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| Policy gains in Europe may be tougher for Obama Sat, 26 Jul 2008 23:10 EDT There is little question that Barack Obama captured Europe's heart during the tumultuous visit that ended Saturday evening, but hard questions remain about whether Obama, if he wins, could transform that enthusiasm into concrete policy gains. After the harsh anti-Americanism that has thrived in Europe for most of this decade, it was jarring to see a U.S. politician receive such adoration from the public, press, and the continent's leaders, who seemed almost to swoon in his presence. Polls show not only that a strong majority in countries like Britain would choose Obama over Republican rival John McCain if they could, but also that the general distaste for the United States has softened somewhat as Obama's White House bid gathers pace. "Since the race has been going on, we've found a slight movement toward the U.S.," said Anthony Wells, research chief for PoliticsHome in Britain. "I'm confident this is the Obama influence. The anti-Americanism of recent years seems closely tied to George Bush. The people love Obama." But many analysts believe that if Obama completes his march to the Oval Office, this backing will dissipate the first time he presses Europe to send more troops to Afghanistan or to support an aggressive U.S. military stance at odds with Europe's strong preference for diplomacy over cruise missiles. |
| Obama sees little political benefit from trip abroad Sat, 26 Jul 2008 14:40 EDT Heading home from an overseas trip aimed at strengthening his foreign policy credentials, Sen. Barack Obama said Saturday he's not counting on an immediate political boost and thinks it's just as likely he'll experience a short-term dip in polls simply because he's been out of the country for nine days. "The reason that I thought this trip was important was I am convinced that many of the issues that we face at home are not going to be solved as effectively unless we have strong partners abroad," Obama said, speaking outside 10 Downing Street after his private meeting with Prime Minister Gordon Brown. He acknowledged, however, that Americans are mainly focused on issues like gas prices and home foreclosures. On the Brown-Obama agenda Saturday: terrorism, troops for Iraq and Afghanistan, troubled financial markets, climate change and Mideast peace. Britain, the United States' closest ally, was the Democratic candidate's final stop after an ambitious run through Afghanistan, Iraq, Jordan, Israel, the West Bank, Germany and France. |
| Analysis: Obama treated like a president on tour Sat, 26 Jul 2008 13:45 EDT Maybe the foreign leaders Barack Obama met with on his mid-campaign overseas trip were merely hedging their bets and don't believe he will win the White House this fall. But that's not how many of them acted. Jordan's King Abdullah flew back early from Aspen, Colo., to host dinner at his palace, then personally took the wheel of the royal Mercedes to drive his guest to the airport. "God bless you," Israeli President Shimon Peres greeted Obama the next morning in Jerusalem. French President Nicolas Sarkozy virtually endorsed the man he called "my dear Barack Obama." He observed puckishly he wasn't meddling in the U.S. election when he suggested Obama follow his own lead by winning the top political office in the United States. |
| Obama muses on need for time to think Sat, 26 Jul 2008 13:45 EDT Barack Obama endorses making time for thinking in the White House. As the Democratic candidate for president chatted with Tory Leader David Cameron at the Houses of Parliament on Saturday, a boom microphone used by reporters caught their discussion. It was unclear whether Obama and Cameron knew how much of their conversation others could hear. Obama and Cameron talked casually about the demands of high office, according to a transcript provided to reporters. CAMERON: You should be on the beach. You need a break. Well, you need to be able to keep your head together. OBAMA: You've got to refresh yourself. |
| Obama defends tour, says McCain shifting on war Sat, 26 Jul 2008 23:05 EDT Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama brushed aside Republican criticism of his overseas trip on Saturday and stood outside the famed 10 Downing Street to say that both President Bush and Sen. John McCain were moving his way on the key issues of Iraq and Afghanistan. Hours before flying home, Obama also suggested his poll numbers might dip in the coming days, adding: "We have been out of the country for a week. People are worried about gas prices and home foreclosures." At the same time, he said the journey to two war zones, the Mideast and Europe was important because "many of the issues that we face at home are not going to be solved as effectively unless we have strong partners abroad." Obama flew home to Chicago Saturday night. Republicans have criticized Obama throughout his trip, and McCain's campaign said recently the Democrat was taking a "premature victory lap" with more than 100 days remaining in the presidential campaign. |
