Wilshire & Washington

Plants and Recants

Updated

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

More amusing than the CNN/YouTube GOP debate on Wednesday was the reaction to it.

The outrage, or expressions thereof, centered on Brig. Gen. Keith Kerr, who came out after retirement and queried the candidates on the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. Not too long after the debate ended came the revelation that he sits on an advisory committee of Clinton's campaign --- immediately drawing cries of foul from conservative pundits and bloggers who felt as if they'd been had by another skillful Hillary plant. Soon the backgrounds of every YouTube rube were being checked out: That man munching on corn-on-the-cob, asking about crop subsidies, once interned for Rep. Jane Harman, a Democrat! (And he thought we wouldn't notice that his bites were a little too calculated).

The egg, however, was on CNN's face (until they found out the event earned record ratings), and the network admitted that it was unaware of Kerr's connection, made all the worse because Kerr was present in the audience and gave an extended speech. It didn't matter that his question wasn't too much out of left field, so to speak, as all of the GOP candidates have surely been hit with the same question on the trail. Most laughable was Pat Buchanan's post-debate contention that Kerr should have come out while he was still in the military --- isn't that what Don't Ask, Don't Tell is all about?

So here's what's been uncovered in this nefarious plot: There are people who come to a political event with a political agenda.  Surprising?

Kurtz on Clinton: The Washington Post's Howard Kurtz trailed the Clinton campaign for the day and found pretty limited access to the candidate. When he and other national reporters weren't lost, they were stuck in the living room of some New Hampshire family and forced to listen to small talk. It is an amusing piece.

Kurtz writes, "Clinton aides say they try to stage a "press avail," or brief news conference, every five or six days, but they acknowledge the schedule often slips. (Obama is also on a weekly schedule; Edwards, third in the national polls, is more accessible.) The result is little red meat for the press pack. In fact, much of the chatter among the reporters is about MapQuest and GPS devices and Hertz's NeverLost technology as they trade tips on how to track their constantly moving quarry."

Clinton in OC: Clinton, by the way, was in Orange County on Thursday with an appearance at Rick Warren's Saddleback Church for a Global Summit on AIDS & the Church. She was the only candidate to appear in person.

Obama in Harlem: On Clinton's turf last night, Barack Obama  hosted a fund-raiser at the Apollo Theater. Chris Rock introduced the candidate with this quip to the audience about what would happen if they voted for his chief rival. "You'd say, 'I had that white lady! What was I thinking?" Rock said.

Meanwhile, even though the Dec. 10 debate in Los Angeles was cancelled, Obama is still planning a visit. His campaign just sent out invites to a fund-raiser that evening at the Gibson Ampitheatre at Universal CityWalk. The price is $50 per person (yes, it is getting tough to find the untapped). Ne-Yo is the special musical guests, with hosts including Scarlett Johansson, Will.I.Am, Taye Diggs,  Ryan Reynolds, Kal Penn and Kate Walsh.

Dean Event: Lawrence O'Donnell interviews John Dean about his book "Broken Government" at the Skirball Center on Tuesday. Sponsored by the ACLU Foundation of Southern California, the event starts at 7 p.m.

Clinton Back in L.A.: Hillary Clinton also has kept her Dec. 10 plans.  As  Obama  appears at Universal, she'll be at the nightclub Social Hollywood for a  $250-per-person fund-raiser. It's being billed as her final L.A. event before voting begins.

Late Night Relief: The Los Angeles Times' Top of the Ticket blog reports that Clinton is an indirect beneficiary of the writers strike: She's no longer the butt of jokes by late-night comedians because their shows have gone dark. According to the Center for Media and Public Affairs, Clinton was the target of 186 jokes this year through Oct. 10, followed by Rudy Giuliani with 72.

CNN/YouTube Debate Gangbusters

More than 4.4 million viewers tuned in to the CNN/YouTube debate of Republican candidates, making it the most-watched forum this year.

It even topped the numbers for CNN's coverage of the Democratic debate in Las Vegas on Nov. 15.

Although there's considerable grousing of debate fatigue in the political world, the truth is that ratings are up as the primaries approach and more voters start paying attention.

Does Streisand Help Clinton?

The New York Times' David Halbfinger writes that Streisand's endorsement wasn't timed to counter Oprah Winfrey's announcement that she will campaign for Barack Obama.

In fact, Streisand had made up her mind for some time --- since October, in fact.

But does she help? Oprah is one-thing, with a proven track record of turning vast public attention to books and causes. Streisand has been involved in politics for years, and has become a target of the right's attacks on liberal Hollywood.

But the Clinton campaign actually did polling on the issue, according to Halbfinger.

“We would’ve low-keyed it,” an associate of Streisand told the Times. “But the campaign says it’s a net plus. They polled it. Among Democratic primary voters, even in places like Iowa, they love Barbra. By the way, she just sold out concert tours around the world. And she’s great for fund-raising. In fact, a fund-raising letter signed by her went out this morning.”

Streisand had contributed to multiple candidates, and had met with Obama in October, before announcing her endorsement.

When Candidates Strike

In the fall presidential campaign of 1980, as Ronald Reagan was looking to peel away presumed blue collar union support from President Carter, his campaign issued a flier that marked one of the few times Reagan even mentioned the then-ongoing Screen Actors Guild strike.

The flier read, "He led the Screen Actors Guild in its first strike and he won it! Elect the former union president, President."

Now, as then, Hollywood labor strife is proving irresistible to the presidential field. And while Reagan ended up capturing man blue collar voters back then, its uncertain just who will benefit the most from jumping into this labor situation.

Democratic candidates have issued a flurry of statements in support of the writers. John Edwards walked pickets in Burbank and this week addressed a rally in Manhattan, where he framed the strike, and that of Broadway stagehands, as indicative of the struggles of the middle and working classes.

And on Wednesday,  the candidates succeeded  in scoring one for the Writers Guild of America East, which is threatening another strike of some 500 CBS News employees. The presidential contenders vows to not cross picket lines forced CBS to cancel a Dec. 10 debate in Los Angeles.

Months ago, I called around to various Hollywood politicos and asked whether any Hollywood strike would score the candidates attention. Such a thought was a stretch, I was told, and I laughed it off. Why would presidential campaigns get involved in a strike that (a) involves not blue collar voters but the creative class; and (b) pits them against some of their studio chieftan donors. Moreover, the risk was that they would get trapped in a labor conflict that the rest of the world, including Iowans, would see is millionaire vs. billionaire. It's not too uncommon for show runners walking the picket lines to make a cool $12 million a season, after all.

Instead, I stand corrected. The campaigns have gotten involved. It didn't matter that these were not blue-collar workers. "It's labor, baby," one top Clinton fund-raiser told me that day.

What I also didn't factor in was all press attention surrounding this strike, certainly much greater than it was even in 1980, and the temptation of campaigns to pounce on it.

Led by Barack Obama, then Edwards and Hillary Clinton, the candidates issued statements on the first day of the strike in support of the writers. Michelle Obama, Edwards and his wife Elizabeth each cancelled appearances on "The View." The camera crush when Edwards walked the pickets in Burbank was so great that one cameraman described it as an "O.J.-sized" media throng.

It's an open question as to whether any of Edwards' fellow candidates will walk the pickets. Of all of them, he has the least amount of industry support from studio moguls. But the cynical part of me thinks that is beside the point. Fund-raising season is winding down. Presidential contenders, after all, have already raised the bulk of primary campaign money from Hollywood. Save for some major change in political dynamics, whoever is the Democratic nominee is bound to get the lion's share of industry support next year, anyway.

Reagan did manage to capture a sizable chunk of those blue collar voters --- for many reasons other than his union leadership. But it probably didn't hurt to highlight it, either, as it obscured some of his anti-union positions of his political career.

At Edwards' appearance in Burbank, I talked to one picketer who wondered whether his loop around the picket line would help the guild more than it would help the candidate. After all, how much did he really know about the issues? It didn't matter, for the campaigns have found a way of taking sides in a battle they have determined they cannot lose.

