News politics 2008-07-19 Andanh.com

McCain, Conan agree: Age jokes getting old Sat, 19 Jul 2008 03:58 EDT
How old is John McCain? So old, the jokes about it are getting old. So at a taping Friday night of NBC's "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," the host asked the Republican presidential candidate for some new material.

"We all agree on a take on you, which is your seniority," O'Brien said, as McCain, 71, pretended to fall asleep in his chair.

Speaking for all late night comedians, O'Brien said, "we're tired of this take on you," and asked the Arizona senator to give them some fresh material.

"Do you have a kooky uncle, do you have bad breath, webbed toes, anything?" O'Brien asked.

"All of the above," McCain answered before offering up alternative fodder.

Foes no more, McCain, Romney warm to each other Sat, 19 Jul 2008 16:49 EDT
Just as Republican John McCain was unloading on his Democratic presidential rival Friday, he was offering warm, effusive words for once bitter foe Mitt Romney. And Romney, the mega-millionaire former Republican governor of Massachusetts, was pledging to help McCain's presidential campaign financially - and in any other way.

To underscore the point, Romney has decided not to spend time raising money to pay back the $44.6 million he lent his failed presidential campaign.

"Mitt Romney's priority right now is raising money for other Republicans, including John McCain, and not trying to recoup the money he put into his own race," Romney spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom said Friday.

At a Detroit fundraiser Friday that included a number of former Romney donors, McCain heaped praise on Romney, a man he once ridiculed by suggesting that his answer to immigration was "to get out his small varmint gun and drive those Guatemalans off his lawn."

Times have changed. McCain is the GOP's presidential nominee-in-waiting and Romney is getting mentioned as a possible running mate.

Today on the presidential campaign trail Sat, 19 Jul 2008 05:49 EDT
IN THE HEADLINES

On trip to Mideast and Europe, Obama to meet with heads of state and opposition leaders ... McCain economic adviser Gramm leaves after 'nation of whiners' flap ... John McCain, Conan O'Brien agree that age jokes are getting old, look for new punch lines ...

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Obama visits Afghanistan to tour war zone

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama arrived in Afghanistan on Saturday, the first stop on a campaign-season tour of war zones, a spokesman said.

Obama to meet with leaders in Mideast, Europe Sat, 19 Jul 2008 00:04 EDT
Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama intends to sit down with European leaders as well as King Abdullah of Jordan, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as part of a campaign-season trip that aides described Friday as substantive rather than political.

The Illinois senator also is slated to meet with opposition leaders in Israel and Britain.

Officials have yet to provide precise dates for the trip, and have confirmed few details about the itinerary, citing security details. On a conference call with reporters, they said they were not yet ready to disclose where in Berlin Obama will speak when he delivers an address on U.S.-European relations.

"The trip is not at all a campaign trip, a rally of any sort," said spokesman Robert Gibbs. He said Obama would hold "a series of substantive meetings with our friends and our allies to talk about the common challenges that we face and the national security dangers for the 21st century."

Denis McDonough, a senior foreign policy adviser, said Obama would meet with Chancellor Angela Merkel and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Germany, President Nicolas Sarkozy in France and Prime Minister Gordon Brown as well as Conservative Party Leader David Cameron in Britain.

McCain TV ad accuses Obama of shifting Iraq views Fri, 18 Jul 2008 19:34 EDT
Republican John McCain launched a new television ad Friday that accuses presidential rival Barack Obama of switching positions on Iraq "to help himself become president" just as the Democratic candidate prepared to make a high profile trip to Baghdad.

McCain's sharply worded criticism was not limited to the ad. He said Friday that Obama would be facing a far less secure Iraq "if we had done what he wanted to do."

The 30-second ad, running on national cable and in 11 battleground states, is the hardest hit aimed at Obama so far by McCain.

"Barack Obama never held a single Senate hearing on Afghanistan," the ad's announcer says. "He hasn't been to Iraq in years. He voted against funding our troops. Positions that helped him win his nomination. Now Obama is changing to help himself become president."

The ad suggests that Obama was placing politics ahead of the country's interests. "John McCain has always supported our troops and the surge that's working. McCain. Country first," the ad states.

McCain, Obama hedge on costly new Marine One Fri, 18 Jul 2008 23:19 EDT
John McCain and Barack Obama vow to reform the nation's defense procurement if elected president, yet each is unwilling to take a firm stand against the skyrocketing cost of a plum White House perk: the new Marine One helicopter.

Originally carrying a hefty price tag at $6.1 billion, the fleet of 28 helicopters being built to fly the next president is now projected to cost $11.2 billion.

At $400 million apiece, the helicopters far exceed a prime example McCain uses on the campaign trail to rail against congressional pork-barrel spending, a $230 million "bridge to nowhere" in Alaska. The British have bought the same base model helicopter for $57 million each.