| McCain rejects 'audacity of hopelessness' for Iraq Sat, 26 Jul 2008 13:45 EDT Republican presidential candidate John McCain, ridiculing Barack Obama for "the audacity of hopelessness" in his policies on Iraq, said Friday that the entire Middle East could have plunged into war had U.S. troops been withdrawn as his rival advocated. Speaking to an audience of Hispanic military veterans, McCain stepped up his criticism of Obama while the Illinois senator continued his headline-grabbing tour of the Middle East and Europe. The Arizona Republican contended that Obama's policies - he opposed sending more troops to Iraq in the "surge" that McCain supported - would have led to defeat there and in Afghanistan. "We rejected the audacity of hopelessness, and we were right," McCain said, a play on the title of Obama's book "The Audacity of Hope." McCain laid out a near-apocalyptic chain of events he said could have resulted had Obama managed to stop the troop buildup ordered by President Bush: U.S. forces retreating under fire, the Iraqi army collapsing, civilian casualties increasing dramatically, al-Qaida killing cooperative Sunni sheiks and finding safe havens to train fighters and launch attacks on Americans, and civil war, genocide and a wider conflict. "Above all, America would have been humiliated and weakened," he said. "Terrorists would have seen our defeat as evidence America lacked the resolve to defeat them. As Iraq descended into chaos, other countries in the Middle East would have come to the aid of their favored factions, and the entire region might have erupted in war." |
| Today on the presidential campaign trail Sat, 26 Jul 2008 15:40 EDT IN THE HEADLINES Obama rejects criticism of trip, says McCain moving his way on wars in Iraq and Afghanistan ... To clap or not to clap: When Obama speaks to minority journalists, that is the question ... Analysis: From Mideast to Europe, foreign leaders gave Obama a welcome fit for a president --- Obama defends tour, says McCain shifting on war LONDON (AP) - Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama brushed aside Republican criticism of his overseas trip on Saturday and stood outside the famed 10 Downing Street to say that both President Bush and Sen. John McCain were moving his way on the key issues of Iraq and Afghanistan. |
| Lunsford launches ad to rebut McConnell Sat, 26 Jul 2008 03:19 EDT Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Bruce Lunsford launched a commercial hitting back at Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell that, among other things, criticizes the four-term senator for taking contributions from oil companies. .McConnell raised $3 million from big oil while voting to give them billions in tax breaks,. the female announcer says in Lunsford's 30-second spot that began airing Friday. However, a lobbyist for oil companies is throwing a July 29 fund-raiser benefiting Lunsford's campaign in Washington, D.C., according to an invitation listing Heather and Tony Podestaas the hosts. Tony Podesta's firm, Podesta Group, shows BP and Sunoco on its client list. |
| McCain campaign: Obama shortchanged injured troops Sun, 27 Jul 2008 02:40 EDT Republican John McCain's campaign on Saturday sharply criticized Democratic rival Barack Obama for canceling a visit to wounded troops in Germany, contending Obama chose foreign leaders and cheering Europeans over "injured American heroes." Obama's campaign called the accusation "wildly inappropriate." His spokesman has claimed that the visit to a military hospital in Germany was scrapped after the Pentagon raised concerns about political activity on a military base. Earlier, though, the campaign had said Obama decided the visit might be seen as inappropriate politicking. However, the Pentagon said the senator was never told not to visit. A new McCain ad that began airing Saturday in selected markets also chides Obama as disrespectful for making "time to go to the gym" during his European visit while at the same time canceling the visit with wounded troops. "Seems the Pentagon wouldn't allow him to bring cameras," according to the ad, which is being televised in Colorado, Pennsylvania and the Washington D.C. area. "John McCain is always there for our troops." McCain himself joined in the rebuke, saying in an interview to be aired Sunday by ABC's "This Week" that "if I had been told by the Pentagon that I couldn't visit those troops, and I was there and wanted to be there, I guarantee you, there would have been a seismic event." |