Sad Sanctuary

"This whole debate saddens me a bit," John McCain declared about 20 minutes into the CNN/YouTube forum on Wednesday, after Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney engaged in a dizzying tiff over just whose turf it was that provided sanctuary to illegal immigrants.

But even as the issue threatened to descend into demagoguery, there was much more reason to be a bit gloomy here, the Republicans' time to endure two hours of egalitarian questioning from a spectrum of YouTube users. Like the Democrats turn in July, the event was billed as more than just a gimmick. Because anyone could submit a question, this was a prime example using the Internet to its fullest democratic potential.

But the Democrats' YouTube debate was novel, sometimes entertaining and even provocative. The Republicans turn, by contrast, was still provocative, but also quite a bit nattering and even just plain nasty.

Perhaps it was because of the time of the campaign: A race still wide open with just a few more weeks to the starting gate. Or perhaps it was because of who was asking the questions. Anchor-moderator Anderson Cooper, apparently to appease concerns about the first debate's presence of a talking snowman who asked about global warming, signaled that there would be no talking animals or animated presidents in this event.

Instead, the questions focused on lots and lots of Republican red meat issues, often from a cast of real characters who looked just the part to ask them. Jay Fox, a lifetime member of the NRA and dressed in fatigues, cocked his rifle and asked whether the candidates about their position on gun control. A man from Arlington, Texas, inexplicably on a headset, asked Ron Paul whether he believed that conspiracy theory that the government was secretly working on a "Nafta superhighway" One man, in black hat and sunglasses, and darkly lit as if he were on a suicide watch, asked whether candidates would pledge to veto any legislation that granted amnesty to illegal immigrants.

They did elicit interesting questions on what programs the candidates would cut and which among them own guns (Fred Thompson was oddly reticent to reveal much). But there were 32 minutes on illegal immigration --- way too much --- that seemed to crowd out other issues like health care and education. More perplexing is why CNN producers, facing pre-debate gripes that they were picking the questions (from among the 5,000 submitted) and not those in the online sphere, chose one question from Grover Norquist. Doesn't he always get their attention for his no tax pledge?

Some gay rights groups had all but campaigned to have CNN pick questions some of their members submitted. They did run one from retired Brig. Gen. Keith Kerr, who just came out of the closet and challenged the candidates on "don't ask, don't tell." He even gave an impassioned speech from the audience, challenging them to allow gays to serve openly in the military. As it turns out, he also sits on an advisory committee on Hillary Clinton's campaign.

But by and large candidates stuck to their own script, trying to gain tactical advantage with veiled suggestions and direct attacks. Right off the bat Mitt Romney fired a volley at Rudy Giuliani, charging that as mayor he provided a "sanctuary city" for illegal immigrants. The Giuliani charged that Romney provided a "sanctuary mansion" by employing illegals at his home. Romney called his comment "offensive." Giuliani called him "holier than thou." They looked ready to spit at each other before Cooper called a halt.

"Mitt usually criticizes people when he usually has the far worse record," Giuliani said.

Romney-the-aggressor then went after Mike Huckabee, with the Massachusetts governor apparently undeterred by the fact that celebrity endorser Chuck Norris was sitting in the audience. He challenged Huckabee on a proposal he made as governor of Arkansas to give college tuition breaks to children of illegal immigrants.

Huckabee responded, "In all due respect, we're a better country than to punish children for that their parents did. We're a better country than that."

Ronald Reagan's name was invoked several times, as it has been at all GOP forums this year, but still missing was much of Reagan's sense of optimism --- or that inspired by the religious base. Pressed on what Jesus would do when faced with the death penalty, Huckabee declared, "Jesus was too smart to run for elective office."

But even Huckabee --- the sunniest candidate in the race --- tried a turn at sharp jabs, albeit one aimed at favorite GOP target Hillary Clinton.  In response to a question of funding the space program, he said, "Hillary could be on the first rocket to Mars." Perfect delivery, but isn't the line, "To the moon, Alice?"

Other candidates reveled in the joust. Tom Tancredo, the little-known Colorado longshot staking his candidacy on shutting down immigration, declared that the field was trying to "out-Tancredo Tancredo." Then he showed his campaign's own YouTube video that touting his ability to take on ... Geraldo Rivera.

More biting was the video offered by Thompson, who chose to forgo his folksy wit for a biting spot that featured vintage footage of Romney talking about abortion rights and Huckabee talking about raising taxes. Thompson wasn't even in the spot. It was scathing enough that Cooper delayed a commercial break to ask Thompson, "What's up with that?"

John McCain is emerging as the "been through it all before" GOP counterpart to Joe Biden. He sparred over the need for the troop surge with anti-war Paul, but gave a spirited argument against waterboarding as torture. His nemesis was, of course, Romney, who said he opposed torture but would not go into specifics about waterboarding, McCain said, "Then you would have to advocate that we withdraw from the Geneva conventions."

Or, as McCain also said, "Life is not '24' and Jack Bauer."

Like the show, shut down because of the writers strike, the GOP campaign is a race against time without the advantage of a plot.

L.A. Presidential Debate Axed

As has been rumored all day, CBS and the Democratic National Committee have dropped plans for a Dec. 10 debate of the Democratic presidential candidates in Los Angeles.

With some 500 newswriters and other employees threatening to strike, and the major hopefuls vowing not to cross picket lines, the network apparently decided that the uncertainty wasn't worth it. The Writers Guild of America, East has been able to use the event as leverage, especially if it were to walk out on that date and disrupt the telecast. The membership already has voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike, although none has been called.

CBS News regrets not being able to offer the Democratic presidential debate scheduled for Dec. 10 in Los Angeles. The possibility of picket lines set up by the Writers Guild of America and the unwillingness of many candidates to cross them made it necessary to allow the candidates to make other plans.

"Due to the uncertainty created by the ongoing labor dispute between CBS and the Writers Guild of America, the DNC has canceled the December 10th debate in Los Angeles. There are no plans to re-schedule," said DNC Communications Director Karen Finney.

In a flurry of releases last week, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John Edwards and Bill Richardson each announced that they would not cross picket lines to attend.

Another casualty of the debate's cancellation is California, as the debate had been scheduled when the state moved up its presidential primary to Feb. 5 as a way of gaining more influence in the nomination process. The hope was that the state would earn the attention of the presidential field in the same way that Iowa and New Hampshire are earning now.

But in the end California shares the Feb. 5 primary with 21 other states, muting its influence. Iowa and New Hampshire are perhaps more important than ever. And even though campaigns have been more aggressive about getting their candidates out to real campaign events in California, as opposed to fund-raisers, it is not as much as many had hoped.

Katie Couric was to have moderated the debate.

CNN and the Los Angeles Times have a debate scheduled in Los Angeles for Jan. 31, but the field will probably have narrowed considerably by then.

The Endorsement Parade

As campaigns engage in what seems like a battle to roll out the endorsements, Hillary Clinton was pretty diplomatic in talking about her chief opponent Barack Obama's star surrogate.

"I am a great admirer of Oprah. I mean, she is a great figure in America and I think of her campaigning is certainly her personal decision,” Clinton told the Chicago Sun-Times' Lynn Sweet.

“But people are going to decide based on the candidates, about our experience and our qualifications, our plans for the future and whether, you know, we actually can bring about the change that we are advocating. Change is just a word without the strength and experience to make it happen and I am very much looking forward to have the rest of this campaign focus who can lead starting on Day One."

She did identify her husband as her own super-surrogate.

But Clinton's campaign also announced the endorsement of Barbra Streisand on Tuesday, and although it wasn't much of a surprise, the entertainer wasted little time in going to work for the New York senator.

"Although I'm proud to help her make history, I'm not supporting Hillary only because she's a woman. I'm supporting her because she's the most experienced candidate and will give us the leadership we need to move our country forward again," Streisand writes in a letter e-mailed to supporters and potential donors today.

