Soft Feel

*​**Correct The Record Sunday November 23, 2014 Roundup:**Headlines:**New York Times: “G.O.P.-Led Benghazi Panel Bolsters Administration”<http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/23/world/middleeast/republican-led-benghazi-inquiry-largely-backs-administration.html>*'The effort to turn the Benghazi tragedy into a political scandal neverhad a factual basis,' said David Brock, founder of Correct the Record, agroup that defends Mrs. Clinton in the news media, and author of the e-book'The Benghazi Hoax.' ... 'The Republican committee report should close thecase,' he added. 'If the scandal persists into 2016, it will only be forpartisan reasons.'*ABC News: “Top Hillary Clinton Supporters Gather to Plot, Strategize”<http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2014/11/top-hillary-clinton-supporters-gather-to-plot-strategize/>*“The attendees at the event included Correct the Record’s David Brock andBurns Strider, who were invited guests to last weekend’s 10th anniversaryevent for the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, Arkansas, aswell as political strategists Harold Ickes, James Carville and Paul Begala.”*Newsday: “Hillary Clinton eulogizes lawyer Thomas A. Twomey Jr. in EastHampton”<https://www.newsday.com/long-island/obituaries/hillary-clinton-eulogizes-lawyer-thomas-a-twomey-jr-in-east-hampton-1.9645065>*“Hillary Rodham Clinton eulogized prominent environmental lawyer Thomas A.Twomey Jr. at his funeral in East Hampton on Saturday, recalling how hehelped her connect with everyday Long Islanders and win her Senate seatfrom New York in 2000.”*Associated Press: “Obama: Americans want 'new car smell' in 2016”<http://bigstory.ap.org/article/5e45b15d8f0944709eaf8a064a048d2e/obama-americans-want-new-car-smell-2016>*'He said a number of possible Democratic candidates would make 'terrificpresidents,' but Hillary Clinton is the only one he mentioned by name. Hesaid she would be a 'formidable candidate' and make 'a great president' ifshe decides to run a second time.'*CNN: “Sen. Lindsey Graham: GOP-led Benghazi report is 'full of crap'”<http://edition.cnn.com/2014/11/23/politics/lindsey-graham-benghazi-report/index.html>*“Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, has some harsh words for therecently released Benghazi report, led by his own party. ‘I think thereport is full of crap,’ Graham told Gloria Borger on CNN's ‘State of theUnion’ on Sunday.”*The Hill blog: Briefing Room: “GOP-led Benghazi report purposely buried innews cycle, Democrat says”<http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/225129-gop-led-benghazi-report-purposely-buried-in-news-cycle-democrat>*“A GOP-led investigation that debunked theories about the 2012 Benghaziattack was purposely released on the Friday before Thanksgiving to evadeexposure, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said Sunday.”*New York Times: “A Deep 2016 Republican Presidential Field Reflects PartyDivisions”<http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/23/us/politics/a-deep-2016-republican-presidential-field-reflects-divisions-in-age-and-ideology.html>*“As Democrats signal that they are ready to rally behind Hillary RodhamClinton before their primary season even begins, allowing them to focustheir fund-raising and firepower mostly on the general election, theRepublicans appear destined for a free-for-all.”*Articles:**New York Times: “G.O.P.-Led Benghazi Panel Bolsters Administration”<http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/23/world/middleeast/republican-led-benghazi-inquiry-largely-backs-administration.html>*By Michael S. SchmidtNovember 22, 2014WASHINGTON — A report released late Friday about the fatal 2012 attacks inBenghazi, Libya, left Republicans in the same position they have been infor two years: with little evidence to support their most damning critiquesof how the Obama administration, and then-Secretary of State Hillary RodhamClinton, responded to the attacks.Similar to five other government reports, the one released by the HouseIntelligence Committee on Friday said that the administration had notintentionally misled the public about what occurred during the attacks intalking points it created for officials to use in television appearancesthat turned out to be inaccurate.It also said that no order was given by the military to “stand down” inresponding to try to save the four Americans killed in the attacks, a claimthat Republicans have made based on the account of a member of the securityteam in Benghazi that day.Coming six months after Speaker John A. Boehner created a separate specialcommittee to investigate the Benghazi attacks, the report raised questionsabout what that panel might uncover that the Intelligence Committee — whosechairman, Representative Mike Rogers, Republican