sunday" with Chris Wallace as part of the news channel's "Choosing the President" series. Not only do progressives consider this enemy territory, with groups such as MoveOn launching a boycott campaign, but it comes a year after Wallace's contentious interview with Bill Clinton. (How soon I forget).

The Democratic National Committee has been shunning Fox News-sponsored debates, and John Edwards has openly attacked the network and its claim to be "fair and balanced." But that hasn't stopped candidates like Barack Obama and Chris Dodd from participating in network interviews.

So if Edwards appears on a Fox chat show, then we really know that the tide has shifted...

That, and other news, in today's Political Panorama.

Fred Thompson has run into the cold reality that comes with trying to appeal to some leaders on the religious right: It's tough to please them. James Dobson of Colorado Springs-based Focus on the Family, considered an influential leader because his radio audience numbers in the millions, says that he will not support the former senator and "Law & Order" star.

"Isn't Thompson the candidate who is opposed to a Constitutional amendment to protect marriage, believes there should be 50 different definitions of marriage in the U.S., favors McCain-Feingold, won't talk at all about what he believes, and can't speak his way out of a paper bag on the campaign trail?" Dobson wrote in an e-mail obtained by the Associated Press.

"He has no passion, no zeal, and no apparent 'want to.' And yet he is apparently the Great Hope that burns in the breasts of many conservative Christians? Well, not for me, my brothers. Not for me!"

Ouch. I thought it was only a matter of time before Thompson's conservative religious credentials have been challenged, and he would suffer the same fate as John McCain. Perhaps wisely, though, Thompson has been emphasizing conservative positions on spending and national security as opposed to family values.

Meanwhile, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzengger, who was very praiseworthy of Thompson as recently as the week before last, has not yet given an endorsement, but he did tell the Los Angeles Times that he believes that Rudy Giuliani will be the nominee. (Remember: Arnold likes a winner). He said that the former New York mayor is "the most consistent, stable person who is out there who makes the most sense to the people. That's why his poll numbers are high."

Patriot Act: Up the freeway from Dobson's domain, in Denver, organizers of the Colorado State Parade of Honor are still smarting over country singer Lee Greenwood's decision to back out of a concert last weekend honoring vets, police and firefighters. It left the group without anyone to sing the patriotic anthem "God Bless the USA." Greenwood's camp says he backed out because the organizers couldn't come up with the singer's $20,000 fee.

Damon's Diatribe: Promoting "Bourne Ultimatum" in France, Matt Damon says that "After Iraq, the Bush administration disgusts me." He also indicated that he was going the route of other politically minded actors Robert Redford and Paul Newman: He's living away from Hollywood. "I refuse to live there because the only subject of conversation is movies, and it's sad to only have that to talk about that."

YouTube had its debate; Yahoo and HuffingtonPost had its mash up. Now MySpace is staking its claim to the presidential race.

Its twist: Instant polling results, on-screen, as the candidates respond to questions.

John Edwards will be the first candidate up to bat in the first of MySpace's and MTV's "Presidential Candidate Dialogues" on Sept. 27.

MTV correspondents SuChin Pak and Gideon Yago and WashingtonPost.com's Chris Cillizza will moderate the forum, with pollsters John McLaughlin and Geoffrey Garin collecting real-time data.

Here's how it works: Questions can be submitted, in real time, to Edwards via MySpaceIM and MTV.com, so viewers will be able to address candidates if they feel questions haven't been answered.

Meanwhile, Flektor is powering an "online polling widget," right, where viewers can indicate their approval or disapproval as they watch Edwards' responses, with instant results displayed on the screen. (Example: Options for disapproval include "I disagree," "full of bull," "scripted/ canned," or "all of the above.")

In a statement, MySpace's Chris DeWolfe said that the format will add "a new dimension of rapid response and at-home engagement --- we can't wait to see it all happen live and unfiltered."

No word on whether the candidates can see the measurement too, and adjust their answers/responses/pandering accordingly.

Future events are planned with Sam Brownback, Hillary Clinton, Chris Dodd, Rudy Giuliani, Duncan Hunter, John McCain, Barack Obama, Ron Paul, Bill Richardson and Mitt Romney.

The event takes place at Noon EST on the University of New Hampshire campus, and will be webcast on MySpace TV and MTV.com. It will be shown later in the day on MTV and MTVu.

Dan Rather's $70-million suit against CBS was dismissed as "old news" and "without merit" by a network spokesman today, but this chapter of the network's history is destined to be dredged up again should the suit go to trial.

Imagine the discovery process: Rehashing the entire investigative methods that went into the 2004 "60 Minutes II" report on President Bush's National Guard record, one that was discredited after it was revealed that memos related to Bush's service could not be authenticated. Rather is alleging that CBS News' investigation of the "60 Minutes" piece, an inquiry led by President George H.W. Bush's Attorney General, Dick Thornburgh, was biased. So what is at stake is dredging up not just the "60 Minutes II" report, but the investigation of the "60 Minutes II" report.

One lingering question is: why did Rather choose now to file his suit, as opposed to last year, when he left; or the year before when he resigned as anchor? Having already settled with Don Imus, and facing lackluster ratings for Katie Couric, it's another problem (or challenge) that the news division doesn't need right now.

That, and other news, in today's Political Panorama.

Jack Kemp, the former New York congressman and Bob Dole's running mate in 1996, and Newt Gingrich are among the Republicans worried about the number of debates and forums sponsored by minority groups that GOP candidates are skipping, the Washington Post reports in a follow to a Huffington Post story earlier this week. The latest is a PBS forum next week that is to be moderated by Tavis Smiley. All the leading contenders are passing it up. And only McCain among the top contenders agreed to participate in the Univision forum. And when the Human Rights Campaign hosted its forum on gay issues last month, some of the candidates' campaigns didn't even respond to invites.

"We sound like we don't want immigration; we sound like we don't want black people to vote for us," Kemp told the Washington Post. "What are we going to do -- meet in a country club in the suburbs one day? If we're going to be competitive with people of color, we've got to ask them for their vote."

Said Gingrich, "For Republicans to consistently refuse to engage in front of an African American or Latino audience is an enormous error. I hope they will reverse their decision and change their schedules. I see no excuse -- this thing has been planned for months, these candidates have known about it for months. It's just fundamentally wrong. Any of them who give you that scheduling-conflict answer are disingenuous. That's baloney."

Obama's Return: Barack Obama makes another Southern California fund-raising swing through Southern California on Oct. 20, when he attends a lunch at the home of Irena Medavoy.

Gravel's Unwelcome Guest: Darkhorse presidential candidate Mike Gravel, appearing at Beverly Hills' Peninsula Hotel on Monday night, faced some harsh remarks from one of the attendees. Abbe Lane, the former nightclub singer and spouse of Xavier Cugat, said loudly, "I wouldn't vote for you for dog catcher!" Army Archerd reports that Dominick Dunne walked out during her tirade and People magazine's Frank Swertlow called her "shameless."