What's it all mean? Pat Sajak puts a damper on the endorsement parade, writing on the conservative website Human Events that if "any group of citizens is uniquely unqualified to tell someone else how to vote, it’s those of us who live in the sheltered, privileged arena of celebrityhood. It’s one thing to buy an ab machine because Chuck Norris recommends it (he’s in good shape, isn’t he?) or a grill because George Foreman’s name is on it (he’s a great guy, so it must be a great grill!), but the idea of choosing the Leader of the Free World based on the advice of someone who lives in the cloistered world of stardom seems a bit loony to me."

Is CBS Canceling Debate?

With word swirling that the newswriters repped by Writers Guild of America East are planning to go on strike on Dec. 10, that's the rumor being reported by Drudge.

The leading presidential contenders have said that they won't cross the picket lines to attend the debate --- which actually may be more of a relief to them given the sheer number of forums on the schedule. On the calendar is a debate seven days later at the JFK Library in Boston.

YouTube, Part Two

The return of the talking snowman? It'd be fitting in the holiday season.

That is one of the more trivial matters at play as CNN and YouTube host the latest edition of their presidential debates tonight, with users submitting some 5,000 questions and producers expected to pare them down to a few dozen. After some initial reluctance, the GOP field will take the stage in St. Petersburg, Fla.,  with the expectation that (snowman or not) they will be thrown for a few loops.

You may recall that the appearance of Billiam, the talking snowman, in the Democratic debate in July (he asked a question about global warming), seemed to scare Mitt Romney out of participating. He called such a spectacle undignified, but later agreed to participate. Here's Billiam's response:

What are they in for this time? Well, the field can probably expect a bigger audience, as the ratings for debates in general have been on the rise as the election nears. And Billiam has inspired all sorts of questions submitted from stuff talking animals and animated depictions of Abraham Lincoln, Richard Nixon and George W. Bush. Thomas Jefferson's portrait asks how they are going to respond to the legalization of marijuana.

I found the July debate a refreshing change from the otherwise staid forums so far in the year. With so many debates on the schedule, there certainly can be no worry about wasting one of these events on various gimmicks. As for actual substance, much will depend tonight on which questions are picked and which are not.

Like the Democrats, will the GOP candidates be challenged on their opposition to gay marriage? Former baseball star Billy Bean submitted this query --- asking candidates whether they would discourage people from using their religious beliefs to justify discrimination against gays (Bean is one of the few Major League players to come out).  Kirk Douglas asks about education. And this one from Nicholas Giles of San Diego is this query that is perhaps uniquely suited for the Republican field --- what is their interpretation of the Second Amendment? (If it's asked, expect Fred Thompson to mention his Black Friday visit to a gun store.) A roundup of questions here.

And Danny in Abilene, Texas, challenges the candidates on their technical proficiency: Do you know where a computer's full screen button is?

By the way, Douglas, his voice slurred by a stroke, has taken to YouTube, and submitted this video after the last debate, in which he suggests an apology to African-Americans for slavery "accompanied by a Marshall Plan in all of Africa."

Fred Thompson's "Marie" Ad

Fred Thomspon debuted an ad today featuring Marie Ragghianti, the former Tennessee state employee and whistleblower who is indirectly responsible for his acting career.

Ragghianti was the Tennessee Parole Board chair who was fired from her post in the 1970s when she refused to release felons whose families had been bribing Gov. Roy Blanton. Thompson represented her in her lawsuit and won, and the case was so celebrated that it was made into the 1985 feature "Marie," with Sissy Spacek in the title role. Who did director Roger Donaldson get to play Thompson? Thompson himself. In fact, he stole the movie, and launched his side career.

Ragghianti has campaigned for Thompson before --- so it is not a huge surprise that she would turn out for him in his presidential bid.

Meanwhile, Jeffrey Ressner at the Politico writes that Thompson's entertainment industry support has been scant --- as many predicted even before he got in the race. It'll get a bigger test this weekend when Thompson raises money at the Century Plaza Hotel on Saturday.

Edwards Stumps at Strike Rally

Further mixing presidential politics and show biz's labor strife, John Edwards cast the writers and Broadway stagehands strikes as indicative of the threats to the middle class.

In fact, Edwards pegged an appearance today at the rally of striking writers and Broadway stagehands to outline economic policies for middle class and working families. His proposals include tax reform, fighting excessive credit card interest rates and alleviating the mortgage crisis.

"We're in this together," Edwards said to hundreds gathered at Washington Square Park. "It's about making sure these media conglomerates don't step on your rights."

As Variety's Dade Hayes reports, joining Edwards were Tim Robbins, Danny Glover and Colin Quinn.

"Sopranos" created David Chase told the AP: "The people here at this rally and this union come up with the ideas that make large, large amounts of money. Those ideas have value every time they're used." 

"With all due respect, we're not serving steaks at Outback. People at Outback don't come up with the ideas for that steak."

Chase said that he was pleased Edwards had spoken to the striking writers. "He said some very important things."

Streisand Endorses Clinton

Barbra Streisand announced her endorsement of Hillary Clinton today, saying, "We truly are in a momentous time, where a woman’s potential has no limitations."

Her announcement comes a day after Barack Obama announced that Oprah Winfrey would hit the campaign trail for him on Dec. 8 and 9.

A longtime Democratic activist, Streisand--- who regularly turns out to raise money and perform for Democratic candidates --- had been contributing to multiple candidates. But she has longtime ties to the Clintons, having helped raise money both for Bill Clinton in the 1990s and for Hillary Clinton's Senate campaigns. She also campaigned for John Kerry in 2004, headlining a DNC gala (at right) at Walt Disney Concert Hall to benefit his presidential bid.

"Madame President of the United States...it’s an extraordinary thought. We truly are in a momentous time, where a woman’s potential has no limitations," Streisand said in a statement release by the campaign. "Hillary Clinton has already proven to a generation of women that there are no limits for success. She is driven by her passion for public service and her belief in the enormous potential of our country. Smart, capable and strong in her convictions, Hillary has transcended the dictates of what is thought to be possible for our time.

"Another former first lady, Eleanor Roosevelt once wrote, ‘In government, in business, and in the professions there may be a day when women will be looked upon as persons. We are, however, far from that day as yet.’ More than 50 years later 'that day' is now upon us…and Hillary Clinton is ready to shatter through that glass ceiling for all women."

Streisand has contributed to Clinton, Obama, John Edwards and Chris Dodd this year, and she's attended fund-raisers for Clinton and Obama.

Clinton said in a statement, "I’m honored to have Barbra’s support. Barbra has used her immense talent to be an advocate for truth, justice, and fairness and I deeply appreciate her confidence in my candidacy as we work together to change the direction of our nation."

Oprah vs. Bill

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

Less than three months after he was a guest on her talk show, Bill Clinton and Oprah Winfrey are emerging as the ultra-surrogates on the campaign trail. The Washington Post's Anne Kornblut calls it a "rare collision of talent and fame." Not quite: The former president is in Iowa today; Winfrey arrives on Dec. 8.

Kornblut writes, "Both are legendary communicators, perhaps the two greatest in their generation. Both helped build an ethic of empathy, turning the public confession into a rite of passage. Both are world-renowned -- one for being a former president, the other for a TV show usually identified just by her first name."

Newt Gingrich, meanwhile, thinks that Oprah will give Obama a boost in Iowa. "I think Oprah Winfrey is a remarkable figure," Gingrich told ABC's Diane Sawyer, "I think she brings a, not just a celebrity status, but there are millions of people who trust her judgment."

Pressed on whether the Oprah-factor would "tip" the nomination toward Obama, Gingrich replied, "I think it's a significant asset to (Obama) and he's not married to her."

"I think there's a double-edged sword when President Clinton shows up because he also reminds you, do you really want two presidents in the White House?  And do you really want Mrs. Clinton to have to rely on President Clinton to have to win?"

You Tube II: It seems like a lifetime ago that Democrats participated in CNN's You Tube debate. Remember the talking snowman? The man with all the guns? On Wednesday, it is the GOP's turn. But on the Huffington Post, the Norman Lear Center's Martin Kaplan challenges the notion that the forum will be grassroots. He keys in on a comment from CNN's Washington bureau chief david Bohrman, who says that "CNN wants to ensure that next Wednesday's Republican event is a 'debate of their party.' " Kaplan, however, notices that many questions already submitted concern gay marriage and GOP opposition to it, and doubts that CNN will pick any of those to the Republican candidates.

