Melissa Schwartz

U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Baltimore) voted today against a measure that will provide $165 billion in additional funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan into next spring, while U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Baltimore) voted in favor of the resolution, which passed 70-26.

"The American public is looking to Congress to act on behalf of the brave men and women of our U.S. Armed Forces," Cardin said in a statement. "They are not looking for a shift in our Iraq policy - they want us to change course and start bringing our troops home now. After more than five years, 4,000 American lives lost, 30,000 wounded, and $600 billion spent, I believe that our military and the American public deserve a clear signal that their leaders are listening. We failed to do that today."

"The senator voted against the war funding bill because he believes we need a new direction," Sue Walitsky, Cardin's communications director, said to PolitickerMD.com.

Meanwhile, Mikulski's communications director, Melissa Schwartz, told PolitickerMD.com, "Senator Mikulski's vote today is consistent with her position since voting against the war. She will continue to vote for a strategy to bring soldiers home safely and swiftly, but she will not vote against funding for our troops on the battlefield."

U.S. Sen. Barbara MikulskiSpeculation that Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Baltimore) may retire following the end of her current term in January 2011 is not true, according to Melissa Schwartz, the senator’s communications director.

“Senator Mikulski has been clear in numerous reports that she’s not shy and not retiring,” Schwartz said in an e-mail to PolitickerMD.com.

The statement would seem to indicate that Mikulski will run for re-election in 2010, but Schwartz said the senator “has not formally declared” her intention.

Mikulski, currently in the fourth year of her term, is the senior female in the Senate, having served since 1987. She has nearly six years of seniority on her nearest female colleague, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who began serving on Nov. 10, 1992, following a special election victory.

Obama Camp Says 'Clinton Doesn't Dictate Schedule'

Former President Clinton, Lt. Gov. Brown and Gov. O'Malley: In 2006The Maryland leadership team for the presidential campaign of Sen. Hillary Clinton is demanding that Sen. Barack Obama participate in a debate between the two candidates prior to Tuesday's ‘Chesapeake Primary,' when voters in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. go to the polls.

This afternoon, Clinton supporter Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown and campaign spokesperson Melissa Schwartz held a conference call with reporters to discuss the issue.

According to Schwartz, ABC News, Fox News, and The Politico have all agreed to sponsor a pre-primary debate on either Sunday or Monday. Clinton has agreed to such a debate on Tuesday, but Obama, while not rejecting an invitation, has yet to commit to participating.

"Hopefully, a debate will be set-up by next Tuesday," Brown said.

With only a few days to go, Sen. Hillary Clinton’s Maryland presidential campaign is gearing up for the primary.

“Every night, our phone banks across the state have been packed with hardworking volunteers that are dedicated to getting the word out for Hillary,” Clinton’s Maryland spokeswoman Melissa Schwartz said in an e-mail. “Maryland metro stops have also been flooded with Hillary volunteers handing out fliers and information on how Hillary is ready to lead.”

While Sen. Barack Obama’s state supporters have held several large canvassing events and operate continuous phonebanks, previous contests have proved the Clinton team’s ability to contact hundreds of thousands of voters quickly and repeatedly.

Besides volunteers making live identification calls, Clinton will utilize robocalls taped by top supporters from the likes of state chairman Gov. Martin O’Malley, national co-chairwoman Sen. Barbara Mikulski and national Veterans for Hillary co-chair Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown.