How One News Organization Handled the Edwards and Giuliani Stories

Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:

Post Mortem

This is what the Associated Press wrote today about John Edwards' decision to drop out of the presidential race.

The AP said Edwards was — "ending a scrappy underdog bid in which he steered his rivals toward progressive ideals while grappling with family hardship that roused voters' sympathies."

It added that — "Edwards waged a spirited top-tier campaign against the two better-funded rivals, even as he dealt with the stunning blow of his wife's recurring cancer diagnosis."

And here's what the AP said about Rudy Giuliani — "Once the Republican presidential front-runner, Giuliani suffered a debilitating defeat in Tuesday's Florida primary." "Tuesday's result was a remarkable collapse for Giuliani... Florida proved to be less than hospitable."

King of All Media

Bill Clinton's attacks on Barack Obama earned him more media coverage than any Republican presidential candidate last week.

The Project for Excellence in Journalism reports Mr. Clinton was the focus of 18 percent of the campaign stories in major media. The closest Republican was Rudy Giuliani at 14 percent.

Obama and Hillary Clinton were neck-and-neck — at 41 percent and 40 percent respectively.

Democrats got almost twice as much coverage as Republicans – 56 percent to 30 percent.

Conspiracy Theory

Incumbent Maryland Democratic Congressman Albert Wynn says there is a vast left-wing conspiracy against him — as he fights a bitter primary battle against an opponent he says is getting illegal help.

The Washington Post reports Wynn is accusing Donna Edwards of colluding with independent organizations that support her — without reporting it as required by law.

Wynn says — "There seems to be a vast, dare I say, left-wing conspiracy designed to circumvent campaign finance laws."

He says he is being targeted by the groups because they think he votes with Republicans too often — and accepts contributions from corporate interests.

Edwards denies any wrongdoing — and calls Wynn's allegations a desperate 11th hour move.

Not Welcome

And an update on a story we told you a few weeks ago about residents of Brattleboro, Vermont who want to arrest President Bush and Vice President Cheney if they ever visit. A petition with more than 400 signatures was submitted last week — and so the question will be on the ballot March 4.

But the town clerk says she is getting so many nasty complaints that the town office stopped answering its phones Monday. One caller from Minnesota said he'd like to see terrorists cut off the heads of town officials. Other criticisms have been a bit more tame — such as calling residents "wackjobs" and "nuts."

— FOX News Channel's Martin Hill contributed to this report.