Facts behind Russert's death starting to come out

Finally, we're starting to get questions answered regarding Tim Russert's sudden death last Friday. A story in the New York Times notes that while Russert was "significantly overweight," in the words of his internist and had thicked heart muscle, his doctors did not choose to make invasive tests, such as an angiogram, which could have detected the extent of the artery blockages that caused his death.

More facts behind Russert and his "asymptomatic" coronary artery disease could be a lifesaver for some of the 310,000 Americans, male and female, who die of cardiac arrest annually -- like him, without warning.

How many degrees separate Obama and 'Friends of Angelo'?

Some of Barack Obama's big (and early) endorsers in the Senate, like Sen. Chris Dodd from Connecticut and Kent Conrad from North Dakota, are among the "Friends of Angelo." That would be Countrywide CEO Angelo Mozilo, who arranged VIP mortgage financing for his concentric circles of friends nationwide. If you were a VIP, and even if you were worth millions -- such as friends like Jim Johnson, the former Fannie Mae CEO who had to give up leading Obama's VP search committee after his relationship was disclosed -- you became eligible for mortgage financing that might include a lower rate or forgiveness of expensive interest "points" that wouldn't be available to Countrywide's other customers. Some of those other customers, you might recall, had bad credit ratings and didn't make enough money to afford the loans that Countrywide gave them (and then sold in the secondary market, including Fannie Mae, so it wouldn't itself get stiffed).

Chris Dodd tells the Washington Post that he didn't know the VIP status Countrywide conferred on him gave him any special deal. Dodd, of course, is chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, which has jurisdiction over mortgage-industry-related legislation.

Did I read somewhere that Obama wants to end the back-door dealings between lobbyists and the federal government? I guess maybe "Friends of Angelo" wouldn't be included among Obama's targets because Angelo Mozilo is no lobbyist -- he is the big corporate enchilada himself

Obama offers more details on his economic plan

He holds out the possibility of a cut in corporate taxes. He also says the economies of old industrials cities -- he cites Flint, MI -- have to be rebuilt: "We've got to make sure that we are putting in place the kinds of structures that will allow us to compete [globally] long term. Excerpts from his Wall Street Journal interview.

Behind Obama's slim lead over McCain in Washington Post-ABC News Poll

The new Washington Post-ABC News Poll shows Obama holding an inconclusive lead over McCain -- 49 to 45 among registered voters. But on other interesting questions, the results are firmer.

The economy/jobs has clearly surpassed the Iraq war as the dominant issue. Obama stands to benefit from this trend more than McCain because the Democratic nominee's tax plan offers more for lower-middle-income workers than McCain's. But with Iraq a receding issue, that could help McCain, who, in contrast to Obama, opposes a quick pullout of U.S. troops.

The poll's results on "most imortant issue":

Most Important Isssue  ------------ 2008 -------------   ------ 2007 -----
                        6/15   5/11   4/13   2/1   1/12   12/9   11/1   9/7
Economy/Jobs              33     36     41    39     29     24     14    11
Iraq/War in Iraq          19     21     18    19     20     23     29    35
Health care                8      6      7     8     10     10     13    13
Gas/Oil prices/Energy      6      2      1     *      1      0      0     0
Terrorism/National
security                   4      4      5     5      4      9      5     6

Obama is even with McCain as "stronger leader," but way ahead of him regarding other values:

Regardless of who you may support, who do you think [ITEM] - (Obama) or (McCain)? 
6/15/08 - Summary Table
                                           Both    Neither     No
                                Obama    McCain   (vol.)   (vol.)    opinion
a. is the stronger leader        46       46       3        1         4
b. would do more to bring
needed change to Washington      60       26       1        8         4
c. better represents your own
personal values                  51       38       2        5         3
d. better understands the
problems of people like you      53       35       1        7         4
e. would do more to stand up to
lobbyists and special interest
groups                           51       36       2        6         5

Obama has generated far more enthusiasm:

Thinking about his candidacy for president so far, how enthusiastic
are you about [NAME] - very enthusiastic, fairly enthusiastic, not
too enthusiastic, or not enthusiastic at all? 
        --- Enthusiastic --   ---- Not Enthusiastic ----     
           NET   Very   Fairly   NET   Not too   Not at all   No opinion
a. Obama    55     28      27     44       18         26          1
b. McCain   42      9      33     57       28         29          1

Obama has a confidence problem:

Thinking of who you may support, do you think Barack Obama does or does
not have the kind of experience it takes to serve effectively as president?

       Does    Does not    No opinion
6/15/08    50       46           4
3/2/08     49       45           6

McCain is not seen as an agent of change by a decisive majority:

If McCain were elected president, do you think he'd (mainly lead the
country in a new direction), or (mainly continue in George W. Bush's
direction)? If McCain were elected president, do you think he'd (mainly
lead the country in a new direction), or (mainly continue in George
W. Bush's direction)?

           New        Same         No
         direction    direction    opinion
6/15/08      38          57          5

Asked to head 'Meet the Press,' Russert saw himself as 'too ugy'

Why Tim Russert stood out among his many talented news media peers is explained in this Newsweek Q & A with Jack Hurley, a 30-year veteran of broadcast news. Hurley is now deputy director of the recently opened Newseum in Washington, the "interactive museum of news."

Hurley talks about Russert's richly varied background. He earned a law degree, but went to work in politics for two New York legislative legends --first for senator Daniel Moynihan and then governor Mario Cuomo -- before he joined NBC. At the network he was a guy who chose to stay behind a desk in the newsroom before being tapped -- against his will because he thought he was "too ugly" -- by then NBC News President Michael Gartner to moderate "Meet the Press," a legacy Sunday public affairs program that, in its fifth decade, was going nowhere against its morning competition, led by "This Week With David Brinkley" on ABC. (It hurt, of course, that Brinkley earned his network news chops at NBC as the wry half of the "Huntley-Brinkley" evening news program.)

The TV news person who may come closest to Russert in political pedigree is ABC's George Stephanopoulos, who was communications director for President Bill Clinton. Stephanapoulos has gained a lot of news cred over the past several years, moderating "This Week," serving as the network's chief Washington correspondent, regularly appearing on various ABC venues and wearing out a lot of shoe leather on the hustings. In this political year, Stephanapoulos has an opportunity to exploit his double background -- as Tim Russert did so well.

Obama: 'They've got to have daddy rootin' for them too'

Obama's Father's Day speech at Apostolic Church of God in Chicago -- watch it.

CEO Barack Obama: He keeps his eye on the big picture

Obama as his campaign's CEO. Nut graf from New York Times story:

"As the chief executive officer of Obama for America, a concern of nearly 1,000 employees and a budget of hundreds of millions of dollars, Mr. Obama is more inclined to focus on the big picture over the day-to-day whirl."