of Michigan, is leavingCongress — and the other investigations missed.The special committee that Mr. Boehner created is led by RepresentativeTrey Gowdy, Republican of South Carolina, who has a budget of $3.3 millionfor the investigation.Mr. Gowdy, in a written statement, said that his committee had reviewed thelatest findings along with the other reports. “It will aid the selectcommittee’s comprehensive investigation to determine the full facts of whathappened in Benghazi, Libya, before, during and after the attack andcontribute toward our final, definitive accounting of the attack on behalfof Congress,” he said.Democrats have asserted that the special committee was created byRepublicans only to try to discredit Mrs. Clinton, who is expected to seekthe Democratic nomination for president in 2016.“The effort to turn the Benghazi tragedy into a political scandal never hada factual basis,” said David Brock, founder of Correct the Record, a groupthat defends Mrs. Clinton in the news media, and author of the e-book “TheBenghazi Hoax.”“The Republican committee report should close the case,” he added. “If thescandal persists into 2016, it will only be for partisan reasons.”While the report backed up many of the administration’s longstanding claimsthat its response was proper, it agreed with the other reports thatcriticized the State Department for having inadequate security at thecompound where the ambassador to Libya, J. Christopher Stevens, was killed.“The State Department security personnel, resources and equipment wereunable to counter the terrorist threat that day and required C.I.A.assistance,” it said.The panel’s findings reflected well on the intelligence apparatus,particularly the Central Intelligence Agency. The agency “ensuredsufficient security” for its facilities in Benghazi and “without arequirement to do so, ably and bravely assisted the State Department on thenight of the attacks,” according to the report.“Their actions saved lives,” the report said.The report said the C.I.A. did not have an “intelligence failure” in themonths before the attacks. In fact, the report said, the agency hadincreased its security because of intelligence reports showing that attackshad intensified in the area.In the course of the investigation, the committee reviewed thousands ofpages of intelligence assessments, cables, emails and other documents, andit interviewed many senior intelligence officials and people who were onthe ground during the attacks — including eight security personnel whoresponded to them, it said.Republican lawmakers have said that the administration, fearing politicalfallout from the attacks — which occurred on Sept. 11, 2012, less than twomonths before the presidential elections — tried to mislead the public.In particular, the Republicans have said that Susan E. Rice, who was theambassador to the United Nations at the time, lied on several Sundaytelevision talk shows when she said the attacks were set off by a protestover an anti-Muslim video. They claimed that she glossed over whether thefatalities were the result of “terrorist” attacks by Al Qaeda because thatwould have undermined the administration’s narrative that it had all butdefeated the group.The panel found that in the days after the attacks, there was contradictoryintelligence about what precipitated them and who was behind them.Ultimately, Ms. Rice’s assertions were wrong, the committee said, but therewas no evidence that the administration was attempting to misconstrue thefacts.Even today, the report said, the government is still uncertain about muchof what happened that day.“Much of the early intelligence was conflicting, and two years later,intelligence gaps remain,” the report said. A mix of individuals,“including those affiliated” with Al Qaeda, participated in the attacks, itsaid, adding, however, that “the intelligence was and remains conflictingabout the identities, affiliations and motivations of the attackers.”A man accused of being the ringleader of the attackers was apprehended in araid by American commandos in Benghazi in June, and will likely go on trialin Washington next year on murder charges.The report also debunked a few accusations against the C.I.A. It said thatthe agency had not intimidated or prevented “any officer from speaking toCongress or otherwise telling their story.” It also said that the agencyhad not administered “any unusual polygraph exams” to officers about theirassignment in Benghazi. And it said that the C.I.A. was not collecting armsin Libya and sending them to rebel groups in Syria.