SNEAK PEEK: Campaign TO For Turkey
Clinton Dismisses Obama's Childhood Abroad and Candidates Give Thanks
November 20, 2007— -- There are only 43 days remaining until Iowans gather at their caucus and the presidential candidates have little time to waste working the Hawkeye State. But with the caucuses coming earlier than they ever have, the Thanksgiving holiday interrupts a campaign that every day has been growing hotter in rhetoric and tighter in the polls.
Several candidates have public appearances tied to the holiday – Joe Biden serves meals in Des Moines, John McCain meets with troops in Iraq and Rudy Giuliani hosts a breakfast for families of 9/11 fallen fire fighters and police officers.
The rest of the field spends the day with family and takes a break from the campaign trail.
On the Democratic side, the candidates are not going to head into the holiday weekend quietly. Hillary Clinton stepped up the pace of her verbal assaults Tuesday and mocked the relevance of Barack Obama's time living abroad -- just one day after an ABC News/Washington Post poll showed the Illinois Democrat with a four-point lead in Iowa.
ABC News' Eloise Harper and Teddy Davis report that Clinton's comments were the first time that she has criticized the relevance of Obama's international upbringing. The former first lady's swipe suggests that the Clinton campaign is willing to drive up her negatives on likability in order to drive up Obama's negatives on experience. Clinton's criticism was prompted by comments Obama made about his foreign-policy experience while campaigning Monday in Clarendon, Iowa.
Tivo Alert! In an exclusive interview with Charles Gibson airing on Tuesday's World News, President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush said that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's experience as first lady has prepared her to handle the "pressure" of a presidential race and the White House, ABC News' Rick Klein and Ed O'Keefe report.
The full interview airs tonight on 'World News with Charlie Gibson' at 6:30p
"No question, there is no question that Senator Clinton understands pressure better than any of the candidates, you know, in the race," the president told ABC News' Gibson Tuesday afternoon at the presidential retreat at Camp David.
The President emphasized, "I do believe our candidate will beat her, if she happens to be the nominee," although he refused to speculate on the Republican presidential field, calling it a "wide-open" race.
Bush, whose father was defeated for reelection by then-Governor Bill Clinton in 1992, called the former first lady a "very formidable candidate", repeatedly saying she and the former president "understand the klieg lights".
Second Tivo Alert!
Mike Huckabee sits down with ABC News' Jake Tapper for an exclusive interview airing Wednesday on Good Morning America.
The former Arkansas governor discusses his rapid ascent in Iowa, defends his record on taxes, immigration and ethics, denies he had anything to do with nasty anti-Mormon phone calls, questions Fred Thompson on abortion, and details the role of faith in his campaign.
Huckabee addresses the redhot issue of immigration: "There are plenty of candidates out there who I guess would grind their heel in the face of a 6-year-old child" of illegal immigrants, Huckabee says. "Not me."
Candidates Give Thanks
Upon further investigation we found that the presidential candidates are thankful for many things they are not talking about:
Mitt Romney is thankful that many Americans will be thinking about and spending time with "family" this holiday weekend.
Rudy Giuliani is thankful that many Americans will be reminded why thinking about and spending time with "family" this holiday weekend can be complicated.
Mike Huckabee is thankful for Chuck Norris and Ric Flair (WHOOOO!)
John McCain is thankful that a comprehensive immigration reform bill is not on the floor of the United States Senate this fall.
Fred Thompson is thankful for a break from the grind of the campaign trail and that Law and Order re-runs will be around long after Feb. 5.
Ron Paul is thankful Al Gore invented the Internet.
Duncan Hunter is thankful for his Congressional pension.
Tom Tancredo is thankful Romney didn't take him up on that World Series bet.
As for the Democrats…
Hillary Clinton is thankful for comments like this from Barack Obama: "Probably the strongest experience I have in foreign relations is the fact that I spent four years living overseas when I was a child in southeast Asia."
Barack Obama is thankful for Robert Novak for giving him a reason to go after Clinton, even if the column's info was vague and not sourced.
John Edwards is thankful for mill workers, affordable trims at Supercuts and Governor Spitzer's immigration policies.
Joe Biden is thankful for the guaranteed platform that comes with his position as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee.
Chris Dodd is thankful for Joe Biden, because at least they are in this thing together
Bill Richardson is thankful that people have yet to question his plan to "get all our turkey's off of farms within four months of taking office."
Dennis Kucinich is thankful the aliens didn't take his wife.
Mike Gravel is thankful there are no fundraising or polling thresholds to celebrate Thanksgiving.
And the entire field may be thankful that one byproduct of the writers strike is that their names are not the butt of national jokes for a few weeks.
UNI-UNH Battle of the Gridiron Stars
On Saturday enterprising candidates who have sports fans on their staff will make sure they head to the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa to shake some hands and tailgate at the "First in the Nation" football showdown.