Kaplan writes, "If YOU don't fit the CNN profiling division's definition of a Republican, then no matter how personal your sexual orientation may be, no matter how original you are in the way you ask it, the CNN team will yank you from the questioner pool like cyber-crabgrass."

He has a very good point. The most jarring thing about the debates in both parties is that the candidates seem to be talking about two different countries. Isn't it time for a news org to prepare questions for a Democratic and Republican debate, then switch them at the last minute?

"The View" in Strike's Brew

Like a game of dare, Democratic presidential candidates last week just couldn't seem to stop issuing press releases announcing when and where they planned to cancel appearances and honor writers' strike picket lines.

Caught in the crossfire, it seems, was ABC's "The View." First John Edwards and his wife, Elizabeth, dropped out, citing the strike and not wanting to cross picket lines. Then Michelle Obama pulled out of a planned stint as a guest host.

Today, co-host Whoopi Goldberg was a little miffed that her show got singled out. Two of the shows writers are on strike, but Goldberg and co-host Barbara Walters said that they didn't feel they were being unsupportive of the scribes because the show does not feature opening monologues.

“What they sent made it look like we didn’t care,” Goldberg said, according to the Politico. “I just didn’t like the way it was worded.”

Co-host Joy Behar added, “But these candidates need the union's backing, so ... the reason they’re not coming on is self-serving in a way.”

It comes with the territory. Political guests = political grandstanding.

It's Oprah's Turn

The good news for Barack Obama in Iowa: He's on the rise, he's hit his stride and, after much anticipation, Oprah will be out on the stump for him. The bad news: Well, it's that Oprah will be out on the stump for him.

In the next two weeks, the Oprah effect will be analyzed, scrutinized and maybe even mythologized. And the conclusion is likely to be inconclusion.

Can she bring in votes? Will she draw moderate women? Is she Obama's Bill Clinton-like surrogate? Polling has so far been of the "yes" and "no" variety (see my story on stars on the stump). Chances are we'll never know, because why would anyone admit that a celebrity made them vote for someone.

So it goes like this. On the one hand, Oprah has got a proven ability to turn just about anything into gold, tapping into her large viewership to motivate them to buy or do things they otherwise would not. Morevoer, she draws an audience of women who otherwise wouldn't be politically engaged, and so the thinking goes...

Then, on the other hand, because she is a superstar, the combination of her and Obama is bound to be nothing short of a media frenzy. The Iowa voters --- and those in New Hampshire and South Carolina --- are less likely to be star struck than they are shell shocked. In fact, Time's Mark Halperin writes today that he wonders why Obama is deploying Oprah in the first place. Rather, he says a more effective event is a in New Hampshire this week in which the candidate and his foreign policy experts will meet with local residents to help blunt criticism that he's too inexperienced to be president.

Her endorsement "helps bring the following four things to Obama: campaign cash, celebrity, excitement and big crowds," Halperin writes. "The four things that Obama has on his own in great abundance — without Winfrey's help — are campaign cash, celebrity, excitement and big crowds."

And even the candidate himself seems to know the limits of celebrity.

Back in August, as buzz built around Winfrey's fund-raiser at her Montecito home, Obama told Jon Stewart, "I think having Oprah's support is wonderful ... But the truth is, in Iowa and New Hampshire, people just want to talk to you. There's no one who can do that job other than you."

In fact, they expect that person-to-person contact, which is why candidates have to tread so carefully in making sure that they and their message aren't eclipsed by the celebrities out there for them. And for all of the fame and phenomenon of Oprah, she is probably no exception.

Back on the Strike Lines

John Edwards returns to the picket lines on Tuesday, when he will join a Manhattan rally for striking writers and Broadway stagehands.

Edwards joined pickets in front of NBC studios in Burbank earlier this month.

His campaign says that Edwards will address the crowd and talk about "our country's growing econimic divide and his bold vision to restore the promise of the American Dream to hardworking Americans and their children."

Also scheduled to attend the rally at Washington Square Park are Rep. Jerry Nadler, Tim Robbins, Michael Emerson, Joe Pantoliano, Colin Quinn, Aasif Mandvi, Tony Goldwyn, Evan Handler and Gilbert Gottfried.

The theme of the rally is, "We're all in this together, and we demand a fair deal!"

---By Dave McNary in Los Angeles.

Oprah Sets Dates to Stump for Obama

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

Oprah Winfrey will campaign for Barack Obama in Iowa, Columbia, S.C. and Manchester, N.H. on Dec. 8 and 9, the campaign announced today. Her appearances had been widely anticipated and hinted at since last week, when Obama let it slip that plans were being made for the talk show host to go out on the stump.

“She says she wants to do something, which I was actually surprised by,” Obama told the New York Times recently. “But I think it’s interesting to her.”

Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, who has endorsed Hillary Clinton, had doubts about Oprah's appeal. he told the Washington Times, "I'm not sure who watches her. Maybe young moms, maybe people who are retired. But we have the support of most retired Democrats."

 
Fred Fiery at Fox: Fred Thompson lashed out at Fox after anchor Chris Wallace asked him about the "buzz" that his campaign was underperforming. “This has been a constant mantra of Fox, to tell you the truth,” Thompson said on "Fox News Sunday." “I understand the game of build-up and I understand the game of take-down,” he said, according to the New York Times. Fox seemed to want to “highlight nothing but the negative.”

"For you to highlight nothing but the negative in terms of these polls and then to put on your own guys who have been predicting for four months, really, that I couldn't do it kind of skews things a little bit," Thompson said. "There is a lot of other opinion out there."

It should be noted that Thompson joins John Edwards among the field of presidential candidates who have taken aim at Fox.

Strike Threatens CBS News Debate

Updated

Not another debate? Say it isn't so.

Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards said that they will not cross picket lines for a CBS-sponsored debate in Los Angeles on Dec. 10 if the network's newswriters go out on strike.

The Writers Guild of America East represents some 500 newswriters, editors, desk assistants, production assistants, graphic artists, promotion writers and researchers in New York, Washington, Chicago and Los Angeles. They have been working without a contract for 2 1/2 years, but recently voted overwhelming to authorize a strike, which could be called at any time.

Clinton said in a statement, "The workers at CBS News have been without a contract for close to two-and-a-half years. It is my hope that both sides will reach an agreement that results in a secure contract for the workers at CBS News, but let me be clear: I will honor the picket line if the workers at CBS News decide to strike. America's unions are the backbone of America's middle class, and I will always stand with America’s working men and women in the fight to ensure that they are able to earn a fair wage."

The Obama campaign issued this statement, "If CBS News is unable to reach an agreement with its workers and they decide to strike, Barack Obama will not cross the picket line to attend the debate."

The CBS News contract is separate from the contract that the Writers Guild of America has with Hollywood studios to represent screenwriters and TV writers. Their strike began on Nov. 5.

Edwards, the lone presidential candidate to have so far joined the picket lines in the current WGA strike, also announced that he was cancelling an appearance on ABC's "The View" because of the strike. The show has continued production even though other talk shows have gone dark.

“Elizabeth and I will honor the members of the Writers Guild of America who are on strike at ‘The View’ by canceling our appearance on the show next week. I call on all of my fellow candidates and their campaigns to do the same."

“In addition, we will also honor any picket lines at CBS News, up to and including the CBS presidential debate on December 10th. As I said when I walked the WGA picket line in California last Friday, these workers are making a simple request for their fair share of the huge profits being made by multinational media corporations.

“I am a strong believer in collective bargaining, and I hope that in each of these disputes, management and the union are able to agree on a just settlement. But until those settlements are reached, I will stand firmly with these workers in their fight for a better life.”

The Writers Guild of America East obviously is grateful for the news, and put a holiday spin on it all.

"They have given us more reasons to be thankful this Thanksgiving," the org says. "We hope everyone follows their leads."

Update: According to the WGAE, Michelle Obama also has cancelled a co-hosting appearance on "The View."