*ABC News: “Top Hillary Clinton Supporters Gather to Plot, Strategize”<http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2014/11/top-hillary-clinton-supporters-gather-to-plot-strategize/>*By Liz KreutzNovember 21, 2014, 8:01 p.m. ESTNEW YORK – Two-hundred prominent Democratic strategists, former Clintonaides and donors, joined forces today for a day-long strategy meetinghosted by the pro-Hillary Clinton super PAC Ready for Hillary to coalescetheir efforts, plot and plan for when and if Hillary Clinton runs forpresident.The meeting, held at the Sheraton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, where theClintons hold their annual Clinton Global Initiative summit, was made up ofa series of closed-to-the-media strategizing panels and marked thebeginning of the end of Ready for Hillary, which plans to shut down itsoperations once Clinton announces a run.It also marked a turning point for Clinton’s potential 2016 campaign.Although nobody today would flat out say it (hypotheticals like “if” and“hope” preceded all statements about her candidacy), the general sentimentamong the panelists and attendees was: She’s running. And when she does,her supporters said, they will be ready.“Hopes run high,” Marty Chavez, the former Albuquerque mayor and a senioradviser for Ready for Hillary, told reporters. “The biggest takeaway I haveis … there are a lot of people who have her back if she says yes.”The attendees at the event included Correct the Record’s David Brock andBurns Strider, who were invited guests to last weekend’s 10th anniversaryevent for the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, Arkansas, aswell as political strategists Harold Ickes, James Carville and Paul Begala.Two people who have been mentioned as possible campaign managers forClinton, Stephanie Shriock, the head of EMILY’s List, and Guy Cecil,executive director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, alsowere there.Hillary Clinton herself was not at the event. Super PAC rules would notallow her to go.Very little was said about other possible Democratic presidentialcandidates, such as former Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia, who just this weekbecame the first candidate to throw his hat in to the ring. The panelistssaid they saw Hillary Clinton as the most “formidable” candidate and thatany concerns were not about a “Hillary Clinton problem,” but rather aproblem for the Democratic Party, as a whole.“We have yet to figure out a message on the economy that resonates withworking-class voters,” Mitch Stewart, a former Obama adviser and foundingpartner of 270 Strategies, which partnered with Ready for Hillary, toldreporters. “We have not been able to persuade them that your values alignwith ours. And that, for me, is the biggest concern out there.”The meeting also focused on acknowledging what Ready for Hillary hasaccomplished since it launched nearly two years ago. In that time, thegroup has raised $11 million and gained 3 million supporters. Once it shutsdown, the group plans to transfer its vast email list of supporters toClinton’s campaign. It was unclear, however, what would happen to thegroup’s now-famous bus.Ready for Hillary’s meeting came a day after Hillary Clinton came out insupport of President Obama’s executive action on immigration and blamedCongress for inaction on the issue. It was a rare move for Clinton,prompting speculation she might be starting to position herself as acandidate, because she has remained relatively mute on policy matters sinceshe stepped down as Obama’s secretary of state in 2013.Ready for Hillary also hosted a grassroots fundraising event Thursday nightat a noisy, haram-themed lounge downtown.The event, with roughly 150 people, cost $20.16 to attend and offered upcocktails thematically linked to Clinton, who might run to become America’s45th president.“I’ll have one ‘Ceiling Breaker’ and one ’45,’” a young 20-something guy,donning a small Ready for Hillary sticker on his button-down shirt, washeard yelling out to the bartender.Two minutes later, he was handed two ambiguously colored drinks.“No idea,” he shouted out when asked what was in them. But, he said with asmile, “They’re named after her.”Hillary Clinton, who has a lighter-than-usual schedule in the coming month,has said she will likely make a decision on 2016 sometime early next year.*Newsday: “Hillary Clinton eulogizes lawyer Thomas A. Twomey Jr. in EastHampton”<https://www.newsday.com/long-island/obituaries/hillary-clinton-eulogizes-lawyer-thomas-a-twomey-jr-in-east-hampton-1.9645065>*By Debbie TumaNovember 22, 2014, 8:29 p.m. ESTHillary Rodham Clinton eulogized prominent environmental lawyer Thomas A.Twomey Jr. at his funeral in East Hampton on Saturday, recalling how hehelped her connect with everyday Long Islanders and win her Senate seatfrom New York in 2000.'He said to me, 'You need to meet real people, those who built this stateand also East Hampton,' ' Clinton, who attended the afternoon service withher husband, former President Bill Clinton, told a crowd of more than 600mourners at St. Luke's Episcopal Church.The former first lady and secretary of state, who is weighing a second tryfor the White House in 2016, said she met Twomey in the mid-1990s. He tookher to spend time with the North Fork farmers who helped him in asuccessful 1977 bid to stop nuclear power plants from being built inJamesport, she said.'What really impressed me was these people had families going back 10 to 12generations, and I learned how their grandparents and great-grandparentshad loved and cherished this place,' Hillary Clinton said. 