Radio Iowa's Kay Henderson points out that the University of Northern Iowa, University of New Hampshire on Saturday. UNI currently sits at the top of the Division I Football Championship Subdivision rankings (formerly known as D1-AA) and New Hampshire comes in at No. 17. LINK
"Let's just hope they don't change the date of the game," Henderson quips.
On the Campaign Trail
November 21, 2007
The Republicans. . .
MITT ROMNEY
-- 9:00 am ET: Meets with voters, Washington, Ia.
-- 10:45 am ET: Holds a town hall meeting, Iowa City, Ia.
-- 11:45 am ET: Holds a town hall meeting, Iowa City, Ia.
-- 1:00 pm ET: Volunteers at a service event, Hiawatha, Ia.
FRED THOMPSON
-- 11:00 am ET: Meets with voters, Ames, Ia.
The Democrats. . .
HILLARY CLINTON
-- No public events scheduled
BARACK OBAMA
-- 11:00 am ET: Helps with a service event, Manchester, N.H.
JOE BIDEN
-- 9:00 am ET: Meets with voters, Altoona, Ia.
-- 6:30 pm ET: Attends a house party, Des Moines, Ia.
CHRIS DODD
-- 1:00 pm ET: Distributes box lunches, Des Moines, Ia.
-- 4:00 pm ET: Helps pack holiday food boxes, Hiawatha, Ia.
-- 5:30 pm ET: Serves meal at the Salvation Army, Iowa City, Ia.
DENNIS KUCINICH
-- 11:00 am ET: Holds a press conference on impeachment, Manchester, N.H.
-- 1:00 pm ET: Holds a town hall meeting, Durham, N.H.
-- 3:30 pm ET: Signs copies of his book, Portsmouth, N.H.
-- 5:30 pm ET: Holds a town hall meeting, Somersworth, N.H.
-- 7:00 pm ET: Holds a town hall meeting, Dover, N.H.
MIKE GRAVEL
-- No public events scheduled
November 22, 2007
The Republicans. . .
RUDY GIULIANI
-- Hosts a breakfast with his wife Judith at ESPN Zone in New York for the families of police offices and fire fighters who died on Sept. 11
MITT ROMNEY
-- Spends Thanksgiving with family in Belmont, MA
JOHN MCCAIN
-- Visits troops in Iraq
FRED THOMPSON
-- Spends Thanksgiving with family in Virginia
MIKE HUCKABEE
-- Spends Thanksgiving with family in Little Rock, AR
The Democrats. . .
HILLARY CLINTON
-- Spends Thanksgiving with family in Chappaqua, N.Y
BARACK OBAMA
-- Spends Thanksgiving with family in Chicago, Ill.
JOHN EDWARDS
-- Spends Thanksgiving with family Chapel Hill, N.C.
JOE BIDEN
-- Serves meals at the Machine Shed, Des Moines, IA.
CHRIS DODD
-- 1:00 pm ET: Attends a Thanksgiving celebration, Monticello, Ia.
November 23, 2007
The Democrats. . .
JOE BIDEN
-- 6:30 pm ET: Attends a house party, West Des Moines, Ia.
DENNIS KUCINICH
-- 10:30 am ET: Signs copies of his book, North Conway, N.H.
-- 3:00 pm ET: Meets with voters, Center Sandwich, N.H.
-- 4:00 pm ET: Holds a town hall meeting, Sandwich, N.H.
November 24, 2007
The Republicans. . .
MIKE HUCKABEE
-- 5:00 pm ET: Tailgates outside of the "Battle for the Palmetto State" Clemson v. South Carolina football game with Ric Flair, Columbia, S.C.
-- 7:00 pm ET: Watches Clemson v. South Carolina game, Columbia, S.C.
The Democrats. . .
HILLARY CLINTON
-- Events in Iowa
BARACK OBAMA
-- 1:00 pm ET: Holds a town hall meeting, Council Bluffs, Ia.
-- 3:45 pm ET: Meets with voters, Dunlap, Ia.
-- 6:15 pm ET: Meets with voters, Harlan, Ia.
-- 8:30 pm ET: Meets with voters, Audubon, Ia.
JOE BIDEN
-- 11:00 am ET: Meets with voters, Bloomfield, Ia.
-- 1:00 pm ET: Meets with voters, Centerville, Ia.
-- 3:30 pm ET: Meets with voters, Albia, Ia.
-- 6:00 pm ET: Meets with voters, Chariton, Ia.
BILL RICHARDSON
-- Events in Iowa
DENNIS KUCINICH
-- 3:00 pm ET: Holds a town hall meeting, Littleton, N.H.
November 25, 2007
The Republicans. . .
MITT ROMNEY
-- 2:30 pm ET: Meets with voters, Newport, N.H.
-- 6:45 pm ET: Meets with voters, Keene, N.H.
