John Lewis

Rebecca Sinderbrand sends in this dispatch from Washington:

Hillary Clinton received a polite reception at the Congressional Black Caucus's Annual Legislative Conference – with most members in attendance applauding and joining in the obligatory standing ovation – but she didn't quite capture the crowd; a few grim-faced members of the audience pointedly refused to rise or cheer.

The senator has been a regular attendee at the conference for years, but her appearance at today's forum – the only stand-alone invite offered to any of the 2008 candidates – has been a source of controversy among many of the politicians and activists who've gathered here in Washington. That's because the CBC's own regulations technically limit participation in these kinds of policy discussions to the 43 current members of the caucus.

The Clinton invite broke with that practice, and critics have taken aim at what they view as the politicization of the caucus, which has traditionally taken a nonpartisan approach during the campaign season. (Clinton actually has a slight edge over Barack Obama in support from current CBC members, although the overwhelming majority are officially undecided.)

More after the jump.  read more »

Asked whether he had finally killed off the notion that he had trouble connecting with black voters,  read more »

I talked yesterday with U.S. Representative and civil rights icon John Lewis, whose political support has been the prize in a very public tug-of-war between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

Assessing their performances in Selma this weekend, Lewis said that both candidates convinced him of their civil rights chops, but, for the moment, neither is getting his endorsement.  read more »

Obama's enthusiastic reception by the largely black audiences this weekend, Lewis said, "tends to demonstrate more than ever before that he can, and did, relate deeply and strongly with the African American community, I think he made it very clear in his message at Brown Chapel A.M.E Church, he said in effect that without the civil rights movement and without the march 42 years ago that he wouldn't be where he is."

"Jo Jo's Jacket," the breezy third cut of Stephen Malkmus' self-titled solo debut, commences with a  read more »