'It made a greatimpression on me.'The Clintons are longtime friends of Twomey and his wife, Judith Hope, theformer state Democratic chairwoman, former appointments secretary to Gov.Hugh Carey, the first female East Hampton town supervisor and a native ofArkansas.'The first thing Tom Twomey said to me [when they met] was, 'We havesomething in common, we both married someone from Arkansas,' ' Clinton said.Together, Twomey and Hope -- like the Clintons -- were a longtime politicalpower couple, and also fundraisers with statewide and national connections.During his legal career over more than four decades, Twomey built the EastEnd's largest law firm -- Twomey, Latham, Shea, Kelley, Dubin, Quartararo-- with 28 lawyers based in Riverhead. He also served as legal counsel tonumerous local municipal boards and worked as a lawyer for the Long IslandFarm Bureau.Twomey's efforts to help farmers and stop nuclear plant construction,Clinton said, 'made me think about how Tom took on responsibility in hisown community, which is something purely American.'He understood that we are individuals but we are also members ofcommunities,' she added.Before her eulogy, Clinton sat in the front row between her husband andHope. When the service was over, the Clintons chatted with mourners forabout a half-hour about topics such as President Barack Obama, immigrationand Hillary Clinton's potential presidential run.Throughout their long friendship, Clinton said in her eulogy, Twomey taughther valuable political lessons.'He knew how to find common ground,' Clinton said. 'But he also knew how tostand his ground.'*Associated Press: “Obama: Americans want 'new car smell' in 2016”<http://bigstory.ap.org/article/5e45b15d8f0944709eaf8a064a048d2e/obama-americans-want-new-car-smell-2016>*By Darlene SupervilleNovember 23, 2014, 1:04 p.m. ESTHENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — President Barack Obama says voters want a 'new carsmell' in the 2016 White House race and that Hillary Rodham Clinton wouldbe 'a great president.'But would Clinton pass that particular smell test?In a nationally televised interview broadcast Sunday, Obama seemed tosuggest that any Democrat other than him would provide the turn of the pagethat he says voters are interested in. He acknowledged the 'dings' to hisown political standing during nearly six years of sometimes bruisingbattles with Congress and said Americans will want something new.'They want to drive something off the lot that doesn't have as much mileageas me,' Obama said in the interview with ABC's 'This Week,' which was tapedFriday in Las Vegas following a public appearance there by the president.He said a number of possible Democratic candidates would make 'terrificpresidents,' but Hillary Clinton is the only one he mentioned by name. Hesaid she would be a 'formidable candidate' and make 'a great president' ifshe decides to run a second time.But if she does run — which she is considering, with a decision expected tobe announced early next year — would she have that 'new car' scent forvoters?Hillary Clinton has been a powerful force in Democratic politics for manyyears, beginning as Arkansas' first lady before she became America's firstlady after her husband, Bill Clinton, was elected president in 1992. Whenhis two terms were up, she ran for and won a U.S. Senate seat from New York.She later sought and lost the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination toObama, then cemented her worldwide profile by serving Obama as secretary ofstate in his first term. The Democratic political establishment is nowawaiting word on whether she will take on the challenge of another nationalpolitical campaign.New car smell or not, Democratic voters hold her in such high regard thatshe outdistances anyone else in polling of possible Democratic candidatesfor 2016. One of them is Vice President Joe Biden, who has not ruled out athird run for the White House.Eight in 10 Democrats held positive views of Clinton in an AssociatedPress-GfK poll conducted in late July. Biden had a 71 percent favorablerating in the survey.Obama acknowledged that Hillary Clinton won't agree with him on everything,suggesting that such a stance would be a welcome break for voters aftereight years of Obama. A benefit of