FORMER GOP CHAIRMAN CALLS MCCAIN HOUSING PLAN ‘INCOMPLETE’

A Florida senator who is a former chairman of the Republican Party criticized Senator McCain’s plan to address the housing crisis yesterday, calling it “incomplete.” “I would give Senator McCain an incomplete,” Senator Martinez said on CNN’s “Late Edition. “He stated the obvious, which is that we cannot rescue those who made poor investments and poor decisions.” He added: “However, where I think he fell short, and I think you will agree with me, is the fact that we need to do some things that can help families, that can help people.” Mr. Martinez was referring to Mr. McCain’s speech last week in which he spoke out against a government bailout for lenders or borrowers while calling on the top mortgage lenders to restructure failing mortgages. Republicans in Congress are coming under increased pressure to support aid for families in danger of losing their homes, even if it means using taxpayer dollars.

OBAMA SET TO PICK UP ADDED DELEGATES IN TEXAS CONVENTIONS

Senator Obama appeared set to pick up additional delegates from Texas on Saturday as he led Senator Clinton, 59% to 41% in the state’s county conventions, according to the Associated Press. About half of the conventions had been counted, the AP reported, with 65 delegates to the Democratic National Convention at stake. They were the last part of the complicated Texas “two-step” primary process. Mrs. Clinton edged Mr. Obama in the statewide popular vote during the March 4 primary, but the Illinois senator collected more delegates with his victory in the caucuses that night.

VENDORS COMPLAIN ABOUT CLINTON CAMPAIGN’S UNPAID BILLS

Senator Clinton’s campaign has racked up millions in outstanding debt, and some companies are increasingly frustrated at its refusal to pay its bills. The Politico reported Saturday that two Ohio companies owed more than $25,000 are warning their colleagues to collect money upfront when doing business with the campaign, which they say had stopped returning phone calls or responding to invoices. The campaign reported $8.7 million in debt in its most recent financial statement, and a spokesman told Politico that it “pays all its bills.” Small businesses in Iowa, New Hampshire, and New York had complained in news reports earlier in the primary race about the Clinton campaign’s late-payment habit.

REP. LEWIS SAYS CAMPAIGN RACE DEBATE MAY BE POSITIVE

A civil rights icon who defected last month to Senator Obama from Senator Clinton’s fold, Rep. John Lewis, says the furor over racial issues roiling the presidential campaign may end up being positive for America. “The civil rights movement had the power to … what I call bring the dirt, the filth from under the American rug out of the cracks and corners, into the light so we can deal with it,” Mr. Lewis said yesterday during a conference at Washington’s National Cathedral, CNN reported. “Just maybe, just maybe, what is happening now will bring something out, so we all can be educated and sensitized.”

CLINTON: AMERICAN DEBT TO CHINA THREATENS SECURITY

During campaign stops in Indiana Saturday, Senator Clinton invoked the unrest in Tibet as she warned about the security implications of American debt held by China. According to Reuters, Mrs. Clinton quoted a retired American general as saying, “You know, suppose the Chinese decide that they’re going to go after Taiwan the way we see them, you know, with Tibet. … We start to move the fleet, and the Chinese say, ‘Fine. You do that, we will dump your dollars. We will flood the market. We will not buy any more of your debt.'”

POLL: OBAMA HAS SOLID LEAD AMONG DEMOCRATS

A daily tracking poll released yesterday by Gallup showed Senator Obama leading Senator Clinton among Democratic voters, 52% to 42%, his largest margin of the year. It was the third time in a row that the poll, which uses a three-day rolling average, found Mr. Obama with a statistically significant lead over Mrs. Clinton.