| McCain ridicules .hopelessness' on Iraq Sat, 26 Jul 2008 03:19 EDT DENVER . Republican presidential candidate John McCain, ridiculing Barack Obama for .the audacity of hopelessness. in his policies on Iraq, said Friday that the entire Middle East could have plunged into war had U.S. troops been withdrawn as his rival advocated. Speaking to an audience of Hispanic military veterans, McCain stepped up his criticism of Obama while the Illinois senator continued his headline-grabbing tour of the Middle East and Europe. The Arizona Republican contended that Obama's policies . he opposed sending more troops to Iraq in the .surge. that McCain supported . would have led to defeat there and in Afghanistan. .We rejected the audacity of hopelessness, and we were right,. McCain said, a play on the title of Obama's book The Audacity of Hope . McCain laid out a near-apocalyptic chain of events he said could have resulted had Obama managed to stop the troop buildup ordered by President Bush: U.S. forces retreating under fire, the Iraqi army collapsing, civilian casualties increasing dramatically, al-Qaida killing cooperative Sunni sheikhs and finding safe havens to train fighters and launch attacks on Americans, and civil war, genocide and a wider conflict. |
| Lawmakers who switch jobs get pension boost Sat, 26 Jul 2008 03:19 EDT FRANKFORT . Thanks to a provision lawmakers quietly approved in 2005, many former legislators who switch to judicial or executive branch jobs will see their annual retirement benefits double, quadruple or even increase six-fold. Most recently, Democratic state Rep. Frank Rasche of Paducah chose this week to leave the General Assembly after 15 years to accept a job at the state Department of Education. By doing so, he will join the first dozen former lawmakers who can qualify to draw much higher retirement checks from the legislative retirement system now that they've taken better-paying positions elsewhere in government. Lawmakers who serve more than five years in the General Assembly are eligible to join the legislative retirement system, which pays retirees a pension based on the number of years served and their legislative salary, which is usually between $15,000 and $22,000 a year for most. |
| High cost of energy is issue No. 1 in potential swing state of Pennsylvania Sun, 27 Jul 2008 14:10 EDT Voters in this rugged slice of small-town Pennsylvania, where even going for groceries can mean a 10-mile trip, fall into two camps: those who want the government to find more oil and those who don't. Put another way, they either like John McCain, who got applause in Wilkes-Barre last week for touting offshore drilling and suspending the federal gasoline tax, or they prefer Barack Obama and his plan to expedite development of alternative energy sources. Whichever camp they fit into, when you ask people what's on their minds, energy is what's on their minds. Voters do agree on this: "People here drive a long way to get anywhere," said Ryan Stalker, a Lackawanna College administrator. They also tend to live in older homes, where heating and cooling costs can soar. And they want help - meaning energy dwarfs every other political issue in this key part of this potential swing state. McCain's forces include people like Marissa Stopyra, a Hawley homemaker, who can make just one 19-mile trip a week this summer with her 5- and 9-year-olds to Promised Land State Park, instead of the usual three or four weekly visits. She and others favor Republican presidential candidate McCain's plan to drop the 18.4-cents-a-gallon tax on gasoline until Labor Day. Economists generally deride the idea, and Obama has called it a gimmick. |
| ANALYSIS: Obama wins the week, but McCain is still very much in the race Sun, 27 Jul 2008 14:10 EDT If conventional wisdom ruled politics, Barack Obama would be on his way to the White House after last week. He went overseas with the national news media in tow and staged a series of well choreographed scenes that were designed to make him appear "presidential" and to address the fact that many voters still consider him inexperienced and a risky choice. Heads of state shook his hand. The prime minister of Iraq welcomed part of Obama's plan to get U.S. troops out. Two hundred thousand Germans cheered him in Berlin. That may all pay off for the Illinois Democrat. But it's July, and he shouldn't pick the White House china just yet. At home, even as he struggled to steal some of the national spotlight away, rival John McCain managed to stay in the game. |
| Regardless of who wins in November, taxes will change Sun, 27 Jul 2008 14:10 EDT Regardless of who wins the White House in an election where everyone talks about change, there's one change America can count on: taxes. The fact that President Bush and Congress enacted temporary tax cuts in 2001 and 2003 that expire at the end of 2010 means it's inevitable that taxes will change, perhaps dramatically. The next president and Congress will agree to extend some or all of those tax cuts while also cutting or raising other taxes - or else political gridlock will stymie agreement, the tax cuts will expire, and tax bills will go up for almost everyone. "It is a unique moment," said Robert Reischauer, a former director of the Congressional Budget Office. "Something has to happen." But what? Who will pay less and who will pay more? Which plan will get through a Congress all but certain to remain in Democratic control? |