running for president, he said, 'is youcan stake out your own positions.'The 2016 presidential race could feature a repeat face-off between aClinton and a member of another leading American political family: formerFlorida Gov. Jeb Bush, who is considering entering the 2016 race. Hisfather and brother both were elected president.Three of the past four presidents dating to the 1988 election have beennamed Bush or Clinton.Jeb Bush's father, George H. W. Bush, was elected president in 1988. Helost re-election in 1992 to Bill Clinton, who served two terms. Jeb Bush'sbrother, George W., then defeated Clinton's vice president, Al Gore, in2000 and was re-elected in 2004. The elder Bush also served two terms asvice president to Ronald Reagan.In the AP-GfK survey, Jeb Bush was most popular among potential 2016 GOPpresidential candidates, with 56 percent of Republicans viewing himfavorably. Majorities also held positive views of outgoing Texas Gov. RickPerry and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul.*CNN: “Sen. Lindsey Graham: GOP-led Benghazi report is 'full of crap'”<http://edition.cnn.com/2014/11/23/politics/lindsey-graham-benghazi-report/index.html>*By Sara FischerNovember 23, 2014Washington (CNN) -- Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, has some harshwords for the recently released Benghazi report, led by his own party.'I think the report is full of crap,' Graham told Gloria Borger on CNN's'State of the Union' on Sunday.'I don't believe that the report is accurate, given the role that MikeMorell (deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency at the time)played in misleading the Congress on two different occasions. Why didn'tthe report say that?'The investigative report Graham is referring to was released Friday byHouse Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Michigan, and RankingMember Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger, D-Maryland.The report finds little to support the questions that have been raisedabout CIA actions on the ground in Benghazi the night of the deadly attackon September 11, 2012.Graham, who has maintained a critical voice in the Benghazi controversyover the past two years, says it's 'garbage' that the report finds nomembers of the Obama administration lied to cover up what happened inBenghazi.'That's a bunch of garbage,' Graham said. 'That's a complete bunch ofgarbage.'The investigation also found the security at the diplomatic outpost wasweak and also described a 'flawed' process used to create talking pointsfor House members and for then-U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice, whose publicstatements after the attack incensed critics who said the administrationwas trying to avoid calling the attack terrorism.'When Susan Rice was on television after the attack, she said on threedifferent occasions the consulate was strongly, and significantly secure,'Graham said. 'Nothing could be further than that from the truth, andthere's nothing in the talking points about the level of security.'To conclude, Graham says the findings of the report prove the HouseIntelligence Committee 'is doing a lousy job policing their own.'Anybody who has followed Benghazi at all knows that the CIA deputydirector did not come forward to tell Congress what role he played inchanging the talking points and the only way we knew he was involved iswhen he told a representative at the White House,' Graham said.Asked why the Republican chairman of the Intelligence Committee would be'buying a bunch of garbage,' Graham simply replied, 'good question.'Graham said he is going to take another look at the findings of the report.'I'm going to do a hard review of this.'*The Hill blog: Briefing Room: “GOP-led Benghazi report purposely buried innews cycle, Democrat says”<http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/225129-gop-led-benghazi-report-purposely-buried-in-news-cycle-democrat>*By Rebecca ShabadNovember 23, 2014, 11:03 a.m. ESTA GOP-led investigation that debunked theories about the 2012 Benghaziattack was purposely released on the Friday before Thanksgiving to evadeexposure, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said Sunday.On CNN’s “State of the Union,” Schiff questioned the decision behind thetiming of the release of the House Intelligence Committee’s report.“Why is this report being released on the Friday before Thanksgiving?”Schiff asked.Schiff said if a panel spends two years compiling an important report, itwouldn’t make much sense to conceal it.“You want to trumpet it to the high heavens, you don’t want to bury it onthe Friday before Thanksgiving,” he said.The House Intelligence panel released the report Friday evening, and itfound there was no intelligence failure surrounding the attack, no delay inthe rescue of U.S. personnel and no political cover-up by Obamaadministration officials.Schiff, a member of the committee, said he wouldn’t be surprised ifRepublicans employed a similar tactic when the House Select Committee onBenghazi releases its own report on the attack.