On The HUSTINGS

CLINTON FORGES TRUCE WITH ASIAN-AMERICAN GROUP

Senator Clinton's campaign has made peace with an Asian-American group protesting her refusal to sign onto a series of pledges to increase the number of Asians in top federal jobs and judgeships.

The group, 80-20 Initiative, had asked Mrs. Clinton to give positive answers to six questions about actions the president could take to achieve the group's goals. The campaign responded in June with a 121-word statement that expressed concern about the issue but offered no specific commitments.

After negotiations, the group agreed to modify some of its requests and Mrs. Clinton signed on. A pledge the organization sought to boost the number of Asians on the federal bench was changed to refer only to appeals court slots and to clarify that presidents can only fill lower-court judgeships when there is a vacancy.

The 80-20 Initiative will now raise funds for Mrs. Clinton. "Asian style politics abandoned: Don't raise money for politicians like ignorant slobs," 80-20's founder, Shien Biau Woo, wrote in an e-mail touting the deal to supporters.

BIDEN, EDWARDS LAUNCH NEW ADS

Two more candidates launched new television ads yesterday, adding to the flood of spots hitting the airwaves in the early states. Senator Biden of Delaware debuted a 30-second ad in Iowa titled "Action" that seeks to position him above the flying rhetoric of the campaign and as someone uniquely prepared for the presidency. Speaking directly into the camera, he touts his foreign policy experience and his recent work on Iraq and Pakistan. "Being president is not the same as running for president," Mr. Biden says in the ad. "When this election is over, political slogans like 'experience' and 'change' will mean absolutely nothing."

Also yesterday, John Edwards launched an ad aimed at working-class voters in South Carolina that refers to his wife's struggle with cancer. The spot, which is similar to one he has aired in Iowa and New Hampshire, features the former North Carolina senator speaking at a campaign event of his decision to stay in the presidential race after he and his wife, Elizabeth, learned that her cancer had returned earlier this year.

ARTIST UNION ENDORSES CLINTON

Adding to her support in Hollywood and the arts world, Senator Clinton yesterday secured the backing of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts. The union claims 100,000 members, and the Clinton campaign said its labor support now totals more than 4 million households nationwide.

RICHARDSON ATTACKS 'ATTACKS'

Hoping to stay relevant in the Democratic race, Governor Richardson of New Mexico plans to chastise his rivals today for "throwing mud" instead of talking seriously about issues.

In a speech today in Iowa, Mr. Richardson will try to walk a fine line of criticizing his opponents who serve in the Senate while not breaking his promise to run a positive campaign. "Senators Clinton, Obama, and Edwards chose a different path," Mr. Richardson plans to say, according to excerpts provided by his campaign. "I stand by my pledge, and I urge my fellow candidates to stop throwing mud and start talking about the issues." Mr. Richardson criticizes the Senate for accomplishing little in the first 11 months under Democratic control and calls for a renewed emphasis on jobs. Running fourth in most polls, Mr. Richardson has struggled for attention in recent months amid an intensified fight in the early states among Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Obama, and Mr. Edwards.

NATIONAL REVIEW ENDORSES ROMNEY

Mitt Romney secured the backing of the respected conservative magazine National Review yesterday, a boost that could help bolster a campaign that has slipped in recent weeks. Saying that the former Massachusetts governor fits the magazine's guiding principle of selecting the "most conservative viable candidate," the magazine editors praise Mr. Romney as a "full-spectrum" conservative and write that he has "President Bush's values and avoids his flaws."

Though he retains a solid lead in New Hampshire, Mr. Romney has fallen behind a surging Michael Huckabee in Iowa.

Fred Thompson announced an endorsement yesterday as well, that of conservative activist, Morton Gladwell. Mr. Gladwell is the president and founder of the Leadership Institute, which trains young conservatives.