Bill Richardson also is sitting out the debate if the newswriters strike.

"Supporting workers' rights is more important than anything I will say at the debate."

Milo Radulovich

He was largely a forgotten figure from a bygone era, but Milo Radulovich played a pivotal role in bringing an end to the McCarthy era of the 1950s.

Radulovich, who died Monday at age 81, was the subject of an entire broadcast of Edward R. Murrow's "See It Now" in 1953. Then 28, he had been a lieutenant in the Air Force Reserve who was discharged as a security risk. But he hadn't done anything --- his sister and father has taken and read "subversive newspapers." The Air Force, however, had no evidence to show that either he or his family had communist ties, and discharged him anyway.

His story led to Murrow's famous showdown on "See It Now" with Sen. Joseph McCarthy, who never recovered his standing in the court of public opinion. Radulovich was eventually reinstated to the Air Force. When the Murrow pic "Good Night, and Good Luck" was made two years ago, Radulovich served as a consultant to the project.

Oprah to Campaign for Obama

Since I've been on the subject of stars on the stump comes the news that Oprah Winfrey will indeed be hitting the campaign trail for Barack Obama.

It's been rumored for quite some time, but the Chicago Sun-Times' Lynn Sweet reports that Obama told a supporter in Manchester, N.H., that Winfrey would campaign for him.

Sweet writes: "A man, Ralph Hoagland, asked Obama—who was mingling and shaking hands-- if Oprah was going to stump for Obama in New Hampshire.

“First she’s coming to Iowa,” Obama told Hoagland, who in 1963 was a co-founder of what is now the giant CVS pharmacy chain. “But we’ll talk about it. We’ll get her up here.”

A woman piped up. “We need her here.”

“Is she thinking of not coming up to New Hampshire?” Hoagland asked?

Obama replied, “No, no no. We’re just doing it one state at a time.”

An Obama spokesman said that nothing has been confirmed.

A woman piped up. “We need her here.”

“Is she thinking of not coming up to New Hampshire?” Hoagland asked?

Obama replied, “No, no no. We’re just doing it one state at a time.”

An Obama spokesman said that nothing has been confirmed.

Stars on the Stump

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

With just over a month now until the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary (our guess, as a date has not yet been set for the latter), campaigns are now starting to deploy campaign surrogates and make judicious use of their celebrity supporters.

Today Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Browne hit the trail again today with John Edwards in Iowa. They performed for him in Davenport on Monday, with Raitt introducing her song "Thing Called Love" with this line: "I'm ready for that thing called Edwards love, that’s what I’m ready for."

"Change is a beautiful thing and what we’re going to have with John Edwards I believe on so many levels, from healthcare to education to civil rights to poverty to getting out of Iraq, not going into Iran, on every level the man is speaking what I think America wants to hear," said Raitt, according to ABC News.

Audio of their appearance is here.

Creating a bit more of a stir is Carole Simpson, the former ABC News anchor (and presidential debate moderator), who has endorsed Hillary Clinton. She appeared at a New Hampshire political rally with her Emerson College journalism class, which was there to learn how to cover a political event. When Clinton called on her during a Q&A, Simpson offered her support. “I know I made a mistake. It was definitely the wrong venue for my first foray into free speech,” Simpson told The Boston Globe in Monday’s editions. “But I’d really like to see her win. After being a reporter for so many years, where you wish you could do more than you can, it would be nice to make a difference.” Nevertheless, the college turned down her offer of resignation.

The Oscar Cut: Michael Moore's "Sicko" and Charles Ferguson's "No End in Sight" are among the 15 finalists in the Oscar documentary category. Also making it to the list: Phil Donahue and Ellen Spiro's doc "Body of War"  and Alex Gibney's "Taxi to the Dark Side."  Missing from the  list: The Apollo doc "In the Shadow of the Moon" and Jonathan Demme's Jimmy Carter doc "Man from Plains."

I-Emmy: "Death of the President," the controversial British movie that dramatizes the assassination of George W. Bush, was the winner of an International Emmy Award for best movie/TV miniseries in New York on Monday night. Robert DeNiro presented the org's Founders Award to Al Gore. "My cup runneth over, as the Bible says," Gore  said in an interview with Variety in advance of the event.

"Sweet Caroline": Where did Neil Diamond get the inspiration? Caroline Kennedy. Wonkette weighs in.

Huck Luck

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

Mike Huckabee, the Republican contender from Hope, Arkansas, is looking for a boost in Iowa that vaults him into the top tier of GOP candidates --- perhaps even passing Fred Thompson. Huckabee's campaign today unveiled a new Internet ad that at once plays up and mocks the party's drive to prove who is the toughest candidate, particularly on immigration. Huckabee's message: He'll solve the problem because he's got Chuck Norris on his side. "There's no chin underneath Chuck Norris' beard --- only another fist."

Pol Houses: The Los Angeles Times' Tina Daunt has a creative story in the Los Angeles Times Magazine this week: a look at the city's most famous homes for fund-raising. Leading the list is Ron Burkle's Greenacres, the former estate of Harold Lloyd, right. The mansion already has been the scene of numerous events this year including a fund-raiser for Hillary Clinton in March.

Barack on Geffen: As reporters questioned Barack Obama on his charges that the Clinton campaign was spreading innuendo about him --- as reported in a Bob Novak column over the weekend --- he was asked about David Geffen's diatribe against the Clinton's last February. "He doesn't work for my campaign," Obama said, according to the Politico. "He isn't associated with my campaign."

Flynt Funds: Dennis Kucinich attended a fund-raiser on Friday at the home of Larry Flynt. Reports the D.C. Examiner's Yeas & Nays, Flynt said,  "I support Dennis Kucinich because not only have I been a friend of his for 40 years, but I believe he offers an essential, viable and exciting option to the candidates that are more popular at the moment." Hosts of the event included Woody Harrelson, Ed Norton, Sean Penn, Robin Wright Penn, Frances Fisher, Stephen Stills and Melissa Etheridge.

Warmed Over

At a global warming forum in Brentwood today, as Hillary Clinton expounded onstage about the need to elect more Democrats to advance an environmental agenda, an anti-war protester in the audience started shouting at her.

Finally and somewhat indignantly, she stopped and said to the man,  "Were you invited to speak here this afternoon?"

Soon security hauled him out, kicking and screaming.

It was a reminder of the politics of Los Angeles' Westside, a mix of limousine liberals, unabashed progressives and perpetual protesters, and perhaps the most fitting place to hold what was billed as the first such presidential campaign forum on the climate crisis.

Few other places in the country have embraced environmentalism with such evangelical zeal, backed up by potent fund-raising and activism, even to the of point ridicule or under scrutiny for hypocrisy. So I felt a little sheepish in arriving at the event and being instructed to park my car on a grass lawn.

Sponsored by Grist, an online environmental magazine, and Public Radio Intl.'s "Living on Earth," as well as a smorgasbord of environmental organizations, the event was an effort to ensure that global warming at the top of the campaign agenda.

Grist's Dave Roberts, one of the panelists, groused that even with all of the attention given to global warming, including a dire U.N. report unveiled today that warns of massive environmental peril by 2020, the national media is spending precious time on the issue. Of some 300 questions that Tim Russert has asked of candidates on "Meet the Press," "the words climate change and global warming have not passed through his lips a single time."

All of the candidates were invited, but only Clinton, John Edwards and Dennis Kucinich bothered to attend. (Actually, other candidates cited scheduling conflicts). All present preached the urgency of global warming. All pitched comprehensive plans to solve the crisis. All spoke of turning it into an opportunity to create eco-jobs. (Clinton called them "green collar." Kucinich talked of creating a New Deal-like Works Green Administration. Edwards touted a "New Energy Economy").

All was well and good, especially to a crowd of that environmentally conscious that has been pressing for action for years if not decades. Among those present were Laurie David and Steven Bochco.

So moderator Steve Kerwood pressed each of the candidates on just how they would carry these plans out --- after all even George H.W. Bush had an environmental imperative, but the country just continued to consume.