JOHN MCCAIN
-- Appears on "This Week with George Stephanopoulos"
MIKE HUCKABEE
-- 9:00 am ET: Speaks to voters, Imro, S.C.
-- 11:00 am ET: Speaks to voters, Fountain Inn, S.C.
-- 1:30 pm ET: Meets with voters, Greenville, S.C.
-- 4:00 pm ET: Meets with voters, Spartanburg, S.C.
The Democrats. . .
HILLARY CLINTON
-- Events in Iowa
BARACK OBAMA
-- Holds a roundtable discussion, Des Moines, Ia.
JOHN EDWARDS
-- 12:00 pm ET: Holds a town hall meeting, Rochester, N.H.
-- 1:10 pm ET: Has media availability, Rochester, N.H.
-- 2:30 pm ET: Holds a town hall meeting, Meredith, N.H.
-- 3:50 pm ET: Has media availability, Rochester, N.H.
JOE BIDEN
-- 1:00 pm ET: Meets with voters, Council Bluffs, Ia.
-- 3:30 pm ET: Attends a house party, Glenwood, Ia.
-- 5:30 pm ET: Meets with voters, Red Oak, Ia.
-- 8:00 pm ET: Meets with voters, Audubon, Ia.
BILL RICHARDSON
-- 2:30 pm ET: Holds a town hall meeting, Indianola, Ia.
-- 4:30 pm ET: Holds a town hall meeting, Chariton, Ia.
-- 6:15 pm ET: Holds a town hall meeting, Corydon, Ia.
-- 8:15 pm ET: Holds a town hall meeting, Lamoni, Ia.
DENNIS KUCINICH
-- 8:00 am ET: Meets with voters, Keene, N.H.
-- 2:00 pm ET: Holds a town hall meeting, Westmoreland, N.H.
-- 7:00 pm ET: Holds a town hall meeting, Keene, N.H.
November 26, 2007
The Republicans. . .
RUDY GIULIANI
-- 12:00 pm ET: Attends a luncheon fundraiser, Bethlehem, Penn.
JOHN MCCAIN
-- Events in South Carolina
TOM TANCREDO
-- 7:00 pm ET: Holds a town hall meeting, Hillsboro, N.H.
The Democrats. . .
HILLARY CLINTON
-- Events in New Hampshire
JOHN EDWARDS
-- 9:00 am ET: Appears for interview with NHPR's "The Exchange"
-- 10:15 am ET: Holds a town hall meeting, Bow, N.H.
-- 11:40 am ET: Has media availability, Bow, N.H.
-- 12:15 pm ET: Drops of donations at a food pantry, Manchester, N.H.
-- 3:45 pm ET: Holds roundtable with teachers, Manchester, N.H.
-- 4:50 pm ET: Has media availability, Manchester, N.H.
-- 5:15 pm ET: Holds a town hall meeting, Nashua, N.H.
-- 6:35 pm ET: Has media availability, Nashua, N.H.
-- 7:00 pm ET: Holds a town hall meeting, Manchester, N.H.
-- 8:20 pm ET: Has media availability, Manchester, N.H.
JOE BIDEN
-- 9:00 am ET: Meets with voters, Humboldt, Ia.
-- 11:00 am ET: Meets with voters, Clarion, Ia.
-- 1:30 pm ET: Meets with voters, Forest City, Ia.
-- 7:00 pm ET: Meets with voters, Mason City, Ia.
BILL RICHARDSON
-- 11:00 am ET: Holds a town hall meeting, Mount Ayr, Ia.
-- 12:45 pm ET: Holds a town hall meeting, Bedford, Ia.
-- 3:00 pm ET: Holds a town hall meeting, Sidney, Ia.
DENNIS KUCINICH
-- 10:00 am ET: Signs copies of his book, Milford, N.H.
-- 5:00 pm ET: Signs copies of his book, Hanover, N.H.
-- 7:00 pm ET: Speaks to students at Dartmouth, Hanover, N.H.
POLITICAL NEWS STORIES ON ABCNEWS.COM
ABC News' Rick Klein and Ed O'Keefe: Bush: Clinton Understands White House Pressure LINK
ABC News' Charlie Gibson: Transcript: Charles Gibson Interviews President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush LINK
ABC News' Jake Tapper: When Senators attack LINK
ABC News' Ariane deVogue and Dennis Powell: Supreme Court to Hear D.C. Gun Ban Case LINK
ABC News' Jennifer Duck: Bush Pardons Thanksgiving Turkey LINK
ABC News' Sunlen Miller:Obama Discusses Drinking, Drugs LINK
ABC News' Jake Tapper: You Gotta Want It LINK
ABC News' Eloise Harper and Sunlen Miller: Next Round: Obama and Clinton Over the Economy? LINK
ABC News' Ron Claiborne: Patriotism Over Past Injuries, Says McCain LINK