The Other Contenders: It's easy to forget that not just presidential candidates are making fund-raising pushes in L.A. Tom Allen, seeking to unseat Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, was guest of honor at a fund-raiser Tuesday at the home of J.J. Abrams.

Some 300 people gathered on Tuesday night at the Brentwood home of CAA's David O'Connor and his wife, Lona Williams, anxious to see the guest of honor, Bill Clinton.

Then the power went out --- in the entire neighborhood --- putting this Hillary Clinton fund-raiser into near total darkness.

The only light came from candles and some battery operated lanterns, which were shined on Clinton when he spoke in the backyard pool area. That helped, but it was still hard to see guests. And with no electricity, and therefore no microphone, it wasn't always easy to hear, according to a guest.

"There are a lot of great things about the modern world," Clinton said, according to the guest. "Predictable electricity may not be one of them."

Among those present, in addition to the hosts, were Steve Bing, Jerry Zucker, Ron Burkle, Frank and Carol Biondi and Gary Ross. Also present was Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who you can only guess had to endure some ribbing about the DWP. CAA's Michael Kives introduced the former president.

Not that it mattered, as Clinton delivered his pitch without missing a beat, emphasizing his wife's chief attributes as "the most qualified non-incumbent of my lifetime." He talked of his willingness to do whatever she asked him to do, although he doubted that would be a cabinet post, citing federal anti-nepotism laws.

Fittingly, a big chunk of Clinton's speech was about energy policy.

Five of the leading presidential candidates' wives --- Elizabeth Edwards, Cindy McCain, Michelle Obama, Ann Romney and Jeri Thompson --- will gather for what is being called a "first-of-its-kind conversation" with Maria Shriver on Oct. 23.

The event, sponsored by the Women's Conference and to be held at the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center, is not a debate. Rather, the group says that it "will explore how these remarkable women juggle their families, careers and personal lives while managing the very public demands of their husbands' presidential bids."

The group also plans what will probably be a more politically charged discussion of the role of women in the 2008 election. ABC News' Deborah Roberts will moderate a "Decision 08" panel that includes Dee Dee Myers, Geraldine Ferraro, Christine Todd Whitman and political analyst Mark Halperin.

The Women's Conference is a group sponsored by Shriver and her husband, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Fox may have taken some heat for cutting parts of Sally Field's anti-war acceptance speech at Sunday's Emmys, but the fallout may play in the network's favor.

For years now, they have been challenging the FCC's more stringent indecency regulations and fines as no less than arbitrary. And media chieftans have been arguing that the result would be a "chilling effect" on broadcast television and free speech.

Field used the term "goddam wars," which didn't make it to U.S. versions of the show.

So a high profile event like the Emmys helps make their point --- they are now forced to pull the censor trigger rather liberally. So even though other networks have allowed the use of the word "goddam," when it comes to live television, broadcasters are forced to be better safe than sorry. Or so the thinking goes.

A Fox spokesman tells ABC News that, with broadcasters subject to millions of dollars in potential fines, networks have to be especially cautious.

"In the current regulatory environment, the feeling [for broadcast networks] is that we have to err on the side of extreme caution."

While progressive groups cried foul that Field's anti-war comments were cut, Fox can point to the fact that it also censored more ribald comments made by Ray Romano and Katherine Heigl. And when David Chase collected his Emmy for "The Sopranos," he inferred, absent any hint of blue language, that today's leaders are like gangsters. That stayed in the show.

So even if the incident incited anti-war groups, so be it. This case of censorship only proves the networks' point, especially as they challenge the fed's rules in court.

That, and other news, in today's Political Panorama.

As much as YouTube tries to gain entree into the mainstream of political coverage, via its CNN debates, it is still at its most powerful for the unexpected, verite moments that users post on its site. The latest is the case of Andrew Meyer, a 21-year-old University of Florida student who the New York Times already has labeled a political martyr in the making. He was arrested on Monday at a John Kerry speech, in which Meyer posed an extended series of questions to the presidential candidate. Among them: Why not impeach Bush? Why didn't he ask for an Ohio recount? What is it with Skull and Bones? He went on for several minutes --- apparently too long for the tastes of campus police. Before Kerry could answer (he called them "important questions"), the police were hauling Meyer away as he screamed "What did I do?" Then they tasered him, as some in the audience shouted, "Police brutality. Rodney King!" Kerry can be heard saying, "I'll answer his question. Unfortunately, he's not available to come and swear me in as president." The video already has registered more than 156,000 hits.

Kerry issued the following statement today, which is diplomatic and probably doesn't say what he wanted to say, which is "Keystone Cops."

“In 37 years of public appearances, through wars, protests and highly emotional events, I have never had a dialogue end this way. I believe I could have handled the situation without interruption, but I do not know what warnings or other exchanges transpired between the young man and the police prior to his barging to the front of the line and their intervention. I asked the police to allow me to answer the question and was in the process of responding when he was taken into custody. I was not aware that a taser was used until after I left the building. I hope that neither the student nor any of the police were injured. I regret enormously that a good healthy discussion was interrupted."

Obamagirl, Continued: Amber Lee Ettinger, aka "Obamagirl," released a new video today, this time a salute to U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, with cameo by rapper Mims.

O.J.'s Pick: As campaigns tout endorsements from Oprah and Magic, here's one that they may not be too excited about. O.J. likes Hillary. According to ABC News' The Note, this one is circulating in GOP circles.

Fred Thompson will not participate in a Sept. 27 debate at an historically black college in Baltimore, joining John McCain, Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani in passing up the forum for reasons of scheduling conflicts.

But the Huffington Posts takes the candidates to task, noting that the GOP front-runners also passed up a Univision forum and a forum at the convention of the National Association of Latino Elected & Appointed Officials.

"The rejections underscore the consistent absence of GOP candidates at minority voter forums," writes the Post's Sam Stein.

Tavis Smiley, who moderates the Morgan State University event, said, "There is a pattern here. When you tell every black and brown request that you get throughout the primary process that 'no, there's a scheduling problem.' That's a pattern... Are we really supposed to believe that all four of these guys couldn't make it because of scheduling?"

Thompson has compared the debates to a circus show --- he's also skipping a "values voter" forum this month --- but he has agreed to a trio of forums in October. According to the New York Times, the campaign announced that Thompson will appear at an Oct. 9 CNBC-sponsored debate on economic issues in Dearborn, Mich., an Oct. 14 forum in Manchester, N.H. and, a week later, at an Orlando, Fla. debate.

Just four days after Hillary Clinton's latest swing through Los Angeles comes her husband and chief campaign surrogate, Bill Clinton.

