News politics 2008-07-01 Andanh.com

Cindy McCain settles debt with San Diego tax man Tue, 01 Jul 2008 17:39 EDT
Cindy McCain's debts with the county tax collector appear to be settled.

Officials said Monday a trust controlled by the multimillionaire wife of Republican presidential hopeful John McCain had initiated payment on $1,743 owed in property taxes on a condominium in the tony La Jolla Shores area.

The payment, due in April, was scheduled to default Tuesday.

"You can reasonably assume that it is paid," San Diego County Treasurer-Tax Collector Dan McAllister said Monday.

Additional bills totaling $6,744 for the years 2004 through 2007 were paid by the trust on Friday after Newsweek magazine questioned why the trust had fallen into arrears on the two-bedroom, two-bath oceanfront property, McAllister said.

Military see presidential race through own lens Tue, 01 Jul 2008 21:54 EDT
Brandon Ziegler served two tours in Iraq and wears a bracelet inscribed with the name of an Army buddy who never made it home. Jim Morin saw action in both Iraq and Afghanistan and has lost several friends to the war in Iraq, the latest just a month ago.

Both say their choice in the 2008 presidential election is clear: For Ziegler, it will be John McCain; for Morin, it will be Barack Obama.

Those viewing the presidential race through the lens of military service can see it entirely differently: The desire to quickly get out of Iraq is balanced against the hope to see the country stabilized; respect for one candidate's storied military history is weighed against another's relative youth; concern about the war's drain on the U.S. Treasury is measured against the wish for expanded benefits for new veterans.

Sizing up the candidates as the nation prepares to celebrate Independence Day, retired Command Sgt. Maj. Ronald Friday in South Carolina laughs and predicts "it's going to be an interesting summer." Put him in the undecided column.

McCain, with a family tradition of military service and his own history as a Vietnam prisoner of war, holds natural appeal for members of the military and for veterans. An AP-Yahoo News poll conducted last month, found that veterans favored McCain over Obama 49 percent to 32 percent, while the two candidates ran about even in the population as a whole. Three-fourths of veterans in the survey thought McCain would be a good leader of the military, compared with one-fourth who thought likewise of Obama.

McCain criticizes Obama's high court favorites Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:18 EDT
Republican John McCain said Tuesday that his Democratic rival's Supreme Court nominees would produce more decisions like the child rapist ruling that both presidential candidates have criticized.

Addressing the National Sheriff's Association, McCain acknowledged that Democrat Barack Obama had also disagreed with the decision that struck down a Louisiana law allowing capital punishment for people who rape children under 12. Obama said he believed carefully crafted state laws permitting execution of child rapists do not violate the Constitution.

Nevertheless, McCain asked: "Why is it that the majority includes the same justices he usually holds out as the models for future nominations?"

"My opponent may not care for this particular decision, but it was exactly the kind of opinion we could expect from an Obama court," the Arizona senator said.

When asked by CNN in May whether any current justices would be models for his nominees, Obama replied that he considered Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and David Souter to be sensible judges. All three voted in the majority in the child rape case, as did Justices Anthony Kennedy and John Paul Stevens.

Today on the presidential campaign trail Tue, 01 Jul 2008 17:39 EDT
IN THE HEADLINES

Obama announces support and expansion for Bush's faith based programs ... McCain to visit Colombia, Mexico to show support for free trade ... Hispanic voters gaining strength in key states

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Obama to expand Bush's faith based programs

ZANESVILLE, Ohio (AP) - Taking a page from President Bush, Democrat Barack Obama said Tuesday he wants to expand White House efforts to steer social service dollars to religious groups, risking protests in his own party with his latest aggressive reach for voters who usually vote Republican.

Obama's sister helps reach out to Asian-Americans Tue, 01 Jul 2008 11:24 EDT
The throng of Asian-American donors drew closer, drinks in hand, to hear Barack Obama's sister describe the wide arc of his life: beyond politics and Chicago, into his childhood in Indonesia and Hawaii.

To many in this crowd Obama's Asian-American half-sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, represents yet another aspect of Obama's identity that makes him unique as a presidential candidate, although it has been underplayed amid the excitement surrounding his shot at becoming the first black president.

"It would be the first time that the first family is comprised in part of Asian-Americans - as well as African-Americans, of course," said Keith Kamisugi, a coordinator with Asian-Americans for Obama. In early June he organized a fundraiser along with two other Obama events focusing on Asian-American voters in San Francisco.

Discussion of those ties has taken a back seat to the Obama campaign's efforts to win the Hispanic vote and his ability to rouse young and black voters. In spite of the drawn-out primary season, many voters have heard little about Obama's years in Jakarta - he lived there between 1967 and 1971, while his mother was married to Soetoro-Ng's father, an Indonesian businessman - or about his years in Hawaii, where Asian-Americans are a majority.

