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By Alexander Burns (@aburnspolitico, aburns@politico.com)


MARK YOUR CALENDARS - IT'S HALEY BARBOUR WEEK: If the Mississippi governor sticks to his self-imposed deadline, we'll know within a few days whether he's running for president in 2012. Barbour has repeated several times this month: "I'll be in or out by the end of April, but I won't make a decision until the end of April." The last day of the month is Saturday. http://bit.ly/gyXSwQ


NEXT UP - DANIELS WATCH: Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels's thinking on the 2012 race remains "muddled," he told Dan Balz of the Washington Post. Explained Daniels: "I don't want to leave a misimpression. If we get in, we will go all out, and we know a little about how to do that. So reluctance or hesitation about running doesn't mean we would be a reluctant candidate if we got there." Balz: "Obama advisers see [Daniels] as a credible general-election candidate, if he can survive a nomination battle. Democrats, with some encouragement from Washington, have begun to step up their criticism ... Daniels still hopes other candidates will take up the banner of fiscal reform. Friends say he is now dubious that they will. That leaves him where he has been for more than a year - on the fence - but with the clock about to expire." http://wapo.st/eD9F6P


AND - THE COLD WATER: "Asked about family considerations - friends say his wife has been opposed - Daniels goes quiet. 'I don't have much more to say about that,' he said. 'It's just a very important factor.'" http://wapo.st/eD9F6P


THE HOUSE CAMPAIGN - DCCC'S WARNING SHOT: The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee will keep up its assault on Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan's budget today, hitting 25 House members with Medicare-themed robo-calls and releasing a video that previews even harsher messaging to come. "Everyone agrees we must cut spending and tighten our belts, but Congressman Gosar has made all the wrong choices," says one call, targeting freshman Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar. "He actually voted to end Medicare rather than end taxpayer giveaways for big oil companies making record profits or tax breaks for the ultra-rich ... America is built on shared sacrifice. Paul Gosar is choosing to place the burden on seniors." In a video also dropping today, the DCCC will say Republicans "lied" during the 2010 campaign when they pledged to protect Medicare, showing a montage of lawmakers making direct-to-camera promises such as this one from Colorado Rep. Scott Tipton: "No cuts. No privatization. And no scaring our seniors." Watch it here: http://bit.ly/dXdIxx


As Brian Sandoval weighs his options, Jim Greer resurfaces and the College Republicans buy Iowa airtime, here's POLITICO's Morning Score: your daily guide to the permanent campaign.


MONDAY STAKES - The president's ratings are down, but the Republican field is deeply unsettled. One week from today, we'll have a clearer sense of who's in and who's out, and the first debate will be upon us. For now, here's Morning Score's take on which national players have the most to gain or lose in the week ahead:


(1) Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who will make his first appearance at a multi-candidate event since CPAC, when he attends an Americans for Prosperity forum in Manchester on Friday; (2) Ambassador Jon Huntsman, whose resignation from his post in Beijing takes effect on Saturday, giving him the freedom and the burden of acting like every other White House hopeful for the first time; (3) Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who will headline the National Rifle Association's annual confab next weekend, in a test of just how far he may inch toward the still-frontrunner-free 2012 fray; (4) New Hampshire Republican Party Chairman Jack Kimball, who will be thrust into the national media spotlight Wednesday during Donald Trump's inaugural trip to the Granite State; (5) Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn and American for Tax Reform president Grover Norquist, who are in a very public fight over the possibility of a debt-reduction deal that increases taxes, with Coburn dismissing the GOP's premier anti-tax activist yesterday as a "special interest."


2012 TALKER - "Rand and Ron Paul: The libertarian Kennedys" - Jmart takes you on a trip to a different kind of Camelot: "Four years after the family patriarch was mocked as a gadfly during his failed presidential bid-his second-the 75-year-old Paul is more recognizable than ever. And there are signs of a dynasty in the making ... Ron's discussion of a probable run and Rand's recent dalliance-and seemingly inevitable future bid-offer a vivid preview of the future: the Pauls, to the consternation of some in their Republican Party, are here to stay ... The elder Paul, though, is quick to say that his senator son has the potential to make an even broader impact. 'He comes across as more mainstream, at least in appearance,' said Rep. Paul. 'And I think he'll be a better legislator - he'll offer amendments, get bills passed. I'm not a good legislator' ... Just as the Kennedys had their uber-loyal family retainers, the Pauls have [Jesse] Benton as their fixer-gatekeeper. He worked on Ron Paul's presidential campaign in 2008 and then was dispatched to Kentucky last year to take over Rand's Senate run ... [W]hen the Pauls each visited Iowa separately in successive weeks earlier this month, he accompanied them each time. 'It was like Tom Hagen or something,' said one Republican there, referring to the Corleone family consigliere played by Robert Duvall in 'The Godfather.'" http://politi.co/ePpATk


SUNDAY'S BEST - MCCAIN ZINGS TRUMP: Arizona Sen. John McCain says he won't endorse in the 2012 presidential primary, but he didn't exactly hide his feelings about Donald Trump in an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press." "I'm staying out of it. I think that Mr. Trump is having the time of his life. I congratulate him for getting all the attention that he's getting," McCain said. PLUS - ON PALIN: "I think we have a lot of good candidates, and I am not endorsing any of them. I, I would be very happy if Sarah Palin got in. I'd be very happy with many of the governors that we have running now. I think we'll have a good candidate at the end of the day ... I really don't know what she's going to decide. I still am very grateful that she was my running mate, and I'm proud of the work she does." http://on.msnbc.com/ih8Wms


