Clinton Connection

Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:

Feeling Their Pain

A new Gallup poll (search) reveals that no matter what side people take in the Terri Schiavo (search) debate, Americans sympathize with both her husband and her parents, even though they're on opposite sides. Seventy percent of respondents say they're sympathetic with Michael Shiavo, Terri's husband who says Terri has the right to die.

But more than 8 in 10 say they feel sympathy for Terri's parents, who are fighting to keep her alive. Meanwhile, a CBS poll shows that 82 percent of Americans, including 68 percent of self-described evangelical Christians — still believe Congress was wrong to intervene in the case.

Clinton Connection

Two female senators embracing one another at a Washington Women's History Museum (search) may not sound like news, but video showing New York Democrat Hillary Clinton (search) and Texas Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison (search) hugging one another, is circulating among conservatives and Texas Governor Rick Perry's campaign staff now admits they paid someone to shoot and produce the video.

Hutchison, a Republican senator, has expressed interest in running against Republican governor Perry next year and Perry's campaign director says "News flash: Potential opponents trashing my governor are not going to get a free ride." He adds, "We're being very aggressive in everything we do. And you ain't seen nothing yet."

Fightin' Words

A pro wrestler turned political operative has apologized for calling Boston mayor Thomas Menino (search) a "drooling teddy bear," and for referring to city council president Michael Flaherty as a "punk bastard." Mitch Kates (search), the campaign manager for a Boston Mayoral candidate and a former Kerry Campaign worker, once wrestled on the professional circuit where he was known as "Jason the Terrible," a name he seemed to justify this week.

The former wrestler says he made the comments because he was offended by remarks at a traditional Saint Patrick's Day political roast. The city council president accepted an apology, but told the Boston Herald that the former wrestler may want to think about retiring from the political ring as well as the wrestling ring.

A Perfect Match

A thin, black New York teacher who repeatedly failed his state certification test has been arrested for paying an overweight white man 20 years his senior to take the test for him. But it wasn't the man's appearance that aroused suspicion; instead, it was the sudden jump in his test score. Teacher Wayne Brightly (search) paid stand-in Rubin Leitner (search) $2 for the deed, saying he was afraid he'd lose his $59,000 dollar a year job if he flunked the test again.

Leitner says the teacher told him no one would ever know and no one did — until authorities noticed the enormous improvement in the teacher's test scores. He has now been charged with coercion and falsifying business records — and has been removed from the classroom.

— FOX News' Michael Levine contributed to this report