Pro-Clinton 527 Prepares For Ohio, PA and Texas  —  Allies of Hillary Clinton plan an expensive, stealth campaign to buttress her standing in the must-win states of Ohio, Texas and Pennsylvania.  —  They're canvassing Clinton donors for pledges of up to $100,000 in the hope of raising at least $10M by the end of next week.

The Obama Delusion  —  It's hard not to be dazzled by Barack Obama.  At the 2004 Democratic convention, he visited with Newsweek reporters and editors, including me.  I came away deeply impressed by his intelligence, his forceful language and his apparent willingness to take positions that seemed to rise above narrow partisanship.

A CLINTON SURROGATE, A DEM DIVIDE?  —  From NBC's Abby Livingston  —  Oh snap!  Who needs a Rottweiler when you've got surrogates?  —  Tom Buffenbarger president of the machinists' union (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers) was the the latest in a string of Clinton junkyard dogs unleashed upon Obama.

Obama Defends Wife on Matter of Pride  —  BROOKFIELD, Wis. (AP) - Democratic Sen. Barack Obama sought Tuesday to clarify his wife's statement that she is proud of the U.S. “for the first time in my adult life.”  He said her newfound pride is about the political system and was not meant to disparage her country.

O'Reilly: “I don't want to go on a lynching party against Michelle Obama unless there's evidence, hard facts, that say this is how the woman really feels"  —  During the February 19 edition of his nationally syndicated radio show, Bill O'Reilly took a call from a listener who said of Michelle Obama …

Chris Matthews Humiliates State Senator Kirk Watson On MSNBC  —  Texas State Senator Kirk Watson (D-TX) learned a lesson in preparedness Tuesday night when he was humiliated on MSNBC.  Watson was on to talk about his support of Senator Obama alongside Representative Stephanie Tubbs (D-OH), who backs Senator Clinton.

McCain blasts Obama as ‘naive’  —  Sen. John McCain, here at news conference in Ohio with his wife and former Ohio Sen. Mike DeWine, was asked why he was targeting Obama rather than New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.  He said that he would be happy to run against either Democrat.

Wow: Hillary already touting Matthews's “name one accomplishment” clip from the stump  —  Yeah, that clip.  It aired last night at 11, went viral two hours ago, and the Glacier's rapid response team already has it front and center at the podium to maximize exposure.  Mmmmm, that's good war-rooming.

MCCAIN PAINTS OBAMA AS TOO HAWKISH?  —  From NBC's Andy Merten  —  It's slightly counter-intuitive that Obama could sound more hawkish than McCain, but when it comes to Pakistan, that may be the case.  Last night at his Wisconsin victory speech in Columbus, Ohio, McCain came out swinging …

Opposing view: Both sides must agree  —  I will seek a good faith pact that results in real spending limits.  —  In 2007, shortly after I became a candidate for president, I asked the Federal Election Commission to clear any regulatory obstacles to a publicly funded general election in 2008 with real spending limits.

Pro-Hillary 527's first spot  —  “If speeches could create jobs, we wouldn't be facing a recession,” the narrator says in the spot, titled “Blueprint,” that takes no more direct shots at Obama, but instead hews closely to Clinton's economic message.  —  The 527 hews to the legal rule …

Teamsters Plan To Endorse Obama  —  The 1.4 million-member Teamsters union will endorse Sen. Barack Obama's presidential candidacy today, Democrats briefed on the decision said.  —  A Teamsters official confirmed the endorsement.  —  Nothing says tough, or evokes “gruff,” more than the Teamsters.

Two N.J. super delegates go to Obama; Norcross backs Obama; key Clinton supporters endorse Obama  —  GEORGE NORCROSS SUPPORTS OBAMA  —  Barack Obama today picked up the support of two super delegates from New Jersey as several major Democratic leaders in South Jersey announced that they would switch …

Mayor's climate aide gets $160,000 a year  —  In his quest to make San Francisco the greenest city in the nation, Mayor Gavin Newsom recently created a $160,000-a-year job for a senior aide and gave him the ambitious-sounding title of director of climate protection initiatives.