“If the select committee comes up with a similar conclusion, it’ll releasea similar report on Christmas Eve,” he said.Schiff rejected Sen. Lindsey Graham’s (R-S.C.) earlier claims that thereport is “full of crap” and a “bunch of garbage.”Republicans and Democrats on the Intelligence committee supported thereport’s findings, Schiff said, adding that it exonerates the Obamaadministration.Schiff said talk about Benghazi would have died down by now if it weren’tfor the former secretary of State possibly running for president.“If Hillary Clinton weren’t a likely candidate for president,” he said, “Ithink this investigation would have been over with a long time ago.”*New York Times: “A Deep 2016 Republican Presidential Field Reflects PartyDivisions”<http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/23/us/politics/a-deep-2016-republican-presidential-field-reflects-divisions-in-age-and-ideology.html>*By Michael Barbaro and Jonathan MartinNovember 22, 2014BOCA RATON, Fla. — Republican presidential primaries have for decades beenorderly affairs, with any momentary drama mitigated by the expectation thatthe party would inevitably nominate its tested, often graying front-runner.But as the 2016 White House campaign effectively began in the last week, itbecame apparent that this race might be different: a fluid contest, vergingon chaotic, that will showcase the party’s deep bench of talent but alsohighlight its ideological and generational divisions.As Democrats signal that they are ready to rally behind Hillary RodhamClinton before their primary season even begins, allowing them to focustheir fund-raising and firepower mostly on the general election, theRepublicans appear destined for a free-for-all.“I can think of about 16 potential candidates,” said Haley Barbour, theformer governor of Mississippi and a veteran of Republican presidentialpolitics dating to 1968. “Almost every one of them have a starting point.But there is no true front-runner.”The sprawling nature of the race was on display Thursday as an array ofwould-be candidates took steps to position themselves.At a gathering of Republican governors here, Gov. Chris Christie of NewJersey sought to capitalize on the party’s victories this year inDemocratic-leaning states while at least six fellow governors tested theirmessages and met with potential donors.On the same day in Washington, Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor,addressed an education conference and tried to tamp down differences withthe right on the Common Core standards. On Capitol Hill, Senator Rand Paulof Kentucky continued his outreach to African-Americans by having breakfastwith the Rev. Al Sharpton, while Senator Ted Cruz of Texas appealed toconservatives by citing Cicero on the Senate floor in a speech castigatingPresident Obama’s executive action on immigration.And in California, Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas, justback from taking a group of evangelicals from early primary states on atrip to Europe honoring Ronald Reagan’s Cold War leadership, venerated Mr.Reagan in a speech at his presidential library.If the dizzying activity on a single day captured the depth of theRepublican field, it also underlined its factions, split among pragmatists,hard-liners and those trying to bridge the blocs.Foster Friess, a major Republican donor whose contributions to RickSantorum’s “super PAC” helped keep alive the former Pennsylvania senator’spresidential campaign two years ago, acknowledged that the coalescencearound Mrs. Clinton was a “huge advantage” for Democrats.“That’s why the Democrats run the government and the Republicans run themuseums,” Mr. Friess said.But the eventual choice for the nomination will not merely speak tophilosophical direction. Republicans also confront a generational decision:They have several energetic governors and senators in their 40s and early50s lining up to run. Yet there is also an older group of potentialcandidates, such as Mr. Bush and Mitt Romney, who could arrest theambitions of the next generation of Republicans but whose experience couldbe appealing.To date, Mrs. Clinton, 67, has been the target of the age-oriented attacksby the younger Republicans. But some of that fire is now from within,albeit subtly. After Gov. John Kasich of Ohio, 62, mentioned 1980s-eracongressional doings, when he was in the House, at a news conference here,Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin, 47, shot back: “John talked about ‘86?That’s when I was in high school.”Democrats have had their share of intergenerational battles, but this isrelatively new terrain for Republicans. With the exception of George W.Bush, every Republican nominee since 1976 has been over 60. Now, the widerange of age, experience and viewpoints could lead to an unusuallyturbulent contest.