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Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak meets with former U.S. President Jimmy Carter in Cairo on Thursday. Carter also met with top Hamas officials in both Egypt and Syria. (PHOTO CREDIT:AP)

FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

Former President Jimmy Carter has been making waves this week with his trip to the Middle East.

Today, Carter met with an exiled Hamas politician in Damascus, Syria. Earlier this week, he met with two other senior Hamas politicians in Cairo.

Carter's trip drew condemnation from the U.S. and Israeli governments; both consider Hamas a terrorist organization. Carter has said he's not a negotiator, but that he's "just trying to understand different opinions and... provide communications between people who won't communicate with each other." Critics say it's not useful to engage in diplomacy with a group like Hamas, and most Israeli officials have refused to meet with Carter.

His trip raises larger questions about what exactly former presidents should be doing with their time out of office, which could be many years for someone like Bill Clinton or the current President George Bush. In recent years, Clinton teamed up with former President George H.W. Bush to raise money for victims of the Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina. Clinton also has a foundation that deals with issues like HIV/AIDS and climate change, and Carter has donated countless hours to Habitat for Humanity.

Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton has said that if she's elected president, she would make her husband a roaming ambassador to the world to help repair our tattered image abroad.

But is there a line these men who used to hold the highest office in the land shouldn't cross?

Here’s my question to you: What’s the appropriate role for former presidents?
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Click the Play Button to see what Jack and our viewers had to say. Democratic debate hosted by ABC in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, April 16, 2008. (PHOTO CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES)

FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

It's crunch time in Pennsylvania. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are down to their last weekend of campaigning before Tuesday's primary.

And the stakes couldn't be much higher – especially for Clinton. The latest average of polls taken there shows her ahead of Obama by just 5 points, down sharply from the double-digit lead she had held for months.

Although Clinton is expected to win, the key is by how much. The Wall Street Journal reports anything less than a double-digit victory could make Obama appear more and more like the inevitable nominee. This could also trigger a flow of superdelegates into Obama's camp. On the other hand, a strong Clinton win might persuade superdelegates to at least stay neutral a while longer.

Experts say Clinton needs to win in Pennsylvania by at least 8 to 10 points in order for voters in the other upcoming states – like Indiana and North Carolina – to see it as a real victory.

A loss in Pennsylvania could be the end for Clinton, putting a lot of pressure on her to drop out. New Jersey Governor and Clinton supporter Jon Corzine says a loss would be a "door closer.” He calls it a key state because she needs to win the popular vote. Clinton aides point out they've been outspent by Obama by as much as 3-to-1 in the state and if he can't deliver, it's another sign he can't win big states.

Meanwhile, polls show that after 6 weeks of intense campaigning in Pennsylvania, about 9% of voters are still unsure who they'll support.

Here’s my question to you: In this last weekend before the Pennsylvania primary, what do Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have to do to win over late undecided voters?

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(PHOTO CREDIT: AP)

FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

The buzz began before the papal plane had even touched down. There were rumors beginning to circulate that Benedict XVI might actually meet with victims of the sex abuse scandal in the Catholic Church. The Holy Father said he would speak forcefully and directly about the shame the scandal has brought upon the church.

But talking to the victims was something that had never happened, not at that level. And yet for true healing to actually begin this is what was necessary.

And it did. Without fanfare Benedict XVI this afternoon met with a small group of people who were sexually abused by priests. No reporters, no cameras, private, personal, and profound. We are told the Pope listened to their stories and prayed with them.

There is a very long way to go if in fact it is even possible for the Catholic Church to ever overcome the effects of this, but it's a start.

Here’s my question to you: How far has Pope Benedict XVI gone toward healing the wounds of the church's sex abuse scandal?

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Click the Play Button to see what Jack and our viewers had to say. (PHOTO CREDIT: AP)

FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

It looks like Hillary Clinton and John McCain have found a common enemy in Barack Obama.

As the Financial Times puts it: "The 2008 presidential race has boiled down to a fight of two against one”... meaning McCain and Clinton versus Obama.

Perhaps this shouldn't come as much of a surprise being that Obama is now the Democratic front-runner. Clinton needs to knock him out and win big in Pennsylvania on Tuesday in order to have a shot at the nomination. And McCain – unlike the Democratic candidates – already has the luxury of focusing on the general election.