"The only thing that limits us is out thinking," said Kucinich, markedly dressed in an earth tone suede blazer. He talked of bypassing Congress and taking his plan to the people. He'd do away with coal, oil and nuclear power, replacing jobs lost with some compensation to workers in those industries, in part via what he calls a "guaranteed income" for all Americans.

Clinton, wearing a brown pantsuit and turquoise necklace, proposed an 80% drop in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, a cut in oil imports by 2/3, and some 5 million new jobs from new clean energy industries, among a laundry list of items. She even talked of "carbon energy bonds," sold like those in World War II, to help pay for this transition.

"We cannot afford to fiddle while the world warms," she said.

Kerwood, however, noted that Bush I, Bill Clinton and Bush II also came into office with an environmental agenda, only to fall short (way short in the latter case).

Kerwood started to say, "Every one of these men..."

"That's the problem to start with," Hillary interjected, to audience laughs. It was a safe use of the gender card.

Seriously, though. Clinton's message was that it will take is experience and strength and savvy to push these changes through. As an example, she pointed to Margaret Thatcher, who gathered world leaders together to forge a stronger plan to curb CFCs from depleting the ozone layer.

What's more, "there is a much greater readiness in the political system."

Edwards, however, talked of a "system in Washington that is broken" because it is beholden to lobbyists for oil and energy companies.

He too, proposes dramatic reductions in greenhouse gas pollution: of 20% by 2020 and 80% by 2050. He'd raise $13 billion a year by auctioning off the right to emit greenhouse gas pollution and repealing subsidies for oil companies, among other proposals. He talked of "sacrifice" and suggested that "carbon caps will have an impact on the cost of fossil fuels."

But his plan, he suggested, is contingent on changing the "corrupt" government. That in and of itself gave him the opportunity to drift into a wide range of campaign themes, from ending the war in Iraq as a way to restore U.S. credibility to fight global warming, to providing for the public financing of elections. And he acknowledged the difficult media environment to get serious issues to the forefront.

At the presidential debates "we spend more time talking about polls and sniping than global warming," he said.

At one point, he even took aim at media conglomeration --- i.e. too few companies set a news agenda that ignores the problem.

"Just as an aside, I don't personally want Rupert Murdoch to own every newspaper in this country," he said.

That played well to the crowd.

In fact, by the end of his portion of the forum, he had covered so many bases it almost felt like an Edwards pep rally, perhaps one of the perks of speaking last.  Unlike at Thursday night's debate, he didn't attack Clinton directly on stage. But later, he did get in a dig. After a hasty retreat from the pressroom podium by Clinton surrogate Carol Browner, Edwards got on stage. He referred to Clinton's position on nuclear power.

"I don't know if she's changed her position..." he said. "Sen. Clinton said she is either neutral or agnostic, whatever that means."

But for all the enviro-speak, where Edwards found himself at a bit of a loss was when one reporter asked him about the proposed Los Angeles "Subway to the Sea," which under one scenario would go right by the Wadsworth Theater, and potentially put thousands of commuters onto trains and not in their cars. No need to drive to such forums. No need to park on green grass.

Although mass transit plays a big part in his plan, of the subway, "I don't know a great deal about it."

Chances are, he will know soon enough.

Record Numbers for Debate

Political junkies may be suffering from debate fatigue --- but not the public at large.

There's every indication that they are just now taking notice of the race.

More than 4 million people watched the Thursday night debate, which CNN said was the highest rated primary debate in history.

It still had the build up of a boxing match, but CNN's Jon Klein told TV Newser: "I think the numbers prove what works and what doesn't. Depth, substance and real news. That's what viewers expect and that's what we're delivering."

Edwards: WGA Strike Is a "Fight for Justice"

Circled by two dozen TV and print photographers and surrounded by several hundred striking writers, John Edwards joined the picket lines in front of NBC studios in Burbank today.

"This is about justice and fairness and equality and ensuring those who work hard and are creative and create the product that generate millions of dollars are actually treated fairly," said Edwards, who stopped his picket, climbed on a flower planter and spoke from a bullhorn in the shadow of the Peacock on Alameda Avenue.

Picketers who had been staked out at NBC since 7 a.m. scrambled to shake his hand, to the point where NBC Universal guards gave up trying to keep them off a portion of the sidewalk that is network property. Actor Charles Haid and a team of advance men tried to form a circle around Edwards and clear a path as he made it once around the one-block picket ring. His visit lasted about 20 minutes.

"I am proud to be with you in this fight for justice," Edwards said. "I am proud to be with you in this right for fairness."

The intense media coverage of the strike certainly gave Edwards an opportunity to burnish his labor credentials, and he cast the issue in terms of the labor movement nationwide.

"We must strengthen and grow the union movement in America," Edwards said, as the honking horns of passing motors occasionally drowned out his words. "Through organizing. Through reaching out. Through bringing workers from all across this country into the organized labor movement. It is the only way that we ensure that these big corporate conglomerates don't take over the United States of America."

The day the strike started, Barack Obama was the first out with a statement in support of the writers. Edwards and Hillary Clinton released statements later in the day. Edwards was the first of the candidate out on the picket lines.

After Edwards finished, Joe Medeiros, the head writer on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" who helped organize the NBC picket, related to Edwards' message.

"If they could outsource all of the writing to overseas, I am sure they would do it," he said.

The strike has put them on the opposite side of some of their high profile donors in the studio ranks. Edwards, however, has collected some donations from studio chiefs, but he has been less aggressive than Obama and Clinton. In fact, just weeks before the strike, Obama raised money at the home of Universal Studios chairman Ron Meyer and his wife, Kelly. And one of Clinton's bundlers is Peter Chernin, the COO of News Corp.

But Edwards says the conflicting agendas is of little concern to him. It's a softball, but when I asked whether he had any concerns about taking the opposite side of a position as some of his donors, he told Variety, "No. That is no concern. I stand 100% with these men and women who are doing the right thing."

It's uncertain if any of the other candidates will join the picket any time soon. Clinton visits on Saturday for a forum on the environment (which Edwards also will attend) and to raise money. Obama is not expected to visit Los Angeles again until Dec. 10, for another Democratic debate.

"I wish they were all here," said Susan Wald, a writer for "General Hospital."

His visit doesn't necessarily mean she will vote for him, however. "What I was most impressed with was that Barack Obama was the first person out for us. I thought it showed integrity."

But although writers expressed gratitude for his visit, some wondered whether it would help their cause more than his campaign, given the emphasis his campaign has put on Iowa, a world away from the entertainment industry.

Photos: WireImage.

Ring of Fire

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

Hillary in a knock out. She fought back. She took the gloves off. Others have teflon; she has asbestos. The boxing metaphors were irrestistible at last night's debate of the Democratic contenders --- after all it was Las Vegas, they were introduced as if heading into the ring and the audience cheered, jeered, hooted and hollared. John Edwards got booed at one point when he went on the attack and Clinton groused about "mudslinging." Barack Obama tried to capitalize on momentum from last week's Jefferson-Jackson dinner --- then tripped up over the immigrant's driver's license issue, which is fast becoming quicksand for Democrats (Gray Davis, Eliot Spitzer, etc.). Time's Mark Halperin writes that he lost 60% of the gains he had made. (Why not 65%?). But it was Clinton's night. Writes Roger Simon on The Politico, "She gave as good as she got. And those who tried to kick her stubbed their toes." But does it matter? What was missing was clarity --- I doubt that many people came out of the debate knowing much more about the candidates and where they stand than when they went in. This was the quote that stood out, from Joe Biden, who finally got the floor about 15 minutes into the exchange: "Hey look, let's get to it folks, the American people don't give a darn about anything that's going on up here."

Plame Speaks: Valerie Plame talks to the Politico's Jeffrey Ressner about the upcoming movie of her memoir, "Fair Game." She suggests that it will be more in the vein of "All the President's Men" than James Bond. She says she has little say in who directs, but "George Clooney has shown a deft hand behind the camera as well as in front of it. I thought “Good Night and Good Luck” was so well done; it took a brief period of our country’s history and showed how analogous it is to what’s going on today with the government using fear as a weapon."