Promoting his book "Giving," he appears at Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena on Tuesday afternoon, in an event open to the public but full of Oprah-level restrictions on attendees. (Example: "NO cameras, pens, photos, other books, gifts, phones, etc. will be allowed. Please leave your personal belongings in your car or at home. Items brought with you will need to be held at our bag check station.")

In the evening, he heads over to the Brentwood home of CAA's David O'Connor and O'Connor's wife, Lona Williams, for a fund-raiser. The event, which starts at 8 p.m., starts at $250-per-person, with $2,300 contributors getting into a VIP reception. This is not the former president's first Los Angeles fund-raiser for Hillary; he attended a Westwood event in April.

Co-hosts are Steve Bing, Scott Budnick, Ron Burkle, CAA's Michael Kives and O'Connor and Williams.

At the event at Magic Johnson's home on Friday, Hillary Clinton drew some of the biggest applause from the 300 guests when she said that her presidency would mark the end of "cowboy diplomacy." She vowed to concentrate on repairing relationships around the world.

Clinton, speaking from a raised platform in the backyard of Johnson's Benedict Canyon home, also appears to be getting more confident about her prospects, what with positive poll numbers and high-profile endorsements.

"Her tone was much different [than in previous visits]," said Clinton fund-raiser Christina Martin of Equity Strategic Relations. "It was much more about 'When I am in office, I am going to do this.'"

Johnson at one point was overcome, pausing for a bit as he noted Clinton's record of experience.

Co-hosts along with Johnson and his wife Cookie were Berry Gordy, Clarence Avant and Quincy Jones. Among those also present were Byron Allen, Joshua LeBar of "Entourage" and producer Gary Michael Walters.

That, and other news, in today's Political Panorama.

Updated

Paul Haggis' "In the Valley of Elah" opened on nine screens over the weekend to a pretty mediocre $150,000, which certainly is not good news to all the studios planning a flood of Iraq-war themed movies as awards season gets into high gear.

After the Toronto International Film Festival, the convention wisdom is that the preponderance of such pics is either too early or too grim for audiences to handle. In other words, why would they go see in the theater the very subject matter that they are trying to avoid, at least according to the latest polls that show Americans just want the war to be over, and a fight that they consider a mistake.

That may be true, but it certainly places distributors who have not yet rolled out their pics in a bind. How do you release a movie emphasizing its other elements --- drama, thriller, stars --- and avoid it being branded as an Iraq war pic?

Hillary's Health Plan: Soon after Hillary Clinton unveiled her new health plan --- one that requires every American to have health care with federal assistance to cushion the cost --- the Giuliani campaign released a statement comparing her to Michael Moore. "If you liked Michael Moore's 'Sicko,' you're going to love HillaryCare 2.0," communications director Katie Levinson said in a statement. They argue that it will include more government mandates, expensive subsidies and more bureaucracy. But the attack on "Sicko" is certainly not the worst thing in the world for the Clinton campaign --- and even though he may not endorse her plan, Moore would be thrilled that it has been brought up again on a national level. The movie has brought in almost $29 million worldwide --- which are actually good numbers for a documentary, although not as good as Moore's record-setting "Fahrenheit 9/11." In other words, there are a significant number who liked "Sicko."

Brownstein Leaves Times: Longtime Los Angeles Times political reporter and columnist Ron Brownstein is leaving the Los Angeles Times for Atlantic Media.  Brownstein is the author of the signature book on  politics and entertainment, "The Power and the Glitter."

Oprah on the Stump: Barack Obama indicated last week that Oprah Winfrey may be ready to campaign with him, perhaps in South Carolina. From the Los Angeles Times' Top of the Ticket blog, Obama said, "I can't make promises, but I know that she has expressed an interest in South Carolina and maybe we can pull that. ... Certainly it would be a lot of fun for everyone."

Manilow's "View": Barry Manilow is backing out of an appearance on "The View" because of co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck's conservative stances. "I think she's dangerous and offensive. I will not be on the same stage with her," he tells TMZ.com. Manilow is shaping up to be one of the more prolific celebrity donors, having made contributions to John Edwards, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and Joe Biden as well as one Republican, the anti-war darkhorse Ron Paul.

Burkle's Mark: The New Republic's Michael Crowley sees a connection between Hillary Clinton's endorsements from Magic Johnson and Wesley Clark: Ron Burkle.

Madonna's Visit: Madonna met with Israeli leader Shimon Peres, but caused a stir when she apparently called herself an "ambassador for Judaism."

Emmy Energy: One of the more ingenious portions of Sunday's Emmys was the introduction of the nominees for writing in a variety, music or comedy program, below.

MoveOn and other progressive groups are crying foul over Fox's decision to cut short Sally Field's acceptance speech at the Emmys on Sunday night, when she said, "If the mothers ruled the world there would be no goddam wars in the first place." The U.S. telecast chopped off "goddam wars in the first place."

Backstage, Field said that she wanted to recognize mothers waiting for their sons returning home from war and that she "didn't have a political agenda." (Not even as a veiled endorsement of Hillary Clinton.)

Fox apparently pulled the trigger over the use of the word "goddam" --- but some groups are questioning why. According to the Los Angeles Times,  an FCC ruling stated no objection to the word "goddam."

Field wasn't too upset over her clipped words.

Told that she had been bleeped, Field responded: "Oh well. I've been there before. Well, good. I don't care. I have no comment other than, oh well. I said what I wanted to say. I wanted to pay homage to the mothers of the world, and let their work be seen and valued."

"I think probably shouldn't have said the God in front of the ... I would have liked to have said more bleeped-out words."

Here's Field's speech, in its entirety, from the Canadian telecast:

Updated

Al Gore won an Emmy tonight for Current TV, the cable channel he created with partner Joel Hyatt.

An amped up Gore told the audience in the Shrine Auditorium, "We are trying to open up the television medium so viewers can help to make television ... and reclaim democracy." He then told them to look to Current.com next month.

Gore and Hyatt received a standing ovation as the walked to the stage.

The award, in the category for interactive television, is not a major surprise. But Gore, in his book, "The Assault on Reason," sees the Internet and interactive TV as a solution to the state of political discourse in the country. His Current TV, which is made up in part of viewer-generated content, is planning a new marketing push next month as well as special coverage of the 2008 election.

Backstage, Gore was apparently ready to be asked the "will you run?" question. But when the first question was, "Any advice for Britney?", he didn't miss a beat, reports Cynthia Littleton.

"I kinda figured the first question would be about Britney Spears," Gore said.

Here's my story from Friday with Gore and Hyatt on their plans for the channel.

Gore told the Associated Press on Monday that even though he won an Emmy and shared in an Oscar (for "An Inconvenient Truth), don't expect him to aim for a Grammy.