| On return to U.S., Obama says Afghanistan in trouble Sun, 27 Jul 2008 17:00 EDT In his first public appearance since returning to the United States, Barack Obama says Afghanistan's weak government and rampant drug trafficking are hampering efforts to fight al-Qaida terrorists who often take refuge in neighboring Pakistan. But conditions in Iraq are improving, the Democratic presidential hopeful told hundreds of minority journalists Sunday after returning from Europe and the Middle East. American troops have helped stabilize Iraq and consolidate political progress among that country's factions. But Obama says that in Afghanistan, more American troops are needed to stabilize the area and that Pakistan must do more to deny terrorists a safe haven. |
| Obama shifts focus to economy Sun, 27 Jul 2008 18:15 EDT Presidential contender Barack Obama is pivoting from foreign policy to the economy at home. Obama said in an interview broadcast Sunday that cost of gas and food will keep Americans focused on finances even during the upcoming Olympics in Beijing. The Illinois Democrat said on NBC's "Meet the Press" that he's gathering key economic advisers on Monday to discuss a second economic stimulus package and ways to deal with high energy prices. Among the people he will talk to are investor Warren Buffett, Eric Schmidt, chairman and CEO of Google, as well as former Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker. "What is driving people all across the country right now is worries and concerns about inability to pay the gas bill and inability to buy food because prices have gone up so high," Obama said. Obama was asked whether high gas prices are a good thing in a way because it has forced the nation to focus on energy policy. He said he did not think so because ordinary families are under enormous stress. However, the question gave him an opportunity to talk about his support for higher fuel efficiency standards for automobiles, which he said his opponent, Republican candidate John McCain, has consistently opposed. |
| McCain backs effort banning affirmative action Sun, 27 Jul 2008 19:35 EDT Presidential challenger John McCain said Sunday that he supports a proposed ballot initiative in his home state that would prohibit affirmative action policies from state and local governments. A decade ago, he called a similar effort "divisive." The reversal comes as McCain, a conservative senator from Arizona, seeks to tailor his policies and rhetoric to independent-minded voters who will determine the outcome of November election. Both McCain and Democratic rival Barack Obama have accused each other -with good reason - of "flip-flopping," a charge that carries weight with independents who seek consistency and authenticity in their political leaders. McCain was asked specifically Sunday whether he supported an effort to get a referendum on the ballot in Arizona that would "do away with affirmative action." "Yes, I do," said McCain in an interview broadcast Sunday on ABC's "This Week." |
| Lobbyists' gifts show $181,600 for McCain Sun, 27 Jul 2008 04:04 EDT WASHINGTON . Registered lobbyists have donated large amounts of money to Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign, even as he denounces their profession. But Democratic candidates for Congress have also raised prodigious sums from lobbyists, outdoing the Republicans, according to reports filed for the first time under a new ethics law. Sen. Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic Party nominee for president, says he does not want money from lobbyists, but a few modest contributions have slipped through. Health care, education, environmental and human rights lobbyists have given to Obama. In total, lobbyists and trade groups have reported giving about $10.4 million to presidential and congressional candidates in the first half of this year. So far, McCain, who has locked up the Republican presidential nomination, has received more than $181,600 from lobbyists and trade groups, while Obama has received just over $6,000. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who ended her bid for the presidency in June, received more than $87,000. |
| Candidates vie for lead in polls, press coverage Sun, 27 Jul 2008 04:04 EDT WASHINGTON . If conventional wisdom ruled politics, Barack Obama would be on his way to the White House after last week. He went overseas with the national news media in tow and staged a series of well choreographed scenes that were designed to make him appear .presidential. and to address the fact that many voters still consider him inexperienced and a risky choice. Heads of state shook his hand. The prime minister of Iraq agreed with part of Obama's plan to get U.S. troops out. Two hundred thousand Germans cheered him in Berlin. That may all pay off for the Illinois Democrat. But it's July, and he shouldn't pick the White House china just yet. |