Soetoro-Ng and Obama have different fathers and the same mother. Her father is Indonesian, his is Kenyan. Her husband is Chinese-Canadian.

Obama courts conservatives with new faith program Tue, 01 Jul 2008 21:54 EDT
Taking a page from President Bush, Democrat Barack Obama said Tuesday he wants to expand White House efforts to steer social service dollars to religious groups, risking protests in his own party with his latest aggressive reach for voters who usually vote Republican.

Obama contended he is merely stating long-held positions - surprising to some, he said, after a primary campaign in which he was "tagged as being on the left."

In recent days, with the Democratic nomination in hand and the general election battle with Republican John McCain ahead, Obama has been sounding centrist themes with comments on guns, government surveillance and capital punishment. He's even quoted Ronald Reagan.

On Tuesday, touring Presbyterian Church-based social services facility, the Democratic senator said he would get religious charities more involved in government anti-poverty efforts if elected.

"We need an all-hands-on-deck approach," he said at Eastside Community Ministry.

McCain to advocate free trade in Latin America Tue, 01 Jul 2008 21:59 EDT
John McCain portrayed free trade Tuesday as a win-win proposition for the U.S. and its Latin American economic partners, but labor leaders said it's been a big loser for Rust Belt voters.

The Republican presidential hopeful began a three-day visit to Colombia and Mexico after a campaign swing through Indiana and Pennsylvania, two states hit hard by the loss of manufacturing jobs partly due to trade agreements like the North American Free Trade Agreement between the U.S., Mexico and Canada, which McCain strongly supports.

McCain and his wife, Cindy, met Colombian President Alvaro Uribe at the president's ceremonial home in Cartagena before a meeting between the two men and several Colombian cabinet ministers.

As McCain headed abroad, Democrat Barack Obama repeated his vow to renegotiate NAFTA if elected to include enforceable labor and environmental provisions. At a news conference in Ohio, a state hard-hit by job losses, Obama said, "The United States wanting to make sure that its ... standards aren't being undermined isn't imperialist."

Although Obama didn't mention McCain or his trip, a prominent Obama supporter criticized McCain's visit.

Ryan Alessi: Look back at Patton for bold leadership Mon, 30 Jun 2008 02:04 EDT

Gov. Steve Beshear took a quick detour in his televised speech Monday night about the special legislative session on state pension reforms to mention the need for officials to seize the helm of the seemingly adrift ship of state.

.You know, in tough times more than any other, leadership is critical,. Beshear said. .We can . and we must . step up to provide that leadership..

Beshear essentially left it at that, moving on to talk about how other states are battling budget woes. He didn't offer any specifics or lay out the path he envisions taking to bring Kentucky out of its financial wilderness and cycle of poverty.

Leadership, after all, is one of those terms that is easy to say but tough to describe.

McCain and Obama court Latino leaders Sun, 29 Jun 2008 02:21 EDT

WASHINGTON . With an estimated 9.2 million Hispanic voters poised to play a critical role in November, John McCain and Barack Obama each pledged Saturday to make overhauling immigration laws a priority as they courted influential Hispanic leaders who could be pivotal in key swing states such as Florida.

McCain, the senator from the border state of Arizona who disappointed some Hispanic leaders by appearing to temper his support for comprehensive immigration law changes during the Republican primaries, told the crowd that fixing U.S. immigration policy would be a priority . even as he acknowledged that it's not popular with some members of his own party.

.It'll be my top priority yesterday, today and tomorrow,. McCain told the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials.

Speaking an hour after McCain, Obama credited McCain with championing immigration reform that included a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. But he accused his rival of abandoning the cause as he courted the conservative base of the Republican Party. Both rivals support a comprehensive overhaul of U.S. immigration laws, though McCain has lately emphasized a need to first secure the nation's borders.

Obama will visit Middle East, Western Europe this summer Sun, 29 Jun 2008 02:21 EDT

WASHINGTON . Barack Obama said Saturday that he'll soon travel to the Middle East and Western Europe to meet with allies and discuss terrorism, nuclear weapons and global warming.

The trip, to take place this summer although travel dates were not released, will provide the freshman Illinois senator and presumed Democratic presidential nominee an opportunity for face time with some of the world leaders he'll be working with if elected in November.

It also gives the 46-year-old opponent of the Iraq war an opportunity to strengthen his foreign-policy credentials, which have been criticized as insufficient by the presumed Republican presidential nominee John McCain, a veteran senator, Vietnam war hero and supporter of the Iraq war.

And with much of the world fascinated by Obama's candidacy, including a large fan base in Europe, an enthusiastic reception overseas could be a selling point for Obama with American voters concerned about the nation's reputation under President Bush.

