It was probably not a speech Barack Obama would have given during the primary.

His address at Kettering University in Flint, Michigan today, entitled "Renewing American Competitiveness," is, on one level, another version of the core message of his campaign: that a vote for him is one for the future while a vote for John McCain is one for the past and George Bush's third term. But the speech was perhaps most notable for its defense of globalization in an old-line bastion of American manufacturing. The points in the speech in which Obama discusses the need to re-tool in order to cope with an internationalized economy seem to be aimed more at unions, and perhaps at the Rust Belt Democrats who supported Hillary Clinton in the primary, than McCain and the Bush administration.

From the prepared version: "So there is a clear choice in this election. Instead of reaching for new horizons, George Bush has put us in a hole, and John McCain’s policies will keep us there. I want to take us in a new and better direction. I reject the belief that we should either shrink from the challenge of globalization, or fall back on the same tired and failed approaches of the last eight years. It’s time for new policies that create the jobs and opportunities of the future– a competitiveness agenda built upon education and energy, innovation and infrastructure, fair trade and reform."  read more »

Hillary Clinton just sent a formal public letter to Barack Obama calling on him to work to find a resolution to the Florida and Michigan question that reflects the votes in those states and seats their delegations at the convention. She also attempts to shame him for what she calls his failure to "support those efforts" in Michigan, and for the Obama campaign's opposition to revotes in Florida. "In Florida a number of revote options were proposed. I am not aware of any that you supported," she writes.

As pointed out in a conference call yesterday, it is not clear that the Clinton campaign picks up enough support to change their dire position even if both states are counted. But as long as the Obama campaign doesn't budge, it's a talking point for the Clinton campaign.

Here's the letter:  read more »

Slowly but steadily, Barack Obama's campaign is coming around to the reality of the Florida and Michigan situation.

Until now, his approach has essentially been to bury his head in the sand in the hope that the whole matter would just go away—which is would have, had Obama finished off Hillary Clinton is Tuesday's voting.  read more »

If Hillary Clinton does well enough in tomorrow’s quartet of primaries to continue, her campaign’s next step will to resume banging the drum about seating the delegates of Michigan and Florida at the convention.

Barack Obama should support this aim.

Realistically, any Clinton nomination scenario at this point requires the inclusion of lopsidedly pro-Hillary delegations from Michigan and Florida at the national convention, since she's all but certain -- even with wins tomorrow -- to finish the primary season with fewer pledged delegates than Obama. Both states held "outlaw" primaries in January: None of the candidates really campaigned in either state, turnout was markedly lower than in other states, and Obama's name wasn't even on the Michigan ballot. Clinton won them both handily.

The Clinton campaign has been playing the voter-disenfranchisement card, arguing that the delegations must be seated to honor the will of voters in both states. This argument has not gained much traction, given the obvious flaws of both contests. But Clinton's hope seems to be that attitudes might shift if she reels off a late series of primary victories, starting with Texas and Ohio tomorrow. Perhaps then, the thinking goes, Democrats might be more receptive to finding a way to dump Obama, even if he has a slight lead in pledged delegates and cumulative votes.  read more »

It’s true that this year’s Republican presidential race is the most fluid on record. At varying points, John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson, Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee have all seemed to be plausible front-runners.

But by Tuesday night, after the results from what is only the third major contest of the nominating season are tallied, the race may be close to over—or it will be more jumbled than ever.  read more »

In yet another preview of Giuliani line on his for 2008 on his liberal social positions, Miller -- who played an active role in George Bush's campaigns -- made a point of saying that as mayor of New York, Giuliani "really governed as a conservative."

"I heard from him his desire to appoint judges like Roberts and Alito. The mayor is a very strict constructionist," said Miller, who added "at the same time, he is personally opposed to abortion."

Problem?