“It is unpredictable as I can recall, but I worry less about it becausewe’ve changed the calendar and we’ll have a de facto nominee by late Apriland a convention by late June,” said Charles R. Black Jr., a longtimeRepublican strategist, referring to the changes made by the RepublicanNational Committee to compress the primary schedule and nominatingconvention.While the would-be candidates are taking public steps to assert themselves,the action has been just as intense behind the scenes as they buildpolitical operations.Jeb Bush has started reaching out to Republicans in early primary states,including Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, whom he called onelection night. And he met with Spencer Zwick, Mr. Romney’s financedirector, this year. Yet Mr. Bush has not decided on a bid, and thosefamiliar with his thinking say he will give no indication until next year.Some of his private comments in recent months — musing about the need for a“pain threshold” to run and complaining about a video tracker that theliberal group American Bridge assigned to him — raise doubts about hisintentions.Still, some of Mr. Bush’s confidants have had informal conversations withpotential aides. Sally Bradshaw and Mike Murphy, his two closest advisers,have quietly met with campaign lawyers, data specialists and donors. WhileMr. Bush was in Washington to attend his education foundation’s conference,Ms. Bradshaw spent days in the capital visiting with a number ofRepublicans. They included two of the party’s most in-demand strategistsafter its success this month: Rob Collins, executive director of theNational Republican Senatorial Committee, and Liesl Hickey, executivedirector of the National Republican Congressional Committee.Mr. Christie’s supporters have been just as aggressive. They envision himestablishing a political organization in the coming months to raise money.They also foresee a top role for Phil Cox, who is stepping down asexecutive director of the Republican Governors Association.“The governor has really come to appreciate Phil’s talents and counsel,”said William J. Palatucci, one of Mr. Christie’s closest advisers. Mr.Christie may also look to Rick Wiley, a former Republican NationalCommittee political director who is close to Mike DuHaime, Mr. Christie’schief strategist.Mr. Paul has been perhaps the most open about his presidential intentions,and last week he hired away a strategist from Mr. Cruz. But Mr. Paul hasnot found a campaign manager, having been turned down by Ward Baker, whoaccepted a job running the Republicans’ senatorial committee.There is also some uncertainty about who will run Mr. Walker’s expectedcampaign. Mr. Wiley, if he does not work for Mr. Christie, would be apossibility. Another prospect is Mr. Walker’s strategist, Keith Gilkes, buthe is said to be in the running for the top staff job at the RepublicanGovernors Association.Senator Marco Rubio of Florida has a seasoned group of advisers in place,and his team has begun considering aides for early primary states. Gov.Rick Perry of Texas also has a team ready and is inviting donors to Austin.Gov. Mike Pence of Indiana said in an interview that he would not decide onhis future until after his state’s legislative session. “After thatconcludes in the spring, we will sit down and make decisions about ourfuture,” he said. The nomination season is likely to be effectivelyunderway at that point, which gives pause to some in the party who fear areplay of the long and contentious battle in 2012.“You might argue it was more divisive than it needed to be,” Mr. Friesssaid, adding that this time, “the donors are not going to let that happen.”*Calendar:**Sec. Clinton's upcoming appearances as reported online. Not an officialschedule.*· December 1 – New York, NY: Sec. Clinton keynotes a League ofConservation Voters dinner (Politico<http://www.politico.com/story/2014/09/hillary-clinton-green-groups-las-vegas-111430.html?hp=l11>)· December 4 – Boston, MA: Sec. Clinton speaks at the MassachusettsConference for Women (MCFW <http://www.maconferenceforwomen.org/speakers/>)· December 16 – New York, NY: Sec. Clinton honored by Robert F. KennedyCenter for Justice and Human Rights (Politico<http://www.politico.com/story/2014/11/hillary-clinton-ripple-of-hope-award-112478.html>)· February 24 – Santa Clara, CA: Sec. Clinton to Keynote Address atInaugural Watermark Conference for Women (PR Newswire<http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hillary-rodham-clinton-to-deliver-keynote-address-at-inaugural-watermark-conference-for-women-283200361.html>)