Says Gore, "I'm working on my dance steps and singing performance, but don't hold your breath."

At a community meeting in Watts on Friday, Hillary Clinton talked about a host of issues including education, faith-based initiatives and the criminal justice system, but the biggest dividends from the event may come from appearing on stage with Magic Johnson.

The two appeared before some 200 supporters at King Drew Magnet School, along with Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Councilwoman Jan Perry, among others. Later in the day, Clinton attended a fund-raiser at Johnson's Beverly Hills home, but that event was not open to the press.

It's believed that Johnson's nod carries influence, given his sports fame and his work as a philanthropist and developer.

Clinton joked about Johnson referring to her as "champion" and the presidential election and the ultimate "championship."

"Championship rings, all-stars, Olympic gold medals.  When he said he wanted a one-on-one I didn't know this is what he meant."

---By Elsa Bertet

Here's video of her speech, via Bertet.

Here's a new twist in the entertainment industry's efforts in Darfur.

George Clooney told the Associated Press that he welcomes visit by Sudan leader Omar al-Bashir to Italy, where he is to meet on Friday with Italian Premier Romano Prodi and Pope Benedict XVI.

"The policy of not talking to them because they're unsavory hasn't been very effective," Clooney said. "So my hope is that having a conversation with this man can somehow further movement toward getting these people back into their homes, their villages."

According to the AP, Amnesty International and some European parliament members say Italy shouldn't receive a man whose regime has been accused of genocide in the Sudanese region of Darfur.

Clooney is co-founder of the human rights group Not On Our Watch, which is focusing its attention on the Darfur crisis. He has a home in the Lake Como area of Italy.

"Our hope is that if we can have some conversations with this guy, then we can get this thing to move much quicker," Clooney said. "So whatever it takes: There are 2.5 million people who could very easily die, and I'm concerned with their lives more than anything."

Matthew Dowd, President Bush's chief strategist for his 2004 re-election bid, has signed on to advise Bono's anti-poverty org One Vote '08.

Dowd has drawn much attention in recent months by announcing that he had left the Republican party and become an independent. Among other things, he has written that Bush's war policies are misguided. He recently wrote on HuffingtonPost, "The public is waiting for leaders from both political parties to stand up to the president and say enough is enough. They would like this situation resolved -- and soon -- and there is no other solution acceptable to them other than bringing the troops home. The public will support leaders who would use funding decisions as a way to encourage and push the president to resolve this situation quickly."

One Vote is Bono's effort to get presidential candidates to promise to fight hunger and disease. Dowd had most recently been working on a California initiative to modify California's legislative term limits.

President Bush's Iraq speech tonight will be followed by the Democratic response, from Sen. Jack Reed. But on MSNBC, John Edwards has bought airtime to offer his own nationwide address.

The Edwards campaign says that the unusual event will give Edwards the chance to "challenge the President's remarks with a strong call to the nation to end the war now."

"President Bush will be on every network for free tonight," the campaign says in a statement. "Our campaign will have to pay for the time on MSNBC."

Edwards' speech --- at about two minutes, and an estimated cost of $100,000 to $150,000 --- is a way to get an extra boost to rise above the cacaphony of the other campaigns. Barack Obama, for example, on Wednesday enjoyed loads of media attention when he gave a speech on Iraq.

It's also interesting in the network that Edwards' chose: MSNBC, further enforcing that channel's new rep as the Democratic alternative to Fox News.

---By Michael Learmonth in New York.

That, and other news, in today's Political Panorama.

Al Gore will be once again traveling down the red carpet on Sunday --- this time with business partner Joel Hyatt --- as they attend the Emmy Awards. Their Current TV is up for an Emmy, in one of the television academy's newer categories for interactive programming. In an interview on Wednesday, Gore and Hyatt say that they are particularly (obviously) pleased that the category is being broadcast in prime time, as opposed to being buried among all the technical awards at a separate ceremony.

I'll have more later, but Gore is destined to once again face a media onslaught of questions of whether he will run or not run for President, even though he has not given one iota of indication that he will do so. And there is a new bit of speculation, as to whether he will endorse a presidential candidate. "I haven't decided yet," Gore told Variety. "I probably will, but I haven't decided yet."

Current TV is in the category for outstanding creative achievement in interactive television. Also nominated are MLB Mosaic, Bravo Media, DisneyChannel.com Broadband Video Player and BIAP Fantasy Football Television Tracker.

Gore has been a celebrity sensation at the industry's top kudofests this year, and he's been particular adept at using all of the attention to boost the visibility of various projects. He was at Grammys, where he lined up talent for the Live Earth concerts; he was at the Oscars when "An Inconvenient Truth" won an Academy Award for documentary; and now the Emmys, which will help he and Hyatt promote Current TV.

What Boycott?: The Democrats may be shunning Fox-sponsored debates, but that doesn't mean that the candidates are avoiding the news channel. The latest is Barack Obama, who gave an interview with Fox News Channel's chief political correspondent Carl Cameron in Clinton, Iowa on Wednesday. Obama has granted interviews with Cameron before, even though there has been some pressure for candidates to avoid Fox. MoveOn and Brave New Films have targeted the network, challenging their claim to be "fair and balanced," and even launched a campaign to put pressure on their sponsors.

During the interview, Obama addressed the difference between he and Hillary Clinton on the current surge in Iraq.

Obama said, "If she did not ask the right questions before this war, it's not clear that she would be better equipped to ask the right questions in bringing the war to a close." 

Mash Up: A new twist to novel campaigning. HuffingtonPost and Yahoo unveil their candidate mashup today, anchored by Charlie Rose.

Updated

Hillary Clinton visits Los Angeles again on Friday for a fund-raiser at the Beverly Hills home of Magic Johnson.

As tempting as it is to compare her event with all of the media spash that greeted Barack Obama's event at the home of Oprah Winfrey last weekend, Clinton supporters caution that it's not the same thing.

For one, the event at the home of Magic Johnson was designed to be much smaller and more intimate. There will be 300 people as opposed to 1,500. Ticket prices start at $500, rather than the $2,300 to visit Winfrey's property.  Johnson's event is hosted by Magic and his wife, Cookie, along with recording industry legends Clarence Avant and Berry Gordy and music impresario Quincy Jones.

Johnson will precede his fund-raiser with an open-media campaign afternoon appearance with Clinton and Watts community leaders at King Drew Magnet School.

As with Winfrey, whose event unleashed a series of stories on whether she could help Obama makes gains among women, there's hope that Johnson's endorsement will help draw African-American support to Clinton's campaign, particularly in California. In other words, each is trying to make inroads among those other's presumed support.

Clinton backers believe polls are trending their way. In the most recent SurveyUSA poll, released on Monday, shows that Obama leads Clinton 52% to 43% among African-Americans in the state. In a June poll, Obama led 61% to 30%.