| Anti-Muslim comments give Libertarians pause Sun, 27 Jul 2008 04:04 EDT LOUISVILLE . The head of Kentucky's Libertarian Party said party leaders are not ready to take action against U.S. Senate hopeful Sonny Landham for a series of anti-Arab and anti-Muslim remarks. Ken Moellman said on Saturday a decision on whether Landham would run as a Libertarian on the November ballot against Republican U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell and Democrat Bruce Lunsford would come on Monday or Tuesday. In an interview Thursday with The Associated Press, Landham advocated turning away Arabs from entering this country and said the United States should have bombed Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iran and Afghanistan after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. He repeatedly referred to Arabs and Muslims using offensive language. Addressing Landham's comments on Saturday, Moellman said, .Obviously the party does not stand for that.. |
| McCain backs expansion of disabilities protection Sun, 27 Jul 2008 09:43 EDT Republican presidential candidate John McCain is pledging support for a proposal to expand protections for disabled people under an 18-year-old landmark civil rights law. Speaking from Cottonwood, Ariz., by satellite to a disabilities forum in Columbus, Ohio, McCain said Saturday that revisions to the Americans With Disabilities Act must leave no doubt that it was intended to protect from any discrimination that's based on physical or mental disabilities. The Supreme Court generally has exempted from the law's protection people with partial physical disabilities, as well as people with physical impairments that can be treated with medication or devices such as hearing aids. .We must clarify the definition of a disability to assure full protection for those the law is intended to serve,. said McCain, who was spending the weekend at his nearby northern Arizona getaway. |
| How Kentucky lawmakers voted Sun, 27 Jul 2008 04:04 EDT House U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield, R-Hopkinsville: (202) 225-3115; (270) 885-8079 U.S. Rep. Ron Lewis, R-Cecilia: (202) 225-3501; (270) 765-4360 U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth, D-Louisville: (202) 225-5401; (502) 582-5129 U.S. |
| Television news shows Sun, 27 Jul 2008 09:42 EDT Fox News Sunday Sens. John Thune, R-S.D., and Claire McCaskill, D-Mo.; actor/writer Ben Stein. 9 a.m., Fox-56 This Week |
| Battle brewing between Richards, Stumbo over Speaker job Sun, 27 Jul 2008 16:49 EDT If recent rhetoric is any indication, a leadership battle indeed is brewing between House Speaker Jody Richards and the man who helped install him in that post nearly 14 years ago. State Rep. Greg Stumbo, the Prestonsburg Democrat who returned to the House this spring after a four-year stint as attorney general, has gradually ramped up his pointed criticism of the House leadership and, specifically, Richards. .I think the membership feels that the session was pretty much a disaster. And the truth is, when your company goes bad or something happens, the guy in charge gets the blame. Rightly or wrongly, I hear more people complain about Speaker Richards than any of the other members of leadership,. Stumbo said. He added that he's .not obviously campaigning at this time. to challenge Richards for the speaker's post during the legislative leadership elections in January. |
| President Bush, the media's forgotten man Sun, 27 Jul 2008 17:05 EDT They want you, they need you, they lose interest, they leave you for someone else. So goes the media's approach toward the president. It is always a relationship destined to end. President Bush - remember him? He has long ceased to be a hot story. Across all forms of mainstream media, news coverage of the president has fallen significantly this year. The drop-off has big implications for Bush, whose ability to influence the public debate is weakened by less exposure, and for the country, which ends up with lighter scrutiny of the nation's highest office. And while the trend is not unusual for a lame-duck leader - Bill Clinton was plenty overshadowed in his final months - the declining attention still seems pronounced given the forces working against Bush. |
| A Q.A with the new energy cabinet chief Sun, 27 Jul 2008 19:24 EDT Gov. Steve Beshear tapped Len Peters, an accomplished chemical engineer, to head a new cabinet focusing on energy and the environment and immediately gave him an ambitious project. Peters must lead a team to develop a comprehensive energy plan for the state . kind of an outline of what the state can do to use natural resources like coal as well as clean energy sources, such as wind, while also setting policies to help Kentuckians, businesses and government conserve. With concerns about the availability and price of energy at a peak level since the late 1970s, the plan will be highly anticipated when it reaches Beshear's desk in September. Of course, an .energy plan. sounds prudent, but what exactly does it mean and will it make a difference? Peters, who has served as a U.S. Department of Energy official and before that a key researcher at the University of Kentucky, recently sat down with the Herald-Leader to sketch it out. Here are excerpts: |
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