In separate interviews with The Associated Press, the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates pledged to look at the program but stopped short of saying whether it should be canceled. Any review after the next president takes office in January would butt up against the first deliveries of the helicopters, slated for 2010.

McCain labeled the contract growth a "scandal" before asking to revise his assessment "in a more polite way." He said the program is part of "an out-of-control procurement system that has to be fixed."

Iraqi opinions on Obama's planned visit Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:31 EDT
Some comments from around Iraq on Sen. Barack Obama's expected visit:

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"We are worried that he might win the presidency and pull out (American) forces because chaos would prevail in Iraq and militias would return." - Mohammed Abbas, 19, Shiite primary school teacher in southern city of Hillah.

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"We hope Obama will fulfill his promise of pulling out American forces if he wins the election. If he is sincere with this pledge, we hope he wins." - Hussein Jassim, 35, Shiite laborer in the Baghdad neighborhood of Sadr City.

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 03:37 EDT

Trip abroad mightsend message at home Sat, 19 Jul 2008 03:37 EDT

WASHINGTON . Barack Obama will spend next week touring the Middle East and Western Europe, a trip that's galvanized much of the world's attention because of his charisma, race and family background and the 180-degree shift he's promising from the Bush administration's foreign policy.

The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee will meet with top leaders of five nations considered key allies of the United States . Jordan, Israel, Germany, France and Britain . as well as with Palestinian leaders.

Obama foreign-policy advisers said Friday that the central goals of the trip were to exchange views with those leaders; look for ways to enhance cooperation on nuclear non-proliferation, counter-terrorism, energy security and climate change; and underscore shared values.

Aides say that the campaign-funded trip isn't electorally motivated. But the freshman Democratic senator from Illinois will want to show Americans:

Agreement might blur disputes over Iraq war Sat, 19 Jul 2008 03:37 EDT

WASHINGTON . A new U.S.-Iraqi agreement raising the possibility of a withdrawal time line threatens to complicate the war policies of presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain.

It bolsters Obama's call for a quick exit but also could undercut one of the Democrat's signature issues . opposition to the war . as he prepares for a high-stakes trip to the region.

It leaves McCain caught between his objections to any timetable and the evolving wishes of the Republican president he hopes to succeed.

Iraq has been replaced by the sputtering economy as issue No. 1 for U.S. voters, but the war remains a pivotal campaign issue even though violence there has declined.

McConnell ad links rival to gas prices Sat, 19 Jul 2008 03:37 EDT

U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell used his first television commercial of the summer to link his Democratic opponent, Bruce Lunsford, to high gas prices.

McConnell's ad, which is airing statewide and first ran in Lexington during the early morning news shows Friday, criticizes Lunsford for pushing for a provision 28 years ago that automatically raises Kentucky's gas tax each year if the wholesale price of gasoline shoots up.

.Bruce Lunsford: automatic tax increases, more expensive gas,. the ad's announcer says to conclude the 30-second spot.

Lunsford's campaign dismissed the ad as .nothing more than a desperate political smokescreen..

Obama talks national security Thu, 17 Jul 2008 03:12 EDT

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. . Democrat Barack Obama warned Wednesday about the danger of .fighting the last war,. as he pledged to focus on emerging nuclear, biological and cyber threats if elected president.

Among those joining him for a panel at Purdue University were two potential running mates: Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., and former Sen. Sam Nunn, D-Ga. As the ex-governor of a Republican state, Bayh could help Obama. Nunn, a defense expert from the South, would burnish the ticket's experience.

When asked whether he were interested in the job or had provided material to vetters, Bayh referred reporters to the Obama campaign.

Said Nunn: .Certainly I would talk to Sen. Obama if he wanted to talk about it, but I think the chance of an offer are pretty slim..

McCain courts NAACP Thu, 17 Jul 2008 03:12 EDT

CINCINNATI . John McCain told the NAACP and some skeptical black voters Wednesday that he will expand education opportunities, partly through vouchers for low-income children to attend private school.

The likely Republican presidential nominee addressed the annual convention of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the nation's oldest civil rights organization.

In greeting the group, McCain praised Democrat Barack Obama's historic campaign, but said the Illinois senator is wrong to oppose school vouchers for students in failing public schools. It is time, McCain said, to use vouchers and other tools such as merit pay for teachers to break from conventional thinking on educational policy.

Obama, he said, has dismissed support for private school vouchers for low-income Americans.

Farming heritage project receives $11 million check Thu, 17 Jul 2008 03:12 EDT

FRANKFORT . Gov. Steve Beshear presented an $11 million check Wednesday for the building of the Kentucky Agriculture Heritage Center in Mercer County.

The center is a grass-roots project to preserve and promote Kentucky's agricultural heritage. It will showcase technology, provide workspaces and resources for farm organizations and interest groups, and contain educational resources, recreational activities and entertainment.