Obama, meanwhile, announced a piece of good news today: He got the endorsement of the California Legislative Black Caucus.

That, and other news, in today's Political Panorama.

Jon Stewart's selection as Oscar host means that once again the ceremony is bound to have a political bent, coming as it will just after the juggernaut of the presidential primaries. That topicality could help give the show a more unpredictability --- which is normally in short supply. His 2006 stint was mixed --- he was too careful at points --- and he himself noted the reviews afterward. "I sucked and was great!" he said. "I was a painfully smug and unfunny heir to Johnny Carson." The ratings were not great, but that probably has more to do with the fact that the movies were almost all "small" films rather than crowd pleasers. This time around, Stewart will have the advantage of knowing the terrain and having done it before.

Liberty Leaders: Rep. Henry Waxman, the Innocence Project's Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld, Reps. Linda and Loretta Sanchez and TV producer Victoria Riskin and her husband, playwright.screenwriter David Rintels are among the honorees on Sunday at the ACLU of Southern California's annual Garden Party. Also being honored is Rita Henry, an ACLU member who fought Simi Valley restrictions on strawberry vendors.

Waxman is being honored in part for his role in government oversight, having "exposed waste, fraud and abuse of power under the Bush administration" as the chair of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Scheck and Neufeld's work has led to more than 200 exonerations of people convicted of crimes they did not commit. Linda Sanchez was out front in efforts to press Congress to challenge the Bush adminstration's firing of nine U.S. attorneys. Loretta Sanchez opposed efforts on the government's warrantless wiretapping program.

Huckabee for Me: One candidate who has scarely been to Los Angeles raising money is Mike Huckabee, trying to enjoy a bounce from his better than expected showing in the Iowa Straw Poll last month. The GOP hopeful is raising money in Beverly Hills tonight at the home of Fred Wehba, the real estate mogul who owns the Watergate Hotel. Wehba calls the property "a piece of American history."

A new Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll shows that Hillary Clinton has solidified her lead in three key early states --- Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

It's not just a bit disconcerting for John Edwards, who is staking much of his campaign on Iowa, but for Barack Obama, whose campaign is telling supporters to ignore Clinton's wide lead nationwide and instead focus on the early states. It's been thought that Obama would do well in New Hampshire and South Carolina. In the Granite State, Clinton's numbers are more than Obama's and Edwards' combined.

Granted, it's still early, especially given the propensity of voters to change their minds after the first of the year. But some Obama supporters I talked to over the weekend are, naturally, worried --- and wish that their candidate would be "unleashed" and gain more traction on the trail.

One more note: While Oprah Winfrey's event brought in more than $3 million to the Obama camp, the one big drawback on the whole affair was undoubtedly the security arrangements. After waiting in a traffic jam at the Earl Warren Fairgrounds, donors had to pass through three different security checkpoints, right, including metal detectors and hand-held wands, before being bused to Oprah's home. Event Architects, which was in charge of planning the event, did dress up the grounds in white lattice work, but it ended up taking some donors more than an hour just to get into Winfrey's home. As the afternoon went on, things got better, and donors looked relaxed by the time they got on the grounds, but it was a big hassle for some. At the Fairgrounds, I was standing with some other members of the media when one woman got out of her car and started yelling at us. A news producer shouted back at her, "I have nothing to do with this."

Suffice it to say, the security measures were not on the orders of the Secret Service, but of the Winfrey camp.

In fact, when Obama spoke at Santa Barbara City College, there were no metal detectors, cameras and recording devices were perfectly welcome and you could wear whatever type of clothing you wanted to, whether it be high heels or board shorts (the preferred attire was the latter).

That, and other news, in today's Political Panorama.

Updated

A group of producers and politicos have launched a new film company, First Tuesday Media, with "an eye toward playing a major role in the 2008 election," reports the Washington Post's Chris Cillizza in his political blog The Fix.

Those involved include Chris Moore, exec producer of Project Greenlight and the "American Pie" movies; PR exec Katie McGrath Abrams, wife of "Lost" executive producer J.J. Abrams; Jenno Topping, exec producer of the most recent "Charlie's Angels" films; and Chris Keyser, producer on "Party of Five." The "face of the group" is Laura Nichols, who was the longtime aide to Rep. Richard Gephardt.

The group already has produced an energy video for the Center for American Progress, and work for the Sierra Club and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. As Cillizza writes, the "true potential for First Tuesday would be as the prime vendor for some iteration of 2004's Media Fund, which spent $58 million on television ads in the 2004 election cycle, and was run by another Gephardt operative, Erik Smith."

The idea isn't entirely novel, as filmmakers routinely help out favored candidates. Steven Spielberg, for instance, supervised John Kerry's 2004 film for the Democratic Convention, and Spike Jonze did the same for Al Gore in 2000. 

But it's often been a bit of a tenuous situation between a presidential campaign and Hollywood's creative community, especially in the final weeks of a race. On the campaign trail, often what sets in is a "leave it to the pros mentality," often for good reason.

This group, however, is a much more formal approach to backing up political endorsements with an actual message, and it sounds like their plans are to focus more on progressive issues rather than individual campaigns.

Wardrobe Woes: CBS argued in federal court that the feds' $550,000 fine for its airing of Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" at the 2004 Superbowl was unjusitified and a violation of due process.

Hunt for Red November: Last week referenced the movie that Fred Thompson has been running at various campaign appearances, "The Hunt for Red November." Here's the YouTube post.

Univision reported on Monday that its presidential candidate forum was seen by some 4.6 million viewers, which would easily eclipse English-language debates on ABC, CNN, Fox News Channel and MSNBC.

There was one problem. According to Variety's Michael Learmonth, it turns out this was just an estimate of how many people ducked in and out during the 90-minute debate.

When other cable networks report debate ratings, they report total average viewership, so to compare apples to apples, Univision's Nielsen number was 2.1 million --- not bad, but in line with other debates on the various news channels.

Meanwhile, Katie Couric's trip to Iraq delivered lackluster ratings --- tying records for ratings lows. "We never expected it to do well in the ratings and it didn't," CBS News President Sean McManus told the AP. "We knew that this was a long-term commitment to Katie and the show and we really felt it was important to establish our reporting there."

The Jimmy Carter in Jonathan Demme's upcoming documentary, "Man from Plains," is reserved and rarely regretful, especially as he criss-crosses the country for the tour of his most controversial book, "Palestine, Peace Not Apartheid."

Not until Carter nears the end of the tour, speaking to a group of students at Brandeis University, and after he's been called "a bigot, an anti-semite, a coward and a plagarist," does he offer a hint of reflection.

"I've been hurt," Carter says, carefully, "and so has my family, by some of the reaction."