Clark as VP?: Tina Daunt notices that Wesley Clark has been in Southern California quite a bit recently. Could he be in the running as Hillary Clinton's VP pick?

Edwards to Join Writers' Pickets

Presidential candidate John Edwards will join striking writers on the picket lines in from of NBC's Burbank studios on Friday afternoon, his campaign announced today.

Outside of statements in support of the writers, the presidential campaigns of Edwards, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have until now largely stayed out of the fray. About 15 Obama campaign supporters turned out at the rally in front of the Fox Plaza Tower on Avenue of the Stars last Friday.

But Edwards and other Democrats are anxious to show their solidarity with labor, even if that means placing them in opposition with some of the high-profile donors who have contributed to their campaigns. Edwards has drawn contributions from Warner Bros.' Alan Horn, Universal's Ron Meyer and DreamWorks' David Geffen and Jeffrey Katzenberg.

Nevertheless, one major fund-raiser told me last week that he doubts studio chiefs will raise much objection to candidates getting involved --- to a point --- with the implicit understanding that it's a natural that a Democrat would back labor. "It goes with the territory," he says.

Moreover, even though the WGA is relatively small compared to other unions, it is drawing quite a bit of media attention. Cameras have been covering the picketers and the various stars and showrunners everyday since the strike began on Nov. 5.

Edwards said last week, in a statement: “The striking Writers Guild members are fighting an important battle to protect their creative rights. These writers deserve to be compensated fairly for their work, and I commend their courage in standing up to big media conglomerates. As someone who has walked picket lines with workers all across America and as a strong believer in collective bargaining, I hope that both sides are able to quickly reach a just settlement.”

Still uncertain is whether other candidates will follow suit, and if their rhetoric rises to a level that irritates their supporters and donors on the management side. "I think they understand" the candidates' need to support labor, says one presidential fund-raiser. "The question is how happy they would be after they picket."

There has been some skepticism on the writers' side about the candidates' positions --- albeit in the form of some election year ribbing. Last week, in the New York Daily News, "The Daily Show" head writer Steve Bodow wrote of the candidates' statements:

"Earlier this week, Barack Obama, John Edwards and Hillary Clinton spoke out in support of the Writers Guild. Normally that's the kind of toothless sucking up I'd spend my time satirizing. But this time they're pandering to me - very different. In fact, I heard all three candidates have pledged to return all donations from Hollywood studio execs unless the strike is resolved. (Correction: they're totally not doing this in a million years.)"

On Saturday afternoon, Edwards is scheduled to attend a forum on global warming and the environment at the Wadsworth Theater in West Los Angeles. Hillary Clinton and Dennis Kucinich also are scheduled.

It Happens in Vegas

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

Tonight seven of the Democratic candidates take the stage for a CNN debate moderated by Wolf Blitzer (with assist from Campbell Brown, John Roberts and Susan Malveaux). While there will be the requisite boxing comparisons to the performance of the candidates, there also will be much attention to Blitzer's questioning following a Drudge Report rumor that the Clinton camp warned him not to "pull a Russert" and focus the hard questions on the New York senator. CNN and Blitzer deny this, but he'd be under that scrutiny anyway, given the dynamics of the race.

Speaking of Control: In the environment of planted questions, scripted appearances, etc., the Politico's Roger Simon expresses frustration that "the culture of control in presidential campaigning has gotten completely out of control."

Strike Gig: What is James L. Brooks doing during the strike? He's creating print ads for Rep. Patrick Kennedy's Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act, which seeks comparable insurance coverage for victims of mental illness and drug problems, reports the Politico's Jeffrey  Ressner.

Cronkite's Return: The most trusted man in America, now 91, has a new gig with RetirementTV.

Humor Me: Hillary Clinton's campaign unveiled a new get-out-the-vote spot for Iowa caucus goers with  cameo appearances by Bill Clinton, the Vilsacks and, of course, Hillary. It makes you question their eating, dancing and singing. And the spot assures Iowans that they can caucus and get home "early enough to get back to your favorite TV show." Apparently this was made pre-strike.

Richardson's Nod from an Icon

In his book, "Where Have All the Leaders Gone?," Lee Iacocca runs down the list of presidential candidates and perhaps reserves the most praise for New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson --- with one obvious caveat.

"His biggest challenge will be getting his message out in a crowded field," Iacocca writes.

So on Tuesday, the business icon, who officially endorsed Richardson earlier this month, backed up his words with a fund-raiser and press interviews with the presidential candidate at his Bel-Air home.

In Iowa polls, Richardson trails Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards, but his campaign is confident that if he places in the top three in the Jan. 3 caucus it will be enough of a surprise jolt to give him momentum for other states. Richardson has made it into the double digits in the state, ahead of Joe Biden and Chris Dodd.

"He has been the chief executive of New Mexico for eight years and he has done a helluva job," Iacocca says in an interview from the marble foyer of his mansion. At 83, his voice is a bit softer and less rigorous than in the 1980s, when his turnaround of Chrysler thrust him into the national spotlight. He considered his own bid for the presidency in 1988.

"I have followed his career. I have read his books and he makes sense. And competency is the key. I identify that in my book, character and competence, and this man has it."

Iacocca, Richardson said, "is not just a normal political endorsement. His is an American icon who is one of the most admired people in the country."

Although its debatable on how much endorsements translate into votes, campaigns have been making the most of celebrity nods, whether it be Magic Johnson for Clinton, or Oprah Winfrey for Obama.

If anything, Iacocca is boosting Richardson's campaign coffers with the fund-raiser that drrew such entertainment industry figures as Lionsgate's Jon Feltheimer, Mark Manuel and John Delaverson, Warner Bros.' Steve Papazian and Sony Pictures TV's Ed Lammi. Martin Sheen, who until now had yet to contribute to a presidential candidate, was the co-host.

"I think this endorsement is going to mean a lot not just in Iowa but around the country, especially with CEOs and the business community," Richardson says.

Naturally, any mention of Iacocca begs the question of just what kind of relationship he can expect from the auto industry. Richardson's rival, Barack Obama, often uses a story on the stump of going to Detroit and telling executives that they havve to raise fuel economy standards, to the sound of crickets in the room. Obama uses the point to show how he's telling people "not what they want to hear."

Richardson, too, has an aggressive plan to raise fuel economy standards: Among many other energy and environment proposals, Richardson is calling for doubling average fuel economy standards to 50 miles per gallon by 2020.

So how will such a proposal go down in Detroit?

Iacocca says, "We shouldn't try to get them to go from 27.5 mpg to 35 by saying, 'Let's demand it.' You can't do it that way. We should get to 30 first, and maybe by 2015. They have done very well, the auto industry, getting to 27.5. The technology is getting better, and they should raise the bar, but not just arbitrarily say, 'Let's get to 50.' I tell that to Bill. Let's get to 30 first, then we will try 35. That's a big number, by the way, in terms of where we are. Percentage wise, that is huge. It scares the hell out of them."

Richardson responds, "Look, I want us to get to 50, but it has got to be a goal. It has got to be sustained. You have got to keep moving up. What we need is a comprehensive plan to wean ourselves away from foreign oil and we need to become energy independent."

That policy nuance aside, Iacocca says that "if gas goes to $4 or $5 a gallon, the market takes care of that. It is going to hurt consumers."

A self-described independent, Iacocca voted for Bush in 2000, but "didn't make that mnistake the second time around" and switched to Kerry in 2004. His book is so damning of the Bush adminstration that it perhaps rivals any of the Democratic candidates' attacks on his tenure.

Iacocca says, "Look at the energy policies of the past eight years. I don't think we've had one. It's been run by the oil people in the business starting with Dick Cheney and Halliburton. I would like to see the minutes of the meeting that they had on energy policy, two weeks he arrived as vice president. No one has subpeonaed it yet. I would love to see those before I die."

Can Richardson persuade him to go out on the stump? Perhaps not. "Twenty years ago, I was going to run for president, but I was 63 then," Iacocca says. "I am 83 now. Are you kidding?"

Rudy the Mediator?