The state's agricultural history will be displayed through hands-on activities such as a walking farm tour, demonstrations, expositions and virtual agricultural experiences.

The center will be built on 50 acres of farmland at Anderson Circle Farm in Mercer County.

State backs carpools, flex time Wed, 16 Jul 2008 02:17 EDT

FRANKFORT . The nearly 6,000 state employees who work in Frankfort and live outside Franklin County are keenly aware of the record-high cost of commuting to work.

Gov. Steve Beshear announced two initiatives Tuesday to help such state workers.

At a Capitol news conference, Beshear said the state is implementing a new carpooling Web site . www.kentucky.gov/carpool . to link commuting state employees.

And he is encouraging a more aggressive push toward flexible work hours instead of the traditional eight-hour Monday-through-Friday shifts.

Beshear abolishes vehicle-enforcement department Tue, 15 Jul 2008 04:17 EDT

FRANKFORT . The officers in the brown cruisers who enforce commercial-vehicle regulations and safety laws on state highways soon will be working for the Kentucky State Police.

Gov. Steve Beshear has signed an executive order to abolish the Department of Kentucky Vehicle Enforcement in the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet and make it a division in the state police.

Beshear said the reorganization will allow the new division to expand hours of operation at weigh stations to increase the inspection and records checks of hazardous cargo and save $750,000 to $1 million a year through efficiencies such as reducing fuel costs and centralizing facilities.

He said the 240 or so rank-and-file employees in vehicle enforcement will keep their jobs, but Justice Secretary J. Michael Brown said the two remaining managerial or non-merit positions might be lost or changed. Greg Howard left the vehicle-enforcement commissioner's spot last month.

Williams and Beshear at odds again? Mon, 14 Jul 2008 09:32 EDT

It's hardly news that Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear and Republican State Senate President David Williams don't get along . or as Williams puts it: .I don't have any relationship with him..

But two of Kentucky's most powerful officials might be stuck with each other for at least three years, meaning that this fall's election season becomes a crucial juncture for the two men.

Williams will be working to keep his job as his chamber's president by helping Republican Senate candidates.

Beshear, the highest-ranking Democrat in Kentucky, also is expected to get involved on behalf of his party's Senate contenders in a bid to topple Williams. He has enthusiastically called for Democrats to .take back the Senate. in party rallies dating back to November.

At the Democrats' party, a Pentecostal minister Sat, 19 Jul 2008 16:54 EDT
The request befuddled Leah Daughtry. The experienced political hand in charge of planning next month's Democratic National Convention - a self-described "black chick from Brooklyn" and ordained Pentecostal minister who keeps a Bible in her purse - didn't know what to tell the atheists.

Daughtry, 44, was preparing for an Aug. 24 interfaith service that will open the Democrats' gathering here - a first for a party that hasn't always gotten God. Before her was an angry letter from a secularist group that wanted to know whether atheists would be on the podium.

"Atheists speaking at an interfaith service ... does that work?" Daughtry asked this week. "I don't quite know. But they're part of the party, you treat them with respect. I'll give them an answer."

On a larger scale, it's what Daughtry and a growing number of Democrats of faith are setting out to do: hold together and grow their party by claiming ground on religion and values that Republicans have successfully mined for years.

The presumptive Democratic nominee, Sen. Barack Obama, has incorporated faith themes and outreach into his campaign since the primaries began. A new political action committee, Matthew 25, is running pro-Obama ads on Christian radio. "People of faith" will have a caucus of their own at the convention, just as blacks, Hispanics and military veterans do.

McCain backer resigns after .whiners' comment Sat, 19 Jul 2008 03:37 EDT

NEW YORK . Former Texas Sen. Phil Gramm resigned Friday from his role as GOP presidential candidate John McCain's campaign co-chairman, hoping to quiet the uproar that followed his comments that the United States had become a .nation of whiners. whose constant complaints about the U.S. economy show they are in a .mental recession..

Gramm, a past presidential candidate, made the remarks more than a week ago. Mc.Cain immediately distanced himself from the comments, but they brought a steady stream of criticism just as McCain is trying to show he can help steer the country past its current financial troubles.

Gramm said in a statement late Friday that he is stepping down to .end this distraction..

Governor's crew's air fare to Pike County over $7,000 Sat, 19 Jul 2008 03:37 EDT

Gov. Steve Beshear took three planeloads of officials with him to Pike County on Thursday at a cost of more than $7,000 for the first stop in his six-week statewide tour of town-hall meetings.

That came just days after Beshear suggested ways state workers could conserve on fuel when commuting.

The trip's cost immediately drew criticism from political opponents who pointed to the state's budget crunch that Beshear and lawmakers have bemoaned all year. The administration defended the flights, saying they saved officials' time.

Beshear, joined by all but two of his Cabinet secretaries, presided over the meeting in the Eastern Kentucky town of Virgie to talk with constituents about issues and goals.

Chinese Dir