POPPING IN IOWA - CRNC HITS DEBT: The man behind Tim Pawlenty's movie trailer-style videos and the RGA's "Remember November" campaign has produced a new ad hitting the Iowa airwaves that asks 2012-ers: "What's your plan to fix our debt?" The commercial - produced by Lucas Baiano for the College Republican National Committee - will run on young adult-oriented stations (think ESPN, Comedy Central, etc.) in the Cedar Rapids, Ames, Iowa City and Waterloo markets at a cost of about $40,000. Watch the ad here: http://bit.ly/heLMp3


THE ENSIGN SEAT - SANDOVAL'S OPTIONS: For Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval, appointing Rep. Dean Heller to the state's soon-to-be-vacant Senate seat would seem like a no-brainer. But the governor is getting pushed to at least think about other options, according to the Review-Journal's Laura Myers: "[S]ome Republicans are pressuring Sandoval to appoint a place holder, such as former Gov. Bob List, to avoid an open special election for Heller's House seat. That wing of the party fears [Sharron] Angle would likely prevail, or a Democrat could win the House seat if multiple GOP candidates split the vote. It's unlikely Sandoval will buy those arguments. List, fly fishing in Ohio Saturday, said he hadn't heard from Sandoval about such a possibility." http://bit.ly/eBn6ul


SENATE MUST-READ - "LeMieux can't shake Charlie Crist legacy in Senate bid" - From the Miami Herald's Marc Caputo: "George LeMieux could only think of one major difference between him and Charlie Crist. 'I like the Dolphins better than the Bucs,' LeMieux said in August 2009 ... Today, LeMieux is running for U.S. Senate and away from Crist. And he's distancing himself from Crist, whose name is toxic to many of the hard-core conservatives LeMieux is courting in a wide-open Republican primary. 'I had many things I disagreed with the governor on,' LeMieux said this week. But Crist administration insiders say they're hard-pressed to remember differences between Crist and LeMieux - his one-time chief of staff, adviser and close friend ... Jim Greer, the former Republican Party of Florida chairman whom LeMieux helped install for Crist's benefit, said LeMieux was slightly more conservative than Crist, but 'he was part of the inner circle for a reason.'" http://bit.ly/fkRbXi


AD WATCH - THE 'CHILEAN MINERS' CARD - West Virginia gubernatorial candidate Bill Maloney - the biggest potential mover in the GOP primary - is up with a click-worthy new ad touting his company's involvement in the rescue of 33 trapped miners in Chile last summer. "Pulling miners out of the ground takes a team dedicated to their survival," Maloney, a wealthy businessman, says in the ad. "It's the kind of teamwork it'll take to put West Virginians back to work." Maloney's chief competition is former West Virginia Secretary of State Betty Ireland, a better-known former statewide official. The Democratic primary is a free-for-all, with a host of prominent pols lining up against acting Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin. Watch Maloney's ad here: http://bit.ly/gFQaWo


SPOTTED - 42 IN JACKSONVILLE - Former President Bill Clinton is robocalling for the Democratic candidate in the Jacksonville, Fla., mayor's race, the Times-Union's Abel Harding reports. Clinton and former Vice President Al Gore have both campaigned previously for Alvin Brown, who served in their administration. Harding: "The call came in right about the time many Jacksonville voters would be wrapping up Easter lunch. On the call, Clinton tells listeners as president, he brought Brown to the White House to lead economic development initiatives. He urges voters to head to the polls and support Brown." http://bit.ly/fEdbuM


FISTICUFFS IN OHIO - BLACKWELL VS. MANDEL: Former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell is sounding more and more like a Senate candidate. Or at least, he's throwing punches like someone gearing up for a GOP Senate primary. Blackwell told the Cincinnati Enquirer that he "tried to discourage Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel, one of two Republicans to file paperwork to run for U.S. Senate, from entering the race - telling Mandel he needed to serve more time as a statewide officeholder. 'I reminded young Josh what the word "senior' means," Blackwell said. Mandel, a former state legislator, was elected to statewide office for the first time last fall [and] the 33-year-old state treasurer is officially undecided about running." http://bit.ly/fV9pIP


THE LATEST FROM ARIZONA - GIFFORDS'S CONDITION: Rep. Gabrielle Giffords has been officially cleared to attend the launch of the Endeavour shuttle this week, ABC News reported Sunday. From the network: "Giffords will have company with her, including her family, her husband's family, her staff and President Obama, with his wife Michelle and their daughters Malia and Sasha. Her staff has warned this will not be a public appearance for Giffords though they have suggested they may release a photo post launch." The news came as the Arizona Republic published a detailed report on the congresswoman's medical condition, which has steadily improved since a gunman attacked her in Tucson more than three months ago. ABC report here: http://abcn.ws/f8qfXR ; and the Republic: http://bit.ly/hL43HY


CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "We will see a live fairy tale where a handsome and poised couple will marry amidst horse drawn carriages and color and showmanship that only the British can put together ... I predict Kate Middleton will become another Diana in her good deeds around the world." - Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, writing in POLITICO's Arena http://politi.co/e1ZMNK

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