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

Updated

When Rudy Giuliani visited his campaign office in Glendale on Tuesday, the media couldn't resist asking him about  the  writer's strike.  Asked which side he supported, Giuliani said, "I don't know that answer. I'd have to look at that issue." As the New York Sun's Josh Gerstein reports, he started "to sound not only neutral, but perhaps entirely unaware of the paralyzing walkout." (He can be forgiven for that one, as big as the story is here).

Later, however, he offered his help. "You know. It's very unlikely, but if they needed my help, I'd be more than happy to help, as a fair-minded mediator. I can think of two big strikes in New York that I helped to settle, but I'm sure they have a lot of people that are willing to do that."

Tape Twist: According to the New York Daily News, ex-HarperCollins publisher Judith Regan has audio tapes of phone calls and meetings with News Corp. employees. Regan alleges in her $100 million lawsuit that she was pressured to lie to federal investigators about Bernie Kerik in an effort to protect the reputation of Giuliani.

Is this any more than a sideshow to the campaigns? According to the New York Times, it raises questions about Fox News' coverage of the campaign. "The Fox News Channel’s coverage of the presidential race has been a topic of some discussion within rival campaigns because the channel is directed by Mr. Giuliani’s friend of 20 years, Roger Ailes. But the network has strongly defended the balance of its coverage under Mr. Ailes, who served as media consultant to Mr. Giuliani’s first mayoral campaign in 1989. Mr. Giuliani, as mayor, later officiated at Mr. Ailes’s wedding."

Giuliani dismissed the story at a campaign stop today, per the AP. "I don't respond the the story at all. I don't know anything about it. And, it sounds to me like a kind of gossip column story more than a real story."

The Brothers Emanuel: Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) introduced his brother, Endeavor's Ari Emanuel, in D.C. on Monday as the latter received one of the Lab School of Washington's :outstanding achiever" awards, reports the Examiner's Yeas and Nays.

“So tonight, I am confident in predicting Ari will be rendered speechless for two reasons: first because he is truly moved by this honor and second, because all his Hollywood writers are on strike.”

He continued.

“Let me tell you about the Ari Emanuel I know,” Rahm said. “When others see fierceness, I see loyalty. When others see intensity, I see passion”

"X-Files" Files: As rivals turn up the heat on the Clinton Library to make available files on the First Lady's tenure, Time finds a curious assortment of Freedom of Information Act requests for information pertaining to UFOs.  Among them:  "e-mails to and from John Podesta, containing the words either, X-Files or Area 51. John Podesta was a renowned fan of the "X-Files" television show." Podesta says through a spokesperson, "The truth is out there."

Regan's Giuliani Connection

Judith Regan's $100 million lawsuit against News Corp. and Harper Collins contains a bit of a twist for the Rudy Giulani campaign:

She claims that an undisclosed News Corp. executive pressured her to mislead federal investigators about her relationship with Bernard Kerik in order to protect the presidential ambitions of Giuliani. She and Kerik had an affair while he worked on his memoir, "The Lost Son," for her Regan Books imprint.

“Defendants were well aware that Regan had a personal relationship with Kerik,” the complaint says. “In fact, a senior executive in the News Corporation organization told Regan that he believed she had information about Kerik that, if disclosed, would harm Giuliani’s presidential campaign. This executive advised Regan to lie to, and to withhold information from, investigators concerning Kerik.”

The complaint goes on, "Because of the damaging information that defendants believed Kerik possessed, defendants knew they would be protecting Giuliani if they could preemptively discredit her."

Giuliani has distanced himself from Kerik, who was indicted on federal tax fraud and other charges.

"We’re fully confident that the evidence will show that Judith Regan was the victim of a vicious smear campaign engineered by News Corp. and HarperCollins," Brian C. Kerr, one of Regan's lawyers, tells the New York Times.

Kerr told the Times that Regan had evidence to support her claim.

The complete suit here.

Obama's "Bundlers"

Barack Obama's campaign unveiled a new list of its campaign bundlers --- the key fund-raisers responsible for rounding up contributions from their friends and contacts.

There's been considerable focus this year on this group, as they drive the fund-raising process. It's one thing to write a $2,300 check --- it's another to help raise $100,000. But the disclosure of just who these people are is left to the campaigns --- Obama, Clinton and Edwards did so last spring, to varying degrees of detail.

But Obama's new list goes further than other campaigns in that it goes into more detail: not just the names but a general range of the amount raised. They do not list occupations, or much other detail, but it's not too difficult to discern these key fund-raisers from entertainment.

You also may wonder, where's Oprah? Her event raised more than $3 million for the campaign, but she doesn't make the list of bundlers. She was the "draw," not the fund-raiser. Money was raised via individual members of the national finance committee, not Oprah herself.

$50,000 to $100,000: Lawrence Bender, David Geffen, Reed Hundt, James Lassiter, Debra Lee, James Mangold, Max Palevsky, PJ and Suhail Rizvi, Joe Roth, Tom Rothman, Jeff Shell, Jim Wiatt.

$100,000 to $200,000: Nicole Avant, Ari Emanuel.

Over $200,000: Hill Harper, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Bill Kennard, Margo Lion, Michael Lynton, Charlie Rivkin.

The complete list is here.

Schwarzenegger Talks to Both Sides in Strike

Updated

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is talking to writers and studio executives, but it's premature to call him a broker in resolving the dispute.

His spokesman, Aaron McLear, said that Schwarzenegger is talking to "people on the studio side" today after talking with writers on Monday. But he said that his phone calls to studio and guild reps should not be taken as an indication that the governor is engaged in brokering an agreement. Because unions and guilds are regulated by the National Labor Relations Board, such a lead role has fallen to the federal mediator.

"There is really not a role for the state as far as we can tell," McLear said. "This is really in the federal jurisdiction."

"To the extent that he can get involved, he is doing anything he can do."

McLear declined to say was being discussed or who he was talking to. The conversations today were taking place by phone, as Schwarzenegger was in San Francisco at the site of the Bay Area oil spill.

"Both sides asked to talk to him, so he is fulfilling that request," McLear said. "He is trying to get a read on what the issues are."

A studio source said that Schwarzenegger talked to industry heads and essentially was dissuaded from getting involved in the strike --- as have been other politicians. In other words, "we don't need help now and don't know what role there is for you," the source said.

Facebook Wars

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

A remark from Hillary Clinton's chief adviser Mark Penn has instigated an "Official Petition Against Hillary Clinton" on Facebook.com. The flap is over his comparison of Clinton supporters to Obama supporters at the recent Jefferson Jackson dinner in Iowa. Here's what started it all: In the Politico over the weekend, Roger Simon wrote: "At least two of Hillary Clinton's upper-echelon advisers, Mandy Grunwald and Mark Penn, were decidedly unimpressed [with Obama's showing]. 'Our people look like caucus-goers,' Grunwald said, 'and his people look like they are 18. Penn said they look like Facebook.' Penn added, 'Only a few of their people look like they could vote in any state.' "

The Other Bill: Bill Richardson raises money this evening in Bel-Air at the home of Lee Iacocca, who has endorsed the New Mexico governor. (I have to note this, as raising money doesn't always mean endorsement).

Scare Tactics: Tom Tancredo is a longer than long shot. He doesn't register at all in entertainment industry support, even among Republicans. But he's just launched an ad that is designed to put the fear of God into voters. Shades of LBJ's "Daisy"?

Gore's New Gig

He's not seeking public office; instead he's again planting his flag in the private sector.

Instead, Al Gore is joining Silicon Valley v.c. firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers to expand it into "clean-tech" investments worldwide.

He also offered some words of encouragement that the world is waking up to the climate crisis.

In an interview with the AP, Gore said that the political winds on global warming are moving at a "snail's pace."

''But when it crosses a tipping point, it can move at lightning speed. We're feeling that gear shift occur right now, and ... we want to make sure the markets have the information and analytic systems in place to move at lightning speed,'' Gore said.

He's donating 100% of his salary to the Alliance for Climate Protection.

Kleiner Perkins hasm ade early investments in such companies as Google, Netscape and Amazon. It has yet to take a "clean tech" company public.