Aides to the presumptive Republican nominee say they'd prefer Clinton as an opponent because of her high negative ratings. Yesterday in the Cafferty File we told you about a poll that shows 58% of Americans say Clinton is not honest and trustworthy.

So what we're seeing now is both Clinton and McCain going after Obama with almost identical criticisms. For example, both have portrayed Obama as an "elitist" during the fallout of his "bitter" remarks. Clinton often targets McCain in her attacks. But for his part, McCain sticks almost entirely to criticizing Obama, sometimes even as a response to a shot he's taken from Clinton.

The Republican National Committee also overwhelmingly targets Obama instead of Clinton in its attacks. When Clinton was in the lead last year, she was all the RNC could talk about.

Former Democratic presidential candidate and Obama backer Gary Hart says Clinton has broken "an unwritten rule of politics" by handing the Republicans ammunition to be used against Obama later on.

Meanwhile, another Democratic adviser, who's not backing either candidate yet, says that Clinton might be hurting herself among Democratic voters by her willingness to team up with McCain. He says, "One plus one equals zero if your ally is a Republican."

Here’s my question to you: Why do both Hillary Clinton and John McCain target Barack Obama with virtually the same criticisms?

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(PHOTO CREDIT: AP)

FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

Coming up on the three primaries that could end this thing, the polls are not trending in Hillary Clinton's favor.

In Pennsylvania, which votes Tuesday, Clinton's double-digit lead has been shrinking for weeks. An average of polls shows her only ahead by 5 points in a state the experts agree she must win convincingly if she hopes to reignite her campaign.

In Indiana, Obama has actually taken the lead. He's ahead by 5 points in a Los Angeles Times-Bloomberg poll. And in North Carolina, the same poll shows Obama even farther ahead, leading by 13.

Almost everyone, except Hillary Clinton, agrees that if this is the way these three states vote, the fat lady will be positively deafening. But there's a fly in the ointment: Despite 15 months of campaigning, dozens of primaries and caucuses already held, 21 debates, and news stories too numerous to mention, a lot of Democrats in North Carolina and Indiana say they still don't know who they're going to vote for. How's this possible?

In North Carolina, the undecided voters number 19%. And in Indiana, the number is even higher: 25%. Those two states hold primaries May 6th. I wonder what it will take for them to make up their minds.

Here’s my question to you: How can so many Democrats in Indiana and North Carolina still be undecided about whether they'll support Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama?
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(PHOTO CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES)

FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

Here's something you may not know about the Republican presumptive nominee John McCain: he's very superstitious.

The Washington Times reports on some of McCain's more well-known rituals. For example, he won't throw a hat on a bed – bad luck. He carries a lucky feather - wonder what that's for, a lucky compass, and a lucky penny, nickel and quarter. One staffer says he had so many coins at one point "it was like a change purse in his pocket."

And the senator's superstitions are rubbing off on some members of his campaign staff. One top adviser says he grew a beard during the 2000 campaign and didn't shave it until the race was over. He says he's probably doing the same thing this time around. Another adviser says when someone recently mentioned winning the general election in November, three staffers immediately knocked on wood so not to jinx anything.

If elected, McCain wouldn't be the first superstitious president. FDR used to invite his secretary along if there would be 13 people at a dinner and he never traveled on the 13th day of the month. And Ronald Reagan carried around a lucky coin and gold charm with him, knocked on wood, and never walked under ladders.

Here’s my question to you: Is it a plus or a minus for a president to be superstitious?
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FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

Bill Clinton says older voters are supporting his wife because they're too smart to be fooled by Barack Obama's rhetoric.

The Boston Globe reports the former president also took issue with Obama's statement that many of the problems the U.S. faces were around long before President Bush took office.

Clinton told voters in Pennsylvania: "I think there is a big reason there's an age difference in a lot of these polls. Because once you've reached a certain age, you won't sit there and listen to somebody tell you there's really no difference between what happened in the Bush years and the Clinton years; that there's not much difference in how small-town Pennsylvania fared when I was president, and in this decade."

See, it's really not about Hillary… it's about Bill's legacy.

On another note, a new poll out might spell trouble for Hillary among voters of all ages. A Washington Post/ABC News poll shows only 39% of Americans think Hillary Clinton is "honest and trustworthy." 58% say she's not. Barack Obama leads Clinton by 23 points when it comes to which one voters think is more honest.