Far from offering the restorative power than Al Gore enjoyed with "An Inconvenient Truth," "Man from Plains," which debuted at the Toronto Film Festival, is a far more complex picture of its subject. It is clear that Demme lionizes him, with reminders that Carter's efforts in ending the Iranian hostage crisis and in allieviating the energy crisis were prescient rather than the stuff of ridicule. On his book tour, Carter is a misunderstood figure, battling against incendiary groups and an often vapid media.

But as much as Carter is lauded, this is not a movie about his record of good deeds.

That's because his Nobel-worthy accomplishments are overshadowed by the furor that was inspired by his book, and in particular the one word in its title, "apartheid." And on this issue, the ex-president's moral authority is far from clear cut. Carter used the provocative word to describe the walled in areas of Gaza and the West Bank, which he says choke off Palestinians from their livelihood, a characterization that his critics interpret as no less than anti-Israel.

Carter was blasted not only by groups like the Anti-Defamation League and Harvard professor Alan Dershowitz, but from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and even Rep. John Conyers. At one point, after he is intially turned down for a free speaking engagement at Brandeis, he tells his Simon & Shuster publicist Elizabeth Hayes, that he will give a lecture "at any college that wants me."

The former president, in defending the book and the title, said that his intention was to spur debate on an issue that otherwise never gets discussed. For lawmakers, it's just too sensitive, too politically risky, to do anything other than give support to the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee, among other groups, Carter says.

"If a candidate won't pledge to do so," he says, "their opponent will get their support."

In his eyes the 40-foot-high wall has only worsened the situation because it has isolated the Palestinians, and in Gaza they are "imprisoned."

He tells a crew from Israeli TV that the wall "is not designed to prevent attacks on Israelis; lately it's designed to take land."

He's direct about what it will take for peace in the region. "The only way Israel is ever going to have peace, and to be recognized by its neighbors, is to withdraw from the occupied territories," he says in one interview.

As much as he defends his choice of words --- noting repeatedly that it refers to Palestine and its territories and not to Israel ---  his arguments often fall on deaf ears. That's where this movie can be particularly engaging, where the message gets muddled with the messenger. In one scene, before an audience at the Carter Center, he points out one of the center's board members,the Atlanta's consulate general from Israel.

The consulate says later that Carter misses the point that the fence has actually curbed suicide bombings after a relentless series of suicide bombings. "We are very sorry that he can't see the complexity of the Israeli-Palestinian issue," he says.

Nor does Demme demonize Carter's critics. Dershowitz gets the opportunity to explain his side. When one of Dershowitz's aides points out an interview where Carter has referred to the Holocaust as "the so-called Holocaust," Dershowitz is ready to grab the ammunition. But then he sees web video of the interview, he sees its context, and gives Carter a break as using a poor choice of words.

As much as he is guarded, Carter's frustrations do slip through. He's doing a phone interview with some radio hosts that only gets worse with each question. Carter chides them for not reading the book. He hangs up and says to Hayes, "Those two were absolutely obnoxious."

He lets loose on President Bush, noting that his National Security Adviser, Steven Hadley, barred him from visiting President Assad of Syria. "I've known this president (Assad) since he was a college student," Carter says.

"Man from Plains" is too long and a bit plodding, but it is different from other recent documentaries of political figures. It errs on the side of verite, rather than point of view. He's at his modest home, still eating a modest dinner with wife Rosalynn (and paper napkins), still teaching Sunday school, still flying commercial, and shaking hands with everyone down the aisle. It's a picture of a man you may not agree with, but he is humble and tolerant.

Appearing on "The Tonight Show," Jay Leno even asks him, hasn't some group offered to send him a private jet?

Carter quips, "Not since this book came out."

Above WireImage photo: Jonathan Demme and Jimmy Carter at the premiere of "Man from Plains" at the Toronto International Film Festival on Monday.

A month after the Logo/HRC presidential forum, the woman who actually caused the greatest stir hasn't had any offers to come onto "Meet the Press," or any other of the usual political stops.

"The way our media is set up, I don't know if I'll be invited," singer Melissa Ethridge told the New York Times.

Etheridge, who came under a bit of criticism for landing a spot on the panel of questioners, actually ended up putting Hillary Clinton on the spot, challenging John Edwards and sending Bill Richardson into a momentary tailspin. All of this from a neophyte to the art of grilling candidates.

She tells the Times, “Maybe I didn’t know the decorum. I didn’t know the ‘shoulds’ of what you should do. I did try to be personable and did try to ask simple questions, and maybe that’s what we’ve moved away from in our political discourse.”

Bill O'Reilly, of all people, called Etheridge "a tougher interviewer than most network news guys."

Nevertheless, that she was on the panel at all still stirs some debate, particularly among the candidates' campaigns, some of which would have preferred a group made up of journalists.

According to the Times, Etheridge also is leaning toward Dennis Kucinich, to whom she gave some very-unjournalistic gushing praise during the forum.

That, and other news, in today's (Oprah-free) Political Panorama.

Updated

General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker will appear in an hour-long exclusive interview tonight on Fox News with Brit Hume. Fox News is pre-empting "Hannity & Colmes" for the 9 p.m. (EDT) interview, the first since Petraeus and Crocker deliver their long-awaited Iraq progress report to Congress.

As MoveOn runs ads to counter Petraeus' testimony ("General Betray Us"), one of the more interesting commentaries comes from Matthew Dowd, President Bush's campaign strategist in 2004, who writes on HuffingtonPost that leaders should pay attention to what the public thinks.

"The public is waiting for leaders from both political parties to stand up to the president and say enough is enough. They would like this situation resolved -- and soon -- and there is no other solution acceptable to them other than bringing the troops home. The public will support leaders who would use funding decisions as a way to encourage and push the president to resolve this situation quickly."

The Petraeus report will inevitably dominate the news today --- and it is bound to be much discussed at various panels at the Toronto International Film Festival, where a slew of politically themed-projects are unspooling. Cate Blanchett even found a political bent in her movie, "Elizabeth --- The Golden Age," about England's 16th century queen, noting her religious tolerance.

At one point, Code Pink protesters disrupted the proceedings.

Sundance Politics: Robert Redford's upcoming "Lions for Lambs" is the actor-director's most politically charged movie since the 1970s and the days of "All the President's Men," "Three Days of the Condor" and "The Candidate." The New York Times' David M.  Halbfinger writes that the movie, which stars Redford, Tom Cruise and Meryl Streep, is "harsh in its judgments of politicians, journalists, media conglomerates, young people — in short, everyone, except those who volunteer to fight for their country."

"In Mr. Redford’s telling the film is 'about what we’re fed, and what we choose to eat.' But he too expressed some concern that 'America doesn’t like to look at itself.'

