This is an interesting story, written by a reporter who I really like at the New York Daily News.

After it was revealed that President Clinton surprised Hillary with his involvement in the Dubai ports deal, Sen. Clinton’s camp is using a new tactic: Hillary will have ‘final say’ over what President Clinton says and does.

The former President agreed to give his wife a veto to avoid his habit of making controversial headlines that could hurt her chances of returning to the White House, multiple sources told the Daily News.

Bill knows what’s at stake and he knows how election campaigns are run:

“He knows it’s Hillary’s time now,” said an adviser close to both Clintons who expects to play a key role in her likely 2008 presidential campaign.

Hillary Clinton’s handlers are keeping a close rein on the former President’s schedule to try to prevent another embarrassing screwup like their competing roles in the Dubai ports deal.

While she was blasting the Bush administration for allowing Dubai to run six of the country’s ports, he was advising Dubai on how to sell the deal.

“Hillary has final say,” said the adviser, and the ex-President’s staff has been warned not to do or say anything without running it by the senator’s handlers.

“That was true in the White House during the [2000] Senate campaign,” recalled another longtime aide who stayed close to the ex-President after he left office. “If he said the sky was blue and she said the sky was purple, then the sky was purple.”

Sen. Joseph Biden (D-DE) is in…

My intention is to run. There’s a long way to go between here and there, but there’s a whole lot at stake.

Former Vice President Al Gore (D-TN) is out…but…

I’m not planning to be a candidate again. I haven’t reached a stage in my life where I’m willing to say I will never consider something like this, but I’m not saying that to be coy; I’m just saying that to be honest — that I haven’t reached that point.

Rumors are a buzz that Sen. Conrad Burns, Republican from Montana, will drop his bid for reelection in 2006. Check it out…

There are a number of good candidates running against Burns in the Democratic Primary- including Jon Tester and John Morrison. Check out the rest of the field:

John Morrison (D) - State Auditor & Attorney
Paul Richards (D) - Ex-State Rep., Public Relations Consultant & Peace Activist
Jon Tester (D) - State Senate President, Ex-Big Sandy School Board Chair & Farmer
Clint Wilkes (D) - Businessman & Vietnam War Veteran
Ken Marcure (D) - Teacher

DoubleSpeak will be out to Montana soon to interview these candidates and give you a flavor for Montana.

Newsweek did a very interesting piece on Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-IL), who is the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC). Rep. Emanuel served as a top White House advisor to President Bill Clinton from 1993 to 1998, first as Assistant to the President for Political Affairs and then as Senior Advisor to the President for Policy and Strategy. After leaving the Clinton White House, Rep. Emanuel was elected to Congress and is now serving his second term in the House.

Emanuel, the former Clinton White House enforcer who is only in his second term in the House, is not a great spokesman for the party. All that coiled energy can make TV viewers nervous. But he thrives as an inside player, in touch with old-style operatives and the party’s Internet vanguard. As chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, “Rahmbo” is essentially managing 40 House races from a war room a few blocks from the Capitol, helping with candidate recruitment, fund-raising and “rapid response.” One minute he’s ordering a colleague to plant an editorial trashing a Republican front runner in his hometown paper (”Write this down!”); the next, he’s telling one of his hand-picked candidates that the guy’s stump speech lacks passion (”If you think that’s inspiring, get out now”). Emanuel pulls it all off with a mixture of profanity and horse sense that gives Democrats the feeling they might not blow it this time.

The problem…overconfidence:

And that’s what worries him[Emanuel]: overconfidence. He knows that despite President Bush’s unpopularity, the odds still favor continued GOP control. “Voters used to choose their representatives; now representatives choose their voters,” he says, neatly summarizing how incumbents in both parties have persuaded state legislatures to redraw maps to all but end competitive elections. Gerrymandering has meant that the Democrats have little margin for error to win the 15 they need. “It’s like picking a lock,” Emanuel says.

This article highlights the insider political game that is being played right now in the run-up to the 2006 elections. The article does show that despite having an aggressive leader at the DCCC and having perceived political momentum, the election is still months away and Democrats will need to fight like hell to get where they want to go.

Pointed out by our friend politicaljam, a great catch from Kos. Things sure are crazy down in Sugarland, TX these days. Good thing our guest on Episode 2, Nick Lampson, is down there to set things right.

“Right now, I wouldn’t vote Democratic if Jesus Christ was running.” Judy Deats, a Texas Republican, who is standing by Rep. Tom DeLay in his re-election bid despite the fact that his association with lobbyist Jack Abramoff has made him vulnerable to political opposition for the first time in more than 20 years.

Said Markos, “I’m glad she realizes that Jesus would be a Democrat.”