Apparently Clinton's fairy tale about sniper fire in Bosnia, and her husband's defense of her claims, didn't help much... especially when voters combine it with scandals that occurred while she was first lady, including the firings in the White House travel office and her financial dealings which resulted in widespread doubts about her trustworthiness.

Here’s my question to you: Bill Clinton says older voters are too savvy to fall for Barack Obama. Do you agree?

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(PHOTO CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES)

FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

Food inflation in the U.S. is at its highest level in 17 years and might get worse.

The rising cost of everything from milk to eggs to chicken is hurting many Americans – especially the poor. It's also tough on businesses, like bakeries and delis, who have to explain price increases to their customers.

Last year, U.S. food prices rose 4%. That's compared with an average 2.5% increase for the last 15 years. And the government says that 2008 could be even worse, perhaps as high as 4.5%.

For many poor people, costlier food means having to give something else up in order to eat. The Food Bank of New Jersey says the sticker shock could cause some of the poorest Americans to go hungry. They say a family of 4 is eligible for a maximum $542 a month in food stamps. They say that never lasted the whole month before and now lasts for even fewer days.

The price jumps for various foods are due to many factors, including higher commodity costs for things like wheat, corn, soybeans and milk along with higher energy and transportation costs.

And these higher costs aren't just an issue here at home. Economists say that in Bangladesh, for example, 30 million of the country's 150 million people could be going hungry. In Haiti, the prime minister was booted over the weekend due to food riots.

Here’s my question to you: What's the answer to rapidly rising food prices?

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BET Founder Bob Johnson. Click the play button to see what Jack and our viewers had to say.

FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

The billionaire founder of Black Entertainment Television says Barack Obama wouldn't be his party's leading presidential candidate if he was white.

Hillary Clinton supporter Bob Johnson has revived comments previously made by Geraldine Ferraro, telling The Charlotte Observer,

"What I believe Ferraro meant is that if you take a freshman senator from Illinois called 'Jerry Smith' and he says I'm going to run for president, would he start off with 90 percent of the black vote? And the answer is, probably not... Geraldine Ferraro said it right. The problem is, Geraldine Ferraro is white. This campaign has such a hair-trigger on anything racial ... it is almost impossible for anybody to say anything."

Ferraro stepped down last month as an adviser to the Clinton campaign after she said something similar.

Obama's campaign calls the latest remarks "just one in a long line of absurd comments by Johnson and other Clinton supporters who will say or do anything to get the nomination." They say the American people are tired of this kind of politics.

Johnson also says Obama is likely to win the nomination and that he has the support of the "liberal media."

He stirred up controversy earlier in the campaign when he referred to Obama and "what he was doing in the neighborhood." Many took that as a reference to drug use, although Johnson later insisted he was talking about Obama's time as a community organizer.

Here’s my question to you: What is your reaction to BET founder and Clinton supporter Bob Johnson saying Barack Obama wouldn't be where he is if he were white?

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A cashier at a Travelex Bureau de Change counts U.S. Dollars in exchange for British pounds in London. (PHOTO CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES)

FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

The growing cost of the Iraq war is one of the main reasons our economy is struggling.

Congressman John Yarmuth of Kentucky said in the Democrat's weekly radio address that the Iraq war, now in its sixth year, has cost the U.S. more than half a trillion dollars. Yarmuth says the conflict is quote "not only linked to our economic skid, but is a leading cause of it." He highlighted the crumbling infrastructure here at home while taxpayers fund an Iraqi government quote "riddled with waste, fraud and corruption."

A recent poll found 71% of Americans think that our spending on the war is a reason for our economic problems.

Meanwhile, a piece in today's New York Times looks at where else the U.S. could spend the estimated $1 to $3 trillion the war in Iraq could end up costing.

At the low end of the estimates of about 120 billion dollars a year... the money would pay for the projected cost of Hillary Clinton's universal health care plan. Or it could pay for Barack Obama's health care plan and his proposed bailout of homeowners submerged in the mortgage crisis. Or, it could pay for developing new renewable energy sources to get us off Mideast oil and a national public works program. Or, it could go toward a long-term fix for Social Security... or the unpaid part of Medicare… and on and on and on. Instead it's being used to finance a war that is going nowhere.

Here’s my question to you: How much is the Iraq war to blame for the state of the U.S. economy?

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