'That’s why Carter got booted,' he said. 'He had the gall to tell people, ‘We’re not doing so good.’ That’s why Reagan got elected: ‘Morning in America.’ ”

Jane Wyman Dies: Ronald Reagan's ex-wife, Jane Wyman, died today at age 93. Her marriage to Reagan pre-dated his political career, but she rarely if ever spoke of Reagan, apparently tired of the endless gossip about their marriage. She declined to comment even as her career was resurrected during his presidency with the series "Falcon Crest." One of her last roles was in 1993, when she played the mother of Michaela Quinn on the pilot movie for "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman."

Jake's Take: In Toronto for the pic "Rendition,' Jake Gyllenhaal said in an interview with the Toronto Star, "As an actor I'm always interested in the human side of politics. The thing about this movie is that everybody believes they're acting out of the best intentions. They all think they're doing some kind of good. And they're all acting on what they've been told.

"But who's to say what you're being told is the truth?" adds Gyllenhaal. "I think people question whether they're being told the truth in situations like this. And who can blame them? Even worse, a lot of people have even lost the want for the truth."

Oprah Winfrey welcomed Barack Obama to the sprawling grounds of her Montecito estate on Saturday, to a crowd of celebrity well-wishers and other politicos drawn almost as much to her star power as they were to the candidate himself.

With donors gathered on a meadow next to a beautiful lake, Winfrey introduced Obama as "the man who will be the president of the United States," and even described his candidacy in terms of destiny.

"Nobody can stand in the way of destiny," Winfrey said. "I believe this is a destiny thing going on."

Among those who attended the $2,300 fund-raiser, billed as a garden party "celebration," were  Forest Whitaker, Tyler Perry, Sidney Poitier, Cicely Tyson, Chris Rock, Rodney Peete, Holly Robinson Peete, Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds, Cindy Crawford, James Lassiter, Dave Winfield, Linda Evans, Dennis Haysbert, Hill Harper, Damon Lindelof, Master P, Nia Long, Lou Gossett and Stevie Wonder.

Wonder, in a gold-yellow suit, provided a musical performance, along with Bebe Winans.

Much was made of the fact that this was the first time that Winfrey had endorsed a presidential candidate.  She explained to the crowd that Obama was unique. "I haven't been actively engaged in politics because there hasn't been anything to engage me. But I am engaged now to make Barack Obama the next president of the United States.""

But she decided to step out and endorse Obama because, as she said, "the moment is now."

Citing his message of unifying the country, she said, "Barack Obama understands that in order to have a great America diversity is necessary...I believe in him. I trust him."

Obama spoke for about 20 minutes, evoking many of the themes of a speech earlier in the day before some 6,000 people on the campus of Santa Barbara City College.

Donors were shuttled in buses from the Earl Warren Fairgrounds in Santa Barbara, some eight miles away, where a crush of vehicles caused a traffic jam and frustrated some of those trying to go into the event. Some got out of their expensive cars and just walked to a specially designed security area, where they went through metal detectors before boarding the coach buses.

But by the time they arrived at Winfrey's gates, the well-dressed crowd appeared relaxed and anxious to get into the property. As buses dropped each group off, they waited at a wooden gate, listening to a brass band play and eclectic mix of music including Sousa and even "The Love Boat" theme, before the doors swung open and they entered an area covered in Cypress trees. Green wreaths and garlands decorated the front entrance, for what was called a garden party, with men in sport coats and slacks and women in colorful dresses and some with straw hats.

Those inside described her property as an unusually serene environment --- it includes a man-made lake and fountains in a symmetry that reminds one of the National Mall. She calls it "the Promised Land."

When Obama finally got on stage shortly before 6 p.m., he said, nonchalantly, "This party is OK... It's nice."

He reserved special thanks and praise for Winfrey, citing her work on an array of humanitarian projects. He also noted that it has been suggested that she run for president, although he quipped that she "would have less power, less influence."

Obama vowed to insure all Americans by the end of his first term, and relayed the story of his mother, suffering from ovarian cancer, having to endure an endless amount of paperwork and bureaucracy from her insurer. He also called for early childhood education and for an increase in the minimum wage.

His biggest applause came when he talked about foreign policy and his desire, as president, to speak to the United Nations and tell them that "America is back." He talked of restoring the country's image in the world.

"We're going to have to talk to countries we don't like," he said. Earlier in the day, he had said, "I had a little argument with my Democratic colleagues over this issue." It was the closest he came to referring to Hillary Clinton. At a debate in July, when Obama said he would meet with some of the U.S.'s enemies, Clinton called the comment "naive."

The event was expected to raise more than $3 million, a boon to Obama's campaign coffers as it is in a breakneck race with Clinton's campaign to lock up donors and endorsements in advance of the primary.

Although Winfrey's event drew plenty of media attention, it is still in question whether she will take an even more public stand for Obama, by shooting 30-second ads or even stumping on the campaign trail. Her event was closed to the press, although members of the media camped outside her gates to hear what was being said.

Most of the guests did not go into Winfrey's home. Instead, they  found spots in her meadow on specially designed white and lime green towels with the campaign logo. Guests ate corn on the cob and chiken tenders. Volunteers wore T-shirts featuring blades of grass interspersed with the Obama logo ---  signifying her garden party.

Major fund-raisers attended a more intimate reception with Winfrey and Obama, and the two also attended a private VIP dinner in her home afterward.

CBS News did a recent poll showing that 31% believe that Winfrey's endorsement will make a difference, but 63% doubt that it will be a factor.

Instructions to the event clearly stated that guests should wear comfortable shoes, given that it was taking place on Winfrey's expansive back lawn. But some women didn't listen, and they wore stiletto heels --- and sunk in the lawn as they wandered through the party. Guests were forbidden from bringing in cameras and recording devices.

In an interview Friday with the Chicago Tribune, "Obama said he first fully realized Winfrey's power one day when he was running late for work at the U.S. Capitol and a beefy security guard in dark sunglasses stopped his car and peered in sternly to ask for identification.

"Suddenly, though, the Senate ID wasn't necessary for the freshman lawmaker. "Hey, you were on 'Oprah'!" the man said, stepping back to direct Obama's car through the checkpoint with a friendly wave.

"It's at that point that I realized the power of Oprah Winfrey," Obama recalled. "Her reach extended beyond the stereotypical demographic. ... And the appearance on her show amplified my profile around the country."

Photo: Michelle and Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey at garden party. From AP wire services.

That, and other news, in today's Political Panorama.

Fred Thompson is being challenged to a one-on-one debate with Mike Huckabee. After Thompson said on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and on Fox News that a debate with just one other candidate would be more preferable than the entire field, Huckabee issued his challenge. "Senator, let’s lead by example and get the ball rolling,” he wrote in a letter to the former "Law & Order" star.

On Thursday, at one of Thompson's kickoff events in Des Moines, he played his Hollywood experience to the hilt, running a video called "The Hunt for Red November," a nod to his role in "The Hunt for Red October." The pic was acutally a bio introducing him to the voters, and invoked Reaganesque themes and even shots of Thompson meeting with the Gipper.

As M.E. Sprengelmeyer of the Rocky Mountain News reported, "it was more Hollywood than heartland."

"Thompson walked into the spotlight of a glitzy, column-flanked stage and delivered a dramatic message that seemed to hit the more conservative talking points of each of his Republican rivals. He talked tough on terrorism, tough on immigration, tough on government reform, tough on government bloat, etc."

Sprengelmeyer (who shot the photo at right) says that some voters were turned off at the spectacle, perhaps because of the media throng that aced out any face time with the candidate.

Meanwhile, Thompson drew some heat from his GOP rivals when he noted the release of a new Osama bin Laden video and called the Al Queda leader "more symbolism than anything else."

Rare Footage Revealed: For political junkies, there is CSPAN's new show "Presidential Libraries: History Uncovered, which debuted today and features rare footage of presidents from Hoover to Clinton.

Obamamania, Part Two: The Obama camp has another big ticket event coming up later this month, this time a Broadway themed fund-raiser at the New Amsterday Theater on Sept. 24. The New York Times reports that hosts include Thomas Schumacher, the president of Disney Theatrical Productions (which owns the theater); Rocco Landesman, the president of the Jujamcyn chain of Broadway theaters; Scott Sanders, the lead producer of “The Color Purple”; Roger Berlind, the lead producer of “Curtains”; and Margo Lion, the lead producer of “Hairspray,” and Broadway’s most active supporter of the Obama campaign. George C. Wolfe will direct a short performance with Christine Ebersole, Marcia Gay Harden and Jeffrey Wright, then Obama will speak.

Security on Saturday is said to be tight in Montecito, the exclusive enclave where Oprah Winfrey lives and where she's hosting the Obama fund-raiser.

Her sprawling, 42-acre estate, which she purchased for a reported $50 million, has been opened for various charity events and parties. In fact, it was at the Legends Ball there two years ago where Winfrey first broached the idea with Barack and Michelle Obama of having a fund-raiser there.

"I said, 'Wouldn't this be a good place for a fund-raiser?' ...I said jokingly," Winfrey told Gayle King on a recent radio show.

Her estate reportedly is called "The Promised Land" --- and she does speak of it in glowing terms.

"I really do feel that this place is God's gift to me," Winfrey said. "It is a very, very special place [like] sacred spiritual grounds. To offer it is no small thing for me. There are going to be some serious restrictions and requirements to get in there."

For one, no cameras or recording devices are allowed. Most of the guests will not be in the house, but an outside meadow that features a man-made lake. Security check-in will not be at the home, but some eight miles away at the Earl Warren Fairgrounds, where they can park and be shuttled to the property. Garden attire is preferred. Will Smith, Halle Berry, Jamie Foxx, Taye Diggs, Lou Gossett Jr. and John Travolta are expected, with entertainment by Stevie Wonder. There's also been reports that George Clooney will be there.

Given the level of interest in the media, there has been some concern that the public will think that the whole affair is open to the public. As King said, "On the wire services, it is like, 'Come to Oprah's house,' and you want people to know that it isn't a 'Come to Oprah's house (event).' It is going to be very very tight security. It is not open to everyone and anybody."

Will Oprah's viewers mean votes?

If so, will we ever know?

The "Oprah effect" is the source of endless speculation as she prepares to host a fund-raiser at her sprawling Montecito estate on Saturday, a 42-acre piece of property that looks more like the National Mall than a star home. Stevie Wonder will reportedly provide the entertainment, with a host of guests including celebrities and Illinois bigwigs.

If she does a commercial for Obama or goes on the stump, as is being discussed, according to some sources, she could open her candidate's campaign to a pool of otherwise politically inactive voters, the thinking goes, particularly women. That's where Obama hopes to make inroads, with Hillary having a big advantage for obvious reasons.

Yet even if her magic touch --- which has propelled books, charitable causes and business ventures into smash hits --- seems to work on Obama, can it ever be proven. Here it gets a bit wonkish, but  voters will probably be more reluctant to admit that they are casting ballots based on Oprah's cues. Rather, they are more likely to reach for other answers when being queried at exit polls.

"What people say in exit polls is often a 'post-hoc' rationalization," says Matthew Baum, a UCLA professor and the author of "The Oprah Effect: How Soft News Helps Inattentive Citizens Vote Consistently." "Is it really what caused you to make that decision?"

He does, however, say that laboratory research can be performed to at least get and idea on how they respond to "different plates of information." In that regard, he believes that endorsements do matter.

"Endorsements are cues for people who don't have a lot of time or pay a lot of attention to politics," he says. He adds that although endorsement may not turn the tide, "we rely on 'information shortcuts' in every moment of our existence."

So in that sense, Oprah's nod comes with great potential. "She is probably the most trusted person in the country," Baum says. "Even in better days, she rated about George Bush in the polls."

Some of Obama's biggest supporters believe that even the mere fact that she is having a fund-raiser at her home, her first ever, will mean more than just the money that is raised.

"It is going to be one of the single most important political fund-raisers in all of history for a host of reasons," says actor Hill Harper, a friend of Obama's from Harvard Law School who plans to attend. "There are going to be a lot of influential people there in different arenas, different circles. There are going to be many people there who aren't Barack supporters yet. Once they hear the Senator in person, I think they will think about giving him their support."

Nevertheless, there is the potential of overdoing it. After all, one reason for Oprah's success may be that she has remained so non-partisan --- she's steered clear of blatant partisanship --- and thus comes across as more thoughtful and fair than other personalities. Now she's no longer above the political fray. She obviously is aware of this --- and is cautious about when and where she pitches the Obama message. Her show has been free of Obamamania. Before he got in the race, it was thought to be planning to announce his candidacy on her show; that never happened. Speaking with Gayle King's radio show recently, she said that because of the endorsement it would be "disingenuous" of her to have other candidates on her show. 

In fact, Winfrey goes to great lengths to stress that her endorsement is not a signal that she intends to become some kind of a political power broker.

"I am doing this because I feel this is the right thing to do at this time," Winfrey told King. "I know that people will say you cannot be any more political than stepping into this. But I am doing this not because of my politics but because of my belief system. I really do believe in Barack Obama....I believe in what he stands for. I believe in his moral authority.... I believe in his value system. I believe that he is about creative a new kind of environment for everybody."

So for her to drive home the Obama message too much has the danger of backfiring --- perhaps hurting her more than Obama.

"Too much of a good thing is often not so good," Baum says. "She has thrown all that caution to the wind by taking this step."