McCain praised by old adversary Sun, 29 Jun 2008 07:36 EDT

LOUISVILLE . Putting old differences behind them, U.S. Sens. John McCain and Mitch McConnell buddied it up Saturday evening in Louisville at a record-setting fund-raiser.

About 650 of Kentucky's most influential Republicans . and a few Democrats . attended the $1,000 per plate event at the Kentucky International Convention Center. Organizers said the total raised was $2 million.

This was the first time McConnell . who is up for re-election this fall . and McCain, the likely Republican presidential nominee, have campaigned together in Kentucky, said the event's chairman J. Scott Jennings, a Republican strategist for Peritus Public Relations.

Jennings said that is the most money ever raised at a presidential-level fund-raiser in Kentucky.

.Today our paths have merged' Sat, 28 Jun 2008 02:31 EDT

UNITY, N.H. . Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton embraced, praised each other and locked hands in unity Friday, hoping to convince legions of still-skeptical Clinton backers to rally around her one-time rival.

.She rocks. That's the point I'm trying to make,. a grinning Obama told the throng of 4,000 squeezed into a soccer field in the small western New Hampshire town of Unity.

While they got polite applause, the cheers weren't overwhelming, and many Clinton backers said they still needed time to get comfortable with Obama.

.I don't feel united. I still support Hillary,. said Malka Yaacobi, a musician from Cambridge, Mass. .It's hard to know what Obama stands for..

McCain's their guy, but Ky. GOP does love pork Sat, 28 Jun 2008 02:31 EDT

Republican John McCain says he'll veto all congressional earmarks if he's elected president and use the savings . about $18 billion a year . to help offset his tax cuts.

No surprise: Throughout his long Senate career, McCain protested the special projects tucked into federal spending bills by lawmakers with little review, calling them .wasteful pork. and .outrageous and obscene..

But McCain's war on earmarks could turn into friendly fire for Kentucky's two biggest Republicans now united behind his campaign, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Congressman Hal Rogers.

Both are senior members of their chambers' appropriations committees and have earmarked hundreds of millions of dollars over the decades. As a result, Kentucky is one of the porkier states, with an estimated $56 in earmarked spending per resident compared to the $33 national average.

Public defenders sue state over funding Tue, 01 Jul 2008 02:28 EDT

State public defenders filed a sweeping lawsuit Monday seeking a declaration that Kentucky's criminal-defense system for the indigent is inadequately funded and unconstitutional.

The Department of Public Advocacy filed a petition in Franklin Circuit Court asking a judge to order the state finance Cabinet to pay for private lawyers in cases where public defenders withdraw because of a $2.3 million budget cut in the fiscal year that begins Tuesday.

In the alternative, public defenders are asking the court to set a deadline for the General Assembly to allocate more money. If the legislature does not provide .sufficient. funds, then public defenders want the courts to dismiss all charges for poor criminal defendants who are denied public defenders.

.Not only are the lives and liberty of some of our most vulnerable citizens at risk, but the fairness, reliability and credibility of the criminal justice process are rightly in question,. Louisville's chief public defender, Dan Goyette, said in a statement. .We can ill-afford a loss of public confidence in our adversary legal system and with it respect for the rule of law..

Minton sworn in as chief justice Sat, 28 Jun 2008 02:31 EDT

FRANKFORT . After serving less than two years on the Kentucky Supreme Court, John D. Minton Jr. was sworn in Friday as the state's chief justice.

The Bowling Green resident pledged to .maintain the constitutional integrity. of the state's highest court by doing all he can to stay clear of the political wrangling in and around the state Capitol.

.Public trust and confidence in the integrity and independence of the court system demands that we separate ourselves as much as possible from the political fray and from partisan political consideration,. Minton said. .This lies at the heart of the public's trust in this institution..

Minton was elected to the Supreme Court less than two years ago. Even so, only one sitting justice . Will T. Scott of Pikeville who joined the court four years ago . has served longer.

Assembly passes pension reforms Sat, 28 Jun 2008 02:31 EDT

The General Assembly kept its promise by passing a measure retooling the state's chronically underfunded pension system in a five-day special session . though not without words of warning that financial problems still loom.

After a brief morning session in which the Senate approved the legislation by a 35-1 vote, lawmakers and Gov. Steve Beshear praised one another for the effort to start addressing the $26 billion shortfall that Kentucky's public retirement systems face.

.It is a giant step toward solving the state pension crisis that is dragging down many other states,. Beshear said at a 2 p.m. bill signing in the Capitol.

One of the legislation's major components directs future General Assemblies to adhere to a funding schedule to increase the state's payments into the Kentucky Retirement Systems by about $52 million each year. Under that scenario, the government still wouldn't meet its full obligation until 2025.

Public can attend utility insiders' event after all Fri, 27 Jun 2008 17:36 EDT

Officials at utilities regulated by the state Public Service Commission are being invited to what was advertised as a closed-door reception Monday to meet the PSC's new chairman, vice chairman and executive director.

