The Buzz

• Final day of campaigning in the GOP Florida race is bringing out more harsh back-and-forth attacks between frontruners Romney and McCain. While the bizarre and flatly false barbs from the McCain camp against Mitt over Iraq appear to have quieted down, JMac is still bent on trashing just about every part of Romney’s record and spinning his supposed economic strengths from Massachusetts into a negative. Aware that his own record on the economy is suspect and seen as shaky by Republican stalwarts, McCain continues to bring up Romney’s Mass. record of creating $700 million in new state “fees” as a tax increase and even slamming him at campaign stops by terming him the “liberal governor of Massachusetts” whenever Mitt’s name comes up (which is often). Inside McCain’s camp, this last day is seen as crucial in stemming the major boost Romney has received in the polls and from the Boca debate - mostly on the economy. They feel that constantly bringing attention to Mitt’s Mass. record is the only rebuttal they have for Romney’s attacks on their man. It’s a toss-up…

• Speaking of those Romney attacks: Most of the McCain reaction is due to Mitt’s repeated broadsides against JMac over his friendly connections with many “liberal” Senators in D.C. His working relationships with Hillary and Ted Kennedy are the most egregious in the eyes of conservatives, and the Romney campaign isn’t hesitating to lay it out non-stop. They’re even drilling McCain over the laughable news reports from the ‘04 election that he was apparently considering the Vice Presidential slot on John Kerry’s campaign. That story got some special treatment from the increasingly caustic Mitt:

“I do recall a story that he was thinking about being John Kerry’s running mate. He gave that some thought. Had someone asked me that question, there would not have been a nano-second of thought about it. It would have been an immediate laugh.”

• Inside info on the state of the GOP race in Florida has Romney  - with the help of the aforementioned attacks - gaining momentum with the base conservatives of the party. With no independents to worry about, Romney’s folks are counting on the FL moderates, who make up most of the party down here, defecting from McCain and Rudy on mainly the economy. Mitt’s campaign is confident that actual Republicans will pull back to the party rather than personal preferences on style and service. That’s McCain’s turf.

• Prepared for the Ted Kenedy endorsement and the Bill Clinton remarks comparing Obama’s SC win to “black candidate” Jesse Jackson, the Clinton camp has a long list of talking points set to push back these potential campaign hazards. Not happy that Obama’s win and endorsement by the most influential of the Kennedy clan has rendered Hillary’s look-ahead to Super Tuesday worthless news, her campaign wants to get these items behind them ASAP. The talking points reflect that, with most of them dealing with the Bill comment or Ted’s endorsement in as few words as possible, then working in Hillary stump messages or a word about February 5.

• Tony Rezko, Obama’s potential nightmare, has been arrested on a bond violation in Chicago. Probably won;’t get much play with the SC win and the Kennedy endorsement - lucky for the Obama campaign…

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