The invitation posted on the PSC Web site pointedly says that the public is not invited, .because of time and space considerations..

But PSC spokesman Andrew Melnykovych said Friday that anyone who shows up will be allowed in for cake and punch.

The wording of the invitation was .probably an oversight on somebody's part,. he said, adding that .mistakes get made..

New chief justice will honor Ky. budget Fri, 27 Jun 2008 02:08 EDT

FRANKFORT . Reversing a decision by his predecessor, the new chief justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court will comply with a legislative budget mandate to spend $13.7 million the next two years on pay raises for deputy court clerks.

John D. Minton Jr., who will be sworn in Friday as head of the state's courts, also told a legislative panel Thursday that he plans to review the $562 million judicial budget for potential money to provide pay raises for other non-elected court employees.

That would cost $11.1 million.

.The unfortunate . and I trust unintended . consequence of the salary improvement targeted solely for deputy clerks is that it leaves out in the cold 1,700 other non-elected Court of Justice employees in courthouses all across the Commonwealth,. Minton told lawmakers.

Groups urge older adults to push for pre-school Fri, 27 Jun 2008 06:38 EDT

Generating support for strong pre-kindergarten programs was the focus of two events in Central Kentucky Thursday.

At the Capitol Rotunda in Frankfort, the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence announced it has joined with a national group to recruit older adults as advocates for pre-kindergarten programs serving 3- and 4-year-olds. Jane Beshear, wife of Gov. Steve Beshear, and all of Kentucky's living former first ladies took part.

Later, in a ceremony at Lafayette High School, 31 children were awarded certificates for completing a pre-kindergarten program that stresses high standards, strong performance and parental involvement. Fayette County Schools Superintendent Stu Silberman made the presentations at the event, which was sponsored by Directors for Quality in Child Care, an organization made up of 14 area child care centers.

.We teach them Spanish, sign language, they get their sounds down, we have them reading ready, they learn proper social skills, so they're prepared for entering the Fayette County schools,. said Angela Shaw, owner of Shaw's Child Care in Lexington.

Cochran recounts McCain dustup with the Sandinistas Tue, 01 Jul 2008 21:59 EDT
Notably mild-mannered Republican Sen. Thad Cochran shocked many earlier this year with comments about John McCain's volatile temper. He has since mended fences with the GOP presidential nominee.

But as first reported at sunherald.com today, Cochran told the Sun Herald that he witnessed a confrontation between McCain and a Sandinista rebel decades ago where McCain "got mad at the guy and he just reached over there and snatched him."

Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1972 and then to the U.S. Senate in 1978, Cochran, a consummate gentleman, measures his words and his actions carefully. But he said something that surprised many in a Boston Globe article in January about his longtime Senate colleague McCain.

"The thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my spine," Cochran told the Globe. "He is erratic. He is hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me."

The two senators have made peace since the remarks. Cochran said McCain included him on a recent campaign visit to Meridian. He told the Sun Herald on Monday that McCain, whose ancestors lived in north Mississippi, is the best man for the job.

Obama defends his patriotism and praises McCain's service Tue, 01 Jul 2008 03:08 EDT

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. . Flanked by American flags, Barack Obama defended his patriotism Monday, declaring he wouldn't stand for rumors questioning his loyalty and aimed at sinking his presidential campaign.

However, he was forced to interrupt the launch of a week of Fourth of July-related events to respond to Republican rival John McCain's complaint that it was Obama and his campaign who were questioning the importance of McCain's military service.

McCain said that .that kind of thing is unnecessary,. and the Obama camp agreed.

Obama praised McCain's service, and the Democratic candidate's spokesman rejected Sunday's remarks from a prominent supporter, retired Gen. Wesley Clark, who said McCain's years as a Vietnam War fighter pilot and prisoner of war did not necessarily qualify him to be commander in chief.

A difficult journey through foster system Tue, 01 Jul 2008 03:08 EDT

Miranda Insko, 17, has an early childhood memory. It is 1995. Her grandparents, Nanny and Pawpaw, are standing with her three sisters in their front yard in Robertson County giving her a thumbs-up sign.

It was their way of telling Miranda, then 3 years old, that they were fighting for her to live with them instead of the prospective adoptive family that child protection officials had chosen for her.

Miranda remembers her sadness as the car pulled out of her grandparents driveway and she was taken back to a neutral foster home. She was at the center of a battle that the prospective adoptive parents took to the White House and that was settled through the unusual intervention of a Kentucky Cabinet secretary.

At a time when Kentucky's child protection system has been persistently criticized for removing too many children from their biological families to increase adoptions from foster care, Miranda offers the unique perspective of a child who was able to stay with her relatives.

Chinese Dir